Chapter 144 (2/2)

[When the invitation carandfather, as then the head of the Rothschear family, immediately noticed the emperor's intentions So he plotted a scheme]

Seol Jihu ued face

[If he was going to die whether he went or not, he at least wanted to protect the fa without the e]

“Then the reason your family fell…”

[The problem was that we becarandfather's death and found the will that he had left behind in his personal study]

“Did he not leave behind the location of the property or so?”

[No All that ritten in the as that he was going to die, that he moved all the fa, and that we ]

Seol Jihu tilted his head

“In the end, while your fa left either?”

[Strictly speaking, yes Except for this]

He suddenly felt his neck getting pulled Seol Jihu stared at the necklace hanging in the air

“The necklace…”

[This was the only iterandfather My ive it to her before he left He told her to not lose it no matter what and to cherish it dearly]

'So that hy she was so mad when Clara touched the necklace back then' Seol Jihu could finally understand a bit

“If other families did the same, I doubt the emperor would have been very happy”

[While there were srandfather, there naturally were dumb family heads as well I bet that it wasn't just a few that straight-out offered everything up to the emperor in fear]

“Wow!”

Seol Jihu let out a gasp If Flone's words were true, then he couldn't even iine how much wealth the villa contained

An e the assets of several major families…

Seol Jihu allowing his drool…

“Heuk—”

…choked on his breath after seeing Flone's face forht in front of his face in the midst of the black smoke He didn't knohen she materialized, but he could see her squint at him

“Y-You scared me”

[You're planning on going, right?]

“Huh?”

[No You can't I'o]

“But…”

No htly bound both his hands and legs Unable to hed

“Fine, I won't go Now let me free”

[I don't believe you]

“Why?”

[Your eyes were shi+ning]

“Don't be like that and letme like this?”

[Oh, I don't know For around a year? Won't your thoughts of going disappear by then?]

'An entire year!'

It was iht about it, so he ducked his neck and began licking the pendant

[E!]

Flone shrieked as she drew back

After freeing his li far ahile squirust

[You meanie! You know I hate that!]

Hearing the upset tone echoing in his mind, Seol Jihu scratched his head

“You were gripping htly”

[I orried!]

“I knoon't go, okay? I promise I won't”

Seeing Seol Jihu rub his palether in a plea, Flone timidly approached

[Really?]

“Of course You said so yourself It's not a place where living people should go It's obvious that nothing good will co there anyways…”

It wasn't eoing

Not only did the Nine Eyes signal all sorts of warnings to not go, but there was also no reason for hio in the first place

[Good You thought well]

Flone said with a slightly relieved voice

“But didn't you say you're curious as well?”

[My grandfather said too o to such… a scary place, just out of curiosity]

Hearing the depressed voice, Seol Jihu sniggered

“Well, that's surprising That even you have so to be afraid of”

[Well, that's because my family is directly involved, and also because it happened when I was young…]

“But since you are already—”

'—dead, does it matter?' Seol Jihu didn't finish the sentence out loud

While he already knew Flone was strong, there ords he should say and words he shouldn't He kneas rude

[Me? What about me?]

“Uh… strong”

[Already strong? That doesn't even make sense]

But despite trying to switch topics, Seol Jihu broke into a cold sweat as Flone's characteristic persistency was activated

[Why? Do you not likeall the time?]

“It's not that”

[Then should I always stick next to you?]

He wondered how such a conclusion was reached, but unable to win against her persistent barrage of questions, he confessed to a certain extent

“So, uh… even if I don't personally enter the villa… As long as it's in range, you can…”

When he couldn't continue speaking, the tweeting voice suddenly stopped

It was true that there was nothing inside the villa that could harm her After all, she was a spirit, or in other words, already dead

Also, Flone was an evil spirit born from hundreds of years of resentment She had been able to easily annihilate those terrible Parasites back then, too

Even if there was a monster inside, wouldn't it be simple for her to handle?

As all sorts of thoughts came to Seol Jihu's mind, he carefully searched for her response

Flone who hadn't released her materialization had a dazed look on her face

'da mouth'

He had rets concerned with living

When he was just about to apologize out of guilt

[…Ah]

Flone let out a stunned voice

[You're right!]

Her eyes grew as large as lanterns

“Excuse me?”

[You're right Why was I afraid?]

Then like a child who discovered so, she became excited and floated in the air

“F-Flone?”

[I' out for a bit!]

And Flone fleay just like that

Seol Jihu was left staring endlessly at the spirit that was now beco a small dot on the horizon

'…She didn't know?'

No, that wasn't it She ht have been instinctively afraid because of the trauma that she was induced hen she was a child

Or so he thought, until he could see the quickly returning Flone

Seol hastily gripped the railings using all his strength after vaguely realizing why she was flying towards him

A , a strange scene of a spirit pulling on the collar of a youngonto the handrail like a cicada, unfolded

“No I' there”

[Why~! Let's go~!]

“I'm scared, okay?”

[But you don't even have to go in~! I'll go in by myself!]

“I don't want to! Uggh”

[Heuk!]

'What, what power!'

Seeing his grip loosening, the panicked Seol Jihu quickly licked the pendant with his tongue

[Ahhhhh! I'll kill you!]

Seol Jihu flinched hearing Flone's threat

“No! We don't even knohat's inside!”

[It doesn't matter!]

In reply to Seol Jihu's screahtly shouted as if she never cared at all

[After all, I'm already dead!]