The Duchess Who Sees Ghosts - Chapter 14 [Part 2] – Ghost Turmoil (10)

Chapter 14 [Part 2] – Ghost Turmoil (10)

Translator: Yonnee

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The Dance of Demon Banishment was a sword dance to exorcise evil spirits. However, what Julia was holding right now was a fan and not a sword.

Doria’s face stiffened as he felt the energy flowing out of Julia’s body. Blue energy rose around her when the atmosphere began to change, and heat could even be felt even though it was supposed to be freezing in that room.

In fact, the temperature around her was also rising.

“It is not right for any human to lose their core.”

Doria frowned as those words spilled out of Julia’s lips. What a spirit whisperer usually dealt with were malicious spirits.

He opened his lips and lowered his hand, then a cold energy crept up and created a strong breeze as though to push away the warmth that Julia had brought.

“It is not until we realize solitude and fathom our days that we realize what we had in our hands.”

Her words continued. The cold wind that was battling against her slowly dulled.

“Humans live in a world of balance. We live for the balance of nature, for sharing life with others, for continuing the cycle of life and connecting with our descendants…”

The fan was swung once. Even though it wasn’t a large fan, a strong wind shot out from her as if it were the beginning of a cyclone.

To battle the cold wind, a hot wind blew out and blanketed over all that was touched by cold energy. Julia’s white eyes then focused on Doria.

“It is called harmony.”

[ Keuuuh!! ]

There was a cry of anguish. Tears flowed down from Julia’s eyes. Her face was full of sorrow as though she was consoling the spirits that were struggling in agony.

“Us shamans are involved in human affairs as we serve gods who oversee this balance. But you—how dare you treat the souls of humans as if they were yours to take?”

Her anger burst out.

“There is a limit to foolishness.”

Julia’s energy poured out more explosively. Doria clenched his lips and scowled as he touched the wall behind him, trying to endure the outpour of her energy.

Then, he muttered, “It’s not complete yet, but…”

He raised his hand and bit his hand right below his pinky on the palm, and soon blood trickled down. He was still smiling.

Even though his hand was torn open, he giggled as he looked at Julia.

“I thought you were just a spirit whisperer, but I didn’t know you were hiding this kind of ability. I apologize.”

Julia grimaced and took a step forward, not liking how Doria suddenly regained his composure.

Then, Doria spat out the bloody flesh in his mouth and threw it on the floor near his feet.

“I wanted to show you the finished product, but it can’t be helped.”

Doria’s eyes glowed and the area around his feet opened up. There wasn’t any logical possibility of anything appearing from beneath, but blood was pooling there.

After a while, even the blood slowly disappeared to the floor, then the cold energy soon overpowered the hot energy again.

Julia squinted at the force that was eating up all the positive energy in the air, and she saw a black figure in the shape of a human being in front of her.

“…This.”

“What do you think?! You’ve never seen it before, have you? This comes from the drink that spirit whisperers boast of the most!”

His eyes were stained with madness. His expression had also changed strangely, then a grim smile came out.

“Demon parade.”

At that, an evil spirit slowly began to move and quickly surrounded Julia. The evil spirit had a shape, but it dispersed into smoke and began to spread throughout the air.

Julia stepped back with a grimace. Then, Patrick and Leo, who were watching Doria and Julia so far, stepped forward. Julia glanced at them both and spoke.

“When did you get here?”

“Hey, we’ve been here the whole time.”

Leo replied curtly to Julia, but she suddenly pushed him back without replying to his words. The place on the floor where he had just been suddenly got dented.

Patrick stepped back, startled. Julia pulled out an amulet from her sleeves and handed it to them.

“Take these with you. And don’t get hit.”

They took one talisman each, a look of bewilderment on their faces.

“What he’s doing is a lowly trick.”

“Lowly trick?”

“Yes.”

Julia nodded.

“It’s a technique that forces malicious spirits to develop their power by feeding on the other spirits around them. It’s similar to a curse, and though I heard it’s real, this is the first time I’m seeing it. There’s no one who actually uses this technique.”

“Why?”

“Of course.”

Julia narrowed her eyes.

“No one who actually connects spirits and humans would do this. To put it into perspective, can you force one person to eat the flesh of another person?”

At Julia’s alarming words, Leo was rendered speechless, then he shifted his gaze to Doria, who was laughing like a maniac. Leo quietly whispered.

“If we take care of him, won’t it stop?”

Julia turned her eyes towards Doria as well, contemplating, then she lowered her head slightly.

“…I’m not sure. But we should try.”

“Patrick and I will hold him down. Can you deal with that evil spirit?”

Julia stared at it for a moment and soon smirked. Leo also laughed at the reemergence of her absolute confidence.

“Don’t you know who I am?”

“…?”

Julia smirked when Leo, who couldn’t come up with an answer to her sudden question, tilted his head.

“I’m a shaman who serves the great god Crone.”

*

While Doria was laughing so maniacally that it looked like he was about to collapse, Patrick and Leo sneaked up on him—then, Doria’s laughter stopped.

His laughter’s sudden halt was due to him lowering his gaze and staring at Leo and Patrick with wide eyes. Then, once more, his mouth opened and he laughed loudly.

“I forgot that you’re still here, Duke.”

“I don’t want to see a crazy bastard ruin my Duchy.”

“A crazy bastard… that’s not good. Where? Who is he?”

Leo similarly smiled broadly as he glared at Doria.

“It’s you, you bastard!”

As he drew his sword, light energy was emanating from it. Patrick also drew his sword and aimed it at Doria.

When the two swords faced him, Doria’s face became distorted, then he screamed.

“AHHHH!!”

They hadn’t gotten close to Doria yet, but he suddenly cried out loud. His voice rang for a long time, and then, a murky silence replaced it. Patrick and Leo frowned.

“Can you hear it?”

“T-This?!”

“What do you think?”

Doria crept up on them, then his hand suddenly rubbed on Patrick and Leo’s shoulders, ignoring the fact that the two men were pointing their swords at him.

“Doesn’t it sound beautiful?”

[ Keuaaaaaaak!! ]

[ P-Please save me……!! ]

[ I don’t want to die! I-I don’t want to die here…!! ]

[ Mommy, mommy! AAAAACK!! ]

When the two men got submerged in those mournful voices, Doria cackled and whispered quietly into their ears.

“These are the cries of those ghosts. Isn’t it beautiful? Isn’t it thrilling to hear their cries firsthand?”

The spirits’ screams of agony kept resonating over Doria’s cackles. Patrick covered his ears, but the screams could still be heard clearly.

“Ugh…”

It was so painful that he couldn’t even think of anything. His heart was being shattered into pieces just by listening to their lamentation. They cried about their families, their lovers, their friends that they’d left behind.

“Do you know what happens if you keep listening to this…?”

Doria’s whispering voice slithered close to Leo’s ear.

“…You’ll follow those voices to the abyss…!”

Doria’s hand moved quickly and suddenly he was holding a blade. His grinning face was in front of Leo, but Leo just stood there blankly, even as Doria’s sword touched Leo’s back.

“What did you say was going to happen?”

“…?”

Doria looked down at the back where the blade was pointing, but Leo turned his head slightly to look at Doria dead in the eye. His gaze was steady.

“Nothing’s happening to me though?”

“Wh-What…”

At the first sign of Doria being flustered, Leo quickly gripped his sword tightly, then stabbed him on the shoulder. Doria tried to avoid it, but the sword had already been driven into his right shoulder.

“Keuuk… How?!”

“How foolish.”

Leo smiled and faced Doria squarely, his eyes sharply staring at the other man. Then, his lips slowly opened.

“The screams from the battlefield are hundreds of times more excruciating than this.”

Anger flared into his calm gaze as he gripped the sword in his hand.

“That’s why… Look carefully.”

Leo lifted his arm and slashed down diagonally.