Me, a priest? How could that be!

Chapter 60: Terrified

After everyone had eaten and drunk their fill, they were assigned rooms.

Charlotte naturally lived in the largest room on the second floor of the mansion. Although Aqua initially objected and complained, under Kazuma Sato's coercion and enticement, she readily agreed.

According to the assigned rooms, everyone moved their luggage and other belongings into the rooms.

Charlotte lay on the soft, large bed.

It feels so good to be back in bed after so long.

Men shouldn't be picky... Many people probably think that way, but it's a completely different story from living in a stable with haystacks.

However, he didn't rest for long before getting up and leaving the room.

There's still work to be done.

Charlotte knew that with Aqua around, no evil spirit was a threat, but as the high priest who had been entrusted with the task, he should at least pretend to do his part.

"Waaaaaahh ...

Just then.

I heard Aqua crying loudly.

Charlotte rushed to her room, pushing open the door and shouting, "What's wrong, Aqua? Did you see an evil spirit?!"

however--

What came into view was Aqua, who was carefully holding an empty wine bottle and crying incessantly.

Could it be...?

"Listen to me, Charlotte!" Aqua rushed over to him, tears welling in her eyes, and cried out, "This bottle of wine is one of my most treasured possessions, it's incredibly expensive! I was really looking forward to savoring it little by little after my bath, but when I came back... look, it's completely empty!!"

Kazuma Sato, who also rushed over, twitched the corner of his mouth after hearing Aqua's aggrieved complaint.

"...Can I go back now?"

"No! It must be the work of evil spirits! That's right, it's all their doing! I'm going to patrol the mansion and wipe them all out!"

Aqua stormed out in a huff.

At this point, she didn't blame Eris.

However, if a ranking had to be made, Eris would probably only be third in her heart... Demons and the undead would be ranked first or second.

Kazuma Sato didn't seem to want to get involved in such a stupid thing. He simply went back to his room and locked the door, leaving it all to Aqua and Charlotte to handle.

Even though I know he can't be of much help, this kind of behavior is still a bit speechless.

Aqua was jumping around in the mansion, running up to the second floor one minute and then to the yard the next. To be honest, Charlotte had no idea whether she actually wanted to purify the evil spirits.

As for Charlotte, she was also strolling around the mansion.

Normally, high priests and liches are able to see evil spirits, but he is not skilled enough to see them at all.

However, Charlotte wasn't afraid. After all, even if evil spirits were to cause trouble, he could protect himself. In fact, he was more looking forward to the appearance of evil spirits, because it would let them know what physical exorcism was all about.

Go down to the first floor.

Out of the corner of my eye, I caught a glimpse of pure white.

"...Darkness?"

She is a female knight wearing light pajamas, holding a banner (gohei) similar to those waved by shrine maidens in island nations' festivals, and waving it back and forth in all directions like a shaman.

"What are you doing?"

"...As you can see, I am performing an exorcism."

"Don't joke around. The Church of Eris doesn't have such exorcism methods. As the church's guardian knight, you'll be scolded if the bishop sees you doing something like this."

Darkness was a devout follower of the Church of Eris and a Guardian Knight, belonging to the Church of Eris in Axel, which is verifiable.

"And what you're doing looks more like you're summoning spirits."

"Summoning spirits?"

"That's right, maybe seeing you go crazy like this will attract evil spirits... Hey, why are you getting more and more excited as we talk about this!"

"Because this way I can protect my companions from being harassed by evil spirits... Come on, evil spirits, use whatever means you can to torment me, I will not yield no matter what!... Ha... Ha!"

Seeing how twisted you are, even evil spirits would probably give you a wide berth.

"Charlotte, come on over!"

"No way!"

Charlotte slapped the deranged female knight who had gone mad, and walked towards the second floor without looking back. She would leave the first floor to Darkness; she would enjoy being harassed by evil spirits.

I slowly walked up to the second floor.

Because we just moved in today and there wasn't time to install the magic stone lamps, the second floor looks dark and the deep passageway is a bit eerie.

Slight noises could be heard from time to time, and Charlotte unconsciously slowed her footsteps and lowered her breathing.

One step, two steps, three steps...

A flash of red light suddenly appeared.

It's now!

Charlotte twisted her body and attacked fiercely.

—Divine Light Fist!

"ah!?"

Just as he was about to unleash his skill to teach the evil spirit that had come to harass him a lesson, he suddenly realized that what appeared before him was not an evil spirit, but Huihui, and that red light was the light emanating from her eyes.

The fist stopped a few centimeters away from Huihui's face, and the force of the punch even made her hair fly.

"...Megumi?"

"Don't, don't attack suddenly!"

She complained loudly.

"Sorry," Charlotte apologized instinctively, then asked curiously, "Why did you come out? Didn't we say we were going to have an exorcism tonight and that you should stay in your room and sleep?"

"Because...because I need to go to the toilet!"

...I understand.

Humans have three urgent needs, and the more urgent these needs are, the more acute they become; this is almost a fixed pattern.

Charlotte looked at her teasingly and said, "So, you're saying you were scared, that's why you came to me?"

That's right.

She spoke so frankly that Charlotte didn't know what to say. Thinking about it carefully, Huihui was still a child... Even though she was an adult according to the kingdom's rules, there were still some things she was afraid of, regardless of age.

"Alright, I'll take you there... What's wrong? Why aren't you moving?"

"I can't move..."

"What?"

"No, you can't move...!"

Charlotte looked puzzled and subconsciously pulled her little hand forward. Suddenly, Huihui said in a high-pitched voice, while constantly twisting her legs and her eyes were frighteningly red.

Realizing something, Charlotte's gaze involuntarily drifted downwards, or more precisely, to the area near Huihui's lower abdomen.

"You wouldn't happen to be...?"

"No, don't say that...!" Huihui was about to cry, complaining, "It's all your fault for scaring me like that! I was already at my limit, what am I going to do now?!"

"Don't be nervous right now! Come on, relax, take a deep breath with me—"

"I can't relax even a little bit! It's going to leak... I... I... If that kind of thing really happens, I... I'll..."

Huihui seems to have broken down.

Her eyes were vacant, and she raised her hands in despair, muttering to herself.

"Wait, wait, wait!"

Is it too extreme to unleash explosive magic for something like this?! Charlotte doesn't want to be killed by explosive magic instead of by the evil spirit!

"no way!"

"Whoa!!"

Charlotte scooped up the panicked Huihui in her arms and carried her to the bathroom in a princess carry.

"Hang in there, we'll be there soon!"