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---
Chapter 60
—I have a question.
Ram's spoon stopped halfway to her mouth.
Rem looked up from the teapot.
Emilia stopped spreading mayonnaise over her bread.
Beatrice closed her book.
Puck tilted one ear.
Roswaal continued smiling, though that provided no useful information.
Link looked at Subaru from the opposite end of the table.
The last time he had started breakfast that way, the manor had ended up producing enough mayonnaise to permanently alter Subaru's culinary priorities.
—No —Link said.
Subaru frowned.
—I haven't even asked yet.
—Exactly. We can still prevent it.
—It could be a normal question.
—You don't have normal questions.
Subaru placed a hand against his chest.
—That was unfair coming from the man who writes spells called "Crimson Heart."
Rem, standing beside Link, slowed the movement of the teapot ever so slightly.
—Rem thinks the name is beautiful.
Link smiled.
—Thank you.
Ram drank her tea.
—Rem lost her objectivity around the same time the gardener lost his ability to function whenever she leans over.
Link pointed at her.
—That has nothing to do with Subaru's question.
—Ram is attempting to use the available time before disaster strikes.
Subaru lightly struck the table with both palms.
—My question is about ghosts.
Emilia's expression changed.
Not much.
Only a slower blink and a small movement of her shoulders.
Link noticed.
He also noticed Rem gripping the teapot a little tighter.
Ram did not react.
Which meant she had.
Beatrice reopened her book.
—A stupid question, I suppose.
—Why has everyone judged its quality before hearing it?
—Experience —Ram, Beatrice, and Link answered at the same time.
Subaru decided to ignore them.
—What concept do people here have of ghosts?
Emilia looked at Puck.
—Do you mean spirits?
—Not exactly. Someone dies, but something of them remains behind. Their shape, memories, grudges. They appear at night, pass through walls, move things, and frighten people who make terrible decisions about investigating strange noises.
Emilia slowly put down her bread.
—Why do they investigate the noise?
—Because otherwise the stories would last five minutes.
—Do the people in your stories not know how to ask for help?
—Usually not.
—Then they're a little stupid.
—Very.
Puck floated beside Emilia's head.
—Spirits are born and grow from mana. They aren't dead people.
Luci rested on Link's shoulder.
The other four lights wandered near a window, drawn by the morning brightness. The little ember bird had tried to sit on the table until Rem reminded it that open flames did not belong at breakfast.
Subaru pointed at Puck.
—Exactly. I know what a spirit is. I'm asking about dead souls coming back.
Roswaal rested his face against one hand.
—There are stories about thoughts that fail to return to the flow of the world. Regrets that remain attached to places, objects, or people.
Emilia turned slightly pale.
—Does that really happen?
—Stories exaggerate —Roswaal replied—. Although sufficiently intense resentment can combine with certain spiritual anomalies and produce unpleasant phenomena.
—You just said ghosts exist using more words —Link said.
—I said something similar might exist.
—That's worse —Emilia murmured.
Rem placed the teapot on the table.
—Can those phenomena enter a house?
—Most tales place them in ruins, battlefields, and places where many people died —Roswaal explained—. They do not usually pass into protected residences.
—"Not usually" —Rem repeated.
Link slid one hand beneath the table.
He found hers.
Rem intertwined their fingers without taking her eyes off Roswaal.
—If something gets inside —Link said—, it has to get through me first.
Ram raised an eyebrow.
—How reassuring. The ghost can possess the gardener and gain four kagunes.
—They can't possess me.
—How do you know?
Link opened his mouth.
He had no answer.
Rem squeezed his hand.
—In that case, Link will not investigate noises alone.
—I can investigate noises.
—With Rem.
—That works.
Emilia looked at their joined hands.
She smiled.
Then remembered the subject and resumed looking at the corners of the dining room.
Subaru rested his elbows on the table.
—Back home, we had games for talking to ghosts.
Link stopped smiling.
—No.
Subaru looked at him.
—You know them too.
—I know Ouija boards, moving glasses, crossed pencils, and enough stories about people doing stupid things to know that you don't play around with that stuff.
—Kokkuri isn't exactly a Ouija board.
—It's a coin on top of letters.
—There are cultural differences.
—The ghost isn't going to check your nationality before coming inside.
Emilia looked back and forth between them.
—In both your homelands, people speak to the dead using objects?
—You don't actually speak to them —Link said.
Subaru answered at the same time.
—Sometimes.
They looked at each other.
—You're not helping —Link said.
—I'm preserving the mystery.
—Preserve the mystery outside the manor.
Ram set down her cup.
—Rem, Rem. The foreigners wish to summon the dead over breakfast.
—Nee-sama, nee-sama. It seems at least one of them still possesses common sense.
Link raised his head proudly.
—Thank you.
—Rem was talking about Subaru.
The betrayal took a moment to register.
Rem smiled innocently.
Link squeezed her fingers beneath the table.
She squeezed back.
—Then we have to try it —Subaru decided.
—No —Link and Emilia said.
—Yes —Beatrice said.
Everyone looked at the little spirit.
Beatrice closed her book.
—If some vulgar imitation of a spirit intends to appear inside this manor, Betty wishes to see it so that she can personally explain its mistake, I suppose.
—Explain it? —Emilia asked.
—Hit it.
—That's what I thought.
Puck moved his tail.
—Could be fun.
—You can't encourage him —Emilia protested—. You're the one who should be saying we shouldn't summon unknown things.
—That's why I'll be there.
—That doesn't stop them from appearing.
—But it stops things from being boring.
Roswaal clasped his hands together.
—Authorized.
Link looked at him.
—You aren't the one sleeping in a room at the end of a dark hallway.
—My room also has hallways.
—You can fly.
—A practical advantage.
Subaru stood.
—Operation Kokkuri begins after breakfast!
Ram looked at his plate.
—Barusu has not finished.
Subaru sat back down.
—The operation begins after domestic tyranny permits me to leave the table.
—Better.
The preparations occupied part of the morning.
Subaru needed a large sheet of paper.
A coin.
Ink.
And enough room for characters, numbers, simple answers, and a symbolic doorway that would allow their visitor to leave.
Link watched from one side of the table.
—That door looks like a table.
—It's a torii.
—It looks like a broken table.
—I don't need criticism from someone who draws spirits like potatoes.
Link took the pen.
—Give it to me.
Subaru protected the paper.
—No.
—I can improve it.
—Your handwriting is worse.
—Drawing isn't handwriting.
—Your Charmander took five attempts.
—It'll work.
—It still has no head.
Link looked toward the worktable in an adjoining room.
The orange body rested on a base, its chest open and its neck empty. The head lay beside it, surrounded by tools.
—It's undergoing maintenance.
—It's decapitated.
—A temporary condition.
Ram approached the sheet.
She examined Subaru's characters.
—This is crooked.
—You can understand it.
—That symbol looks like it was struck.
—That's part of its personality.
—Writing does not require personality —Ram said.
Link nodded.
—She tells me that all the time.
—Because both of you write as if you're fighting the paper.
Subaru added the affirmative and negative options.
Numbers.
Man.
Woman.
The door.
Emilia watched every stroke from a safe distance.
Rem stood beside her.
Her mace was secured at her waist.
Not her combat clothing.
Only the weapon.
—You can't hit a coin —Subaru pointed out.
—Rem does not intend to hit the coin.
—You can't hit Kokkuri either.
—Subaru said it would come here.
—To talk.
—Then it can answer after receiving the first strike.
Link moved closer to Rem.
—Ghosts might not have bodies.
—Then Link will remain nearby.
—I was planning to.
She took his arm.
The answer was simple.
The effect wasn't.
Link looked at the contact.
Then at her.
—You don't have to pretend you're afraid just to hug me.
—Rem is not pretending.
That erased his smile.
—You're actually scared?
—A little.
Link wrapped an arm around her waist.
—Then we're leaving.
Rem shook her head.
—Emilia-sama is afraid too.
Emilia raised her head.
—I'm not afraid.
Puck settled on her.
—Your hair is getting cold.
—I'm only alert.
—Rem will stay —the maid said—. Link too.
—Of course.
Ram leaned against a wall.
—How brave. The gardener protects his partner from a coin.
—Every relationship faces different obstacles.
—Yours began with explosions. Ram expected better.
Roswaal occupied a chair off to the side.
He looked far too entertained.
Beatrice positioned herself in front of the table.
—Start already, I suppose.
Subaru pointed at three places.
—The first session needs three people.
—You —Link said.
—Obviously.
—Beatrice.
—Betty will not participate until she confirms the ritual is not a complete waste of time.
—And Roswaal.
The margrave raised both hands.
—I prefer to observe.
Subaru looked at Emilia.
She stepped back.
He looked at Rem.
Rem tightened her grip on Link's arm.
—You can refuse —he told her.
—Rem wants to make sure nothing happens to Emilia-sama.
Emilia sat down.
—I'm not letting Rem do it alone.
—That leaves one place —Subaru said.
Both of them looked at Link.
He shook his head.
—I don't play with that stuff.
—You've died fighting monsters —Subaru said.
Link held his gaze.
—Exactly why I learned not to go looking for new problems.
—Coward.
—Alive.
Rem released his arm.
—Link can stay behind Rem.
—That's where I'll be.
Subaru, Emilia, and Rem sat down.
They placed their index fingers on the coin.
Link stood behind Rem with both hands resting on her shoulders.
She breathed a little easier.
Subaru explained the rules.
Do not remove your finger.
Do not interrupt the session before saying goodbye to the visitor.
Do not mock it.
Do not ask questions whose answers you weren't prepared to receive.
—That last one seems important —Emilia said.
—Very.
—Why would you take part in something with so many warnings?
—Because a man cannot allow common sense to destroy all his curiosity.
—That sentence should be carved on your grave —Link murmured.
Subaru took a deep breath.
—Kokkuri-sama, Kokkuri-sama. If you are present, please move to "yes."
Nothing happened.
The coin remained over the drawn doorway.
Emilia closed her eyes.
Rem's fingers tensed.
Subaru repeated the call.
The red flame floating near Link changed size.
Luci approached the table.
The little ember bird hid its head under one wing.
The coin moved.
Slowly.
A golden scrape over the paper.
Until it reached "yes."
Emilia made a tiny sound.
Rem leaned backward.
Her back struck Link.
He closed both arms around her.
—I'm here.
—Yes.
Subaru stared at his own fingers.
—Nobody's moving it, right?
—Subaru is the one conducting the ritual —Rem said.
—That doesn't answer me.
Emilia was pale.
—Ask it to go back to the door.
The coin returned.
Without any of them seeming to apply force.
Link felt a faint current in the room.
It could have been Puck.
Roswaal.
The spirits.
A poorly closed window.
He didn't manifest his horns to check.
He didn't want whatever might be there to interpret it as an invitation.
—Ask something —Subaru said.
Emilia shook her head.
Rem didn't speak either.
—Fine. I'll start easy.
He looked at the board.
—Is Emilia afraid?
The coin moved to "yes."
—I'm not! —she protested.
The piece returned to the doorway.
Then moved through the characters by itself.
Liar.
Emilia gave another tiny scream.
Puck laughed.
—It has personality.
—Don't encourage it —Link said.
Subaru looked fascinated.
Rem stared at the coin.
The fear was still there, but her practical mind had begun taking over.
—Kokkuri-sama —she asked—, will tonight's dinner be meat or fish?
The coin moved across several letters.
Meat.
Rem stared at it.
—There is not enough fish in the pantry.
Emilia turned toward her.
—Did nobody else know that?
—Nee-sama might.
Ram shook her head.
—Ram did not inspect the supplies this morning.
—Link might —Subaru said.
—I was with the Wolgarms.
The coin returned to the doorway.
Emilia leaned forward slightly.
—Kokkuri-sama seems kind.
The coin wrote:
Normal.
—I'm sorry. I didn't mean to offend you.
Doesn't matter.
Subaru stared at the sheet.
—Since when does Kokkuri hold conversations this fluently?
Beatrice narrowed her eyes.
Roswaal continued smiling.
Link kept watching the margrave's hands.
The coin returned.
—Ask another question —Subaru requested.
Emilia thought.
—Do the four spirits following Link have good intentions?
The lights approached the table.
The coin moved to "yes."
Link looked at the spirits.
The red flame bumped his shoulder.
—I already trusted you.
The blue sphere struck his other cheek.
—More or less.
Rem looked up at him.
—Does Link wish to ask anything?
—No.
—You could ask about the two of you —Subaru whispered.
Link gave him a flat stare.
—I don't need a coin to tell me what Rem already told me.
She lifted her face.
Link lowered his.
The kiss landed on her forehead.
Brief.
Rem turned red.
Emilia smiled so broadly that she temporarily forgot she was participating in a ritual intended to summon the dead.
The coin moved.
Without a question.
Sappy.
Subaru slapped the table with his free hand.
—Kokkuri-sama understands!
—Don't give it confidence —Link said.
Rem hid a smile.
The first session ended without blood, possession, or exploding windows.
Subaru dismissed the visitor.
The coin returned to the doorway.
The strange pressure disappeared.
Emilia removed her finger and immediately hugged Puck.
Rem stood.
Link examined her hand.
—Are you okay?
—Yes.
—Amount of fear?
She thought.
—Six out of ten when it first moved.
—Now?
—Three.
—I can reduce it to zero.
—How?
Link opened his arms.
Rem stepped into them.
Not urgently.
Not pretending.
She rested her forehead against his chest and allowed him to hold her for several seconds.
—That reduces it to one —she murmured.
—I can keep working.
Ram cleared her throat.
—The ritual is over. The demonstration of oni reproduction can wait.
Rem stepped back.
Link didn't.
He kept one hand on her waist.
—We weren't reproducing.
—Ram said demonstration.
—That's worse.
Beatrice pushed forward a chair.
—The second session.
Subaru blinked.
—Now you believe?
—Betty believes someone is cheating.
—Who?
Beatrice pointed at everyone.
—Anyone who is not Betty.
—A rigorous investigation.
Puck floated above the table.
—I want to try too.
—Three participants —Subaru reminded him.
—I can use my tail.
Beatrice looked at him.
Her hostility vanished instantly.
—Nii-cha can participate.
Subaru sat back down.
Beatrice took Rem's place.
Puck placed the tip of his tail on the coin.
Link stared at the combination.
—This is going to end badly.
Ram nodded.
—For the first time today, the gardener is correct.
Subaru repeated the invocation.
The coin moved toward "yes" before he even finished.
Then it wrote:
Again.
—Sorry —Subaru said—. Beatrice doubted your existence.
—Don't hide behind Betty!
The coin moved.
Noisy.
Puck laughed.
Beatrice clenched her teeth.
—Tell Betty what Nii-cha thinks of her.
The coin moved through the characters.
Must use honorific.
Beatrice froze.
—What?
Beatrice-sama.
Puck burst out laughing.
Subaru nearly removed his finger.
—Kokkuri-sama has courage.
—It didn't answer!
Because you didn't say sama.
—Why are you only strict with Betty?!
The coin began moving faster.
Link watched, fascinated.
Not only by the answer.
By the movement.
Tiny forces.
Changes in direction.
Precise impulses applied from several points without lifting the object.
Source.
Route.
Command.
Output.
The idea appeared.
He looked toward the room where Charmander rested without a head.
A joint did not need to receive the lagmite's entire force.
It could receive pulses.
One to flex.
Another to extend.
A sequence.
The coin returned to the doorway.
Puck asked a question.
—What does Emilia think of me?
The response came quickly.
Family. Protector. Sometimes son.
Emilia's eyes widened.
—Puck is not my son!
Puck crossed his arms.
—Some mornings you brush me like I am.
—Because you get dirty.
—That sounds maternal.
—You say you're my father!
—Spiritual relationships are complicated.
Subaru looked at the coin.
—That clarified absolutely nothing.
Beatrice was still annoyed.
—Ask something useful, I suppose.
Rem raised a hand.
—May Rem ask something?
The coin moved.
Go ahead.
Subaru smiled.
—Kokkuri-sama seems to have gotten comfortable.
Rem stepped toward the table.
Her expression was completely calm.
—During the last few nights, the amount of stored mayonnaise has decreased.
Subaru stopped smiling.
Puck lowered his ears.
Beatrice looked elsewhere.
Link looked at all three.
—Ah.
Rem continued.
—Who is responsible?
The coin remained motionless.
The tension changed.
Subaru stiffened his finger.
Beatrice did the same.
Puck tightened his tail.
—What's happening? —Emilia asked.
—A complicated question —Subaru replied.
—It only needs one name —Rem said.
The coin began moving.
Very slowly.
Toward Beatrice's characters.
—Look —Subaru said—. Seems pretty clear.
Beatrice made an indignant noise.
A magical current emerged from her fingers.
The coin changed direction.
Toward Subaru.
—That's magic!
—Betty is correcting falsehood!
Puck tightened his tail.
The coin veered toward another section.
—We can discuss this —the spirit said—. There's no need for accusations.
—You stole some too —Link said.
Puck looked at him.
—You have no proof.
—You just said "too."
Silence.
The coin began spinning among the three forces.
Subaru pushed.
Beatrice corrected.
Puck redirected.
The paper wrinkled.
—You're going to tear it —Emilia said.
None of them stopped.
—The culprit is Beatrice!
—The thief is Barusu!
—Perhaps mayonnaise evaporates —Puck suggested.
—Mayonnaise does not evaporate! —Link and Subaru shouted.
The coin spun.
Once.
Twice.
The pressure increased.
Link felt something change.
It wasn't coming from their fingers.
Nor from the lesser spirits, who had taken refuge behind him.
The coin broke free from all three.
It completed a full spin by itself.
Then moved quickly.
Enough.
The participants froze.
The coin continued.
You're making Emilia cry.
Subaru turned.
Emilia wasn't crying.
But she stood with her hands clenched against her chest and a genuinely sad expression.
—I don't want you fighting over sauce.
The tension left all three sets of shoulders.
The coin wrote:
Remember affection.
Then:
And confess.
It returned to the doorway.
The pressure disappeared.
Nobody spoke.
Rem looked at Subaru.
Then Beatrice.
Then Puck.
Subaru lowered his head.
—I took a little.
Puck raised one paw.
—Me too.
Beatrice clenched her skirt.
—Betty was provoked by a substance of acceptable flavor, I suppose.
Rem closed her eye.
—All three of you.
—It wasn't every night —Subaru said.
—Only some —Puck added.
—Betty should not be placed in the same category as them.
—You entered the kitchen without permission —Rem summarized.
All three fell silent.
Link wrapped one arm around her waist.
—What punishment will they get?
Rem thought.
—They will prepare the next batch.
Subaru lifted his head.
—That isn't punishment.
—And clean afterward.
The joy died.
—Cruel.
Beatrice opened a door.
—Betty does not participate in household chores.
The door closed before Rem could respond.
Puck tried to drift away.
Emilia caught him.
—You too.
—Lia, our contract contains no mayonnaise clause.
—It does now.
Roswaal applauded softly.
—A very educational conclusion.
Ram looked at him.
—Roswaal-sama.
—Yes?
—Walk with Ram.
The margrave smiled.
—Of course.
The two left the room.
Link watched them go.
—That was suspicious.
Subaru was too busy mourning his future cleaning duties to hear him.
Ram waited until they were far away from the sitting room.
—How did you move the coin?
Roswaal kept walking.
—Wind and earth. Localized pressure beneath the table. A thin current to conceal the direction of the mana.
—Beatrice and Puck noticed.
—Almost immediately.
—And they participated.
—It was more entertaining that way.
Ram looked back.
—The last movement did not seem to be yours.
Roswaal's smile became thinner.
—It wasn't.
Ram stopped.
—Beatrice?
—No.
—Puck?
—Neither.
—Barusu?
—He was too occupied avoiding an accusation.
The maid looked down the corridor.
No door moved.
No shadow had an unusual shape.
—Then...
Roswaal resumed walking.
—Perhaps the coin retained enough momentum.
—That does not explain the words.
—No.
Ram tightened her grip on the book against her chest.
—That game is now forbidden.
—A prudent decision.
—And the sheet will be destroyed.
—Naturally.
The sitting-room door opened behind them.
Link poked his head out.
—Why are you talking like you're hiding something?
Ram looked at him.
—The gardener needs to repair his lizard.
—That's what I was going to do.
—Then stop listening to other people's conversations.
—You're standing in the middle of the hallway.
—And the conversation still does not belong to you.
Link closed the door.
Ram waited.
Three seconds later it opened again.
—Was Kokkuri Roswaal?
—No —the margrave answered.
It wasn't entirely a lie.
Link studied him.
Then the door finally closed.
Ram released a breath.
—We also need to forbid him from investigating.
—That will be more difficult.
Charmander still had no head.
Link sat in front of his worktable for the rest of the afternoon.
He had placed the new tools in order.
File.
Pliers.
Chisels.
Wire.
Small metal parts.
The red lagmite rested inside the open chest.
It wasn't as powerful as the previous one.
It was more stable.
That mattered more.
On the table lay the diagrams Beatrice had corrected.
Source.
Split routes.
Regulator.
Output.
The diagram still looked like a sad onion.
Now it was a functional sad onion.
Link inserted three small rods inside the right shoulder.
One moved the arm.
Another the elbow.
The last kept the thumb in position.
—Don't laugh.
Luci floated over the diagram.
The sphere blinked.
—I've managed it before.
The light pointed toward a box filled with broken arms.
—The first ones don't count.
The ember bird landed on the stone shoulder.
—Don't heat it yet.
The creature folded its wings.
The blue sphere floated beside the chest.
The golden one chased a small washer.
The red flame tried entering the detached head.
—You either.
The flame withdrew.
The door opened.
Rem entered carrying a tray.
Link looked up.
—Hi.
—Hello.
She set food and water aside.
Then examined the table.
—It still has no head.
—Temporarily.
—Subaru said the same thing.
—Subaru doesn't understand engineering.
—Neither did Link a week ago.
—That's why I study.
Rem moved behind him.
She placed her hands on his shoulders.
—Have you rested?
—Yes.
—How long?
—Forty minutes after lunch.
—That does not replace nighttime sleep.
—I slept eight hours.
—Good.
Rem's fingers moved downward.
They adjusted the collar of his shirt.
Link tried to keep working.
She leaned over to look inside Charmander.
Her chest rested against Link's back.
The pliers stopped.
—Rem.
—Yes?
—I'm installing a delicate joint.
—Rem isn't touching it.
—You're affecting the technician.
—Should Rem move away?
Link thought.
—No.
She smiled beside his ear.
—Then continue.
—That's cruel.
—Rem is only watching.
Link inserted the rod.
Missed the slot.
The piece fell inside the torso.
—Fuck.
Rem laughed.
—You knew what you were doing.
—Perhaps.
—My partner is using unfair tactics.
—Link says he learns better under pressure.
—I didn't mean that kind of pressure.
Rem moved away.
Link immediately felt her absence.
He turned the chair.
She was still smiling.
—That was worse.
—Why?
—Now I want you back.
Rem took one step forward.
Link caught her waist.
Pulled her between his legs.
—Just a moment.
—You are working.
—My break lasted forty minutes. I can add one.
She rested her hands on his head.
Careful around the place where his horns appeared.
—One.
Link lifted his face.
The kiss was brief.
Not as brief as he had promised.
When Rem tried to separate, he kept his hand around her waist.
—That was twenty seconds.
—Then forty remain.
—The amount was approximate.
—Cheating.
Rem lowered her face again.
The second kiss was slower.
Luci moved in front of the other four spirits and increased her brightness, blocking their view.
Link saw the gesture.
He pulled away laughing.
—Luci understands privacy.
Rem looked at the sphere.
—She is a good companion.
The golden light tried circling her.
Luci pushed it away.
—Sometimes.
Rem adjusted Link's hair.
—Dinner is in two hours.
—I'll be there.
—You will not test anything dangerous.
—Only movement.
—Charmander has no head.
—I can test the legs.
—No fire.
—Yes.
She looked at the lagmite.
—Will it work?
Link looked at the incomplete body.
—This time, yes.
It didn't sound like hope.
Rem noticed.
—Then Rem will wait to see it finished.
Link smiled.
—I want you to be the first.
She kissed his forehead.
—Come back before dinner.
—Yes.
Rem left.
Link waited until her footsteps faded.
Then looked at the spirits.
—We have less than two hours.
All five lights brightened.
The first leg moved when it received the pulse.
It flexed.
Extended.
Struck the table.
Link threw both arms up.
—Yes!
Luci circled the ceiling.
The red flame produced a spark.
The ember bird spread its wings.
—We're not celebrating yet.
He installed the other one.
The second pulse moved both legs in opposite directions.
Charmander kicked itself.
Link adjusted the channel.
Tried again.
The legs flexed together.
The torso lifted several centimeters.
Fell.
The tail struck a cup and sent it flying to the floor.
—Progress.
The blue sphere positioned itself in front of him.
—It was progress.
Another adjustment.
Another test.
Charmander managed to stand.
It had no head.
The image was disturbing.
—You need that.
Link picked up the piece.
The neck contained two conduits.
One for the eyes.
Another for the mouth.
He had added a joint that could rotate.
Not very far.
Enough.
He attached the head.
Secured the fasteners.
Connected the routes.
The lagmite glowed.
The eyes lit up bluish-green.
The tail produced a small flame.
The right arm rose.
Thumbs-up.
Link remained still.
So did Charmander.
—Take a step.
He sent the pulse.
The right leg moved forward.
Then the left.
The body swayed.
Didn't fall.
Another step.
Then another.
Stone scraped against the floor.
Link took strips of leather and placed them beneath the feet.
He tested again.
The noise decreased.
Charmander walked to the end of the table.
Stopped.
Turned its head.
Looked at Link.
Raised its thumb.
—You worked.
Charmander opened its mouth.
A small flame came out.
Link tilted his face.
The fire passed over his hair.
—I fixed that too.
The spirits launched themselves at the statue.
The red flame entered through the tail.
The blue one settled near the eyes.
The bird surrounded the joints.
The golden one circled the chest.
Its movement became smoother.
It wasn't a living creature.
Nor was it a completely autonomous artifact.
The lagmite stored simple sequences. The spirits could activate each route through pulses and correct the balance.
Walk.
Stop.
Turn.
Crouch.
Raise the arm.
Open the mouth.
Move the head.
Luci remained outside.
Her bond with Link allowed her to transmit simple commands to the other four presences.
—That means I can guide it from another room.
Luci turned red.
Link looked at Charmander.
The glowing eyes.
The head capable of turning.
The silent footsteps.
The mouth that expelled fire.
He remembered Emilia hugging Puck during the session.
Rem clinging to his arm.
Subaru pretending to be brave.
Beatrice challenging a ghost.
Ram banning the game.
An idea appeared.
Luci turned even redder.
—You don't know what I'm thinking.
The sphere struck his forehead.
—It won't be dangerous.
Another hit.
—No big fire either.
The little light remained red.
Link stared at Charmander.
—It will be educational.
Luci shot toward the door.
Link caught her between both hands.
—You can't warn them.
The sphere vibrated.
—Just a little.
Luci managed to escape.
She flew toward Charmander.
The statue raised its thumb.
Link smiled.
—Two against four.
The other spirits gathered beside the automaton.
—Six against everyone.
Dinner was approaching.
There was no time to prepare anything complicated.
The operation would have to be simple.
Cruel.
Memorable.
Link pulled his phone from the bottom of his backpack.
He had kept it powered off most of the time. The battery had become a resource he could not replace.
He turned it on.
The screen illuminated the workshop.
The date no longer meant anything.
He opened the camera.
Disabled the flash.
Lowered the brightness.
Then placed the phone inside Charmander's chest, behind an opening in its lighter-colored belly.
The lens faced forward.
A small rod connected the arm channel to the phone's side button.
Every time Charmander received the correct command, the rod would take a photograph.
Link closed the chest.
—Now you're a photographer too.
Charmander raised its thumb.
—We need an alibi.
Link looked at the previous attempts.
The second torso.
A detached head.
A broken tail.
Several limbs.
He took the body that most closely resembled the current model.
Placed it on the table.
Removed its head.
Opened the chest.
Scattered the tools around it.
From the doorway, it looked as though Charmander was still completely disassembled.
The real automaton climbed down from the table.
Took three steps.
Wobbled.
Recovered its balance.
Link crouched.
—Tonight you're going to see the world.
Charmander opened its mouth.
A tiny spark came out.
—Without setting it on fire.
The thumb rose again.
Dinner passed normally.
Too normally.
Link ate.
Talked.
Allowed Rem to feed him a piece of the meat she had prepared.
He did not repeatedly look toward the door.
Only seven times.
Ram counted.
—The gardener is waiting for something.
—Dessert.
—There is no dessert.
—Then I'm waiting for one to appear.
Beatrice ate silently.
Puck had disappeared when his manifestation period ended.
That made the spirit the only resident outside the immediate reach of the plan.
Link regretted the loss.
There would be time tomorrow.
Subaru took more mayonnaise than he was allowed.
Rem removed the container.
Emilia talked about her studies.
Roswaal watched Link two times more than necessary.
Nothing happened.
After dinner, everyone separated.
Link kissed Rem's cheek before she returned to the kitchen.
—Good night in advance.
She raised an eyebrow.
—You are not going to sleep yet.
—No.
—Then...
—I wanted to do it.
Rem smiled.
—You can repeat it later.
—Good idea.
Ram passed them.
—Ram hopes "later" occurs in a hallway with traffic.
Link looked at Rem.
—Your sister fears the growth of the species.
—Nee-sama worries.
—Too much.
They separated.
Link returned to the workshop.
The alibi remained there.
The automaton did not.
A tiny soot mark marked the window.
Operation Charmander had begun.
Subaru was first.
Not by chance.
For justice.
He had started the conversation.
He had summoned Kokkuri.
He had claimed during dinner that ghosts didn't frighten him.
He was in his room, sitting on the bed and copying characters.
The window was closed.
The lamp burned.
Everything looked normal.
Subaru wrote one line.
Checked it.
—That isn't bad.
A shadow occupied the top of the shelf.
Subaru looked up.
Charmander sat between two boxes.
Motionless.
Its tail extinguished.
Its eyes black.
Its thumb raised.
Subaru stopped breathing.
—No.
Charmander did not react.
—You don't have a head.
Silence.
—I saw you.
The statue slowly tilted its face.
Its eyes lit up.
Bluish-green.
Subaru grabbed the blanket.
Covered himself up to the nose.
—Ghosts don't exist.
Charmander opened its mouth.
An orange light shone inside.
Subaru covered himself completely.
—Ghosts don't exist, ghosts don't exist, ghosts don't exist...
He waited.
One.
Two.
Three seconds.
He pulled down the blanket.
The shelf was empty.
Subaru breathed.
—Of course.
He laughed.
A small laugh.
Without humor.
—I'm tired. An illusion. The sweet potatoes caused permanent damage.
He turned toward the table.
Charmander was beside him.
On the bed.
A few centimeters from his face.
Its eyes glowed.
Its head tilted.
—Char...
The sound came out metallic.
Broken.
Subaru screamed.
Charmander raised one arm.
The rod pressed the phone.
A photograph.
Then it jumped off the bed.
Went beneath the table.
Subaru threw the blanket.
The door burst open.
Ram entered first.
Rem behind her.
Emilia appeared carrying a magical light.
Beatrice opened a door.
Link arrived from the hallway, fastening his shirt as though he had been awakened.
—What happened?
Subaru pointed toward the table.
—CHARMANDER!
Link looked underneath.
—What?
—It was there!
—Charmander is being repaired.
—It walked!
Ram inspected the shelf.
—There is nothing here.
—It looked at me!
Rem approached Subaru.
—Breathe.
—Its eyes were glowing!
Beatrice examined the floor.
—Betty detects nothing, I suppose.
Emilia looked at the curtains.
—Did it come through the window?
—I don't know! It disappeared when I covered myself and then it was beside me!
Link frowned.
—That sounds like the kind of story you told us this morning.
Subaru looked at him.
—You.
—Me what?
—You did something.
—Come on.
Link walked out.
Everyone followed him to the workshop.
The headless torso rested on the table.
Its chest open.
Parts scattered around it.
Link lifted the detached head.
—Still like this.
Subaru looked at the stone face.
Then the body.
—There's more than one.
—There are failed attempts.
—You used another one!
—None of them walk.
—This one does!
Ram placed the head back on the table.
—Barusu fell asleep studying.
—I wasn't asleep!
—Then it is more concerning.
Rem touched Subaru's forehead.
—He does not have a fever.
—I'm not sick!
Beatrice closed her eyes.
—The Kokkuri session affected his imagination, I suppose.
Subaru pointed at Link.
—I don't trust that face.
Link looked concerned.
Deeply.
Respectfully.
Behind his back, Luci floated with an especially dim light.
—Go to sleep —Link said—. You'll feel better tomorrow.
—I'm not sleeping in that room!
—You can sleep in mine.
—You want to kill me!
—Then Beatrice's.
—Betty would rather you die of exhaustion, I suppose.
Everyone began dispersing.
Subaru remained at the door.
He looked at the headless torso.
—I'm watching you.
Link raised the piece.
—It has no eyes.
—I meant you.
—Oh.
Subaru left.
Once the hallway was empty, Link closed the door.
He leaned his back against it.
Covered his mouth.
The laughter tried to escape.
Luci struck his forehead.
—That was only the first one.
The sphere turned red.
Ram was second.
She had not believed Subaru.
Disbelief did not mean she was unprepared.
She carried a lamp in one hand and a basket of laundry in the other as she walked toward the linen storage room.
The hallway was empty.
Too quiet.
Ram opened the door.
Entered.
Put down the basket.
Inspected one shelf.
The towels were misaligned.
—Rem would not have done this.
She extended one hand.
A sound came from the wardrobe.
Scratch.
Ram did not move.
Another.
The maid formed a wind current around her fingers.
—Gardener.
No answer.
She opened the wardrobe.
Sheets.
Nothing else.
Ram moved a stack.
Empty.
She closed it.
Behind her, something fell into the basket.
Ram turned.
A stone head rested on the laundry.
Eyes dark.
Mouth open.
One of the failed attempts.
Ram stared at it.
—Childish.
She picked up the head by a nonexistent horn.
A small finger touched her ankle.
Ram froze.
She looked down.
The complete Charmander was crouched behind the basket.
Its eyes lit up.
The tail produced a flame.
Its head slowly turned to one side.
—Char...
Ram inhaled.
She did not scream.
Her eye opened so wide that a well-timed photograph could preserve the moment forever.
Charmander's arm rose.
The rod pressed the button.
Photograph.
Ram released the wind.
Sheets exploded into the air.
The door burst open.
The basket overturned.
Charmander dropped down the chute used to transport laundry between floors.
Ram saw the tail disappear.
—Gardener!
Her voice crossed the entire manor.
Link came running.
Rem behind him.
Subaru arrived carrying a pillow like a shield.
—You saw it too!
Ram stood surrounded by fabric.
Her hair had lifted slightly because of the wind.
—Ram saw nothing.
Subaru pointed toward the head in the basket.
—That!
—An immobile object.
Link picked it up.
—It's from the third attempt.
Ram looked at him.
—Why was it here?
—I don't know.
—You lie.
—Maybe Subaru brought it to prove his story.
—I would never touch it again!
Rem lifted a sheet from the floor.
—Nee-sama used magic.
—The shelf was unstable.
—The door is broken —Emilia said from the hallway.
—It was also unstable.
Beatrice examined the laundry chute.
—Something passed through here.
Subaru raised both arms.
—CHARMANDER!
Ram looked at Link.
He held the stone head.
The piece did not glow.
Did not move.
—Ram will discover what you're doing.
—I'm trying to sleep.
—You're still wearing boots.
Link looked at his feet.
—I sleepwalk.
Ram ripped the stone head from his hands.
—Out.
Everyone left.
Subaru walked beside Link.
—It was him.
—There's no proof.
—You know it was him.
—I know Ram almost destroyed a room because of a stone head.
—There was a body!
—You say that.
Subaru lowered his voice.
—When I figure out how you did it, I'll help you.
Link looked at him.
—You thought it wanted to kill you.
—For twenty seconds. Then it was awesome.
—I don't know what you're talking about.
Subaru smiled.
—That face is guilty.
—Your face screamed like a little girl.
Subaru stopped walking.
Link continued.
That information had been far too specific.
—YOU WERE THERE!
Link started running.
Subaru chased him.
—COME BACK!
The pursuit ended when Rem ordered silence from the lower floor.
Both obeyed.
For different reasons.
Rem was third.
Link hesitated.
He could skip her.
She was his partner.
He had seen her genuinely uneasy during Kokkuri.
Frightening her might not be the most romantic idea.
Charmander waited inside the kitchen.
The four lesser spirits remained hidden in its channels.
Luci floated beside Link, disapproving.
—It'll be gentle.
The light turned red.
—Much more than Subaru.
Redder.
—She's not going to cry.
Luci struck his forehead.
Link looked down the hallway.
Rem was completing the final checks before bed.
He could stop the operation.
Then he remembered how she had answered "six out of ten" before hugging him.
A questionable part of his personality made the decision.
—Just one scare.
Luci moved away.
—Don't look at me like that.
Rem entered the kitchen.
She found small white marks on the floor.
Flour.
Footprints.
Three toes.
A trail led from the table toward the pantry.
Rem stopped.
—Link.
No answer.
She followed the marks.
She carried a lamp.
The kitchen remained warm.
The pots were put away.
No windows were open.
The footprints ended at the pantry door.
Rem took the handle.
Waited.
Opened it.
Darkness.
She raised the lamp.
Sacks.
Shelves.
Jars.
Nothing.
She stepped inside.
The door closed behind her.
Rem immediately turned.
Nobody there.
An orange glow appeared beneath a shelf.
Small.
Like an ember.
The flame of a tail.
Rem moved one hand toward the chain of her mace.
—Who's there?
The flame moved.
One stone foot appeared.
Then the other.
Charmander emerged backward from the darkness.
Its head remained tilted forward.
The body stopped.
The head began rotating.
The neck continued until the glowing eyes were staring at Rem over its shoulder.
The body remained facing away.
—Char...
Rem's horn appeared.
The chain came free from her waist.
Charmander took the photograph.
Then dropped.
Slid beneath the shelf.
Rem threw the chain.
The weight destroyed a sack of flour.
A white cloud filled the pantry.
The door opened.
Link entered.
—Rem!
She stepped backward.
Collided with him.
Link wrapped his arms around her waist.
—I'm here.
Rem grabbed his shirt.
Flour covered her hair.
Her horn remained visible.
—There was something.
Guilt went through Link.
—What did you see?
—Charmander.
—It can't move.
—Rem saw it.
Her breathing was fast.
Link stroked her back.
—Easy.
She rested her face against his chest.
—Its head turned.
—That sounds horrible.
Luci entered.
She positioned herself in front of Link.
The red light looked accusatory.
—Was it very close? —he asked.
—Yes.
—I'm sorry.
Rem lifted her face.
—Why are you apologizing?
—Because I wasn't here.
The answer was true enough to hurt.
Rem held his gaze.
Then looked behind him.
Charmander stood in the doorway.
Covered in flour.
Eyes dark.
Thumb raised.
Rem opened her eye.
—Link.
He turned.
The doorway was empty.
Charmander had vanished down the hallway.
—What?
—It was behind you.
Link looked.
—There's nothing there.
Rem separated from him.
Her expression began changing.
Fear.
Confusion.
Then suspicion.
—Where was Link before he came in?
—In my room.
—Alone?
—With Luci.
The sphere turned red.
Link looked at her.
—Not now.
Rem followed the interaction.
—Luci seems to disagree.
—Luci always seems to disagree.
—Link.
—I was near the workshop.
That was true.
Technically.
Rem touched his chest.
His heart was beating quickly.
Not from running.
From guilt.
—You're nervous.
—My partner has a horn and a mace.
—Did Link do something?
—Many things throughout my life.
—Tonight.
Link opened his mouth.
A scream came from another part of the manor.
Emilia.
Both turned.
Link took advantage.
—We need to go.
Rem didn't release his shirt.
They ran together.
Emilia had returned to the sitting room to retrieve a book.
The Kokkuri sheet was still on the table.
Ram had ordered it destroyed.
Subaru had forgotten.
The coin rested on the drawn doorway.
Emilia entered.
Saw the board.
Stopped.
—No.
She approached anyway.
—I'll just put it away.
She took the edge of the paper.
The coin moved.
Toward "yes."
Emilia released the sheet.
—Kokkuri-sama.
The coin returned to the doorway.
Then moved through the letters.
Good evening.
Emilia stepped back.
—The game is over.
I know.
—You have to go back.
I'm not there.
Emilia looked beneath the table.
Nothing.
—Then where...?
The coin began moving.
Behind you.
Emilia froze.
She did not want to turn around.
Subaru's stories always punished the people who looked.
But she couldn't remain with her back exposed either.
She gathered mana.
Turned.
Charmander stood on the windowsill.
Its eyes glowed.
Its tail burned.
Its head tilted.
Its mouth opened.
—Char...
Emilia screamed.
Ice covered the floor.
Charmander took the photograph.
Jumped.
Landed on a chair.
The chair froze.
The statue ran across the table, slipped, recovered its balance, and disappeared behind a curtain.
The door opened.
Subaru entered holding a pillow.
Ram with the piece of the post previously used against Link.
Rem with her mace.
Link behind them.
—What happened? —he asked.
Emilia pointed at the window.
—The lizard!
Subaru threw both arms up.
—I TOLD YOU!
Ram looked at Link.
—Gardener.
—I was with Rem.
Rem was still holding part of his shirt.
The evidence was solid.
Too solid.
—It's true —she admitted slowly.
Link gave her a grateful look.
The suspicion didn't disappear from her face.
Beatrice appeared beside the table.
She examined the ice.
The coin.
The sheet.
—Someone moved this with magic.
—Kokkuri-sama? —Emilia asked.
—No.
Beatrice looked toward the curtain.
There was nothing there.
—A small current. Fire. Several pulses.
The four presences had withdrawn.
—Link's spirits —Ram said.
Everyone looked at him.
Luci floated over his shoulder.
Alone.
—The others are outside —Link replied.
—Where? —Beatrice asked.
—They're free spirits. I don't control them.
—But they follow you.
—That doesn't mean I can order them to conduct an elaborate operation intended to frighten several people.
Rem narrowed her eye.
The sentence contained too many details.
Subaru noticed too.
—Nobody said "several."
Link remained silent.
—I've got you —Subaru declared.
Link pointed at the board.
—You didn't destroy the sheet.
—Don't change the subject.
Ram picked up the coin.
—The investigation continues.
Beatrice crossed her arms.
—Betty will inspect the Library.
Link felt a chill.
Not fear.
Anticipation.
—Good idea.
Beatrice looked at him.
—That was the wrong response, I suppose.
She opened a door.
Entered.
Closed it.
Link smiled when nobody was looking.
Beatrice still had her turn.
The trap for Beatrice required more care.
Nobody entered the Forbidden Library without her permission.
Neither could Charmander.
But Beatrice had a weakness.
Warm milk with honey.
Link prepared a cup.
Left it inside the kitchen.
Charmander hid underneath a service cart.
The door appeared.
Beatrice came out.
She looked both ways.
Took the cup.
The cart stood behind her.
Charmander advanced while Beatrice's dress concealed the lower section of the doorway.
It crossed through.
The four spirits extinguished their light.
The door closed.
Charmander was inside.
Link waited in the kitchen.
He couldn't see what happened.
The phone could.
Beatrice returned to her staircase.
Placed the milk on a table.
Opened her book.
The manor was full of idiots.
Barusu screamed.
Emilia froze furniture.
Ram destroyed household objects.
Rem frightened too easily.
Link pretended innocence with offensively poor skill.
The Library was safe.
Silent.
Closed.
A book fell.
Beatrice lifted her head.
The volume had fallen from a distant shelf.
—Who's there?
No answer.
She left the staircase.
Walked between the shelves.
The book remained open on the floor.
Beatrice crouched.
It wasn't damaged.
A shadow crossed the end of the aisle.
She stood.
—Betty will not tolerate games.
Two eyes lit up between the books.
Bluish-green.
At the height of her knees.
Beatrice released a wave.
The books trembled.
The shadow vanished.
—Come out.
A scratching sound came from above.
Beatrice looked up.
Charmander was climbing down a bookshelf.
Its feet gripped tiny gaps.
Its head turned toward her.
Its body continued descending.
—You don't have a head.
Charmander stopped.
Tilted its face.
Raised its thumb.
Photograph.
—DON'T MOCK BETTY!
The automaton jumped.
Beatrice cast magic.
Charmander fell behind a stack.
Passed underneath it.
Headed toward the door.
Beatrice opened an exit in front of it.
—You will not escape.
Charmander changed direction.
The little spirit opened another.
The statue turned.
Another door.
Charmander stopped.
Beatrice smiled.
—Trapped, I suppose.
The automaton opened its mouth.
Released a small flame toward the lamp.
The light suddenly flared.
Beatrice closed her eyes.
Charmander ran toward the first door.
Crossed.
Beatrice followed.
She appeared in the hallway.
Nothing.
Only a stone head lying on the floor.
One of the old ones.
Beneath it was a note.
The handwriting was terrible.
KOKKURI.
Beatrice screamed.
Not from fear.
From indignation.
That was what she would repeat later.
The scream woke several birds outside the manor.
Link waited at the end of the hallway.
When he saw her, he arranged his face into a worried expression.
—What happened?
Beatrice raised the stone head.
—YOU.
—That doesn't answer the question.
—IT ENTERED THE LIBRARY!
—Who?
—YOUR ORANGE ABOMINATION!
—Charmander is still headless.
Beatrice threw the piece.
Link caught it.
—This is the head from the first attempt.
—I KNOW!
—Then it can't belong to the current one.
—STOP USING CHEAP LOGIC AGAINST BETTY!
Subaru came running.
—You saw it too?
—Betty saw nothing.
—You're holding a note.
Beatrice hid it behind herself.
—It means nothing.
Ram arrived.
Rem and Emilia behind her.
Roswaal appeared walking without urgency.
Beatrice pointed at Link.
—Search his room.
—You can't search my room.
Rem looked at him.
—Yes, we can.
Link turned toward her.
—Partner.
—Suspect.
—That hurt.
—Its head turned around for Rem too.
—It wasn't me.
Luci changed to red.
Everyone looked at the sphere.
—She reacts to tension —Link said.
Luci hit him.
Beatrice raised both hands.
—Betty will search everything!
Doors began opening.
Link stepped backward.
Charmander was still in the hallway.
Hidden behind a decorative suit of armor.
He needed a distraction.
Roswaal spoke.
—Someone is knocking on my window.
Everyone went silent.
The margrave's office was upstairs.
—Now? —Emilia asked.
—For several seconds.
Roswaal looked at Link.
—Something small.
Link felt proud.
Charmander had gotten ahead of the schedule.
Or the spirits had decided to improvise.
That was concerning.
—We should check —he said.
Ram took his sleeve.
—You're coming with us.
—Perfect.
They went upstairs.
The tapping continued.
Three impacts.
Pause.
Three more.
Roswaal opened the office.
The window was closed.
Something hung outside.
Two eyes.
An orange mouth.
Charmander clung upside down to the upper frame.
Its tail burned against the night.
Roswaal's eyes opened slightly.
Both.
Not only one.
Charmander took the photograph.
Then opened its mouth.
A flame struck the glass.
Roswaal stepped back half a pace.
Only half.
Enough.
Ram saw it.
—Roswaal-sama.
The margrave recovered his smile.
—Interesting.
Charmander released the frame.
Fell.
Emilia ran to the window.
Looked down.
Nothing.
—It disappeared!
Beatrice turned toward Link again.
He stood beside Rem.
Both hands visible.
Luci above his head.
—I couldn't have put it there —he said.
—You could have done so earlier —Ram replied.
—Charmander can't climb walls.
—Betty saw it climb a bookshelf.
—You said you didn't see anything.
Beatrice froze.
Link smiled.
—You caught yourself.
The book flew.
Link tilted his head.
The object passed above him.
—Violence in the face of truth.
Rem grabbed one of his ears.
—Link.
—Ow.
—Did you make Charmander move?
—I'm trying to make it move.
—That wasn't the question.
—The body is still in the workshop.
Ram released his sleeve.
—Let's go.
They went downstairs.
The headless torso remained on the table.
Exactly as before.
The tools hadn't moved.
The fake lagmite remained inside.
Subaru stared at it.
—There are two.
—There are six —Link replied—. Five failed.
—Then you're using number six!
—Number six is this one.
He pointed at the body.
Ram lifted the torso.
It was heavy.
Inert.
Rem inspected the chest.
The conduits weren't connected.
—It cannot move —she said.
Link nodded.
—That's what I've been saying all night.
The group fell silent.
An unpleasant possibility began forming.
Emilia looked toward the hallway.
—Then what we saw...
Subaru squeezed the pillow.
—Ghost.
Beatrice shook her head.
—No.
—Kokkuri.
—No.
—The spirit of a Charmander that died during one of the first attempts.
—NO!
Ram placed the body back on the table.
—Everyone will remain together until morning.
Link raised a hand.
—I'm sleepy.
—Ram did not ask.
—Can I sleep with Rem?
The blue-haired maid turned red.
Ram looked at him.
—No.
—It was a safety measure.
—The only confirmed threat inside her room would be the gardener.
Rem touched Link's arm.
—We will all remain in the sitting room.
The answer sounded definitive.
That complicated the rest of the plan.
Although almost everyone had already fallen for it.
All that remained was checking the photographs.
And planning a second round.
—All right —he agreed.
Too easily.
Ram noticed.
She said nothing.
An hour later, the manor pretended to rest.
Subaru remained in the sitting room with Emilia.
Ram stayed near the door.
Rem prepared hot drinks.
Beatrice sat beside one wall, refusing to admit she wanted company.
Roswaal returned to his office after declaring the creature seemingly harmless.
Link announced he would get blankets.
Nobody objected.
They made a mistake.
The workshop was empty.
Charmander waited beneath the table.
Its eyes lit when it saw him.
Link closed the door.
—Perfect.
The statue raised its thumb.
Link placed it on the table.
Opened the chest compartment.
Removed the phone.
The battery had fallen by a painful amount.
But the photographs were there.
First.
Subaru with his mouth open, blanket beneath his eyes, hair standing up.
Link started laughing.
—Looks like your soul was trying to escape.
Charmander tilted its head.
Second.
Ram at the exact moment of the scare. Eye open. A sheet flying behind her. The failed head inside the basket.
Link covered his mouth.
—This is worth money.
The thumb rose.
—We won't show her immediately.
Another.
Rem.
The photograph showed her horn, her hand on the chain, and a genuinely frightened expression.
Link's laughter faded.
—We went too far with her.
Charmander lowered its arm slightly.
—I'll apologize tomorrow.
The next picture had been taken while Rem clung to him. The camera had captured both of them from the doorway during the automaton's return.
Link looked at the image longer.
—Nobody gets to see this one.
He saved it in a separate folder.
Fourth.
Emilia surrounded by frost, hair lifted, eyes enormous.
—Looks like she was about to freeze you forever.
Fifth.
Beatrice casting magic with her curls flying upward.
Link had to sit down.
The laughter escaped without control.
—I can't breathe.
Charmander raised its thumb.
Sixth.
Roswaal.
Both eyes open.
His body stepping half a pace backward.
Link enlarged the image.
—We got you.
The statue released a celebratory spark.
—Tomorrow we still need Puck.
Luci turned red.
—It won't be the same. Something simple.
More red.
—Maybe you appear underneath Emilia when he manifests.
Charmander tilted its head.
—Or in his reflection.
The thumb rose.
—Then we could make footsteps on the ceiling. A head appearing inside the pantry. Maybe—
The four lesser spirits emerged from Charmander's channels.
Not happily.
They retreated toward the wall.
Luci hid behind the stone head.
Link stopped laughing.
The workshop was too quiet.
No voices reached them from the sitting room.
No footsteps.
No protests either.
—What is it?
Charmander turned its head.
Looked behind Link.
Its eyes blinked.
The thumb descended.
Link froze.
He did not want to turn around.
Stories punished people who turned around.
Even so, he did.
The door was open.
Subaru stood in the center.
He carried a frying pan.
Ram stood beside him with the broken section of the post.
Rem held her mace.
Her horn was visible.
Emilia had small ice flowers surrounding her hands.
Beatrice hugged an especially thick book.
Roswaal stood behind them, smiling with a tranquility that promised active cooperation.
Nobody spoke.
Link looked at the phone.
Then at Charmander.
Then at the group.
—I can explain.
—Do so —Rem said.
—Charmander was possessed.
Beatrice raised the book.
—Another explanation.
—The four spirits acted on their own.
The lights moved away from him.
—Traitors.
Subaru pointed at the phone.
—YOU HAD A CAMERA INSIDE IT!
—Technical documentation.
Ram looked at the enlarged photograph of Roswaal.
—It also photographed Ram.
Link turned off the screen.
—There's no proof.
—Ram saw the screen.
—Circumstantial evidence.
Rem stepped forward.
—Link.
He stepped back.
Charmander slowly raised its thumb.
Everyone's expressions worsened.
—Don't —Link murmured.
The stone mouth opened.
—Char.
Subaru raised the frying pan.
—BOTH OF YOU!
Link grabbed Charmander in his arms.
—Retreat plan.
Ram released wind.
A kagune appeared and stabbed into the ceiling.
Link shot away.
—CATCH HIM! —Subaru shouted.
The doorway filled with ice.
Link changed direction in midair.
Beatrice opened another one in front of him.
He went through.
Appeared in the main hallway.
—THAT WAS SUPPOSED TO STOP HIM, I SUPPOSE!
—THANKS FOR THE SHORTCUT!
—BETTY IS GOING TO KILL YOU!
Link ran.
Charmander pressed against his chest.
The statue kept its thumb raised throughout the escape.
Subaru appeared behind him.
Ram overtook him using wind.
Rem jumped over both of them.
Emilia froze part of the floor.
Roswaal floated down from the upper floor.
Link manifested the other three kagunes.
One grabbed a column.
Another opened a window.
The third gently moved a table aside.
—Rem, we can talk about this!
—Rem will listen after catching you!
—That doesn't sound reassuring!
—Rem will only hit you once!
Ram appeared behind her.
—Ram made no such promise.
—Charmander, fire!
The figure opened its mouth.
A ridiculous spark came out.
It stopped nobody.
—We're fucked.
Charmander raised its thumb.
Link jumped through the window.
One kagune caught the roof.
He pulled himself upward.
Rem came out behind him.
Subaru tried copying her and crashed into the frame.
Beatrice opened doors along the outside wall.
Emilia created an ice ramp.
Ram cut off the route with wind.
Roswaal watched from above, guiding everyone toward Link with small currents.
—THIS IS COLLECTIVE ABUSE!
—THIS IS JUSTICE! —Subaru shouted from below.
Link reached the roof.
Looked toward the garden.
Then at Charmander.
—We need to keep our heads.
The statue touched its own neck.
Then Link's.
Thumbs-up.
—Exactly.
A door appeared in front of them.
Beatrice came out.
Rem landed behind him.
Ram rose from one side.
Emilia waited below.
Subaru had found a ladder.
Roswaal blocked the sky.
Link hugged Charmander.
—I will never regret this.
The statue opened its mouth.
It spat out a tiny flame that once again set the tip of Link's hair on fire.
—YOU'RE AGAINST ME TOO?!
He jumped.
All four kagunes extended.
The chase crossed the roof, the garden, and then half the manor.
Link fled with Charmander in his arms, all five spirits following behind, and the entire residence determined to prove that ghosts were unnecessary when it came to ripping off heads.
That night, creator and creation shared a single objective.
Keep theirs attached to their respective necks.