"Ghost!"
A sharp, piercing scream echoed through the narrow, deserted alley, shattering the quiet of the night.
Something happened!
A ten-man patrol rushed over after hearing the commotion and stopped the young couple who had just come running out of the dark corner in panic. As usual, they began questioning them.
"A white ghost floated past under the fluorite lamp! It felt evil and freezing cold. We couldn't move at all, like something was controlling us!"
"That's right! Its eyes were pitch black, and it even had horns on its head. It looked like it wanted to eat people. If you hadn't arrived, we thought we were dead for sure..."
The young man and woman glanced around nervously, their faces pale. As they recalled what had just happened, their bodies trembled uncontrollably.
"A ghost?"
"Yes!"
"With horns on its head?"
"Yes, yes!"
"Hahaha!"
The patrol soldiers burst into laughter after finishing their questioning.
"W-what are you laughing at?"
"I've lived this long and never seen a ghost with horns. If you run into one again, bring it over so we can have a look."
The decurion suppressed his laughter as he hooked an arm around the young man's neck and pulled him aside, joking mockingly.
"We're telling the truth! We really saw it!"
The young man's face flushed red. His voice rose with embarrassment, mixed with growing anger.
"Alright, listen carefully. Under the radiance of the Pantheon, filthy and lowly things like ghosts could never enter the city!"
The decurion dug a finger into his ear impatiently and snorted, pointing behind him.
Far away, above the Pantheon, twelve bands of divine light flickered rhythmically. Their glow spread outward in layers, periodically radiating across the entire city of Rome.
"But..."
"Guard!"
The girl had barely started to speak when the decurion suddenly raised his voice.
A soldier holding a recording board jogged back from deeper inside the alley. He had been scattering magic crystal powder while inspecting the surroundings. Coming to a stop before his superior, he stood upright and reported solemnly.
"Report! Aside from some fresh graffiti on the wall, there are no traces of Magecraft or Ether residue at the scene!"
"Every year during the Festival of Pan, couples leave names and markings all over the walls. That's none of our business. Looks like they just saw things. Nothing unusual here. Pack up."
The decurion glanced at the embarrassed young couple and waved his hand, bringing the matter to a close.
As they prepared to leave, the squad leader slapped the young man on the shoulder and teased him.
"If you've got those kinds of needs, just go rent a room at an inn. If you're this timid, don't wander around outside."
The patrol burst into mocking laughter.
The young couple who had reported the incident flushed with embarrassment. They hurriedly wiped their faces, straightened their disheveled clothes, and clumsily covered up the skin they had accidentally exposed.
Then they hurried along the wall and ran out of the alley, disappearing from the patrol's sight.
"The Festival of Pan has only just begun. The night's still long. We've got plenty of work ahead. Let's move."
Seeing the situation settled, the decurion gathered his men and led them toward the next patrol area.
Once the noise faded, the alley returned to silence.
It looked exactly as it always had.
However, the darkness cast against the wall began to shift strangely, like a mass of liquid shadow. It wriggled silently before separating into the shape of a human figure.
Pop.
A faint sound came from the wall.
Under the dim glow of the fluorite lamp at the entrance of the alley, a white ghost with horns on its head appeared.
Rustle.
With a dull movement, a graceful figure slipped out from beneath a white sheet with several holes cut into it. The "horns" on its head trembled slightly, revealing themselves to be a pair of upright soft ears.
Under the fluorite light, the woman lifted the sheet with both hands. As she moved, her curving figure became visible, large patches of bronze skin shining with a healthy luster.
Her brown eyes first glanced disdainfully at the scattered crystal powder on the ground.
Then she turned toward the wall, crouched down with a frown, and carefully searched.
Among the graffiti, she finally found what she was looking for.
An eye-shaped symbol made of chaotic divine runes.
After a moment, the woman nodded in satisfaction. She lowered her hands and drifted quietly through the darkness.
Immediately, a brand new "white ghost" appeared.
A horned phantom with pitch-black eyes.
Dozens of breaths later, the strange intruder still wearing the sheet slipped through the flowing darkness and entered a remote house.
Inside the dim room, a small oil lamp flickered violently in the strange draft.
A black-haired woman sat kneeling on a mat, her graceful back enough to stir sinful thoughts.
Her emerald eyes suddenly shrank.
Like a frightened quail, her body trembled instinctively, and her lips quivered as she rapidly stammered out trembling words.
"Two bags of gold coins are in the second cabinet on the left!
If you want gems, they're in the box on the third shelf of the rack at the back!
There are twenty guards in the courtyard. Once they hear a call for help, they'll arrive within one minute!
It takes three minutes to run from the hall to the back wall. I didn't see anything, and I won't resist. You can start silently counting to two hundred now!"
The woman with a white gauze veil covering her face kept her eyes tightly shut. At the same time, she hurriedly grabbed the exquisite golden oil lamp from the table and held it high in front of her.
The spreading light wrapped around her in layer after layer.
...
An eerie silence filled the room.
After a long while, the green-eyed woman behind the veil forced her eyelids open just a sliver, intending to peek at her surroundings from the corner of her eye.
"Ghost!"
In the next instant, the woman holding the golden lamp, still enveloped by rings of light, saw the white specter floating in front of her and let out a sharp scream.
Fortunately, the sound was blocked by the Magecraft array surrounding the room.
...
Dozens of breaths later, inside the now-messy room, the veiled woman bent down awkwardly to pick up the scattered objects, carefully putting everything back in place.
With her back turned to the visitor, she explained somewhat nervously.
"Battle is a very frightening thing. If it can be avoided, I would rather avoid it as much as possible..."
"You're the first person I've met who can make being afraid of death sound so graceful."
"Only by understanding the fear of death can one appreciate the beauty of life. Besides, isn't it better to stay alive and complete the mission?"
"Not interested in debating that with you. Next time, don't draw the contact signal in such a ridiculous place. It was a pain to find. I almost ended up late."
A muffled complaint came from beneath the white sheet.
The veiled woman didn't dare argue and could only nod repeatedly with an awkward smile.
"The things I asked for. Are they ready?"
"Yes. As you instructed, they've already been delivered safely."
Faced with the White Ghost's question, the woman, still holding the oil lamp and maintaining her defensive posture, slipped her right hand into the deep valley of her chest.
After fumbling around for a moment, various miscellaneous items tumbled out.
Blankets, books, food, water, and other odds and ends fell onto the floor.
Finally, she pulled out a sealed scroll and handed it over.
"How much stuff do you keep hidden in there?"
The White Ghost took the scroll, which still carried her body warmth. Through the holes in the white sheet, his gaze fell directly toward the seemingly bottomless cleavage.
He could not help but complain.
"You never know what kind of situation you might encounter. Being more prepared is always better."
The woman bent down, stuffing the scattered items back into her chest while offering an embarrassed explanation.
The White Ghost shook his head in disdain and decided not to waste more words on this unusual person whose fear of death ran to the bone.
He opened the scroll and glanced at the contents.
Inside were carefully drawn sketches of coffins, along with small piles of listed materials.
Satisfied, he nodded.
Everything was ready.
The night was still long.
Now, all that remained was to wait quietly.