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Swish!
The ghost, something that would've frozen any normal person in terror, let out a shrill scream before dissolving into nothing after being stabbed clean through the back.
"Whew… that should be the last one in this area."
Megumi Kato wiped the sweat from her forehead.
She wasn't tired exactly—her body was fine. It was just that this was her first time pulling off an "assassination" at such close range, and she was still a little clumsy at it.
Because of the way her skills worked, Megumi had no choice but to accept her "assassin" role, even if she wanted to grumble about it.
Using the cover of darkness—whether or not it actually affected the ghosts' vision, she wasn't sure—she crept along, suppressing her presence to the bare minimum, and managed to backstab several more of the undead.
Fighting face-to-face with monsters that used to terrify her… it would've been a lie to say she wasn't nervous. But with her friends cheering her on and Rosen watching over them, at least she didn't have to worry about dying.
"Wow! Amazing—you even tricked the ghosts' eyes. It's like they didn't notice you at all."
Miko Yotsuya's admiration was genuine.
Compared to that, her own ability felt plain. Her only boost was a stronger body when fighting the undead—and only then. Pretty limited, honestly.
"It's nothing special. My ability's really boring, no real advantages," Megumi replied a little stiffly.
Her weak presence wasn't some random quirk; it matched her personality. Unlike the other girls, each with their striking talents, Megumi's defining trait was… well, having none.
Maybe because she'd always wanted to "blend into the crowd," she ended up with this odd power to dial her own presence up or down.
"No way, Kato, you're incredible! Unlike me—if I want to fight, I basically have to keep eating nonstop."
Hana Yurikawa spoke with her mouth full, chomping into a crepe and washing it down with milk tea.
Megumi stared silently at Hana's… Mt. Fuji-tier assets.
Was that why her figure was so good? Because she never stopped eating?
"Hana, you're just asking for envy with comments like that. Everyone knows adventurer mages are the most sought-after job," Yuki Suou cut in with a sharp retort.
"Adventurer? Mage? Huh? I don't get it." Hana tilted her head, uninterested. Games weren't her thing—unlike Yuki, who was obsessed. For most people, gaming was stress relief. For Hana? Eating was enough.
"Let's get dinner," Rosen suggested as the sun dipped low.
Everyone agreed happily, though Megumi—stepping into a high-class restaurant for the first time—looked uncomfortable.
For someone from her background, places like this were supposed to be out of reach forever. And now Rosen was treating them? Wasn't it supposed to be the other way around, since she was his follower?
Still, the food was delicious.
Megumi, like the others, couldn't hide her shock at Hana's bottomless stomach.
"Eat, rest a bit, then we'll hunt more undead to level up. Around nine, I'll send everyone home. Sound good?" Rosen said after the meal.
"Okay." The girls agreed in unison.
Two hours later, after clearing out the undead in an abandoned construction building, training for the day was done.
"Feels like the number of undead hasn't gone down at all," Hana muttered from the open rooftop edge.
"We've worked so hard, but except near the school, they just keep coming back," Miko sighed.
"Undead are formed from human death. As long as people die, more will appear," Rosen explained.
Natural deaths rarely created undead, but violent or unwilling deaths almost always did. Those souls twisted quickly into harmful spirits, and over time their reason faded until they became ferocious wraiths. Hospitals and graveyards being hotspots for paranormal activity was no coincidence.
"If only people didn't have to die…" Hana said wistfully.
"That'd be a disaster," Yuki cut in. "If no one ever died, the world would've collapsed ages ago. Resources aren't infinite. For most people, immortality would be a curse. You'd end up in a cyberpunk dystopia before long."
The others blinked at her lecture, half understanding, half impressed. Her "knowledge" mostly came from manga, novels, and games, but that didn't stop them from thinking, as expected of a refined young lady—she's brilliant.
Under the quiet starlight, it was time to part ways.
Just then, Miko hesitated, then said, "Lord Rosen… you don't have to train with us every single day. It must be exhausting for you."
The girls had talked it over. They thought they should try to train on their own, without leaning on Rosen so much. Stats could be updated during lunch breaks anyway.
But Rosen only shook his head. No matter what, he told them, you're my followers.
That single line nearly moved them to tears.
Right then and there, except for Hana and Megumi, the other two secretly swore that if they ever had a moment alone with him, they'd… well, they wouldn't wait for him to make the first move.
Of course, with everyone present, they didn't have the nerve to show it. They just tucked the thought away, hoping for a chance later.
Days passed like this, one after another.
The night before the weekend, after sending the girls home and returning to his villa, Rosen washed up and opened the chat group.
It was late, but probably not too late for everyone to still be awake.
Hm?
A new member?
As soon as he entered, he saw the system notification flashing across the group chat.
[Group Message: "Ice Witch" has joined the chat! Everyone, give a warm welcome~~~]
"..."
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