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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 2
Chapter Title: Observation Log
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‘You are someone who was never meant to be born into this world. Live as if you are dead. It’s the only way you’ll survive.’
‘You should be grateful we even bring you food. Know that the fact you’re even alive is a great mercy from His Majesty.’
‘If only he had died back then, we wouldn’t have to clean up this mess.’
‘Tsk, looking exactly the same for no reason. It’s just making things uncomfortable.’
‘What are you doing! I told you not to come out! If someone had seen you, it wouldn’t just be you—we’d all be dead!’
The life he had lived so far flashed before his eyes like a panorama.
It was a continuous, unhappy life devoid of any joy. He wanted to be happy, at least in his dreams, but having never known happiness, he couldn’t even imagine it.
‘Do you, the bride, the Ghost Bride, swear to cherish, love, and walk alongside Lucian Odelion for all your life?’
Just as he was about to be isolated in the darkness, he heard the voice of a priest reciting wedding vows.
Looking around, he saw that the setting had changed from the small room to the garden where the spirit wedding had been held.
Moreover, he was wearing the same ceremonial robes from the wedding.
[Yes, I do.]
At that moment, an answer he had never heard, one that should not have been heard, came forth.
Startled, he turned his head to see a woman standing there, her hair fluttering.
She was looking straight ahead before turning her head toward Lucian.
[Let's try to get along from now on, kid!]
She was clearly the Ghost Bride. Her body floated in the air, her feet were blurry, and her form was translucent.
It was impossible to think of her as a living human.
But for some reason, he felt a warmth from her that he had never felt from anyone else.
Like a warm ray of sunshine seeping into a cold room.
Lucian instinctively reached out his hand. But he couldn't grasp anything, and the Ghost Bride's body dissipated.
He lifted his head to see her face, but a bright light passed through her body, obscuring it from view.
A flash of light enveloped his surroundings.
.
.
“Gasp!”
Lucian’s eyes shot open as he sat bolt upright.
His heart pounded like crazy, and a cold sweat trickled down his back.
He couldn't seem to calm down, likely from the consecutive nightmares. Lucian clutched his heart tightly and collapsed back down.
After catching his breath for a long while, Lucian recalled the dream he just had.
“……Who was that?”
He felt a sense of longing for that person, as if he might cry.
*……That can’t be right. I don’t have any memories that would make me miss someone in the first place.*
Despite being at an age for childish dependence, Lucian had matured early and quickly reined in his heart before any expectations could form.
Before long, the afterimage of the dream had faded far away.
“But where am I?”
Lucian belatedly realized this was not the room he usually stayed in.
After staring blankly for a moment, Lucian finally remembered that he had married a Ghost Bride.
“A-A ghost’s house……”
A chill shot down his spine. Lucian shivered and quickly hid under the covers.
He may have been mature, but he was still only an eight-year-old child.
After what felt like a long time, Lucian finally mustered his courage and emerged from the blankets.
Looking around, he was quite surprised at how clean the room was. No, it was more than clean—it was magnificent.
It was far more elegant and filled with expensive furniture than the place he had stayed in until now.
*Crackle, crackle.*
Firewood was burning in the room’s fireplace. Even though it was spring, the temperature difference between day and night was significant, making the nights quite chilly. But thanks to the fire, the air in the room was pleasantly warm.
“……Did someone light this for me?”
Come to think of it, his clothes had been changed into pajamas at some point. Seeing the neatly organized room, it was clear someone’s hand had been at work.
“Wh-What a relief! There’s someone here!”
He thought he had been utterly abandoned in the mansion, left to live with the Ghost Bride.
But to think there were people here, what a huge relief.
“Maybe they’re outside?”
Lucian got out of bed and opened the door to find someone.
*Creeak—*
With an eerie creak, the door opened to a hallway lit only by candles. But even the candlelight couldn't dispel the gloomy atmosphere.
He didn't want to take a single step out of the room.
*Grumble~*
His tactless stomach was clamoring to be fed. He hadn't been able to stomach any food since last evening, so he was hungrier than usual.
If he had known, he would have eaten every last bite of food he had.
“……I have no choice.”
Lucian decided to explore the mansion, grabbing a lamp before heading out.
“It’s huge.”
When he descended the stairs, he found the first floor was so spacious you could run around and play. And just like his room, it was clear at a glance that every corner was well-maintained.
“Where’s the kitchen?”
Putting off his tour of the mansion for later, he began searching for the kitchen to find food and people.
Fortunately, the kitchen appeared right away. But it was empty, devoid of any warmth.
Lucian, who had thought at least a simple meal would be prepared, was taken aback.
“Is there nothing?”
In his urgency, he searched every nook and cranny of the kitchen but found only dust-covered utensils.
Lucian’s energy instantly drained away.
*Grumble~*
“I’m hungry……”
Being hungry, cold, and scared made him feel inexplicably sorrowful. Lucian’s eyes welled with tears as he sniffled.
*Thump— roll, roll…….*
Just then, something bumped against his foot.
“A-A potato!”
His joy was short-lived as Lucian wondered where this potato had rolled from. Looking around, he saw a couple of boxes in a corner of the kitchen filled with potatoes and other ingredients.
There was only flour, potatoes, sweet potatoes, onions, meat, eggs, and other uncooked ingredients.
“I don’t know how to cook.”
Lucian’s shoulders slumped. It seemed they wouldn't go as far as to cook for him.
Just as he was about to sink into depression, Lucian snapped his head up and shook it from side to side.
“Get a grip! It’s something I’ll have to do eventually!”
Lucian gathered some potatoes and sweet potatoes in his arms and scurried up to the second floor.
His plan was to roast them in the fireplace in his room.
He had survived on potatoes instead of proper meals before, so he was used to this much.
Without any help from an adult, Lucian prepared to stand on his own two feet.
* * *
[Sigh, what am I going to do with him?]
I sighed, watching the round, white-haired head ascend the stairs.
Since the child was going to be staying here, I felt I should at least look after him, so I lit the fire in his room and turned on lights here and there to keep it from being too dark.
I just left the ingredients the humans had brought in the kitchen. I figured he could at least make a fried egg.
[Even if he’s a kid, shouldn’t he be able to handle some simple cooking?]
I let him know where the ingredients were because it looked like he might die otherwise, but……
*Oops, it’s undercooked. But it’ll burn if I leave it in… Ah, whatever. I’ll just eat it.*
I could hear Lucian muttering to himself from the second floor.
Seeing the little kid unable to even roast a single potato made me feel inexplicably guilty.
I debated whether I should make something edible and bring it to him, but I shook my head.
[Why should I? I’ve given him the mansion, lit the fireplace, and cleaned the room. Isn't my job done? He might be a kid, but whether he starves to death or not is none of my business!]
Right, absolutely.
That kid is an unwelcome guest, to begin with. He should be grateful I’m not kicking him out.
As I brainwashed myself and chuckled, my consciousness kept drifting toward the second floor.
Other humans had lived in this mansion a few times before. It never bothered me this much back then.
[Ugh—! Why did it have to be a little kid!]
He was a child who still needed an adult’s care. That must be why I was so concerned.
[But that kid… his spirit is weak.]
He fainted just from seeing my afterimage at the wedding; there was no guarantee it wouldn't happen again.
Normally, I would use a person’s weak spirit to chase them away, but knowing the child had nowhere else to go, I couldn't bring myself to do it.
[Sigh, it’s my mansion, but I can’t even do as I please.]
For the time being, it seemed I would have to monitor the child’s movements and stick to areas he didn't frequent.
I had no desire whatsoever to get involved with humans.
* * *
-Observation Log: The Kid, Day 1.
The kid started wandering around in the morning.
He was still timid, but he seemed to have gained some courage once the sun came up and brightened the mansion.
Every time he entered a room, the kid would exclaim things like ‘Wow!’, ‘Whoa!’, and ‘It’s so big!’.
It was rewarding to see my hard work in maintaining the mansion appreciated, which made me feel proud, but at the same time, I felt a pang of pity.
He also kept looking for people, thinking someone was here.
But I knew they had all left without a single person remaining, so watching the kid’s actions tugged at my heartstrings.
I think I might have to pretend to be a living person for a while.
-Observation Log: The Kid, Day 2.
Yesterday he explored the mansion; today he went outside.
He didn't go beyond the fence, so it wasn't like he was trying to escape. He just took a lap around the yard and sat by the stream, skipping stones.
The kid spent the entire day outside like that.
Sometimes he’d watch the small animals passing by with interest, and other times he’d lie down on the grass for a leisurely nap.
I was worried he might wander into the forest, but thankfully, he didn't do anything rash.
Somehow, the napping kid looked relaxed. He certainly seemed much brighter than when he first arrived.
If he keeps this up, I should be able to stop worrying about him soon.
-Observation Log: The Kid, Day 3.
Today, as if he were on a quest, he began to thoroughly explore every room in the mansion.
No matter how well I’ve maintained the place, there are a few rooms that are genuinely as spooky as a haunted house, so I locked their doors to keep him out.
He seemed disappointed by the locked doors, but it’s better than him getting scared and becoming withdrawn again.
This mansion, as you can tell by the fact that I’ve lived here for 300 years, has a long and storied history.
As such, it contains all sorts of artifacts and ancient texts, and even the newest items are at least 50 years old.
I'm bound to this mansion, so I don't know how different it is from the outside world.
Judging by the kid's curious poking around, it seems quite a few things have changed.
Well, 300 years have passed. It would be stranger if things hadn't changed.
……That damn kid. He tore a book I cherished.
It’s true the book was old and brittle, but it’s also his fault for not handling it carefully.
Did you think putting it back on the shelf would make it like it never happened? You little brat!
-Observation Log: The Kid, Day 4.
The kid was getting grimy since he hadn't washed once since arriving.
He must have noticed the smell himself because he headed for the bathroom.
You can get hot water just by infusing a little mana, but it seemed he had never seen a bathroom like this before.
The kid shivered as he took a shower with cold water.
While he was lathering his hair, I discreetly infused some of my mana. He must have felt the water warm up because his shivering subsided.
It’ll be a pain if you catch a cold, you brat. There’s no medicine here.
-Observation Log: The Kid, Day 5.
Today, again, the kid made a rough meal of potatoes and sweet potatoes.
I had cleaned the kitchen just in case, but it seemed he was completely unable to use the cooking utensils.
I was going to just watch since he wasn't starving to death, but it’s getting frustrating for this ghost to see.
After five straight days of filling up on only potatoes and sweet potatoes, the kid himself looked sick of them.
Moreover, the other ingredients were being neglected, and some had started to rot.
I didn't want the mold to spread to the other food, so I sorted them out and threw the bad ones away while the kid was gone.
I felt sorry for the kid, eating only potatoes and sweet potatoes when there was so much other food.
I’m thinking of secretly dropping a cookbook for him tomorrow.
-Observation Log: The Kid, Day 6.
The kid found the cookbook. But even after looking at it, he showed no sign of trying to cook from it.
He skipped over the easiest recipe, fried eggs, and was staring at a complicated turkey dish.
I thought maybe he wanted to eat meat, but…… looking closer, I saw the turkey recipe section had a lot of pictures.
It seems he can’t read.
-Observation Log: The Kid, Day 7.
Seeing only five potatoes and sweet potatoes left, the kid finally started using the kitchen. He used his head and lit the stove with his lantern.
As if trying to cook in his own way, he examined the various utensils before placing a plate on the stove.
In the end, the kid caused an accident.
The plate heated up and shattered, and the fried egg he had just managed to crack onto it fell into the stove.
The accident didn't end there. When the plate broke, sparks and shards flew out, and the nearby ingredients caught fire.
The flames shot up in an instant.
The kid panicked and ran outside to get water. The moment he was gone, I quickly used magic to extinguish the fire.
The mansion was almost burned to the ground.
The kid returned with a bowl of water and was relieved to see the fire gone, but his expression soon soured.
Ah, half of the ingredients were gone.
The kid ended up clutching the one remaining potato and went upstairs.
