Chapter 26 - Safe Zone
I contacted the landlord from my smartphone and told them that my neighbor had passed away.
When asked where I was now, I replied that I was at the park.
Then, since I was the first person to discover the body, I was urged to return to my room and wait there.
As expected, I suppose they'll ask me all sorts of things about how I found the corpse.
"What a pain."
After finishing the call, I sat down on a bench. Angelica sat down next to me as well, staring intently into my eyes.
"I wonder if I really lived with that old man."
"It was probably only for a few days, and it's still at the stage of speculation."
"Even if I was being manipulated, he was still my former roommate, so should I attend his funeral?"
I wondered if a funeral would even be held for him.
Since he died alone, perhaps the bereaved family would settle for a private funeral.
And even that family might just be distant relatives.
"Once everything is settled, shall we leave some flowers in front of his room? I think that's just the right amount of distance."
The park at night was completely silent, with no other human figures besides us.
When the conversation cut off, the sound vanished.
They say girls hate silence, so should I say something?
Just as I was thinking that, Angelica spoke first.
"...I hope the ghosts didn't do anything strange while they were moving my body. Hey, what would you do? If this body had been used for something... disturbingly awful."
"For example?"
"Sexual things. Unhygienic things. That sort of feeling."
Angelica was staring at me with searching eyes.
"It's not Ange's fault, so I don't mind. You're my precious daughter, after all."
I understood her feelings of anxiety.
Even for a man like me, the thought of my body being moved against my will was chilling.
For a sixteen-year-old girl, it must be a terrifying thought.
When I appraised her status before, the notes said she had no experience with men, so I thought she should be fine, though.
"Fufu. I thought you'd say that, Father. After all, I'm your precious daughter... Eh, daughter? Daughter!? Are you still saying that even at this point!? All those sweet, sweet words you vomited out when you found me, no matter how you look at it, those were words from a boyfriend to a girlfriend! It should be 'Because you're my precious girlfriend,' right there!"
"Even if a father and daughter had a fight, they'd say that much, wouldn't they? It's possible for a close parent and child."
I had been a bit out of it back then too.
I felt strange, thinking, Wait, am I trying to woo her? but I wanted to believe it was an irresistible impulse.
"...You're an impossibly stubborn person..."
I placed my hand on the sulking Angelica's shoulder.
"That's right, I'm stubborn. I've decided to dote on you to the fullest as your father until you become an adult. Strictly as a father. I'll do it whether you like it or not. Now then, let's get to the insect repellent. It's part of being a doting parent."
"Insect repellent?"
"You wouldn't want another strange ghost crawling into your body, would you? Those bastards are still lurking somewhere. I'll put up a barrier spell."
"Ah, right."
With this, Angelica would never be manipulated again, I thought as I began preparations for activation.
[Skill: 『Sacred Circle』]. A holy circle that brings absolute defense to a range of about a three-hundred-meter radius around the target.
It was the barrier that must have blown away the spiritual bodies that were around Ange.
Thinking back now, if I had used this on Ange first, I could have defeated all the evil spirits around the room at once.
However, at that time, I didn't think they had come from another world.
Because I interpreted it as ghosts existing in modern Japan as well, I judged that defeating them here would be meaningless.
They're probably springing up from some graveyard or corpse and gathering here. There'll be no end to it unless I cut off the source, I had thought.
However, if it's a possession tactic derived from another world, the 'source' to be cut off would be the commander of the ghost group.
The most powerful spirit-type monster, loyal to its employer, that coordinates countless spirits.
That thing should be issuing orders to the other spirits via telepathy.
Usually, they are Wraiths or Specter species that have been trained, and unlike low-level spirits, they stand out badly.
They should be found easily, but...
"I wonder where they are, the ghosts," I muttered while casting the barrier on Ange.
"Even though we walked around and searched that much all day today, we couldn't find a single one. This is going to be tough."
"I'm keenly feeling my lack of strength."
"It's not Ange's fault. Something is strange."
Angelica's perception saw through Ayako-chan's evil from a distance of several hundred meters.
Both her range and accuracy were excellent. A user of this level explored the town and couldn't find even a single one.
Even in a ghost's field of vision, there must be blind spots.
Even if they were inside a building, could they really distance themselves accurately every time from Angelica as she passed by outside?
Is our hand being read?
For example, someone is watching our movements from somewhere. And that person is informing their comrades via telepathy.
If that's the case, they could escape with plenty of time to spare every time Angelica approached.
But how?
If there were a spirit watching Angelica from a distance where visual contact was possible, it should have long since entered her perception range and been found.
Monitoring us from an ultra-long distance and telling the other ghosts our movements?
...No. I haven't heard that spiritual bodies have good eyesight; if anything, it's worse than a human's.
How about possessing a creature with good eyesight and monitoring from afar?
No, that's also impossible.
Ghosts from another world can usually only possess the same race they were in life.
Hypothetically, if one possessed a bird with superior eyesight to a human, the inside would still be the spirit of a bird.
Since it wouldn't have the intelligence to perform telepathy, it couldn't possibly serve as a lookout.
I don't think they can use surveillance cameras or wiretaps.
But if they had learned enough modern knowledge to master them in this short period and could prepare the money, they might have been able to buy a small wiretap.
Even if they planted it in Angelica's clothes, they would have done it to her Holy Maiden outfit.
The current Angelica is wearing modern Japanese clothes bought after the ghosts could no longer approach due to the Sacred Circle. Even her underwear is like that.
I can assume the possibility of a wiretap being put in her clothes is also non-existent.
Just what kind of trick are they using?
With my head full of question marks, I finished casting the barrier.
"Okay. Now the area around Ange is a safe zone."
"I'm moved to tears of gratitude. Since you said some pretty harsh things to me, I need some care, don't I? There's something else besides this, right?"
"Ugh. Well, yeah."
While faltering, I thought.
Safe zone... That's right. They are hiding in some safe, hard-to-find place.
In a place where they won't be caught by Angelica's perception, yet they can unilaterally observe us.
Where would they have to get into for that to happen?
Even if they possessed an object or a human, it would be over once they were perceived.
Somewhere that unilaterally gives them an advantage.
I'm overlooking it.
In times like this, I should think from the opponent's perspective instead.
The method to defeat the Hero Keisuke Nakamoto as seen from a spiritual body.
I boast absolute status, and they can't win in a head-on confrontation.
The best thing would probably be to possess me directly, but that must have been impossible because my magic defense is too high.
Normally, the winning pattern for a spiritual body is to 'possess the target, manipulate them, and commit suicide.'
This is the smartest and best way. It kills the opponent with the least amount of effort and deals massive damage to the people left behind.
Yes.
Spiritual bodies always think about utilizing the enemy.
The stronger and more beloved the enemy they manipulate is, the stronger they become as well.
That's exactly why they possessed Angelica, who has decent status and is a beautiful girl.
She must have been an ideal possession target, with uses for both combat power and appearance.
Then, why did they possess Gondo?
Probably because even among modern people, he falls into the 'strong' category.
There aren't many people besides yakuza who carry firearms or blades.
Furthermore, since Rio, a girl who looks exactly like Elsa, was in the house he frequented, they must have judged it convenient for various reasons.
If Rio had been used as a hostage, I would have been shaken.
...Hostage.
The thing I would hate most right now.
If they prepared a beautiful virgin as an offering for the Hero, they could easily imagine that I would be moved by emotion.
Therefore, they should target Angelica. This is my new weakness.
If they are my enemy, they should strike there.
But how?
A way to use Angelica to make things advantageous for them.
...What is there?
A means that can be taken with the combination of the characteristics of a spiritual body and the girl I always keep by my side.
"...There is. There is one."
"Father?"
"With this, they can monitor our every move and even slip through my Sacred Circle."
Angelica peered into my face, asking what was wrong all of a sudden.
"It's a simple story. I wonder why I didn't notice. Even if evil spirits can no longer get close to Ange's 'surroundings,' Ange's 'inside' is a different matter. That's not a place protected by the barrier. It's like the eye of a typhoon. If it's a spirit that had already entered before the barrier was cast, they could conversely use that as a safe monitoring point. The perception skill's range is also 'around oneself,' and it doesn't include 'inside oneself.' They wouldn't be found by Ange's skill either."
"What do you mean?"
"That's why," I continued.
"Aren't they still inside you? The ghost."
Angelica's movements stopped dead.
"...Still?"
"Yeah. There's one that hasn't come out of your body. It's remaining inside Ange as a lookout. This makes sense. They have a free pass to watch us unilaterally."
Since many days have passed since the possession, the right to control the body has long since shifted to Angelica.
Even so, it's possible to remain inside and send instructions to fellow ghosts via telepathy.
"Can I try to [Skill: Dispel] it? If nothing comes out, I'm way off base."
"P-Please. I hate having something strange lurking inside me. Please, do it quickly."
I channeled mana into my fingertip and pressed it against Angelica's forehead.
"Dispel."
Simultaneously with the chant, a dazzling light was released, and first, the barrier magic I had cast was neutralized.
The barrier unraveled, and the sanctuary enveloping Angelica melted into the darkness of the night.
Next.<
If some change occurs after this, it must surely be—