A haunting voice reverberated through the cavern, causing uneasiness to grip all three spirits. Chara, the most unsettled and inexperienced of the three, began to direct her gaze at the source of the sound, only for the curiosity spirit to swiftly intervene, blocking her line of sight.


    “Don’t look in its direction—it will notice you! Quickly, hide within the flowers!” she instructed in an urgent voice.


    Startled, the little spirit flinched before instinctively averting her gaze. Although her omnidirectional vision allowed her to see everything around her at once, she had a really hard time concentrating on more than one thing at a time. Regardless, once she found herself a place to hide among the foliage, her mind began to swirl.


    Thinking back, she recalled several recent instances when she’d felt like she was being watched. Until now, she had dismissed this feeling as nothing more than her own self-consciousness. However, the curiosity spirit’s words now made her wonder if there might’ve been more to it than she first thought.


    Wait… if I can sense the gaze of other spirits, then doesn’t that mean that other spirits can do the same?


    After a brief consideration, Chara surmised that this was likely the case. Returning back to reality, she suppressed her anxiousness and worriedly asked about their situation.


    “Umm, what are we hiding from?”


    Stunned, the two greater spirits stared at her in utter disbelief.


    “Did—did you not sense that horrid impression? It’s the enemy of all spirits, a [Ghost]!” Music exclaimed frightfully.


    A Ghost!?


    “Little Spirit, [Ghosts] are super dangerous! If you ever come across one, you must flee immediately! If it notices you, it will definitely try to catch and eat you!” Curiosity explained urgently.


    Eat me?!


    Chara nearly fell into a panic. How could a person from the modern era, accustomed to living a life more affluent than most, far removed from war and hunger, possibly endure the sheer horror of being hunted by an unknown beast? Practically the only reason she hadn’t lost her composure yet was because she hadn’t actually seen the terrible monster. Perhaps if she were to come face-to-face with it, the overwhelming terror might cause her to faint instantly.


    Overcome in dread, the little spirit trembled in fear. Just when she thought the situation couldn’t possibly be more dire, she remembered Curiosity’s earlier warning about not looking directly in the ghost’s direction, along with her subsequent realization.


    W—wait… does this mean that if I look at the ghost it will immediately find and catch me?


    Unable to resist her fear, she finally burst into tears.


    “Uuu… Uuuuu… Uuuuu…”


    Watching the little spirit crying so pitifully, the two greater spirits felt a strong urge to console her. Although they felt guilty for scaring her in the first place, they also understood that it was a far preferable outcome to losing her life because she was unafraid of ghosts.


    “Little Spirit, there’s nothing to fear. With this smart and capable curiosity spirit here to protect you, that [Ghost] doesn’t stand a chance~!”


    “Yeah, didn’t you hear how bad that [Ghost]’s playing was? This music spirit is a much better musician~!”


    Caught off guard by Music’s absurd statement, Chara momentarily stopped crying.


    “Dummy wind spirit, who asked you about your useless music skills? Is your mind so empty that you can hear the echoing of your own swirling?”


    The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    “Nosey water spirit, is all you are good at asking questions? In that case, why don’t you go ask that ugly [Ghost] to go away for us!”


    “What?! Can’t you see how frightened my little student is? I need to stay right here to reassure her and keep her safe!”


    “Using your student as a shield? Shameless!”


    As the two greater spirits continued bickering back and forth childishly, Chara’s mind was pulled away from her fear and she gradually stopped crying. Amused by their ridiculous squabble, she let out a soft giggle.


    Upon hearing her laugh, the two spirits paused mid-argument, their gazes snapping toward her. They exchanged a quick look before promptly looking away again.


    ““Hmph!””


    Whether or not they truly disliked each other, or if it was an act to distract the little spirit—was something only they were aware of.


    As the three spirits fell silent and focused on their surroundings, they noticed that the ghostly melody had grown louder. The sound, now sharper and more distinct, had the unmistakable timbre of a stringed instrument. A series of notes rose and fell without a clear direction, like an orchestra being led by an insane conductor. Each chord seemed to crash against the next, creating a jarring dissonance that gnawed at the listeners’ sense of hearing, and bore into their minds.


    It wasn’t just the harmony that was awful, it was also the way it resonated through the surroundings. The higher notes, sharp and shrill, pierced through the winds, their echoes leaving behind a faint ringing sound, akin to glass shards scraping against corroded metal. The lower ones, oppressive and suffocating, reverberated through the earth, their sound uneven, like the thick burbling of a viscous liquid.


    “So, about that [Ghost]…” Curiosity began.


    “What about it? Obviously, we need to seal it!” Music declared vehemently.


    “I know—! But do you honestly think that evil [Ghost] will just obediently float in place while one of us casts the [Ghost Sealing Ritual]?” Curiosity objected reasonably.


    The music spirit recoiled backwards, as if physically struck by the inconvenient truths.


    “Judging by that loud and obnoxious music, I think it’s safe to assume that the [Ghost] has either a music or sound bond, essences of wind,” Curiosity murmured contemplatively before gazing intently at Music.


    Ideally, the best counter against any kind of bond is a bond of the opposite element. Unfortunately, they didn’t know of any spirits with such a convenient bond nearby. However, they did have something equally, if not more useful: a spirit with the same bond. This was because ghosts had an innate tendency to seek out objects, beings, and places that resonated with their bonds. Of course, for the beings in question, this was nothing but a sick nightmare!


    Music, quickly guessing what the curiosity spirit was thinking, swirled nervously. Then, her mana expanded and contracted frustratedly for several long seconds. Finally, as though she had reached a decision, she fixed the curiosity spirit with a determined gaze and swirled fearlessly.


    “Fine, scaredy water spirit! This brave music spirit will distract the ugly [Ghost], while you prepare the [Ghost Sealing Ritual]!” she finally answered.


    “…Understood,” Curiosity replied belatedly.


    As the two greater spirits mentally prepared themselves for the oncoming fight, the long forgotten little spirit merely listened quietly. Though, even if she had participated in the discussion, she wouldn’t have had much to contribute. After all, she barely even knew what a ghost was. From what she could interpret, the word “Ghost” seemed to convey ideas such as spirit, aberration, evil, and insanity. If she had to guess, then ghosts were existences reminiscent of evil spirits.


    Just as she was beginning to grow nervous again, the curiosity spirit approached her first. Lamentably, her words were far from reassuring.


    “Hey, um Little Spirit. Music and I are going to deal with that scary [Ghost]. Although most of the danger will fall on Music, it’s still going to be very dangerous. So, um… could you, quietly sneak back to the cloister on your own?”


    The little spirit glanced at the underground cloister. Then, she glanced toward the giant crystal tree, her intended destination, and felt a twinge or regret. She hesitated, but soon made her decision.


    “Okay.”


    Refusing to so much as glance in the direction of ghostly melody, she slipped away quietly, moving discreetly toward the cloister. Yet, just as she began her retreat, the ghost let out a deafening roar.


    “A????????h??h????????h????????!?????? ????????????A????????????????H???????????????H???!??????????????????????!?????????? ?????I?????t?????? ??w????????a??????s???? ?????y?????o???????u???????!??????? ??????Y????o?????u????? ?????????d???????i??????d????????? ???????i?????????t???????!??? ?????Y??????????o??????u??????? ???????s???????t????????o??????l???????e??????? ??????m?????????y??????? ??????????a???????u????????d????i??e?????n??????c????e?????!???”


    Its erratic melody grew even more frantic, like a frenzied child banging on a guitar. The mana in the air—particularly the wind element mana—swirled even more chaotically! For some reason, the ghost had started freaking out!


    “Little Spirit, Ruuuuuuun!!” Curiosity screamed, her words infused with feelings of worry, panic, and anxiety.


    Without thinking, Chara glanced behind her in the direction of the voice.