As Chara reflexively glanced in the direction of Curiosity’s scream, she caught a glimpse of an extremely out-of-place object. It was an illusory antique harp surrounded by a churning vortex of wind element mana.


    At the same time, it looked back at her. Instantly, she could feel a gaze filled with intense hostility. Not a mere mindless hatred, but a vivid and methodical killing intent that seemed to have already envisioned the numerous ways it would hurt her.


    Pinned under such a chilling stare, the little spirit froze in terror.


    At that moment, the illusory harp’s strings vibrated, as though having been strummed by an invisible hand. A haunting melody filled the air as a cloud of wind element mana condensed swiftly around the instrument.


    Almost simultaneously, the music spirit, who was not far from Chara, brandished her illusory silver flute. As she directed a steady stream of wind mana into its mouthpiece, it rang out with a clear whistle-like sound. At the same time, mana flowed outwards through its many openings and gathered neatly toward a spot slightly in front of her. There, the now glimmering mana spiraled inward rapidly, as if trying to converge into a single point.


    The ghostly harp, finishing its spell first, unleashed a glimmering wave of mana that surged straight towards Chara!


    Observing this, the music spirit swiftly ended her note. Immediately, the glimmering mana bullet shot forth, homing in on the ghost’s mana wave!


    Boom~!


    The swirling mana bullet exploded with a tremendous shockwave, blowing away the ghost’s mana wave instantly!


    “UWAAAAAA!!!”


    The little spirit, blown back by the explosion, shrieked in terror before fleeing with all her might.


    The ghost lunged after her in pursuit. But before it could catch her, it was violently thrown aside by another glimmering wind spell.


    Enraged, it floated off the ground and glared at its assailant—who was already blowing into her flute to cast her next spell.


    “Y???o???????u???????!???????? ??????T???????h???i??????s????? ???????i???s?????? ??????a?????l????????l????? ??????y???????o?????u??r???????? ????f?????????a??????u?????l???????t????????!????????!???????”


    Toooot~!


    Music’s mind strained at the ghost’s ravings. Nevertheless, she ruthlessly unleashed her spell.


    Boom~!


    Behind Chara, two melodies clashed—one discordant and the other harmonious—intertwined with the sharp whistling of wind cutting through the air. Glittering wind spells rained down violently along her escape route; each impact marked by the sharp crack of crystal flowers shattering into numerous pieces.


    This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.


    As she raced through the translucent foliage, fleeting glimpses of the battle between the two music bonds flickered into view. A swirling cloud of iridescent wind mana danced gracefully across the battlefield, her ethereal silver flute glinting beautifully as she unleashed volleys of wind spells with every note of her melody. Her foe, another swirling storm of wind mana, this one wielding a harp, bore many similarities. Yet, it also had two striking differences that made it unlike any spirit.


    For one, it was missing the one key characteristic that distinguished spirits from any other swirling cloud of mana: their iridescent mana. Chara wasn’t clear about what made this distinctive mana different or special, but considering that other variations of mana didn’t wake up and start arguing with her, it seemed fairly important.


    The second difference was even more striking. In Chara’s view, spirits appeared like swirling clouds of mana, with tiny particles circulating in and out of their form. And despite the fact that their mana overflowed near constantly, spilling endlessly into the surroundings, they never took anything from outside.


    In stark contrast, the ghost was a vortex. A bottomless pit that one-sidedly absorbed mana, without generating any of its own. It was like an undead, devoid of any future potential, sustaining its hollow existence by feeding on the possibilities of the world around it.


    If this were true, it could explain why the music ghost had been constantly on the move. Still, considering the way its unsettling gaze remained squarely fixed on Chara, as though driven by some unrelenting obsession while advancing recklessly in her direction… it might’ve just been a coincidence.


    Keenly aware of this, the little spirit trembled uncontrollably, her swirling cloud body contracting inward defensively, as if to keep itself from dispersing.


    Uwaaaa! Why, why is it going after me! I thought it was supposed to chase after Music…!!


    As Chara pushed herself to float faster than ever before, she heard a familiar voice.


    “Little Spirit, over here!”


    It was Curiosity waiting by a sizable boulder jutting out from the ground.


    Chara, never having been so relieved to see that treacherous spirit, raced in her direction.


    Curiosity, secretly pleased that her adorable student was relying on her, waited eagerly—only for Chara to continue floating past her and seek cover behind the boulder.


    It was a shocking betrayal!


    Left out in the open, Curiosity was gripped by the ghost’s evil and murderous gaze. In the next instant, the illusory ancient harp resonated with an ominous tune before unleashing a glimmering wave of mana at the abandoned spirit!


    Reacting swiftly, Curiosity bolted behind the boulder.


    Whoosh~!


    The wind spell collided with the massive boulder, its strength dissipating against the immovable stone.


    Freed from the ghost’s malevolent glare, Curiosity narrowed her gaze on the little spirit.


    Noticing her gaze, the little spirit swirled innocently.


    “…”


    “…”


    After a brief moment, Curiosity retracted her gaze, her mana pulsing in dissatisfaction. She had summoned Baby with the aim of rescuing her, so chastising her for attempting to save herself would be entirely against the point. Nevertheless, to set up the [Ghost Sealing Ritual], she would need to lose the ghost’s gaze again.


    Rippling in contemplation, she swiftly devised a solution.


    “Hmph, watch this.”


    Taking conscious control of her mana, the curiosity spirit formed an illusory mana tendril, before carefully molding its tip into the shape of a ring. Then, she spread a delicate, translucent mana membrane across the ring’s opening. With a gentle wave of her wand, the membrane stretched to form an illusory mana bubble.


    The illusory bubble floated gently from behind the jutting boulder, its edges twinkling beautifully under the soft glow of the cavern ceiling.


    The ghost, suddenly captivated by this bubble, gazed at it intently. After about a dozen seconds, the bubble burst. However, by that time, the duo of spirits had vanished.