My fever didn’t go down for a day, so I ended up getting a day off.

The next day, after my complete recovery…

“I’m very, very sorry.”

As soon as I left my dorm, I was greeted by the exact words I was going to say to the knights—

—it was said by certain figure who stood at the hallway.

Apologizing with a perfect 90 degree bow, was none other than the Accounting Devil—Herez Dunkel.

“I was wrong for forcing such a huge load of tasks onto you. Because of me, you ended up overworking. Even though your main duty isn’t cleaning… I was short-minded. I swear I won’t get in the way of your mission again…”

Facing his fervent apologize, I didn’t know how to react.

…is this the kind of person he is?

I had heard from my colleagues that he wasn’t such a forgiving person. It was rumored that he once chastised a newbie for being sick. ‘How are you going to serve the royal palace like this?’ ‘You should just go back to school’—and so on.

I was expecting to be showered by his merciless words.

…Strange.

“I… wouldn’t you find it in your heart, the will to forgive me?”

While grabbing my hand, he even shed tears.

“Uh, this isn’t about to forgive or not to…”

“I see, I have done such a terrible, despicable thing… you must’ve found my action unforgiveable…”

“No—! I forgive—! I forgive you—! From now on, let’s work hard together—!”

The ‘Devil’ in front of me smiled in a superb way that I had never seen before.

…such that I admitted my defeat.

When a person with a great face plead to you with tearful eyes, to relent and do per his bidding is never your fault—!!!

 

After that, I went to the Captain’s office.

“Ms. Walter—!!”

Coincidentally, he was just about to go out. He noticed me and immediately rushed towards me.

“Captain Ranbic, I’m sorry about yesterday. I hope you didn’t encounter any problems with the ghost?”

“No, more importantly, are you alright, now? Your health is more important than the ghost.”

It seemed that he was truly concerned—after all, my fever was indeed quite high.

I was grateful for that.

I felt guilty for making him worry, but at the same time, his genuine concern made me happy.

“I’m alright! Even though it’s almost the day for the Star Festival, I took a day off, I’m truly sorry…”

“No, it’s important for you to take a day off. First and foremost, you should always prioritize yourself first, and not for my own convenience. Don’t worry about it.”

Captain Ranbic looked anxious again—he then touched my forehead with his palm.

“Are you truly recovered? You still feel a little hot…”

“That’s probably just your imagination…”

This time, I was absolutely sure that poor health wasn’t the cause.

It’s because of your sincere words and sudden touching, you know!

I lowered my head to hide my embarrassment.

I joked to Captain Ranbic. “That Mr. Dunkel apologized to me, outrageous, isn’t it? He also—”

Suddenly, Vice-Captain Dortmund shoved a cookie into my mouth. Wordlessly; with no explanation at all—

—It was the ‘Pretty Cooking Maid Carla’s Homemade Cookie’. This super effective bribing item shut my mouth immediately.

…I’m so sorry for sacrificing your excellent cookies for such a dark deal, Carla.

“When you took a rest yesterday, she appeared again, as expected.”

“She?”

 “The ghost.”

—oh, right. I grimaced like a fool.

“I don’t know why it appeared again after so long—however, I’m scared of it. It appears to be more powerful than usual.”

“In conclusion, Mr. Herez isn’t good enough to ward off the ghost?”

…moreover, it seemed like during the happening, he had fainted.

However, there was more to it—

“Although she’s a ghost, she can’t help but be entranced by Mr. Herez.”

—what kind of hellish scene is that? I’m too scared to picture it…

 

It seemed that it was a tragedy caused by a mistake.

Naturally, the people of the Ministry of Accounting didn’t know about the ghost. It was a routine to send one of their officers every year near the Star Festival—however;

The strange thing was, Captain Ranbic was told to request for Mr. Dunkel. Thus, he followed through with the instructions.

His Majesty, whom knew about the circumstances, said. “That hard-headed man would hardly be surprised at anything. Besides, he surely would be too focused at doing his job.” There was no further discussion after that.

The knights were given a simplified explanation of the circumstances, and there was also Tina—me. His Majesty probably thought everything would end up fine.

…all of you who’re in a higher position, or basically just taller than me—

—you should properly talk about this kind of thing, y’know…?

“After he regained his consciousness, I was able to clear up the situation and explained a great deal to him.”

Then, the reason why the ghost didn’t appear until now indeed had to do with my presence.

…I see.

His attitude this morning, that explain it all…

“He’s smart, but surprisingly short-circuited.”

‘Someone like Vice-Captain Dortmund had the least right to say that’—however, I swallowed the words.

From that day, those that worried about my health increased to two;

Captain Ranbic, because he was truly concerned—

—while the other struggled to make sure I stayed healthy for his own benefit.

---

***T/N: towards these assortments of handsome men, Tina is quite versatile.

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