Why would a Ghost appear in this property, which was specifically arranged for Anna and originally belonged to Viscount Field?
Dorothy began to ponder this question. She thought it might have been originally in the house, or perhaps it came from somewhere outside.
After careful analysis, Dorothy felt that the possibility of this house originally having a Ghost was not very high. This was because Dorothy had just discussed the issue of this house with the lawyers before. The houses on Knight Road are all excellent properties. Several houses nearby, including 26, are also Viscount Field's property. The Viscount bought several sets with the best terrain as soon as they were built, and most of them were rented out. The rent collected had long since paid back the investment, making it a successful venture.
The environment here is excellent, and there has never been any talk of hauntings or murder cases. The land was not a cemetery before, which is why it rented out well. It is hard to imagine such a house having a Ghost.
So, if this Ghost came from outside... why would it specifically drift here? And from its appearance, it seems to be observing everywhere. Is this a Ghost's habit? Or is there some other reason?
'This behavior of looking around everywhere... it feels like... reconnaissance?'
Dorothy thought this to herself. As someone who had used small Corpse Puppets for infiltration and reconnaissance multiple times, she naturally thought in this direction.
'If there was an Extraordinary being of'Silence' or related to'Silence' who could control Ghosts, then they could completely rely on Ghosts for reconnaissance, just like I use Corpse Puppets...'
'If that's the case, then things might be a bit serious... This means that there might be an Extraordinary being currently conducting reconnaissance on this house!'
Thinking of this possibility, Dorothy couldn't help but feel a shock in her heart. Although she didn't understand why an Extraordinary being would suddenly target this place, if it was true, the current situation was very urgent.
Secretly observing the ghostly being drifting around the room, Dorothy wondered in her mind whether to warn the Hunters around, but she couldn't think of a way to give a warning without revealing her own special nature.
Finally, after seemingly finishing its observation within the house, the Ghost drifted out through the window, which seemed to confirm Dorothy's thought that this Ghost came from outside.
Looking at the departing Ghost, Dorothy momentarily wanted to release a small Corpse Puppet to track it, but she suddenly remembered that the Spirituality vision granted by the Appraise skill could only take effect on herself. The Appraise skill was her own skill, and her skills could not be attached to a Corpse Puppet, so the Corpse Puppet's vision could not observe Spirituality, and without being able to observe Spirituality, it could not see the Ghost, let alone track it.
'It seems... this is the first time I haven't gained an advantage in reconnaissance and intelligence...'
Looking at the Ghost that passed through the wall and left, Dorothy thought silently in her heart.
'It seems I need to pay more attention to this side...'
...
Leaving 26, the Ghost continued to conduct reconnaissance around 26, investigating the other houses around 26, and the carriages parked on Knight Road. After everything seemed to be investigated, it quickly drifted back in the direction it came from. Not long after, it drifted back to the end of Knight Street, drifting to Geffrey's side. Geffrey was waiting for it here with his hands behind his back.
The Ghost in the image of the emaciated man leaned close to Geffrey's ear and whispered something in a voice so fine and dense it was barely audible. Geffrey couldn't help but nod in thought after listening.
"Hmph... that little brat is indeed problematic, actually having a Black Dog providing protection... Interesting..." Geffrey muttered. The Black Dog he referred to was naturally the Hunters, with their black uniforms, the dogs of the authorities.
That Ghost had just discovered hidden standard issue weapons on the Hunters disguised in plain clothes, which was enough to prove the identity of their master.
'Although the Black Dog providing protection is enough to show that there is a secret on that little brat, and there might be some backing behind her, it is still not certain whether that backing is the target. After all, no Extraordinary traces related to'Shi' (Stone) were found... Those Black Dogs might also be guarding her because they discovered the abnormality on that little brat.'
Geffrey continued to think. Although he confirmed that there was something abnormal about Anna, he was not sure what this abnormality was, or if it was the target they were looking for.
"It seems, when night falls, I can go and probe a little, to see if I can find something..."
As he spoke, Geffrey looked towards another house on Knight Road. Just now, after his Ghost finished investigating 26, it also conducted a rough investigation of the other houses around, and found something interesting in this house with the number 38.
"After all... even the chess pieces are ready themselves, it would be too wasteful not to try."
Looking at the window of 38, Geffrey said with a hint of a smile.
...
House number 38 on Knight Road, in the spacious living room on the second floor, several men were sitting around a table, pointing and discussing the distant house number 26 through the window.
These men were almost all dressed in proper clothes and wore hats. Among them, one man had short, thick limbs, a bulging belly, and a face full of flesh. This was Gerry Field's distant cousin, Harold.
At this moment, the men around Harold were arguing about something, their faces red with anger, chattering incessantly, each with an unyielding fire.
"So, after the matter is done, all the properties on Knight Road should belong to me."
"Nonsense! What right do you have to Knight Road? In terms of blood relation, I am closer to Field!"
"Hmph... talking about blood relation? If you talk about blood relation, none of you are qualified to compare with me..."
...
The men around the table kept arguing. Seeing this scene, Harold coughed impatiently twice and knocked on the table, making the people around him quiet down. Then he spoke loudly.
"Alright, Mr.s, stop arguing. Let's not talk about how to distribute the inheritance after the operation is successful. Let's complete our current task first. As long as that little brat is still alive, everything we are talking about now is empty talk!"
As he spoke, Harold looked out the window at 26 in the distance, and then spoke to the other men in the carriage.
"The time is set for tonight. Everyone will gather the people they hired with their own money and take care of that little brat in one go. After that, regarding how the inheritance will be divided, we'll go to the dinner party we should go to, and the court we should go to. No objections, right?"
After hearing Harold's words, the other men looked at each other in silence for a moment, and then answered in unison.
"No."
...
At dusk, the glow of the setting sun shone on Knight Road. The visit that lasted the entire afternoon finally ended. At the entrance of 26, Anna waved goodbye to the people who came to visit her one by one.
"Goodbye~ Teacher Mayshouse, come again next time!"
"Yes, of course, goodbye Anna."
Dorothy smiled and said goodbye to her student, then walked on the road home. Grego, who had witnessed this scene from another building, couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.
"Phew... finally gone back, but I'm really envious of her. She can go home now, while I still have to guard here all night, sigh..." Grego said with a helpless shrug.
On the other side, Dorothy, who was walking in the setting sun, looked back at Knight Road behind her, and then murmured softly.
"It seems, I will have to work a little overtime tonight as well."