5 The Republic of Aska 5

Phyllis hurried home, closed the door behind her, and couldn’t help but lean her back against it. Her legs gave way, and she collapsed onto the floor. Her breathing was ragged, both hands trembling uncontrollably as she fought to keep the spinning top from falling.

Unlike the pure terror she’d felt before, a surge of excitement now mingled with her fear as she stared at her shaking hands.

The creature that had appeared on Brother Marco was no hallucination, and it was no illusion that she had dispersed it… Moreover, even after scattering three such monsters at once, her body showed no signs of distress. This meant that her fainting after regaining consciousness wasn’t related to these events.

Bad news: ghosts really exist in this world.

Good news: these ghosts are weak and can be shattered with a single punch.

Indeed, all fear stemmed from insufficient firepower.

Realizing she could eliminate those demons without any tools dissipated much of the anxiety weighing on her heart.

Knock, knock—

“Phyllis, Phyllisiana?”

The door behind her was suddenly knocked upon, followed by a woman’s anxious voice, “Did you just go outside?”

Recognizing the voice, Phyllis composed herself and opened the door to find a worried Katarina standing there.

“My top accidentally flew out just now. I only went to retrieve it,” Phyllis offered the excuse she had prepared long ago. Before Katarina could ask more, she quickly apologized, “Sorry, I shouldn’t have gone out without telling anyone…”

Phyllis’s obedient demeanor left Katarina speechless, and since she was only there to help with the children, saying too much when the child was fine would just be a nuisance.

“Your health has just improved a little. It’s better not to go outside right now,” Katarina advised gently. “Still dizzy? Want to lie down for a while?”

Having slept so long earlier, Phyllis felt as if she had fully made up for all the sleep she lacked in her previous life and wasn’t sleepy at all.

All she wanted now was to take a shower, or at least wash her hair properly. Unfortunately, her head injury made Katarina adamantly forbid washing her hair at this time.

Still, it was natural for the young girl to want to stay clean. Although Katarina didn’t consider lice a major issue, she went home to get a comb, planning to comb through Phyllis’s hair and pick out any lice.

“Huh…”

After combing through Phyllis’s thick curls, Katarina was surprised, flipping through the hair and then smiling, “It’s quite clean, isn’t it? I’ve been combing for so long and haven’t found a single one.”

Surprised, Phyllis touched the top of her head and indeed felt nothing.

Could it have been a fluke? Had those few lice just appeared and been caught in time?

Phyllis had a wealth of life experience, but lice—an organism long eradicated in modern cities—was not something she knew well.

Though a little uneasy, the result was good, and she had nothing to complain about…

While thinking this, Phyllis turned her head to thank the woman who had combed her hair for so long, only to unexpectedly catch sight of a familiar figure peeking in from outside the window.

Phyllis: ………

If she remembered correctly, the window near the dining table was nearly a full story above the sloped ground outside the wall. Unless the owner of that head was a three-meter-tall giant, there was no way it could be so steady sticking half its body out the window.

Perhaps noticing her gaze, the figure quickly hid behind the wall, though he was clearly still unaccustomed to his intangible form. Though his face was unseen, Phyllis could see half of his arm glitching through the wall like a game character.

Seeing Phyllis turn away without a word and stare blankly out the window behind her, Katarina felt a pang of pity and urged her once more to get some rest.

This time, Phyllis didn’t refuse. After thanking her, she climbed the stairs to her room, closed the door, and silently sat on her bed, waiting.

Sure enough, before long, a sneaky head peeked through the window again, locking eyes with Phyllis’s expressionless gaze.

“If you’re here, why run away?” Seeing the long-bearded old man turn to flee again, Phyllis lowered her voice, “If you want to come in, just come in. I know you mean no harm.”

The old man froze at her words.

He faced away, seeming to wrestle with inner turmoil before finally drifting back to the window.

“Thank you for helping me get rid of those monsters. I don’t even know how to repay you…” The old man’s face showed embarrassment, but his actions were polite. He removed the small hat from his head and held it to his chest, speaking through the window. “I don’t mean to disturb you, only to thank you in person… But my current form is a little… I worry you might be frightened if you see me…”

If there had been any lingering wariness, Phyllis’s curiosity now outweighed her fear.

She jumped down from the bed and went to the window to get a clearer look at the old man. She finally understood what he meant.

The “zombie”-like creatures had seriously harmed him. Not only was his left hand missing, but his legs were gone too. His torn robe fluttered empty in midair, resembling a ghostly figure she was more familiar with.

From any angle, this elderly man was clearly one of those “ghosts,” distinguished only by retaining his human rationality—and being quite reasonable. Just this alone made Phyllis realize this was an excellent opportunity.

She had countless questions about this strange world, but many had to remain unasked to avoid revealing herself.

Ghosts were different; since no one else could see them, even if they doubted her origin, they couldn’t tell others…

“That alone won’t scare me—those things just now were much uglier than you.”

Phyllis returned to her bed and sat down. Her suspended legs felt strange as she crossed and kicked them awkwardly before looking back up at the old man by the window.

“I don’t even know who you are. Are you from this city?”

“Of course. I was born here, and II'm sorry, but I cannot assist with that request.