After parting ways with Winnie and Aaron, who stayed behind to handle the situation with Fons, Lorien quietly returned to Benson's house.
Inside, the ghostly lawyer sat comfortably on the couch—
Casually lifting a biscuit to his mouth.
The moment he "bit" down—
The biscuit fell right through him, crumbling onto the floor.
Lorien's eye twitched.
"…What are you doing?"
Benson looked embarrassed.
He bent down, picked up the biscuit, and placed it back on the table.
"I was just… testing if I could still taste food."
Lorien frowned.
"Do spirits even feel hunger?"
"Not really."
Benson shrugged.
"Before taking your 'magic elixir,' I couldn't even touch solid objects, let alone food."
He still had no idea that the "magic elixir" was actually vampire blood.
Strictly speaking, he wasn't a spirit anymore—
More like… an Eidolon?
A blood-fed wraith?
Whatever he was, he wasn't human.
Lorien set that thought aside.
"I came back to inspect the house."
Benson was the first supernatural entity Lorien had encountered.
And considering that not everyone who dies becomes a ghost,
There were only two possible explanations:
Benson was special—some kind of latent medium. This house was special—something within it had supernatural properties.
If it was the latter…
Then there might be something powerful hidden here.
And powerful things belong to those who can wield them.
Lorien chuckled to himself.
He didn't know if he had enough "virtue" to claim such an item—
But he definitely had enough "strength".
"Fate has led me to this place. Clearly, this treasure was meant for me."
Benson tilted his head.
"Want me to help look?"
He, too, was curious about why he had ended up as a spirit.
"Yeah." Lorien rubbed his hands together.
"Think back—after moving in, did you ever notice anything strange?"
Benson pondered for a moment.
"Hmm… Well, at night, the house always felt a lot colder than it should have."
"But the real estate agent told me it was a haunted house, and I never believed in that nonsense. I just assumed the weather was getting chilly."
That wasn't much of a clue.
Lorien sighed.
His own "Environmental Awareness" ability was passive,
But by focusing, he could sharpen its effects.
He closed his eyes and concentrated—
And suddenly, the world around him became clearer.
Every sound, every movement, every shift in the air—
It all became sharper, crisper, more vivid.
His vision adjusted, his hearing fine-tuned—
And something began to stand out.
The Search
Lorien started on the first floor.
Nothing unusual there.
So, he moved to the second floor—
Specifically, Benson's bedroom.
The room was ordinary, at first glance.
A gray-toned bed, a decorative painting, and a small ship model on the nightstand.
Benson's corpse was still lying on the bed, beginning to decay.
After searching the room, Lorien's eyes locked onto the bed itself.
"Help me lift the mattress."
"Got it."
Benson solidified his form, grabbed the opposite end—
And together, they flipped the heavy mattress over.
A Black Wooden Box
Beneath the bed lay a small wooden box.
Dark, polished blackwood, roughly the size of a hand.
The brass lock on its lid gleamed faintly.
"Well, well…"
Lorien's eyes lit up.
But he wasn't stupid.
He didn't touch it directly—
Instead, he grabbed a nearby book and nudged the box.
Click.
The moment he made contact, the brass lock snapped open.
The lid popped up on its own.
"…"
Lorien exchanged a glance with Benson.
The ghost peered inside.
"It's… a ring?"
The interior was lined with black velvet.
Resting at the center was a silver ring, its surface gleaming under the dim light.
Lorien studied it closely.
Its engraved patterns were intricate, woven into a complex, unreadable design.
He ran his fingers over the metal.
The moment he touched it—
A strange sensation passed through him.
A reaction.
"This thing is definitely supernatural."
He turned to Benson.
"You were a lawyer, right?"
"Yeah." Benson nodded.
"Worked at Black Gold Law Firm—not quite as famous as the 'Magic Circle' firms, but well-respected in London."
Lorien's smirk deepened.
"Ever thought about working again?"
Benson blinked.
"What?"
"You said it yourself—you don't need food or sleep. Why not put those skills to use?"
Benson hesitated.
"I mean… sure, I'd love to. But I'm dead."
Lorien shrugged.
"So what? Just because you're dead doesn't mean you can't work."
"People get dragged out of their graves to do jobs all the time."
Benson fell silent.
It… made sense?
Lorien continued.
"Besides, thanks to my 'magic elixir,' you're already different from regular ghosts."
"You can touch things now—who knows what else you'll be able to do with a little practice?"
Benson rubbed his chin.
"Alright… I'll consider it."
"What do you need me to do?"
"For now? Just stay here."
"Soon, some other 'employees' will come find you and give you your first job."
Benson nodded.
He still didn't know what he had signed up for—
But hey, it was better than doing nothing.
Then, Lorien asked:
"One last thing—have you seen Walter?"
"Before you died, I mean."
"Yeah, I remember him."
Benson frowned.
"That kid had a lot of bruises. I figured he was getting beaten at home, so I paid him extra."
"Do you know where he went after?"
"Yeah—he left with another kid. Older than him. Looked like a street orphan."
Lorien nodded slowly.
So Walter had been taken in by the orphans' gang.
Just then—
Footsteps echoed up the stairs.
"Lorien?" Winnie's voice called.
"Find anything?"
Lorien smirked, slipping the silver ring into his pocket.
"Nothing important."
"Just a trinket."
To Be Continued…