Franz's question brought me back to reality. I nodded thoughtfully. But I have a feeling I'll have more questions, so I took a deep breath. My voice was about to shake, but I managed to keep it in.
"What do you mean by ghost hunting?"
Franz smirked, his hand resting upon my chair.
"You won't ask if ghosts are real or not?"
'Should I just punch him...?' Seeing his smirk, my annoyance was rising every second.
"If spirits and ghouls are real, why can't ghosts be real?" I said with skepticism, then added with a grin.
"Or are you so dumb you couldn't even think of this?"
Franz stared at Asher, his eyes turning bloodshot and his fist shaking with resentment.
"Anyway, let me explain first... Temple is requested by a noble from the house of Clouds to clear their mansion present in the city, since everyone is busy and Lady Morgana is also not present, so in the end the job came into my hands." Franz said his voice was a little shaky.
"So you have no other job to do?" I raised a brow and asked.
"Is that what's important right now?" He asked, his lips twitching and turning into a visible frown.
I smiled and shook my head, my hand dragging another chair from the corner.
Creak—!
"Sit, we have much to talk about."
Franz looked at the chair and then at me in turn.
"So much for work..." He murmured and sat on his seat.
"What do you want to ask about?"
"So, you do know?" I asked with surprise.
Franz sighed and leaned back, his face tired.
"With how much enthusiasm you wanted to see spirits, this much should be expected."
"Fair enough, I have many questions to ask. Let's start with simple ones first. Where is Lady Morgana?" I leaned back in my chair and asked in curiosity.
"She has been summoned by a saint; I don't know which one." Franz answered and turned his head to see Elena still playing with Lyra.
"Saint?"
"They are above high priests in status and only below the Arch Priest, who in turn is head of all temples... Have you ever heard about roundtable?" Franz asked, his eyes shone in excitement as he whispered to me.
Seeing his excitement, I chuckled and shook my head.
"No, I have not. But it sounds important."
"It's a secret organization, consisting of many saints... Lady Morgana is not good at keeping secrets; she sometimes mumbles such things out unknowingly."
"From what I have heard, it's an organization that decides how the world will keep going!"
'Bro, why are you gossiping?' I honestly thought he was enjoying talking like this. Was he of an adventurous heart as well?
I smiled and nodded.
"I am really interested to hear more, but I would like to go back to our main topic... We have gotten sidetracked quite a bit right now."
Franz's eyes softened a little bit, he licked his lips, and his hands moved to rub his nose in embarrassment.
"Oh, yeah, sorry, I sometimes get distracted."
"Hmm, so how about you start telling me a little about this ghost hunting now? And why am I supposed to take part in this?"
Franz nodded and told it with a smile.
"Well, it turned out they wished to renovate the mansion, but the workers at nighttime or even during morning times get thrown out of the mansion abruptly. After many complaints, we were asked to deal with it... And I think it's either a ghost or a spirit doing pranks like Lyra... Ghost is the most possible outcome to me."
I couldn't help but laugh at the thought of the noble family getting scared of a spirit like Lyra, but I kept it to myself.
"So, what does it have to do with me?" I asked.
"You are free, so why not help a good friend?" He said with a grin.
"Haa... I want to say I am not free, but, well, I guess if you pay well, I can help you." I sighed, my gaze fixed on Franz's face, with clear determination to get something out of him.
He frowned hearing my words; with a bit of hesitation, he asked in a small voice.
"...And what's the price?"
I shrugged and leaned forward, my hand resting on the tip of the chair.
"Nothing extraordinary. I have been dying to get any information related to the supernatural these days. I had hoped Lady Morgana would fill in those gaps of knowledge... But since she is not here, I would like you to tell me more about spirits and maybe even ghosts since we are going to deal with them."
Franz's eyes widened a bit. It was clear that he didn't expect my interest to be so genuine, and it had caught him off guard. He leaned in closer, his voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper.
"Alright, but remember, this is sacred information, not to be shared with anyone outside the temple."
I frowned.
"What sacred are you talking about? You are the only spirit user I even know about."
"You are not wrong, but there are rules, you know." Franz leaned back in his chair, his gaze drifting to the ceiling as if he was contemplating something heavy.
"Just say it already."
I pestered him; he was aware that knowledge is very important, and in this world where people live in ignorance, every kind of knowledge can be used as a deadly blade.
Franz sighed, his hand roaming on the chair, tapping it.
"Alright, first let me explain the difference between spirits, ghosts, and ghouls."
I nodded.
"First, let's start with ghosts and ghouls." He raised one finger and pointed at the cup sitting on the shelf.
"Can you see that cup? It could be a ghost in the future. I mean, a ghost needs a medium to exist in, or a lingering attachment to any item to exist; their soul would attach themselves and cling to life in this manner. Destroying such items would generally defeat a ghost; meanwhile, we have ghouls. They are low-rank creatures; at most, they could be a beast, but I have never seen one above it."
"Ghouls and ghosts main difference would be the amount of soul they have left; a ghost has a bigger chunk of soul compared to a ghoul, whose bits and pieces of soul remain in their body."
Franz's explanation was not the best, but it gave me a general idea of what he was trying to get at. I pondered over his explanation for a moment, then a single word echoed in my mind.
"Are you trying to say a vessel and a piece of soul make all the difference?" I asked.
Franz's smile faded; he found himself at a loss on what to say next.
"How did you know?"
"Well, Lady Morgana once talked about vessels, remember?" I said with a raised eyebrow.
"She must have, well, I was going to explain that part for spirits..." He muttered to himself and then nodded.
"In conclusion, a ghost soul is bigger; they need to attach themselves to an object with emotional connection to exist... While ghouls can exist in their own body if they have a piece of their soul left." Franz concluded, his tone unnerving.
I sighed; my mind raced with different possibilities. But I shook my head, denying them.
'Right now I can only get summarized information; to get a proper conclusion, I will need to witness it myself.'
Franz snapped his finger; his eyes shone as if remembering something. "Oh, also, if you ever meet a ghoul, remember a ghoul is never alone; if one exists, it means several of them exist... I think it's due to negative effects of the surroundings or someone's interference, but that's my guess."
I nodded, taking mental notes of everything he said. It was all new to me and quite fascinating, but I couldn't let myself get too carried away. "So, what's the deal with spirits?"
'He really isn't giving up.' Franz thought, he had been trying to avoid dwelling on his own ability. No one likes to tell their guarded secret; this was the reason Franz made sure to only tell surface-level knowledge that can be accumulated after some years of experience.
Asher's inexperience was the only thing he could take advantage of right now, but in the future it might be harmful to give half-hearted explanations. With a sigh, he began to explain the essence of spirits.
"Spirits are of different ranks just like us; they have hierarchy and system. The spirits I use are of low rank, a bit weaker than awakeners; that's a common thing between spirit users. Lyra, meanwhile, is as strong as an awakened," Franz looked back to see Lyra flying around Elena, wind flowing through her wings.
'My origin is burning away, you damn bird!' He cursed inside but kept a smile after seeing Lyra being playful.
"Hey, keep going." I shook his shoulders, seeing his dazed face with a goofy smile.
"Yeah, yeah." He removed my hand and leaned back in his chair.
"Spirits in this world can't interfere directly; they need origin from their contractor to use their powers or accumulate enough origin to use it themselves."
He sighed.
"Does that satisfy your curiosity?"
"So when do we start this ghost hunt?" I asked.
Franz frowned and faced the wall, his hands touching the plates behind him.
"We will do it tonight; I need to recover my energy right now."
Tonight, I might actually get nervous. These thoughts were new, yet a course of excitement ran through me. I stood up, my hands up in the air.
"Let's start soon then." I grinned and stretched my limbs, feeling relief.
*****
The carriage moved frantically at a fast pace, the scenery surrounding us changed at the same time, and the sound of horses pulling the carriage was loud. However, I was facing a problem, a problem that I had not thought about before.
'How am I supposed to fight a ghost?'
This thought haunted me as time passed. I currently have two artifacts at my disposal, the first being the Sword of Repose and the second being the Mask of Panoply.
If the ghosts have the same property of phasing through matter just like Victor, I will be powerless in that case.
I looked at Franz, who was sitting in front of me, his arms spread behind him, his legs crossed, and his neck turned up. He would sometimes mumble out a few words that I truly don't want to hear.
He looked like a crazy person who continuously talks with himself!
"How far is the mansion, and is there something I should be aware of?" I asked, tilting my head to the side of the glass panel.
We were the only ones riding the carriage.
Franz thought for a moment, his eyes turned to look at me, and he opened his mouth and said,. "We will reach our destination soon. It's at the corner of Atlas City, so it will take time... And for something to remember, I would suggest looking out for rats. The cleaners who went there before us requested, If we can chase them away."
I frowned hearing his words.
Rats, rats... the one I met last time almost ate me. I was not having the best time here, it seems.
'But are they crazy? Who tells awakeners to chase the rat away?' I thought, but decided to keep it to myself.
I nodded at him calmly.
"We should focus on rat hunting instead of ghost hunting." I joked.
"Obviously, we will." Franz smirked and replied back.
Then the carriage stopped, leaving me perplexed.
"Sir, we have reached the mansion!" The driver looked at us through the gap behind him, his face a bit pale after hearing our conversation.
I chuckled and stepped out; Franz followed me. The moon was high, casting a silvery light upon the cobblestone path leading to the mansion. The air was cool, and the leaves rustled, creating an eerie soundtrack for our impromptu ghost hunt.
"You can leave for now, stay at any inn you can find near this place, and we will come back in the morning." Franz told him casually, handing the driver a small amount of money for his stay.
"Thank you." The driver took the money and left without any delay.
"He sure is fast." I said out loud.
Franz laughed, his face looking a bit pale with tension rising on the chilly wind.
"I would do the same," he told me.
I couldn't help but agree as I took a good look at the mansion; it was big, very big to be honest. A tree lay not far from our view inside the garden. Its body has turned dry and black with no leaves left over it.
The branches shook with a rattling sound, sending chills down our spines.
Franz gulped and glanced at me.
"You first," I said.
Sorry, but there was no way I was going inside first; this was his idea in the first place. He should take responsibility and act like a leader.
Franz's eyes widened as he heard me; his throat felt dry as he licked his lips. He took a brave step forward and opened the gates to the mansion.