Dorothy’s Forbidden Grimoire

Why would a ghost appear in this property, which was specifically arranged for Anna and originally belonged to Viscount Field?

Dorothy pondered this question, considering whether the ghost had always been in this house or if it had come from somewhere else.

Analyzing the situation carefully, Dorothy felt that the likelihood of the ghost originally inhabiting the house was quite low. She had just discussed the house’s details with the lawyers earlier. The properties on Knight Street were prime real estate, and several of them, including No. 26, belonged to Viscount Field. When they were first built, the viscount purchased several of the best-located ones, renting most of them out and quickly recouping his investment. It was a highly successful venture.

The area was well-maintained, with no history of hauntings, murders, or anything of the sort. The land had never been a burial ground either, which made it highly attractive to tenants. It was hard to imagine a ghost simply existing in a place like this.

If the ghost had come from outside, then why had it specifically drifted here? Moreover, its behavior—floating around and observing everything—was that typical ghostly behavior? Or was there another reason behind it?

"This kind of scanning behavior… it feels like reconnaissance."

Dorothy reached this conclusion instinctively. Having frequently used small corpse marionettes for infiltration and reconnaissance herself, she naturally considered this possibility.

"If there are Beyonders linked to Silence or possessing powers related to it, then they could potentially control ghosts. That would allow them to use ghosts for reconnaissance, just like how I use corpse marionettes.”

"If that's the case, then this is a serious problem… It would mean a Beyonder is actively scouting this house!"

The thought sent a chill through Dorothy. She didn't know why a Beyonder would suddenly take interest in this place, but if her suspicions were correct, the situation was becoming urgent.

As she continued covertly observing the ghost drifting through the room, Dorothy debated whether she should warn the Hunters present. However, she couldn't think of a way to do so without exposing her own special abilities.

Finally, as if it had completed its survey of the house, the ghost phased through the wall and floated outside, confirming Dorothy’s suspicion that it had come from elsewhere.

Watching it leave, Dorothy considered using a small corpse marionette to track it, but then she realized something—her appraisal skill's spiritual vision only worked on herself. Since this skill was unique to her, she couldn’t apply it to her marionettes. That meant the marionettes wouldn’t be able to perceive the ghost, making it impossible to follow.

"Looks like, for once, I’ve lost the upper hand in reconnaissance and intelligence gathering…"

As the ghost disappeared through the walls, Dorothy thought to herself, making a mental note to pay closer attention to the area moving forward.

…

Leaving No. 26, the ghost continued floating around Knight Street, scouting the surrounding houses and observing the passing carriages. Once it had gathered enough information, it quickly glided back the way it came. Before long, it reached the end of Knight Street, returning to Goffrey, who stood there with his hands behind his back, waiting.

The gaunt, skeletal-looking ghost leaned toward Goffrey’s ear, whispering something in an almost imperceptible, fine-meshed voice. Goffrey listened, then nodded thoughtfully.

"Hmph… So that little brat really is suspicious. There are black dogs guarding her… Interesting…" Goffrey muttered to himself.

The "black dogs" he referred to were, of course, the Hunters—black-uniformed watchdogs of the authorities.

The ghost had spotted concealed standard-issue weapons on the plainclothes hunters, confirming their identity.

"If the black dogs are protecting her, that means the girl has some kind of secret and might have a powerful backer. But that doesn't necessarily mean her backer is our target. After all, I didn't detect any signs of Stone related spiritual traces… Those black dogs might simply be guarding her because they discovered something unusual about her."

Goffrey continued pondering the situation. While he was certain that Anna was abnormal in some way, he couldn't determine the exact nature of that anomaly—whether or not she was truly the target they were searching for.

"Looks like I’ll have to probe a little tonight and see if I can draw anything out…"

As he spoke, Goffrey glanced toward another house on Knight Street. While his ghost had been investigating No. 26, it had also conducted a brief survey of the surrounding properties, and something particularly interesting had been discovered inside No. 38.

"After all… when a chess piece presents itself, it would be a waste not to use it."

Goffrey said this with a slight smile as he looked toward the windows of No. 38.

…

Inside House No. 38 on Knight Street, several men sat around a wide table in the spacious second-floor living room. Through the windows, they pointed and gestured toward No. 26, engaged in a heated discussion.

All of these men were dressed in relatively well-tailored clothes and wore hats. Among them, one man had a short, stout frame, a bloated belly, and a face full of flabby flesh—this was Harold, a distant cousin of Gary Field.

At that moment, the men around Harold were arguing fiercely, faces flushed with anger as they bickered nonstop, refusing to back down.

"So, once everything is settled, all the properties on Knight Street should belong to me."

"Bullshit! What right do you have to claim Knight Street? If we’re talking blood relations, I’m closer to Field than you are!"

"Hah… Blood relations? If we’re going by that, none of you can compare to me…"

The men at the table continued shouting at each other. Annoyed by the endless bickering, Harold coughed and knocked on the table to get their attention, then spoke loudly.

"Alright, gentlemen, enough arguing. Let's put aside the matter of dividing up the inheritance for now. First, we need to complete our current task. As long as that little brat is still alive, all this talk is meaningless!"

After speaking, Harold glanced through the window at No. 26, then turned back to the men sitting around him.

"The plan is set for tonight. Everyone, gather the mercenaries you've hired. We’ll take care of that brat in one go. Once that’s done, we can settle the inheritance however we want—whether over dinner or in court, it doesn't matter. Any objections?"

The men exchanged glances in silence before answering in unison.

"None."

…

At dusk, the golden light of the setting sun bathed Knight Street. The visit to No. 26 had lasted all afternoon and was finally coming to an end. At the front door, Anna stood, waving goodbye to her visitors one by one.

"Goodbye, Miss Mayschoss! Come visit again next time!"

"Of course. Goodbye, Anna."

Dorothy smiled warmly as she bid farewell to her student before setting off on her way home. Watching from another building, Gregor let out a sigh of relief.

"Whew… Finally, she’s heading back. I really envy her. She gets to go home, while I still have to stand guard here all night. Damn…" Gregor grumbled, shrugging helplessly.

Meanwhile, as Dorothy walked down the sunlit street, she glanced back at Knight Street and murmured to herself in a soft voice.

"Looks like I'll be working a little overtime tonight as well."