Episode 11. Meriel Stella

The Ah-yeong I knew was not very interested in ghost stories. However, when she was in middle school, she said that she was obsessed with stories that stimulated her imagination while being shady.

‘If I had read fantasy novels back then, I could have written better things now, but that’s a pity. When I was in middle school, I always looked for things that had an unpleasant aftertaste.’

‘… Why did it have to be so shady and disgusting?’

‘Because I was in middle school.’

In the middle school diary that Ah-yeong showed me, there were various words that were difficult to recognize.

‘SCP? Neapolitan? What is Creepypasta? Eating?’

‘These are ghost stories. Would you like to take a look at what I drew here on Monday? You know this?’

‘Oh I know him. It’s an enderman right?’

‘… Slenderman.’

anyway… . Meriel Stella appears in the episode that reflects her dark history, the Ghost Story Club.

1 year from now.

Shortly after the main character, who won the top spot in the first grade, became a sophomore, an oddball named ‘Raffle Ryuzma’ visits her.

Ryuzuma, a third-year student, was already famous as an occult maniac, even in the agoge dormitory. To match his reputation, he served as the chairman of an unofficial small group called the Ghost Story Club.

The episode begins as he tells the main character that the students from the ghost story club keep going missing.

‘I came because I heard he was a chief from a commoner’s family. I need your strength.’

There are three students who were victimized, but no one is looking for them.

The unreliable story that the school just thinks that they have left the school without permission, and is not even searching for them.

It was because Ryuzuma’s expression was quite lively to treat it as nonsense. The protagonist stays up all night and eventually secretly visits the central library where the student is said to have disappeared.

Having only heard that ghosts come out when you light candles, she casually lights the lamp in front of bookcase number 781 and engages in a battle with Meriel’s thoughts.

After a short but intense battle with Meriel, the protagonist removes her thoughts and hurriedly visits Ryuzma before the goosebumps on her body subside.

However, she could not meet him forever, and the story was that the main character left behind investigates the events of the ghost story club on behalf of Ryuzuma, who has disappeared, and finds out the truth.

* * *

“You want to look like an aristocrat?”

“yes.”

“It would be more plausible for a pig to fly.”

“… .”

“Maybe that looks better too?”

“Ah-oh. Really this… .”

She is the second daughter of the Stella family, which once had power right under the emperor. Even after her death, Meriel, the Jibakryeong who has been educated in the library for 150 years.

After she is cleansed of her thoughts by the main character, the students who visit the library in the middle of the night, sometimes driven by ghost stories, have to take ‘rigorous liberal arts classes’ until dawn… . It was an idea that came to mind from memories of seeing the later story.

‘By the way, was a strict liberal arts class like this?’

The main body, Meriel, who got rid of his thoughts, was actually a sadist middle school girl who was abusive?

how do i know this I haven’t been able to properly appear once since I’ve purified my thoughts.

“Are you scolded then? I can’t use it when a child says something like that.”

“Are you stupid? How do you punish a ghost? Are you going to hit me?”

“driving me crazy.”

“really? Would you like to read this?”

Meriel took out a book and handed it to me.

‘Correlation between Aging and Brain Disease – Medical Measures and Theological Response’

“… you.”

“why? Would you like to read another book?”

“Just curse.”

Except for the nasty way of speaking, she was a pretty girl like a doll.

The finely combed black hair and the hair tie with white jewels were a combination reminiscent of the night sky.

A high school uniform that fits perfectly, white stockings and shoes as black as hair. And even the wooden-colored square school bag went well with the atmosphere as if it had been made by finely stroking the ice.

It is said that her grades were very high for her beauty, so she must have received all kinds of love and prettiness from her parents before she was alive.

‘Perhaps his personality was twisted like that because he asked me too much.’

Anyway, seeing that he no longer did anything to harm me, it was clear that the dangerous thought itself had been removed. I thought it wasn’t purified yet.

“Ouch, don’t stare at me with strange eyes. Are you a pervert?”

“Hmm.”

“Are you mad? That’s why you look at Lady so inconsiderately… . yes?”

“why. I’m going to go away.”

“Where. You want me to teach you aristocratic culture?”

“You don’t teach me.”

“… .”

“Actually, it wasn’t what I was looking for. I just asked for a liberal arts class, and anyway, you won’t be killing people here, so there’s no need to hide around pitifully. Have fun playing pranks on the kids who come to play from time to time.”

“ah… .”

For the ghosts, thoughts are another personality of theirs.

Some vicious spirits are completely assimilated with evil thoughts, and they actively and indiscriminately vent their anger or sadness, such as deliberately attracting people to death or seeking revenge on those who made them this way.

However, seeing that the Earthly Spirit, Meriel, did not reveal herself even in bookcase 781, it seems that she did not want her thoughts to harm anyone.

She has uncontrollable thoughts, so if someone shines a candle on her or an exorcist visits her, she wouldn’t be able to move on her own.

In other words, since such a powerful thought has disappeared, there is only one single high school girl left here. His mouth is rough, but not evil enough to kill people.

‘There won’t be any casualties here from now on.’

It’s true that he came to learn what it means to be nobility, but when he tries to talk to him, only harsh words come back, and he doesn’t seem to have any intention of giving him a liberal arts class.

I can only be satisfied with the fact that I saved a few people, I think I did a good job.

I want to give up so cleanly.

“for a moment.”

“why. miss.”

“That. go… .”

“Oh yes go. Be well. Whenever I feel so happy that I have to take care of myself, I will come over once in a while.”

“do not go. Mister. Idiot?”

“uh?”

“It stinks, so don’t come too close.”

“… Come on?”

“Just stay with me tonight… .”

oh really

* * *

Meriel and I sat side by side on bookshelf number 781.

The red carpeted hallway floor was warm even on a winter night. Elma silently became our light.

“Mister. Then, can I meet people freely now?”

“Not uncle. I won’t answer until you call me brother.”

“Do you have a conscience?”

“… yes. You can meet at will. Don’t hide from the front, live confidently. It would be nice to be the mascot of this library. Books will be boring, so spend some time talking about life with people. nice.”

How terrifying would be a life spent alone reading books for 150 years.

Even such a life has no end. A ghost cannot decide its own end. So, the spirits of the earth must remain in place forever.

Still, since I’ve removed my thoughts, I’ll be able to live like the guardian spirit of that place.

In the end, it won’t change that you can’t get out of your seat and can only be active at night.

“Still, it was really cool that you deliberately stayed transparent because you didn’t want to get caught up in your thoughts and hurt people.”

If the usual girl would show up and go around… .

There would be no one who would not bring a lantern to a dark place like this, so when people saw someone’s shape, they would stick the lantern they brought in to confirm their identity.

Her thoughts lit by the lantern are beyond her control. In other words, if she appears or approaches people first, there is a high probability that the opponent will be caught up in her thoughts… .

So, even though Meriel was lonely, she endured it and lived alone in a transparent state.

“Awesome.”

“right? Isn’t that great? Is it something you can never do with the mental strength to go home in a rage just because you were criticized by a girl like Mr.

“therefore. If it were the real me, I would have talked to anyone passing by even if I felt like I was going crazy, whether people died or not. How can you spend 150 years without saying a word? Nice, really.”

“… .”

“why. Isn’t this?”

“done. Fool. monkey.”

“He’s a kid I really don’t know.”

“An old hairless monkey.”

“Eh… .”

So the conversation stopped for a while.

It’s dark, and I don’t even know what time it is because I don’t even have a clock. Are you staying up all night like this today?

‘What if I’m tired tomorrow? It’s daunting.’

Come to think of it, I didn’t even ask Rien about tomorrow’s schedule.

‘Didn’t I say that because it was the freshman selection period, all the professors were so busy that they couldn’t even take 10 seconds?’

Then you won’t have time to pay attention to me… . I hope you’ll be a little more relaxed tomorrow.

Meriel cut off the random thoughts that had been going on.

“That’s all.”

“why.”

“In the first place, few people come here at night. Whether I’m transparent or not, I’ve always been alone. There are so many people during the day, but I can’t do anything at that time. Because you are a ghost.”

“So even if thoughts disappear, it won’t be much different from usual.”

“yes.”

“Hmm… . Shall I spread some rumors later? The spirit of the most beautiful girl in school is standing on the bookshelf number 781.”

“Then will people come?”

“Will it come? At least the guards here seem to stop by at least once, even if they are bored.”

“right.”

Still won’t be satisfied

Now I understand why the students who met the enlightened Meriel end up taking liberal arts classes all night long.

In a dreary and empty library in the middle of the night, people were so precious to her that she wanted to see them until just before daylight.

Maybe that’s why he was holding on to him not to go, even though he felt sorry for the monkey. I had no idea there would be such a meaning in a short story.

“If you’re going, go. I think I’m going to choke on the smell of you now.”

“It’s already too late, wait a little longer.”

“done. go. Instead, come tomorrow.”

“… then. Are liberal arts classes starting tomorrow?”

“I can’t help it. Okay, so disappear right in front of my eyes. I will prepare for class now.”

Meriel took ‘Raising a Monkey’ from her large book bag and began to read.

Now is the time to react to that and take a step without regret. It wasn’t easy.

Still, there is nothing I can do, but I can’t help it.

‘I have to come a little earlier tomorrow.’

“Elma, let’s go.”

“yes.”

“uh… ? for a moment. Yes, you were a goddess, right?”

“… The blasphemy of the two of you as a pair is staggering. really. Is this my school? If you keep doing this, I really can’t let you go!?”

Meriel, who was sitting down with her face buried in a large book, looked up at me.

“Hey. Did you just have a good idea?”

* * *

“Like you, ghosts who are tied to one place because of their thoughts must be promoted to guardian spirits to get out of there. To become a guardian spirit, you literally have to protect someone.”

“… yes.”

“Precisely, you have to work for someone for a certain period of time. When the goddess acknowledges that the darkness in your heart has been blurred to some extent while doing good deeds without harming people, then you become a free spirit.”

There is no heaven or hell in this world.

When you die, that’s it.

However, some souls who have spent their lives meaningfully are not left alone by Elma.

To pay homage to those who have lived unswayed by evil, anchoring order in the waves of chaos.

We call the beings endowed with eternal freedom given by Elma ‘Guardian Spirits’.

If the ministry was faithfully fulfilled through contracts with priests or those close to the light of the goddess, even the ghosts could become guardian spirits and roam the world freely.

The guardian spirits can only interfere with reality to a limited extent, but instead they can go anywhere they want and can be active during the day.

I was able to communicate indirectly with people in the real world, and I was also able to contain and exterminate ghosts of very poor quality.

Most importantly, guardian spirits are given the right to annihilate at will.

To put it simply, we can’t let you live forever in heaven, but instead let you enjoy it as long as you want it in this world.

“The problem is that the contract itself is made up of an oath with the goddess, so only those who have the faith and favor of the goddess can work vengeful spirits.”

“Me, teacher?”

“see? Look at me and the goddess. How friendly are you?”

“… Isn’t it the first time we’ve seen each other today?”

“Do you know how many people in this world are capable of free talking with a goddess like this? really. Not even 10 people.”

“Why do you let the story go on like that! How high is the standard for guardian spirits? I’m wondering if it’s okay for a great man to come out in his name.”

“Hey, didn’t you decide to help me settle down as much as possible? Since we decided to break the non-interference principle, please help us just this once. Let’s admit that he has been trying hard not to touch people for 150 years.”

If a high-ranking priest other than me had met Meriel, he could have worked with her and promoted her to a guardian spirit.

‘The problem is that those high priests are very rare, and most of them are already ministering with one ghost at a time.’

Commands are limited to one per person. So, to be honest, the chances of Meriel being saved by them were very low.

That’s why, asking me to attach Meriel as a ghost is actually not such a burdensome request to Elma. I didn’t ask for a vicious spirit to be attached as a guardian spirit, but I asked for a child who could be attached to it.

“ha… . I can’t help it. The true dignity of a goddess is all dead. Black.”

I said to Meriel, whose eyes were round.

“What do you think. Would you like to try?”

“you… . You, then you have to stick with me 24 hours a day?”

“Know. During my ministry, you will only be seen by my eyes, and you will continue to hover around me.”

“Are you doing that even though you know that? You don’t know that you can’t break that contract, right?”

“Oh, I’m a little sleepy now. decide quickly Do it or not.”

“… There’s no way you want to be with me.”

“That is decided by me. Decide quickly. One, two, three-”

Meriel, a ghost girl who was alone for 150 years, whose pride for herself and her family skyrocketed.

“Can I really go with you? You see, I suffer from loneliness a lot. I am a tired woman.”

“I can’t use it when a child says something like that.”

“Are you okay? Are you going to bully me? Are you going to keep teasing me until you become someone worth watching?”

“Then it will make me like an aristocrat more quickly. maybe… .”

Even if being with me isn’t fun, it won’t be a loss for Meriel as she will be free as long as she endures the ministry period.

Meriel laughed properly for the first time in front of me.

“Really, pervert.”

* * *

“This is what happened, I will do my best to rejuvenate you. Starting tomorrow, I will train you more intensely than the monkey circus.”

“recovery? Hey, to put it mildly, if you lived over 150 years, wouldn’t you be a grandmother?”

Let’s go out the front door of the school together while tickling.

“… That’s right, weren’t the snowflakes this pretty?”

“yes. Enjoy it. I will take a walk at night for the first time in 150 years.”

It’s snowing.

The snow that didn’t come when I went to the library started to fall on the way back to the dormitory.

So, with Elma on my left and Meriel on my right, I went back to the faculty dormitory.

20 minutes on foot. It was a little less when we went, but it was very cold when we came back.

“Poor. look cold You weren’t like that when you were young, right?”

“Even when I was young, I got cold a lot. men and horses.”

“Teacher, are you trying to curse at the ghost because my twitches weren’t enough? Since this was chosen by the teacher, you must take responsibility and endure it?”

“Leave it… . Because I think I know roughly what kind of personality it is. I’m a teacher and I can’t even understand the feelings of the kids, so I’ll use it.”

There were scarlet gas lanterns to light the way, so it didn’t feel so dark when I walked from the dormitory to school.

Feels like a real walk.

This is also a campus, and the scenery from the flower garden to the buildings was quite tasteful. The picture was perfect when it came to the snow… .

The breath is thick like a cloud.

“Mister. Are you very cold?”

“no.”

“Let’s go in. Don’t die bluffing like that.”

“I won’t die.”

“Then you die?”

At that time, I saw a girl with mint-colored hair approaching with a gun from a distance, shivering from the cold.

As if she recognized me too, she stood tall in her place as if she was startled.

“… it’s a good night. Professor Ian.”

“Where are you going at dawn like this?”

“Oh, I was in the library and now I am on my way back to my dorm.”

“How long will it take from here?”

“10 minutes… A little bit.”

“is it.”

I could see it shivering from a distance, but it looks very cold when I look closer.

Even in this weather, I was holding a lot of books with my bare hands, but my fingers were red.

It’s snowing too.

“Excuse me.”