I Became A Ghost In A Horror Game-Chapter 47: Hypnosis? There’s no way I’m going to fall for something like that
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“You came all the way here in person, Ella. I was truly surprised. As you can see outside, you’re extremely busy, so meeting you is usually difficult.”
“Outside...”
Outside the stage, there were clear signs of an intense battle.
It appears that something had been fighting continuously until we arrived—and that opponent was likely nothing less than a half-demon.
I can’t help but wonder what the battle between Piero and the demon was like. Honestly, there’s nothing more entertaining than watching two powerful beings clash.
“Thank you for coming such a long way. I hope none of you were injured. With that number of people, it must have been difficult to handle the spiders.”
“Huh? Spiders?”
He seems to be referring to the spider monsters. Didn’t you fight against demons?
“You didn’t fight demons?”
“Well, in a manner of speaking, we did. We fought against Arachne’s spider army.”
Spider Lady was attacked by the demon.
But the fact that she was assaulted implies she was being controlled, without a doubt.
Since ordinary monsters wouldn’t work against Piero—the strongest among us—it seems they opted to borrow the power of Spider Lady, who is, in a sense, the next strongest.
“You’re stronger than Spider Lady. Why don’t you just smash them all?”
Piero laughed as if to say, “What a reckless idea.”
“Hahaha! If you simply rely on brute force and charge in, you’ll be caught off guard by the combined assault of the demon and Arachne, won’t you? Can’t you see this arm that got taken by surprise?”
Piero showed his eroded arm.
The erosion had advanced quite a bit since last time.
Doesn’t it look pretty dangerous? Are you sure it’s really alright?
“[Controlled] There’s no need to look at it that way. It takes several days for the erosion to complete.”
“So if it finishes quickly, it’s okay?”
“Correct!... And speaking of strength, Arachne isn’t to be taken lightly either. It’s grown a bit since before—you’ll see for yourself.”
Without turning around, Piero led us inside.
Perhaps he feared that if he saw the children, he’d get the urge to tear them apart.
As we entered through an entrance that radiated light, we were greeted by various amusement rides and a large circus tent at the center.
It was quite a spacious area.
“Oh, what’s that?”
A monkey carrying a weapon, riding one of the attractions, caught our eyes.
It was one of those creatures we’d seen during the boss battles in the game—one of Piero’s minions.
[Ukkik Kkik!!]
The monkey charged at a speed that would make it nearly impossible for an ordinary person to keep up with its gaze.
Just as it hoisted its weapon above its head, Piero blocked it with a single finger.
Clang—!
“Enough. Mr. Monkey, these aren’t our enemies. After endless battles, you must be tired—please, take a break.”
[Wookik.]
“You mean the smell of spiders? Hmmm. Understood. For now, please return.”
Piero paused for a moment, seemingly considering a possibility, then asked us:
“I didn’t catch your answer just now, but with that number of people, it must have been hard to contend with all those spiders—did everyone come out unscathed?”
“No, not at all. We didn’t even see a single spider—or even spider webs.”
That’s right. We saw no spiders.
What kind of trickery could that be?
Perhaps they were hiding somewhere, preparing something.
“...You mean even the spider corpses outside?”
“...? I didn’t see any.”
Piero nodded at my response and pulled several hat-shaped badges from his bosom.
“Understood. Let’s leave that aside for now. It seems you’ll need something special.”
“What’s this?”
“This is a token we give you so that if our members attack you like earlier, there won’t be any trouble. Please, do not drop it.”
As soon as we put on the badges, the team members who had been lurking in ambush promptly returned to their posts.
It wasn’t a lie, it seems. I’d honestly worried they might explode.
“Ella, judging by the fact that you’ve led everyone here, it can’t be that you just came for fun. You must have a purpose. What is it?”
Oh, I do welcome getting to the point.
“It’s nice that you’re getting straight to the point. You know we’re out here installing relics, right?”
“Of course. It was so obvious that I thought there might be some hidden contingency plan. What do you intend to do if you get interrupted?”
“We have to install them quickly—there’s no other way. Even though the relics are sturdy, I can’t say they’re indestructible. Still, as you mentioned, if we finish quickly, it should be fine.”
Piero scratched his head for a moment, as if acknowledging there was no argument to be had if he spoke otherwise, and then continued:
“The location where we will install the relic this time is here. I’d like to have your permission.”
“...”
I waited nervously for Piero’s response. What if he’s the type who dislikes someone else’s hand meddling in his circus tent?
If he refuses, that would be extremely problematic—right now, he’s scarier than the demon, after all.
But Piero readily granted permission.
“Do as you please.”
Hurrah!
“However, there is one condition.”
“What is it?”
“Once the relic is installed, you won’t be able to use the amusement rides imbued with strange power. Please, enjoy them at least once. That’s all.”
“That shouldn’t be too difficult.”
I then asked the children to enjoy the rides.
The adults were assigned to keep an eye on the kids to ensure they wouldn’t get hurt.
Even though the rides were horrifying, all the safety measures were in place, so they could experience the thrill without endangering their lives.
I was relieved to see that they seemed to be having a good time.
“Why are you sitting alone?”
I was sitting alone in the Ferris wheel, watching over the children.
Piero looked at me as if puzzled—when did I get here?
“You don’t need to know.”
“Ahem~ I see.”
Damn. I responded so curtly.
At this rate, it was as if he were advertising that he has a deep, hidden backstory.
I decided to change the subject and asked Piero:
“Was it that you wanted to see the children enjoying the rides?”
“Yes. That’s right. It isn’t bad at all. I even feel a sense of nostalgia.”
A sense of nostalgia, huh.
Perhaps, like Mary, he vaguely feels a longing for something he desires.
If every boss has a wish, then maybe this guy does too.
Damn it, just ask him.
“What’s your wish?”
Piero tilted his head, appearing to ponder.
“A wish, you say? If you mean a fake wish, I can answer that—but if you’re asking about my true wish, then I cannot answer.”
Mary’s fake wish was to make a phone call and, if it was to someone she sought, to stab them to death.
Her true wish was simply to see her mother again.
It seems that Piero’s wish, too, has become distorted; whatever its content, it’s bound to be violent and cruel.
“Why?”
“Because I don’t know either! The moment I knew it would have been my last.”
Well, Mary was the same way. Ella said as much too.
“But surely there must be at least a vague desire?”
In response to my question, Piero hesitated—as if unsure whether he should reveal it.
I couldn’t understand why he felt the need to hide it. Isn’t a wish something you hope will come true?
After much deliberation, Piero finally spoke...
“...I'm searching for the director.”
A strange term indeed.
“If it’s the director you mean—”
“Ella, what do you think this world resembles to you?”
Suddenly, he launched into a philosophical discussion.
This world resembling something... Well, since we’re in a horror game... there must be a similar word...
I rummaged through my meager vocabulary and offered:
“Umm... a source of amusement (a game)?”
At that, Piero’s voice rose by a tone.
“Ah! How intriguing. I think similarly. I see this place as a stage.”
“A stage director, then...”
“Not every stage is inherently entertaining. But there is one behind the scenes—a director who can flip the script and deliver amusement. I am searching for that person.”
“That’s rather out of the blue. Why would you seek someone like that? Does such a person even exist?”
“Is it so strange that someone who pursues fun would seek them? And whether they exist or not is beside the point—the important thing is that I am looking for them.”
Indeed, if one understood his reasons, one might grasp his wish completely.
“...Let me ask another thing: does finding this director have anything to do with helping us?”
“No, not directly. But saving the children puts the demon at a disadvantage. Besides, I am not entirely pleased with the current situation.”
“The monsters have all been twisted by Arachne into spider creatures, haven’t they?
Each monster is a puzzle unto itself—a unique strategy exists for each, and even if there’s no way to defeat them, the escape methods are all different.
To homogenize them all would be terribly boring.”
So, does he view monsters merely as sources of amusement?
Well, captivating monsters do make a game memorable.
I’ve enjoyed playing this game precisely because of them, so I can somewhat agree.
Piero, who despises a dull stage—
He’d even go as far as to quiz the protagonists who, in the game, can’t be physically harmed,
forcing them to take damage if they answer incorrectly.
“They are puzzles, and also a kind of joke. They deserve to be treated as such.”
“This is all so complicated. In the end, I still have no idea what your wish is.”
“Heh, is that so? The more secrets one has, the more alluring one becomes.”
I couldn’t glean much from his words.
Then a good idea struck me. Just as I had done with Mary, why not use the legend of the mirror?
The old tale that one’s destined counterpart appears in a mirror.
I casually generated a mirror and reflected Piero in it.
There, I saw a young woman with brown hair, laughing and playing with many children...
Clang!
“Not yet. It’s not time yet.”
In an instant, Piero shattered the mirror.
The fact that he knows such a technique...
“See? I was watching all along.”
He must have witnessed everything during his fight with Mary.
I glared at Piero and pressed him further.
“...Why don’t you help when you fight Mary? Didn’t you say saving the children was important? We nearly all died because of that!”
Piero’s eyes rolled slowly as he answered, his voice low—as if he, too, felt the sting.
“...Sometimes, I just want to be an audience to an exciting performance.”
“Do you really think that makes sense?!”
“Ahahaha. Next time, I promise I’ll help. Don’t worry. In the midst of crisis, the situation unfolds so entertainingly that I didn’t feel the urge to step in and ruin it. After all, if I intervened, Mary would have been finished in an instant.”
“...Next time, you absolutely must help.”
“Very well. I understand! I’ll help!”
Oh, mighty boss—could you be a little more proactive in your assistance?
I, suspicious of Piero, tried to press further.
“Now, why don’t you come down and join the fun?”
“...”
Then he closed off the conversation again.
“Oh, by the way—you’ve been standing there all alone. Is something the matter?”
“...”
Ah, enough. I didn’t want to answer, so I turned my head away, covering my ears.
“Really, really...”
Snap.
Piero snapped his fingers, and something shifted in my mind.
“Eh?”
“Surely, there is something on your mind, isn’t there~?”
I felt like a fool.
My mind had become so simple that the line between what should and shouldn’t be said had blurred.
On a more fundamental level, it seemed my brain retained only the barest essential information, loosely clinging to its form.
“Yesss~ there is—just like a fool, I’m here alone, wracked with worry about unsettling possibilities~”
“Oh? And what might those be?”
“That—well, you’re forcing me to say it, you rascal!!”
I landed a kick on Piero’s face.
It was so powerful that it sounded as if it tore through the air, yet it left no wound—only my foot ached.
“Oops. You’re quick to come to your senses.”
“What do you think you’re doing?!”
“Because you’re not being honest. I was only teasing. Didn’t you try to see something of me in the mirror?”
“Are you seriously launching a psychic attack because of ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ that?!”
“Come now, just speak up. It might help. I’m not forcing you—though I am considering breaking the relic apart.”
That’s exactly forcing, isn’t it?
“Just... there’s something going on. It’s hard to explain.”
Why am I opening up to this guy?
I was struck by an irritating thought.
“Didn’t you sense that you might soon be separated from the children?”
“?!”
Piero probed sharply.
“...How?”
Piero offered no answer. I couldn’t tell how much he knew and how much he didn’t.
He’s an enigma, indeed.
And his words were right—I was tormented by the possibility that I might have to part ways with the children.
This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.
“What happens to me when I see the ending? My initial hypothesis was as follows:
I defeat the demon with the relic, see the ending, and return to my original world.
I defeat the demon with the relic, shatter this world, and go to the outside world where the children live.
In scenario 2, I’m with the children. In scenario 1, I’m alone.
I suspected that hypothesis 2 was the correct one. Because if it were 1, there’d be complications.
I realized something quite recently... I wasn’t possessed by this game.
What does possession mean? Isn’t it when one’s soul enters a character from a work of fiction?
But when I first arrived here, I entered in my own body.
Then our bodies were swapped, and within five seconds, my original body died.
...When I think about it, it really makes me angry.
Anyway, since my body is dead, I concluded that returning is impossible.
Of course, that’s not guaranteed, but for now I always kept hypothesis 2 in mind.
However, when I saw a key item drop from Mary—after her wish was granted—I began to see a new possibility.
Hypothesis 3: Fulfill ‘all’ the bosses’ wishes and collect all the key items. Then, use them to trigger a new ending.
Perhaps, if the true wish is fulfilled, then like Mary, the boss (including myself) might attain enlightenment.
Could I ignore the gimmick the developer put in? Is it even possible to ignore it in the first place?
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If collecting the key items is an inevitable requirement, then I’d have to part ways with the children to save them.
“Of course, this is all just a possibility.”
“...Do you really think so?”
I couldn’t bring myself to answer. That uncertainty continued to weigh on my mind.
“Do you intend to keep this indecisive attitude?”
“What do you expect me to do?”
“Prepare yourself.”
“What for?”
“Farewells. You must make it known—perhaps inadvertently—that being with the children might soon lead to a parting. That way, no one gets hurt.”
“But isn’t that too abrupt?”
“Isn’t it better than disappearing without so much as a goodbye? And if we don’t part, that’s fine too.”
“...”
“Ella, do not turn our farewell into a mere tragedy. Even if it is sorrowful, make it heartrending; even if it ends, let it be fulfilling. If you love the children, then that is only natural.”
“...Alright.”
I never expected to receive advice from Piero. It’s quite different from the brutality he displayed during the boss battle.
“Hohoho. Now, off you go. Since farewells always come so suddenly, cherish the time you have together.”
Ella descended from the Ferris wheel and headed toward the children. Piero waved at her as she left, and then, as if filled with regret, he muttered to himself:
“...Ella. That ominous premonition will likely come true. So please—show them adventure. Even if you are not there, be the presence that helps the children overcome sorrow and fear and move forward.”
“Then, let’s join hands and exit behind the stage together. And watch over them, together.”
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I ended up having so much fun in that bizarre world that I almost forgot I was still in it.
Ella, apparently having never ridden any amusement rides before, stuttered as I explained everything to her.
For some reason, she slipped into a state of self-reproach, muttering something like, “Isn’t it strange for someone my age to have no experience?” but I let it pass since I couldn’t understand her fully.
Ella sometimes says odd things.
I watched as she led the way, and her back looked so lonesome that I gave her a back hug from behind.
In that moment, she mistook me for Eun-jung and tickled me as a playful penalty.
Watching Ella roll on the ground, trying to stifle her laughter from the tickles, I thought I should really rein myself in.
“Ta-da, Ha-rim! I got you a souvenir!”
Eun-jung thrust a little keepsake into my hands.
“Oh, it’s a Piero doll.”
A small Piero doll—a prize for winning the Whack-a-Mole game.
Ella dusted herself off, stood up, and said,
“It’s Piero’s auto-attack doll. It’s quite powerful in its own way.”
“Oooh...”
The boys reacted. They love battle dolls—those little guys always seem to captivate them.
It was amusing to see the boys desperately trying to coax Eun-jung.
Even Ella was smiling... she really is pretty.
“...?”
But soon her expression returned to one of blankness.
Worried something was amiss, I approached Ella and asked,
“Ella, is something wrong?”
“...There’s one relic left. Everything’s going well, but... I have a feeling we’re going to part ways.”
“Who do you mean we’ll part from?”
“From you all... and from me.”
“Why would you say that? There’s no way we’re going to part. If we ever leave this place, why don’t we all go live together at my house!”
“...”
Ella said nothing.
I became inexplicably anxious. It seemed as if the back of Ella was about to leave.
Just when I felt I had to grab her before it was too late, I reached out—
“Where are you going~?”
Before I could react further, the Piero doll dashed back into the school.
The kids ran around looking for it, but the doll was nowhere to be seen.
“Kids, stick together—just in case.”
“I can’t see it.”
Maybe it’s in a classroom on the third floor. We all went in to check.
...Was this classroom always this dark?
“...” Something felt off.
I glanced at Ella with uneasy eyes. A cold, ominous aura permeated the air.
Ella noticed my gaze and seemed to realize something was amiss.
“Piero’s doll is treated as a monster. If that’s the case, the bell should be ringing...!”
Thunk.
Something fell from the ceiling—a Piero doll, entangled in spider webs.
We all stared at the doll, but Ella’s eyes were fixed elsewhere. Out the window?
Ella pushed aside the dense aura that filled the classroom with her own energy. Then, something appeared outside the window.
There, outside, was something enormous.
After a moment, Ella’s face turned ashen as she cried out,
“Everyone, do not look at it!!!!”
I recalled what Ella had said earlier:
Ella: “It’s a ghost tree. Sometimes, monsters will dazzle your eyes with illusions so that they seem to vanish. Normally, you’d only see the tree when you’re right in front of it, but thanks to my aura dispelling the mirage, you can see it from afar.”
Ella dashed toward me.
It was too late.
