Chapter 34: Theresa: Wanna Throw Down?

Theresa sheathed the Oath of Judah and rejoined the group. "It's nothing," she said with a smile. "I just ran into something interesting."

She recounted the incident to Stelle, Dan Heng, and a frightened March 7th.

"Uwaah! That's so scary! I never thought these things actually existed!" March 7th cried, clinging to Stelle, who looked bewildered.

"Such bizarre things really exist..." Dan Heng said, his gaze fixed on Theresa's disappointed expression. "Wait, Theresa, aren't you scared?!" He'd never met such a fearless girl before.

"The best way to face fear is to eliminate it," Theresa replied calmly. "What good does fear do besides make your legs shake and embarrass you? I was thinking, since these specters are plasma entities, could the Oath of Judah—the divine key of the Herrscher of Binding—absorb and convert their energy?"

"Too bad they vanished in a flash," she added with a sigh, her tone laced with disappointment.

The group stared at Theresa in awe, their sweat beading. It was the first time they had witnessed such courage from her.

[Little Cutie, you're the bravest Theresa I've ever seen! All the others would be terrified of these things, but you're completely unfazed. Isn't that hilarious?]

[Scared away the ghosts! Reward: 1,000 Elation Points.]

The Homu System rarely praised Theresa, so her smile widened at the rare compliment.

"Theresa, you scared me so much I can't sleep! How about I sleep with you tonight?" March 7th exclaimed excitedly, rushing into Theresa's guest room.

"Me too!" Stelle chimed in, eager to join the commotion. Theresa glanced shrewdly at Dan Heng, who had been watching them silently.

"..."

Dan Heng wordlessly retreated to his own room and closed the door. With Theresa around, he felt much safer; after all, she was so brave.

"Come on, then."

Theresa was naturally delighted by the prospect of snuggling with the girls. Besides, Stelle was also a girl, and both of them were cute and lovely young girls. What reason did she have to be afraid?

[Little Cutie spouting nonsense! Hehehe~]

The Homu System chimed in with its mischievous commentary, darkening Theresa's expression as she mentally scoffed at it.

Soon, Theresa finished her nightly routine, changed into a white nightgown, and joined March 7th and Stelle, ready to settle in for the night.

Drip... drip...

Suddenly, the familiar eerie sensation returned. March 7th and Stelle cowered under the covers in fear, while Theresa tensed. She had almost forgotten about this bonus encounter!

Theresa shushed March 7th and Stelle, pulling them into the closet. "That thing wants to scare us? We'll turn the tables and scare it instead!"

"Remember what I said? The best way to face fear is to eliminate it! I'll teach you a battle cry. When the time comes, we'll burst out of the closet together and give it the fright of its life!" Theresa exclaimed excitedly.

March 7th and Stelle's eyes lit up at the prospect. The three young girls quickly squeezed into the closet, closing the door behind them. Theresa whispered the battle cry to them. Fortunately, they were all petite, except for Stelle, who was slightly taller.

Knock, knock, knock. Anyone there?

Squish, squish, squish...

Click.

The locked door suddenly swung open as if forced by an unseen power.

"Where are they? Under the bed?" the eerie female voice murmured.

"Hmm, not there," she said with a sigh of disappointment. She began searching the room, her chilling presence trailing into the bathroom.

"Still nothing... Stop hiding, heh heh heh... There's only one place left..."

The sinister voice chuckled darkly as she floated toward the closet.

"Three..." Theresa whispered from inside.

"Two..." March 7th trembled with nervous excitement, ready to pounce.

"One!" Stelle hissed, her voice brimming with anticipation.

"???"

"What's that noise?" the ghost asked, puzzled.

♪Silly-churl, billy-churl, silly-billy hilichurl... Woooh~ x 3

The three girls burst excitedly from the closet, shouting.

"Awoo~"

Startled, the ghost screamed and fled in terror, vanishing into the darkness.

[...]

The Homu System was speechless at their antics.

"Hahaha! Amazing! We actually scared a ghost away!" March 7th exclaimed gleefully, hugging Theresa. Stelle chuckled happily, finding the whole thing hilarious.

Come, come, Little Cutie! You've exceeded all expectations! Awarding you the "Praise of High Morals"! 2,000 Elation Points! Total Elation Points: 7,750 + 1,000 + 2,000 = 10,750

"See? Scaring ghosts counts as The Elation too!"

"I only enjoy teasing others~" Theresa giggled, snuggling into March 7th's embrace. March 7th nodded happily, no longer afraid.

"..."

Next door, Dan Heng listened to the girls' commotion and smiled silently. He was used to it by now. Or rather, thanks to Theresa, he actually had a reason to smile these days. Not that he minded; Theresa's brand of "The Elation" had its limits, and she never made fun of her friends.

Too tired to bother with the girls, Dan Heng closed his eyes and drifted into sleep, though his dreams were far from pleasant.

He found himself in a bizarre scene: Blade crouched beside his bed, carefully lighting candles and scattering red spider lilies over him. Five shadowy figures hovered nearby, three of them whispering the same phrase over and over in his ear, endlessly repeating it.

"!!!"

Dan Heng jolted awake, clutching his head in terror.

"Was I a broken record in my past life?" he muttered irritably. He drank a glass of water and listened for sounds from the adjacent room. The young girls seemed to be asleep, their usual commotion absent, bringing him a measure of relief.

He abandoned any thought of returning to sleep. The nightmare Blade had conjured had shaken him too much. He resolved to rest with his eyes closed, keeping watch to guard against Cocolia's potential betrayal.

Meanwhile, Theresa and the other girls were sound asleep, huddled together in their guest room. Outside their window, long, shadowy hands flickered in the darkness, hesitant to enter. Theresa's earlier antics had made them wary of the consequences.

Six hours later, dawn broke.

In the Silvermane Guard Restricted Zone, Gepard received new orders: Cocolia commanded him to lead the Silvermane Guards in apprehending the Nameless. Naturally, Gepard refused. Theresa's prediction had come true—Cocolia had indeed betrayed them!

Gepard, Belobog's ultimate iron-willed captain, lived up to his reputation. Burning with anger and a belly full of questions, he led the Silvermane Guards to Qlipoth Fort, determined to confront Cocolia.

Upon arriving, he stationed his guards outside the fort and encountered Bronya, who had arrived separately.

"Commander Bronya, did you also receive orders from the Supreme Guardian?" Gepard asked, his voice stern.

"Yes, Captain Gepard," Bronya replied, her eyes wide with disbelief. "Mother claims the Nameless are plotting a rebellion. I can hardly believe it."

"I received the same directive," Gepard muttered, his anger laced with concern. "The Silvermane Guards have been monitoring the Nameless all afternoon. Aside from chatting with Pela at the Everwinter Monument, they only visited my sister Serval at her Neverwinter Workshop. What does this 'rebellion' even mean? Does it implicate my own sister?"

Gepard's voice trembled with worry, his deepest fear now spoken aloud.