Clang!
The hoe striking the stone pavement sent a sharp ring surging through Leci's ears, leaving them buzzing. Thank heavens she managed to dodge in time. Across from her, Amanda burst into laughter — delighted, almost euphoric — at the sight of Leci being attacked by the Female Ghost.
Leci clicked her tongue in annoyance. Ever since she met Kieron, her life felt like it had become one relentless trial after another. He's the one that girl wants to get close to — not Leci. So why was she the one suffering all these misfortunes?
And more importantly… what was going on in Amanda's head? Just for a man, she willingly teamed up with a creature like this. Did she even understand the consequences of what she had done?
"Good. Make that bitch suffer. Finish her!" Amanda cackled, her voice thick with glee. She even pulled out her phone to record everything. "Come on, give us a good show, Leciara Maclean."
Wow… this is absolutely ridiculous, Leci thought. She was already doing her best to hold herself back. If she snapped for real, whose fault would it be then?
Shuuung… syuut… drag…
For a few moments, Leci could do nothing but evade every strike from the Female Ghost. Meanwhile, her mind raced, searching for a way to defeat this Stray Ghost without wasting time.
Truth be told, Leci hated dealing with someone's pet ghost. They were unpredictable, erratic — pure chaos condensed into a spirit. Their attacks never followed a pattern. All they cared about was fulfilling their master's order: destroy the target before them.
The only reason Leci hadn't fought back properly was because Amanda was still recording. Leci didn't want anyone discovering that she could use Exorcist spells. Especially not Amanda. The fact that this girl could recall Leci's existence without being affected by the Ancient Guardian Spell was already troubling enough — and frighteningly telling.
Could it be… because Amanda made a pact with this Stray Ghost, she became immune to the psychological effects of the Ancient Guardian Spell? It was the only explanation that made sense.
Leci pulled the hairpin from her hair and used it to block the downward swing of the Female Ghost's hoe. Fortunately, her hairpin wasn't made from ordinary metal. It was crafted from a rare alloy — hard as crystal, nearly indestructible.
Clang!
The screech of metal against metal rang out sharply. From a safe distance, Amanda giggled, delight shimmering in her eyes as she watched Leci fend off the ghost. For some inexplicable reason, her laughter grated Leci's nerves far more than the ghost's repeated attacks.
So Leci deliberately leapt backward — then sprinted straight toward Amanda.
As expected, the Female Ghost immediately followed, raising her hoe high as she lunged at them.
Amanda, who had been laughing just seconds earlier, froze. Her face drained of color as Leci approached with the vengeful ghost right behind her. In the blink of an eye, Leci's figure seemed to distort — warping, flickering — before disappearing entirely, leaving only empty air before the hoe descended in full force.
Drag… knock. CLANG!
Amanda held her breath in horror as the blade narrowly sliced a strand of her hair, then crashed into the phone she dropped — shattering it on the spot.
Behind her, Leci let out a silent sigh of relief while gripping Amanda's blazer collar. Good — the timing worked perfectly. Just as Leci suspected, the Female Ghost didn't care that her master was in danger. All it cared about… was killing Leci.
Amanda clearly hadn't expected to be used as Leci's shield today.
Thankfully, Leci knew a few her family techniques that didn't require chanting beforehand. Seeing Amanda's terrified expression, Leci couldn't help but smile. Too bad her fight wasn't over yet — she couldn't savor this moment just yet.
When the Female Ghost rose again for another assault, Leci quickly scribbled a spell onto a note sheet she had prepared, rolled it onto her hairpin, and waited.
As the hoe came swinging down, Leci repeated her trick — distorting, disappearing, reappearing right behind the Female Ghost—
Wham!
Her enchanted hairpin stabbed cleanly into the spirit's neck, the spell igniting on contact. The ghost froze instantly, turning rigid as stone.
This technique — the Judge's Restraining Spell — was meant to bind hostile spirits using a sharp object as the medium. The more vicious the soul, the stronger the effect.
But it only worked if Leci struck the ghost's vital soul point. Every ghost had a different one. And earlier — amid dodging countless swings — Leci had already noticed it.
This female ghost must have died by hanging. That was why her vital point rested at the neck.
Hah. Looks like my instincts really are improving, Leci thought proudly. Now nothing stood between her and settling things with Amanda.
She approached the trembling girl, who still stood frozen in shock. If Leci guessed correctly, this was probably Amanda's first time facing genuine danger. Even though Kieron had absorbed Amanda's soul multiple times during his surveillance, he had always done it subtly — never enough for her to notice.
Leci, however… had no need to be subtle.
Leci shook her head slowly, almost pityingly. For someone whose mental endurance was this fragile, how could Amanda even think of harming another person? Kieron's charm must have blinded her completely.
"Hey, Amanda Hayes," Leci called out, her voice cold and steady.
Amanda sat frozen on the ground, swallowed by shock. "Y-you! H-how did you do that?!" she stammered, terror etched across her face. Even the heavy makeup couldn't hide how pale she'd become.
Leci pretended not to understand. "Do what, exactly?" she asked calmly.
Because Amanda was sitting and Leci was standing, the girl with the twin braids naturally ended up looking down at her. And honestly… maybe Leci was looking down on her.
"Stop pretending!" Amanda snapped. "You — you're the one who froze that ghost! And you moved so fast — too fast! You teleported!"
Teleported, huh?
In truth, Leci hadn't moved at all. She'd simply distorted Amanda's and the ghost's perception — an illusion so quick that her figure had seemed to blur, warp, then vanish. But from the start, she had always been safely out of reach.
Leci flicked her hand dismissively. "That's not important," she said with a shrug. She bent down slightly, her gaze sharpening.
"What matters is this — do you even understand the consequences of making a pact with a ghost?"
Cold sweat instantly broke across Amanda's forehead and neck. She instinctively held her breath as Leci leaned closer.
"C-consequences? B-but I already gave her the offering she wanted! A black chicken!" she squeaked.
Leci sighed — deeply, disappointed. For someone who looked like a spoiled, well-educated rich girl… Amanda was unbelievably foolish.
"A chicken? So you really don't know what she took from you." Leci narrowed her eyes. "In other words… you were used."
The setting sun dipped behind them, and its fading light cast long shadows across Leci's tilted smile — shaping her face into something far more terrifying.
What on earth had Amanda been thinking when she decided Leci was her enemy? Anyone who saw Leci now would instantly realize that something was… off about her. Leciara Maclean was not someone to provoke lightly.
Amanda must have lost her mind.
"W-what do you mean? U-used how?" Amanda whispered, inching backward.
Leci almost laughed when she saw Amanda's expression. She casually grabbed Amanda's collar and pulled her closer.
"Making a pact with a demon costs you twenty-five years of your lifespan," she whispered into her ear. "And each time you order her to do something… you lose even more. Until eventually…"
Knock.
Leci tapped her finger against Amanda's forehead — like a gun snapping shut.
"…she takes the rest. And finishes you."
Amanda Hayes — the star idol of Red Maple High School — looked utterly destroyed. The light in her dark-brown eyes faded, leaving behind nothing but emptiness.
For a moment, silence stretched between them.
Leci released Amanda's collar and stepped back, watching as tears finally spilled down the girl's cheeks.
Well… technically, Leci had lied about the exact lifespan details. She only wanted to scare the girl.
But she did know the truth about demonic contracts: They always start by asking for small sacrifices — animals, trinkets, memories. But as time passed, they grew greedy. Eventually, they demanded human life. And if their requests weren't fulfilled, the contractor's life would be the price.
Consider this Leci saving Amanda's life… in her own way.
"H-hicks… s-so… I'm going to die?" Amanda sobbed between hiccups.
Leci looked at her blankly — not because she lacked empathy, but because she was used to this. "Everyone dies," she answered flatly.
Amanda cried even harder.
Leci scratched the back of her head awkwardly. Why cry over something that was literally inevitable? Now she looked like the villain here.
"Leciara Maclean."
Oh no. That voice.
Leci stiffened as she turned around and saw Norris, hands on his hips, face twisted in righteous fury.
She swallowed hard.
Why — why — did Norris the Perpetual Misunderstander have to show up now?
There stood the Stray Ghost frozen solid by her spell. There was Amanda, crying on the ground. And there was Leci, standing over her looking suspicious as hell.
The evidence had assembled itself perfectly.
"Leciara Maclean," Norris thundered, "is this how you use your spiritual power? To bully other people?!"
Ugh. Of course he misunderstood.