After the performance ended, the people who were in charge of the next act stepped forward in front of the fountain.

I thought they were going to play the piano as well, but this time, they brought out costumes and props, indicating that they were performing artists.

It appeared to be a professional performance group, as many people began preparing diligently. If the boy who had been playing the piano alone were to be compared with these people, he now looked relatively shabby.

Once the piano performance ended, all the yokai dispersed. The boy hurriedly wiped his sweat, grabbed his sheet music1, and left the stage with his back hunched.

He hastily took his leave without even waiting to receive a short applause due to the swift stage change.

I followed the boy as he left, wondering if he was going home, but instead, he headed to a sculpture in a nearby park.

The boy sat in front of a sculpture where an artist had drawn piano keys on a rock and started to play again.

[Hes working so hard.]

"...."

Although it was just a simple drawing of a piano and no sound could be heard, the boy continued to press down on the keys that were drawn with his fingers.

He was a pianist, but his hands had some blisters and were bleeding.

From the stains on the drawn keys, it seemed like he had practiced while bleeding several times.

Just like the Dark Spiritualist said, he was really hard working.

But was it okay for him, a pianist, to treat his fingers like that?

As the Dark Spiritualist's expression darkened, she drew closer to him with eyes full of concern.

[Excuse me, don't push yourself too hard.]

Perhaps she was glad to have come across another person who could see her.

This was the first time the Dark Spiritualist had initiated a conversation with someone else.

"...."

However, the boy just continued tapping on the drawn keys, showing no reaction.

[You'll hurt your fingers like that.]

Once again, the Dark Spiritualist spoke with concern, but the boy still didnt respond.

[Hmm?]

At this point, the Dark Spiritualist started to feel strange. Just to be sure, she waved her hand in front of the boy's eyes.

The boy continued to act as if he didnt see anything.

[H-he really can't see me?]

The Dark Spiritualist was bewildered.

I furrowed my eyebrows slightly, feeling weird as I walked towards the boy.

It was clear to me that he was able to see the yokai surrounding him during his piano performance at the fountain.

But was it possible that he could no longer see them now?

Was his ability perhaps limited to yokai? Or were there other reasons?

I arrived next to the boy.

"....!"

The boy, surprised to see me, tried to escape in a hurry, but I reached out and caught him by his wrist.

"L-Let go of me! I still don't have any money to give you!"

The boy twisted his body, trying to forcibly escape from my grasp, but I sighed and replied.

"I do not know who you have mistaken me for, but I am not here to collect money from you."

"....Huh?"

After confirming my appearance, the boy opened his eyes wide and calmed down.

"I-I see. I'm sorry."

The boy bowed his head and apologized politely. Despite his outward appearance, he seemed to be quite refined from his small suit, but I wondered how a pianist like him could be in debt.

"I followed you because of your impressive performance."

"Oh, thank you."

Despite receiving praise, the expression of the boy didn't brighten much. He seemed to be unsatisfied with his own performance.

I didn't intend to waste time, so I got straight to the point.

"So, why do the yokai gather when you perform?"

"H-How did you know?!"

The boy looked up at me in surprise. I looked down at him nonchalantly.

"I am the Soul Whisperer, Deus Verdi, the only Dark Mage recognized by the Royal Family."

"Aaaah! It turns out you're the one who's been the talk of the town!"

Thanks to the commotion that had spread from Graypond and had now reached this city, it became much easier to explain things.

"If you wish, I can make those yokai disappear."

"N-no, dont do that!"

The surprised boy shook his hand in refusal in an exaggerated manner. He was really afraid of the yokai, but when I said that I could make them disappear, he refused.

My curiosity regarding the boy began to grow.

"Give me an explanation about what is going on with you."

As I pushed him further, the boy stared at me foolishly, at a loss for words.

However, since he was already aware that I held a high rank, he knew it was no use trying to escape.

"Well, first of all, my name is Owen Valtany. I used to live with my grandfather... but he passed away."

"Hmm."

"Actually, my grandfather was also a pianist. But... he was a bit of a unique pianist. No one really believed it, though..."

Owen glanced at me briefly.

He clenched his fists tightly and continued as if he had made up his mind.

"Since you also have seen those yokai, I will tell you the truth. Actually, my grandfather was a musician who relieved the resentment of the yokai in the city."

"...Relieved their resentment?"

[Huh?]

I wondered what this was all about.

But rather than feeling puzzled, both the Dark Spiritualist and I were intrigued.

"Yes, that's correct. When they listened to my grandfather play the piano, the yokai naturally felt at ease and disappeared."

"......"

"But the problem arose after my grandfather passed away. I tried to relieve the resentment of the yokai somehow, but..."

"Does it not work in the same way?"

"That's right!"

As a result, the city was now overrun by yokai. Souls that were terrified by them approached people and caused harm.

Now, the cause and effect had been neatly established.

This was the very reason behind the sudden appearance of ghosts in a well-operated inn like Leon.

It was quite an interesting situation, but wouldnt trying to annihilate them be the best option if things had reached this point?

"You will forcibly kill them, right, Soul Whisperer?"

"Yes, even though those yokai are pitiful, they have caused harm to the living."

While I might have concerned myself with human souls, I had no intention of paying attention to beings that were akin to spiritual entities that arose from thoughts or beliefs.It would have been a different story if they were human souls.

Even though this may seem to be quite cold-hearted to me, they just fell under the category of man-made objects.

The only difference was they had volition. To put it in modern terms, they were akin to robots with self-consciousness, and I didn't consider them as humans.

"But I don't want that! I-I want to put them at ease and send them off through my performance."

Judging by how they gathered around the piano, it seemed that the yokai also shared the same desire.

However, Owen's skills seemed to be insufficient to make them disappear.

"But because of those yokai, the deceased are frightened and have started causing harm to the living. That is why I came to this city."

"Ah..."

The boy sighed, expressing his bewilderment, saying he wasnt aware of that.

While thinking that the timing seemed right, I decided to ask him about the observation that had been bothering me since earlier.

"You can see the yokai, right?"

"Yes... I can see them all."

"But can you not see the dead?"

"......"

Could he only see yokai but not the souls of the deceased?

I wondered if that was really possible. However, the boy gave an unexpected answer.

"I-I can see them. I can see the dead people, too."

Yet, he was unable to see the Dark Spiritualist. The Dark Spiritualist tried moving about in front of the boy again, but he still showed no reaction.

The boy fidgeted for a few moments before continuing with the rest of his explanation after he could no longer withstand my gaze, which was mixed with criticism.

"But... I can only see them while playing the piano. Normally, I can't see the yokai or the dead people."

"Hmm?"

[Wow, that's incredibly strange.]

Indeed, it was truly a peculiar situation.

I suggested he try to play the piano again so I could observe how it happened. However

"S-street performers can only perform at the time that is allotted to them. I'll have to wait until lunchtime tomorrow to play again."

So, the people had to wait in line for their turn to perform on stage?

"Then, are you going to perform in front of the fountain tomorrow as well?"

"No. I'll be performing at 13:00 on the rooftop of Furcheni tomorrow, one of the city's tourist spots."

"Hmm."

He was definitely an unusual boy.

Usually, he couldn't see any spiritual entities, but it was only while playing the piano that he was able to.

Perhaps it wasn't just something that was unique to the boy; maybe his grandfather also had the same special power.

It was intriguing that they could resolve the resentment of the yokai and that the yokai would disappear on their own.

"Alright, I will come to that place tomorrow."

That was why I decided to keep an eye on the boy a little longer.

* * *

The next day.

Since it was possible to have meals at the dining hall on the first floor of the inn, we had a simple meal there.

As the innkeepers cooking skills were quite excellent, our meal was very satisfying.

Illuania, who had been driving the carriage all day and had followed Findenai to the Church, left to get some rest.

The Dark Spiritualist decided to follow Owen around just in case any unexpected situation arose.

Therefore, it ended up being just Findenai and me who went out to the streets.

What surprised me was that Findenai wasn't wearing the nun's habit or her usual maid uniform; instead, she wore ordinary clothes.

After tying her hair in a ponytail, her simple attire of a white shirt and black trousers seemed fairly casual.

Seeing her like this made me feel a bit awkward, causing my expression to stiffen.

"Where did that come from?"

"I didn't think I could continue wearing a nun's habit, so I bought this on the way here."

Findenai placed her hands on her waist. As I observed her in this outfit, she no longer resembled the leader of a resistance group or a maid trying to screw over her master; instead, she exuded the aura of mysterious beauty.

"Why... Should I put on my maid's uniform? Do you suddenly want to see it again since Ive not worn it for a while?"

"That is enough. Just come with me."

"You never say anything nice to me."

Findenai murmured grumpily as she glanced around. Then, with flexibility reminiscent of a snake, she slithered her arm and intertwined it with mine.

I felt a surge of strong repulsion that sent shivers down my entire body, prompting me to withdraw my arm immediately. However, her grip had already gotten a firm hold of me.

"What are you doing?"

As I tried to forcibly pull away, Findenai responded with a strangely sentimental look in her eyes.

"I was just curious about what it would feel like to walk around like this."

"......"

"Other people have experienced things like this at least once, but I've never done something like this before. So, I was just curious, that's all."

Findenai quickly let go of my arm, then alternately clenched and unclenched the arm that had just been intertwined with mine, wearing a peculiar expression.

"It was such a strange sensation."

"......"

"Oh, I just wanted to try it out. You were playing so hard to get. Honestly, it was a bit ridiculous. I just wondered what was so great about sticking so close to someone and biting, sucking, and kissing them.

"Phew."

I just remembered that she was someone who had to survive by fleeing and fighting for her freedom. Therefore, I began to feel awkward for reacting so coldly towards her.

"Though I would never do such a thing"

Thus, I uttered something uncharacteristic of myself.

"I will not go as far as to criticize you for thinking that way while merely walking."

"Hm?"

Findenai, surprised by my unexpected response, laughed playfully with her mouth agape.

"Then, can I also call you Deus?"

"Stop messing around."

In spite of the involuntary look of disgust forming on my face, Findenai responded nonchalantly, as if she had a plate of steel covering her expression.

"Hm, or should I call you Honey to make it work then?"

"Huff."

I couldnt stand this any longer.

"I need to go to the restroom for a while."

I felt nauseous and needed to throw up a bit.