The Phantom Temptress

"Ignorance!" The Old Charlatan Bovin snorted derisively at the statement. In the Battle God World, ghosts genuinely existed, but that was merely the term used by ignorant villagers oblivious to the ways of the world. To a Battle God, a 'ghost' was known as an anti-plant life element, or simply, The Undead!

The Xino Dwarf Sem strode into the foyer first, pounding his chest. "Could The Undead have occupied my brother's ancient castle!? Very well then, I, Sem, Prince of the Xino Dwarves, swear to eradicate these damned Undead! Oh, no, The Undead are already dead. I should say, to purify them!"

Annie clung to Du Chen's side. Though a Three-Star Fighter herself, girls naturally harbored a fear of the grotesque Undead. Instinctively, she sought Du Chen's protection. Du Chen, with a slight frown, subtly shifted closer to Porter, attempting to evade Annie. To his surprise, Porter, the strapping young man, seemed equally unnerved and leaned into Du Chen, causing them to bump together.

Having declared the "haunting," the servant gazed ominously at his new master. Du Chen offered a faint smile. "Female ghosts, you say? Heh heh, if there truly are female ghosts, perhaps we could catch a couple to keep as pets. What do you say, Beibei?"

"Catch ghosts! Catch female ghosts! So much fun! Beibei wants to play!" The little one clapped his hands, utterly fearless. What kind of child was this?!

"Since the master decrees it so, please, you and your guests, come in!" The mummy-like servant ushered Du Chen into the grand hall. "However, this ancient castle has been uninhabited for a very long time, with only myself here. Please, Master, feel free to look around, and I shall prepare your rooms and dinner!"

Jamis suddenly stopped, pulling the Old Charlatan aside with a chuckle. "Francis, you all go explore inside for now. The Old Charlatan and I are going out to sketch this ancient castle. Heh heh, a haunted ancient castle—what a subject for art!"

With that, he and the Old Charlatan exited the ancient castle together, setting up easels on the beach. Bovin settled lazily beside them, pulling a flask of strong liquor from his burlap sack and taking a long swig. He smacked his lips. "Old Gambler, I recall the academy's field trip handbook stipulating that we were to disembark at Antwerp Port. How did you end up bringing these youngsters to Newin Port?" He flashed a yellow-toothed grin. "Be careful the students don't report you for violating school rules!"

"Heh heh! That's why I tossed the field trip handbook into the sea! They won't know I secretly altered the itinerary and route—at least not until we return to school!" Jamis sketched with lightning speed, a cruel smirk on his lips. "Now, Francis's journey is entirely at my discretion. Isn't that far more entertaining?"

"Heh! Indeed, it promises to be quite interesting!" The Old Charlatan laughed joyfully, his large yellow teeth appearing somewhat… unscrupulous in the dim night.

"Tell me, Old Gambler, does this mean you intentionally brought the students to this ancient castle?"

"Wrong!" The Old Gambler waved his paintbrush at Bovin. "I intentionally brought Francis to this ancient castle. I want to see if our little brother can give me another surprise!"

"What's so captivating about this ancient castle that it's piqued your interest?"

Jamis proudly swayed his head, his emerald green ponytail swinging rather provocatively in the sea breeze. "Let's just enjoy the show! I guarantee, this ancient castle is truly fascinating! Oh, Battle God be praised! What a coincidence that this ancient castle should, through twists of fate, fall into Francis's hands… Tsk, tsk, has the Goddess of Fate begun to spin her wheel?"

"Goddess of Fate? And her damn wheel? Bah! What melodramatic nonsense are you spouting now!"

The two old fellows exchanged jibes on the beach, both appearing thoroughly amused.

Meanwhile, Du Chen, having entered the ancient castle, furrowed his brow. The moment he stepped inside, he sensed something amiss, a feeling that originated from the Portraits adorning the great hall's walls!

Green light, dark, gloomy walls, and sharp, angular wooden windows—all contributed to the ancient castle hall's somber and austere appearance. Yet, amidst this oppressive atmosphere, every single Portrait depicted beautiful women, entirely out of place with the ancient castle's style!

The women in the Portraits were all in the prime of their youth, possessing exquisite beauty. Strangely, though clad in voluminous noble maiden gowns and adorned with lavish jewelry, they lacked the delicate, demure softness of typical noble girls, instead exuding a vibrant, heroic spirit.

Sem glanced at the Portraits of beautiful women on the wall, grumbling as he ascended the staircase at the far end of the hall. "I hate women who are taller than me!"

Jason, meanwhile, lecherously scrutinized the Portraits. None of them noticed anything unusual. Yet, Du Chen couldn't shake the feeling that the women in the paintings were alive, their gazes fixed upon him!

Suddenly, a chill wind wafted from behind Du Chen, sending a shiver down his spine!

"Who's there!?" Du Chen whipped around, only to see a single Portrait on the wall behind him—the red-haired beauty within it smiling mischievously.

"Francis, what's wrong? There's no one else here!" Annie asked, puzzled. Her lovely face, illuminated by the eerie green light, now seemed faintly sinister.

"Probably just a sea breeze!" Du Chen glanced at the tightly closed doors and windows, motioning for Annie and the others to explore the ancient castle as they pleased. Then, clutching Beibei, he huddled with Deboning. "Any discoveries?"

Deboning shook his head. "I sense no aura of The Undead! But… this ancient castle is peculiar!"

Du Chen then turned his gaze to little Beibei, who shook his head with wide, innocent eyes. But at that moment, the Shieb Harry suddenly whispered, trembling, "Ma-Master, Harry smells… a scent of blood! Many people must have died here, no, many living beings!"

Du Chen rubbed his nose, nodding slightly.

"Hey, my dear Brother Francis! Come quickly, I've found something interesting!" Sem called loudly to Du Chen from the end of the staircase. "I've discovered that every room in this ancient castle contains a beautiful Portrait of a human maiden!"

Du Chen swiftly ascended the staircase. As the view shifted, he saw that the end of the stairs led to a dark, gloomy corridor, devoid of any lights. Only the bright flame burning atop the head of Sem, the Battle Mage, illuminated the way.

"A Portrait of a beautiful woman in every room? Heh heh, it seems the previous owner of this ancient castle had some rather 'particular' tastes!" Du Chen chuckled.

As they chattered and laughed, suddenly, a "creak!"

A small door in the corridor creaked open slowly, as if by itself, without a gust of wind. The Shieb Harry felt his fur stand on end and collapsed to the ground. But he let out a sigh of relief when he saw a figure emerge from within.

It was a young girl dressed as a maid, her face beautiful, her smile radiant. "Are you our new master?" she asked, smiling.

"Yes, I am Francis, Lord Lanning…" The moment Du Chen spoke, he suddenly remembered something!

The earlier butler had stated that this ancient castle had been uninhabited for a long time, and he was the only living soul within!

So who was this maid before him!?

"Ah!" Harry instantly scrambled behind Deboning. The Xino Dwarf Sem immediately cried out, "You're one of The Undead! The Undead that must be purified!"

The maid did not reply. Instead, she merely smiled. In the dim, black corridor, an enigmatic maid smiled, her grin eerily unsettling.

Du Chen also smiled. A ghost? Or one of The Undead? Apparently, these were the very things he should fear the least! With this thought, Du Chen leaned over and patted Sem on the shoulder. "Hey, Brother Sem, why don't you head downstairs first!"

"What!?" Sem, who had already drawn his sacred artifact, exploded in rage at the suggestion, stomping his foot. "Francis, are you asking me to abandon a brother and flee for my life!? No, absolutely not! No matter how powerful the adversary, we Xino Dwarves will never abandon a brother and run!"

"A good brother! Truly loyal!" Du Chen stood up. Just then, Deboning had already appeared behind the spectral maid, gently grasping her neck.

"What level Battle God are you!?" The maid gasped in alarm, and with a "poof," she dissolved into a wisp of smoke, vanishing.

Deboning paused, then chuckled. "Interesting! Young Master, this is no ordinary Undead! An ordinary Undead could never escape my grasp!"

"Mm, Papa, that big sister was really strong!" Little Beibei also nodded in Du Chen's arms, then cast a helpless glance at the terrified Harry who lay sprawled on the floor. He sighed, speaking like a miniature adult, "Useless coward! You're an embarrassment to Beibei!"

Sem stared blankly at Deboning, inwardly startled. When had he moved? Sem hadn't heard a single sound, so incredibly powerful! "Captain Brook, your strength astonishes me! To think Brother Francis possesses such a formidable attendant!" Sem exclaimed.

Deboning smiled proudly, reciting the pre-arranged lie from Du Chen. "The Saint Sigurd Cain family has stood for a thousand years for a reason. My skills aren't even considered particularly strong among the family's secret Battle Gods!"

"Oh, so you're a secret Battle God of the Saint Sigurd Cain family! Perhaps you hail from the great Sigurd Holy Flame Knights? Heh heh, I shouldn't pry!" Sem quickly accepted the plausible lie and didn't press further—it was normal for every ancient family to possess a few secrets!

Having confirmed the ancient castle was indeed a ghost castle, Du Chen felt no particular unease. With the Precious Lotus Scripture and Deboning by his side, The Undead were little more than cockroaches in his eyes.

Nevertheless, Du Chen wasn't comfortable letting his classmates wander the ancient castle unsupervised. He returned to the grand hall, loudly gathering them. Fortunately, none of them had yet encountered any alluring female ghosts.

Just then, the ancient castle's butler emerged from a side hall. "Esteemed master and honored guests, dinner is served!"

But after hearing Du Chen's account of the recent events, who among the students was in the mood for dinner? Jason fumed, "Damn it, what in the world is going on with this ancient castle? Why are there strange Undead here?"

"Who knows?" The butler shrugged. "I am merely a servant. Such matters should be directed to its former owner!"

"Who was the previous owner of this ancient castle? Rogliff?"

"Oh, no, though Rogliff won this ancient castle, he never actually came here… I'm speaking of another owner…"