Reincarnated as the Villainess’s Unlucky Bodyguard

Ananara hopped off the coffee table, his spiky leaves trembling with glee. "Well, since hiding isn't an option, why not solve the mystery of the ghost? I mean, who better to deal with haunted rooms than the walking chaos machine herself?"

Liria groaned, leaning back against the chaise. "Why do I have to do it? Enara's room, her problem. Right?"

Ananara tapped his body with a leaf, mockingly deep in thought. "Sure, if you want to ignore the fact that the 'ghost' might have something to do with your little black fire outburst earlier. I'm sure Daena won't care if it's your magic wrecking the castle."

Liria bolted upright. "Fine. Let's go before Enara decides I need another lecture."

[This could be dangerous, Liria,] the system chimed in her mind. [If there really is a magical entity, you're not fully equipped to handle it.]

"Yeah, and what do you suggest? Call ghostbusters? Oh, wait, I am the ghostbuster," Liria shot back mentally.

[This sarcasm won't save you when something rips you in half.]

"Not helpful, system," she grumbled.

Dragging herself off the chaise, she grabbed a half-burnt candle from a nearby sconce. "Let's hunt a ghost."

The door to Enara's room creaked ominously as Liria pushed it open, the faint scent of burnt paper and lavender lingering in the air. Ananara waddled in behind her, fearless as ever.

"Alright, ghostie," Liria said, stepping into the room. "Come out and play, or I'll burn this whole place to the ground!"

[Excellent strategy. Threaten the unknown with fire. That never goes wrong.]Nôv(el)B\\jnn

"Shut up, system," Liria muttered.

The room was eerily quiet. The runes on the walls, faintly glowing earlier, were now dormant, but the heavy, oppressive feeling in the air remained.

"I don't like this," she admitted, gripping the candle tighter.

Ananara, perched on the bed, rolled his nonexistent eyes. "Relax. If something was going to attack us, it would have done so by—"

A loud bang echoed from the corner of the room, cutting him off. Liria jumped, nearly dropping the candle. Continue reading stories on empire

"I hate this. I hate this so much," she muttered, inching closer to the sound.

"Maybe it's just a rat," Ananara offered unhelpfully.

"Yeah, because rats are known for activating ancient magical runes," Liria shot back.

As she approached the corner, the air grew colder, and her breath misted in front of her. A faint, glowing light began to pulse from the floorboards.

"Uh... System?"

[You're on your own. Have fun!]

"Traitor," she hissed.

The glowing intensified, and before she could react, the floorboards splintered apart, and a swirling vortex of black and green energy erupted. Liria stumbled back, shielding her face from the sudden gust of wind.

"What did you do?!" Ananara shouted over the chaos.

"I didn't do anything!"

The vortex suddenly stabilized, and out of it stepped a figure—a tall, skeletal entity wreathed in shadow. Its hollow eyes glowed with an eerie green light as it let out a low, guttural growl.

"Great," Liria muttered. "An actual ghost."

The entity lunged toward her, its claw-like hands outstretched. Liria instinctively raised the candle, which promptly fizzled out.

"Fantastic. Just my luck," she said, ducking to avoid the swipe.

The ghost roared, sending a blast of icy wind toward her. Liria scrambled for cover, her mind racing.

"System! Any ideas?"

[Run?]

"Brilliant. Why didn't I think of that?"

As the ghost charged again, a surge of heat erupted in Liria's chest. Black flames licked at her hands, unbidden, and she thrust them forward in panic. The fire shot out, engulfing the ghost in a swirling inferno.

The ghost shrieked, its form flickering like a dying candle. For a moment, it seemed to vanish, but then the flames surged back, spiraling into Liria's hands.

"What... the hell just happened?" she whispered, staring at her hands.

[Congratulations, you've unlocked a new ability: Spectral Binding.]

"Spectral what?"

[It allows you to absorb and bind ethereal entities. You basically just ate a ghost.]

Liria stared at her hands, then at the now-silent room. "I ate a ghost?"

"That's... unsettling," Ananara said, hopping down from the bed. "But also, kind of impressive."

Before she could respond, Enara burst into the room, her eyes wide. "What in the void happened here?"

Liria gave her a sheepish grin, holding up her still-glowing hands. "Uh... I handled the ghost problem?"

Enara pinched the bridge of her nose. "Of course you did."

Ananara waddled between them, his tone smug. "I told you she'd be fine. Now, can we leave before something else tries to kill us?"

Liria sighed, nodding. "Yeah. Let's get out of here before this room decides it wants round two."

Ananara hopped onto her shoulder with the ease of someone who had absolutely no stake in the chaos. "Next time, maybe we call in an exorcist instead of letting you fumble your way into spectral gastronomy."

"Noted," Liria muttered, her steps quick as they exited the room. She could still feel the strange energy coursing through her warm, like a small sun in her chest, but unsettlingly alive, as if the ghost hadn't fully disappeared.

Enara trailed behind, her arms crossed and her face a mixture of irritation and concern. "So... care to explain what actually happened in there?"

Liria groaned, rubbing her temples. "Do I have to?"

"Yes, you do," Enara snapped, planting herself in front of Liria and blocking her path. "You're glowing, Silverthorn. Glowing. That's not normal, even for you."

"It's not glowing," Liria argued weakly, holding up her hands. A faint black shimmer still clung to her skin, flickering like embers. "It's... uh... a healthy demon aura?"

Enara's midnight eyes narrowed. "Healthy demon aura, my ass. Start talking."

Liria glanced at Ananara for support, but the pineapple familiar shrugged. "Don't look at me. You're the one who decided to barbeque a ghost without reading the instruction manual."

"Okay, fine," Liria said, throwing up her hands. "There was a ghost, it tried to murder me, and then I... sort of... absorbed it? Maybe? ."

Enara's jaw dropped. "You absorbed a ghost?!"

"Not on purpose!" Liria shot back, exasperated. "It just kind of... happened! One minute it was trying to claw my face off, and the next poof! Ghost snack."

Ananara let out a low whistle. "If that's not a sentence to engrave on your tombstone, I don't know what is."

Enara rubbed her temples, much like Daena often did when dealing with Liria. "This is why people think you're cursed, you know that, right?"

"Wow, thanks for the support," Liria deadpanned.

"Look, I'm not saying you're cursed," Enara clarified, though her tone was far from reassuring. "I'm saying you're... peculiar. Like, deeply, profoundly peculiar."

"Gee, thanks, Princess Midnight," Liria muttered.

Enara's lips twitched, threatening a smirk, but she quickly masked it with her usual haughty demeanor. "Let's just get you checked out before you accidentally absorb something worse like a cursed artifact or, I don't know, a dragon soul."

Liria snorted. "What are the odds of that happening?"

"With you? Pretty high," Enara replied dryly, turning on her heel and stalking down the corridor.

Liria followed, muttering under her breath. System, care to chime in with some useful advice for once?

[You're doing great, sweetie.]

"Unbelievable," Liria groaned.

As they reached the common lounge, Daena was waiting for them, her arms crossed and her violet eyes sharp with suspicion.

"Well?" she said, her gaze locking onto Liria.

"Uh... good news and bad news?" Liria offered weakly.

"Start with the bad news," Daena said flatly.

"The ghost's gone, but, um, I may have... absorbed it," Liria admitted, her voice trailing off.

Daena blinked. "You absorbed a ghost?"

"Everyone's really fixated on that part," Liria grumbled.

Daena let out a long, heavy sigh, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Of course you did."

"It wasn't on purpose!" Liria protested.

Ananara chimed in from his perch on her shoulder. "Technically, she's not lying. She's just a walking disaster magnet."

"Helpful," Liria muttered.

Daena stepped closer, her expression softening just enough to hint at concern. "How do you feel? Any lingering effects?"

Liria hesitated, glancing down at her hands. "I don't know. I feel... weird? Like there's something still there, but it's not trying to take over or anything."

Daena studied her for a moment before nodding. "We'll monitor it. If anything feels off anything you tell me immediately. Understood?"

"Got it," Liria said, though her voice wavered slightly.

Daena raised an eyebrow, clearly unconvinced. "I mean it, Liria. If you so much as sneeze and summon a demon army, I want to be the first to know."

"Sure, because that's definitely my life plan," Liria muttered, crossing her arms. "Wake up, eat breakfast, accidentally become overlord of the damned."

Ananara snorted from his perch on her shoulder. "Honestly, that feels like it's only a Tuesday away for you."

Liria shot him a glare. "And you're such a shining example of restraint, Mr. Let's-Try-to-Convince-Everyone-I'm-a-Cursed-Fruit."

"Correction: I am a cursed fruit," Ananara retorted. "The real tragedy is being stuck with you."

Daena held up a hand. "Enough, both of you. Liria, I'm serious. You've been through a lot today, and frankly, I'm surprised you haven't managed to level the castle yet. I need you to focus."

"Focus on what?" Liria threw up her hands. "Not spontaneously combusting? Not turning into a shadow monster? Or maybe not losing my mind the next time the universe decides to slap me around for fun?"

Daena sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Focus on not being such a pain in my ass for five minutes."

"Wow," Liria deadpanned. "Touching words, Grandma. Really motivational."

"You're welcome," Daena replied dryly. "Now get your act together before I personally chain you to a chair."

Liria huffed, but the faintest smirk tugged at her lips. She'd never admit it, but Daena's sharp-tongued lectures were oddly comforting.