Chương 62: Chapter XVII Verse I — The Confession of a Charcoal Burner

But before anything could happen, Galan returned to reality, realizing that he was back at the central plaza. He crossed it to reach the Peacekeepers' Station, a two-story wooden building that smelled of old paper, ink, and polished steel. Inside, officers played a board game at a low table. Behind the main counter, a middle-aged man with a neat topknot hairstyle was sharpening a short sword.

"Can I help you?" he asked, not looking up until the final stroke was done.

"Nice iron," Galan said.

"Ghosts got you on edge?"

"It's for protection. No one can predict who'll get taken next."

"Fair enough. Though I'd still trust the solid walls and bars more, like the guys here."

"Right… so do you need anything?" Galan leaned on the counter.

"I'm Odagawa. Here on behalf of the angels regarding the 'Vengeful Spirit' case." The officer sighed.

"Are you investigating by yourself?"

"Yeah. Just need to interview the ones who miraculously grew a conscience here." The officer scrutinized him.

"Ah, the one the archangels sent. I'm Squad Leader, Itoo Haruto." He unlocked a cabinet and pulled out a thick ledger.

"We have six in custody."

"Take me to the most talkative one."

"Of course, Sir Odagawa." He led Galan into the back. The air grew colder, smelling of unwashed bodies. They passed cells filled with broken men. Galan's mindcast brushed against them. He saw a young man whose desperate theft had led to an old watchman's death, ruining his life and that of his fiancée, all in order to provide a substantial betrothal gift to her family. How tragic… a zero percent interest loan would have fixed the need for committing the crime, Galan thought grimly.

Guess investing in people isn't on the agenda. Next, he saw a brutish man plotting to murder a witness. Hard to believe they have to deal with people like this on top of the ghosts, Galan thought. This whole thing would've been solved faster if he had just gotten the death penalty on the spot.

In the next cell, he saw two men trapped in restless, haunted sleep, screaming silently as they relived the deaths of the victims they had helped wrong—a gravedigger who hid a body, and a pawnbroker who sold a family heirloom. So the ghosts target accomplices too, Galan noted. Better than dying or getting tortured, I guess. They stopped at the last cell. Inside sat a man in worn work clothes, head in his hands.

"This is Kobayashi Kenji," Haruto said.

"A charcoal burner. No prior record. Turned himself in three nights ago because he's terrified the ghosts are coming for him next."

"Doesn't seem very talkative."

"It's actually quite difficult to shut him up after you get him to talk. Just… be careful. He's fragile." Galan nodded. Haruto unlocked the door, and Galan stepped inside, sitting on the bed opposite the prisoner.

"What do you want?" Kenji asked, his voice dead.

"I'm here to investigate the ghosts. I need you to tell me what happened."

"My case has nothing to do with them." If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

"Your proactive imprisonment suggests otherwise."

"I'd rather die," he said, staring at the floor. Galan sighed. Guess we'll take it easy.

"If you tell me what you did, we can start your atonement. You're young, Kenji. You have a life ahead of you." Kenji looked up, suspicion warring with hope.

"Why are you saying that? I confessed. Isn't my life over?"

"I believe people deserve another chance." Haruto watched from outside, hand on his hilt. He talks like a monk taking a confession, he thought. But maybe that's just his method.

"Fine," Kenji whispered.

"It won't change the past, but… I'll tell you."

"Good. Start from the beginning." Kenji took a shuddering breath, still staring at the dusty floor.

"It started with the merchant. A big charcoal order for the festival. More money than my friend Taro and I had ever seen. Enough to save his sick wife."

"Lucrative," Galan noted.

"Where did it go wrong?"

"We couldn't fill it with deadwood. So we… we cut from the sacred slopes on Yatate Mountain. The place the elders always warned was unstable."

"Desperate enough to defile sacred ground? Impressive." Kenji winced.

"We were reckless. Greedy. We worked too fast. And then… a log slipped." He swallowed hard.

"It started a slide. Rocks, soil, timber… it all came crashing down onto the path below. We heard… a woman screaming." His fists clenched.

"Taro wanted to help. But I… I was a coward. I grabbed him. I told him we'd be hanged for sacrilege. We ran."

"Who died?"

"Shimizu Asaka," Kenji whispered.

"The herbalist. She used to give my son free medicine. She helped everyone she met… she was a good person." He choked back a sob.

"And we just left her there. Buried. We let everyone think it was a natural accident."

"And now you're terrified she's coming for you."

"Yes! She already took Taro! I don't want to face the same fate!"

"How did he die?"

"Buried under rocks and soil," Kenji wept.

"Beaten badly." If my guess is correct, Galan thought.

"But the suffocation was what killed him."

"That's what the coroner told me… he also asked if I knew why anyone would do that to him." He took a deep breath while wiping his eyes.

"I lied to save myself. Told him that he and I haven't seen each other in a while, but… I knew it wouldn't be long before she targeted me next…" He took another deep breath.

"I thought of killing myself… but I don't want to face her in the afterlife… I don't even know what I'd say to her…"

"Do you know why she was there?"

"No… it's forbidden ground at night for humans, and I never heard her talk about going there."

"I see." Galan stood up.

"That's horrible, Kenji. But these walls should keep you safe if she refuses to be exorcised."

"Thank you… uh…"

"Call me Mr. Odagawa."

"Mr. Odagawa. If I survive this… I sw ear I'll make up for my mistake. Whatever it takes!"

"I'm sure you will," Galan said, a hint of genuine respect in his voice.

"Just remember to visit her grave and look after her and Taro's family. They're your responsibility now." After a nod from Kenji, Galan walked out of the cell. Haruto then relocked the door.

"You did well getting that out of him," the squad leader said, impressed.

"Well, you did tell me that he's fragile. By the way, do you know anything about this woman?"

"Only that she was a supportive figure. A hermit. No one knows where she lived. It's as if she existed one day and not the next."

"What happened to her body?"

"We organized a dig yesterday with the local sorcerers," Haruto explained as they walked back to the entrance.

"But once we pulled her out… they claimed jurisdiction. Said her spirit was unstable and needed to be returned to her family in the forest immediately. I signed her over." Family in the forest, Galan thought. Interesting.

"Do you know where?"

"No. But I can point you to the forest entrance."

"That works. Oh, and can you assign someone to watch Kenji after his sentence?"

"Sadly, no. He'll have to hire his own guards."

"How long will he be locked up?"

"Twenty years, maybe less. But rest assured, his labor will support the families involved."

"That's a good policy," Galan muttered.

"Better than some kingdoms I've des—partnered with."

"What?"

"Nothing. Still practicing my Japanese." Haruto eyed him suspiciously but let it slide. They reached the entrance, where the other officers were laughing.

"Did anyone come by?" Haruto asked.

"Nah, pretty quiet," one said.

"Here, saved you some wine."

"Keep saving it. My shift will be over soon," he reminded his friend.

"Let's go," Haruto said to Galan, leading him outside. He pointed west.

"Go through the village exit and take the path north. It's a straight walk, but there's a warning sign that says to avoid the area at night."

"Or what, some oni gonna jump out of the bushes?" Galan smirked.

"Didn't know you were a comedian," Haruto sighed. He looked Galan up and down.

"If you need a weapon, I can lend you a sword."

"Thanks, but I fight barehanded." Haruto stared at him. Then he closed his eyes and shook his head, thinking that the young man would only get himself killed.

"Stay here. I'll get you something."

"Hey, it's alright, I've beaten powerful gods with these." Yeah, he's definitely suicidal.

"Just stay here," Haruto ordered, walking back inside.

"I won't be long."

"Not how I expected to get a free sword," Galan mused.

"But I guess it's nice for the collection."