Scarlett downed her last mana potion and let the empty flask fall to the floor.

[Mana: 1668/4698]

That was all she had left to work with.

She looked across the room to where the ghost of Abelard Withersworth was floating. His form had turned more and more transparent as she’d continued her attacks, but he wasn’t out of play yet. Nor had he stopped bringing more and more of his dolls alive, forcing her to expend more and more mana to attack him so that he would sacrifice the dolls with his counterattacks.

For the time being, they had reached a strange balance of sorts. The dolls were being removed at roughly the same pace that they joined the fight, though Scarlett’s attack had also become less aggressive in order to save mana. She was relying on Leon’s barriers blocking Abelard’s attack where possible. The knight was still in the middle of his own fight with the blonde doll. He had dealt a decent amount of damage to one of its arms, but with him having to focus on protecting the others in addition to the doll, Scarlett feared he was stretched too thin.

It was better than the alternative, though.

And if she removed Abelard from the fight, it would put things to an end quickly.

She conjured a set of three Aqua Mines in front of one of the newly awakened dolls that was dashing towards Fynn. The mines burst just in time to strike two of its weak points. It barely lost balance for the blink of an eye, but it was enough for Fynn to step forward, dodging under its attack, and then slam a powerful fist right into its midriff.

The blow sent the doll skidding across the floor, but the next moment, another doll came leaping at the young man. He ducked back, preparing himself to deal with it along with a third doll that he had been fighting just before.

“Go, my dears! Teach these fools the consequences of their actions!” Abelard’s voice echoed across the chamber once more, and another pair of dolls came alive. There were a little less than half of them left now, lining the walls. Scarlett had tried preemptively dealing with a couple of them, but that had just led to Abelard animating even more of them in response, so it was best to let things pass as they should.

She looked at Leon for a brief moment, waiting for him to erect another barrier. Unfortunately, he seemed especially preoccupied dodging the doll’s attacks as its arms moved in a flurry of blows that seemingly had no end.

She pressed her lips together. She needed to cut down the dolls’ numbers before the others were overrun.

Raising her hand, she conjured two of Aqua Mines to help Shin, just in time for him to avoid an attack from the doll he was facing. Then she pulled up her [Wand of Fireball] from the pouch fastened to her waist, conjuring another set of Mines around Abelard to catch his attention.

The ghost let out an enraged scream as the barrage of steam struck him a moment later, though the damage was noticeably inferior to some of her previous attacks.

Abelard waved his hand again, and two of the battling dolls fell down, joining the dozen or so of their brethren already on the floor. Before he had the chance to gather the two dolls’ souls—or whatever it was—and send his next attack, Scarlett flicked her wand and sent off four fireballs in quick succession. Four explosions crashed right into the ghost.

“You dare!” He sent her a glare as the flames faded, barely any worse for wear.

But he didn’t seem to notice the array of Aqua Mines that were hovering around him. Each was the size of his head, and even with [Superior Pyrokinesis] going at full power, it took Scarlett a few seconds to prepare them. But that was what distractions were for.

She detonated the mines all at once. The blasts perforated Abelard’s form, as well as the green magic that had been coalescing before him. His body grew slightly more see-through and souls in front of him dissipated away.

Scarlett smiled as she saw the wrath on his face. This was the first time she’d succeeded in doing that.

A loud crack sounded out in front of her. One of the boss doll’s arms was sent flying by Leon's sword, landing on the floor beside the limp body of another doll.

“Finally.” Scarlett heard a tired sigh escape the knight as a brief silence descended on the room. “I’ve never encountered anything this tough outside of dragon scales.”

Abelard’s expression widened in horror. “No! No! No! What have you done?!”

The ghost started floating down towards the doll, but Scarlett summoned several walls of fire in front of him. He didn’t even seem to notice, however, flying straight ahead towards his precious ‘masterpiece’, even as the flames licked at his form.

All the other dolls’ attention shifted from their opponents, fixating on Leon.

“Fynn,” Scarlett called out, pointing towards the hysterical Abelard.

The young man seemed to understand her intent as he immediately dashed off. The others made to help Leon, as the knight tried to push his advantage and overwhelm the now one-armed doll with his steadfast attacks, even as several others were converging on his position.

Scarlett breathed in for a moment, mustering her focus, then looked straight at Abelard. She aimed her hands at him. A moment later, a blazing sun tore its way into existence and engulfed the ghost. The scorching flames drowned out his screams, and she continued maintaining her magic even as it devoured through what remained of her mana.

With sweat forming on her brow, she finally let the fire fade away as her mana reached dangerous levels. Abelard’s beaten, weakened shape was revealed, the hatred clear in his eyes as he stared both at her and at Leon.

Before he could act, however, a hair-raising howl echoed out from under him. The air around them almost visibly shook as Fynn jumped up at Abelard with a speed that dwarfed any that the dolls—barring the boss doll—had displayed. With claws bared, the white-haired young man soared up, aided by unseen winds, and struck right at the ghost.

For a brief moment, a look of bewilderment flashed over Abelard's face. Then a tiny, muffled scream left him just as the claws tore through his neck. A bright luster spread from the wound before his entire body suddenly turned a blazing white and burst into motes of light.

All at once, the dolls that had surrounded Leon stopped in their tracks.

The knight paused, looking around him for a moment. A brilliant, golden light covered him like a suit of armor, and he had seemingly been prepared to take them all on at the same time, if necessary. Scarlett doubted that even he would have been able to survive that, though.

“Is… Is it over?” Allyssa asked after a few moments of silence. The girl’s eyes seemed to turn to the blonde boss doll that was standing in front of Leon, an empty expression on its face as it just stood still.

“It would appear so,” Scarlett replied, taking the chance to bring out a towel from her [Pouch of Holding] and wipe the sweat from her face as she took several deep breaths. Her mana was almost exhausted, and she’d used four mana potions in relatively close succession. Neither of the two factors helped in staving off the tiredness that was setting in. Still, this was nowhere near as bad as her training sessions in Freymeadow.

She looked at Allyssa as the girl started walking towards the blonde doll.

That spirit—or whatever it had been—that had appeared behind Allyssa at the start of the fight was gone, but there were still a couple of questions left regarding that.

Scarlett assumed it was some remnant of this Orelia girl that had been living in this mansion, but what did its presence mean? Should they be worried about Allyssa’s safety, or was whatever the spirit had done harmless? It shouldn’t be possession of any kind. At least not if the potions everybody had drunk earlier worked as they were supposed to. Although considering the circumstances, it might not be good to make any assumptions.

“Wait,” she called out, stopping Allyssa just as she had stopped in front of the doll and was about to reach out and touch it. The girl’s absorbed expression faded away, and she turned to look at her with a questioning gaze.

“Before you continue, what exactly is it that you are doing?” Scarlett asked. “If you are unable to give me an answer, perhaps it would be wise to defer any rash actions for which we do not know the true causes until a later time.”

Allyssa blinked, looking between Scarlett and her own outstretched hand. “I… I don’t think it’s dangerous.”

“You don’t think,” Shin suddenly said. The young man walked up to her and leaned his sword on the floor with a tired movement. “To me, that sounds like a recipe for disaster.”

Scarlett studied Allyssa’s expression closely. She was inclined to agree.

“I say let her,” Rosa chimed in from the side. The bard had gotten down on the floor, klert lying next to her as she drank water from a flask that had been attached to her waist. She had maintained her bardic magic for almost the entire fight, which probably took a lot more mana than Scarlett could even recover in a day, so it was understandable that she was tired as well.

Giving Rosa a long look, Scarlett then turned back to Allyssa and gave a short nod. “Do as you wish, then. I will not stop you.”

The woman was rarely mistaken about things like this.

Allyssa returned the nod and looked at Shin. “I’ll be fine. Promise.”

He eyed her for a few seconds, then let out a sigh as he shook his head. “Sure. That’s what you always say before things go wrong. But I’ll trust your word.”

A small smile formed on the girl’s face, and she turned back to the doll. Her hand reached out and touched its cheek, and a bright blue light shone from where contact was made. The moment after, the same spirit from before appeared in front of Allyssa. Now, though, the spirit looked more defined and tangible, with its flowing white dress catching the light in the chamber.

With wide eyes, Allyssa stared at the spirit and blinked a few times. Then she stayed silent for several seconds, before giving an uncertain nod. “Wow… Okay, yeah. I think I understand.”

She turned her head, appearing to look around at all the other dolls that were spread about the place, before focusing on the glass dome at the center of the chamber that had the large emerald on top.

She pointed at the emerald, turning back to Scarlett. “What is that?”

Scarlett looked at the emerald, stealing a glance at the spirit floating in the air as well. “…Is that a question asked by her?”

Allyssa shook her head. “No, not exactly. She’s not really speaking with me. I’m not even sure if she can speak. She doesn’t seem to be entirely here. Not like a normal person. She’s more like…a fragment of some kind, maybe? I can just…feel what she wants, and I can tell that the gem over there is somehow connected to it all.”

“I see…” Scarlett eyed the spirit, then started moving towards the glass dome and once more looking at the emerald.

[Obedience’s Solitude Loci (Unique)]

{Strange powers of an iterant realm dwell within this stone, creating something more than what was there before}

The [Gem of Athanasia] was the item she needed most from this dungeon, but this was what she wanted most.

It wasn’t particularly strong or anything like that. In fact, it wasn’t even equippable, as far as she was aware. It was a bit of an odd item compared to most of the other stuff she’d found until now. The only other item that was even remotely similar might be the [Statue of Longevity] that they found earlier. But what interested her about the [Obedience’s Solitude Loci] wasn’t the effects she knew it had from the game, but rather the potential it might have in this world.

In ‘Chronicle of Realms’, the [Obedience’s Solitude Loci] was nothing more than an item you could place in your player house. It was mostly limited to giving some recovery boosts and other minor effects that worked within the confines of what the game’s framework would allow, but the flavor text and context around the item in the game suggested a lot more was possible. Like, for example, using it to stop intruders from sneaking into your home unnoticed.

She looked back at the others. “I suppose that, if I were to explain it in simple terms, then this item—this Loci—is the center of this mansion,” she said. “It is from this Loci that all the magic suffusing this mansion originates, facilitating its further operation. Consequently, if it were to be removed, much of the phenomena plaguing this mansion would cease as well.”

Allyssa turned to stare at the emerald. “So, that means it’s also what’s keeping all these souls from passing on?”

“…That is correct, yes.”

“Then…” The girl looked between the spirit floating beside her and the Loci. “If it was removed, wouldn’t all of their souls still remain here? They would just be unable to do anything. Stuck, forever.”

She turned to Scarlett. “But if we destroyed it, they would all be released, wouldn’t they? Both the people that used to work here and what remains of their ghosts, as well as the fey creatures inhabiting the dolls.”

Scarlett narrowed her eyes. “I am afraid I cannot allow that.”

Allyssa gave her a dazed look. “What?”

“I said that I cannot allow that.” Scarlett shook her head. “I have need of that Loci, so I cannot have it be destroyed at this juncture.”

Destroying it had been an option in the game as well if you wanted to let all the souls pass on. There was even a small quest related to it if you went down that path. But the reward was very lacklustre compared to keeping the gem, if you asked her. There was also the fact that releasing all the wayward souls in this place had literally no practical value to anyone that wasn’t already dead.

“But…” Allyssa looked back and forth between Scarlett and the spirit, a conflicted expression on her face.

“Their fate is neither my nor your responsibility, Miss Astrey. And as you yourself have observed, they are not truly complete, sentient beings. They are nothing more than remnants of those that once lived. Leftover emotions and desires.”

“But they still feel pain. And sadness!”

Scarlett looked at the girl for several seconds.

“Scarlett—”

“Do not involve yourself with this,” she cut Leon off as he was about to speak.

She then let out a short sigh, considering Allyssa for a moment longer.

“…Miss Astrey, there will always be injustices in the world. This is a simple truth; one that cannot be altered by anyone besides the gods, and I strongly suspect even they lack that power. It is commendable to attempt righting the wrongs you witness before you, but it is also important to understand that the ability to do this is in itself a privilege, one that often requires sacrifice — be it from those righting the wrong or those indirectly affected. Often, it becomes a question of prioritization. Who can you afford to help, and what must others endure in turn?”

She steeled her voice as she met Allyssa’s eyes. “I have need for that Loci, and I have neither the freedom nor the inclination to put the needs of these incomplete souls still haunting this place above those of myself and the people serving under me.”

Allyssa’s expression faltered, and she turned back to the silent spirit. It didn’t show any sign of reaction to what was being said.

“If you understand that, then…” Scarlett walked over towards the glass dome to take the [Obedience’s Solitude Loci]. In addition to that, there should also be a side room connecting to the conservatory where there was some more boss loot. If she wasn’t misremembering things, there was even a legendary there.

“Wait.”

She stopped, turning to look back at Allyssa.

“What if there’s a way to free all of them and for you to keep the Loci?” the girl asked.

Scarlett frowned. There wasn’t, as far as she was aware. “What is it that you are trying to say?”

Allyssa looked over at the spirit for a moment, then met Scarlett’s gaze. “The Loci. It’s fey in nature, isn’t it?”

“…It is, yes.”

Could she tell because of the spirit, somehow?

“Didn’t you get that gift from the fairies that we met last time?” Allyssa asked. “Back in Temisbrook, when they showed you their gratitude. Would that be enough to make other fey listen to us if we wanted their help?”

Scarlett knitted her forehead as she studied the girl. “Perhaps, yes. Although I cannot be certain. And finding fey who could lend their aid with something like this would prove difficult.”

“It’s worth a shot, isn’t it? Besides, we don’t have to go far. Abelard mentioned how he captured the fey in his notes, and it wasn’t far from here.”

She raised a brow. That was news to her.

She looked between Allyssa and the Loci for a few seconds, before eventually giving a slow nod. “Very well. Tell me what it is you are planning.”