Flillian, I want to live.

"So? Any more concrete information? Like maybe the Knights saw undead disguised as ghosts?"

Fulilian picked up the knife and fork and elegantly cut up the huge steak that had just been served in front of her.

"I'm not sure about that. After all, I only heard the news from others. Besides, I can't tell the difference between ghosts, undead, and other such messed-up things. So, please go to the scene and investigate the specific situation yourself, Lady Fulilian."

Ed spread his hands and answered helplessly.

"That's right."

Fulilian, who had finished her steak without knowing when, reached out to the freshly baked apple pie beside her.

"Well, Lady Fulilian, Lord Duncan has actually been waiting for you here for a while."

Ed looked at Fulilian who was swallowing a whole grilled fish with her head tilted back, and reminded her subtly.

"Then let him wait."

Fulilian said this nonchalantly, and turned around to look at the panting waiter who had already run to serve the dishes with a slightly blaming look.

"Lady Fulilian seems to have an especially good appetite today."

Philen said in surprise as he looked at the plates piled high in front of Fulilian.

“There are always a few days a year when people want to indulge themselves.”

Fulilian glanced at Philen and explained calmly.

"Haha, that's true. My father always said that Lady Flillian would eat up all their travel expenses." Ed grinned as if remembering something. "If we want to support Lady Flillian, the food expenses alone would probably be a huge burden."

Fulilian's rice fork hung in the air.

"Ah, it's alright, Lady Fulilian, please feel free to eat. I'm not like my father, who's not good at business. I'm quite wealthy, but please don't be polite to me."

Seeing Fulilian suddenly stop, Ed hurriedly waved at her with a smile and spoke politely.

"I'm stuffed."

Fulilian put down the fork in her hand, then stood up suddenly and stared at Ed with a resentful expression.

"What about the roast chicken and dessert in the back?"

"Pack it up and give it to the homeless people on the street."

Fulilian touched her slightly bulging belly, turned around and walked out the door without looking back.

"I understand."

Ed didn't say much, just smiled and nodded.

"Let's go, Philen. It's time to get to work."

And Fulilian didn't pay any more attention to Ed. She just turned her head while walking and glanced at Philen who was sitting there because he didn't understand the situation.

"Ah...Okay, okay, Lady Flillian."

Philen reached out and grabbed the staff beside him in a panic, then trotted after Fulilian.

"Don't let your guard down, Philen."

When they were about to arrive at Xinmei's cemetery, Fulilian, who seemed to be depressed and silent all the way, suddenly spoke and reminded Philen who was following closely behind her.

"I will be careful, Lady Fulilian."

Philen swallowed and answered nervously.

"Although the other party has unexpectedly not injured anyone so far, based on this alone, we cannot determine whether they are friend or foe. Right now, we can only be sure of one thing: the one manipulating all this is an extremely powerful magician."

Having said that, Fulilian stopped.

"Do you remember what I taught you before? If this time, we really encounter a nameless demon who has lived for a thousand years in the barrier..."

Fulilian turned around and looked at Feilun behind her with her emerald eyes.

"I will run away immediately, Lady Flillian."

Philen gave his answer without hesitation.

"very good."

Fulilian nodded in satisfaction.

"Although you are already an excellent magician, Philen, those great demons all possess powerful magical powers accumulated over many years and magic that is difficult for humans to understand. You are still too inexperienced to fight them. In a real battle where life and death are decided, running away is not a shameful thing."

Fulilian said to Philen earnestly.

In her long life, she had seen too many talented and promising magicians recklessly lose their lives because of their so-called pride.

Chapter 33: Phantom of the Dead

"Ghost, it's a ghost..."

Even though a long time had passed, when Fulilian asked the man about his experience in the barrier, he still trembled and curled up like a child who had just heard a ghost story.

When the knights of the advance team just entered the barrier, they were full of confidence in the next action.

Everyone here is an elite knight carefully selected from the palace guards. Even if they encounter the rumored great demon clan, they have the confidence to fight against it.

According to the instructions on the map, as long as you cross the woods in front of you, you can reach the cemetery where the brave Xinmeier is buried.

It was just a small grove of trees separating the cemetery from the memorial square, and it would have taken no time to cross it.

However, when the knights just stepped into the woods.

"It's getting foggy……"

The man's eyes were filled with fear.

At first, no one paid any attention to this matter, but soon, the thick fog made them completely lose their sense of direction, and they couldn't even see each other who were so close.

In the fog, the man drew his sword and vigilantly looked for his companions.

"dad……"

However, in the thick fog, what the man finally found was a little girl who looked innocent and romantic.

bang-

The sword in the man's hand fell to the ground.

The person who appeared before him was his daughter who had died of illness three years ago.

"It seems like everyone's experience is similar."

After expressing her gratitude to the man, Fulilian met Philen who was waiting behind her.

"Yes."

Fulilian glanced at the man who had been unable to walk out of the shadows for a long time. Although there were still a few people who had not been investigated, it seemed that there was no need to continue asking.

"Everyone saw their deceased family members or friends in the fog. These ghosts not only looked and dressed exactly like they did in life, but they even retained their memories before death and were able to communicate with people without any obstacles."

Philen pointed his chin with his index finger and summarized the situation encountered by the knights of the advance team.

"It seems that at least the possibility of the undead can be ruled out."

Fulilian looked up and said thoughtfully.

"Is that right?"

Philen looked at Fulilian, who had overturned his previous guess, and said...

"The so-called undead, to put it simply, are corpses controlled by magic. Since they're corpses, their appearance can never be exactly the same as it was in life," Fulilian patiently explained to Fearon. "Take the most common undead, zombies and skeletons, for example. Even someone who knows nothing about magic can tell the difference between them and normal humans, right?"

"Indeed."

Philen clapped his hands and said with sudden realization.

"In other words, the knights in these advance groups encountered monsters completely different from the undead."

Following the conclusion just now, Fulilian reasoned further.

"Do you have any idea, Lady Fulilian?"

Looking at Fulilian who unconsciously smiled confidently while telling the story, Philen knew that she might already have the answer in her heart.

"I guess so, but the monster they encountered was a rather wicked creature. If it were any other time, I would have avoided it as much as possible."

Fulilian did not deny Philen's guess, but even after guessing the other party's origin, Fulilian still seemed distressed.

"They're probably using illusion magic... I remember reading in an old book on magical ecology that some monsters can create illusions to lure prey. They're certainly formidable opponents."

Philen looked at Fulilian who looked reluctant and was the first to express his thoughts.

"Phantom ghost."

Hearing that Philen had already guessed the magic used by the monster, Fulilian didn't keep it a secret and said the name of the monster.

"Is it actually a Phantom Ghost?" Ed, who was eavesdropping nearby, said in surprise, as if he had just remembered something. "That kind of monster actually exists."

"You know quite a lot, don't you?"

Fulilian looked at Ed with some surprise.

"After all, I've spent most of my life traveling around the world as a trader."

Ed shrugged.

"For travelers like us, the Phantom Ghost is a legendary monster passed down from generation to generation. The phantom it creates will appear in the form of the person it cherishes most. Once you are deceived by that phantom, you will become its food."

Although Ed had not read any ancient books on magical ecology, his experience allowed him to grasp clearer information than Philon.

"I see," Philen nodded in agreement. "But if there really are monsters like that in the barrier, how are we going to deal with them?"

"It's simple," Fulilian turned to look at Philen. "Although Phantom Ghosts are extremely troublesome to those who don't understand magic, and even the most elite knights in this country are helpless against them, they don't actually pose much of a threat to magicians."

"Ugh?"

Phelan blinked in confusion.

"As long as it's hit by magic with high-density magic, even ordinary attack magic can easily dissipate the phantom. In other words, as long as you use attack magic on the phantom of the deceased, you can kill the phantom ghost behind the phantom."

Flillian explained to Felene.

“It’s a really simple and effective method.”

Philen couldn't help but sigh.

"Can you do it?"

"Of course, after all, we already knew it was a fake made by a monster."

Phelan answered without hesitation.

"..." Fulilian looked at Feilun, who looked determined, and was silent for a moment. "Um, Feilun, I'm not asking you..."

"Um... is that so..."

Philen touched his red cheeks and said awkwardly.

"Ed, can you do this?"

Fulilian tactfully shifted her gaze away from the blushing Philen's face and turned to look at Ed beside her.

"Oh, is there any need to say that?"

Ed smiled dismissively.

"Of course I can't."

Then he gave Fulilian's own answer without hesitation.

"After all, I'm not a magician at all. Forget about high-density attack magic. I even need you to borrow a light to light a cigarette."

Ed spoke to Fleurylan very frankly.

"that's true……"

Fulilian looked at Ed and said with a headache.

Although she and Philen, as magicians, can easily deal with the phantom ghost, it is difficult to protect Ed in the thick fog.

"It seems like it's almost time for a showdown."

Knowing that he would become a burden, Ed closed his eyes and spoke as if he had come to some realization.