Ghost School

Special Episode 20: Kei's Past (Late of the Marquis Arca)

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The Marquis Arca...

"...."

Now the Marquis of Arca was sitting in his chair with his eyes staring intently at the letter that the King had sent him.

...The Marquis Arca....

...For the request for a visit from the previous head of the Marquis Arca family, I apologize for not being able to see you because it is now busy. Next time if I have free time, I will invite you to the palace. Then, I order you to go north tomorrow to stand guard....

That was the contents of the letter that the King sent to the Marquis of Arca.

"Lately... The king was acting strange...".

"He refused every time I wanted to visit and continued to oversee the northern part of the kingdom".

"..."

Marquis Arca was silent for a while, then stood walking to the bookshelf on the right side of the room.

He looked for a book and took it.

"Well, nothing is free in this world. If you dare to give a lot of tasks, it means that the King has also prepared a suitable price"

*

**

At the request of the King, Marquis Arca and his troops went to the northern part of the kingdom the next day.

During the trip and have settled 1 month there, enemies and wild animals continue to attack them relentlessly.

Many troops from Marquis Arca were either dead or wounded, not least Marquis Arca who was injured after the last attack from the enemy.

All the injured were treated. The wounded soldiers were slowly recovering. However turned around for the Marquis of Arca. Instead of getting better, Marquis Arca the longer the condition of his body gets worse. He who initially only suffered an injury due to a sword stab in his leg, now he became paralyzed so he could not walk.

The doctor knew his life was threatened. So he explained everything to the Marquis by prostrating himself before him begging for mercy.

"Ma... Forgive me, Commander! Se... It seemed that the enemy's sword had been smeared with a poison whose effect had appeared slowly... Because it's... You're paralyzed by the race..." The doctor was terrified.

"What?! Why did you just say now after a few days have passed?!" Shouted Marquis Arca in great anger.

"Sa... I didn't find any poison in your wounds before. Looks like this is some kind of new poison that will react after a few days..." The doctor replied with a trembling voice.

"In that case, quickly remove the poison now!"

"It can't. The poison has spread throughout your body and mixed with blood... As I said before, it is a new kind of poison, so for now there is no cure..."

"So you mean... I will be paralyzed until the antidote is found?!" Marquis Arca asked with glaring eyes looking at the doctor.

"I... Yes, Lord commander..."

"Hurry up for the antidote if you won't die in my hands!!"

1 day.. 1 week. 1 month. until now it has been 1 year passed but the antidote to the poison has not been found.

Finally the doctor was killed Marquis Arca because it was considered a failure.

And 1 month later, came a letter from the King who sent Marquis Arca back to the capital and came to see him as soon as he arrived.

Upon seeing the letter, Marquis Arca was very pleased.

"King, you have to pay for all my suffering at the right price"

The next day, the Marquis and his entire army returned to the capital. After traveling for a few days, the Marquis of Arca immediately met the King in the palace.

"Welcome, Marquis. Looks like you've been having trouble for 1 year, yeah"

As soon as the Marquis came in a wheelchair, the King greeted the arrival with a carefree manner. The Marquis looked annoyed, but he kept his head bowed before the King.

"I came at His Majesty's command. I did my best until it ended like this. So I hope what pliers I get is what I sacrifice"

"Pffts... Ahahahahaha!!"

The king laughed so hard that the whole room only heard his laughter.

"The best? The last purge 2 months ago your army failed" the King mocked.

Marquis Arca frowned in annoyance.

"It's because I am paralyzed and cannot lead an army" replied Marquis Arca.

"Stay, the point is you failed, right?" Denying King.

The King stared at the body of the Marquis of Arca from top to bottom carefully.

"By the way, Marquis, I think it's time you retired from the title of commander, as well as Marquis. A head of the family as well as a commander of the King's palace's knight army, but crippled like this? People will doubt the military power of the palace knights."

Marquis Arca was jolted at hearing that.

"What do you mean, Your Majesty?! I have no successor to the title of Marquis! And also, I can still raise my sword and fight!" Shouted Marquis Arca.

"No. I will be elevating the post of deputy commander to commander in the near future." Speak the King quickly.

"Then, besides not having a wife and children, you also have no relatives because you killed all your brothers before, right? This means that the title and all the wealth of the territory of the Marquis Arca will be transferred to the palace" continued the King.

Marquis Arca flinched with a pale face.

"Your Majesty, you're kidding me, right? After all the loyalty I've given you, you can't possibly do that, right?" Marquis Gumam Arca.

"Aaah, it's time I go for a meeting with the council. Well then, up to here was our meeting, Marquis."

The king got up from his chair and walked towards the door. As soon as the King passed the Marquis Arca, he whispered something.

"Heard you got a new kind of poison, huh? May it heal soon" Whispered the King with a small laugh.

The Marquis flinched then stared intently at the King.

"What do you mean, Your Majesty" said Marquis Arca restraining his anger.

"Not anything~"

The king left the Marquis alone in the spacious room.

*

**

Since the doctor who had previously treated the Marquis at the northern border had been killed, it was finally the Marquis' personal doctor who treated him. But the problem is, this doctor does not understand because this is a new poison whose antidote has not been found.

As time went on, the state of Marquis Arca worsened. He who was initially paralyzed could not walk, now he could not even move his fingertips.

Within 1 month, Marquis Arca could only lie on a mattress with his body getting thinner. To speak, he had trouble.

Because of that, the conversation among the nobility was excited about this.

"You hear? He said Marquis Arca was sick with a new type of poison that had no cure"

"Yes. Now he can't even get out of his bed"

"Marquis had no children, no wife, no brothers. His relatives are all dead. Who would be the successor of the Marquis's territory if the current Marquis were to die?"

"Don't... The Marquis' territory will be taken over by the kingdom?"

"Can be. If indeed the Marquis had no relatives, then surely the territory of the Marquis was taken kingdom"

"Marquis Arca was one of the few nobles who had abundant wealth. The kingdom would profit greatly if all the Marquis' assets were taken over"

"War just started~"

Yep. The cold war is just about to begin. Shortly after the rumors. The Arca Marquis who was dying from being exposed to poison, was now the royal family, especially the King was secretly the subject of rumors and gossip made by the supporters of the Arca Marquis.

"The king used the position of Marquis who had no successor to take over the rights of the Marquis. From the beginning it was the King who sent people to poison the Marquis."

"really. It was strange that He was suddenly sent by His Majesty to the Northern border without any reason, then attacked with unknown poison. As for the king's size, it wasn't difficult to have an alchemist create a dangerous new poison, right?"

"Yes. The royal family planned all of this to take away the Marquis' treasure. Though he was very loyal to His Majesty the King."

However, this was denied by the royal supporters.

"What did you say? The kingdom is not as poor and so rotten as to target the noble treasures. It was true that the Marquis family was rich, but when compared to the royal treasures, it was nothing. Don't you remember how good the royal family has been to its people all this time?"

"In addition, the affairs on the Northern border are indeed the responsibility of the Marquis as a knight commander."

"Be careful when you talk! You could have been accused of being a traitor to the kingdom and died if you spoke like that in any place!!"

*

Everyone is speculating.

Many rumors are circulating, ranging from things that make sense, do not make sense, to something mystical.

Along with that, the condition of Marquis Arca worsened. Never mind standing up, now he even has difficulty speaking and moving his body like an undead.

Then, the King came to the Marquis' house without any prior notice.

"Hello, Marquis. Long time no see, yes"

"..."

"Oh, yeah. You don't have to greet me. I know you have trouble talking~" said the King and walked over to the Marquis's bed.

"There... You... come here?..." Marquis Gumam Arca.

"What's wrong if I meet my followers who are seriously ill? You're not happy I'm here?" Ask King.

"Just say..what do you want!" The Marquis muttered annoyedly.

"If only I hadn't considered you my friend when I was young, I would have killed you for this sassness" the King threatened.

"Well, like you said... There's something I want to ask of you one last time..."

"Give me all your power and wealth" continued the King

"just shut... You!" Marquis Arca muttered furiously.

"Pff! Compared to me, you're the one on the verge of death!" Shouted the King and laughed out loud.

"Haha! Okay, it doesn't matter you don't want to. I also don't lack money to have to beg my friends"

The king turned around and walked out of the room.

"I have no need of you anymore. Good bye-"

"-Dad"

"!!"

Blam it!

Marquis Arca flinched when he saw the face of the King who turned to look at him as he was about to exit the room. The face of the king turned into the face of his son whom he had killed before.

"The face... Kei... I'm sure it is. But, how can it be? Not likely. I must've seen it wrong" Marquis Arca thought.

"No. I didn't see it wrong"

The marquis was startled and immediately looked to the source of the voice that was to the right of his bed.

"K... Kei..."

"How many times do I have to say, my name is Kei, not Keiden! Well, that's not what's important right now"

"Aya---no, Marquis Arca, how has it been for these 1 year? Are you tormented" asked Kei

"So... You!!"

"really. I did it all. From the attack, poison, also about the king, I control it"

"How, Marquis? The wealth, power, position, and dignity you love so much will soon depart from you. The things you crave are all gone"

"Basic... child..foolish!!"

"Of course you taught me" Kei asked with a mocking smile

Kei looked at the painting of the Marquis as a young man with his father, mother, and 2 deceased brothers. The painting is on Kei's left.

"Ah, right too. For the first and last time you taught me to kill each other for that power" Kei murmured

Kei looked back at the Marquis in front of him.

"I'm just here to say..."

Kei brought his head closer to the Marquis' ear and whispered something.

"You useless trash, who killed all his family for fear of competing like a selfish little boy. Forever you won't be happy with that selfish mindset..."

The marquis was so angry that his eyes seemed to be coming out so wide he opened his eyes.

"You are dead... Don't interfere!!"

"Right, I'm dead. But my revenge is not."

Kei threw out his hand and a fireball appeared from his hand.

"This time, it's my turn to kill you"

Blars!!

The fire quickly burned the mansion.

"Fire!! There's fire!! Quickly save yourself!!"

"Yeah! Get out!!"

The servants in the house were busy saving their own lives and it was unthinkable to them that their own master lying down could not move from the bed.

The marquis himself did not know that all his servants had forgotten him. He thought his servant was just a little late to save him.

"Based on the waiter s*lan! I will scold them after I move to another mansion!!" Thought Marquis Arca.

But the longer, the fire grew bigger and burned the mattress.

"No! I can't wait any longer!!"

Marquis Arca forced himself to get up and run away from his room.

But...

"Sister... Where are you going...?"

"Sister... You want to just leave after killing me?..."

"!!!"

The spirits of the 2 Marquis brothers he killed back then now appeared and held the Marquis to motionless.

 Then came the figure of the father, mother, also many mistresses and their children who he had killed filled the room.

"Based on a bad boy! How dare... You killed your own mother..."

"I would never have willingly taken over my power and office by a child like you!"

"Dad... Why would... Though Dad made me exist in the world, but why did you kill me who was just born..."

"Basic trash men! You promised to marry me, but until the end you never married me, even killed me..."

"Dead you!"

"I'd be very happy if you were more tormented..."

The room also contained the cries of all those spirits who cursed the Marquis Arca.

The fire began to burn the Marquis's clothes and make the spirits more excited.

"Dead you!!"

"This fire is the fury of all of us who want to eliminate you!!"

"That! Ahhhhhh!!!"

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**

The Marquis' house was completely burned. There is no side of the house that is not burned.

So big, the fire burned for almost 1 day and burned all parts of the house to the fence. Fortunately, the fire was extinguished before spreading to the homes of residents.

Then for the Marquis himself, the search could not be done because the house was now a pile of ash that was piled up. It's no longer possible to find him there.

From the testimony of the servants and people around, it was confirmed that a fire occurred in the Marquis' room on the 3rd floor because there was a candle that fell and grabbed the curtains nearby. And the Marquis himself died of being unable to move due to his illness and caught fire.

The fire case was immediately closed because it was considered an accident and was not extended anymore.

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In the evening...

Kei sat at the very top of the pile of ash from the Marquis house fire.

"..."

"I forgot..."

"I forget that I still have a scandal that hasn't gone away even after I'm dead..."

"The accusation that I did something strange to Freya hasn't gone away, but everyone who knows about it is dead"

"Basic Kei... You idiot!"