After a short time in the woods, the fog blocked my view once - before I could worry about whether I could really get out of here, the fog cleared and the woods broke off.

''........in a labyrinth......a house?''

　Seraphina, who was ahead of me, was puzzled, but the feeling was the same for the entire party.

　A small wooden, thatched-roofed hermitage. A chimney was built, and smoke - or rather, fog - was flowing out of it. Apparently, this is what had created the fog earlier.

　◆Current Situation ◆
　We have entered an unexplored area.
　Probability of monsters appearing: Very low
　Existence of terrain effects: no judgment skills

　An unexplored area - can it be judged as such, even though it looks like someone lives there?

　Scarecrow placed the ice block of 'Altergast' in that area. Then, he stood in front of the door of the hermitage.

''Ah........Hi, it opens, brother.......''

　The door to the hermitage opens - I'm always the 'rear guard', but Misaki and Madoka are hiding behind me. Suzuna seems to be thinking about what to do, but she didn't get behind me. She's more of a 'rear guard' than a 'middle guard', but she seems to want to be in front of me. I'm glad for the feeling, but I'm a little sorry.

''........girl.......?''
'- I don't feel bad about being called that, but I'm unfortunately more of an adult than you are, sweetheart.
H..........?

　I'm sure he was about to leave through the door - but then I noticed that a small figure wearing a triangular hat appeared right next to Elitia.

(Looks like.........Celes-san. Is it "Jade People (Jade)"...?)

　Although their faces are similar in appearance, their orientation is very different in terms of decoration compared to Celes', such as wearing a kind of face paint and having their hair braided into a thin strand.

　She is dressed in a costume that exposes her skin in places, like a tropical tribal costume, and she wears a cloak over it. What kind of occupation is it - I think of 'shaman' or something like that, but in that case it's similar to 'priestess' in terms of meaning.

'Hmm, you didn't pull out your sword. It's not like you're being controlled by a coloured weapon?
'....Do you know about this sword?
'I know. Or rather, I'd say I specialize in all those things.

　She comes towards me - she's quite small, but like Celes, I guess that means she's a race that doesn't match her age and appearance, just like Celes.

''I'm Aricht Atobe, and I'm a member of a race.
My name is Leene. I'm a bit of an eccentric who lives in a labyrinth in my hermitage. Thank you for accepting my invitation.

　He offered me his right hand and shook my hand - it seemed friendly, but I had to make sure about the 'Scarecrow' attacking me.

'We have a lot to talk about, but first, I think we'd better see about that warrior woman as soon as possible.
Can you cure 'psychosis'?
'Well, let me tell you about my profession. I'm a 'Witch Doctor' also known as a witch doctor, and I have skills related to curses and spirits.

　Leene-san approaches Altergast's ice block and pulls out a paper-like object from underneath her cloak.

''Is that.........a protection charm, is it?''
Suzu, don't you have one like that one?
''Well, you had Suzuna hold the 'Deadly Spirit Repellent Charm' for you. That's why the demon from earlier was avoiding Suzuna at first.

　If you have equipment with special effects, you may be benefiting from it without realizing it in battle. In order to be able to attack a spirit body without the need for a "Word Spirit", I would like to have other accessories that have the effect of "Repelling Dead Spirits", but since Suzuna's "Word Spirit" was effective, it would be better for Suzuna to have the anti-spirit body armor and protection (charms) in priority.

''........Circumstances are what they are. I thought that this 'Altergast' was something that would never appear again. Maybe it's the fact that it's a party with a lot of women in it, or maybe it's because there's more than one member under the curse... in this case, it's probably the former.
'Miss Leene, what does that mean...'
'Even if you could encounter it, it's amazing that you could freeze it like this. Normally, I would think it would be impossible to freeze a spirit body. That's what you've done.

　From the way she talks about it, it seems that Leene was the one who instructed Scarecrow to bring back the ice statue of 'Altergast'.

　To her, either this 'Altergast' is worth it or there is some kind of karma to it - I can't see a lot of things yet, but it seems safe to assume that she invited us for a friendly reason.

''Arihito-kun, this 'Altergast' could be used as demon material if you take it home. However, I would like to seal this Altergast in this protection if possible. That way, her 'Spiritual Disorder' will be suppressed.
''If you defeat it, you can't break the spirit barrier...''
I'm not going to beat it, I'm going to seal it. I have the ability to subdue spirits. You can also seal a spirit body into this kind of protection. This protection is the material for the generation of spiritual tools.
'Spiritual tools ... that sort of thing.

　When I answered honestly, Leene-san smiled at me - what a mischievous smile. However, as if she remembered something, her expression quickly became cloudy.

''........It looks like Altergast's freeze will be lifted soon. If you give me this, I promise to help you in the future. My powers should be of some use.
Thank you. We're here to talk to you about something. If you need anything more than just the Altergast case, just let us know.
Consultation ... okay. Seriously, the kid. If she's here, she should have shown her face.
Who are you talking about, that girl?　Oh, are you asking too soon?

　Misaki still doesn't seem to be on the same page, but Leene is probably referring to Celes.

"....By my curse thou shalt be ruled. Sleep, rest, lie down in the river of silence, and surrender to the land of your father and mother.

　--Oh................

　The 'Altergast' that had been frozen turns into a mist while raising a distorted voice, and is sucked into the paper tag that Leene-san holds between her two fingers.

　◆Current Situation ◆
　Leene activates Seal of the Spiritual Talisman and creates the Charm of Tenpennyoum.

"...Yup. I've been looking for you for ten years, and I was about to give up.
Ten years........you've been stuck in this labyrinth for that long?
'So that's what it is. I didn't build this hermitage, though. I'm just making use of what was here from the beginning to exorcise the demons.

　Although it's a matter of fact, there must be a good reason to keep looking for 'Altergast' for ten years.

''....Well. You can give this charm to your warrior girlfriend to hold.
Are you sure?　Leene-san was trying to make this charm....
'I just wanted to seal 'Altergast' with my own hands. You'd think what I'm talking about after having people catch me by the hand but this is kind of a blemish.

　Mr. Leene is about to hand me the charm - but he stops his hand as if he's noticed something.

'Even though you're part of the party, I think it's a bit problematic to leave it to the men. I'll be the spellcaster, and I'll be in charge.
"...?　I'm sure I could handle it if I just gave you the charm.
''A, Arihito-san.......the way you equip the charm, well.......you have to have it on your skin.......''
'....Oh, oh, yeah. So that's how it was.
I've never equipped a charm, either, so I'm a little concerned about it.

　Seraphina hasn't gotten the meaning of what Suzuna said yet. She might have to equip it in the future as well, so it would be good to know.

　◆ ◆ ◆

　The hermitage had sleeping quarters for two people, but Leene told me that she always slept alone. Scarecrow doesn't need a place to sleep, she said.

　Igarashi-san is made to sleep behind a screen that separates him from the rest of the house and is allowed to wear the charms by Leene's hands - in the case of these paper tags, it is necessary to tie them somewhere on his body or stick them with some kind of easy-to-remove glue Apparently there is.

'Oh, well I'm a little embarrassed to call it therapy...'
There's no specific place to put the marks, but no matter where you put them, they can come off easily with movement. If it comes off while you're exploring, you can use a string to tie it on.

　There could be any number of more convenient ways to equip it, but it's hard to say if it's customary to stick it on.

　However, although I was allowed into the hermitage, there is a part of me that wonders if it's okay for me to be mixed in with the high density of women, in addition to the scent of some kind of incense.

'Brother, do you have any idea where you're putting it?'
'No, not at all...'
I'm just having a peek at it... Wow, the picture is even more amazing than I thought it would be...!
''What are you talking about, Misaki? This is just a treatment.......right, Leene?
'In a warrior-type profession, it's not uncommon for women to have cracked abs. They're getting pretty well worked out, but...

　It seems to be said in a way that deliberately fuels the imagination - Igarashi-san's abdominal muscles are not cracked. My abdominal muscles are cracking, but is it because I'm moving around violently instead of being a rear guard?

　◆Turning Change Specter's Charm◆
　Suppresses Abnormalities up to "Enthusiasm 3".
　Maximum magic power increases.
　The "Rustilation" skill will be available. It may be damaged when activated.

　Trapped demons of the spirit system can be equipped with stars. The kinds of charms that could be found in the labyrinth were also said to be made in this way, using skills such as 'Spirit Seal' or 'Protector Generation'.

''The 'charms' were allowed to be placed on her body. You can't take these off for a week or so. 'Spiritual disorders' like this one can be cured after a while, but if you don't wear something that can be suppressed, the symptoms will appear.'
''Ha, yes. So, Leene, the effect of this charm is...

　Show the license to Leene. As far as Igarashi-san's condition is concerned, it seems to interfere with her actions, but what kind of 'passion 3'

　--But I should have asked a serious question, but for some reason, Leene-san gives me a sympathetic look and pats me on the head after getting on the stepping stone.

''Your brother is being good-natured.......Seraphina-san, sister Kyouka, isn't that a rival appearance?''
'What are you talking about Leene, what the hell are you doing?
'I'm younger than Lord Aricht, so I don't think it's appropriate for me to do that, but...'

　Igarashi-san calls out to me from behind the curtain, looking concerned. Serafina-san looks a little disappointed, but I don't know why. It's about time I got an explanation from Leene-san about this situation.

　She makes a gesture for me to listen to her. Is it something that is not good for people to hear - although it looks like she is simply enjoying teasing me.