Chapter 3: The Ghost Infant’s Wrath, Karma Fulfilled (continued)

This fear…

It was born from humanity’s innate reverence—and dread—toward the supernatural.

There was no way I could remain calm with a vengeful ghost literally living inside me.

My fingertips trembled uncontrollably, further strengthening my resolve:

I had to get this thing out of my body.

“Do you… want ice cream?” I tried to decipher the meaning behind her eerie giggle.

Maybe it was her first time in a civilized world, and everything around her sparked intense curiosity.

To calm her emotions, I bought a popsicle.

I didn’t know how to actually feed her with it, but thinking it through, maybe me eating it was enough.

The cold, creamy flavor melted in my mouth.

“Heehee~”

This time, her voice sounded gentler—at least not sharp enough to make my skin crawl.

Mama~
Happy.

I could almost see a little girl twirling in circles in delight.

Ever since being possessed, this was the new ability I’d gained—a kind of shared perception.

Heh.

That’s all it took to make you happy?

What a pushover.

So naïve.

Who would’ve thought a ghost king could be so inexperienced?

A flicker of confidence rose in me.

If she was this easy to trick, maybe I really could find a way to get her out.

Inside the hospital, I was undergoing a series of detailed examinations.

X-rays illuminated the inside of my body.

MRI scans followed, not missing a single detail.

“Giggle.”

A different kind of laugh echoed in my head.

Mama, Mama, what are you doing?

Her question was full of innocence, like a blank-slate child still learning about the world.

“Just a check-up,” I replied flatly.

She didn’t respond right away, clearly trying to process it—until she overheard the conversation between me and the doctor.

“We didn’t find anything unusual inside you.”

“Are you sure you swallowed a giant stone?”

Whoosh—

That one sentence… was like flipping a switch inside her.

Her emotions snapped violently.

A sudden surge of icy wind gushed in from the windows.
The entire building shuddered.

Overhead chandeliers swayed wildly, flickering erratically, as though straight out of a horror movie’s climax.

“Giggle.”

You lied to me—

You’re lying to me!!!

Her shrieking, grief-stricken wails echoed again and again in my mind, like a soul screaming through blood and tears.

I couldn’t help but crouch down, clutching my head like it was about to split open.

“I… didn’t…”

My voice trembled, barely audible through clenched teeth.

Beside me, the doctor finally snapped out of his daze and slapped my shoulder hard.

“What are you doing?! Get moving! It’s an earthquake, and you’re just squatting here?!”

Dark clouds spiraled in the sky above.

Flickering shadows intertwined with flashes of unnatural light.

The wind howled through hollow spaces, like a chorus of ghostly sobs.

In the blink of an eye, it felt like the end of the world had come crashing down.

I could hear terrified voices echoing through the halls, dozens of people scrambling for safety.

But in my head, the only thing screaming louder than them was her—

Her voice rising, again and again:

You lied!

You’re lying to me!!

Each accusation struck like a hammer to my skull.

The pain surged until I howled uncontrollably, clutching my head, thinking—This is it.

My skull’s about to burst.

Then suddenly…

Everything stopped.

The abnormal cold faded.

The shadows vanished.

The trembling lights steadied.

She… made no more sounds.

Her presence quieted so completely, I almost believed she had left me.

But she hadn’t.

She was still there.

I could feel her.

That was the scariest part.

Had she forgiven me?

I whispered her name twice, cautiously testing the waters.

Nothing.

Not even a ripple.

She knew.

She’d figured out that I had lied about the hospital.

If she realized that, then she must’ve also known…

My initial promise to accept her was fake too.

And yet, she didn’t react. No explosions of fury, no tearing me apart from within.

Instead, it felt eerily like—

A little girl, sitting alone, sulking in silence.

…What the hell was wrong with me?

I shook my head furiously, berating myself for even having that thought.

She was a ghost infant.

A vengeful spirit.

Not some misunderstood child.

No one knew what she was thinking right now.

And I had no clue what her silence meant.

All I knew was—

I was still alive.

Barely, but alive.

And through this incident, one fact became abundantly clear:

She might be naïve, yes.

But not stupid.

I wouldn’t be able to fool her that easily again.

*****

I spent ¥10,000 to rent an apartment near my university.

That night…

Just as I was preparing to wash up, something suddenly shimmered into existence before me.

A translucent sheet of paper hovered midair.

The characters on it—they were all written in an archaic script from a former dynasty.

Sign it.

Or die.

The message was chilling in its simplicity.

Even without her speaking, I could feel it—the killing intent rising from her like a tide.

She wasn’t playing around anymore.

If I refused…

I would die.

My hands trembled, and my throat felt dry as dust.

But I had no choice.

I picked up the pen.

And wrote my name.

Boom—!!

A golden light surged upward, piercing through the ceiling and rocketing into the sky like a beam of divine retribution.

I stared, stunned, as the old paper above me shifted.

The ancient characters morphed into layers of intricate sigils and runes—interwoven and glowing, like they were forming some kind of cosmic agreement.

Then her voice returned to my mind.

It wasn’t playful anymore.

It wasn’t childlike.

It was twisted, filled with something like triumphant grief.

Heehee… the cause and effect is sealed.

From today onward… you are my Mama.

Gone was the soft, almost naïve tone from before.

This was something darker.

Colder.

My lips curved in a bitter smile.

If I had known it would come to this…

I wouldn’t have wasted so much time struggling, wouldn’t have burned through the last bits of compassion between us.

Now, even that title—“Mama”—

It meant nothing tender anymore.

It was just a label.

To her, I wasn’t a parent.

I was a vessel.

A breeding machine.

That was all.

*****

Before sleeping, I had a habit of reviewing my day, reflecting on gains and losses.

Today, there wasn’t much to celebrate.

Now that this contract had been signed, I could only see two possible paths ahead:

1. Use the bond to continue searching for a way to rid myself of this ghost infant.
2. Or… try to regain her trust. Rebuild her goodwill. At least long enough to keep her from sabotaging me.

Because let’s face it—

She might need me for now.

But when she finally breaks free from this shell, what then?

What if she kills me just to tie up loose ends?

Who would I even cry to?

I exhaled, slowly closing my eyes and trying to rest.

But I had no idea—that a world-shaking transformation was already beginning within me.