"Ghost, you wait here. You don't have any clothes on. I'll get you some clothes." Locke told her.
"Clothes? You mean this?" Suddenly, a magical light began covering her body before turning into a pair of simple clothes. Locke almost backpedaled in shock, but managed to control himself.
"Very good. Always wear clothes, okay?" Locke said with a forced smile. The girl, who named herself Ghost nodded with a beaming smile on her face.
'She really is a child.' Locke thought to himself. 'But how is she alive? Or rather, is she even the same girl? Perhaps she was reborn or something like me? Too many questions, too few answers. Magic is something I am completely illiterate about.'
"Ghost, what do you have for food?" Locke asked, trying to figure out what kind of creature she was.
"Food? Oh, Ghost's food is there!" She pointed towards the sun as she waved her hands.
'So she's like a plant? Photosynthetic?' Locke wondered.
"What do you want to do now?" Locke asked as she suddenly began to sniff him like a dog.
"Ghost will follow Locke. Ghost will follow Locke! Ghost will follow Locke!" The girl began to merrily jump around like a child while circling around him causing him to feel embarrassed. Was he really going to babysit a child? But, his rational side soon considered the benefits. Ghost seemed to have magical powers, perhaps he could raise her to be a dependable lackey?
"When I'm going around, I can't let others see you with me. What will you do then?" Locke asked again.
"Ghost can hide!" Suddenly, the girl transformed into dust particles before they arrived on Locke's hand and formed a simple bracelet.
"You can transform?" Locke thought in shock.
"Ghost is a good girl!" Locke surprisingly heard her thoughts directly!
Locke was getting shocked by the minute, but eventually calmed down.
"Okay, I will teach you how to talk and behave properly. Will you listen obediently?" Locke asked. In response, he could literally feel that she was vigorously nodding her head in agreement. He realized that this girl was not ordinary, if she even was a girl.
Having made this discovery and securing Ghost on his wrist, Locke returned to the mansion. Along the way, Locke ended up constantly chatting with Ghost. Most of the discussion went along the lines of Ghost mentally pointing at an object and going 'woah, what is that?', followed by Locke's simple explanation.
Locke realized that Ghost was actually a quick learner. Even if her starting point was very low, she could quickly grasp concepts and apply them.
When he returned to the mansion, he went directly to meet Trive. Trive was currently reading through scrolls and scratching his head.
"Oh Locke, you're here! Please help me out! I don't understand anything here!" Trive sighed in relief.
Locke nodded. "Do you want me to explain the details of the scroll?"
"You know this already right? What's the point of me wasting my time on it? You can handle it all." Trive waved his hands.
"But this is the budgeting acounts. We are doing very poorly now. Every decision would be extremely important." Locke replied in a worried tone.
Trive shook his head. "Locke, I trust you! I know that you put the well-being of this Barony above everything else! I need to do more of things that suit my abilities!" He explained as he slapped Locke's shoulder. "I'll depend on you for the details. Just inform me about the big picture!"
Locke sighed and nodded. Inwardly he was grinning. This was exactly what he wanted.
"Trive, your position is still very unstable. You can't be complacent anymore." Locke seriously said.
"What do you mean? Is Jain, that stupid cripple actually planning something?" Trive asked with worry.
"They could be. To be honest, I heard rumors in the town about the dungeon guards are actually unhappy that Baron Mith abandoned Jain as the heir." Locke said.
"What should I do?" Trive asked. He was a complete political novice. He didn't know what moves he should take.
Locke thought for a moment. "Currently Jain has lost the confidence of the Baron, but the world doesn't necessarily know about that. You should spread rumors about Jain's 'amazing' battle."
Trive smiled. "Haha, that is a good idea."
"Okay, I'll go back to study the scrolls now." Locke changed the subject, taking his leave.
Back in the library, Locke saw Hess going through accounting scrolls. He looked at Locke and sighed.
"Trive..." Locke began, "abandoned all the details to me."
Hess shook his head. "I suspected this from the beginning. Trive is the most unsuitable of the Baron's children. Thankfully he has you. Sometimes I forget that you are only fourteen."
"How is the Baron doing?" Locke asked.
"He is planning to leave for the Capital. He wishes to stay there for a few years." Hess sighed. "I too shall leave with him."
Locke raised his eyes, stunned by the revelation. However, he quickly began to think. "Is the Baron planning to build power in the capital?"
Hess smiled. "Every noble, from Baron to Duke has their people in the capital. With the Mith Barony's reputation tarnished in the Capital Court, the Baron has decided to go and handle the politics there. He truly cares about the Mith legacy more than everything else."
Locke understood the point, however he had his suspicions that the matter was not so simple. With the Baron heading to the capital, it provides Locke greater influence over the Barony, but makes his ability to scheme against the Baron much more difficult.
After he finished his work, Locke returned to his room, allowing Ghost to turn back into a human form. She began picking up objects in the room and analyzing them, before rushing to the window to feel the sun on her body as she swung around. Locke quietly sat down on a chair, thinking about his moves forward as he observed Ghost swaying around like a playful little girl.
