Chapter 24: Arrival at the Camp, Yulenka, Maria

Inside the car, Louis sat in the back, his tense body finally beginning to relax as the town of Ravensfair grew smaller in the distance. Having faced a powerful ghost for the first time, he had to admit that he had been genuinely nervous—especially given his current state of being a young child.

Louis patted the idol tucked inside his clothes, feeling a sense of comfort. He watched the receding town, his eyes narrowing slightly. He knew that in the near future, he would return. But for now, the plan was to head to their destination, deal with Esther, and proceed step by step.

Thinking of this, Louis inadvertently glanced at Esther, who was sitting on the other side of the car, separated from him by another person. Esther seemed to notice his gaze; she looked at Louis, then immediately turned her head away without a word. However, her noticeably heavy breathing did not escape the attention of Emma, who had been watching her closely.

Emma immediately wore a look of schadenfreude and gave Louis a thumbs-up. Louis chuckled to himself, shook his head, and returned the gesture. When it came to dealing with Esther, he had clearly become Emma’s friend—though, in truth, they had always been “friends.”

In the front seat, David was focused on driving, while Angela was busy on her phone, constantly speaking to people who sounded like other women. She remained completely oblivious to the small drama unfolding in the back.

...

Mississippi, Klana Campground.

The campground was located in the northern part of Mississippi. Because of the abundance of lakes in the area, there were many such sites, drawing numerous immigrants and tourists who came to enjoy the scenery or even settle down. Klana Campground was one of them, and there was a small town nearby. By midday, a car slowly rolled into the area.

“Klana Town, finally here.”

Louis observed the streets. There were plenty of pedestrians, many driving cars or carrying suitcases. Their clothing was light and breezy, and the various shops were bustling with business; it seemed quite prosperous.

David first took everyone to find a hotel to settle in, then began making preparations for camping at Klana Lake. Most of the supplies could be purchased within the town. As for Louis, he began gathering information about the area—a habit he had developed in his past life. He believed in mastering intelligence, especially when entering an unfamiliar environment.

Fortunately, Louis had a very appealing appearance: messy black hair, a high bridge of his nose, crystal-blue eyes, and soft, youthful cheeks full of collagen. He looked like an adorable young boy, which was quite attractive to older women. He easily obtained everything he wanted to know.

“Seems like a very ordinary town, though there are quite a few campgrounds scattered all over the place,” Louis thought, stroking his chin.

That was fine. It gave him time to think about how to get rid of Esther. Forget it, keep it simple—he would just find an opportunity to lure her out and make her accidentally fall into the water.

...

Meanwhile, Emma and Esther were also busy with their own agendas.

Emma skipped to the front desk and, using the best weapon a child possessed, obtained the information she wanted. Upon learning that the hotel had a computer, her smile grew even brighter.

Esther, on the other hand, wandered around the hotel, listening to the conversations of the guests. When she heard rumors about a haunted location and a student who had jumped from a building in an abandoned classroom, she too began to smile.

Elsewhere, David, who had been out buying supplies with Angela, suddenly bumped into someone.

It was a mother and daughter. The girl had blonde hair, fair skin, and wore her hair in two braids; she looked cheerful and lively. Her mother was something else entirely—endowed with an impressive figure, yet with a surprisingly innocent expression on her face. She was quite beautiful.

“Sorry, are you alright?” David helped the little girl up. He took a few candies from his pocket and handed them to her.

The girl took them and smiled at David, “I’m fine. Is the uncle here for vacation, too?”

“Yes, I heard the scenery here is nice, so I came to take a look.”

After exchanging a few more words, the mother behind the girl remained silent, only looking at David with a seductive gaze. David felt a flush of heat, but he remembered why he was there, so he spoke a few more words and hurried off with Angela.

Yolunka watched David’s retreating back and suddenly smiled. “Mature, kind, and it looks like he has money, too.”

“Mom, what do you think?”

The mother behind her blushed and lowered her head in embarrassment. Yolunka understood immediately.

“Hmm, this hotel...” She took a long, deep look at the building. “Let’s go, Mom. We should head to the school.”

The two walked away. The direction they were heading was precisely toward the lake where Klana Campground was located. There, a girls’ church school stood.

...

Perhaps because the incident from the night before had exposed his methods, Esther was now actively avoiding him. Even when Louis tried to feign weakness, Esther never gave him a chance to be alone with her. Meanwhile, Emma was being mysterious, and he had no idea what she was up to.

For a full half-day, Louis failed to find a single opportunity to dispose of Esther without anyone noticing.

Just then, David returned. “Let’s go, kids! Next up, we’re going camping!”

Louis clapped along in cooperation.

...

Soon, they arrived at the campground. There was a beautiful lake here, and the grass was dotted with many tents, presumably belonging to other campers. After David gave a few instructions, he followed Angela toward the center of the camp, unable to contain his excitement.

There, women of various complexions—some curvaceous, some glamorous—were chatting.

Seeing this, Emma’s eyes turned cold. As for Esther, there was no need to mention her; that was a look that truly wanted to kill.

Louis’s mouth twitched. He felt like trouble was brewing. *Forget it, let nature take its course. But as for Emma’s "correction," I’ll make sure to follow up on it today!*

That night, inside the tent, Emma had nightmares, breaking out in a cold sweat and murmuring something in her sleep, seemingly cursing someone.

The next day, David continued his dates, though he had swapped to a few different women. Emma gave Louis a timid look and began writing and drawing on a piece of paper, though it was unclear what she was doing. Esther sat in front of the tent the whole time, coldly watching David’s side of the camp...

Louis couldn't keep his focus on them forever. At that moment, he was busy using pine resin to create the secret oil for the cantrip-level Fire Taming Art. This oil allowed the body to remain in contact with flames for a long time without being burned, and it was a shortcut to mastering the art.

*Rustle, rustle.*

The bushes moved. Louis’s movements froze. He picked up a wooden stick from the ground and threw it hard in that direction.

“Ah!”

A girl’s voice cried out. A second later, a very pretty girl with blue-gray eyes ran out, clutching her head.

*Thump!*

She tripped over a rock and fell down. Yet, she didn't cry out.

???

Louis frowned, walked over, and reached out his hand.

The girl shrank back timidly. Seeing that Louis did not pull his hand back, as if confirming something, she finally took it and stood up.

Seeing her like this, Louis felt a bit dazed, as if he had returned to Emilia’s manor, to that tiny, dark room.

“Hello, I’m Louis.”

“H-hello, I’m Maria.”