"Oh? This young monk also wishes to help us drive out the evil spirit? That couldn't be better."
The old steward nodded.
Though he said it couldn't be better, inwardly, he paid little heed to Li Xia or the other two monks, one old and one young.
Over the past two years, especially in recent months, evil spirits had frequently appeared in the Castle at night. Many wandering monks and Miko had come after hearing of it, hoping to rid the city of that evil spirit once and for all.
But every time those monks and Miko "repelled" the evil spirit, they would "leave without saying goodbye."
They would be treated to fine food and drink the night before, only to vanish without a trace early the next morning.
Then the hideous Demon those monks and Miko had defeated would appear again and make its comeback.
After this happened repeatedly, the people in the Castle gradually came to see monks and Miko as experts at "scrounging free food and drink."
But their merciful Lord of the Castle and kind princess had both instructed them to treat monks and Miko well. Giving them a meal or two was no problem. After all, their Castle could feed the city's thousand-odd residents; a few extra mouths now and then hardly mattered.
Fortunately, the evil spirit's dozens of nighttime attacks had rarely caused casualties among ordinary people.
That evil spirit generally only caused destruction and seldom killed anyone.
This was also the main reason the Castle had not fallen into ruin.
"You three, here is what happened..."
After recounting the evil spirit's origins, the old steward drank tea with a worried expression while keeping an eye on the time. The three had gained a general understanding of the situation, and the old monk and