Following Helaena of House Hoare's exclamation, Roman looked at the dark shadow before him.
At this moment, only one iron rod remained embedded in the stone on the wall; the dark shadow had vanished without a trace, but the entire area was filled with lingering black mist.
The black mist was especially thick around Roman.
The Guard and Old Jessy instantly drew their swords, staring fixedly at Roman.
Everyone had heard of an enemy attack, and upon arriving to see Roman like this, their first reaction was that he had been possessed.
However, that Servant immediately came over to explain: "It wasn't Roman! That dark shadow came to attack me; Roman saved me."
Roman was still processing the memories in his mind at this moment and didn't know what to say at all.
Seeing that everyone didn't believe him, the Servant immediately pointed to the sky: "I swear by the Seven; if there is a single lie, let the Seven bring their judgment upon me!"
This was quite a vicious oath. Hearing the Servant say this, Helaena of House Hoare immediately followed up: "What are you all standing around for? Quickly take Roman to get treated! We can discuss other matters later!"
Hearing this, Old Jessy had no choice but to take the men and carry Roman away in a flurry, while the Servant was kept behind by Helaena of House Hoare.
"Are you sure you didn't see it wrong?"
Helaena of House Hoare had been alone for too long; she usually spent her time in the family crypt speaking with her deceased family members, and Catelyn had even described her as "the old woman who talks to ghosts."
She actually somewhat hoped that the matter of the ghosts was true.
"It is absolutely true! My Lady, I watched that dark shadow lunge at me. If Roman hadn't stopped it, I would be meeting the Stranger right now!"
Hearing the Servant's words, Helaena of House Hoare felt anxious about Roman's plight on one hand, while on the other, she was filled with anticipation; she longed to see her deceased family members too much.
"If ghosts of the past could return, then perhaps Walter and the others could..."
"My Lady?" The Servant asked worriedly, seeing Helaena of House Hoare's unfocused gaze.
Helaena of House Hoare simply waved her hand. After arranging the rest of the night watch activities, she silently returned to her own room.
After the turmoil of this night, the people in the two towers were completely unable to sleep. Everyone took turns standing Guard, fearing that another ghost might run into their rooms.
Fortunately, there was only that one ghost that night, which Roman had eliminated.
As for Roman, Scholar Tom had carefully examined him and found no issues. Having no leads, he decided to go back and communicate with Helaena of House Hoare.
In Helaena of House Hoare's room, a dim candle burned with a faint light, illuminating only the area near her seat.
On Helaena of House Hoare's aged face was a rare excitement. Even though fatigue filled her body, she insisted on waiting for Scholar Tom.
"Scholar Tom, how is the boy, Roman?"
Tom shook his head: "I can't see any problems, but those black mists have been following him like a shadow. The ghosts might be real."
The Scholar's complexion was very poor; if those rumors about Harrenhal were true, then they were effectively living in the midst of a group of vengeful spirits.
Helaena of House Hoare excitedly proposed her own perspective: "Scholar, since ghosts truly exist, can we not communicate with my family through them?"
"I advise you to give up!" Scholar Tom refused sternly.
"My Lady, ghosts are inseparable from magic. You should remember how the Lothston family was destroyed!"
This sentence from the Scholar woke Helaena of House Hoare up. The excitement in her eyes slowly faded, turning into calmness.
Danelle Lothston; when she was alive, she was a famous madwoman who worshipped dark magic, held human flesh banquets, and bathed in human blood.
If it weren't for the madness of the Lothstons, it wouldn't have been the Hean Family's turn to control Harrenhal.
Scholar Tom proposed first making contact with The Citadel and having them dispatch more personnel. He believed that those scholars at The Citadel who believed in the existence of magic would be interested in Roman's deeds.
After losing the Scholar's support, sleepiness gradually took over Helaena of House Hoare's body. After chatting casually for a while, she dismissed Tom.
During the chaos of this night, Roman had not fared much better.
What he had absorbed was the ghost of a captain. This fellow had worked under "Black Harren" and had even participated in the construction of Harrenhal.
In this dream, Roman clearly understood the bloodshed of Harrenhal's construction process.
Slave labor, infants, weirwood trees—these materials, along with stone, constituted the existence of Harrenhal, and that was when the curse was laid.
And later, Aegon arrived with Balerion and burned it all to the ground.
When Roman saw dragonflame spraying onto his face in his dream, he woke up in a start.
Looking around, Roman discovered that the sun was already high in the sky.
He had no choice but to change out of his clothes soaked in cold sweat and go to find Helaena of House Hoare.
Along the way, the Servants Roman encountered were all very respectful to him. After all, someone who could kill a ghost was definitely not an ordinary person; everyone was both afraid and grateful.
When Roman arrived at Helaena of House Hoare's room, she had already been waiting for a long time.
"Child, how are you feeling?"
"Thanks to your blessing, I am fine."
Helaena of House Hoare nodded, then asked about her doubts: "Then did you encounter any other strange things later?"
Roman needed Helaena of House Hoare's help, so he recounted the ghost's memories in detail.
After hearing Roman's experience, Helaena of House Hoare fell into a long silence.
Subsequently, a trace of longing flashed deep in her eyes.
"Child, Scholar Tom has already spoken to me. These ghosts do indeed exist, and you are the first person on record to eliminate a ghost. Therefore, in the coming days, I hope you can keep watch for me. What do you think?"
Roman looked at Helaena of House Hoare's eyes and thought to himself, how could he possibly refuse this?
However, he already had this intention anyway. Helaena of House Hoare was the sole legitimate owner of Harrenhal, and she had no heirs. If the old woman were gone, everyone would have to change masters.
"Of course, My Lady. I will do my utmost to protect your safety!"
After saying these words, Roman still felt some guilt. After all, his first reaction was to preserve the assets of Harrenhal rather than the safety of Helaena of House Hoare, which made him feel ashamed of himself.
However, in Helaena of House Hoare's eyes, it was a different kind of thinking; she hoped to contact her own deceased family members through Roman.
Since the War of the Usurper, Helaena of House Hoare had spent many years in loneliness; she longed to see her family again, even if it was just a lingering soul.
The two of them, carrying their own respective plans, began the search for ghosts.
As for Tom, things were not so smooth. The people at The Citadel who did not believe in magic laughed at him, calling him insane, and saying he dared to tell lies with his eyes open just for the sake of reputation.
"Tom, I know you are not satisfied with this placement, but since a scholar is already serving a lord, don't think about these messy things. Besides, even if you are making up a story, at least choose a reasonable one, right? Ghosts? Are you trying to scare children?"
This made Tom incredibly angry. He sought out Roman, hoping to have a chance next time to go with him and cause trouble for that group of guys at The Citadel.
However, Roman had no such intention, because he had seen a heavyweight ghost.