The Haunted House's Shadow

"What did you say?!"

The old guildmaster shot to his feet.

"That brat took Lize to the Sairiel Haunted House? Why didn't you tell me sooner?!"

"I only just found out myself, old friend."

Sereck's face was full of helplessness and wry amusement.

"I was going to find them and ask what this little fellow planned to do next, but it turned out neither of them was there. Later, I learned that the boy had gone to City Hall and spent five hundred gold coins to buy the Sairiel Haunted House. I have to say, if nothing else, I'm optimistic about his future just based on his courage."

"This is nonsense. Utter nonsense."

The old guildmaster slapped the table.

"That place isn't somewhere just anyone can go. Go and bring them back at once!"

"Too late. They've already gone inside."

Sereck shook his head, but soon a smile appeared on his face.

"But speaking of which, old friend, why are you in such a hurry? Haven't you always hated this sort of thing, with people breaking the mercenary rules? Isn't this perfect? If the two of them disappear in the haunted house, their mercenary group will be disbanded immediately. That would free up a slot for you. Why not just let them do as they please?"

"That's one thing, and this is another."

The old guildmaster frowned and grumbled in displeasure.

"That boy is the head of a mercenary group now. What kind of leader doesn't take his responsibilities seriously? All right, Sereck, I hope you'll stop making snide remarks and go bring those two ignorant kids back. There may still be time."

"Don't be so tense, old friend. Perhaps things aren't as bad as you imagine."

"What do you mean?"

Hearing Sereck speak so calmly, the old guildmaster looked puzzled. From what he knew of Sereck, the swordmaster wasn't the sort of person to care only about profit and act without compassion. Yet his words clearly seemed to imply something.

"Nothing in particular."

Faced with the old guildmaster's curious question, Sereck merely smiled and spread his hands with an air of elegance.

"You've never crossed swords with him, so you may not understand him. I'm different... Perhaps this young man could work a miracle. If he dared to go, then he must have confidence in himself. We only need to watch quietly from the sidelines. Didn't you tell Lize this was a gamble? She's taken the gamble, and so must we. The Sairiel Haunted House is in the Upper District. Our Mercenary Association has never found a suitable opportunity to gain access to that place. If this young man can claim the house, that will be good for us, too. Besides, I think he believes he can do it."

"He's just got the arrogance and conceit peculiar to young people."

The old guildmaster didn't seem to agree with Sereck.

"There are plenty of idiots who think they're invincible just because they're a little stronger than the rest."

"There are plenty of geniuses, too."

Sereck cheerfully picked up where he left off.

"We don't yet know if this young man is an idiot or a genius, but I think we'll find out soon enough."

"I just think this is all a little... over the top."

The old guildmaster raised his eyes and looked at Sereck with a hint of gloom.

"Honestly, if you hadn't spent the last few decades cooped up in Deepstone City, I'd suspect that boy was related to you somehow, considering how protective you are of him."

"I'd certainly like to be related to him."

Sereck sighed wearily at the old guildmaster's teasing.

"I'm old. I didn't feel it until yesterday. I never thought I'd be forced to go all out by a kid like that. When I think about what I was doing at his age, then look at the children these days... Don't you think people like us have fallen a little behind the times?"

"But history will still have a place for us."

The old guildmaster said casually as he picked up his pen.

"Young people have their glory, and we have our pride. It's not time for you to admit you're old yet... All right, since you have such faith in that brat, I won't interfere for now. But if there's still no news after three days, be ready to take a party there and collect the bodies."

In the gloomy, dim corridor, the rotten floorboards creaked under the weight.

Although the Sairiel Haunted House was infamous for its terror, as a building in the Upper District, it had been decorated to a high standard. The dark red velvet carpets, elegant sculptures, solid wood furnishings, and crystal chandeliers had all once shown visitors its splendor and beauty—when they were still clean and lovely, of course.

But now the curtains were full of holes and swayed in the wind blowing through the shattered windows. The furniture was broken, and the chandelier had crashed to the floor, leaving a deep crater in the once-luxurious flooring. Cobwebs covered the oil paintings everywhere one looked. It was a scene with a certain unconventional beauty—but clearly not the sort that came from anything improving.

The sight might have been quite artistic in its own way, had the noise that followed not ruined the effect.

"Crash."

Rhode brushed the dust off his hands, then tossed aside the fragments of the wooden table that had just been reduced to a heap of junk beneath his feet. Behind him, Lize watched him in alarm.

"M-Mr. Rhode, what are you doing?"

"Cleaning."

He gestured for the Soul Bird to use its powerful wind to sweep away the accumulated dust. Only then did Rhode turn around and say to Lize in his usual stern, expressionless voice, as if it were nothing at all:

"This place hasn't been lived in for years, so these things should be taken out and thrown away... We can't make our mercenary group's headquarters as fussy as a nobleman's mansion. Simple is best... Hmm, though this carpet is pretty good quality. We can keep it. What do you think?"

"M-Mr. Rhode!"

Lize was on the verge of tears. Rhode really did look like a homeowner who had just bought a new house and come to arrange the furnishings. He looked here and there, picking things out and deciding what to keep, without seeming the least bit stressed. Lize, on the other hand, had been on edge ever since they entered. The haunted house's grim reputation had left the poor girl so jumpy that even the wind lifting a curtain or the faintest rustle frightened her badly. It wasn't really her fault. During mercenary missions, Lize had faced life-or-death situations many times, but those involved enemies she could see and touch, so she could keep her composure. Now, inside this haunted house, she had no idea what the enemy looked like or where it might come from. Looking at the dilapidated mansion, she couldn't help feeling uneasy.

Rhode took in the girl's reaction but said nothing. He knew the sequence of events in this quest very well. When he first started it, he'd cautiously searched every corner of the house with his weapon in hand, afraid a monster might suddenly appear. Even Rhode hadn't expected the danger here to emerge at the most unimaginable moment, in the most unacceptable way. To be honest, even now, thinking back to that moment sent a chill through him. It was the first time he'd ever been so badly frightened in a game.

Rhode had only pretended to clean. Although he'd already received the deed to the property from City Hall, the mercenary group construction system still didn't recognize this place as a headquarters. That meant he hadn't completely dealt with the haunted house yet. That was why he'd brought Lize here. First, he wanted to claim the property once and for all. Second... this would help Lize improve her skills. She was his only subordinate at the moment, so he had to make sure she kept pace with him. But Lize wasn't a player, and of course he couldn't simply tell her, "Come on, there's a quest here. Get ready to earn some experience and level up." NPCs in the game had their own way of leveling up, quite unlike players. So, aside from being patient, Rhode had only one option: keep the innocent, unfortunate girl in the dark and trick her into coming along. It wasn't as though she had any other choice.

The sun sank in the west.

Darkness fell over the house, which had already seemed gloomy. Now it looked as if it had been painted in thick, dark strokes, so shadowy that its edges blurred into the night. Only the fire burning in the center of the hall gave the gloomy place a little light and warmth.

"Mr. Rhode, I think we should go back. We can tidy up tomorrow."

As the sky darkened, Lize grew more and more uneasy. It wasn't physical pain, but an instinctive oppression. It was as if some indescribable danger were gathering beneath a thick sheet of ice, waiting to break free at any moment.

"No need. We can rest here. This is our headquarters now, after all."

Rhode saw Lize's unease but said nothing. He knew she must be feeling awful. The moment they entered this area, he'd received a system notification: Entered an Evil Region.

For pure angels, an Evil Region was a terrible enemy. The eternal opposition between good and evil meant that each side would strike its nemesis with all its might on the other's territory. Lize was now within the range of an Evil Region's influence, which was why she seemed so fragile and uneasy. But she was a Half-Angel, with human blood as well, so she could at least hold out without her condition worsening.

It was about time.

He casually reassured Lize while carefully recalling the details of this quest from his previous playthrough. Then he reached out and silently summoned a crimson card.

"Clang..."

Just then, a low, resonant chime rang out.