episode_0011

The operation proposed by Asher was roughly as follows.

1. Put all of Maid A’s dresses hanging in the closet into a leather pouch.

2. Stick close to each other and when the hunting dog appears, hand over the dress you had stored to the butler.

3. They split up and run away.

It was a simple plan, but it worked.

I would have readily agreed.

Even if Asher hadn’t seriously tried to make me dress up as a woman.

“Oh, just try it on once. It would definitely suit you.”

“It must have been torn.”

“Is that so? Well, I didn’t know until I got the massage… My shoulders are a bit big.”

Her hands were flailing in the air. The movement of her long, thin fingers was somehow creepy.

“I will run away with the dress slung over my shoulders.”

“It’s a shame, but there’s nothing we can do about it.”

I helped Asher, who couldn’t let go of her obsession until the end, to put the dresses into a leather pouch.

The dress was very heavy because it was decorated with jewels. Each jewel was very beautiful, but the decorations were so messy that they made the dress look ugly.

“Butler. How does Maid A, who is just a maid, own such a dress?”

“According to what was written in the diary, she was an ordinary maid. It would be Ashe’s responsibility to find out.”

“This mansion is full of mysteries. I don’t like it. It’s like a fucking junk mansion.”

“…”

I agree.

My mouth, which was about to answer, was tightly shut.

It wasn’t a forced behavioral restriction like when Ash visited the mansion. If I had to put it into words, it would be closer to an unconditional reflex.

After finishing packing up the dress, she declared with renewed confidence.

“Okay, let’s go again. To find the happiness that guy lost!”

“I will follow.”

Thanks to understanding the hunting dog’s behavioral principles and preparing countermeasures, he was very different from right after he experienced death.

I hate to admit it, but my personality of being soft on the outside but strong on the inside shines.

Even after going through shocking adversity, Ash returns to his usual self.

Like a rubber band with strong tension, and like a stone thrown upwards.

Everything falls into place.

Hoping that this body that has escaped providence will one day find its place, I opened the door to Ashe’s room myself.

◇

After leaving Maid A’s room, we searched a number of rooms.

I searched through all the rooms, from the servants’ rooms to the reception room, but found nothing.

Then, Ashe, who had lost her temper, started to complain.

“This is really annoying. Isn’t it strange? The mansion is so clean with no people in it, and all the items are high-end.”

“You saw the servants’ resting beds in the lounge. It seems that they were as rich as they were rich.”

“That’s right… Butler, you may not know this, but if you sell just the items on the first floor, you’ll get more than the entire fortune of a certain Marquis, right?”

“Were they really that great…?”

“What’s the point of talking? Even the real sword in the leather pouch has the engraving of Hestor, the great general of the ruined country.”

In addition, the porcelain that was just passed is recorded as a national treasure of a certain country, and the landscape painting on the wall is said to be a masterpiece by a famous artist that is said to have been lost.

In this way, Asher gave passionate lectures, fully demonstrating his knowledge of humanities.

“In fact, if it weren’t for these relics… I wouldn’t have believed that the Arkaden family existed at all. I would have thought that the mansion was just talking nonsense based on that concept.”

“I see…”

Actually, at first I thought the same as Asher.

This world is a game world, so I thought they were trying to torment her by setting it as a cursed mansion.

But if Asher’s guess is correct, the story is different.

If the family called Arkaden really existed, the truth she must ultimately face is…

It would be the process by which a great family that had prospered brilliantly was wiped out of history.

“It’s unclear where the hunting dog’s happiness lies, but one thing is certain.”

“Yeah, that’s right. I’m trying to figure out why the name Arkaden was erased. ”

“The time has come to take that first step.”

Unravel the hound’s story and get new clues.

As soon as he had clearly established that goal, a subtle vibration tickled his toes. In addition, the mansion was filled with footsteps that stimulated people’s anxiety.

Thud. Thud. Thud.

Approaching from around the corner.

The stench of rotten meat serves as a precursor.

“Kahk!”

The bastard howled bitterly with his tattered vocal cords.

Then one step. Another step. The guy’s eyebrows furrow murderously as he takes in the faint scent.

The signal for war was fleeting.

“Ka, ha, kahaaah!”

“Run, Ash!”

“Eww!”

As soon as he shouted, we immediately turned around and ran.

At the same time, the hunting dog, running on all fours, gave in to its instincts and dashed fearfully behind us.

“Oh my, it’s faster than before…?!”

“The price of medicine must have gone up as much as it could.”

If this continues, I will definitely be caught. If the straight course had continued infinitely, I would have been killed without even being able to do anything.

But this operation has a goal line.

An intersection unfolded before my eyes. It was near the main entrance connecting the lobby and the gallery.

As soon as he set foot there, Asher reached into his leather pouch.

“Butler, take it!”

“Take care of yourself!”

“Yeah!”

It was when the brief greeting ended.

Flutter!

The wine-red dress flew into the air. Immediately, I grabbed the waist of the dress, draped it over my shoulders, and ran in a straight line.

“Ka… Ah…?”

Whoosh, whoosh!

The hound stopped and looked in two directions in confusion, as if confused by the sudden appearance of a strong smell.

I wonder if that’s what it’s like to be a dog chasing a chicken. We’ve already gained a considerable distance.

The hound, with sufficient intelligence to recognize the pressing time, made its choice anyway.

“Keeek!”

The one whose primary sense was smell was eventually drawn to the stronger scent. While Ashe ran away, the hound focused all its attention on me.

Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud.

“Kaaa …

The motor skills of a four-legged animal are considerable.

Doesn’t the speed of a small dog easily surpass that of a trained human?

If it weren’t for the handicap of being blind, I would have been caught long ago.

‘By the way, it’s a precise movement. No matter how good your sense of smell is, it’s unrealistic to drive without bumping into anything.’

It was a wonderful performance.

Even while engaging in a chase, not a single decoration is touched, and only the open road is walked on.

It was a driving method that was practically miraculous.

‘Ashe must have some income…’

Asher, who came from outside, had a wide range of knowledge and was quite intelligent. I hate to admit it, but I think he figured out a lot of things on his own.

If only my safety is guaranteed, I will find an answer that is worth the hardship.

If it’s time, I can drag it out as much as I want.

Strangely enough, I didn’t feel out of breath.

I didn’t know the limits of my physical strength because I had no experience in long-distance running. In fact, I thought that if I set my mind to speeding up, I could completely outrun the hounds.

It was just a matter of maintaining an appropriate interval to buy time.

‘What a convenient body. Did Arkaden’s butler also serve as a knight?’

It was a time when I was trying to deduce my own identity.

I was struck by the sight as soon as I turned the corner.

It’s a very small thing that catches your eye.

He was a little kid who could barely reach out and grab the bottom of his pants.

“What…?!”

For a moment, I was shocked.

As soon as I recognized it as a child, I saw nothing but the figure of a child covered in noise.

Within seconds the figure made a noise-like sound.

“That’s a foul, de.”

Strange speech patterns and incomprehensible remarks.

I had a burning desire to dig into its identity, but my body refused to move any further.

Even so, the time it stopped was only a few seconds.

It was a moment more than enough for the hounds to catch up.

Kkwaduk!

A tangled omen cut through the darkness.

◇

A kitchen full of ingredients is cool.

The vegetables stayed fresh, and the aged meat stimulated the salivary glands.

Asher swallowed hard and then realized that he hadn’t eaten since he’d been to the mansion.

I don’t feel hungry.

It must be the influence of the eerie mansion.

Still, his appetite was not lost, so Asher left the kitchen, eating a crunchy tomato.

“There’s no blue scarf here either… Did I get it wrong? ”

If it’s a misreading, it’s a shame for the butler. It’s no different from making him suffer in vain by using him as bait.

Moreover, it was a tragedy that brought back all the worries accumulated so far to their starting point.

“Sigh, I guess I’ll go to the break room and collect my thoughts.”

If you search the fireplace one more time, you might find something.

It’s not that I’m trying to waste time lazily. It’s just that I’ve opened every room I can find, but I haven’t found anything to gain.

However, hope also rose.

The fact that nothing has popped out even after walking around here means that at least the enemies on the first floor are hunting dogs.

This alone made me feel like I was one step closer to my goal.

“… Huh?”

That must have been the case.

A sense of relief was sinking inside Asher.

Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud.

I hear a sound.

It was a sound of footsteps that should never be heard.

As the source of the sound got closer, the smell of rotting flesh began to vibrate.

“This… why…?”

Asher stared at the corner of the hound’s mouth as he backed away.

Remnants of the gem, ground to a fine powder. And a wine-red cloth.

Traces of torn and shattered dresses were everywhere around the bastard’s mouth.

“Butler…?”