#0 Ridge Mansion

In Narak-dong, there’s a mountain in an adjacent area that’s about as steep as a gentle hill.

Even in this city shrouded in fog, there was a mountain to the north where residential areas clustered.

While the general direction was roughly similar, it certainly didn’t resemble the mountain in Narak-dong.

This mountain looked much steeper and rougher.

Following the paper’s guidance, I passed through the residential area and ascended the mountain.

The destination was located slightly below the halfway point, near the ridge.

It didn’t take very long to arrive.

The place I arrived at.

A large Western-style mansion built on a gentle plain on the ridge.

The paper in my hand pointed to this mansion.

‘I can feel demonic energy here too… but I can’t quite tell….’

Since demonic energy was felt everywhere, I couldn’t be sure.

But looking at this mansion, I felt a strange, ominous aura.

There wasn’t any specific basis for it; it was more like an exorcist’s intuition.

I don’t know what’s inside, but there’s definitely some clue.

When I rang the mansion’s doorbell, someone opened the door a moment later.

Wow.

It was a maid.

A real maid.

Not the mini-skirt maids from fiction, but a truly antique-feeling one.

I never expected to see such a traditional maid.

“Oh my, what a beautiful guest you are. Welcome. I will guide you to the master.”

The bright brown-haired, short-haired maid bowed her head with a cheerful smile.

And without even asking for my identity, she immediately guided me into the mansion.

Having come this far, I couldn’t turn back.

I followed the maid inside.

* * *

Inside the mansion, I also felt a floating demonic aura and demonic energy.

Perhaps it was just my imagination, but it felt stronger than outside, though I still couldn’t be certain.

“So, you, too, came through that ‘fog,’ didn’t you, guest? How did you end up in that ‘fog’? More importantly, guest, you’re so pretty and your skin is so smooth. What cosmetics do you use? Huh? You didn’t use anything? My goodness, really?!”

The maid was a more cheerful person than I expected.

As we walked down the hallway, she chattered incessantly, so I responded appropriately.

However, there was quite a lot of explicit content that only women would know, which made me feel even more awkward. It’s not like I could reveal that I’m actually a man in this situation.

By the way, putting aside talk of cosmetics, do people usually ask about what kind of underwear you wear or your menstrual cycle? …I’ve never had ‘girl talk’ before, so I don’t know. And there’s a limit to how much I can just play along.

As my awkwardness grew, unsure of what to do, it seemed we had finally arrived at our destination.

The previously chatty maid-ssi suddenly adopted a solemn expression and knocked on the door.

“Master, another guest has arrived.”

A moment later, the reply ‘Come in’ was heard.

Maid-ssi opened the door and gestured for me to enter.

It was a space closer to a study or an office than a reception room.

The master of this mansion was sitting at a desk inside.

Perhaps he was bored; he was in the middle of building a card tower in front of him.

“Alright, just a moment… could you wait? It’s almost finished, you see? Ah, guest, please have a seat on that sofa over there. I’ll be done in a moment.”

What on earth was he doing?

I felt a bit bewildered, but I was the uninvited guest, after all.

For now, I decided to wait patiently. …More importantly, this sofa is so soft.

While he continued to build his card tower, I cautiously scanned the room.

My demonic energy detection still wasn’t functioning properly. However, that wasn’t the only way to find demons and aberrations.

When there are demons difficult to detect with demonic energy sensing, there’s also a way to find them by observing directly with one’s eyes.

I briefly looked around using that method, but still, there was no evidence that this man was a demon or an aberration.

In that case, was the opponent human? …No, it’s too early to conclude. I shouldn’t let my guard down.

“Ah…!”

Just as I was reaching that conclusion, the card tower, whose last floor was being built, collapsed helplessly.

The cards scattered everywhere, falling onto the office floor beneath the desk. One card fluttered and slid to my feet.

With a small sigh, I picked up the card. No demonic energy was felt; it was just a regular playing card that could be found anywhere.

“I’ll help you.”

“Oh dear, I’m sorry. Thank you. Not only did I make you wait, but now I’m even receiving help like this.”

The man bowed apologetically and hastily gathered the playing cards scattered on the floor.

Then he even bumped his head on the desk, letting out an ‘Ack!’ sound. He seemed clumsy overall.

I also helped pick up the fallen cards.

By the way, the cards had quite unusual patterns. They also looked expensive.

As I picked up the cards, their patterns naturally caught my eye. I wasn’t particularly interested, as I’m not fond of card games.

“Wow, you saved me. I’m sorry for making you wait.”

After finishing tidying the cards, the man sat on the sofa opposite where I had been sitting. I also sat on the sofa, and we faced each other.

Despite his shabby attire, the man looked large and sturdy. However, his demeanor and face seemed gentle and mild, yet at the same time, his presence felt faint.

A face you might commonly see on the street. One that you’d quickly forget after passing by.

The man introduced himself as the Chairman.

The Chairman who manages the surrounding area.

I thought there might be a slightly different title for him, but it wasn’t something worth pointing out.

The maid-ssi from earlier returned and placed a cup in front of each of us.

It was warm, steaming black tea. It had a sweet floral scent.

“The aroma is nice, isn’t it? Have some. It’s my favorite tea. And our maid is quite good at making tea.”

Without showing it, I secretly checked if something had been put into the black tea with a spell.

…There was something inside. 

There was clearly something that wasn’t a tea ingredient.

‘So openly… are they making a fool of me? Should I just kill them?’

At this point, it was completely black. If so, it was possible to just attack and exterminate them right here.

I thought that for a moment, but I smiled without showing any hint that I knew anything.

This man was clearly suspicious.

However, there was also a possibility that he wasn’t a demon, but simply a human with sinister intentions.

To put something suspicious in the tea-even if he’s human, he’s clearly trash, but it would be troublesome if I accidentally killed him.

“Chairman-nim. There’s something I’d like to ask you.”

So, for now, I decided to play the role of ‘a woman who knows nothing’ and observe the situation.

It’s fine. I’m a top-tier exorcist, a rather extraordinary one. I’m a special exorcist, even called a genius.

In my hand, I had an exorcism talisman hidden, ready to attack the opponent at any time. In case of emergency, I could just smash and grind everything to dust.

‘……?’

…Huh… but somehow… my head feels a little….

* * *

Wol-ryeong didn’t just thoughtlessly trot into the mansion.

Wasn’t it the place indicated by the survey paper that guided her through the fog?

She wasn’t foolish enough to step into such a place without any thought.

She had meticulously protected her body and mind beforehand with various talismans and protective spells, preparing for battle at any moment.

She had also concealed her spiritual power, thoroughly disguising herself to appear like an ordinary person.

As a top-tier exorcist, her elaborate disguise could never be seen through by ordinary colleagues or even demons.

She had taken various precautions, but the reason Wol-ryeong could boldly step into what seemed like the heart of enemy territory was because she had exceptional confidence in her own power.

Wol-ryeong is one of only three top-tier exorcists in the country. She is also the youngest exorcist to reach that top tier.

To date, there had been no demon she couldn’t exterminate with her top-tier power.

Even if the situation went wrong, she was confident she could overpower and utterly crush everything with her strength.

She was filled with such confidence.

“I see. So you came to find the missing women and, at the same time, investigate the fog. I understand what you’ve said, but there are many parts that I, personally, don’t quite grasp. I don’t know anything about it. It’s unfortunate about the missing women, but they’re not in my memory. Are you sure those people really came here? Did you investigate properly before coming?”

“…….”

“And the fog story is similar. While the fog you mentioned is visible here, I don’t know what that fog is, and I don’t even know what its cause is to begin with──”

As the man, the Chairman, was speaking at length, the short-haired maid who had been standing behind him the whole time moved behind Wol-ryeong.

And she grabbed Wol-ryeong’s slender shoulders and gently shook her back and forth.

Although she only shook her lightly, Wol-ryeong showed no reaction.

The maid extended her hand from Wol-ryeong’s shoulders to her nape, then to her arm, and then to her chest. Even as she kneaded her body over her clothes, Wol-ryeong still showed no reaction.

Her eyes were open, but they were blank and unfocused, as if she were dazed.

“Master, it seems she’s fallen.”

“Indeed. It took a bit longer than I expected, though.”

-Well, it’s about this much.

The Chairman, who had been wearing a troubled expression just moments before, suddenly bared his teeth with a sinister grin.

His seemingly harmless demeanor instantly flipped, transforming into the face of a fierce demon.