131. To Get a Cheap, Big House, You Have to Take Risks

“Shion, where did you go last night?”

“Well, you see…”

“You said you were going to the Magic Tower.”

“Ended up running into Leah somehow.”

“Did you sleep over? No, if that was the case, you should’ve told me in advance. I stayed up all night worrying something bad had happened to you.”

I ended up making Yuria worry all night.

Given how often I get into trouble outside, it was understandable.

“As long as you’re safe, that’s what matters. Come on in.”

“Sorry for making you worry.”

“It’s fine. Just get inside.”

As we entered the house, Marin was preparing breakfast, and Olivia was getting ready to go out.

She said she was heading to the Druid Society for lute lessons again today.

“Olivia, have you improved at all?”

“Yes… I’ll be able to play properly for you soon.”

“Looking forward to it.”

Seems like she’s gotten a lot better.

She promised to play for me first once she could perform properly, so I’m excited.

Just the thought of hearing Earth’s music in this world gives me a fresh wave of emotion.

“Oh, right. Yuria.”

“Hm? What?”

“Once we sell the giant corpse and get some money, should we move?”

“Where to?”

“I was thinking of buying a slightly bigger house.”

“Hmm. For all of us to live together?”

“Yeah.”

Yuria’s house isn’t small, but it’d be hard to fit more people in.

If the number of slaves increases or something, it’ll get cramped. So, I figured it’d be better to move to a bigger place quickly when we have the money.

“Hmm. If we’re moving anyway, why not go for a really huge house?”

“Does this city even have a really huge house?”

“It does. There’s one as big as a mansion.”

“Isn’t it expensive? If it’s too pricey, it might be a problem.”

“It’s not that expensive. No, actually, it’s cheap.”

The moment I heard it was cheap, I instinctively realized-

This house has problems. Is it a haunted property?

“They say ghosts appear there. No, not just rumors-it’s real.”

“A haunted house? That explains why it’s cheap.”

“Yeah. But Shion… you can exorcise them, right? Even the Church’s exorcist priests gave up on it, but you could handle it, couldn’t you?”

Me, Shion-immune to most curses thanks to the baptism of the Three Evil Witches, able to see, touch, and even slash spirits with my Spirit Eye, and capable of capturing and sealing most spiritual entities with Soul Chains. The one and only in the Labyrinth City.

“I can. So, where is it?”

“Took the bait right away.”

“Ghosts are no match for me. Unless it’s some god-tier entity, I can handle it.”

“Hahahaha. You’re so confident. Then let’s drop Olivia off at the Druid Society and head straight to the Cursed Mansion. Oh, Olivia, do you want to come too?”

“Ah, n-no! Absolutely not..!”

“Alright. I won’t take you. Don’t be too scared.”

“Okay…”

Olivia sighed in relief.

“My heart’s racing!”

“Aren’t you scared of ghosts?”

“Not at all! I’m a slime, so I’ll be fine.”

“I guess that makes sense.”

Do slimes not get attacked by ghosts? Are they treated like monsters?

It was a bit puzzling, but if Marin says she’s fine, then it’s probably fine.

“Great. Then the three of us will go explore the mansion.”

“Sure.”

“Yay! An outing!”

And so, Yuria, Marin, and I decided to explore the Cursed Mansion.

But thinking about it, there’s one problem.

“Ah, I have to go to the Martial Hall.”

“Huh? Really? Can’t go to the mansion today?”

“Well. Hmm.”

Going to the Martial Hall to get beaten half to death by Gon while honing my senses VS Exploring a haunted mansion with Yuria and Marin.

“But I heard some people already have their eyes on it.”

“Eyes on it? Even though it’s haunted?”

“Yeah. Apparently, a few teams from outside the city are targeting the mansion.”

“Seriously?”

“If we’re late, we might miss out. And the owners tend to die from some incident roughly every five years. If we miss this chance, we’ll have to wait another five years to buy it.”

The owners apparently die from the mansion’s curse in about five years. So if we don’t buy it now, we’ll have to wait at least five more years.

Sure, catching arrows with my Dimensional Pouch is important, but securing a cheap base is also a big deal.

Let’s get there before anyone else and claim it.

******

We arrived at the mansion with the land manager.

Since the owners kept dying one after another, the mansion’s ownership had shifted from individuals to the city.

No one wanted to buy it, so it naturally became city property. They tried demolishing it a few times but failed repeatedly, and now it’s just left abandoned, waiting for some poor soul to take the bait.

‘Looks fine to me.’

The exterior seemed fine, but the mansion had an eerie vibe.

But we weren’t the only visitors. Those must be the people Yuria mentioned-others looking to buy the mansion cheap.

“Huh? Leo-nim?”

“What? Why are you here…”

Among them was a familiar-looking blond delinquent, so I called out-it was Leo.

Seriously, what are the odds? This guy is everywhere I go.

“Isn’t that Leah’s brother?”

“Yeah. Guess he’s here to buy the mansion.”

“Hey! You there. Sorry, but give up on this mansion.”

At Yuria’s words, Leo and his group stared at us like we were spouting nonsense.

“Why should we give it up?”

“That’s ridiculous.”

“Hey, redhead. I don’t know who you are, but we have every right to buy this mansion.”

“Yeah. Stop causing trouble for no reason!”

Leo’s group collectively dismissed Yuria’s warning.

Typical outsiders-they don’t even recognize Yuria.

“Guys, this mansion is haunted.”

“Hah? Haunted? Never heard that.”

“Trying to scare us off so you can buy it, huh?”

“Ugh. Idiots. I’m telling you, ghosts show up here.”

“Idiots? Listen to this bitch running her mouth!”

“Leo-nim! Say something!”

“…Everyone, calm down. Let me handle this.”

After calming his group, Leo approached us.

His expression was stiff-probably scared Yuria might pull a knife or something.

Seems Leo already knows how dangerous Yuria is in this city.

Likely, they had some interactions during the two weeks I was in the labyrinth.

Yuria mostly stayed at the guild while I was gone, so they must’ve crossed paths whether they wanted to or not.

Since keeping an eye on Leah is Leo’s job and hobby, if Leah went to the guild, Leo would follow. And while snooping around, he’d naturally learn about Yuria.

“Sorry about that, Yuria-nim.”

“It’s fine. But who are these guys? They don’t seem like Labyrinth City locals.”

“Well…”

Leo’s group wasn’t even pretending to listen to Yuria.

Unlike Leo, who already knew her, they had no idea who she was.

Are they nobles from the Keslan Kingdom that Leo brought along?

“Most of them are merchants who’ve come to establish themselves in the Labyrinth City. A few nobles are mixed in too. Not particularly influential, but since I was the first to enter the city, they asked for my help.”

Leo sounded exhausted answering Yuria-probably worn out dealing with these fools.

“So you’re their leader or something?”

“Not a leader. Just guiding them. They asked for help.”

“I see.”

Either way, they didn’t seem deeply connected.

“But Shion. Are there really ghosts in this mansion?”

“Yes. That’s why we came to check it out ourselves.”

“Damn it.”

Leo didn’t doubt my words. He’d already seen me handling spirits at the Magic Tower yesterday.

So he was taking Yuria’s and my warnings seriously.

“Got scammed. They said it was a good deal, but this rotten city has almost no one trustworthy. Almost got killed for nothing.”

So Leo got tricked into coming here too. He heard about a cheap property at auction and nearly walked to his death.

“What should we do about them?”

“Well, if they won’t listen, they’ll just die.”

“True. Leo-nim, what will you do? Going in?”

“I don’t want to… but these idiots won’t back down. I’ll try to convince them.”

Even if he didn’t want to, he couldn’t just let them die.

Leo sighed deeply and returned to his group.

I don’t care if they die, but since Leo is Leah’s family, I’ll help if he’s in danger.

“Manager, aren’t you coming in with us?”

“N-no. I’ll stay here. Please take your time looking around. Ah! Just make sure to come out before sunset.”

The land manager refused to enter.

Probably afraid of getting cursed. Leo’s still arguing with his group, so we’ll just go in first.

“Aside from being a bit old, it looks fine.”

“Right. Just needs some vines cleared and a little fixing up.”

“I can absorb all the dust.”

“That’s a relief, Marin.”

No matter how dusty it is, Marin’s got it covered. She can even break down the vines on the walls.

“Alright, let’s go in.”

“Excited!”

“Feels like a courage test.”

The creaky door opened, and a chilling breeze greeted us.

This level of cold in a non-winter season? Gives me the creeps.

“That eerie feeling… like stepping into an underground tomb.”

“Right. So gloomy and desolate. Perfect for ghosts.”

“Most windows are either blocked or covered by curtains, so no sunlight gets in.”

“Let’s brighten it up first.”

In horror movies, characters never turn on the lights.

I’ve always wondered-why do they insist on stumbling around in the dark? If I’m in a creepy place, the first thing I do is turn on the lights.

“Here, take these torches. Let’s tear off the window coverings and let some light in.”

“Okay!”

As we brightened the first floor, Leo and his grumpy-looking group entered.

“Hey! Stop messing with someone else’s property!”

“Yeah! The owner hasn’t been decided yet!”

The idiots started yelling at us the moment they stepped in.

Leo shook his head at me-seems he failed to convince them.

“Yuria, Marin.”

“Huh? Kill them?”

“No, no. Don’t kill them. Just stop brightening the mansion.”

“Huh? Why?”

“Ghosts come out better in the dark.”

Normally, I’d want to light the place up to kill the horror vibe, but if these fools are going to act like this, I have no choice.

I won’t take out the holy water, salt, or Blessed Ankh from my inventory either.

‘Let’s see how you like it.’

If you want to own a big, cheap mansion, you should at least be able to drive out a few lingering spirits, right?

If not, well… enjoy the screams.