Ch.145Mansion in the Dungeon

I have good news and bad news.

In movies or comics, when this line comes up, the balance between the good news and bad news is usually off.

And typically, the bad news carries much more weight, while the good news merely helps avoid the worst-case scenario.

Our current situation was exactly like that.

One moderately good piece of news and one very bad piece of news.

The good news was that we had entered the newly opened dungeon gate first, without any problems or interference from anyone.

And the bad news…

“Holy Shit…”

The bad news was that as soon as we passed through the gate, all four women except me had turned into stone statues.

To make matters worse, the room we arrived in had no exit other than the large metal door directly in front of us.

The dungeon entrance we had just passed through was nowhere to be seen.

“I suppose having some kind of instruction manual is a small blessing in this misfortune…”

To the right of the large metal door—the room’s only exit—stood a stone tablet about half the size of the door, with engraved letters that I could read.

Thinking that we would have been stuck at this stage if it had been in ancient text that only Jessica could interpret, I slowly read through the inscription on the tablet.

– One. All who enter this mansion together will turn to stone, except for one person.

– Two. To restore your petrified companions, you must place gold coins in their hands. The amount of gold required doubles with each person freed.

– Three. The gold coins are held by the mansion’s servants. Considerable skill will be needed to take the coins from them.

– Four. The mistress of the mansion never forgives those who steal gold coins.

– Five. If you leave the mansion while abandoning your petrified companions, you will receive appropriate compensation from the mistress.

“…Whew, what a twisted dungeon.”

Turning all my companions to stone immediately upon entry was already cruel enough, but the implications of rules four and five were truly the worst.

They were blatantly encouraging me to choose my own safety and wealth over my companions’ lives.

For parties bound by strong personal connections like ours, this wouldn’t be an issue, but for parties formed through temporary contracts, some might be tempted by that offer.

‘Well, that’s not relevant to me.’

Leaving even one person behind was not an option.

The four women were frozen in poses with their hands clasped together, palms open.

According to the rules, placing gold coins stolen from the mansion’s servants on those palms would break the petrification.

“Let’s see. Since the cost doubles each time…1+2+4+8 = 15 coins total. Don’t worry, I’ll definitely earn them, so just wait patiently.”

After gently patting each of the four petrified women on the head, I walked through the door without hesitation.

Contrary to my expectation of encountering monsters immediately after leaving the initial room, the inside of the mansion was disturbingly peaceful.

That didn’t mean the mansion was empty, though.

Women in maid uniforms cleaning the corridors, young men in work clothes, and occasionally older men in butler uniforms.

They merely bowed politely when passing by me, without speaking to me or trying to stop my actions.

Apparently, they wouldn’t attack first unless I initiated hostilities or tried to steal their gold coins.

‘If they just looked normal, I might forget this is a dungeon.’

The three types of servants found throughout the mansion—women in maid uniforms, young men in work clothes, and older men in butler uniforms—were all porcelain dolls made in human likeness.

Servants of the same type had identical appearances from head to toe, creating an indescribable sense of revulsion and discomfort due to the uncanny valley effect of their human-like appearance.

‘This bizarre atmosphere is probably another mechanism designed to force visitors to make a decision.’

An appearance that those determined to save their companions would want to quickly dispose of, and one that those planning to abandon their companions wouldn’t want to get involved with.

But thinking rationally, those committed to saving their companions should be careful about attacking the servants.

This undisturbed time was the perfect opportunity to understand the mansion’s layout and the servants’ movement patterns.

I too took advantage of this opportunity by quietly exploring every corner of the mansion.

The mansion consisted of three floors: two above ground and one basement.

The basement contained the large room where we had arrived, a wine cellar, and several storerooms. The first floor was centered around a banquet hall, surrounded by reception rooms, a kitchen, and servants’ quarters.

The second floor had a library, several private rooms, and a large locked room.

While generally spacious, it was quite small for what was supposed to be a dungeon.

The doll servants moved along fixed routes, but would appear beside me and block my path with watchful eyes whenever I touched anything in the mansion.

If I removed my hand and stepped back, they would return to their original routes, suggesting I was safe until the moment I actually committed theft.

‘I’ve more or less figured out the mansion’s structure and the servants’ behavior patterns. Time to get started.’

Having returned to the basement entrance where we first arrived, I waited in the corridor for a servant to pass by.

Since taking even one gold coin would trigger a full-scale battle, it would be advantageous to defeat a servant right in front of the starting point and immediately free one companion with the first coin.

Who would be freed first would depend on what combat style the servants displayed, but it would likely be Seti, who could serve as a vanguard, or Jessica, who could use healing.

‘Rattle rattle…’

“Oh. Here comes one.”

After waiting briefly, a maid-type doll approached, pushing a large wagon.

I thought about immediately drawing my revolver and blowing its head off, but suddenly became curious about testing the doll’s language ability and thinking capacity.

“Hey there, miss maid.”

“Hello, guest. How may I assist you?”

“I need gold coins to save my companions. Would you hand over the coins you have?”

I asked with a villainous smile to the expressionless maid doll.

Would this maid doll launch a preemptive attack, call for reinforcements, or try to escape?

But the response I received was unexpected.

“If you want money, you’ll have to work for it. Please follow me.”

“…Huh, what?”

After saying this, the maid doll gestured for me to follow while pushing her cart somewhere.

Dumbfounded, I dropped my combat stance and followed the maid doll, who led me to a storeroom at the end of the basement corridor.

In the center of the large room surrounded by storage shelves was a mountain of unidentifiable fabric.

“Your job will be to sort the laundry. Change into work clothes and fold all these bed sheets and arrange them on the shelves.”

‘Poof!’

“Whoa!?”

As soon as the maid doll gave her instructions, smoke erupted around me, and my clothes transformed into a maid uniform.

“What, what is this? A maid uniform?”

“Of course. A mansion servant must wear attire appropriate to their role.”

“But I’m a man! If I can’t wear my original clothes, couldn’t you at least change me into work clothes or a butler uniform?”

“Laundry sorting is a maid’s job. Your clothes will be returned when you finish the work.”

My request to change clothes was ruthlessly rejected, and the maid doll tilted her head and pushed me into the storeroom.

“How long are you going to stand there dazed? Get to work immediately.”

“But, um… I don’t know how to fold sheets…”

“Very well. I’ll show you an example.”

The maid doll picked up a sheet from the floor, shook it out, and then folded it in half, then half again, then into thirds, before placing it on the top shelf.

Watching her precise, efficient movements made me think every household could use one of these.

A maid robot… in a way, it’s a man’s fantasy, isn’t it?

“This is how you fold them, and stack five per shelf. Now, get started.”

“Ah, okay. Hmm…”

While I diligently folded and stacked the sheets, the maid doll blocked the entrance and began monitoring me.

If I folded something slightly sloppily, she would immediately order me to “do it again,” and if I straightened my back or wiped sweat, she would scold me for “being lazy.”

Her merciless attitude combined with her expressionless face made me feel like a rookie maid being trained by a strict senior, or rather, a new recruit being drilled at boot camp.

“Again. The corners are crooked.”

“Yes, yes…”

My confidence in folding skills from years of living alone lasted only through the first ten sheets.

By the time I passed thirty, I started to realize this wasn’t as easy as I thought, and after fifty, my back began to ache.

Looking at the mountain of bed sheets still remaining, I was tempted to just give up and shoot the maid doll.

The only reason I shook off all these distracting thoughts and stubbornly continued folding sheets was simple:

The maid doll had said she would return my clothes only after I finished the job.

‘If I quit halfway, I might have to stay in this ridiculous outfit. Jessica or Seti might not care, but if Mina saw me like this, she’d tease me for the rest of my life.’

I vowed never to speak to a maid doll again after completing this task.