episode_0032

Belaphor Manor, known for its cursed reputation, was located in a remote area far from the bustling town of Kubel.

Originally owned by nobility, the expensive manor had a well-maintained path suitable for carriages to travel on.

Near the manor, there were gardens planted with various flowers.

The gardeners, who seemed to have shaped the plants into strange forms due to lack of maintenance, had even installed a fountain in the center.

Although the water wasn’t flowing.

“Wow… this must be really expensive….”

Despite the lack of upkeep, it was undeniably a grand mansion worth tens of thousands of gold.

If it had been in pristine condition, the price could have been even higher.

There’s a real estate strategy of buying a well-located but run-down property, renovating it, and selling it for a profit.

Maybe it could work here too? Could this be the ticket to a life of leisure and luxury?

“As you can see, it’s quite a large manor. Many adventurers have tried to own this manor and break the curse, but it hasn’t been successful.”

Tina, who rarely took on requests, accompanied me on this mission.

Additionally, Sylphy, who had joined me on the previous mission to defeat the Arachne Queen, also came along.

Tina, who wasn’t an adventurer, was here to reevaluate the mission’s difficulty.

It seems that the guild was concerned about the repeated cancellations by adventurers of the appropriate rank.

Therefore, Tina, as the receptionist, would be monitoring and evaluating the progress of the mission in real-time.

It’s not an easy task to handle field operations like this even for a receptionist.

According to the preliminary information obtained from the guild, the curse lingering in Belaphor Manor was more of a psychic phenomenon than a magical one.

Despite attempting various methods to lift the curse, none had been successful.

If it had been a curse artificially placed by a mage or sorcerer, it could have been dispelled with a curse removal spell.

However, Tina explained that if the cause of the curse was a ghostly presence, there was no straightforward way to lift it.

“Eek… are you saying there are really ghosts here?”

Sylphy looked around nervously.

Indeed, I had no idea how to deal with ghosts either.

But that didn’t mean I hadn’t come prepared.

“I’ve brought plenty of items in my bag that might be helpful.”

I opened my bag and took out various items, from jewelry with church symbols to holy water, stakes, garlic, leeks, rice, salt, and crosses.

I brought everything I could think of for exorcism within my knowledge.

Honestly, I didn’t think they would be very effective, but it’s better to have them than not.

“Um… do these things really work?”

“Exorcism is usually a mental battle. If the opponent is a ghost, you need to be strong and vigilant.”

“Ah… I see! Senior Yunoa! Suppressing the enemy’s momentum is crucial!”

Sylphy listened to my words, her eyes sparkling, nodding her head.

“But why do you keep calling me senior? We’re the same rank.”

“I just have this feeling that you’re like a senior to me… I-I hope that’s okay?”

“No, it’s not a problem.”

In fact, I like it.

Who wouldn’t like an adorable junior like her?

“Tina, are you coming inside the manor as well? It could be dangerous.”

Having finished preparing to enter the manor, I asked Tina.

Even though the guild had assigned her this task, she was still a receptionist.

It would be unreasonable to take her into a manor where even a robust silver-ranked adventurer might run out in tears.

Former saint, but her experience doesn’t seem to be of much help in ghost hunting.

“I’ll wait outside. If anything goes wrong, please come and report to me.”

Tina suddenly took out a notebook and twirled a pen in her right hand.

It seems like she wants to record what happens during the mission.

It’s a bit daunting, but well, that’s her job now.

Anyway, I stood cautiously at the doorstep of the Bellaforte Mansion with Sylphy.

A ghost, huh…

It was a bit surprising that they were so concerned about ghost problems in this world.

There are monsters like skeletons and zombies that are clearly undead.

Wouldn’t it be easier to just call a priest to cast some holy magic and get rid of the ghost right away?

Or maybe it’s something a bit different from your average monster.

Well, if it’s difficult to solve with conventional methods, then I guess we have no choice but to investigate.

Creak…

The door of the mansion opened very easily when I pushed it with my hand.

The sound of the door opening was loud, as if the latch was old.

There seems to be quite a bit to repair later.

“Y-Y-Yunoa-senpai…”

As we entered the mansion, Sylphy clung tightly to my side, trembling.

She seemed truly terrified, unable to lift her feet from the ground, only staring at the floor.

But it’s not even night right now, we just entered the mansion.

“Avert your gaze. Confidence is key in situations like this.”

“B-But…”

The interior of the mansion was heavily cluttered.

There were several footprints with dirt on the floor.

It seemed like the traces of other adventurers who had received the request and visited here first.

“A-Aren’t you scared, senpai? There’s a ghost here.”

Sylphy asked me as I carefully examined the interior of the mansion.

Well, to be honest, I’m scared too.

But I had a clear motivation to overcome that fear.

The immense value of this mansion.

There’s a saying about financial therapy, right?

Ghosts are scary, but if I can solve this problem well, I can take over this mansion entirely.

If the request was to exorcise a ghost in a dilapidated house and lift a curse, I wouldn’t have come in the first place.

There’s a saying that ghosts are afraid of strong people.

I heard somewhere that even in a room where a ghost comes out after someone dies, if the person is strong, there’s no problem.

Alright, I repeated in my mind.

I am the strongest. I’m not afraid of ghosts or anything.

I will drive out the ghost here and confidently take over this mansion.

“Yunoa, driven by greed, entered the cursed Bellaforte Mansion, trying various futile methods to dispel fear.

But the methods Yunoa prepared for the ghost in this mansion were completely useless.”

No, tell me that sooner.

Are you saying that all the powerful exorcism items I prepared are useless?

Suddenly, I felt anxious.

“Sylphy, if you find anything strange, let me know immediately.”

I said as I slowly entered further into the mansion.

“Sylphy?”

No response.

When I looked beside me, Sylphy, who had been clinging to my side until just now, had disappeared without a trace.

Suddenly, chills ran down my spine and I felt a shiver.

Then the inside of the mansion began to darken.

A pale mist filled the mansion, narrowing my field of vision.

“Sylphy? Sylphy!”

I called out Sylphy’s name as I wandered through the mansion.

Feeling a dangerous aura, I tried to go back to where I came from and leave the mansion, but strangely, I kept circling the same place.

Is this what they call the curse of the mansion?

Is Sylphy in the same situation as me right now?

She was so scared earlier, so I was honestly a bit worried.

First of all, I need to find a way to get out of this situation.

Especially in times like this, it is important to maintain composure.

Perhaps the adventurers who visited this mansion before were not scared and ran away because of what happened here.

To avoid becoming like the man I saw at the guild who was visibly shaken with fear, I tried my best to stay calm.

Creak! Creak! Whirr–

Somewhere, the sound of the wind blowing and the windows creaking could be heard.

The fog thickened, making it impossible for me to even know where in the mansion I was.

Is this also an illusion created by ghosts?

Despite feeling colder and shivering, I held back from panicking.

Being able to maintain composure even in such a terrifying situation was thanks to the information I had received from Tina at the guild.

After all, this request was designated as a silver-rank request by the guild.

Although three adventurers had failed the request, the guild assured that the curse of this mansion was not life-threatening.

In fact, the man who had visited the guild to cancel the request had no physical injuries.

So, the ghost of the mansion does not threaten lives or harm bodies.

Then, maybe I can endure this dreadful courage test as if it were a challenge.

Rustle– Rustle–

Strange sounds began to be heard from somewhere in the dark mansion room.

A strange sensation, as if bugs were crawling on my body, suddenly came over me.

Thud!

“Ah! Oh my god! Scared me!”

Suddenly, the chair in front of me flew up and slammed into the wall.

And then, a scream-like sound of a child echoed through the wind.

“Yunoa was gradually being engulfed by the illusions created by the Bellafork Mansion.

He was terrified to the point of almost wetting himself, but he tried to deceive himself by pretending not to be scared.

However, the mansion’s illusions continued to intensify to break Yunoa’s spirit.”

As the narration described, it was truly terrifying.

But I gritted my teeth and endured, fearing that I might end up like the man who gave up on the request.

I trust the guild’s information that my life is safe.

This is just a mental attack.

The next moment, suddenly, the surroundings began to darken from the edges of my vision.

I had no idea what was happening at all.

When I opened my eyes again after a while.

I found myself tied to a wooden chair in a damp basement.