episode_0012

I don’t want to doubt, but disturbing thoughts keep invading my consciousness.

The fact that the dress was stolen isn’t a big deal in itself. The butler is so weak that he could have been caught.

In other words, it is normal to assume that the butler is safe, even though the dress was not protected.

‘But… I didn’t feel any sign of the butler.’

A hunting dog that has to detect subtle scents. And a butler who roams around the mansion shouting my name.

It’s clear which one is likely to encounter them first.

‘No, no. There’s a low chance that it might be going around in the exact opposite direction to me.’

The butler’s safety was an absolute necessity in this mansion. Believing in what he had seen, Asher firmly held the ground with the soles of his feet.

“Do you think I’ll get caught? Do you think I’ll die again like an idiot!”

Pfft!

Enter the game of tag with death at stake.

Asher began to walk back the way he had come, kicking the ground with all his might. The hounds barked messily, as if stimulated by his struggle.

“Ahaaak…!”

The cries were hideous. But they were so small compared to their size. Perhaps it was just a desperate howl.

Be alert separately from that.

The medicine is pursued by evil that rises as high as it can go.

“Ugh… Ugh… Heh heh…!”

Tad, tad, tad!

It treads the ground without stopping.

The inhalation and exhalation are repeated violently. When I look back in fear, I see yellow fangs terribly ground.

My lower abdomen felt tingly. My brain was drained of its ability to think, clouding my judgment.

I can’t remember how many times I’ve turned a corner and been distracted.

Was that why?

I ran and ran and the place I arrived at was a dead end.

‘I’m… dying…!’

I don’t want to die.

I can’t die yet.

I must get out of this crazy mansion and take revenge. I will knock all my older brothers who persecuted me and cornered me to the ground.

I can’t give up on life like this.

“Ewww! ”

Put your hand in your leather pocket.

Chae-Ang!

The countermeasure to pull out is a sharp sword.

It shines brightly for a long time without fading, and gives off a sense of anticipation.

Kuung!

A hunting dog leaps forward with its prey right in front of it. Asher takes a stance as the hound charges at him with its large body.

“I will… live…!!!”

Kwaang, ka-ga-ga-ga-gak!

The ominous blades of the sword and the hunting dog clashed fiercely.

The royal family is born with a strong body, but the enemy in front of them is a beast of a different weight class. It is an enemy that cannot be defeated without devoting every day to training.

Knock knock!

A sound that shouldn’t have come from his left elbow came out. Immediately afterwards, the pain shooting up his elbow squeezed Asher’s scream.

“Ah …

Instinctively, I distributed a lot of power to my right side and threw the burden off my left arm. But it was the best move and the best handshake.

The already unfavorable balance of power collapsed. Taking advantage of the gap, the hunting dog’s forelegs pushed Ashe.

bang!

Push. It was just a simple threat, but Asher ended up backed into a dead end wall.

“Ugh… Ugh…!”

“Gahahah!”

The hound leaped up, completely intent on crushing Asher and suffocating him.

A desperate situation.

Asher showed his wit by gliding down the hallway just before the hounds hit the ground.

thud!

The beast, having missed its prey, looked around foolishly.

“Oh my gosh, I almost died…!”

But that was only for a moment. It was not long before he realized that Asher’s scent was moving.

Asher ran with all his might, holding his left elbow.

“Doesn’t that guy get tired…?!”

I have to hurry and go back to Maid A’s room. I have to get ready until the butler comes by himself…!

“I need to fix it…”

It might be difficult. My left arm is broken, so I can’t move properly. On the other hand, the giant four-legged beast is following Ashe with superior speed.

Thump. Thump thump…!

The vibration traveled up from his heel to his Achilles tendon. It was just before the Grim Reaper’s scythe decapitated Ashe.

Just then, Asher caught the savior’s cry.

“Ashe!”

The butler’s voice came faintly from the other side. Ashe responded happily, as if she had discovered an oasis in the desert.

“Butler! I’m here!”

My legs were picking up speed. It was the first time I realized how inspiring it was to have hope close at hand.

The butler, who soon appeared happy, quickly extended his hand.

“Ashe! Extra dress!”

“Oh, yeah. Here!”

Flutter!

Once again the dress flew into the butler’s hands. This time it was a scarlet dress decorated with pumpkins and rubies.

“Where have you been?!”

“… Sorry.”

“Okay, I know!”

At the end of my gaze, I saw the finish line. After passing through the hallway decorated with various works of art, I arrived at the lobby.

In short, the hallway leading to Maid A’s room is right in front of us.

Once again… this time, more perfectly prepared, he goes looking for what the hounds want.

… I was passing by the artworks, making that pledge to myself.

For a brief moment, words that had been erased from Ashe’s consciousness flashed across her vision.

[Always have a conversation at eye level! Let’s listen from the other person’s perspective!]

-B to ■■. With common sense.-

Maid B’s notepad.

What is the intention of the message?

The notepad of the person who holds the key to this situation. Can we really dismiss this as some kind of prank?

Coincidentally, the artwork hanging above the note is a mask modeled after an extraterrestrial being.

“… Butler.”

Towering.

Asher stopped.

“Ashe?!”

Reach out upward.

Then, as if possessed by a ghost, he gave orders to the butler.

“Throw that dress away.”

“Ugh…!”

The butler hesitated for a moment, then carried out the order.

It was calculated that if I caught Asher while her consciousness was focused on the dress, there would be some closure.

This was also an idea that somewhat coincided with Asher’s.

But she picked up the dog mask while her dress flew in the opposite direction. And the moment she put the mask over her face, the world she saw changed.

“… Huh?”

A world dyed in black and white, as if saturation had disappeared. There, a hunting dog passionately tears a dress to shreds.

Speaking human language, of all things.

[Give it back!]

[Give it back!]

[Give me back… my happiness…!]

The hound was sobbing.

She cried out in pain, scratching at the hard floor visible through her torn dress.

[Don’t take it.]

[It’s mine.]

[It’s a gift…]

[Don’t burn my happiness…!]

Swish, swish!

At that time, a crack appeared in the mask he was wearing. The fragments crumbled and its durability reached its limit.

Pakang!

As soon as the mask was completely torn apart, the hounds’ howls changed into the language of beasts.

Also, something that I had previously discarded without much thought suddenly came to mind.

“… Okay.”

As luck would have it, fate was so close and so absurdly simple.

Asher, who had set the path, gave orders without hesitation.

“Butler, stop it!”

“Where are you going, Ash!”

“Don’t worry, I’ll be back soon!”

It was literally instantaneous.

There is a lounge near the gallery decorated with masks.

It was the place where I found the coin and got my hands on the real sword.

I felt like tearing my hair out.

You left the place, forgetting the truth you confessed yourself.

[You know what? The fireplace is a very suspicious place.]

[Haa, at best, there are only a thousand pieces left. The material isn’t that bad, but who threw it away? It must have been a waste to just use it as a servant’s salary.]

He grumbled and threw the blue piece of cloth back in.

You brag so proudly about your fireplace, and then you foolishly…!

“Fuck!”

With a bang, the door swings open.

He goes straight to the fireplace without even having time to close it.

I don’t care that my hands are getting dirty and discolored, but I search for the crucial clue that I have thrown away.

“You threw it deep… Damn it…!”

Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud.

It’s getting closer. The footsteps of the hunting dog.

Only then did he turn his head and think, “Did they close the door?”

“Ah…!”

A hallway is visible through the wide open door.

A hunting dog showing off its yellow fangs spreads the stench of rotten flesh.

The bastard ran at me.

“Ashe!”

Taking advantage of the momentary gap, the butler intervened.

[This is an indestructible object.]

A gimmick for absolute defense that is activated by a significant amount of impact.

Then, the hunting dog seemed to have gotten the hang of it and started pushing the butler away with his front paws.

“I can’t hold out for long, Ash!”

“Just a little bit more, just a little bit more…!”

Asher crawled into the fireplace. She felt her heart pounding and soiled herself in the darkness.

The pain in my left arm was long forgotten while I was digging through the ashes.

“Ashe…!!!”

Kkudangtang!

A blunt object rolled behind him. It seemed as if the butler had finally lost the struggle.

Imminent danger.

A quick and easy decision.

At the gambling table where his life was on the line, Asher ended up picking up one card.

“Or… Take this!”

The fruit of the garden that Asher had pulled out fluttered through the crisp air of the fireplace.

Under the lounge lights, a faded blue covered the hound’s nose.

‘Please… I hope my feeling isn’t wrong…!’

I closed my eyes tightly.

My stomach churned as I recalled the pain of being ripped off again.

“…”

“…”

Silence.

It was so quiet that it seemed as if time had stopped.

The murderous spirit that had been causing chaos everywhere subsided as if washed away.

Asher carefully crawled away from the fireplace.

“Ashe… Are you okay?”

The first person to welcome the ash-covered Asher was naturally the butler.

“I’m fine. Other than the sore elbow…”

“That’s fortunate.”

“What about the hunting dog?!”

Whoosh!

Turn your head and look in the direction of the hunting dog.

The bastard remained motionless as if he were a stone statue.

The blue piece of cloth covering his nose so comically seemed to have some sort of magic attached to it.

After a few seconds of silence, the hound’s mouth moved.

[…… bell.]

◇

[…… bell.]

The words the hunting dog spoke were clearly human language. And they were neither dirty nor painful, unlike the roars he had given so far.

If I had my eyes closed, I would have thought it was an innocent child reciting it.

[I’m sorry… the gift… was taken away. I couldn’t protect it.]

Warm water flowed from the empty space of the removed eyeball.

When the water that flowed down through his nose and mouth fell on the marble floor, the appearance of the hunting dog changed.

The grayish fur gradually turned a shade of yellow, and the dog began to shrink in size. Its sharp fangs and ominous appearance were reduced to normal levels, and it became the characteristic of an ordinary dog.

Moreover, the hunting dog, with its skin sutured shut and its eyes and ears grown back, looked exactly like the one in the photo.

[I’m sorry, I’m sorry… Belle. I couldn’t protect anything you loved.]

[The mansion is weird. I hate the mansion without you, it’s so cold. And, and…]

[Everyone hates Letia. I wanted to protect Letia too, but I couldn’t…]

[Now, there is only one person left who loves Letia, but that person’s expression is dark… so I don’t know.]

The hunting dog, who had been muttering and confessing his sins, stopped muttering and started walking towards me.

It was a light gait, without any dull sounds.

[… I’m sorry for the misunderstanding.]

Squeak, squeak.

The hound fell down at Ashe’s feet, as if he would not put up any resistance even if he were to be stomped on in anger.

“Ha…”

If he had kept his hideous appearance, he would have really been trampled. No matter what, the experience of having his side ripped off was a major incident that would remain a lifelong trauma.

But the hunting dog that took the initiative to bow down and ask for forgiveness was cute. At least in appearance.

The anger remained, but my conscience was tearing at my instincts to resort to violence.

“… Okay. If you’re sorry, then just kick me out of this fucking mansion.”

[Sorry… That’s not my authority.]

“Tsk.”

He clicks his tongue and consoles his regret. He actually tried to force himself even though he knew it wouldn’t work.

Next, the hound walked towards the butler. Then, with a frightening bite, the dog bit the butler’s leg.

[This is an indestructible object.]

It looks like it’s no joke. It’s activating a defensive gimmick that requires a certain level of shock.

The butler stared at the hunting dog in bewilderment.

[I hate you.]

“What.”

Although he was a butler who was immediately sold out, the hunting dog left his last words cheerfully.

[Still… I like it if Letia likes it.]

Shaaa…

The shape of the hunting dog fades.

The hunting dog, which was becoming increasingly transparent, dispersed into a green halo.

Is this the scene of a soul attaining Buddhahood?

Asher’s red eyes projected a green light that faded away as if lost in lingering emotions.

[I finally found it… my happiness…]

A piece of blue cloth burned into the air and disappeared without a trace.

=====

Every moment, I chase the echoes of the two people.

She who gave me something precious and she who stole something precious.

Tracing those footsteps, I reminisce about the happiest memories of my life.

Give it back.

Give it back!

Give me back the happiness you took away from me!

-Reward: Gift Box

-Special Reward: Memories of a Hunting Dog

=====

[The spirit of the hunting dog was comforted.]

[Compensation will be paid.]