Home/I Saved the Villain and Fell Asleep/ch 42

Chapter 42

"Hmm? Hmm...? This is strange, Senté."

The Duke urged Irein through the communication orb. But despite his urging, Irein kept looking to the side and waving the map around, muttering that something was off.

"-Father, you said Hari disappeared from the villa, right? But this is... the Heiren mountain range. Specifically, a mountain called Rüyer."

"The Heiren range?"

It was a distance that could be reached by changing teleportation gates a few times, but it took a considerable amount of time. Yet she had fallen through that rift and arrived at the Heiren range in just hours?

If dark mages who worshipped teleportation saw this, they'd go crazy and charge right in.

"-I'm nearby, so I'll go check it out now. I happen to have business there anyway..."

"Is she hurt anywhere?"

"-Judging by how she's bustling around, she doesn't seem hurt. Should I be relieved, or proud that she's gotten this big and is going around causing trouble?"

"Big? She's only sixteen."

"-First, we need to figure out whether she went there on purpose or ended up there against her will."

"Contact me again after you meet Hari."

"-Got it~."

And a few hours later, after receiving Irein's contact, the Duke immediately made preparations to head to Rüyer upon hearing that Hari wanted to buy some haunted mansion.

Buy a mansion at an auction? Of course, he could easily buy her a mansion, but the fact that it was a "haunted mansion" was the problem.

What was he to do with his youngest daughter, who had a knack for picking up peculiar children and now wanted to buy a peculiar mansion?

The Duke held his throbbing head and let out a dry laugh.

"So, Hari. I'd like to ask how you ended up here first, but... my goodness."

Feeling a bit overwhelmed by my father's moved expression as he covered his mouth with a trembling hand, I instinctively stepped back.

Oh, right—I'm still in my adult form!

Placing both hands gently on my shoulders, Father looked me over from head to toe, his mouth opening and closing as if unsure what to say.

"I used to hear a lot that I looked like you when I was little—but look, now I take after Mom, don't I?"

"Of course! Absolutely..."

Seeing that he was about to actually shed tears if I left him alone, I grabbed Father's arm and shook it vigorously. Father swayed like a deflated balloon, then finally came to his senses, cleared his throat, and put on a stern face.

Though his eyes were still red.

With the red-roofed mansion on Mt. Rüyer right before us, I couldn't even go inside before being grilled—well, not quite grilled—by Father and Brother.

From the reason I got caught up in that strange rift to why I bought that haunted mansion.

I deliberately omitted the story about the guardian. I could see clearly what would happen if word got out about the guardian of mystical beasts...

I mixed in some truths about the house-sized, talking tiger and the giant black snake to make the story plausible.

"I knew that dog wasn't an ordinary animal, but to think it was a mystical beast."

"Father, do you know about mystical beasts?"

"They're often passed down as legends. Sightings are reported from time to time. There are books about them in the main estate's archive—you should look through them sometime."

If I'd known that, I would have checked the archive or library first. Assuming "goblins" couldn't possibly exist in this world, I never imagined there'd be records of them somewhere.

Prejudice really is frightening. But wait—isn't this a Western fantasy setting? Goblins are Eastern fantasy!

"Hmm, I see. So this is the mansion? Shall we go in now?"

"Now? Like this? Empty-handed?"

"Hari should hold her club and go in. If anything happens, you have to protect your brother, okay?"

Irein scrunched his broad shoulders and pretended to hide behind me. Even though magic doesn't work on him anyway.

With my Goblin Club in one hand and Kali's hand in the other, I stood before the door. Even without entering, the eerie atmosphere gave me goosebumps.

"What if it's not magic but a real ghost?"

"Where in the world are there ghosts?"

"I'm the kind of person who believes in ghosts!"

If ghosts don't exist, how do you explain poltergeist phenomena? Possessions? Shamans?! At least if it were a person, I could fight them—but you can't punch a ghost!

"Then are you not going in?"

"I'm gooooing in. My hat..."

Kali, seemingly unafraid of ghosts, yanked the door open the moment I said I'd go in. The unlocked door swung open with a creak.

A wave of cold air rushed out. At the sight of the dark, unlit hall, I swallowed dryly.

"Senté and I will search from the top down, so you little ones stick close to Father."

"...Could I stay with the Duke as well?"

"Hmm. No."

After waving goodbye to Senté, who was being helplessly dragged away by Irein, I stuck close to Father. Listening carefully, I heard what sounded like wind.

No, wait—it almost sounded like laughter...?

After scanning the ceiling, Father seemed to find nothing unusual on the first floor, so he suggested we go up to the second and climbed the stairs. As we followed Father's steps, Kali suddenly stopped.

"Kali?"

"..."

Kali squinted and looked down at the first floor. Standing beside him, I peeked over the railing, but saw nothing.

"Wh-why are you being so scary! Did you see something?"

"Maybe."

"Wh-what? What?!"

"Well..."

Kali's expression turned cold. I held my breath, eyes wide.

Inaudible horror BGM filled my head.

"BOO!!"

With a loud yell, something shook my back. I jumped about three feet in the air before realizing Kali was just messing with me.

"You little..."

I glared at him through gritted teeth, and Kali giggled smugly.

"Ah, seriously! One more prank and I won't let it slide!!"

"Whatever."

Kali, grinning mischievously, strode ahead—I grabbed his clothes and pulled him back beside me.

"Ah! Where are you going! Stay next to me!"

"Stop fooling around and come up quickly."

Behind Father's soothing words, I heard something like wind again. No, it was closer to laughter.

"Father, can you hear that?"

"Hmm, laughter?"

"Are you sure it's laughter? Not wind?"

The second floor had a few dim lights spaced far apart. Since a ghost wouldn't have turned them on, that meant someone else was here.

...Good. I'd rather it be a person.

Just then, in this place where only footsteps could be heard, a door suddenly creaked open. What were the odds that was caused by wind?

"Why did that open...?"

My voice trembled involuntarily. I clung to Kali like a cicada on a branch, and he wrapped his arm around the small of my back.

"Kali, be honest. You're scared too, aren't you? You're just pretending not to be, right? Right? Oh dear."

Just like when we first entered the mansion, I squeezed Kali's hand tightly.

"Didn't you call yourself noona earlier? I don't need a noona who's such a coward."

Yet he tightened his arm around me... which means he is scared, right? You little liar, pretending to be tough.

BANG!!

"AAH!!!"

The door that had been open slammed shut with a loud noise. Then it slowly opened again, repeating the motion.

"What? Is it inviting us in? But something always happens when you go toward places like that!"

That's the horror movie cliché!

But Father seemed to think differently—he walked toward the opening and closing door without a moment's hesitation. I clung desperately behind him, not wanting to be separated.

Inside the room, predictably, there was no one. The window wasn't even open.

"I can feel traces of unique mana scattered around."

"Really?!"

"So don't be too afraid. Even if something visible appears, you can get rid of it with your club."

Father's words eased my fear somewhat, but the dark, gloomy atmosphere was still hard to get used to.

"Wait here with Kali for a moment. Let me check..."

It was just one step. One step—that was all Father took into that room. In the blink of an eye, Father's large figure vanished from sight.

"Duke!!"

Before I could even scream, Kali's rough hand pulled me back. The moment we stepped away from where we'd been standing, the door slammed shut again with a bang.

"Dad!!!"

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