“So, you saw that just now.”
Only then did I finally realized why I was unable to take my eyes off Jortu and the maids.
21. Meals will be replenished daily. Please feel free to eat as much as you like.
Considering the Manor could automatically replenish meals daily, I had a doubt whether this ce even required a servant.
Of course, having encountered countless ghosts or yokai that could strike one from behind like this, I replied without much emotion.
“Who are you?”
“W-What are you saying?!”
Han So, who was next to me, was bewildered and tried to stop me from asking such a rude question, but the maids’ reacted swiftly.
One maid split in half, revealing a set of densely packed, eerie teeth inside.
It looked like its entire body was one big mouth.On the other hand, the other maid, who was about to move Jortu’s corpse, ran up the stairs while still holding it.
She covered a distance of five steps at a time and disappeared in an instant.
“<em>Ugh</em>.”
The reaction on this side was also somewhat unexpected. Seemingly having a weak stomach, Han So, also known as the War God, tried to cover his mouth with his hand as he witnessed the maid whose appearance had grotesquely changed.
“Pull yourself together.”
Along with a sigh, blue mes rose from both my shoulders and shot towards the maid.
It was a simple restraint.
However, even after being hit by the mes, the maid showed no reaction, as if nothing was wrong, and simply charged forward.
“…?”
I tried to restrain her once more.
And instead of trying to aplish something, I was aiming to buy time to coordinate with Han So for an attack or follow up with another magic.
The maid’s giant mouth opened wide to swallow me, and as a precaution, I used protective magic to block her path.
However, the maid phased through the protective magic, as if it wasn’t even there, and flew forward.
“Get down!”
Thanks to Han So throwing himself to protect me, the maid’s giant teeth passed me by, but she quickly regained her stance, emitting a purring sound while preparing to charge again.
“Do you need this?”
As I slowly handed the Heavenly Oath Martial Staff I still held, Han So looked excited and nodded.
“It’s one of the lost treasures of the Han Empire. It was used when martial artists of the past swore to preserve the path of martial arts towards the heavens…!”
“Take it.”
As I handed it without much hesitation, Han So had a bewildered look.
However, then, I gestured towards the maid with my chin.
“Instead, help me deal with that woman.”
“Well, she doesn’t seem to be an ordinary human.”
Holding the Heavenly Oath Martial Staff, Han So stepped forward. He then took a deep breath and stared at the maid, and the confrontation between the two didn’tst long.
<em>Swish!</em>
The maid charged once again.
However, this time, she wasn’t as threatening.
Using the Heavenly Oath Martial Staff, Han So struck her from above with a powerful blow and the charging maid immediately crumpled to the ground, spraying green blood in all directions.
To finish off the writhing maid, Han So stomped on her with his foot.
However, another peculiar event urred.
<em>Thud!</em>
His sturdy heel passed through the maid, hitting the floor.
“Hmm?”
Flustered, Han So quickly withdrew his foot, but I now understood.
<em>Are they beings that can only be killed with items provided by the Dream Demon Manor?</em>
Judging by the fact that my magic didn’t work on her and seeing how Han So’s heel just passed through, it seemed that one could only deal with these special beings using items obtained as rewards in the Dream Demon Manor.
Lemegeton in my room immediately came to mind. If I could control magic by using it, I could inflict damage.
<em>But I have no souls to control.</em>
Unlike other Necromancers, I didn’t cultivate and utilize souls, so naturally, I didn’t carry any souls within me.
Since I didn’t see any souls wandering around during my time in the Dream Demon Manor, Lemegeton was practically useless to me.
Ultimately, I was left in a vulnerable state with only basic elemental magic or a few other spells at my disposal.
So, what I now had to do was…
“It seems my magic does not work here.”
As I spoke, Han So, perhaps having already noticed, nodded quickly in response.
“If Young Master Deus hadn’t given me this martial staff, I would have been brutally murdered as well. Since I owe you my life, I’ll make sure to protect you here.”
He wasn’t called the War God and praised in the Han Empire for nothing.
With a generous yet straightforward personality that clearly reciprocated what he received, he was also easy to deal with.
“Then, let us head up together. We need to find out where that maid took Jortu’s corspe.”
“Hmm!”
As agreed, Han So and I headed upstairs.
On the second-floor corridor stood the Dark Spiritualist, holding a book with a puzzled look.
Judging by the door te that said ‘Library’ on the door behind her, it seemed that she stepped out while reading a book because of themotion.
“What’s going on?”
It seemed like she wanted to find out who was responsible for interrupting her reading time.
I gestured without bothering to exin.
“You shoulde along with us.”
“What?”
“You probably have nothing better to do anyway.”
Although the Dark Spiritualist seemed displeased about being dragged along, Han So and I ignored her and proceeded to climb another flight of stairs.
Because Jortu’s bloodstains continued to the third floor.
“Hmm, this is problematic.”
Seeing the bloodstains go beyond the third floor and to the fourth, it became problematic.
“We’re only allowed up to the third floor.”
4. Guests are only allowed up to the third floor.
That was one of the rules of the Dream Demon Manor.
Indeed, the stairs leading up to the fourth floor were not as elegantly covered as the ones we had just passed, and they looked rough and uneven.
“What are you afraid of?”
The Dark Spiritualist, whose mood kept getting worse, was swept up in her emotions and confidently ascended to the fourth floor.
Watching her ascend, I asked Han So.
“Do you happen to know what sanctions are imposed if one breaks the rules?”
“…Hmm? No, I’ve never seen anyone break them.”
Hearing his answer, I took big strides as I followed the Dark Spiritualist up the stairs.
Despite the associated risks, it was important to understand the consequences when rules were broken.
<em>After all, they carry the same level of risk as not knowing all the rules in the Dream Demon Manor.</em>
20. The Rules of the Dream Demon Manor are still applicable even if you are unaware of them.
Rather than viting some rule unknowingly and falling victim to something, it was better to acknowledge breaking the rule and move forward.
And to be honest…
<em>I do not want to send the Dark Spiritualist up there all by herself.</em>
If the 18-year-old Dark Spiritualist were to die here, the Dark Spiritualist I knew would also disappear.
<em>It isplicated.</em>
Nevertheless, such concerns continued to churn within me.
The Dark Spiritualist was able toe to the Loberne Academy because her 18-year-old self survived the Dream Demon Manor, right?
<em>I never thought a day woulde where I would be worrying about time paradoxes.</em>
With a sigh prompted by the realization that this could only be seen in a sci-fi movie, I proceeded to act as I wanted to for the time being.
In the end, pondering such situations was just like a serpent chasing after its own tail<sup>1</sup>.
<em>It is better to act on my instincts.</em>
Rather than brooding over it, I wondered if I could naturally reach the result by acting on what I wanted to do at the moment.
“<em>Whoop</em>, it smells foul here.”
Han So, who was walking ahead of me at a slightly quicker pace, pinched his nose and muttered.
Indeed, even the Dark Spiritualist’s breathing grew softer amidst the foul odor and hacking coughs.
“…”
It wasn’t just the foul odor. As we ascended the steps, we stepped on slimy mucus and damp walls.
I felt like a spelunker delving into a cave, but it wasn’t exactly enjoyable.
Upon reaching the fourth floor, a vast hall-like structure greeted us instead of a corridor.
Even though our eyes had adjusted to the darkness as we climbed the stairs, nothing was visible on the fourth floor. The Dark Spiritualist at the forefront stretched out her hand and conjured a purple light.
And there, at the end, we could see the maid.
She was stuffing Jortu’s corpse into arge hole in the wall, and the hole sloshed as it gulped down the body with a gurgling sound.
“Ha.”
It was quite a bizarre sight, yet the Dark Spiritualist chuckled as if finding it trivial.
“Is this all?”
The question reflected her disbelief that, after all the atmosphere they had built up, this was what they showed us.
Something began pouring in from the surrounding floor.
At first nce, they appeared to take a human appearance, but their lower bodies were connected to the floor by tentacles, making it seem like they were all connected.
“Normal magic does not work on them.”
I tried to warn the Dark Spiritualist, but she just snorted in disbelief.
“I’m aware of that much.”
With that, she pulled a small staff from her pocket. It seemed to be an item she obtained as a reward, and only now did I realize she knew a lot more about the Dream Demon Manor than I thought.
I should not think of her as the Dark Spiritualist I was familiar with.
Even though she was much younger, there was a feeling that she was much sharper than the Dark Spiritualist I knew, which felt somewhat regrettable.
“Get up, you trash.”
An evil spirit flowed through the Dark Spiritualist’s mana. It had a purplish aura; and rather than a human, it resembled a shadow. It was now soaring high in the sky, rushing towards the Dark Spiritualist.
“<em>Sigh</em>.”
<em>Crash</em>!
<em><strong>[Kuooooghhh!]</strong></em>
As the Dark Spiritualist sighed, the evil spirit’s entire body suddenly twisted, as if being wrung out.
“It always acts up like this whenever I summon it.”
After inflicting some pain, the evil spirit finally lowered its head towards the Dark Spiritualist and then flew towards the strange beings around us.
The soul moved between them like a sword, slicing through everything.
“…”
At that sight, I couldn’t help but shut my mouth involuntarily.
Necromancer.
They primarily controlled vengeful evil spirits.
Coddling and soothing methods obviously didn’t work. I had heard and learned multiple times that Necromancers controlled them by inflicting pain on their souls.
And ironically, aside from myself, I had never seen a proper Necromancer.
The evil ghost haunting the Griffin Kingdom was somewhat of a special case.
Meanwhile, this was the textbook example of Necromancy.
And the Dark Spiritualist was demonstrating that right now.
“You stupid bastard, aren’t you supposed to protect me?”
<strong>[<em><strong><strong>Kuaakkkk</strong></strong></em>!]</strong>
As the Dark Spiritualist clenched her fist as a warning, the soul screamed once more and hastily returned to her.
Suddenly, the conversation between Magan and the Dark Spiritualist during their first encounter came to mind.
<em>I have never treated a soul as a human for even a single moment.</em>
<em>They are merely my magic and tools.</em>
Only now did I truly grasp the weight and significance of those words.
The manner in which the Dark Spiritualist was doing things now clearly went against my principles.
“What should we do? Should we fight?”
As Han So waited for my decision, I paused for a moment, then conjured a light orb in my palm.
It was a simple spell I had learned from Erica, the expert in light magic.
I swung my shoulder and threw the orb across the room, simply pushing away the darkness and illuminated it without any destructive power.
The magic flew in an arc and burst like a re, shining brightly.
The human-like tentacles weren’t just rising from the floor but from the walls and ceiling as well.
Moreover, something resembling a giant wasp nest was dangling from the ceiling.
And amidst all this, there were ces where the tentacles weren’t rising, and as I frowned at that spot…
Two new rules of the Dream Demon Manor written in red caught my eye.
27. Guest rooms only go up to number 110. There is no Room 111. If you find Room 111 and someone is staying in it, kill them immediately. They are an uninvited intruder.
29. There is no fourth floor in the Dream Demon Manor.
Then, the light went out.
Once again, a damp darkness engulfed us. Feeling the chill run down my spine, I asked Han So.
“Did you see that just now?”
“What do you mean? I did see something that looked like a uv hanging from the ceiling.”
“….A uv?”
That was indeed the case.
Initially, I thought it looked like a wasp nest, depending on how you looked at it, it could be seen as an uv.
And the puzzle pieces finally came together in my mind.
The uneven stairs.
The damp floors and walls.
The unbearable foul odor.
Although Rule No. 27 was bothersome, it was Rule No. 29 that currently had my attention.
There was no fourth floor in the Dream Demon Manor.
<em>Grasp!</em>
I grabbed the Dark Spiritualist’s wrist and dashed towards the stairs.
“<em>Kyaaack</em>!”
As I grabbed the startled Dark Spiritualist by the hand and dragged her along, her evil spirit followed after us hurriedly. Likewise, Han So ran beside me and asked.
“W-why are you behaving like this?”
“There is no fourth floor in the Dream Demon Manor.”
“Th-then, where are we stepping on?”
When Han So asked in confusion, I opened my mouth to answer, but the words refused toe out.
Because I found it even more baffling.
Assuming that the entire fourth floor was the mouth of some monster was a futile and absurd thought to entertain.
“So, did you see a new rule there?!”
The Dark Spiritualist continued running after brushing off my hand. When I replied with a nod, she gritted her teeth.
“<em>Jeez</em>, no wonder I keep feeling that there’s something unsettling about this Manor.”
“It is not just the Manor that is the issue.”
“Huh?”
“What do you mean?”
The Dark Spiritualist and Han So inquired, but I decided not to answer. After all, once we were out of here, both of them would learn of it anyway.
There was no reward this time.
There was no immediate reward for finding Rules No. 27 and No. 29.
That meant someone had already seen the fourth floor and deliberately hidden that information.
The path on the fourth floor gradually narrowed, leaving both of them bewildered. I, on the other hand, felt like the creature known as the fourth floor was closing its mouth to prevent us from escaping.
The human-like tentacles behind us kept chasing us like monsters.
“It seems like we are going to die here.”
The Dark Spiritualist said calmly.
The third floor came into view, but at our current pace, it seemed unlikely that we would be able to escape this ce.
However, at that moment, white bandages made of mana extended towards us from the third floor, grabbing and pulling us.
“<em>Huh</em>? <em>Uwah</em>!”
“<em>Whoa</em>!”
I could hear the screams of the Dark Spiritualist and Han So. Even though I didn’t know what it was, I decided to put my trust in whatever was aiding us.
Our bodies floated in the air, and we quickly arrived on the third floor.
<em>Rumble</em>!
And the fourth floor closed at the same time.
Hearing the chewing soundsing from it, as if it were searching for us in its mouth, were truly disgusting.
Nheless, we were able to escape thanks to some external help.
<em>That was dangerous.</em>
Still, we had definitely gained something.
I wiped myself and checked the identity of the person who had just saved us.
It was a young, blond boy.
It was the boy who retreated into his room after hearing Jortu’s warning.
<em>He was definitely in Room 101.</em>
And I remembered him as the boy who upied the very first room.
“I thought I was really gonna die.”
“Thanks, Kid.”
That came from the Dark Spiritualist, who wasining, and Han So, who felt grateful.
The boy was scratching his head in embarrassment, but strangely, his hair and appearance seemed familiar.
I casually asked the boy.
“What is your name?”
The boy in the robe blushed, as if embarrassed, and replied.
“My name is Luh.”<ol>1. It is an idiom that meanssomething happens in session, like a chain reaction.</ol>