CHAPTER 13………………………………………….
“What’s that sound?”
“Oh, that? It’s always there. You don’t need to worry about it.”
“…Is that so…?”
She didn’t really understand, but since it was Laseil saying it, it was probably true.
Irenes hurriedly shut down her thoughts and decided to stop paying attention to the noise.
“If the basement is the problem, there should be some clues. Can I open this? What’s the lock combination?”
“I don’t know.”
“…Sorry?”
Laseil, who had been about to search through the piles of wooden boxes for clues, froze.
“It’s not mine.”
He awkwardly averted his eyes, looking embarrassed.
Since anyone could come into the basement, the territory residents often left things there. That was the problem.
Because of that, the basement now held more belongings of random residents than of the original owner.
“…What even….”
Laseil muttered in disbelief as he pulled out a small dagger.
It was no bigger than a finger—something Luzea had given him, saying it might come in handy.
Come to think of it, why had he even bothered trying to open the lock properly when he’d had such a convenient tool?
“What’s that?”
“I’m going to cut the lock.”
“……?”
With just three quick motions, Laseil sliced the padlock clean off.
He opened the wooden box—then immediately closed it again.
“Was something strange inside?”
“…You’re better off not knowing…”
The questions grew, but Irenes understood well that she shouldn’t ask.
“Can you help me open the other boxes?”
“Ah—yes.”
Irenes took the dagger, carefully avoiding eye contact with the severed head sitting on the table.
It was her first time using such a tiny blade, so it felt awkward. But after cutting one lock, she figured it out instantly.
…But what was this tool even designed for?
Surely it wasn’t originally meant for breaking into other people’s locks.
Lost in thought, Irenes ended up cutting every lock in sight.
“Is this enough?”
“Yeah, let’s check them one by one—”
Creak—
At that moment, footsteps sounded right in front of the basement door.
Just a while ago, they had been pacing around upstairs on the first floor.
“Excuse me for a moment.”
“…What?”
Sword already drawn, Laseil shot to his feet and yanked the basement door open.
Nothing was standing there.
The door swayed faintly even though there was no wind. The footsteps abruptly stopped.
Standing right in front of me, huh.
Laseil tightened his grip. He took a slow breath.
When dealing with ghosts, precise aura control was crucial.
“Haa…”
As he exhaled, blue-tinted aura wrapped around the silver blade.
That should do it.
He swung downward hard at the space right in front of him.
He felt a faint sensation—like a piece of fabric brushing against the blade’s tip.
Dodged.
He hadn’t cut it properly. It annoyed him.
Still, it was enough to serve as a warning.
Exhaling sharply in irritation, Laseil turned around—
—and met the eyes of Irenes, who was very obviously shaken.
“Sorry for the sudden commotion.”
“No, it was great—ah, no! It’s fine!”
Irenes’ reaction was similar to what Laseil expected… but also completely different.
She was startled. But that wasn’t the real reason.
I’ve never seen him lose his temper like that before…
Seeing a new, unexpected side of her crush made her fall for him all over again.
It seemed she might have discovered a new kink of her own.
If he snaps like that one more—no, get a grip…
She tried to pull herself together. And failed.
But thanks to that, she managed not to be shocked by the contents of the boxes as they opened them one by one.
“Oh, this one has intact gems.”
“Ghk! Oh—sorry. My throat’s a little sore.”
Once she regained her senses, the stored-up images hit her all at once, and she was even more shaken.
At least Laseil was the type to take others’ words at face value. That was the only blessing.
“There’s just dust down here. Nothing stands out. Should we head out?”
As Laseil slid a box back into place, something on the floor caught his eye.
“…Is that… a door?”
He brushed the dust away with a nearby cloth.
A person-sized trapdoor appeared beneath the thick layer of dust.
“It… looks like it.”
Irenes barely swallowed a groan.
She thought they were finally going to leave the basement, but another space had appeared.
And it was deeper, darker, and even worse.
“…Um, I have a question.”
Following Laseil down in resignation, Irenes opened her mouth.
“Can aura cut ghosts?”
“…Isn’t that normal?”
“…What?”
Irenes had never once succeeded in cutting a ghost with aura.
But since only two people in the empire could use aura, she had nothing to compare herself with.
“…Maybe aura properties vary by user?”
That had to be it.
Laseil had been seeing ghosts for years. He’d probably had plenty of chances to cut them.
“Maybe… Ah—I forgot your head. Can you bring it?”
“…Yes…”
Irenes couldn’t decide which was worse: going back to the basement or carrying the head.
In the end, she had to do both, so it didn’t matter.
“Was this place used when you were alive?”
Laseil asked the severed head that Irenes brought down.
“No idea. First time seeing it.”
Creak—
Right after the head spoke, footsteps echoed from above again.
Laseil sighed deeply and looked up.
“We haven’t even seen everything down here… Should we split up?”
“Oh—sure.”
Irenes answered reflexively and immediately regretted it.
Her habit of agreeing to everything Laseil said was finally coming back to haunt her.
“Then I’ll check upstairs real quick.”
She couldn’t tell him not to go now. That would be too embarrassing.
So she watched him leave… and sat right down on the floor.
The severed head beside her clicked its tongue loudly.
“Here?”
Laseil drew his sword the moment he reached the first floor.
As the blue aura spread, every presence he had sensed nearby vanished instantly.
Seriously?
Something approached because a human was there, yet ran away the moment he drew his weapon.
Ridiculous.
He hadn’t even swung yet.
If it’s this cowardly, how does it haunt anyone?
Annoyed, Laseil continued.
The basement was the main issue, but the upper floors weren’t normal either.
They said people got hurt even on the second floor…
He glanced toward the stairs.
Even from here, the atmosphere on the second floor felt worse than the first.
If things get bad… maybe I should just burn everything.
It was an extreme solution, but he was considering it.
The scenery bothered him.
Things looked… recently used.
Impossible.
A bed someone had clearly slept in just last night.
Clothes tossed aside like someone changed in a hurry.
A steaming bowl of soup still on the table beside the fireplace.
Hmm.
In Laseil’s experience, this usually meant one of two things:
Either time had stopped for some reason after the original resident died…
Or someone else was secretly living in this abandoned house.
Determining which was simple.
“Excuse me! Anyone here?”
He shouted while channeling aura to enhance his hearing.
If someone was truly there, he’d hear a flinch or a sharp intake of breath.
“Anyone—”
Instead of a human voice, other sounds reached him.
Dragging footsteps.
Creaking doors.
And someone… softly sobbing.
