Chapter 59
“As soon as we came in, there was no reason for the pots to have fallen by themselves. So there must be another monster inside.”
Hearing Xian’s calm words, the group’s faces turned pale again.
It seemed they disliked this kind of monster even more than the obviously dangerous one they encountered on the 4th floor—one that hid and made loud noises when the lights went out.
Xian approached the fallen pots to inspect them.
“The pots are just ordinary pots. No particular traces…”
At that moment, everyone saw the bloodstains on the pots Xian was holding.
There were clear marks where hands, covered in blood, had dragged across several pots.
A deathly silence enveloped the group.
“It would be best to find some cleanser.”
Yeniel spoke, giving direction to the stunned group.
The outer kitchen resembled the one in a medieval horror-game-style mansion that her brother had once made.
Several display shelves were arranged against the walls, seemingly for dishes, utensils, and other items.
On the counter above the sink, forks, knives, and spoons were neatly cleaned and arranged.
“Why can’t we see any cleanser? Didn’t you say it was here?”
Max asked, trying to shake off his fear.
“Probably because these sinks are only for washing ingredients,” Yeniel replied. She looked around the kitchen and seemed to understand immediately.
“In larger mansions, sinks are usually separated—some for washing ingredients, others for cleaning dishes. It’s better to look for the sinks designated for dishwashing.”
“That makes sense.”
Yurel agreed impassively.
Come to think of it, none of the others had any knowledge of the kitchen; they hadn’t even touched water. Only Yeniel, born to a minor baron family, and Yurel, formerly a slave, would know the kitchen layout.
Perhaps even the Crown Prince and others guessed this, so they didn’t comment.
“By the way, how long will Sir Yurel be following us? Why are you here?”
The Crown Prince asked awkwardly, seemingly remembering Yurel’s presence.
“I will return once my master’s wrath has subsided.”
“…Is there ever a day when Miss Devnoa’s anger subsides? I’m not arguing, I’m just curious.”
“Pft.”
A laugh sounded, and everyone looked at each other, realizing that Yurel had been the one laughing.
“What’s so funny…?”
The Crown Prince asked, bewildered.
By the time he finished speaking, Yeniel spoke up.
“There are six doors here. One of them should have the cleanser. Considering the outer kitchen layout, there’s a high chance there’s a staircase to the second floor or a basement. However, it’s best to avoid the basement if possible, so let’s be careful.”
“Why avoid the basement?”
Max asked, puzzled. Xian answered coldly.
“In case the building collapses. If the collapse happens elsewhere, you can escape from the second floor or other areas. But if you go down to the basement and the building collapses, you won’t get out. So we must be careful.”
Max’s face turned even paler.
Xian looked over the multiple doors and spoke to the group.
“We don’t know what’s inside. Let’s start by opening the doors one by one.”
Everyone took a door each. No one gave instructions, but it happened naturally.
Me, Yurel, Yeniel, Xian, the Crown Prince, and Max. Six doors, exactly.
Max screamed as he grabbed a doorknob.
“What if something comes out! What if it attacks! Sir Isengriff! Protect His Highness!”
Surprisingly, his loyalty was commendable.
“I know. I’ve already summoned a spirit. You just can’t see it because it’s a confined space,” Xian replied sharply.
We opened the doors and looked inside. Coincidentally, all were dark.
‘Well, I didn’t expect the outer kitchen to have lights on from outside.’
The cleanser was somewhere in one of these rooms. Yeniel calmly suggested:
“Since we might not be able to reopen a room once we enter, how about leaving one person outside and five inside?”
It seemed Yurel, who had temporarily joined, was included in the “five.”
Things might have gone smoothly, but Max almost had a meltdown and strongly objected.
“I’m not going in! Didn’t you see that shadow just now? It’s hiding in one of these rooms! I won’t go! Never!”
Usually, in such cases, the Crown Prince would be lenient or try to calm him. Xian would reason with him.
I just handled things firmly, and I never clashed with Yeniel.
“One against five.”
Yurel said.
“Eh? What do you mean?”
“It means you’ll stay here alone.”
Max froze, staring at Yurel as if he were mad. He was dumbfounded at being told he was alone against five.
The one who’s crazier always wins.
“While you search the room, I’ll stay outside. Please handle the exploration inside,” Xian volunteered.
Among our group, only three were capable in combat: Xian, me, and Yurel.
But leaving only Yurel outside seemed suspicious, and leaving me alone outside was unreliable. So it was decided Xian would stay.
The first room was the basement.
Though it was a new building with little use, the dampness typical of basements was noticeable.
Yeniel switched on the wall light, and with a loud noise, stairs appeared.
“It’s rare for cleaners to be stored in the basement. Usually, items needing aging, like wine, are kept there.”
“Is that so?”
“Apparently.”
Max and the Crown Prince looked confused. I put on an equally innocent expression.
“…Let’s go down. When we return, please have Sir Yurel and Lady April cover our rear.”
Downstairs, several oak barrels and lying wine bottles were visible.
No way the cleanser would be there.
As they were about to return empty-handed:
Clink!
A sharp sound.
One of the oak barrels’ taps had been slightly turned, just the tap.
Splash!
Red wine poured out. Its color was close to blood, making the Crown Prince flinch.
“Who would do such a thing…? I want to believe it’s just a coincidence.”
But the wine thickened, taking on a blood-like texture.
Then, something resembling a human finger started to move, trying to emerge.
‘No, not that.’
Before a horror-game-like event could happen, I rushed forward and tightly closed the tap.
The finger trying to emerge got stuck, stopping it.
I turned to the group with a bright smile.
“April protected the wine!”
“Well done. Really.”
“Lady April!”
The Crown Prince and Max, who had been extremely tense staring at the tap, praised me with relieved faces.
On the way up, I was last, with Yurel in front of me.
The basement echoed, so we couldn’t really converse.
But as we climbed, Yurel handed me something behind his back.
It was a candy.
With a note attached:
<Eat this. -Evelyn-
Pain relief function
++ Slight stamina recovery function
The pain relief eases pain, and the stamina potion is included.
It’s candy, so it’s sweet—don’t worry when eating.
