Chapter 7. Got You, You Rascal!
A chilly dawn. That eerie time when even the hoot of an owl feels ominous.
Bella lay wide-eyed, staring up at the ceiling.
“Are you… lying next to me right now?”
Shhhh— A chill settled briefly on her shoulder, then vanished.
So they were there. Bella squeezed her eyes shut and tried hard to keep her expression neutral.
“Y-you have a nice voice, haha… ha.”
“……”
“Don’t you want to catch and kill the person who murdered you?”
The ghost gave no reply. If it were Bella, she’d have turned into a vengeful spirit to get revenge on whoever had tried to kill her. But this ghost who haunted the mansion seemed surprisingly gentle.
Which, honestly, was a relief. A violent ghost would be a pain to live with.
“You act like some delicately raised young master. Just wait and see how I deal with people who covet my house.”
“……”
Bella turned her head and stared intently at where she assumed the ghost might be lying.
“…I wish I could hear your voice clearly. But I can only catch a few short fragments.”
“……”
“They say everyone who lived in this mansion went mad after seeing the ghost.”
“……”
“And yet I can’t even see you, even though I want to.”
Bella stared blankly into the air with heavy-lidded eyes before slowly closing them.
“That’s kind of hurtful, you know.”
While Bella drifted off to sleep, the ghost lay wide awake, covering its face with one hand.
A ghost’s instincts are to cling to life. The ghost’s feelings toward Bella were more akin to obsession with the living.
On top of that, it had a job to do—something it could only do by taking a body. The desire to possess, the longing to be free—it tormented the ghost. And someone who had interacted this closely with the ghost… if the ghost wanted, it could take over her body at any time.
But… not yet.
There were still those who kept killing the mansion’s owners and pinning the blame on the ghost. Their identities had to be revealed first.
Sure, the ghost could take Bella’s body and do it directly. But after so long without a proper conversation with anyone, it convinced itself to wait a bit longer.
The ghost gently brushed Bella’s hair. She frowned slightly in her sleep, clearly uncomfortable.
Of course—living beings instinctively feel revulsion toward the dead. Even the ghost itself hated the chill and coldness it exuded. With a sigh, it withdrew its hand.
If it appeared in the form it died in, it would only spark fear and loathing.
I must look horrible.
The ghost smiled bitterly and quietly shut its eyes.
It had been so long since it had felt warmth this close. Showing itself could wait a little longer. After all, there was no rush.
Clink.
…?
A distant metallic clatter—and a surge of murderous intent.
It didn’t need to look. The ghost could sense it. An intruder had entered the grounds.
The ghost shot up and poked its head out the window.
Just as expected—a hooded figure casually climbed over the front gate and walked toward the mansion.
Perhaps because they knew a woman lived here alone, the intruder’s gait was leisurely.
No.
It couldn’t let that body be taken. That body was its. The vessel it would claim after protecting the house. The ghost turned quickly to Bella.
It hadn’t even learned her name yet. It had planned to take her body slowly, after figuring things out.
The ghost’s pale hand reached toward Bella, trembling slightly.
It could feel the intruder entering the building, slowly climbing the stairs.
If it took over her body just briefly, it could protect both the woman and the mansion. The ghost resolved itself and pressed a hand to Bella’s forehead.
BANG—
A loud clang echoed through the room as the bell hanging in Bella’s room rang out with a deafening racket.
Startled, the ghost recoiled.
“…They’re here.”
Despite the sudden noise, Bella calmly opened her eyes. Her violet pupils glowed faintly in the dark.
Without a trace of sleepiness, she slowly sat up and reached for the sword leaning against her bed.
“Come on. I’ve done a bit of bear hunting recently.”
As Bella opened the door to step out, a cold wind swept through the room—as if warning her not to go.
Bella looked around in surprise, almost as if she could see the wind. But nothing was there.
“You think I’ll lose?”
The wind howled, even in the sealed room.
Bella’s eyes widened briefly, but she soon chuckled and raised her sword.
“I come from a family of knights, you know.”
Still, the fierce wind wouldn’t stop. Bella tilted her head, puzzled by the ghost’s excessive reaction.
“That guy downstairs—is he the one who killed you?”
“……”
The lack of response seemed to indicate otherwise. Then why was the ghost so afraid of this intruder?
After a pause, Bella’s lips parted slowly.
“Did he kill everyone who died in this mansion?”
The wind howled louder.
Bella gave a knowing smile, then flung the door open with a bang.
“…!”
“It’s okay. I’ll protect you.”
With those words, Bella darted into the dark hallway—in her nightgown that doubled as a maid’s uniform.
She stopped in her tracks as she reached the source of the noise.
“How does it feel? Being on the receiving end?”
Bella smirked at the intruder.
There was one thing that caught even mercenaries and assassins off guard.
Complacency.
But even without it, the intruder would’ve been caught in Bella’s trap. She was an excellent hunter.
Even after being knighted and given the rank of baron, life for most knights wasn’t luxurious. After the war, they had to fend for themselves, and the best way to earn money was through hunting.
The most difficult prey wasn’t strong or sharp-toothed.
It was intelligent prey.
Which meant you had to disable their brains. Overwhelm them with a series of relentless traps.
Bella had strung fishing lines across the mansion like spiderwebs. If even one broke, it would set off a bell. She’d also hidden a bear trap under a floorboard.
The moment the intruder focused on disarming the tripwires and took a step forward—it was over.
“Gah—what the…?”
Just like now.
The intruder collapsed to the ground, clutching his severed ankle, gasping for breath.
At that level of blood loss, he wouldn’t last long. Bella crouched calmly in front of him, sword in hand.
He was a man with jet-black hair and eyes redder than blood. His lean yet muscular frame suggested he was more assassin than mercenary.
“You’re the one who killed all the previous owners of this mansion, aren’t you?”
“How do you—”
The intruder’s face twisted.
He’d heard the place was bought cheaply by some lowly maid. He had always found killing easy—but this was supposed to be especially easy. A mere maid wouldn’t be exceptional.
But the woman before him—her violet eyes glowing coldly in the moonlight—was anything but ordinary.
If she knew he was responsible for the previous deaths… who was she?
A mercenary? An informant? Another infiltrator hiding her identity?
But the truth was something his sharp mind never considered.
“Haven’t you heard the rumors that this mansion is haunted?”
“Of course I have—I started those rumors. So you’re saying the ghost told you? Ridiculous.”
He ground his teeth.
“A commoner with no connections… how else could you have learned that, huh?”
“……”
Bella reached out and pulled back his hood. Now they were face to face.
To Bella, the intruder didn’t seem human. Just a creature drenched in killing intent.
And to the intruder, Bella was simply insane. Utterly deranged.
And there’s no winning against someone possessed. Just look at those glowing eyes—clearly violet, yet gleaming with madness.
“It’s true. There is a ghost in this house. And yes, it told me.”
Bella spoke lazily as she drew her sword. Under the white moonlight, the blade gleamed blue.
At this rate, he’d die. The intruder staggered to his feet, grabbing an axe.
Even with a missing ankle, he could still fight. Ten years as a professional killer—and for the first time in forever, he felt a chill crawl up his spine.
“Enough nonsense. Let’s fight—life for life.”
“Don’t act all noble, you criminal.”
Bella also stood up.
She wasn’t confident she could win by skill alone. She’d trained in swordsmanship under her knight father, but any noble lady would’ve learned the same—just enough for duels of pride.
But now wasn’t the time to back down. Fights were won by momentum.
“If you’d left the mansion quietly, I might have spared you.”
“Big words, for a squatter.”
“Die!”
“Why should I, a law-abiding citizen, die? You’re the criminal.”
Bella’s violet eyes darkened.
The axe sliced downward toward her head with a sharp whistle.
