9: fumu xant i hope that you can still edit this, Face thine fears my friend
Xant: IT IS DAYTIME, I AM IMMUNE TO SPOOKY SCARY SKELETONS
spoiler: Xant was not immune. 7/10 on the spooky scale
Chapter 12 – Mysterious Ghost Mansion 2
“Really, I wonder what kind of education you people had.”
“Sorry…….”
All we did was lower our head as the old lady showed her anger.(TL: man i hate this old lady)
“I’ll look into the repair fees of the door and pay for it. But if you can’t complete this quest I’ll make sure to bring the bill and demand compensation. Okay? If you do this again, I’ll have your neck.”
We went back to our room in low spirits. I wonder if Roel is still scared. She’s probably only thinking about the repair fees for the door. As for proof, she was focused on counting with her fingers. As we walk in the room we see Tolppo standing still with her arm raised.
“What are you doing?”
I asked Tolppo what she is doing and she silently brought down her hands.
“Spirits……..not my specialty…..originally…it’s the priest’s……..thoughtless…..nay…..I’ll do what I can do…..”
It seems that Tolppo is anxious. Although in the end, I didn’t understand why she was doing that pose earlier. We exchange information about the incident that happened earlier.
“Basement……..I’m sure there is something there…….”
“I wonder if the ghost is there? The old lady wants us to exterminate the ghost.”
“That person, she’s married right?”
Roel stood up, recalling something and murmured
“I think there was a ring on her finger.”
Then that means…I wonder if she has a family. Certainly, living alone in this big mansion would be lonely. If that’s the case i wonder where her family is.
“Expected……probably………lady…”
Tolppo said something and at the same time there was a knock on the door.
“Dinner is ready. Come to the first floor dining room. Be sure to drop by.”
She emphasized the “drop by” part, and then the sound of the old lady’s footsteps became distant outside of the room. We went to the dining room to have dinner. On top of the table there was beef steak, bread and salad lined up. As if only just cooked, the steak was piping hot. I wonder if it’s fine to receive such a gorgeous meal. About the incident earlier, I wasn’t able to apologize. The old lady, not saying anything, was just eating her steak. Not knowing what would be good to talk about, we silently continued to eat.
“Ghost extermination……..tonight…….we will……….”
Tolppo suddenly said that, and the expression of the old lady tensed up. If things go on like this, we may not be able to fix her mood. I stood up.
After eating, the bath was heated up and we went to have a bath. The door I broke earlier that lead to the basement was replaced by a barrier-shaped thing that was forcibly inserted. Turning my eyes away from it, I took of my clothes and entered the bath together with Roel. Because it’s wide enough that 3 people can easily fit, I invited Tolppo. But she declined right after I asked. Even though we are both girls, I don’t really understand her. I haven’t seen her face but from her voice she is probably a girl.
“It’s my first time inside such a big bath…”
Roel submerged herself in the hot bath and played with the water. (TL:ぱちゃぱちゃ) Compared to this bath, ours was quite small for 2 people to enter simultaneously. On the wall there was a stone statue of lion’s head and from its mouth bath water was gushing out from it. Thinking about it, you’d probably need a lot of money to make something like this. Though, that’s pretty obvious so why even think about it.
“I wonder how many years it has been since I entered a bath with another person?”
“Eh, Roel, was there someone who was living with you before?”
Because I thought that she was living alone up till now, it was quite unexpected to hear that. Now that I think about it, I don’t know much about Roel’s past.
“It was a long time ago, there was a person that helped me before. But that person…isn’t here anymore…….”
Isn’t here anymore…sympathizing with her I stop pursuing the subject.. I didn’t know there was such a person living with Roel. I was in the <Caves of Hell> for 10 years, so it was natural for Roel to have some [drama] too. I wonder what she was feeling, but I’m not good enough to tell that from a glance.
“I don’t have any memories of when I was a kid……”
No memories? I really want to know, but that’s bad manners. I don’t want to say it. I only stayed silent listening to Roel talk.
At that time.
Someone was at the other side of the frosted glass. It was directly behind Roel, so she wasn’t able to notice. It was quite a vague image, but I saw a girl standing there. She was standing and looking towards us…observing us. That’s what I felt. I wonder if I saw her during the day?
Abruptly the lights within the bath went out.
“Kiii~!”
I hug Roel who was panicking to calm her down. In the dark I wasn’t able to confirm it but I felt that the girl watching us was no longer there… While I was hugging Roel, I slowly led us outside the bathroom. I timidly opened the frosted glass door and started fumbling around to turn the lights back on. When I finally found the switch, I was met with *click* *click*. The lights won’t turn on. We had no choice and decided to wear our clothes from earlier. I wonder if Roel was at loss of words because she is scared, she was rather quiet. We held hands as we left the room, but on the way it was pretty dark. I wonder what the old lady was doing, she should’ve been in trouble since she can’t switch on the light. First of all lets meet up with Tolppo.
When my eyes got used to the darkness we followed the stairs going to the 2nd floor. There was no one in the living room. I wonder if the old lady and Tolppo were on the 2nd floor? To not fall while climbing up the stairs, I was pulling Roel’s hand.
The corridor on the 2nd floor was quiet. It was dark to our left and right, ‘It was as if this corridor leads to hell’ was what I imagined. With this much darkness, it had an eerie atmosphere. Inside the darkness, Roel was attached to me, not letting go.
“After we talk with Tolppo about this we need to think of what we should do next, Roel.”
Roel stayed silent and kept clinging onto my hand. I didn’t think that this ghost extermination would give me such a hard time. As per usual, the enemy won’t show itself. I don’t know what course of action to take. I wonder if the girl I saw at the bath room was the ghost. If that’s the case, why would it do something this? That girl should’ve been a normal girl before it became a ghost, I wonder what kind of reason it has?
*bang* *bang* from far away I could hear a door opening and closing. Immediately after that, the doors inside the corridor opened and closed again.
*bang**bang**bang**bang*
I could hear the doors opening and closing by itself in the dark corridor. If you compare the darkness to the <Caves of Hell>, this is nothing. I couldn’t feel any presence while walking before, but now I’m certain I can sense different presences.
“Roel, be sure to not let go of me.”
Roel increased her grip on my hand. As I expected, walking became harder.
“You don’t need to hold it that hard. I won’t run you know.”
“Ryua-chan! Where are you~?”
From far away I could hear Roel’s voice. No, Roel should be here…not letting go of my hand…
“Ryua-cha~n! Why did you left me behind? Ryua-chan!”
I should’ve been leading her. The proof is here.
No.
Now, rather than Roel clinging on me, whoever it was had a much smaller stature. For some reason the grip strength kept increasing. Long hair, white one-piece dress, small hands that were pure white…rather than saying that, it should be a thin arm. It should’ve been dark, but for some reason I could see better right now. Then it slowly looked up at me.
There were no eyeballs. There were only 2 holes, filled by darkness. A wrinkly face that doesn’t suit a child, it faced towards me. I couldn’t feel any temperature but I could only feel a chill passing to me.