Chapter 464
Chapter 464
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 464
Chapter Title: Kim Katt and the Ghost House
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I came to my senses along with my friends and escaped the basement together.
The barrier had been lifted.
The mansion's labyrinth-like structure had returned to its utterly ordinary state. We made it up to the first floor without any issues.
Kobson, Meria, and Lina all seemed utterly bewildered by the whole ordeal.
According to them, they'd all been fleeing together when suddenly they were alone, and ghosts came pouring out endlessly. They were in the exact same situation as me.
They'd eventually been caught, and after that, their memories cut off.
"Same thing happened to me. Must've been the ghosts' illusions. You guys passed out from the shock of getting caught, and then they dragged you down to the basement."
I gave them that half-baked explanation as we walked.
"I managed to escape in the end, though. Damn, I'm beat. About halfway through, it wasn't even the ghost bastards chasing me that was the problem—it was just exhaustion."
Kobson let out an impressed whistle at that.
"As expected of a barbarian...! Reliable as hell! Must be that mental fortitude from growing up in savage lands! A true veteran D-rank adventurer! I'll buy you a drink later! Seriously, thanks!"
"Ugh... Sorry for making you go through it alone. My bad. The ghosts passed right through my shield—couldn't do a damn thing."
Meria scratched her head sheepishly.
These guys hadn't been any help at all. But hey, they'd survived and made it out, so that'd have to be good enough.
"What a freaking ordeal. We made it out alive in the end, though. If they'd nabbed me too, who knows what would've happened."
"We probably... would've had our souls taken by those evil spirits."
Lina shuddered as she chimed in.
She was still shaken up, clinging tight to my waist.
"Heh heh heh. Yeah, probably."
"A-anyway, thank you so much for saving us, big bro. But if you ever say you're heading to some creepy old ruin like this again, I don't think I can come."
"Not planning on it, kid."
I was never doing haunted house exploration again. It'd looked like a total pushover, completely empty, but the second the sun set, all hell broke loose. No way I saw that coming.
"Big bro... but there were a lot of people in that basement."
"They were probably in the same boat as us. They'll wake up soon enough. You guys did."
"Yeah, you're right."
Before we knew it, we'd reached the mansion's front entrance while chatting away.
This door hadn't opened yesterday.
"Kobson."
"Barbarian, check."
We exchanged a glance and nodded.
Then I pulled the door.
—Ssshh.
The door swung open light as if freshly oiled. We stepped out of the mansion. The morning sunlight felt incredibly refreshing.
"Haha! We made it out!"
"Gonna need a shield that can block ghosts."
"Big bro, heading home now?"
"Yeah."
And so we strolled across the mansion's vast courtyard.
"Ugh, still sucks we didn't grab any loot."
"Ain't surviving the top priority?"
"True. No more jobs like this from now on. Thought it'd pay off, but it was just suffering."
"Wasn't it a good experience, Miss Meria?"
"Talking like Kobson now."
"What're you saying!"
Finally, we exited the courtyard.
Only then did it really sink in that we'd left the mansion behind.
—Wraith Queen.
Why had she launched that assault?
And how old was this mansion? Why had it only been discovered now? We'd solved the problem, but mysteries remained. Probably never figure it out.
—Tears of Imperialism.
The sword beam born from it.
I wanted to use it right away, but I had almost no mana left. Not enough even for a basic sword aura.
The sword beam's blue glow was breathtakingly beautiful.
More than starlight in a clear night sky.
It fell just short of Claudy's shimmering lavender hair. And with beauty like that came inhuman power. Strong enough to pulverize the hate-filled Wraith Queen in one strike.
Transcendence of the inner self, experienced once more.
"..."
Even if I tried manifesting the sword beam again back home, I doubted I'd unleash its full power. But.
One thing was certain.
—Awakened sword aura.
I could manifest sword aura now.
And wield it freely.
I'd gained a lot.
Thanks, Midi. No.
Wraith Queen.
I thought that as I gazed at the sky.
—Rustle.
A warm breeze blew, and I turned around.
"...!"
—Swish.
The mansion's form scattered like ashes, drifting away somewhere. Like a sand dune vanishing in a desert wind, the mansion was simply ceasing to exist.
Stunned, I could only stand there and watch.
"Barbarian? Why'd you stop like—gasp! The mansion! Miss Meria! Look over here, quick!"
"The mansion wha—ahh! The mansion's disappearing!"
—Mirage.
The mansion vanished completely, as if it had never been there. It hadn't been discovered—it had appeared out of nowhere. And just as suddenly, it was gone.
"B-big bro, what the he—?!"
Resentment and hatred. And curses—all gone.
The ghosts' grudges had been resolved.
Did another good deed today.
"Who knows... what happened."
"Witch's curse... Gotta be a witch's curse! Those evil spirits were all victims of it!"
"Witch's curse, huh."
Our Lina's got some imagination.
"Magic! Magic, I say! A mansion of magic and curses! This is insane! No one'll believe us if we tell 'em!"
Kobson jumped up and down, yelling.
That's when I noticed the adventurers scattered where the mansion had stood. For a second, I worried they might vanish with it, but with the curse broken, no way.
They'd wake up soon and go their own ways.
"I can barely believe it myself, and I saw it!"
"This kinda thing... magic for sure?"
Kobson and Meria just plopped down, mumbling in a daze.
"Mysterious, huh."
Thanks to the power of Fusion Confucianism, their souls surely went to a good place. Free of pain, hatred, and sorrow.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Two days later, we finally arrived in Isvant.
The journey back was just retracing our steps, no big deal. We camped without issues, took out some random monsters we ran into, and made it to the city.
"What a hassle, but in the end, we just burned money and time."
"Yeah. Still, experience is experience. Won't get dragged into crap like this again, right?"
"Ugh... you're right, Miss Meria. Ah, I'm exhausted. Time to head in and rest. Eyes are closing on their own."
Kobson had dark circles under his eyes.
I was pretty wiped out too.
You can't properly recover stamina sleeping outdoors. And with my overflowing lust, I kept waking up at dawn. Every time I opened my eyes, my pants were about to burst.
Wanted to get home quick and bury myself in my wives.
Only thought was rubbing my face between their breasts, feeling their warmth.
Ah, thinking about it got me hard again.
"Yeah, go rest up."
"You too, Barbarian. Drinks next time we meet. Hope there's good work then."
"I'll be waiting. Take care, Meria."
Meria looked pretty haggard too.
She gave a weak smile and waved both hands.
"Sure, sure. Was great seeing you after so long. Job sucked, but... see you next time!"
"Of course."
We said our goodbyes, split the money evenly, and paid Lina's crew.
Lina's group got 5 coppers a day—that's standard F-rank pay. We pooled our cash to cover it.
No loot, but wages are wages.
That's basic decency, but scummy adventurers treat F-ranks like slaves, often skimming their pay or worse.
What if they don't pay? F-ranks got no recourse.
No one gives a damn if they whine.
"Lina, live strong. Looking at you, that's all I can say."
"Yeah... I'm trying, big bro."
"The kids didn't skim your pay?"
"Honestly? A few times."
Easy target like Lina.
Just gotta tough it out.
"Fucking assholes. Hang in there. That's the world."
"I know. Better than dying, right?"
"Smart thinking. No worries then."
"Learned it from you, big bro. See ya. Hope we meet like this again. Just no more shady mansions."
—Bow.
Lina bowed politely.
"Call you if there's work next time we cross paths."
"Thanks, big bro."
And Lina went her way.
"Whew."
Finally, some rest.
Hadn't bathed in days.
Head straight home and clean up.
It was still early morning.
This time of day, Karin and Lady Risha would be at work. Meaning just Claudy and Winia at home.
Tell those two about the sword aura first.
—Step step.
"Heh heh heh."
A laugh bubbled up unbidden.
My steps home were light and bouncy. I'd achieved something worth showing Claudy. That excited me more than anything.
At this rate, becoming the true powerhouse she wanted was just a matter of time.
Sword aura next, then sword beam, then protective aura?
I was at the front door in no time.
—Click.
I unlocked the door and went in.
—Whoosh!
"Katt! I've been waiting!"
The moment I stepped inside, lightly dressed Claudy flew into my arms. She'd probably sensed me the second I reached the door.
I wrapped my arms around her waist right away.
"Heh heh heh, miss me that much? Was I late?"
"You have no idea how long Mama's been waiting? Thought you'd be back yesterday or the day before. This late? Might not forgive you~?"
"Sorry for the delay. Cut me some slack this once."
"Hmm, we'll see~?"
Clady rubbed her face against my neck, purring happily. Even though I was filthy from not bathing, she didn't care—and that warmed my heart.
"Where's Winia?"
"Still sleeping, probably."
"Nothing happen while I was gone?"
"Well... she had trouble sleeping at night? Can't sleep without holding onto Katt."
"No way...!"
"Anyway, Katt. Mama'll wash you up, so let's hit the bath? You worked hard."
"This happiness!"
I stripped right there and headed to the bathroom with Claudy. Coming home really made life worth living. No wonder I was so hooked on her.
By the time my clothes were off, I was fully erect.
"Hehe, look at you. Standing so proud already. Got this excited just seeing Mama? Ahh, I've been waiting for this, Katt... so impressive..."
Clady smiled softly as she poured water over me and stroked my cock. —Twitch, twitch. Her soft hand rubbing me made my hips buck, precum spilling out.
"Built up for days, huh? Gotta drain it all proper~?"
"Clady...!"
This was gonna go from now till night, then Karin and Risha come home, and we'd keep at it till morning.
I let her pamper me lovingly as she washed my body. Every time her warmth touched me, I melted into bliss.
"So, Katt. What happened out there?"
What happened.
Thinking about it made me laugh again.
"What happened... heh, heh heh heh. Yeah, gotta tell you. Ah, but this is just... heh heh heh... no, really."
"Oh? What's with that laugh?"
"Heh heh heh. Let me wash up first. I'll spill soon."
"Jeez, making me curious. Starting to get excited~?"
Clady pressed her breasts against my back, soapy hands reaching around to grip and shake my cock. A gentle handjob.
"Keep that anticipation up."
"Hee hee hee, what is it? If you don't tell me quick, might just milk you dry like this~?"
"Think you could?"
"Hmm... wonder if it'd dry up even if I shook it all day."
But when to drop the news?
Mana was fully recovered.
Ready to manifest sword aura anytime.
Think after the bath.