Psychological Horror Game: Dementia: Lost Memories (2)
You open your eyes.
The first thing you see is a blood-red sky.
Beyond the window, a crimson light pours in—not the warm sunlight you'd expect, but something ominous that anyone would find foreboding.
It's not as dark as you'd think.
A familiar sight. The exact place etched in your memories.
《Lancaster Mansion Entrance Hall》
"The mansion's hall..."
Yujin Feltro's words from just before entering the massive Cube echo in your mind.
Just check out the crime scene and come back. Nothing more, nothing less.
You swallow hard and begin scanning your surroundings.
The first things that catch your eye are the items left on the lone round table.
A lantern flickering with scarlet flames, a matchbox, and... a glass bottle?
You think it's just a plain glass bottle at first, but you notice identical ones placed throughout the hall.
What could this mean?
The librarian said this was all just a game—something even a child could escape if they grasped the patterns.
Maybe these glass bottles are tied to one of those patterns.
With the instincts of the Imperial Chief Investigator, you pocket the lantern, matches, and glass bottles.
Time to move your feet.
From the hall, there's a passage to the left and stairs leading to the second floor.
You know the layout of this mansion.
The left side is mostly for the servants—kitchen, wine cellar, and their personal quarters. The cook's and gardener's rooms, plus the maids' quarters, are all right there.
Should you check it out for the investigation?
"......"
You shake your head.
Truth be told, you hate scary things. The frightening fairy tales your father told you as a child still haunt your dreams sometimes. Murder cases are fine, but supernatural stuff like ghosts terrifies you. Maybe that's why you're handling this case so reluctantly—you sensed something "scary" tied to it.
But isn't that just a habit carried over from childhood?
What's your name and status?
"P-Pletta. Pletta Selwyn. Imperial Central Investigation Bureau Chief Investigator..."
That's right, Pletta.
You recall Yujin's advice.
He definitely said just check the crime scene and come back.
Skipping the first floor is purely for efficiency.
Absolutely not because you're scared of whatever's down that passage, right?
"W-We always start at the scene anyway!"
You glance at the stairs.
Sure, it's better than the left side, where bloody glows flicker.
With the softly glowing lantern and matches, darkness won't be an issue.
What was on the second floor again?
First, the rooms of the vice-count's children.
The two sons' rooms, who left for the church years ago, are empty. The one tied to this case is Lady Margareta Lancaster.
There's also the room of Claude, the butler and prime suspect.
A massive study.
And finally?
The vice-count's bedroom. Where Edmund Lancaster was brutally murdered.
You decide to head straight for the goal.
You climb the stairs and open the firmly shut door.
Creeeak—the hinges scream as a wide corridor unfolds before you.
《Lancaster Mansion 2nd Floor Central Corridor》
Thud, thud. In the pitch-black corridor devoid of life, only your footsteps echo hollowly.
No signs of presence yet.
It's plenty eerie and ominous. You've adapted to the dark by now, but strangely, visibility drops beyond a certain distance. You can also pick up a faint, nauseating fishy stench like rotting corpses.
But that's about it.
Maybe you're just psyching yourself out.
"Come to think of it, whatever shows up, I can just beat it down."
No sword like the one you carry on missions, but a chief investigator has to be skilled in hand-to-hand combat.
You clench and unclench your fist, then throw a straight punch forward.
Your movements feel solid.
If you hadn't been told this was virtual, you'd swear it was real.
Nod, nod.
Only then do you instinctively relax your hunched shoulders and stride forward confidently.
Clunk!
But the vice-count's room is locked tight.
He said just check the scene, so what's going on here?
That's when a glinting keyhole catches your eye.
"I need a key...?"
You check the floor, but nothing key-like is there.
In the end, you realize you can't reach your goal in one go.
Time to keep investigating.
You decide to start with the closest spot to the vice-count's room.
Oh, luckily, this door opens.
You step inside.
《Study》
The moment you enter, the rough, musty scent of paper brushes your nose.
Vice-Count Lancaster's hobby was buying and collecting books.
Naturally, his study rivals any decent library in the territory.
Shelves line the walls, stacked neatly with books.
You pick one up as if entranced, but it's filled with blank pages.
"...All the others too?"
Maybe this is the 'reality check' Yujin mentioned.
You muster more courage.
This is just inside a magic tool—an upgraded Cube called Dimension. Nothing here can harm you.
You search the study thoroughly.
The lantern still burns steadily.
In the center, on a wide wooden desk, you spot scattered books and papers.
[Barean County 1532 Financial Rating Table]
[Monte Cristo Count]
[I'm Quitting the Knights]
[Northern Silver Mine Operation Report]
"......????"
Aside from a few odd papers, nothing stands out.
"Where'd these come from? Lots on silver mines, though."
As you rifle through them, clink.
Something small and metallic hits the floor.
You bend down and peer under the desk—a key glints there.
You pick it up naturally, hoping it's for the vice-count's room. That's when...
"Grrrrr..."
The hairs on your body stand on end. A deranged groan echoes. An indescribable terror begins to choke you.
Thump. Splatter. Thump. Splatter. Thump. Splatter.
Something starts moving in time with your heartbeat.
A black shadow flits between the bookshelves.
Where the shadow passes, one of the glowing lanterns flickers out.
You realize where its gaze is fixed.
Edmund Lancaster. The man who should be dead is coming for you.
The moment your eyes meet it.
"......!!!"
Pletta barely kept her legs from giving out.
The shadow approached between the shelves.
It looked human-ish, but the space around it shimmered like heat haze, making its form hard to pin down.
But one thing was clear: the malice aimed at her was real.
Pletta clenched her fist without hesitation.
She rapidly circulated mana from her crown to her fingertips.
Imperial mana-infused martial arts.
She'd climbed to chief investigator for a reason.
She didn't know what the horrific thing was.
A soul revived by a dark mage's necromancy? A corrupted, mutated corpse? Or some new undead?
Didn't matter.
A mana-charged fist could damage even intangible spirits.
But.
"Huh?"
Cold sweat trickled down Pletta's back.
Mana... wouldn't gather...
The white mana flickered briefly before scattering like a mirage.
"This isn't supposed to happen, huh? This...!!!"
All means of fighting back or countering were neutralized.
Why couldn't she use mana?
Regrettably, the vice-count spotting her came faster than any answer.
"GRAAAAAH!!"
"Eek!!"
Pletta swallowed her breath.
Escape routes? It came from the entrance, so where to run?
In that instant, she realized the shadow couldn't phase through bookshelves or furniture.
The vice-count was honestly dodging them as it charged her.
If it could pass through, it'd have reached her already.
A investigator's sharp instincts indeed.
The study was spacious enough. Pletta lured it along the wall-spanning shelves and escaped.
Bang!!
She slammed the study door shut and grabbed the handle.
Rattle rattle rattle rattle!!!!
The handle shook like it might break—then stopped.
"G-Good!"
No more noise from beyond the door.
"H-Hew... Ah... Hah..."
Pletta thought she'd shaken it off successfully.
Splatter splatter splatter.
Until that ear-crushing horror sounded right behind her neck.
She leaped like a rabbit.
Then unleashed a high-octave sonic scream she'd never made in her life.
"Kyaaa— AAAAAAAAAAA——!!!!"
The stern, valiant Imperial Chief Investigator was gone. Only a panicked, pitiful woman remained.
Pletta bolted without looking back—afraid she'd face that monstrosity head-on if she did.
Down the corridor, down the stairs.
Thud tumble! She tripped and tumbled a few steps, but that didn't matter now.
"Let me out! Please let me out!! Young Master Yujin! Get me out quick!! Miss Liana!!!"
She pounded the front door like mad—with fists, feet, even her body. But the sealed door wouldn't budge.
Her heart thundered like it might burst.
And overwhelming it all.
Splatter splatter splatter splatter.
The sound of rotting flesh approaching filled her ears.
"Ah..."
In the end, the terrified Imperial investigator Pletta Selwyn blacked out.
"What?! Pletta passed out??"
"Yes, she's at the capital healing center now."
The unprecedented scandal: a chief investigator fainting from a Cube session.
The academy delinquent, the failing weirdo—Yujin Feltro.
He'd pulled off another one.