Chapter 24
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 24
Chapter Title: Storm-Calling Mansion Cleanup Operation
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【Tragedy of Skarnas Village】
10. The ghost bride noticed your presence.
Screaming and howling, the ghost bride chased after you.
You barely escaped using your wits but ended up trapped inside the mansion.
11. While exploring the mansion and avoiding the ghost bride, you found a faded piece of paper.
It was a diary chronicling someone's life.
You read intently about a woman who grew up an orphan and later took in other orphans.
12. The first entry was written in slightly clumsy but clear handwriting.
She raised over ten children, but Skarnas was a good village.
The villagers gladly donated leftover food and goods to the orphanage, letting her care for the children with a joyful heart.
Raising kids alone was tough, but with the villagers' help, she somehow managed.
13. The second entry was in slightly blurred, messy handwriting.
You could tell the emotion it held was pure joy.
She had fallen in love with a nobleman who arrived by carriage.
14. The third entry overflowed with ecstasy, its handwriting trembling.
At last, he promised to marry her and care for the children in her charge as well.
The ink was smudged from tears, but it was easy to see they were tears of happiness.
15. The following entries continued in her usual handwriting.
Tales of everyday life, the children, and the man she loved. Reading on, you reached the final page.
16. The last entry was stained with blood.
Her screams and horrific curses filled its pages.
At the moment she should have been happiest, she witnessed a scene straight out of hell.
17. You now understand the full tragedy that befell Skarnas.
You know how to exorcise such a powerful evil spirit.
Release her lingering grudge or destroy the medium binding her here.
The choice is yours.
Quest Clear Condition: ???? Defeat
“Woooong...”
The little ghosts stared blankly at me.
I could guess why they helped me and showed me that diary.
And why these little ones hadn't passed on yet.
The ghost bride had raised these orphans, and they couldn't leave because she weighed on their minds.
“Caw.”
I'm no sentimental crow shedding tears over a tragic tale.
Empathizing with grief and crying over it—that takes a certain leisure. It's a luxury.
When you're on the verge of being devoured by a tiger, can you weep for how long it's been starving?
Every action of mine must serve my own benefit.
I might've thought differently as a human, but right now, I'm just a crow fixated on survival above all else.
So even hearing this story doesn't make the ghost bride pitiable to me.
I didn't read the diary myself, after all—just the quest summary.
“Shwoooong...”
“Woooong...”
Shwoongie was probably an orphanage kid too.
He ran into me by chance and must've thought I could help the ghost bride find peace.
Or at least aid these little ones.
Not expecting things to go this way, he looked apologetic.
I hopped down from the piano.
“Shwooo...”
Shwoongie crept closer, shoulders slumped in a dejected shuffle.
“Caw!”
I let out a loud caw for all to hear.
“Sh, Shwoong?”
“Woong?”
Shwoongie and the ghosts tilted their heads, looking resigned.
It's not because of you all. To escape this place, best to follow the quest log.
To get out, we have to deal with the ghost bride.
But taking her head-on? Success rate near zero.
So, resolve her grudge or destroy whatever's binding her.
“Shwooo!”
Shwoongie caught my gestures and excitedly flailed his stubby arms.
“Woooong!”
The little ghosts followed suit.
Resolving the grudge sounds unrealistic, so we'll destroy that medium.
What could it be?
In movies, it's usually something precious from life they haunt.
And she never strays far from it.
“...Caw.”
A flash of insight hit me.
Come to think of it, the ghost bride acted oddly.
Even Laces grotesquely stretch their arms to slice foes in an instant.
As their superior, the ghost bride should outdo that—shred walls if she wanted.
Yet she never properly attacked me while chasing.
And once I got some distance, she quit pursuing and lingered in that room forever.
What does that mean?
She dreads any damage to that room.
Enough to sic minions on me with Shwoongie and guard it herself.
If that were the only clue, it'd be a wild gamble.
But there's more.
The room these little ghosts kept pointing to.
And that golden drawer.
High chance her medium's in there.
“Woong!”
These guys—if only they could talk.
“Woooong...”
They seemed to gripe about some injustice, but words wouldn't work for them or me anyway.
“Caw caw!”
Rough plan set.
“Shwoong!”
“Woong!”
Goal: infiltrate the ghost bride's guarded room and smash the medium.
To max success odds, first things first—cleaning time.
“Wooong...”
“Shwoooong...”
Shwoongie and the little ghosts diligently shifted objects.
Their small size made big stuff tricky, but ganging up got 'em moving.
Sudden cleaning? Sure.
But this is cleaning for more cleaning.
Meaning...
“Kihihit!”
...clear out the other ghosts prowling this mansion.
One ghost bride's bad enough—no bandwidth for these extras too.
So we handle 'em preemptively.
Those structures the little ones are shoving? Traps to efficiently nab Laces.
“Kihahak!”
Baby Laces hauling stuff drew speedy adult ghosts.
“Woooong...!”
Little ghosts bolted into furniture at the sight.
“Kyahahahat!”
The Lace, thrilled to torment as always, laughed till its seams split.
Making fun plans, no doubt.
Twist that cloth till tears flow, or amp its power like the piano ghost.
“Kihehet!”
Expectant, it flung open a drawer.
“Caw.”
Oh, here already?
Crack!
“Ki, ki...”
Rattle.
The drawer shut naturally.
Thud!
Thud!
A few shakes, then silence.
“Shwawang...”
As for the Lace that opened Pandora's box? I'd point to the now-plumper Shwoongie.
Prep complete.
Five ghosts, one crow.
Storm-calling mansion cleanup operation: go.
Kagak!
Ethan's silver sword cleaved the gargoyle clean in two.
“Hoo...”
Tougher than expected.
Thought it was a gargoyle, but no—Laces puppeteering a statue from inside.
Wrong tactic from the start meant delays.
“Erica. Can you make a gap in that mansion?”
No breather—he pressed her.
But Erica couldn't complain.
He'd fought near-solo to conserve her mana.
“With what's left... I can't make one big enough for a person.”
“But a gap itself is possible.”
Best play: he enters personally.
Frontal assault risky, but he could aid in smashing the medium.
Erica's mana too low, though—plan B.
No room for people? Send helpful items inside.
Shing!
Another small flash.
That ally inside was surely locked in desperate battle right now.
“Erica! Gap, now.”
“On it!”
Erica chanted swiftly.
Simple trick for the massive mansion.
It was a magic circle fueled by endless grudge and mana—douse it in a mage's power for a brief breach.
Easy in theory; mana cost? Bankrupting.
No time for math.
Roar.
A crude fireball formed—call it junk, fine.
Pure mana jammed in, no finesse.
BOOM!
Fireball smashed a window.
Sizzle!
The illusory wall flickered hazy for a moment.
Ethan hurled his pouch without hesitation.
Clang!
It shattered the window, sailed in.
Mansion snapped back pristine instantly.
“...Think that's enough?”
Erica's voice dripped worry.
The pouch brimmed with fine silverware.
Best they could do, but doubt lingered.
“That much silver? Survival till dawn, at least. Then we extract 'em.”
Their role done.
Now wait for the ally to settle things with the ghost bride.
“So worried... Who even braves that place? Could've linked up with us—easier win.”
“That worried? Pray.”
Erica's eyes went round.
“P-pray? Never dreamed you'd say that...”
Still, hands clasped tight.
Couldn't hurt, per Ethan.
“...Who to pray to here?”
“Anyone.”
“Right. Anyone listening. Take our offering and...”
Ethan cocked his head.
Offering? The silver? His personal gear—why our?
“...Eh, good's good. Ethan, pray with me.”
Fine silver offered—surely some god would hear.
Clang! Something shattered—then bolt from the blue.
Crash!
“Caw!”
More precisely: a deluge of sparkles flattened me.
What the—?
“Cawgak!”
What sin merits this trial?
“Sh, Shwoong!”
Shwoongie and kids hauled sticks from somewhere, cleared the mystery pile—I wriggled free.
“Zzaeack...”
What even buried me?
“Shwooo...”
Hey Shwoongie—you're looking a tad golden-roasted?
I turned to inspect the culprits.
Twinkle twinkle.
Piles of dazzling loot—drool-worthy.
Silver!
Silver thunder from clear skies!
The kind you welcome anytime.
But why'd it dump on me?
Adventurers, probably.
Window showed no trace of the crash.
How? Why me? Mysteries.
One certainty: finders keepers.
Brain whirred.
Operation tweaked live.
“Shwoong?”
Glance at Shwoongie.
“Woong?”
Little ghosts.
“...”
Our lovely shinies.
With this? We got it.
Time to unleash the smartest bird: crow power.
Storm-calling mansion cleanup operation (final cut): complete.