Chapter 131: To Get a Cheap, Large House, You Must Take Risks
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 131: To Get a Cheap, Large House, You Must Take Risks
“Sion, where did you go last night?”
“Well, you see...”
“You said you were going to the Magic Tower and coming right back.”
“I ended up running into Leah, and things just happened.”
“Did you sleep there? No, if that was the case, you should have told me beforehand. I was worried sick all night thinking you’d gotten into an accident somewhere.”
I had made Yuria worry all night.
Since I tended to run into trouble whenever I stepped out of the house, her concern was justified.
“Well, you’re back safe, so it’s fine. Welcome home.”
“Sorry for making you worry.”
“It’s okay. Hurry up and come inside.”
As I entered the house, Marin was preparing breakfast, and Olivia was getting ready to head out.
She said she was going to the Druid Club again today for her lute lessons.
“Olivia, has your playing improved?”
“Yes... I’ll be able to give you a proper performance soon.”
“I’m looking forward to it.”
It seemed she had gained quite a bit of skill.
She had promised to play for me first once she could perform properly, so I was genuinely excited. The thought of hearing music from Earth in this world felt quite special.
“Oh, by the way, Yuria.”
“Yeah? What is it?”
“Once we sell that giant’s corpse and get some decent money... should we move?”
“Where to?”
“I was thinking of buying a slightly larger house.”
“Hmm. So we can all live together?”
“Exactly.”
It wasn’t that Yuria’s house was small, but it would be difficult to bring anyone else in. If I collected more slaves, the place would get cramped. I figured it would be best to move to a larger place as soon as we had the funds.
“Hmm. Then if we’re moving anyway, should we go for a really massive house?”
“Does a house that big even exist in this city?”
“It does. There are houses as big as grand mansions.”
“Isn’t that expensive? It’ll be a problem if it’s too pricey.”
“It’s not that expensive. Actually, it’s cheap.”
The moment I heard it was cheap, I knew instinctively.
There’s something wrong with that house. Is it a stigmatized property?
“They say ghosts appear there. No, it’s not just a rumor. They actually show up.”
“A haunted house. No wonder it’s cheap.”
“Yeah. But if it’s you, Sion... you can perform exorcisms, right? Even the Church’s exorcist priests gave up and left, but wouldn’t it be possible for you?”
I, Sion—immune to most curses thanks to the barrage of hexes from the Three Villainesses, capable of seeing, touching, and beating up spiritual entities through my Spiritual Eye, and the only person in the Labyrinth City who could capture and seal most spirits using the Spirit Chain.
“It’s possible. So, where is it?”
“You bit the bait immediately.”
“Ghosts are no match for me. Unless it’s something as strong as a god, I can handle anything.”
“Hahaha. Such confidence. Then let’s drop Olivia off at the Druid Club and head straight to the Cursed Mansion. Oh, Olivia, do you want to come too?”
“A-Ah, no...! Absolutely not...!”
“Right. We won’t take you. Don’t look so terrified.”
“Okay...”
Olivia let out a sigh of relief.
“This is so exciting!”
“Aren’t you afraid of ghosts, Marin?”
“Not at all! I’m a slime anyway, so it’s fine.”
“I suppose that’s true.”
Do ghosts not attack slimes? Are they treated as the same kind of monster? I had my doubts, but since Marin said she was fine, I figured it would be okay.
“Alright. Then the three of us will go explore the mansion.”
“Sounds good.”
“Yay! An outing!”
And so, Yuria, Marin, and I decided to investigate the Cursed Mansion.
However, a thought suddenly occurred to me.
“Ah, I have to go to the Martial Arts Hall.”
“Huh? Really? Then we can’t go to the mansion today?”
“Well, hmm.”
Going to the Martial Arts Hall to get beaten to death by Gon to hone my senses versus going to explore a haunted mansion with Yuria and Marin.
“But according to the rumors, it seems a few people have their eyes on it.”
“They have their eyes on it? Even though it’s haunted?”
“Yeah. I heard a few teams among the newcomers from outside are aiming for that mansion.”
“What? Why?”
“It means if we’re late, we might lose it. Besides, the owners usually die in some sort of incident every five years or so. If we miss it now, we might have to wait another five years for the chance to buy it again.”
Apparently, it took about five years for an owner to be cursed to death by the ghosts. In other words, if we didn't buy it now, we’d have to wait at least five years.
Catching arrows with my Subspace Pocket was important, of course, but securing a base at a cheap price was also a high priority.
Let’s go and snatch it before anyone else does.
We arrived in front of the mansion with the Land Manager. Since the owners had died one after another, the ownership of the mansion had shifted from individuals to the city.
It was a case where it naturally became city property because no one wanted to buy it. They had tried to demolish it several times, but every attempt failed, so now it sat abandoned, waiting for some sucker to come along.
It looks decent enough.
There were no visible structural issues, but the mansion had a distinctly eerie atmosphere.
However, there were other guests besides us. They must be the ones Yuria mentioned—the ones who came to buy the mansion at a bargain price just like us.
“Huh? Mr. Leo?”
“What the—you? Why are you here...?”
Among them, I spotted a familiar-looking blonde punk. When I spoke to him, it turned out to be Leo.
Seriously, what a coincidence. I run into this guy everywhere I go.
“Isn’t that Leah’s brother?”
“Yeah. Looks like he came to buy the mansion too.”
“Hey! You people over there. It’s unfortunate, but you should give up on this mansion.”
At Yuria’s words, Leo and his party looked at us as if she were talking nonsense.
“Why should we give up on the mansion?”
“How absurd.”
“Look, redhead. I don’t know who you are, but we have a legitimate right to purchase this mansion.”
“Yeah! Don’t go interfering for no reason!”
Leo’s companions protested Yuria’s shout all at once, telling her to cut the crap.
Being outsiders, they didn't even recognize who Yuria was.
“No, listen, people. There are ghosts in this mansion.”
“Hah? Ghosts? I haven’t heard anything about that.”
“You’re just making up lies because you want to buy the mansion yourself.”
“Sigh. You idiots. I’m telling you, there are ghosts here.”
“Idiots? This girl is just spouting whatever comes to her mouth!”
“Mr. Leo! Please, say something to them!”
“...Everyone, calm down for a moment. I’ll handle the talking.”
After calming his party, Leo approached us.
His expression was stiff. He was likely terrified that Yuria might start a bloodbath over their words and actions.
Leo seemed to already know just how dangerous a person Yuria was in this city.
It seemed there had been some interaction during the two weeks I was in the Labyrinth.
Since Yuria practically lived at the guild when I wasn't around, they were bound to run into each other whether they liked it or not.
Leo’s mission and hobby was monitoring Leah. If Leah went to the guild, Leo would go to the guild. And while spying on the guild, he would naturally learn about Yuria’s existence.
“I apologize, Yuria.”
“It’s fine. But who are those people? They don’t look like they’re from the Labyrinth City.”
“That is...”
Leo’s companions didn't listen to a word Yuria said. Unlike Leo, who already knew her, they had no idea who she was.
Were they nobles from the Keislan Kingdom that Leo had brought along?
“Most of them are outside merchants who came to get a foothold in the Labyrinth City. There are a few nobles mixed in as well. They aren't particularly influential people, but since I was one of the first to enter the city, they asked me for help.”
Leo looked exhausted as he answered Yuria’s question. He must have been pestered by those morons.
“Are you their leader or something, Mr. Leo?”
“I’m not the leader. I just ended up guiding them. They asked for assistance.”
“Aha.”
In any case, it didn't seem like they were very closely tied.
“But Sion. Do ghosts really appear in this mansion?”
“Yes. So they say. We came to check it out for ourselves.”
“Dammit.”
Leo didn't doubt my words for a second. It was probably because he had seen me handling souls at the Magic Tower yesterday with his own eyes.
Because of that, he was taking Yuria’s and my advice quite seriously.
“I was tricked. I came here because I heard it was a good property. There’s hardly anyone to trust in this rotten city. I almost walked into a disaster.”
So Leo had been played for a sucker too. He had come after hearing that a building was up for a cheap auction, only to nearly get himself killed.
“What about those people?”
“Well, if they won’t listen, they’ll just have to die.”
“True. What about you, Mr. Leo? Are you going in?”
“I don’t want to... but those idiots won’t give up, so I have no choice. I’ll have to try and persuade them at least.”
Even if he didn't want to go in, it seemed he couldn't just let them all die.
Leo let out a deep sigh and returned to his party.
I didn't care whether those people lived or died, but since Leo was Lady Leah’s flesh and blood, I’d have to help him if things got dangerous.
“Aren’t you coming in with us, Mr. Manager?”
“Yes, yes. I’m fine, so please feel free to look around as much as you like. Oh! But please make sure to come out before sunset.”
The Land Manager had no intention of entering the mansion.
He seemed afraid of being cursed. While Leo was bickering with his party, we decided to head in first.
“Aside from the exterior being a bit worn out, it looks perfectly fine.”
“I know, right? We just need to tear down the vines and fix it up a bit.”
“I can absorb all the dust.”
“You’re so reliable, Marin.”
No matter how much dust there was, with Marin around, there was nothing to worry about. She was a woman who could even decompose the vines clinging to the outer walls.
“Well then, let’s head inside.”
“I’m excited!”
“It does feel a bit like a test of courage.”
As we opened the creaking door and stepped into the mansion, a significant chill greeted us.
To feel this much cold in a season that wasn't winter... it sent shivers down my spine.
“It’s that unpleasant sensation you feel when you enter an underground graveyard.”
“Yeah. It’s eerie and bleak. Feels like the perfect place for ghosts to show up.”
“Almost all the windows are blocked or covered by curtains, so no sunlight gets in.”
“Shall we brighten it up first?”
In horror movies, the characters never turn on the lights. I always wondered why they insisted on getting into trouble in pitch-black places. I believed that when entering an eerie place like this, the first thing to do was turn on the lights.
“Alright. Take these torches. Let’s tear down everything on the windows and let the sunlight in.”
“Got it!”
As I was brightening up the first floor with my companions, Leo entered with an exhausted expression, followed by the others who looked thoroughly disgruntled.
“Hey! Would you mind not touching someone else’s house as you please?”
“Yeah! The owner hasn't been decided yet!”
The morons started complaining to us the moment they walked in.
I looked at Leo, and he shook his head as if his attempt at persuasion had failed.
“Yuria, Marin.”
“Yeah? Should I kill them?”
“No, no. Don’t kill them. Let’s just stop brightening up the mansion.”
“Huh? Why?”
“Because ghosts come out better when it’s dark.”
Normally, I would have brightened it up to eliminate the horror atmosphere as much as possible, but if those idiots were going to act like that, I had no choice.
I wasn't going to take out the holy water, salt, or the blessed ankh stored in my inventory either.
Let’s see how you handle this.
If you want to be the owner of a large, cheap mansion, you should at least be able to drive out a few earthbound spirits, right?
If you can’t, well, you’ll just have to die. This house tour was about to be filled with screams.