Chapter 11
Chapter 11
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 011
Chapter Title: Boogey Boogey Boogey (3)
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Following Smith, we walked along.
A fancy, sparkling chandelier hung in the central lobby of the mansion, right where the staircase led up to the second floor.
I've only ever seen ones like this in movies or comics. First time seeing one for real.
Sensing the stares from the other guests, Smith gave an awkward smile.
"A friend gifted me this place when I bought the mansion. He insisted every mansion needs a chandelier."
Well, yeah, it'd feel kinda lacking without one.
But I've never seen one that didn't look like it was about to crash down, so it made me uneasy for no reason.
...Especially in a haunted house like this.
I pulled my gaze from the chandelier dangling overhead and walked around under it.
No way I'm passing right beneath that thing.
We arrived at the dining room like that.
Bread, soup, salad, and meat dishes were laid out on the table.
It was five-thirty in the afternoon.
A bit early for dinner, but after the trip here, my stomach was rumbling, so it wasn't bad at all.
Smith glanced around the dining room and asked the housekeeper.
"Where's Emily?"
"The young miss said her stomach's upset, so she'll eat in her room."
"...Got it."
Smith nodded weakly, and for some reason, everyone's eyes turned to me.
...I don't smell.
Anyway, we finished the meal quickly... Honestly, I didn't want to rush it—I wanted to eat properly for my health.
But since we'd been summoned here for exorcism work, the guests set down their utensils at an appropriate moment, faces shadowed, focusing on Smith as he set the mood.
"I'm not sure how to bring this up... but since you all came to the house, I'll take that as you believing me."
Pastor Ko Juwon, shaman Park Minhee, and the oddly energetic young guy Kim Yohan.
Self-proclaimed supernatural eliminators.
Smith's disciple Kim Suhyun looked displeased at the idea of calling in these unknowns,
but she didn't interrupt him.
"It started small. Lights suddenly going out in lit rooms. Or creaking footsteps in the hallway at night, like someone walking..."
I half-listened to Smith's rundown of events.
And sneaked a glance at Ellie.
The pretty black-haired little nun. Her looks and name screamed foreigner.
Unlike the rest of us guests, Smith had seemed genuinely thrilled to see her, so maybe he'd called in a trusted friend to ease his fears.
From their earlier chat,
it seemed she was Emily's mom, but since she couldn't come, Ellie was standing in.
"...Even if I explain it like this, it probably doesn't hit home."
With a troubled expression, Smith got to the point.
"So please stay in the mansion today, investigate any oddities as you roam freely... and talk to Emily one by one."
Yeah, seeing things firsthand beat just hearing descriptions.
But first, there was something I had to do.
As dinner wrapped up, the pastor stuck to Smith with sympathy and flattery for more talk, while the shaman headed off to scout the house.
I approached the housekeeper and asked about my room.
"Could you tell me where I'm staying tonight? I wanna unpack and shower—I'm all sweaty."
What I had to do—
Feed Grizzly and purify my body.
Ellie, worried about Emily, knocked on her door and spoke softly.
"Emily, it's Ellie. I was worried you didn't come to dinner. Can I come in?"
For some reason, an uneasy feeling gnawed at her.
It looked like Emily, aside from the pale face. But during their earlier meeting, she hadn't met Ellie's eyes or spoken to her at all.
She hoped it was just overthinking it...
But remembering how Emily had sobbed on their last call, begging for help, it felt off.
As Ellie debated forcing the door open,
Emily's faint voice echoed softly from inside. It was weak but calm.
"Ellie sis, sorry. Meeting all these people has me tense... Not feeling great. I'll rest a bit."
Ellie hesitated at her words but decided to leave for now.
She smiled gently, reassured her in a comforting tone, and walked away.
"Emily, call me anytime you need help."
"...Yeah."
And inside Emily's room.
"...Yeah. I'm fine. Just tired. Not feeling well. I'll be alone. ...Yeah, I'm scared. Save me. Long time no see, Ellie sis."
The blonde girl Emily lay blankly on the bed, staring vacantly at the ceiling with empty eyes, her lips moving like a doll's as she repeated the words.
And from under the bed, a grotesque, skeletal arm like a withered branch stretched out, grabbed the meat dish from the plate, and dragged it underneath.
A bizarre figure with only a shadowy maw visible swallowed the meat into its elongated mouth, chewing irritably with sickening crunches.
Crunch crunch— crunch crunch—
Stupid angry bastard, stupid old man.
Bringing fresh sacrifices to the mansion had gone according to plan.
...But two annoying humans got mixed in.
The blessed woman. The man with the foul stench.
But it was fine. The curse had begun the moment they entered this place.
Screee... screee...
Teeth clashing and grinding echoed from under the bed in a grotesque laugh.
Yohan marveled at his assigned guest room.
Whoa... It's like a hotel room. Way better than my one-room.
It even had an attached bathroom and shower. A bathtub too.
Perfect for the ritual I had in mind.
First, he pulled meat and milk from the icebox, served Grizzly's meal, and gave orders.
"I'll signal you with the grimoire if needed. Don't let people spot you, don't rush ahead—scout the mansion for anything weird."
Between the purification and not wanting to wander first myself,
it seemed smart to send Grizzly ahead for a quick recon and safety check.
Honestly, I always wanted to try sending a familiar to scout like some fantasy mage.
Understanding the command,
Chomp chomp—!
Grizzly devoured his food with gusto, licked the milk from his muzzle with a tongue twirl, and roared energetically.
"Graa-!"
"Good boy."
I petted Grizzly's head, grabbed the grimoire and supplies, and headed to the bathroom.
No solid proof this mansion was haunted yet.
But hired by Smith, who'd experienced the phenomena himself, I planned to investigate properly for customer satisfaction.
...And Emily's reaction when we crossed paths bugged me.
According to Smith, her symptoms were nightmares, sleep paralysis, unexplained fear and hallucinations in empty spaces, auditory hallucinations.
Now that I was in the mansion, I might experience the same.
Hence, body purification.
Cleansing curses from evil spirits before necromancy, spirit or demon summoning, or mystical meetings—keep the body pure.
First step in the grimoire's washing method.
...Feels like idol concert prep advice: shower before you come.
Anyway, fill the tub with warm water, bathe while chanting.
Then rinse the body with water while chanting the mystic names.
"Mertalia, Musalia, Dopalia, Onemalia, Jitenseia, Goldapaira, Dedulsaira."
Repeat during washing.
Once done, exit the tub, sprinkle holy water over the body.
"Lord, purify me with hyssop. Make me whiter than snow."
Finish by sprinkling salt in the tub water and bathing again.
Now enjoy the soak, shampoo, body wash.
In the steamy bathroom, Yohan relaxed in the warm water, unwinding comfortably.
The Transparent Vampire.
Grizzly, following his master Yohan's orders, prowled the mansion halls invisibly in his massive form, scanning around.
Nothing particularly weird like his master described.
As he wandered the mansion like that, Grizzly entered the kitchen.
"Gra? Gra... Graa...!"
Grizzly's jaws dropped in shock and delight.
To borrow his master's words—
That thing was a fucking huge fridge!
"Graaa...!"
Spotting the massive cold-emitting box even bigger than the one at home, Grizzly reached out.
Thud—clunk! Thud—clunk! Thud—clunk! The dull, repeated opening-and-closing sounds drew Smith from the dining room, Pastor Ko Juwon, Kim Suhyun, the newbie housekeeper pouring tea, and shaman Park Minhee from her tour— all frowning curiously as they gathered at the kitchen entrance.
"...What's that noise?"
"Sounds like something's broken."
Peering inside, their eyes widened in shock.
"......!!" Thud—clunk! Thud—clunk! Thud—clunk! Thud—clunk! Thud—clunk! Thud—clunk! An incomprehensible phenomenon. The fridge door opening and closing on its own. Anxiety turned to terror, and a instinctive scream burst from the housekeeper's lips.
"Kyaaaaaaaah—!"
Grizzly gleefully slammed the fridge door open and shut. At the blatant scene, Smith's legs gave out, and he collapsed.
"Ahh... God... God..."
It was the moment the half-doubting group became convinced: Smith wasn't crazy—this mansion was haunted. ...Meanwhile, Yohan was soaking in the warm bath, easing his fatigue.
"Ahh, nice and toasty. This is what a hotel vacation's like? Save up and try it sometime."
Such were his thoughts.