Chapter 82: Ghosts Live in the Ghost Mansion
'Is my luck finally running out...?'
It was something I'd thought about countless times before, but up until now, things had gone too conveniently in my favor. Strangely enough, that left me feeling a bit relieved deep down. Sure, it was disappointing, but leaning entirely on good fortune wasn't a healthy habit anyway.
"As your party leader, I'm telling you all this: we need to bump up the Ghost Mansion's threat level by one notch and prepare accordingly. Let me say it again—this is essentially our first real job. No slacking off. Respond to any enemies with full force."
With those words to my party members, I ramped up my own tension as well.
It had always been close to an unknown realm, but now it felt even more dangerous.
With Saintess Elaine here, no one would die even in the worst-case scenario, but complacency was off the table. And if something like that happened right from the start, revival would be tough even for this handpicked group.
"Elaine."
"Got it."
I'd only called her name, but the Saintess of Blessings immediately began chanting her holy magic.
"Holy Light."
A sacred pink glow spread out from Elaine at the center.
There weren't any obvious changes visible around us, but the party could feel that whatever the ghost had done had vanished. Of course, excluding alchemy, someone as oblivious as Nina was the exception.
"Let's go."
"Understood."
We walked along the stone path, cracked and broken in places.
The ghost's tricks had clearly been nullified—unlike before, the mansion grew steadily closer with every step.
Whether the ghost couldn't affect things much outside the mansion or was planning to settle things inside, no further incidents occurred. But as we approached, an inexplicable unease made sweat trickle down my back.
"The entrance."
"Boss. Should we head right in?"
At Rozalin's question, I paused for a moment and raised my hand.
"Hold up."
The distance from the middle of the garden to the mansion's front door wasn't far, but it was enough time for me to mull things over.
'Yeah, this is on me. I got too complacent.'
I thought I'd fully grasped the differences between my first regression and this reversed world. But deep down, I kept falling back on first-round knowledge without properly comparing it—just blindly applying it.
"Sorry, everyone. I might've skimped on the investigation."
"……."
The sudden apology caught the party off guard.
"Hildear."
"Y-yes."
"Just in case, let's double-check everything about ghosts. Tell us everything you know from the rumors."
"Got it."
Among us, only I and Hildear knew about the Ghost Mansion, and most of my info was based on the first round. Even if she'd only heard rumors in passing, Hildear knew more details and had more accurate info.
"These are all just rumors, so don't take them as gospel. Anyway…."
The knight carefully pulled her memories to the surface, step by step.
Everyone focused intently, committing her words to memory.
Rumors about the Ghost Mansion on the outskirts of the capital had piled up over nearly a decade. Given the vast grounds it occupied, pretty much every resident of the capital had heard the stories at some point.
"…And the most common hallucination. That about covers it."
"Hm…."
After hearing Hildear out, I let out a low groan.
As expected, this ghost was far worse than the one from my first round—broader range, nastier tricks. It was a famous tale, and thanks to my rumor-loving comrades back then, I knew the gist even if not the fine print.
'Going in blind would've been risky.'
"This ghost is more dangerous than I thought…."
Nina muttered, slipping her hand into her pouch and gripping a potion vial tightly.
"Yeah. Ghosts are undead based on humans, so what kind of backstory does it have?"
True to her saintess nature, Elaine focused on the ghost's story.
It might seem purely merciful, but resolving a grudge was the best way to exorcise grudge-based undead. Not that most grudges were easy to resolve.
"Hildear. You know that too?"
"Ah… yes. Mother told me."
Hildear shuddered at the mention of Guard Captain Lubblestone Countess, perhaps recalling yesterday.
And the tale of the mansion that followed was truly heartbreaking.
"The ghost is a woman. She was nobility."
"A woman…."
"Oh."
Everyone frowned at the mention of a female ghost.
Not getting it, I glanced around and asked.
"Huh? Why the reactions? A male ghost would be better?"
"Probably."
"Female ghosts are heavily influenced by yin energy."
"So they're usually stronger."
"Ah."
Their explanations drew an exclamation from me.
It made perfect sense. I'd overlooked how pervasive yin energy was in this world—not just in men and women, but affecting all sorts of things.
Yin energy would boost not just women, but dark- and ice-attribute monsters like undead. Especially ghosts, deeply tied to yin.
'That explains the power-up.'
"To finish the story… in short, betrayal by her fiancé."
"Betrayal?"
"Yes. The lord of this mansion was Viscount Washidishi, a noble from a small frontier territory. Then a decent-sized gold mine was found in his lands, turning him into an overnight millionaire. Having romantic notions and an inferiority complex about the capital, he bought up a huge plot on the outskirts and started building this mansion and garden."
"Hooh."
Everyone listened eagerly to the tale of the mansion we were about to enter—a story not that old.
They paid even closer attention than during the ghost rumors. Maybe because it started with the owner, but the air felt chillier, the building almost shaking.
"After years, the mansion was complete, and the viscount abandoned his territory to live here. He wasn't the nicest guy, but with so many higher nobles in the capital, he kept a low profile. Probably pretty happy. The gold mine sweetened his marriage, and his daughter got engaged to a high foreign noble's son."
"Huh?"
I blurted out in confusion amid the rapt attention.
"Then…."
"Yes, the problem was with the viscount's daughter. More precisely, her fiancé."
"No way?"
"The 'high foreign noble' was a con artist. A noble, sure—a junk baron bought with cash. His goal was the money. The viscount probably figured he just didn't know foreign nobles from his backwater life."
"Whoa, marriage fraud on a noble…."
"And the con fiancé had another woman. The viscount's daughter found out by chance, was devastated, and fell ill. The con man, unaware he'd been caught, pretended to nurse her…."
Hildear trailed off after the long buildup.
Nina, who loved these kinds of stories, took the bait with sparkling eyes.
"P-pretending to nurse her?"
"…He poisoned her."
"Ah…."
"Not just his fiancée, the lady—but the viscount and his wife too."
"……."
The mood sank heavily.
The tragedy left them speechless. No wonder the ghost was raging here. Annoying for the living, sure.
"What about the con man?"
"Probably died first."
"Hm… that's a relief, at least."
The six of us smiled bitterly.
Then the mansion shook violently. Not an earthquake—just the front steps we stood on, while the garden stayed steady. The mansion itself was quaking.
The front door creaked open. From the dark interior came what sounded like a woman's scream mixed with crashing objects—a chilling, eerie racket.
"Uh… is she mad?"
"Maybe. Maybe not."
"One thing's clear: the former owner wants us inside now, unlike before."
"…Former owner?"
"She was the owner. Now we're the owners."
Elaine nodded at my grinning words.
She was right. We'd legally bought the land and mansion. Evicting the previous owner who hadn't vacated was only natural. The mansion and garden belonged to the living, not the dead.
"Kinda disappointing. We could've used that woman here."
"That woman?"
"Our faith's 2nd Saintess. She's a beast in fights."
The Saintess of Judgment.
Among the four saintesses of the Lord God Church, she had the strongest combat prowess. Especially against demons or undead—her power outstripped most holy knights.
"Nah, we're good with this crew. We'll be an A-grade party soon anyway. We gotta clear this place easy."
"True that."
It was what Elaine, from the Holy Empire, had secretly learned.
With me and her hitting A-grade right after graduation, plus high marks for the other three, that's how it shook out. Sure, poor mission scores could drop us fast, but even this was impressive.
"Alright. Everyone seems relaxed now, so let's head in. First, Elaine."
"On it."
I just said her name, but she swiftly prepped her holy magic.
Not basic Holy Light like before, but proper blessing-line spells. Proving her title wasn't hype, she layered a dozen buffs on everyone, their gear, and weapons in one go.
"Whoa…."
"So this is a saintess's power!"
First time getting full blessings from her, they all marveled in unison.
Even a cardinal would bow to that overwhelming holy power and casting speed.
"Good. No way we lose now."
"No kidding!"
"I feel the power surging!"
"Alright, let's go."
The hero party reformed ranks and entered the mansion.
"…Huh?"
"Boss. This…."
I looked around.
Not the entrance hall, and only scout Rozalin in sight.
"…Ha."
We'd been inside less than a minute, and the party was scattered.