Chapter 78
Translator: TrueDetective
Chapter: 78
Chapter Title: 23. The Great Chaos Barbecue Party (2)
The original plan had been to pretend we were searching for evidence of the Heavenly Demon's summoning, find the scroll that connected to the martial world, and send him back.
"Feel free to search every nook and cranny of the house."
I hadn't expected her to lay out the welcome mat like this.
When I hesitated without giving any immediate reaction, the manager lifted the corner of her mouth in a soft smile.
"I told you to make yourselves at home while you're staying here. Let's not give each other headaches, okay?"
With that, the manager turned and headed toward the others.
Once she was gone, the Alliance Leader and Jaha sidled up to me quietly.
I'd given these two a heads-up in advance about why the Heavenly Demon and I were moving into the manager's house—what our real goal was.
"Looks like... the manager's pretty confident."
"You think she's already moved everything important?"
"......"
I fell into thought for a moment.
Why the manager was going this far...
When I thought about it, the reason was simple.
While staying in her house, like it or not, the Heavenly Demon and I would have to put on a clumsy act.
Pretending to suspect her while acting like we didn't.
Pretending we had no other ulterior motives.
Rather than dealing with our fake performances, she'd decided it was better to throw open her domain completely and earn our trust.
At first glance, it seemed like an easy, straightforward approach, but the manager wasn't opening everything up.
This "treasure hunt" involved not just me and the Heavenly Demon, but everyone who'd come here.
On top of that, her close aides like Teacher Namgoong Ryeo and Lion Manager were there, and who knows if others were her people too.
It was a situation where our movements would inevitably be restricted.
The clueless Green Forest kids and Five Great Families brats were plenty disruptive on their own.
By pretending to graciously grant us "freedom" to search the house in this state,
Once the game ended, it would implicitly mean we couldn't rummage through the mansion anymore.
By then, excuses like "I was curious and opened it" or "I got lost and was wandering" wouldn't fly.
An obvious trap.
But it was a trap we couldn't avoid stepping into.
'Well... if we find something anyway, it's not a loss.'
The manager might have suggested the treasure hunt after already hiding all the important stuff...
At least as far as I knew, she wasn't the type to call it a treasure hunt with no treasure.
She probably looked so confident because she'd hidden things in spots we could never find.
And a little bit... was it my imagination that she was expecting me to find it?
"The others are already moving."
It looked like the manager had told the rest about the treasure hunt event too, because the Green Forest crew and Five Great Families kids were heading toward the mansion with enthusiasm.
"Ox bro."
Dang Sachun cut through them and approached us.
"Are we heading straight to the manager's room?"
"Hmm......"
The manager's room was the one the Left and Right Protectors had said was warded with barriers.
They'd said non-humans couldn't pass, so we humans should be able to.
But...
"We're not going there."
Even without further explanation, Dang Sachun nodded like he got it.
"I agree. Heading there right away would make our intentions way too obvious from the start."
That might be one reason the manager suggested the treasure hunt in the first place.
It was a perfect way to figure out what we were after in this mansion.
Jaha grumbled with a sullen face.
"Man, she says search the place, but we can't even do that."
"Right? We gotta search, Jaha senior."
"Dang Sachun, you go search then."
"You go first, senior."
"You first sounds better."
"You first, senior."
"Nim seon."
"...Kids, you're not doing this on purpose, are you?"
"No way."
"No waaay~"
They weren't trustworthy at all, but I'd let it slide for now.
"By the way, where's Lord Heavenly Demon?"
When I asked about the Heavenly Demon's whereabouts, Jaha blinked her long eyelashes like it was unexpected.
"I thought he was with you, bro."
"I thought he was with you guys."
The last I'd seen of the Heavenly Demon was him watching with sparkling eyes as the manager grilled skewers with all her heart and soul.
He'd vanished while I went to grab a drink.
"Who disappears leaving food behind......"
"He might already be searching the mansion alone."
Of course, the Heavenly Demon did go off on his own sometimes.
But he wasn't the type to act solo when we shared the same goal.
Well, anyway.
"Then let's head in too."
Nahani had politely declined to join the treasure hunt and was napping in the hammock, so Taegeuk gave me a look that he'd stay by her side.
In the meantime, Namgoong Moo approached after finishing his talk with Teacher Namgoong Ryeo.
I glanced over with a slight uneasy feeling about what they'd discussed, and Namgoong Moo bowed his head slightly.
"I'll tell you later."
He whispered softly, like he'd read my mind.
I nodded and headed to the mansion entrance with the three Nine Factions and Eight Paths members in tow.
But...
An unexpected traffic jam was unfolding at the mansion entrance.
People milling about, unable to enter, buzzing with chatter.
And the culprit blocking them was none other than the Heavenly Demon.
"Only those who can solve the riddle I pose shall have the right to enter."
The Heavenly Demon had a "Treasure Hunt Staff" armband on his arm.
"Lord Heavenly Demon."
I pushed through the crowd and called out, and he acknowledged me.
"Ah, Ox."
"I was wondering where you'd gone. Why are you here?"
"As you can see, I'm the event staff."
Event staff?
Did the manager recruit him while I was away?
And this guy actually agreed?
"What'd the manager promise you for this?"
"Nin○do."
Even as the Heavenly Demon, you shouldn't get bought off with that.
"What're you gonna do with it?"
"Raise Poochimon."
"You shameless... step aside."
"Tsk. Even for you, Ox, I can't just let you pass."
"Want me to buy you Nin○do?"
The Heavenly Demon's pupils shook for a moment, but not wanting to lose twice, he quickly regained his composure.
"You must solve the riddle I give. The others have been failing and sulking."
As the Heavenly Demon spoke, Jeon Galryang raised his voice indignantly.
"No, I said the right answer! You're just not accepting it, Heavenly Demon!"
"Pathetic, Jeon Galryang. Your ancestors will weep at Red Cliff."
"What the hell? That's baseless but weirdly insulting?!"
"What's the riddle? Let me hear it."
The Heavenly Demon chuckled, tossed back the hair falling over his shoulder, and spoke in a solemn tone.
"What has four legs in the morning, two at noon, and three in the evening?"
"......"
Total stereotype riddle.
"It's a human, duh!"
Jeon Galryang snapped irritably.
"I'll bet Lion on there being no right answer."
Lion Manager jumped in again.
I didn't know why the Heavenly Demon was blocking the entrance with this lame riddle...
I answered indifferently.
"The orthodox punk who got beat up by you yesterday and still hasn't learned his lesson, coming back for more."
"......!"
The Heavenly Demon's eyes widened.
"Oh ho... as expected, you're no ordinary one."
"Did I get it right?"
"You may enter."
The Heavenly Demon stepped aside lightly, and as I passed, I whispered what the hell he was thinking, but he just gave a mysterious smile.
Once inside the mansion, Dang Sachun shot me another look of admiration.
"How'd you know? That answer was basically bullshit."
"Probably wasn't right. He just liked that it was an orthodox punk who got his ass kicked by him, so he let me in."
"Ah ha......?"
"Leave the Heavenly Demon to gatekeep. We'll move on."
"Ah... I see. He's pretending to be the one-day event staff per the manager's suggestion, blocking others so we can move freely!"
Probably something like that.
...I hoped he wasn't doing it without thinking.
"By the way... they turned off all the lights inside the mansion?"
The entrance we came through was lit somewhat, but it looked like all the inner lights were off, making the depths pitch black.
Jaha paled and stepped back.
"...You know I hate haunted house stuff, right?"
"This isn't a haunted house, it's the manager's house. You've been here a few times."
"With the manager's personality, she'd totally install pop-out jump scares. And who knows, there might be hidden cameras here."
Jaha was just spouting excuses because she didn't want to go in.
But when I thought about it, it wasn't entirely wrong.
We were idols, after all.
They could be filming under the guise of hidden cameras anytime.
"Let's move carefully."
As I said that and brought my finger to my lips, they all nodded, getting that it meant keep quiet.
"First... isn't the library that way?"
"That side's the Beggar Clan library, the manager's personal one should be this way."
Maybe because we'd filmed here during the Demon-Orthodox cohabitation chaos, the Alliance Leader naturally guided us.
"You remember well. All I remember is the warehouse where Heavenly Demon bro was locked up."
"Come to think of it, we should check that warehouse too."
"Now that I think about it, those talismans and chains... were kinda suspicious."
Back then, I'd just thought they were the manager's weird hobby.
But they might've been props related to some sorcery.
Then Jaha hugged her arms and asked.
"But... doesn't it feel kinda chilly?"
"Probably cranked the AC."
"There are no ACs in this house..."
"D-Don't say scary stuff."
"No, but it's true. The manager hates modern gadgets."
"No, that's the scary part, bro. Hating modern stuff in this huge mansion and not installing AC for summer—that's terrifying!"
That... fair point.
Namgoong Moo closed his eyes briefly like he was sensing something, then pointed down the hall.
"Cold air... it's coming from that way."
That was the opposite direction from the personal library we were heading to.
Dang Sachun was staring that way with a serious face too.
"What's up?"
"I sense an ominous energy."
Why does it sound mystical when Nahani says it, but fake when Dang Sachun does?
Jaha seemed to feel the same, glaring sharply at him.
"If you're spouting crap again, you're dead, you."
"Jaha senior, not even vaguely anymore?"
I let Dang Sachun and Jaha bicker for a bit, then asked.
"Ominous energy?"
"It's... similar to those Left and Right Protector kids."
"Like the weirdos?"
"More like... yokai?"
"Huh?"
As I furrowed my brow, Jaha jumped in place.
"Yokai? Ridiculous! Why would the manager tell us to search her house and then unleash monsters?"
Right as she said that, a beastly cry echoed from down the hall.
-Kyaang!
Jaha muttered with a horrified face.
"Ah, fuck... it's gotta be a recording or something, right?"
"If so, why not play something scarier?"
'Kyaang'? That's like a tiny fox's cry, why bother?
But Jaha was serious.
"Size doesn't matter. Anything with teeth can bite. Foxes bite people too."
"Jaha senior got the Heavenly Demon's demonic arts directly, yet you're so scared. In a way, it's humble."
"Dang Sachun, ever been bitten by a person?"
"Hah, what do you take me for? Of course!!"
As I listened to their mind-numbing banter, another low growl came.
I stared that way steadily, and Jaha asked anxiously.
"You're not thinking of going there, are you?"
"Probably should check it out."
"Ah, bro! You always hated the characters in horror movies who do this!"
True.
I'd always thought characters who couldn't pass up obviously suspicious spots and turned back were idiots.
But now that it was me, I couldn't just ignore it.
The manager suddenly suggesting treasure hunt.
The Heavenly Demon blocking the entrance so people couldn't come in...
'There's definitely something.'
I strode toward the source of the cold air, the others following.
Jaha, not wanting to be left alone, trailed after us fidgeting.
The chill grew stronger as we neared the end of the hall.
Just as I thought I felt a faint breeze,
Tiny snowflake-like bits swirled in on the wind.
"Snow...?"
Distracted by the snowflakes for a second, I looked to the hall's end.
There was a glass door, frosted over with ice.
We stood there speechless, cognitive dissonance hitting us.
The flashlight illuminating the frozen door shook wildly.
Namgoong Moo asked, hand trembling.
"Ice room... or something... right?"
"It's an ice room?"
Jaha scolded him but hid behind his back.
Then she jerked her chin at Dang Sachun, ordering him.
"Dang Sachun, open that."
"Me?"
"You're the strongest here!"
"Hah, you still don't get it. The true power lurker is Ox bro..."
"Quit yapping and open it!"
Jaha yelled, and Dang Sachun shrugged like no choice, ripping open the frozen door.
Well, "opening" was inaccurate.
It was frozen shut, so he pretty much tore it off.
The moment Dang Sachun opened the door, something white and swift lunged fiercely at me from the center.
I squeezed my eyes shut and calmly pressed the emergency button.
"Emergency..."
"Good grief."
The feel of something soft against my forehead and the Heavenly Demon's tsking made me open my eyes.
A pure white fox pressing my forehead with its front paw.
And the Heavenly Demon, gripping its scruff, looking down at me pitifully.