The Uncle's Torment and Confession
Why are you here again? "I was wrong. I was all wrong, so please just forgive me this once…."
Staring down at the middle-aged man kneeling and groveling desperately, my face held no emotion whatsoever. Or perhaps there was just one—contempt.
"Doesn't your pride sting at all? Begging a high school girl half your age…."
I spoke in the coldest tone imaginable.
"You should be begging your god, not me. Right?"
"H-Hic?!"
As I reached out my hand, the man—Ha-eun's Uncle—scrambled backward in panic.
"What's with that reaction? Where'd that smug face from earlier go?"
I recalled when we'd first entered this mansion. The sight of him lounging on that luxurious sofa, guzzling fragrant wine, groping the woman beside him like some pervert.
But when I stepped inside, his face twisted in utter bewilderment.
'Y-You!? How the hell did you get in here…!?'
'Who's that? Someone you know? Did you cheat with that little kid!?'
'No! It's not like that… Fuck, how did you even get in!? The alarms should've gone off if an intruder…!'
Of course, I'd handled it with magic. No matter how ironclad the security, it was designed to stop humans. There was no way it could block Lee Seola from slipping through as a poltergeist, shutting down the guards' systems, and unlocking the doors.
What happened after that… well, no need to spell it out. It wasn't important.
What mattered was this man blubbering and pleading before me. That was it.
"W-What do you want? Money? I'll give you as much as you want! Ten million… no, a hundred million! A hundred million won, just…!"
Tears welled in his eyes.
"Please… anything but that…."
"Ha, still haven't come to your senses."
I could see his wealth plain as day, and he offers a measly hundred million? Even if he sold this house and everything else, it might barely cover it—and he's skimping even now? His greed was beyond comprehension.
So, I decided to give him the "punishment" he feared so much again.
Necromancy: Memento Mori
Snap!
"A-Aaah, no—"
With a flick of my fingers, the light rapidly drained from his eyes. His head lolled forward, his upper body slumping.
Necromancy: Memento Mori. One of the necromantic arts I'd developed in that other world—the name just had a nice ring to it.
Its effect? It forces the target's soul to relive the sin of murder etched into it, over and over in nightmares. But not from the killer's perspective—from that of the victim they slaughtered.
And the number of times? Not fixed. As long as my spiritual power held out, it could trap them in near-perpetual nightmares of their own death.
Of course, if it went too far, their mind would shatter, and I wouldn't get any useful answers. Adjusting the intensity was tricky….
Snap!
Another flick, and focus returned to his eyes. The instant it did, he let out a bloodcurdling scream.
"U-Uwaaaaaah!!"
"Back to your senses?"
"H-Huff… huff… Wh-What?"
He blankly scanned his surroundings. After wandering so long in the dream, reality must feel unreal.
So, I kindly reminded him what was real.
"What, wanna go back to the dream?"
"H-Hiiik! I-I'm sorry! I was all wrong!"
Thud! Thud! Thud!
The middle-aged man smashed his forehead against the floor toward the high school girl like a madman. It swelled and bled, but he didn't stop, pleading desperately.
My being his niece's friend probably didn't matter anymore. Escaping that nightmare was all he could think about.
Pathetic. Though, I could sort of understand. Only three minutes had passed in reality, but how long had he endured death in the dream?
"Good. So you can answer honestly now?"
"Y-Yes! Anything, I'll tell you everything!"
"Then spill. Everything you know about the Jin-hon Gu-won Association, that crazy cult."
"Th-That…"
He hesitated for a second, but when I raised my hand, he spilled immediately.
"The Jin-hon Gu-won Association is a company that buys and sells souls!"
"Ha, a religious group calling itself a… company?"
"I-It makes it easier to recruit believers…."
So religion was just a front.
"Anyone can become a believer. But… some who prove their faith receive a blessing from the Bishop and become deacons."
"Prove their faith?"
"Y-Yes… By offering the soul of someone precious to them! F-For example… their wife."
"Come to think of it, Ha-eun said her aunt died of illness half a year ago…."
"…."
He said nothing. But I could guess what happened. To become a deacon, he'd faked his wife's death as illness and offered her up?
Trash.
"Keep talking."
"Y-Yes! So, deacons use the incantations the Bishop teaches to create evil spirits and offer them to him. In return, they get performance bonuses. The stronger the evil spirit, the bigger the payout."
"What was it called? Anyway, you used that incantation to make the evil spirit from Room 404's tenant, right?"
"Y-Yes! The Bishop mentioned a ritual he was researching, so I used it, and the soul—and even the body—melted into liquid and vanished into the room."
"I see."
That gave me a rough idea of the Jin-hon Gu-won Association's system. But questions remained.
"Why does that Bishop guy collect evil spirits? And where does the money come from?"
"I-I'm not sure… I don't know the details…."
A few more questions got the same "I don't know" answers. Naturally, he didn't know the Bishop's location either.
"Oh, one more thing. Any Jin-hon Gu-won Association people at the broadcast station?"
"Uh… I haven't heard anything. Probably not?"
"Why?"
"Bishop's orders. He said it's not time to show ourselves yet, and to be careful around media types…."
"Hmm, okay?"
So the contact from the station wasn't a trap? As I pondered the next question—
Wee-oo! Wee-oo!
Suddenly, police sirens blared nearby.
"That sound…."
"Guess they're here."
"Huh?"
"Ha-eun needs to know what a piece of trash her uncle is."
The moment my finger touched his forehead, his eyes glazed over, and he collapsed limply.
I turned to the woman who'd been with Ha-eun's Uncle earlier—now possessed by Lee Seola.
"You got it?"
<Yes! When the police arrive, I'll testify he tried to force himself on me and kill me!>
"Perfect. Make him sound like total scum."
After that, it'd be ruled a mysterious death, case closed. Just like his wife's "illness."
I left the cleanup to Lee Seola and slipped quietly out of the mansion.
"Phew…."
Under the darkening sky, heading slowly home, I finally spoke to Lee Dasom, who'd been silent beside me.
"What now? If you want to end it yourself, I'll help."
<No, I… I think I'll let it go.>
Lee Dasom gave a wry smile.
<Revenge wouldn't feel that great anyway… You've already gotten it for me, Seorin.>
"Hmm…."
I gave the ambivalent ghost a question.
"Then you'll pass on?"
<Pass on… yeah, I should. But I don't know how. Sorry, but can I stick around you for a bit?>
"Around me? Why?"
<Your presence just feels… comforting.>
Ridiculous. Comforting around me? Around the Necromancer King?
I didn't get it, but it wasn't bad for me, so I agreed.
"Fine, tag along for now."
<Thank you!>
Lee Dasom beamed. Her smile drew a chuckle from me before I knew it.
※ Two days later, Monday.
The moment I entered the classroom, Ha-eun rushed over frantically.
"Seorin! Seorin! Big trouble!"
"What?"
"Uncle! Uncle got arrested at the police station!"
Ah, that.
"I dunno, he apparently tried to force himself on a woman and… do something horrific? Who knew he was like that…."
"You never know what's in people's hearts, even if you know their faces. Probably just acted nice on the outside while rotten within."
"Maybe…?"
Shocked that her reliable uncle was trash, Ha-eun looked a bit down. I patted her back comfortingly.
"Chin up. I'll buy you tteokbokki on the way home."
"…Sundae too?"
"Deal."
That day, I treated her to tteokbokki, sundae, and fried rice, and we headed home happily. Food fixed her mood. Good.
Time passed without issue after that.
Meanwhile, to boost my fame, I searched for the next exorcism stream location. Ha-eun offered to help, but with her own streams, I mostly went solo.
But finding spots wasn't easy.
How can I draw a crowd…?
Most online haunted spots were played-out relics, already visited to death.
Made sense. If it was online, it was famous, so early birds had cleared it.
And decent leads? Legal issues or demolished for new builds.
Is it always this hard?
I'd thought it'd be simple—Google something and go. Nope.
Head hurting, I took a break. Mirinae was going live, so I hopped into "Lightning."
"Ah, that…."
Mirinae looked troubled by the donor's question. Viewers sided with the donor, piling on.
"Ahem, there are various circumstances. As you all know, Seorin handles everything from A to Z for exorcism streams, so without her okay, even if I wanted to…~"
"…But these people! You like Seorin that much? Huh? If you love Seorin so much, just go to her streams!"
Like a pro streamer, Mirinae deftly shifted the topic.
Hmm, viewers are really hyped.
Strike while the iron's hot, as they say. Too long away, and I'd be forgotten. Time to schedule the next exorcism stream fast….
As I pondered deeply—
Bang!
"Sis!"
"…Jeez, you scared me. What?"
My brother, Seo Jun, rudely flung open his sister's door.
"Come out quick, quick!"
"No. I've got a lot on my mind…."
"It's urgent! Not the time to hole up!"
Seo Jun said urgently.
"Someone from the broadcast station came in person!"
"…What?"
I'd turned them down flat, so why were they here again?