Messenger Rose (5) - The Dangerous Mansion
Messenger Rose (5) - The Dangerous Mansion
TN:Author skipped number (4)
"......"
Beyond the iron gate, the mansion's garden was silent.
So much so that it felt eerie.
Rose vines, black and withered, choked the walls, and the grass on the ground grew wild, reaching up to their knees, left untended.
Stranger than that were the sounds and smells.
A silence so profound that not even the chirping of insects or birds could be heard.
And amidst the strong scent of earth that brushed their noses, a strangely mixed, metallic stench.
"There aren't any corpses lying around, at least."
Rose mumbled softly, looking around.
"Did the village kid see wrong? Maybe they mistook someone drunk and sleeping for a corpse..."
"But just looking at the state of this garden, it doesn't seem like a normal noble's mansion. There's no warmth of human presence at all."
Rose nodded at Sherin's observation.
Yet, a sense of unease crept over her.
What if it really was just a normal noble's mansion, and nothing was wrong?
Then they would be criminals who had just broken down a perfectly good gate and trespassed.
'Whatever. We're already here. I'll just bluff my way out and run away.'
Shaking off her anxiety, she headed towards the main building's entrance—
The firmly closed front door, when she turned the handle, opened with a disheartening creak.
[ Creak- ]
"Excuse me! Is anyone home?!"
Again, the same silence as outside.
All that answered was an empty echo reverberating through the deserted hallway.
Despite it being early morning, the interior was pitch black.
Thick blackout curtains hung over every window, blocking the sun, and only a few torches on the walls flickered with a reddish light.
"Could it be... that no one is here after all?"
"Perhaps. It's strange that not a single servant can be seen in this large mansion, though..."
The two of them cautiously moved further into the mansion, looking around.
Soon, they opened the massive double doors in the center—
[ Click. ]
"A dining room... no, at this size, perhaps a banquet hall?"
A spacious room large enough to accommodate dozens of people at once, and a long dining table placed in its center.
But that place, too, was equally empty.
'It's spotless here, not a speck of dust. Has it been continuously used? But there are too few signs of people for that.'
She was lost in various thoughts, examining different parts of the banquet hall, when suddenly.
"Uninvited guests, I see."
"......!!"
At the low voice from behind them—
Rose and Sherin instinctively spun around.
At the entrance of the banquet hall,
stood a man on the threshold, where darkness lay thick.
He had approached without a sound, a young noble with hair as black as pitch and skin so pale it was almost white.
A luxurious tailcoat that fit his body perfectly.
And features as handsome as a sculpted statue.
'His eyes aren't red.'
The most prominent feature of a Monster, the burning, blood-red eyes, was absent.
The man's eyes, as he scanned the two, were simply black, like the deep night sky.
From his appearance alone, he was an ordinary—no, more than ordinary, a human man of beautiful looks.
"And to think, two rare beauties, whom I've never seen in this city, would come here of their own accord."
The man walked in slowly, a relaxed smile on his face.
His lingering gaze swept over Rose's red hair, then settled on the Longsword hanging at Sherin's waist.
"A Knight, perhaps? What is your reason for intruding into someone else's mansion without permission?"
A calm and composed tone.
Beneath it lay an arrogance that looked down on others.
If they couldn't understand him, they had no choice but to confront him directly—
Rose stepped forward.
"We are traveling Mercenaries. We received a request from the families of people who entered this mansion as servants and haven't returned home, so we came to look for them."
"Ah, the servants, you say."
The man nodded lightly, as if it were nothing important.
"They are all doing very well, so there's no need to worry. They are serving me very faithfully, each in their own place."
"Then would you allow us to confirm their safety ourselves?"
"Yes, I'll show you. Come here."
The man smiled softly and spread his arms.
A defenseless posture, as if he had nothing to hide.
But from that unreserved demeanor, an unknown unease emanated.
Rose and Sherin couldn't take a step rashly.
'Dangerous.'
'Don't go near him.'
The sense of incongruity conveyed by the instincts of a rookie Guardian and an apprentice Knight.
"Why the hesitation? Aren't you going to see the servants?"
The man tilted his head as if puzzled, and began to slowly approach the two of them.
Drawing the Rapier that hung at his waist.
"...Why are you drawing that?"
"Well, why do you think? Why don't you take a guess?"
[ Shing- ]
Sherin, too, drew her Longsword and aimed it.
The man's gaze passed Rose and turned towards the silver-haired swordswoman who glared at him with cold eyes.
"Both of you are dazzlingly beautiful, but... my preference leans towards this silver-haired Knight. What is your name?"
"......Sherin. And you?"
"Rodius. Your new master, whom you will serve."
"...Master?"
The moment his lips twisted into a sinister smile.
[ Flash-! ]
"!!"
Rodius's form blurred, then he instantly closed the distance, rushing towards Sherin.
The moment his outstretched Rapier flew towards Sherin's chest—
[ Clang-!! ]
Sherin's Longsword parried the attack,
"Oh, quite good, aren't you?"
Rodius continued his attack with graceful movements, as if dancing.
Sherin parried and dodged his continuous strikes by a hair's breadth.
[ Clang-! Clang! Clang-clang-! ]
"Haa-!"
Sherin, who had been busy defending herself through several exchanges,
Seized a momentary opening and, with a shout, swung her Longsword horizontally with great force—
[ Whoosh-! ]
A dazzling white Aura bloomed along the blade.
"!!"
Rodius's relaxed expression, as if he were giving a sword lesson, hardened for a moment, and he barely dodged it.
Sherin continued to swing her Aura-infused Longsword, but.
[ Tap-tap- ]
Rodius retreated with agile movements, just as he had rushed in, widening the distance again.
"Using Aura, are we? This is much more to my liking than I expected. Are you a full-fledged Knight?"
"No, not yet."
As Sherin caught her breath and replied.
"Hmm, that last attack was quite sharp, though. Anyway..."
Rodius's gaze shifted sideways.
Towards Rose, who had her left hand, clad in a Gauntlet, extended towards him.
"What is that lady trying to do?"
"Well, why don't you take a guess?"
A smirk—and with it, blue Mana shimmered at her fingertips—
[ Swish-! ]
With a sound that tore through the air,
a crescent-shaped blade of wind shot out.
"......!!"
Rodius showed signs of surprise for the first time, twisting his body sharply to dodge it—
[ Whoosh- Whoosh- ]
"Ugh-"
The second and third blades that followed narrowly grazed his cheek and tailcoat, scattering drops of blood.
[ Crash-! ]
The magic he barely dodged struck the wall behind him, erupting with a thunderous roar.
Rodius wiped the blood from his cheek and looked at Rose with interest.
"Magic that manipulates Mana... a Guardian? To meet an Aura Knight and a Guardian at the same time. This is truly, unbearably delightful."
"Stop bluffing. Why don't you just tell us what you did to those people?"
[ Whoosh- ]
Blue Mana bloomed once again at the tip of Rose's Gauntlet.
"If you won't open your mouth, we can just get rid of you here and search the mansion ourselves."
"Get rid of me? You two?"
His momentary surprise had long vanished.
Rodius, having regained his composure, offered a sinister smile towards the audacious Rose.
"No, you can't do that. You'll soon be kneeling at my feet, begging me to embrace you."
"What nonsense are you talking about? Immediately—"
The moment Rose was about to unleash another blade of wind—
- Cute little things. You must serve me.
"......?!"
A sticky voice that seemed to pierce her ears, no, her very mind.
At that moment, Rose's left arm, which had been extended towards Rodius, dropped powerlessly with a thud.
'I have to attack him right now—!'
She gritted her teeth and tried to raise her arm, to gather Mana.
But her trembling arm betrayed Rose's will, as if that action was an unforgivable sacrilege.
- Trying to attack me? Your body doesn't desire such a rough act right now, does it?
"!!"
Again, the sweet voice ravaged her mind.
Rose's legs gave out, and she collapsed onto the floor.
Her breathing grew ragged, and her heart pounded as if it would burst.
All her senses became abnormally acute, to the point where even the cool air on her skin felt stinging.
But what was most alarming was the fierce Lust that surged uncontrollably from deep within her thighs.
'What is this... a side effect of the Aphrodisiac? Cassian's curse? Why suddenly?'
Like when she had taken the Aphrodisiac.
Like when she received someone's intimate caress.
Like when she secretly touched herself on a lonely night.
Her body suddenly grew hot.
Her nipples stood erect, sending a tingling pleasure through her whenever they brushed against her clothes,
and the inner sides of her tightly closed thighs were already slick with secreted bodily fluids.
'It's because of that voice I just heard. That bastard... what did he do to my body...!'
And if that was true—
Rose gasped for breath and looked at Sherin—
But contrary to her expectations, Sherin was not in the same state as her.
There was no lust or confusion emanating from Sherin at all.
"......"
"...Sherin...??"
Sherin's Longsword hung limply to the floor, and she stared blankly into space with empty, unfocused eyes.
Like a doll.
"An Aura Knight and a Guardian. It seems today will be a very delightful day."
Rodius sheathed his Rapier, a full smile on his face.
"You... what exactly are you...?"
"Didn't I tell you? I am your master, whom you will obey."
His lips parted with a smile, and sharp, white fangs protruded from their ends.
'...A Vampire??'
Her mind screamed that she had to eliminate him immediately.
But—
'If only he would gently bite my neck with those sharp teeth... no, my swollen breasts...'
Rose's eyes grew hazy with feverish desire.