## Chapter 455 – Kim Kat and the Haunted House
What the hell is this, a mansion?
“I-Is this perhaps the Lord’s residence?”
Lina, who was clinging to me from behind, said that. Copson and Meria were gaping, unable to utter a word.
ㅡMagnificent.
A mansion. Or would the term ‘manor’ be more fitting?
Even ‘manor’ feels a bit inadequate. It’s the size of a small palace or fortress… Anyway, it was a colossal mansion of incredibly grand proportions.
I was just expecting a villa, but it’s a building this huge?
“What kind of crazy lord lives in a place like this?”
“But a house like that…”
Despite being completely integrated with the surrounding forest, the mansion looked extremely out of place.
The dark green ivy covering the exterior walls seemed to have accumulated from repeated blooming and withering, and the parts not covered by vines showed clear signs of weathering.
This building is a complete and utter mess.
Building a nice house in a place like this and then not maintaining it, so a good house goes to shit. Anyway, it looks like a very old building.
If I were an expert in this world’s architecture, I might be able to determine the year it was built based on its style, but unfortunately, I don’t have that kind of expertise. All I can think is that it must have been a really nice house when it was first built.
“M-Magnificent mansion… It’s possible a lord really lived here.”
Copson stroked his chin, attempting a rational analysis.
“…A mansion this big hasn’t been discovered until now? Doesn’t that seem strange?”
“It’s fucking weird. What the hell is this?”
Meria seemed wary.
As she said, if a building this large existed, there’s no reason it wouldn’t have become a topic of conversation by now. It wouldn’t be strange if a small building hadn’t been discovered, but something this big would definitely be noticed.
“…Did it suddenly appear?”
The fact that it bears the marks of time despite supposedly appearing suddenly also seems suspicious.
Did something magical happen?
“Anyway, let’s investigate. It’s far larger than expected. And it looks like a pretty good building… I smell money. There’s a high probability of finding antiques.”
Copson drew his sword and took a step forward.
“Hey, hey.”
If we just barge in, we’re going to get hurt.
“Wait.”
It’s a house that big.
There’s a high probability that adventurers who came before us have already discovered it. There might be traps inside, or a group already settled in waiting for us.
Is there really something inside the mansion?
“Let’s search the surroundings before going in. That’s the best way.”
“Hmm, a wise decision. Let’s do that.”
“Lina, stick close to me. Don’t let your guard down, something might happen.”
“Yes. I’ll keep that in mind.”
We decided to scout the area around the mansion first.
The building was so large that it felt like we were visiting a tourist attraction. The mansion was old, but it still exuded an undeniable sense of luxury.
Did nobles live here?
A noble or lord might have built and lived here a long time ago, decades or even centuries ago, when there was a city in this area.
Of course, since someone like that lived here, they would have used good building materials. So there’s a chance the building is still standing. But that doesn’t make sense either, there are so many trees around here?
If the trees didn’t grow rapidly after the mansion was abandoned, then this hypothesis is discarded. And the fact that this is all there is is also suspicious… Isn’t this a cursed mansion or something?
ㅡGrrr.
I feel like I can hear the gloomy howls of monsters nearby.
“Copson, do you see any signs of people?”
“Hmm… I’m not sure. I don’t see any significant traces. Could it be that we’re the first to discover it?”
Just circling around it took quite a while. That’s how big the building is. It was also difficult to scout because it was built in the mountains.
There might be a gang of thieves hiding inside, and if there are, they’ve probably already noticed us.
We munched on hardtack and jerky as we surveyed the area.
There was nothing suspicious other than the mansion.
“…So, are we going in? Are we going? Are we really going in?”
“I’m a little scared… Ugh, let’s just go in!”
“If there’s anything, we run away immediately. Remember that! However, when we run, we must protect each other as much as possible. That increases our chances of survival.”
Reminding ourselves of our plan once again, we stepped into the courtyard of the mansion.
A fountain with only remnants left on the weed-infested ground.
And a destroyed statue of some kind.
“O-Oppa, I’m so scared…”
“I’m more scared of what we’ve been through so far.”
Although I’m scared, if I had to pick the scariest thing that’s happened to me recently, it would be when we encountered the giants of the cult in the basement of the Yeongsaengdo building.
No, was the Alraune scarier?
Anyway, I thought I was really going to die back then.
“That’s true… Oppa, you’ll protect me if something happens, right?”
“It depends on the situation, but since I brought you, I have to take responsibility. But it’ll be difficult if you just stand there asking me to save you.”
Since I suggested she come along, I’m going to take responsibility for Lina’s life if something happens.
“Of course, I wouldn’t do that.”
“Good. You have to move on your own two feet. You’ll die if you rely on other people’s help.”
“D-Does that mean you won’t protect me…?”
“Damn it. I’ll protect you, so don’t worry.”
“Yes!”
Lina clung to me tightly.
ㅡThud.
And so, we arrived at the large doors of the mansion. As befitting a grand mansion of such scale, the main gate was also quite large.
“Any signs of it being opened?”
Meria asked, gripping her shield.
“I don’t know.”
“Me neither.”
“Um… Open the door first. I’ll go in with my shield raised.”
While Meria guarded the surroundings, Copson and I pushed open the main gate. ㅡCreak. The large gate opened without any trouble. It wasn’t locked.
ㅡThump, thump.
As soon as the door opened, Meria cautiously entered with her shield raised. We followed her in.
“…Looks like there’s nothing special.”
Meria, who had been tense, said that.
The inside was just a hallway.
Copson and I, who had been on high alert, also looked left and right, but saw nothing unusual. So it’s not occupied by thieves. Still, it’s so large that there’s a high probability that monsters have snuck in.
“Then, Barbarian. In situations like this, we usually go to the right…”
“Wait a minute. Let’s check the floor and ceiling for traps first.”
I don’t want to end up falling into a trap and being sucked into a murder hole.
I have a duty to collect enough money and return to my wives. Ah. Thinking about Claudia makes me want to get hard, it’s driving me crazy.
Is it because I haven’t been able to do it?
Last night, Claudia appeared in my dream and I almost had a wet dream.
“Yeah. I was worried about that too. Let’s check for traps first.”
“Let’s do that. Lina, stick close to the door.”
“Okay.”
With Meria holding her shield in the lead, we carefully checked for traps. There didn’t seem to be any problems. The hallway had also been neglected for a long time.
I also poked the floor and walls with my sword.
“Well… I don’t see anything now. Let’s move slowly.”
It was still daytime.
There was still time before sunset, so we could investigate thoroughly. If it’s not enough, we can do it tomorrow too.
ㅡCreak, creak.
The inside of the mansion was very quiet.
We agreed to look around the first floor first and then search the second floor, and we moved to the right hallway.
“Being like this reminds me of when we went to the dungeon a long time ago. It was underground back then, but this is above ground, right? I think it’s better.”
Meria said.
If we just added Elise, we’d have a complete dungeon party.
“You’re right. It’s mentally better to explore a place like this above ground than to go underground.”
“That’s right, Barbarian. We don’t even need to use a lamp.”
In fact, it’s better to explore a building like this above ground than to go underground while dealing with the undead.
The hallway was quite long.
The Martial Artist Guild’s building was also quite large, but it couldn’t even be compared to the hallway here.
“O-Oppa. Over there, that…”
“A portrait?”
As we walked along, something like a portrait caught my eye. Thinking it might be an expensive painting, I carefully approached and examined it.
“A beauty! A beauty, Barbarian!”
“Get a grip, you idiot.”
The portrait was quite large, so it seemed difficult to carry. It depicted a woman. It was so old and neglected that I couldn’t tell if she was a beauty.
Was she the owner or mistress of this mansion?
“The fact that something like this is still intact… Maybe we really are the first ones to come here.”
Meria, who had been admiring the portrait, said that.
There are one or two suspicious things.
“Let’s move on.”
“Okay.”
We left the portrait behind and continued moving. I had a rough idea of the layout since we had circled the mansion earlier. Let’s check the first floor step by step.
We turned corners and ignored the stairs leading to the second floor, focusing on exploring the first floor. It was quite complex inside, as it was so large.
There were so many forks in the road that I felt like I could get lost if I wasn’t careful, even though sunlight was coming in.
Eventually, I worked with Copson to create a simple map.
“The person who lived here must have had an incredibly good memory.”
“Would they really go to every corner of the house? They’d only go to the places they usually go, right?”
“Hmm, I suppose so. But at this rate, we won’t even be able to explore the entire first floor today. Unless something special happens, we’ll have to continue searching tomorrow.”
My wives will be angry if I go home late, but it can’t be helped.
While Copson and I were making a map, Meria said.
“It’s definitely a very complex structure. Maybe the other people who found the mansion… weren’t missing, but lost in the mansion? They’re still wandering around trying to find the exit!”
“M-Meria! Why do you keep saying things like that!”
“Yeah! Words have power!”
“Just kidding, just kidding. What are you so scared of?”
We chuckled and finished making the map, then moved on again.
The mansion is complex and large. There’s a lot to see. Stairs leading to the second floor could be seen in various places, and passages leading to the basement were also scattered here and there.
Eventually, we explored the first floor until late afternoon, but we couldn’t see everything, and we couldn’t even find anything that resembled an antique.
Even when we went into the rooms that appeared from time to time, we could only find furniture covered in dust and cobwebs.
“No monsters, no adventurer corpses, and no antiques. If we’re unlucky, we’ll have made a wasted trip.”
Copson said, looking under the bed.
There was nothing in this room either.
“But then why did people go missing?”
“Hmm… Since there’s nothing in the mansion, wouldn’t it be due to external problems? A strong monster appeared nearby, and it coincided with people finding the mansion, so it looked that way.”
Meria’s reasoning was quite reasonable.
“Meria, didn’t we also hear rumors of missing people from nearby villages?”
“People go missing all the time. Maybe that also coincided with the current phenomenon and the rumors spread.”
“Oh, that could be it. Adventurer rumors can’t be trusted after all.”
Well, in the end, it was full of questions.
Even if those are correct, they don’t answer the question about this mansion.
“Hey. Let’s call it a day and retreat.”
We can call it a day and start searching again from dawn tomorrow. There was nothing particularly strange about the mansion itself. We didn’t see a single monster.
“Retreat? What are you talking about? Why don’t we just sleep here?”
“You’re so scared, but you’re talking big.”
“Hehe, even though the mansion is suspicious, it’s not as scary as the cold at night.”
It was quite cold when I slept last night.
“There’s nothing here, right? I think it’s okay.”
“I don’t think that’s a good idea… Lina, can you sleep in a place like this?”
“U-Um… I, I think it would be better outside.”
Lina also seemed reluctant.
“I agree. But I think we should make a hideout a little away from the mansion and sleep there. You never know. Thieves might come back at night.”
In the end, we decided to sleep outside as Meria suggested. I don’t want to sleep in a place like this either. The mountains are more familiar to adventurers than abandoned houses.
As the sun began to set, we returned to the main gate where we had come from.
I was just going to break a window and go out in the middle, but when I thought about it, there were no windows on the outside of the mansion. It’s a strange structure.
“Then let’s go out.”
I immediately pushed the door with Copson.
ㅡThud.
“Hmm?”
But the door wouldn’t open.
“What, why won’t it open?”
ㅡThud, thud.
