Surviving in the Cursed Mansion

Chapter 26: The Painted World (3)

When the butler retraced the memories of this world, venturing back to their very origins, he reached a dead end. From the moment of his first memory, his yearning for life had already faded.

Why, I wonder?

The survival instinct, something that any human should naturally possess, simply didn’t emerge.

Something must have been broken. Like a pocket watch with an essential cog missing, its hands forever frozen in place.

When he had lived as a student in the modern world, he had likely been no more than a modestly timid boy.

But from the moment he regained consciousness in this mansion, his will to live seemed utterly severed.

For that reason, he felt joy.

Meeting someone who left a scar on him, surrendering to the situation, and finding the possibility to place a final period at the end of his prolonged life.

He was more exhilarated than words could describe…

Instead of turning around to flee, he stepped forward.

It was only fitting to throw himself into the face of the grotesque.

“Butler!!!”

“Urgh…!”

Thud!

He abruptly stumbled back. It wasn’t a conscious choice, not even the faintest intention, yet his body instinctively retreated.

“Let’s run first and think later, Butler, okay!?”

“… Yes.”

Asche tightly grasped his hand and ran. Her proactive approach was refreshing, though she might have been bewildered by witnessing such an abnormality for the first time.

Why… am I letting her lead me?

It would be easy to shake off Asche’s hand and let the grotesque skewer him with its blade. A trivial act he could accomplish at any moment.

Unable to find a reason why he didn’t, he could only let himself be pulled along.

“Butler, are you okay? You’re not hurt, right?”

“It’s nothing serious.”

“Ah, that’s a relief…”

Even while fleeing, Asche had the composure to check on the butler’s condition. It was a stark contrast to their frantic escape on the first floor.

The butler’s demeanor was equally different.

His earlier attempt to shove his hand into Hayley’s maw in hopes of being killed clashed with his current behavior.

Why am I… like this?

Of course, some things hadn’t changed.

His expression, calm to the point of indifference, betrayed no sign of tension. His rigid facial muscles, as if frozen by the icy waters of winter, made that evident.

“Asche.”

“Yeah?”

“…”

“What? What’s wrong? Does your wound hurt a lot? It doesn’t look too deep, but was the blade poisoned?!”

“… No, it’s nothing.”

He had a faint inkling.

The last shred of humanity within him, still unworn, was likely tethering him to Asche.

Perhaps it was hard to leave someone like her behind—someone so genuinely worried about even a small scratch on his otherwise serene face.

He felt a pang of guilt at the thought of disregarding her concerns and selfishly seeking his own comfort.

It was probably no more than that.

… Not yet, not yet…

If Asche were no longer there, there would still be Arsente as her substitute.

So, regardless of how long it took, his goal could still be fulfilled.

And that was all there was to it.

“Phew…”

Once the grotesque’s presence had completely faded, Asche wiped the cold sweat from her brow and quietly caught her breath.

“Geez, that was terrifying! What’s with that thing’s appearance? If I hadn’t already dealt with Hayley, I would’ve dropped dead from a heart attack, no question!”

She turned to the butler, seeking agreement.

“Don’t you think so too, Butler?”

Of course, he didn’t feel the same.

“It wasn’t particularly frightening. After all, its appearance was merely that of a human corpse.”

“That’s exactly what makes it scary!”

“Ah.”

The butler tilted his head quizzically, wondering if it was strange that he wasn’t afraid.

Technically, he was a wraith himself—unable to cast a reflection even in mirrors. 

Though he could manifest and act within the mansion’s bounds, what would happen if he ventured outside was an unanswered question.

“Ahem, anyway, Butler. Do you have any hints this time?”

“I’ll share them now.”

I lived a pitiful life.

A life trampled by the peace and greater good of the world.

A life that left behind nothing and was remembered by no one.

A life where I had to bury my betrayed heart alongside tears of blood.

Ah, but the esteemed Lady bestowed upon me a chance.

She also revealed the truth.

That we, the ones mocked under countless joys and thriving eras, have the true right to vengeance.

May someone remember us when our revenge reaches its end…

Reward: Gift Box

Special Reward: Fragment of a Star

The butler recited the message exactly as it appeared, not missing a single word.

“What is this? There’s not even a request to find something like last time!”

Asche frowned in thought.

“So, does this mean we really have to face it and fight? But can something already dead be killed again?”

“It can… be killed.”

Or at least, he hoped so. If he succeeded in helping Asche escape the mansion, it would have to be possible for him to finally put an end to this tiresome existence.

“… Yes, it must be possible.”

“That’s a weird way to put it, Butler.”

“It’s just your imagination.”

He dismissed her concern curtly before continuing.

“However, violence alone is unlikely to be the solution. From the case of the Hunting Hound, it seems the mansion’s goal is to placate vengeful spirits.”

In other words, Asche had been chosen as the one to perform a ritual of appeasement within this mansion.

What had seemed like random occurrences were becoming clearer after their experience on the first floor and the appearance of Arsente.

When coincidences pile up this much, they become inevitabilities.

Both Asche and Arsente had ended up at the mansion after being pursued. Could it truly be a coincidence that the two of them ended up here?

And what about the assassins hunting the sisters? Was it a coincidence that they never entered the mansion?

This mansion was enormous, impossible not to notice.

Moreover, the Arkaden family had been erased from history. To completely obliterate such a grand house would require divine power.

The imperial family of the Great Empire, once ruling with absolute authority, was undeniably the era’s god-like force.

Asche didn’t come to the mansion… The mansion summoned her.

Like insects lured by the sweet scent of a carnivorous plant, they had stepped inside—into this sinister house where strange phenomena unfolded.

Perhaps, it was because the sisters carried royal blood.

“The ones mocked under countless joys and thriving eras have the true right to vengeance.”

The butler recited the line from the message to Asche.

“As you know, the Arkaden family’s history was thoroughly erased. That means the woman who just appeared… or the figure that resembled her… is likely one of the unjust victims of that erasure.”

“Oh, I get it! We’ll have to delve into the paintings and uncover the identity of that ghost!”

“Uncover it, yes. But what comes next remains to be seen.”

“Hmm…”

With Hayley, the lost happiness had been her scarf. Returning it to her as she requested ended the ordeal.

But this time…?

The lack of a clear guideline made it hard to draw conclusions.

Asche frowned, reviewing what little they knew.

“Hayley’s appearance gave us a clue, so let’s start there this time too.”

In Hayley’s case, her relatively intact nose hinted at her heightened sense of smell. She had used this ability to track Asche by the scent of Maid A.

“Let’s see… The sword was lodged in her chest. Her clothing resembled a noble’s dress. And…”

Asche pursed her lips in thought.

“… That’s it? Her grotesque face is just typical of a ghost.”

“I didn’t notice anything particularly distinctive either.”

“Her skin was deathly pale. Not a hint of blood, right? You saw it too?”

“Hmm…”

At the moment, identifying the ghost’s identity seemed impossible.

The butler replayed the details in his mind, while Asche did the same, both falling silent in contemplation.

Some time passed before Asche squinted her eyes.

“Hmm… Hmm, hmm, hmmm…”

“Did something occur to you, Asche?”

“Ugh, I don’t know either. It feels like I’m on the verge of something… like there’s a fog in my head that would clear if I just glared hard enough to see past it.”

Eventually, she voiced her frustration.

“Ah, seriously… I should remember something by now! Somehow, it feels so familiar, like I’ve seen something similar before. It’s too striking a ghost to forget…”

Asche, clearly agitated, lightly tapped her chest. She had connected the dots but couldn’t draw the lines between them, leaving her feeling stifled and restless.

“Sigh… Damn it. Figures, there’s never anything I can get without working for it.”

After letting out a few regretful sighs, she locked eyes with the butler.

“Butler, we’ve got no choice.”

“Do you intend to do something?”

“Yeah. We’re going back to see that woman we just encountered.”

“She will attack.”

“Then we’ll have to clash head-on. I’m not the same person I was before… and we might uncover more hints in the process.”

“That is… true.”

“And besides, like I said earlier, maybe we can resolve this through conversation?”

It was an idea that could only come from a mind still brimming with optimism. Realistically, the chances of solving the problem that way were nearly zero.

However, her determination to uncover clues by confronting the issue was commendable, so the butler didn’t oppose her plan.

“But, Butler, let’s split up.”

“… Pardon?”

“You’re weak, aren’t you? I can’t fight properly while trying to protect you at the same time.”

“…”

The butler could only reply, “Ah… Yes.”