Chapter 6

Poppy nodded and fluttered her ears.

Just as I was about to ask what she meant, that damned blue window appeared before me again.

「Detective’s Notebook」 entry complete!: Information about the demon sword 「Cryton」 has been collected. The demon sword once used by the former Archduke and the weapon inherited by Luber.

“This is it.”

I felt a little of my frustration ease.

Perhaps it was because the next thing to do had been clearly decided.

I quickly turned my head toward Luber.

“Let’s look for that sword first.”

“As Poppy said, it might really be able to vanquish the ghosts.”

“But I don’t know how to use that sword.”

“Your father used it, so it shouldn’t be impossible for Your Grace the Archduke, right?”

“Besides, if we have that sword, we might be a little safer.”

But Luber’s expression would not brighten.

It seemed he thought his abilities could never reach that level.

I needed to somehow lift this child’s self-esteem, which had hit rock bottom.

I knelt down and met Luber’s eyes.

“Your Grace, just coming all the way here alone is already so brave and amazing.”

“…”

“Even if you can’t use the sword, you never know.”

“I just think it wouldn’t hurt to take it with us on the way.”

“Really?”

“Is that also a great detective’s intuition?”

“Ah, of course!”

I had shouted it out, but I couldn’t help the prickling in my conscience.

“Yeah, Poppy thinks so too.”

“Besides, it’s certain that both the monsters and the things here are powered by magical energy, so maybe we can vanquish them.”

“What?”

“What do you mean by that?”

I had never heard before that all the ghosts here were beings created by magic.

Ding.

No sooner had I thought that than another blue window appeared.

「Detective’s Notebook」 entry complete!: This place is both a dream and a space of illusion created by magical power.

If it was being recorded in the detective’s notebook, it had to be true.

If so, there was all the more reason to get that sword.

“That means we can smash all those ghosts to bits?”

Now farewell to the days of running around because of ghosts and crying my eyes out.

Just that alone made me feel at ease.

“Now, shall we get going?”

Had a glimmering arrow ever looked so full of hope?

I opened the door, praying that the demon sword would be at the end of it.

* * *

“The sword is definitely in the Archduke’s study.”

“He had a training hall built inside the study to practice with the demon sword.”

Poppy knew more than I had expected.

I was truly glad I had brought her along.

“To get down to the first floor, we have to pass by the study anyway.”

Luber, who knew the geography of this place well, was a great help too, so the investigation proceeded smoothly.

The corridor was still gloomy, but with one more person, it felt a little less frightening than before.

“That room at the end is the study.”

Luber’s fingertip pointed to a door right next to the stairs.

It was a large door that anyone would think the Archduke would use.

“All right, let’s go.”

Just as I was about to walk ahead with the flickering candlelight, that was when it happened.

“Y—Young Master!?”

A woman’s voice came from the bottom of the stairs, and then someone began coming up.

Click-clack.

The woman’s footsteps gradually grew faster.

I naturally sent Luber behind me and widened the distance.

“Who are you?”

“Oh my, goodness gracious. It really is the Young Master. Thank goodness!”

The woman let out an exclamation in the darkness as if she could not even hear me.

No, it would be better if I could at least see her face.

For a ghost, why does she answer as if everything is perfectly normal?

“Huh?”

At a sense of unease different from usual, I naturally placed a hand over my chest.

“My heart isn’t racing.”

The heart that always pounded like crazy whenever I faced a ghost was quiet this time.

That meant…

“You were here? Goodness! You’re safe, aren’t you?”

Beneath the dark candlelight, the woman’s face began to slowly become visible.

Freckles beneath somewhat dark skin, and glasses barely perched on the tip of her cute nose.

Above all, the apron she was wearing caught my eye.

No matter how you looked at it, that outfit was a maid working here.

“Do you know how much I’ve been looking for you, Young Master?”

The maid, who had been sniffling, took one step closer, and at the same time, the moonlight that had been hidden by clouds beyond the window began to enter the mansion.

“Come here, Young Master.”

Thump.

Suddenly my heart began to beat irregularly.

That was no illusion.

Astella’s heart rate is increasing! Prepare for danger!

There was no way such a status window would appear otherwise.

“Young Master?”

The moonlight fell on the face of the maid, who was smiling grotesquely.

“Wh—what is that?”

Her face, illuminated by the moonlight, was covered in blood, and her cheeks were torn open so that the inside of her mouth was clearly visible.

“Run!”

“Where do you think you’re going!”

At my shout, the maid in front roared and lunged.

“Ugh!”

Just as I barely stopped the hand that was swinging something at me, something shining grazed past my face.

I should have noticed earlier when that ghost had her hand behind her back!

I had never regretted a moment of failing to notice that as much as I did now.

“Don’t interfere between me and the Young Master!”

“You’re the one interfering.”

“Get out of the way!”

Clang!

The maid, who had struck the wall with her blade, turned her direction toward my face.

Soon, along with a stinging sensation, blood flowing down from below my cheek dripped to the floor.

Thump, thump.

As if proving that the maid before me was a ghost, my heart pounded wildly.

The reddened icon made my eyes sting.

“Young Master, why do you keep another woman beside you instead of me?”

The maid, her eyes bloodshot, scanned me once and shouted.

“Who is this bitch! You should only have me by your side!”

“Aagh!”

The maid shoved me again and swung her sword.

I quickly ducked low to avoid it and looked behind me.

There stood Luber, trembling.

‘I told you to go, so why are you still here!’

If this place was Luber’s dream, as Poppy said, and those ghosts were all made of magical power, then finding that sword was the most important thing.

But even if I found it, if he couldn’t use it, it would all be for nothing.

That meant…

“Hurry and go!”

The ability to use that sword depended solely on Luber, the sword’s owner.

“You insolent bitch. You’re the one blocking the way between us? I’ll kill you!”

Boom.

I barely blocked the sword flying at me with a force different from before using the candlestick, and shouted loudly.

“Hurry! At this rate, I’m really going to die!”

“…!”

Luber, who had been trembling, finally began running toward the far end of the corridor.

“Young Master!”

The maid, who had been locked in a standoff with me, fell away from me as if it were a lie.

Plop.

The moment the maid turned her body, the name tag on her chest fell onto the carpet.

The maid’s name was clearly written there.

「Kana」.

It was a name I had seen somewhere before.

‘Wait, that name…’

It was the name clearly written on the notice I had seen earlier!

“Young Master!”

Seeing Kana in the maid’s uniform, the strange points finally began to come into view one by one.

Hands that looked like they had never done a day of hard work, glossy hair, and a crumpled hem of her clothes.

And on top of that, the notice that said there was no female servant named 「Kana」.

I regretted not realizing it sooner, but now was not the time to think about that.

‘I have to stop her somehow.’

The chance to smash all the things here with that sword is right in front of me—I absolutely cannot give up!

“Let go of me!”

When I grabbed the hem of Kana’s clothes, she turned around sharply.

“I’ll kill you!”

“I don’t plan on dying by your hand!”

It was exactly when I strongly struck away the sword flying at me with perfect timing.

Clang!

The sword, deflected by the blow to its blade, flew straight backward.

“Ah.”

Kana, who had been glaring at the sword now stuck in the floor, changed expression ominously.

What filled her eyes was murderous intent.

“Don’t get in my way!”

“Ugh!”

Kana, her eyes turned red, lifted me up by the neck just like that.

“Keuk!”

It was such tremendous strength that it was hard to even breathe properly.

No, is she really a woman?

I began to struggle, kicking my feet, trying to escape somehow.

But Kana’s strength was far greater than I had expected.

Wee-woo!

Along with a strange warning sound, a red status window flickered before my eyes.

“Even in a moment like this…!”

My life is hanging by a thread here, and now I’m supposed to see this screen!

Astella’s life is in danger! If you do not escape this crisis right now, you will die!

You don’t need to tell me that—I’m already learning it with my whole body.

My breath was cut off, and the pain as if my eyes would pop out made my head throb.

“Kya-ha-ha-ha!”

The laughter coming from somewhere was so hearty it seemed to mock my situation.

Am I really going to die like this?

After coming all this way?

My vision went from white to black.

All the strength drained from my body—it seemed I had truly reached my limit.

‘Please…!’

It was exactly when I was shaking my body with all my might while hanging there.

Creak.

Along with the sound of hinges echoing through the corridor, Poppy’s insignificant voice was heard.

“I opened the door! Come quickly! Hurry!”

I desperately wanted to go right away, but there was no way I could.

“Huk, euk!”

I could no longer breathe.

I was dying slowly and painfully.

Just as I was trying to force my eyes, which were closing on their own, to open, Luber shouted from behind.

“No!”