บท 174: Chapter 174: Ghost Town Part 9
-Crash!!!!
The swiftly growing vines coiled around El's ankle. El, whose body had been leaning forward, wavered for a moment before falling flat.
-Clatter.
Even with her face slammed directly onto the ground, El paid no mind and just kept slashing at the vines around her ankle with her sword before springing back up. Then she turned her gaze and looked straight at me, who had been waiting on the sidelines, and raised her sword high.
"El!!!!"
-Thud!!!!
As the severed vines quickly grew back and tried to grab El's leg again, something flew at lightning speed and tackled El. At a glance, I thought it was Ayla. But…
-Bark! Bark bark!
It wasn't Ayla.
The one that was driving El back and barking fiercely at her as she tried to swing her sword at me was a "dog". It was slightly larger than an average large breed but not quite as big as Ayla; it had sleek legs and the impressive build of a hunting dog. However, it had one distinct difference from ordinary dogs…
That's…
Its body was faintly translucent. While its face and body were relatively clear, its paws seemed to have vanished entirely; they were almost invisible. The phrase "ghosts don't have legs" suddenly came to mind. I realized instantly that this "ghost dog" was the same entity that had attacked me at the mansion before.
-Bark bark! Bark!!!!
The creature bared its teeth and started barking viciously as if it would bite El at any moment. Just as Lloyd reached out to stop it…
"Wait a minute!"
Lloyd heard my shout and lowered his sword, which was enveloped in a blue energy. Thankfully, I shouted just in time; otherwise, his sword would have struck the ghost dog. With Lloyd's level of skill, even formless beings could be cut down by his blade…
-Bark! Bark bark!!
The ghost dog continued barking at El. To my surprise, El dropped her sword and curled up. It was strange. El had grown to the point where even the most vicious monsters hardly fazed her, yet here she was, cowering before a mere ghost dog.
"G-Go away!!!"
-Growl…
"N-Nooo!!!!"
Despite the ghost dog's intimidation, El didn't move away from the door she was trying to open. Instead, she clung to the doorknob and continued curling up even more. Clatter, clatter, clatter! The sound of El desperately turning the doorknob echoed around us.
-Bark!!!!
Worried that the ghost dog might attack El, Lloyd watched the situation with a tense expression. If you were attacked by a ghost, it wouldn't be your body that was damaged, it would be your soul. If that happened, you would have to visit a temple and go through a complex healing process to restore your soul. In the worst case, your body could remain intact while your soul died, leaving you in a vegetative state.
But I was sure. The ghost dog wouldn't attack El. Animals of the canine family had specific signals before and after an attack. Just before striking, their tails would flick side to side briefly, and their eyes would lose movement, but the ghost dog, while threatening El, was scanning its surroundings. It was as if it was making sure none of us would end up like El.
-Clatter, clatter, clatter.
-…Click!
At that moment, something clicked from the doorknob El was desperately turning. The ghost dog began barking even louder. I quickly used [Plant Binding] to tie El tightly with the remaining vines. Even as I did this, El struggled with all her might to open the door and get inside.
"Lloyd, take care of El!"
Lloyd hoisted El who was tightly bound with vines onto his shoulder and started climbing the narrow stairs. I grabbed El's sword and followed behind, but paused to glance back. Through the small gap in the door, an eerie green flame flickered. The green flames of the candles hanging on the wall were also as big as my fist and burning brightly. It was a chilling sight.
-Bark!!!!
As I stared, almost mesmerized by the scene, the ghost dog who had been staring at the door turned and barked at me before starting up the stairs as if to chase me away. I hurried up the narrow stairs next to him. But were the stairs always so long and steep? It felt like they went on forever, and as I climbed for what seemed like an eternity, a strange heat emanated from below. Unable to resist, I glanced back and saw the green flames behind the ghost dog's translucent body flickering like a snake's tongue.
"Damn it."
That was hellfire.
It dawned on me then. The reason the man we saw when we first arrived in this village had ended up in such a grotesque state. The realization sent a cold shiver down my spine.
Lloyd who was carrying El on his shoulder, was the first to make it out, followed closely by the ghost dog and me. The moment we were outside, I slammed the floor hatch shut and used [Plant Binding] to secure it further. But the seeds didn't budge.
"They've all been scorched."
The seeds had been cooked by the hellfire's heat and could no longer sprout. As a makeshift measure, I propped a heavy picture frame from the wall against the door. Clatter! Clatter! Clatter! The frame shook violently.
"Theodore!"
When I turned my head, I saw Lloyd already outside the door. The open door was becoming increasingly translucent and fading as if it might disappear at any moment. I sprinted desperately. When we first entered, the room had been so small that just Lloyd and I standing in it made it feel cramped, but now, for some reason, it was expanding. That meant the door was getting farther away from me. Damn it, I cursed under my breath and ran. The ghost dog had already reached the door. It was pacing nervously as it looked back at me.
– Bark! Bark bark!!
I barely made it through the door. The moment I crossed it, the door and the space beyond vanished into thin air. Where the door had been was now just a solid wall. As I thought, my memory was right. There was never any door here…
On the wall where the door had disappeared, a painting was hung. I glanced at it absentmindedly, then gasped. The painting was…
"This is… the room from before…"
The painting depicted the very room I had just escaped from. In the center of the picture stood a small child, but like the portrait of the couple hanging at the mansion's entrance, the face was blackened and unrecognizable. Feeling an eerie chill, I quickly turned away.
-Scratch, scratch, scratch…
The sound of something clawing at the wall echoed, accompanied by a wave of heat. So, escaping the room didn't mean it was over.
"Let's get out of here quickly."
We hurriedly left the mansion. Only after passing through the dead garden and climbing over the wall could we finally catch our breath. Is it over now? I turned back to look at the mansion. And then…
-Whoosh!!!
A huge green flame suddenly engulfed the entire mansion. The green fire swallowed everything from the garden to the mansion's rooftop in mere seconds before vanishing entirely, leaving behind a brief smell of sulfur in the garden.
So that's why there was smoke rising all this time…
-Creak.
Ayla was eagerly licking El's fallen face. Come to think of it, where was the ghost dog? I looked around, but the ghost dog had vanished without a trace. What in the world happened? After glancing around a few more times, I pulled out my dagger and cut the vines that were binding El.
"Puh, puhah!"
"Are you okay?"
"M-Master…"
"Do you remember what happened inside?"
El hesitated, then slowly shook her head.
"Well, I was looking at a portrait in front of the stairs…"
"The couple's portrait?"
"Probably. Uh, um… I was looking at the portrait, and for some reason, it gave me the chills… After that, I don't remember anything."
"So you don't remember anything that happened in the basement?"
"The basement?"
"Yes. You found a hidden basement and went inside. At the far end of the basement, there was a small door, and you were desperately trying to open it while muttering, 'I have to find the gold'."
"Gold… Gold!"
"Did something come to mind?"
"I-I heard voices telling me to find the gold."
"You don't know whose voices they were?"
"There were so many voices…"
"I see."
Find the gold…I could vaguely guess what the village chief was hiding. The full truth was still unclear, but at least we had gained a hint.
"Why did this happen to me?"
I briefly exchanged glances with Lloyd. He nodded and spoke up in my place.
"Because there's still fear inside you."
"....!"
"From the moment you arrived, you were uneasy. This mansion read your fear."
El lowered her head with a dejected look. I patted her on the head and spoke softly.
"El. Don't blame yourself. Fear is a completely natural feeling. No one is without fear. Not me, not Lloyd."
"But, both of you…"
"What matters is not leaving that fear unknown. You have to keep examining what that fear is. Once you understand what fear really is, the power it holds over you disappears."
I couldn't exactly know what kind of fear El felt when she looked at the mansion. I could only vaguely guess at the brutal family history that haunted her. I wouldn't comfort her unnecessarily; overcoming it was her burden to bear.
"Let's call it a day and head back. Everyone needs to rest."
Before dawn broke, we returned quietly just as we had left. We moved quickly, hidden in the fading shadows.
Before entering the inn, we passed through the final alley. Voices whispered in conversation; perhaps they belonged to the unusually early risers of the village or to those too lazy to sleep until now. I stopped and pressed myself against the wall to eavesdrop on their exchange.
– Did you see that light?
– Who could it be this time?
– I didn't hear any screams, though.
– Did someone finally succeed?
– No way. They probably died without ever making it out of the basement.
– Ah, so that's it.
– When will we ever get our hands on that gold?
– I just want to leave this wretched village.
– Shh. Watch what you say.
Sorry, but I heard everything already. "Basement", "gold", "succeed"… It wasn't hard to guess what was going on in this village. With a bitter smile, I slipped back into the darkness.
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