READ NOVEL ONLINE Ch42 - The Mansion at Night
Chapter 42: The Mansion at Night
A week had passed since the lively costume barbecue party at Alice’s residence.
A larger-than-ever group of thugs had gathered in front of the Stuart mansion. The moonlight dimly illuminated their grim faces.
“…Listen up. This is our last job. We kidnap Alice Stuart and take her to the designated warehouse. The reward is 100,000 ril per person, no mistake. I’ve confirmed the contract. Everyone received the 5,000 ril down payment, right? Good. …The brat will probably be killed. But, well, our job is just the kidnapping. Even if we get caught, the crime won’t be that serious. –Let’s get that girl!”
“Oooooh…!!”
Their shouts were hushed due to the quiet residential neighborhood, but their faces were filled with avarice. They seemed highly motivated.
A Fallen Priest—a holy man who had fallen into darkness and changed his job to “Thief”—used his [Unlock] skill to open the large gate of the Stuart mansion…
The near-silent operation, though reliant on the skill, was impressive. He had been diligently training, using the skill repeatedly for this day. …Misguided effort could be found anywhere.
“Alright!!”
Whispering encouragement and nodding to each other, the men stealthily entered the mansion grounds…
…Unaware of the horrors—and lifelong trauma—that awaited them.
…Behind them, the crimson-eyed butler, having silently locked the gate, smiled mischievously.
A few days earlier, the trading company president and his assistants had summoned all the hired thugs to a warehouse in Toilia.
A giant magic circle was drawn on the warehouse floor, completely soundproofing the hastily built, thin-walled structure. The brothers wore numerous barrier stone accessories to protect themselves from the adventurers.
As expected, the adventurers eyed their luxurious jewelry greedily. Had they not mentioned the barrier effect, they might have been robbed blind… Thinking this, the sons cursed them inwardly, “You greedy vagrants!”
Graham, despite the slight vein throbbing on his forehead, forced a smile and announced the reason for the summons.
“Welcome. Thank you for coming! I’ve called you all here today for one reason. …The surveillance you’ve been conducting is over. This is to show our appreciation for your work!”
“…Huh!?”
“You’re kidding! Fat geezer!”
“I’ll spill all your dirty secrets!”
“Don’t you dare mess with us!”
“Idiots! Idiots!”
A barrage of insults followed the sudden announcement of termination.
The president’s forehead vein throbbed more prominently, but his calmer brothers patted his shoulders, helping him control his anger. He continued,
“Ahem…! Of course, showing our appreciation isn’t just about saying ‘thank you.’ Hear me out. We’re calling off the surveillance of the brat’s mansion. …But we have one last, big job for you that will pay even more!”
“Huh?”
“…Pay more…”
“Yes. Kidnap the orange-haired brat, Alice, and bring her here. That’s the job.”
“!!!”
The adventurers’ faces paled. …This was a far more dangerous job!
Graham snorted, looking down on them. He declared confidently,
“The brat is probably holed up in the mansion, so you’ll have to break in and kidnap her. Don’t worry; we’ve made preparations for the intrusion! You’re still regular adventurers, right? …But your guild cards are blackened by your ‘deeds,’ aren’t they? Change jobs to a dark profession. You should be able to acquire skills like [Unlock], [Stealth], and [Conceal]. That will make it easier to get profitable jobs like this in the future. We’ve also contacted a Fallen Priest. The job change is free if you do it now.”
“…It would be my pleasure. Call me Morec. Please forget about me immediately after this meeting. If you breathe a word of this, I’ll kill you.”
A man in a black robe emerged from the shadows of the warehouse. The adventurers shuddered at his impactful self-introduction.
“Don’t say unnecessary things! …Ahem. Well, that’s the gist of it. –You’ll do it, right?”
Graham glared at the assembled men.
“B-But…”
“It’s our lives… You can’t just decide for us!”
“The reward is 100,000 ril per person. We’ll give you 5,000 ril upfront.”
He said with a smirk.
“!!!”
“You’ll do it.”
“…”
…The adventurers exchanged hesitant glances. Then, one of them cautiously stepped forward and spoke to the Fallen Priest.
After that, it was like a dam had burst. One by one, the others followed suit, lured by the word “free,” changing jobs to dark professions. Warriors became Thieves, Archers became Swindlers, and so on.
Their souls were already tainted by their past misdeeds, and the daily surveillance requests had pushed them past their limit, turning their guild cards pitch black.
Everyone in the world of Lanache had a scale of “good” and “evil” in their souls. Living an ordinary life usually kept one on the good side, but repeated acts of theft, deception, or murder would tip the scales towards evil, darkening their souls and guild cards.
While their cards were black, they couldn’t accept legitimate jobs from the Adventurers’ Guild. Showing their cards would get them arrested and sent to a rehabilitation facility. Those with excessive evil deeds were immediately made into criminal slaves.
Of course, there was a way to restore their card’s color: performing good deeds. However, the more evil deeds one had committed, the more good deeds were required. It was extremely difficult to restore the color on one’s own… It wasn’t easy to become a truly good person, and people in need didn’t usually ask criminals for help.
Therefore, many continued down the path of evil.
…The adventurers here had already changed to dark professions. To restore their guild cards, they would have to perform numerous good deeds and then receive a blessing from a Priest to change jobs again. Those who became dark professionals were sent to a criminal prison, not a rehabilitation facility. It would take a long time for them to return to the light…
None of them backed down. Though pale-faced, they put on wicked grins, perhaps to bolster their courage.
The three brothers surveyed them with satisfaction. Graham spoke again.
“Good. I appreciate your resolve. We have the contracts prepared. You’ll kidnap Alice five days from now. Understood?”
“…No way!”
“Even if we’re dark professionals now, our stats are low without the job bonuses, and we have to train from level 1! You’re kidding!”
“Idiot! Harge!”
The adventurers, now criminals, protested loudly at the short deadline.
The brothers frantically tried to calm down the president, whose face was turning red and contorted with anger.
“…Can you even afford the magic paper for the contracts!? If you can, I’ll rewrite the contract with a longer timeframe.”
“…You’ve already become dark professionals. Accept that there’s no turning back. Weak, novice dark professionals are easy prey for the guards. Besides, without money, you can’t hide anywhere. It’s in your best interest to accept this job. You’ll earn a lot of money and gain experience as successful dark professionals. …We might have more work for you later…?”
The brothers’ thinly veiled threats silenced the fallen adventurers, their faces red with anger.
Finally, the leader of the group, who acted as a liaison with the brothers, stepped forward.
“…Tch. We can’t outsmart you guys. This is a good job. Our stats are low, but the brat and the butler are the only ones in that mansion. She hasn’t hired any guards yet. We can do this. …Let’s do it! We’ll kidnap her. What do you say, guys!”
“Yeah!!!”
“Haha! …That’s what we think. We’ll take the down payment now.”
“! Oh, is that so? We expect success.”
“Leave it to us.”
The deal was struck. While the hired party might have felt somewhat cheated, they were thugs with tainted souls to begin with. They quickly changed their tune and began fantasizing about their future success and riches in the underworld. Their leering grins were unsettling.
After the criminals left, the black-robed Fallen Priest cheerfully asked the three brothers,
“Are you actually going to pay them?”
“…Yes. If the kidnapping is successful.”
The president, checking the contract, replied curtly without looking up.
“Our guild cards are already black. …If we’re going to run our business while dealing with the underworld, we can’t afford rumors of non-payment. It’s a large sum, but… it’s a small price to pay for the mansion and the rest of the inheritance. Framing it as a success-based reward was a good move.”
“I see! That makes sense. …Then, why are the contracts forged?”
“Don’t pry…”
“My apologies.”
The president glanced at Morec suspiciously and told his brothers, “I’m organizing the documents now. You explain it to him.” The brothers reluctantly began the explanation, figuring they shouldn’t upset the Fallen Priest, who was apparently quite well-known in the underworld. Someone with his experience would be discreet.
“…It’s probably as you suspect. If we create a legitimate magic contract, and the guards get wind of it, we won’t have any excuse. It would clearly show our involvement. With forged documents, we can claim they fabricated the documents with our company name. That’s why.”
“…Contracts differ depending on the guild and the request rank. The higher the rank and reward, the more sophisticated the magic used in the contract. We showed them a ‘Commerce Guild B-Rank contract.’ Adventurers of their caliber wouldn’t have seen such a document, so it was easy to fool them… If we pay them properly, they won’t realize it’s fake, right?”
“I understand! By the way, the documents looked very similar to the real ones. Which printing company did you use?”
“We drew them by hand.”
“Such amazing talent!”
What a waste of talent. If they had lived honest lives… many of the senior presidents who had given up on them would have lamented this waste.
Because they had copied the magic circle on the document with a slight alteration, the contract magic wasn’t activated. Documents with high-level contract magic would glow brightly upon signing, but the mid-level adventurers didn’t know this and were easily fooled. If Alice was taken from the mansion but they were being followed, the brothers planned to abandon the operation and skip out on the payment.
…The black-robed figure grinned.
The sons muttered once more, “Prepare yourself, little girl.”
The men finally reached the mansion’s main entrance, battered and bruised. The Thief used [Unlock] to open the door, and they all rushed inside. There was no stealth anymore; they just wanted to escape the “garden of horrors.”
Their faces were tear-streaked, their legs covered in thorny burrs, and their limbs twitched slightly. What had happened? Those with sharp intuition might have already guessed. Let’s recap their experience from a few minutes ago.
“…This garden is awfully dark and hard to see. The weeds are overgrown. She should have them trimmed, that little missy.”
“…Her days as a ‘missy’ are numbered! Haha!”
“Hey, keep it down.”
“I’m using the [Soundproof] skill! Hehe, my voice can only be heard within a 1-meter radius. Pretty cool, huh?”
“…Don’t waste your magic on useless skills. Conserve it.”
These were our villains. Apparently, the adrenaline rush from their nerves had them all keyed up. Though they knew they had to be quiet, they were eager to use their newly acquired dark skills. This was typical for a first job after changing to a dark profession for free.
The garden in front of the mansion was strangely dark, even they thought so. Despite being such a grand mansion, there wasn’t a single outdoor light. It was common sense for wealthy families to illuminate their gardens for security…
They proceeded, guided only by the faint moonlight. The one with the [Night Vision] skill led the way.
Their boots rustled through the weeds. A strange black mist clung to the ground, obscuring the types of plants.
Suddenly, someone exclaimed, “Huh!?”
“What is it!? A security trap!?”
“N-No. I think I just stepped on something squishy… Maybe it’s just my imagination?”
“What is it…? A rat or something? Don’t make a fuss over nothing.”
“S-Sorry.”
“Ahhh!”
“What happened!?”
“I stepped on it too! Something squishy and… and gross…”
“You too? Something smells… fishy. A suspicious smell… Cough! Cough!”
“No! It’s not just ‘suspicious’! This is physically disgusting! What is this!?”
“My eyes! It burns!”
“Something smells spicy! My nose hurts!”
Let’s introduce the flowers responsible for this.
*Simir Soapwort Gummy: A creeping plant with yellow flowers that bear gummy fruits. Upon bursting, the fruits spray an extremely irritating liquid.
*Mustard Berry: A vine with crimson flowers and raspberry-like fruits. The fruits are filled with mustard powder, causing immense suffering if eaten.
Of course, these were the handiwork—or rather, the flowers—of Patricia’s [Cultivation]. For the record, both plants had very lovely blossoms.
Overcome by the pungent odor assaulting their eyes and noses, the villains ran to escape the area!
Tears and snot streamed down their desperate faces, a truly unsightly image.
After running for a while, someone tripped.
“Oof!?”
“What are you doing!? …A pitfall trap!?”
“Damn it! I can’t see below my knees because of this mist! How about [Night Vision]?”
“…It works! I can see the ground nearby, but… this is bad… There’s no way I can cover everyone’s path. The whole garden is probably full of pitfalls and tangled weeds… We have to be careful not to fall.”
“…But the wind is blowing the smell right at us! Damn it!”
“Setting classic traps, for a rich person…!!”
Allow me to explain. This was a deliberate follow-up attack using the capable butler Mothra’s [Gust] (gentle breeze).
The man with [Night Vision], accused of having an unfair advantage, pointed towards the mansion, shrouded in an ominous black mist.
“…Anyway!
The mansion is that way. As long as we keep heading in that direction, we’ll get through the garden! Run carefully and quickly. –Our battle starts now!”
“Uooooh!!”
Their teary-eyed shouts were barely audible. They seemed to have realized shouting at full volume was a bad idea.
The path to the main entrance was arduous. They stumbled through flowerbeds, triggering paralyzing pollen, were tormented by prickly burrs, and repeatedly fell into shallow pitfall traps. To top it all off, the pungent, irritating smell followed them everywhere.
The villains wept, not just because their eyes stung, but also from the despair of ever escaping this hell. They were surprisingly sensitive souls.
—The sense of relief upon reaching the entrance hall was immense!—
Washing their faces with Aqua magic cleared their eyes and noses. They were so moved that they exchanged silent, heartfelt handshakes. The fresh air was wonderful!
They had barged in through the front entrance, making a lot of noise, but there was no use crying over spilled milk. They listened intently, but they couldn’t hear anyone approaching.
…Perhaps the little girl was asleep. Thinking this, the men, their spirits lifted, headed towards what they believed was Alice’s bedroom, having investigated the layout beforehand.
After opening a couple of wrong doors, the villains finally found Alice’s bedroom. They had pre-selected sunny rooms based on the brothers’ childhood memories.
Though the expensive-looking objects in the hallway and the other rooms tempted their greed, they diligently searched for Alice first.
Alice’s room was tastefully decorated with pink and light blue accessories, white and beige furniture, and filled with the sweet scent of flowers. A quintessential girly room.
The men shifted uncomfortably in the overly feminine space, but they held ropes and monster-sealing talismans, chuckling villainously.
“…Sorry, little girl…”
Muttering a cheesy line, they moved to capture the sleeping Alice…!
The villains’ preemptive strike!
They rushed to capture Alice!
Failure!
They fell into a pitfall trap, carpet and all!
Allow me to explain. Grandpa Gale, betrayed by his sons and distrustful of humans, had poured his vast fortune into transforming his mansion into a ninja funhouse. It was riddled with hidden doors, secret passages to the basement, and countless traps.
The villains are in chaos!
Alice, peering down at the bewildered adventurers in the 2-meter deep pitfall trap, smiled sweetly.
“Good evening. You woke me up. Who are you, mister? …Pffft! You look so silly!”
“!?”
“You’re adults, yet you’re even dumber than me…? Rich people are always targets of jealousy, you know. There’s no way I wouldn’t have security measures in a mansion like this! You didn’t even think of that? Hee hee! …How pathetic!”
Alice is taunting them!
Provoke, provoke. Alice, a natural actress, put on a condescending expression while maintaining her childish charm. Her lines were from a script Rena had written after consulting (Googling) with her smartphone.
“…Damn brat!”
“I’ll get you for this!”
It worked perfectly. Enraged, the villains scrambled to climb out of the pitfall trap. Too easy? Look closely; the bottom of the pit was crimson. Lily’s [Crimson Mist] was amplifying their confusion.
Alice, still in her pajamas, quickly ran out of the room and called out to the men from the safety of the hallway.
“Silly oniisan, over here! Catch me if you can! Hehehe!”
“Damn brat!”
The moment the red-faced villains tried to chase after Alice—a loud sound effect suddenly echoed through the mansion!
<
<
“…Huh?”
“What…?”
The villains looked at each other with dumbfounded expressions. The sound they heard was the majestic opening of Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony, a melody unknown to them but famous on Earth, followed by a girl’s cute voice declaring, “Out!” They should have fled in that instant, but the nightmare had already begun.
Alice, unable to contain her laughter, covered her face, her shoulders shaking as she stood frozen in place.
The villains, seeing their chance, licked their lips and tried to run again, but… they froze, dumbfounded, by the sight of 30cm tall dolls emerging from the hallway.
—Pure white bodies gleaming in the dim light! Muscles rippling beautifully with every pose! Muscles! Muscles! Muscles! Wow!—
—Patricia’s masterpiece, the long-awaited Super-Speed White Macho Men, had arrived!—
<
With those merciless words, the villains’ fate was sealed. May they rest in peace.
Never underestimate a Buyer. Their warehouses were full of rare items. Rena, holding a loudspeaker at maximum volume, gleefully operated her smartphone, the source of the Da-da-da-DAAAAHHHN! sound effect. Her phone, for some reason, never ran out of battery. While it hadn’t updated since she arrived in this world, the web search function still worked perfectly.
Rena, using a rare transparent scope, was busy adjusting the timing of her attacks.
Patricia, hiding in the hallway, had received the “Go Macho” signal from Rena via Lily’s [Message] skill. Patricia and Lily, unable to contain their laughter at the imagined carnage, rolled on the floor, clutching their stomachs.
White Macho Man’s jumping high kick!
“Gyaaah!?”
“Guwah!!”
“Ugh!”
“…My butt’s splitting open!?”
Critical damage to the villains’ butts!
The villains fell into the pitfall trap!
They’re groaning in pain at the bottom!
Alice, on the verge of losing it, decided to relocate before she burst out laughing.
“…! Bye-bye, mister! I’ll be inside the mansion! Hehe…!”
Carried by a somewhat recovered Patricia, Alice distanced herself from the villains. If she were captured, it would be game over. “I won’t let them take you!” Patricia vowed, rubbing her aching stomach, her expression resolute. Of course, she also planned to get revenge for the destruction of her flowerbed.
“W-Wait for us…!!”
Holding their butts and waddling after Alice, the men presented a comical sight. It would be interesting to see how many more kicks they would endure.
They hadn’t noticed yet… that their numbers had dwindled.
In the now quiet room, the crimson-eyed butler stood silently, a man bound like a turtle with ropes at his feet…
“Fufu. I wonder how much terror they can withstand. I’m looking forward to finding out.”
Those who fell behind faced capture by the mansion’s guardian. The thug at Mothra’s feet, eliminated early on, might have been the lucky one.
—The terrifying horror house operation to capture stragglers.—
Rena narrowed her eyes and muttered, to no one in particular,
“Let the games begin.”