Volume 3, Chapter 12-3 – Bargain Mom Sells Bargain Daughter

The wheels rolled over a weed-choked stone road before coming to a stop.

Dark-red brick walls stretched upward through the night fog, while the sharp steeple of a clock tower pierced straight into the dark-red clouds.

The rusty iron-bar gate stood open on both sides. Intricate thorn and rose emblems were carved above the main entrance. Although mottled with rust, their former refinement was still clearly visible.

Blood Demon Manor.

Although vines had covered the walls, most of the stained glass had shattered, the fountain pool had dried up completely, and the shrubs had grown wild and shapeless, the sheer scale of Blood Demon Manor truly lived up to the name of an Elector estate.

The members of the Lionheart Society jumped down from the carriage one after another.

They looked around at the vast courtyard and the main building.

“Wow…”

“This is way bigger than I imagined,” a succubus murmured.

“I thought the hotels on Nightmare Street were spacious enough, but even a single guardhouse at Blood Demon Manor is bigger than them…”

Patolize stood at the very front.

She remained silent for a long time.

“President…” Patolize’s voice trembled slightly. “When you said you were going to use Blood Demon Manor as a base to pry open Nightmare Street’s commercial landscape, I thought it was just a metaphor…”

“I never imagined… you were serious.”

“…”

Stella said nothing.

Patolize had clearly already fallen into her own little world.

“You only need to look at Blood Demon Manor’s scale to understand its future potential.” Patolize stood beside the dried-up fountain pool. “Now that we have such a massive base, how could the Lionheart Society possibly fail to develop?”

“It seems becoming the Valentine heir truly was part of your plan. With Blood Demon Manor as our base, the Lionheart Society will definitely be able to expand rapidly.”

Patolize’s eyes grew brighter and brighter.

“This isn’t an ordinary base at all. It’s the fulcrum we’ll use to move all of Nightmare Street!”

The other members were swept up in her excitement as well and began chattering among themselves.

“No wonder President wanted us to come in the first group…”

“Blood Demon Manor is huge. We could totally use it as our headquarters from now on!”

Stella said nothing.

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She no longer cared.

They could think whatever they wanted.

It wasn’t the first time anyway.

She was used to it. Used to it.

Patolize looked around.

“It’s just… this place really does need a thorough cleaning.”

“All right, everyone, come over here.” She clapped her hands. “Remedios and Dorothy will bring the rest of the supplies over later. Before everyone arrives, let’s clean up the first floor of the main building first, then discuss how we’re going to develop this base.”

“Okay!”

The members of the Lionheart Society answered in unison.

Then they scattered.

Some went to pull weeds, some gathered dead branches, some tried to clear the fallen leaves out of the fountain pool, while a few of the bolder ones simply pushed open the doors of the main building and craned their heads inside.

They did not seem afraid of this haunted mansion in the slightest.

“It’s nice being so energetic.”

Stella watched their energetic backs and silently sighed.

She estimated that it would take Patolize and the others at least several days to get Blood Demon Manor into anything resembling decent shape.

Perfect.

They could keep themselves busy here and cause her less trouble.

Stella helped the still-unconscious Aetlana down from the carriage.

Aetlana leaned limply against her, her long crimson hair hanging down. Her breathing was a little steadier than before.

‘She should be waking up soon, right?’

“It’d be nice if there were a room we could actually rest in right now.”

Stella glanced over the dilapidated manor before muttering to herself.

She was a little tired, and both she and Aetlana happened to need somewhere to settle down.

She also needed to find somewhere out of everyone’s sight, take out the Primordial Doctrine, and look up what she was supposed to do about the deadly Chastisement Brand on her left hand.

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And…

Her stomach let out a faint growl.

She was a little hungry too.

She wanted an apple.

Stella lowered her eyes.

“It’d be nice if there were some fruit to fill my stomach too.”

The moment she finished speaking.

Creak.

A door around the corner opened by itself. The sound of its neglected hinges was unpleasant, like a thorn stabbing straight into the heart.

Stella nearly threw Aetlana away in fright.

Although she was a Saintess candidate, her little heart really wasn’t very good at handling sudden scares.

And now this was happening.

Why had the door suddenly opened?

Had it broken after being neglected for too long?

Stella swept her gaze around and happened to spot Patolize pulling weeds from the lawn.

“Patolize.”

Stella called her over directly.

“Hm? What’s wrong, President?”

Patolize looked completely bewildered.

“You… go take a look inside.” Stella pointed toward the corner with her chin.

“What’s inside?” Patolize tilted her head.

“The door… opened by itself.” Stella lowered her voice.

Patolize blinked.

Then she smiled.

“President, don’t tell me you’re afraid of ghosts?”

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“…”

Stella said nothing.

But her silence had already answered the question.

“Alright, alright, I’ll go take a look.” Patolize dusted the dirt from her hands and strode toward the door.

She stepped over the threshold and disappeared into the darkness.

It wasn’t long before.

“Aahhhh—!”

Patolize’s scream rang out.

Stella panicked.

She dropped Aetlana, snatched up a long-handled broom from the corner, and charged straight inside.

“Patolize, Patolize, are you okay!?”

Stella rushed through the doorway with the broom raised high, ready to send any ghost or monster that might exist straight to the afterlife.

Only after entering did she discover Patolize standing perfectly fine in the middle of the room.

No ghost.

No specter.

Nothing terrifying at all.

It was simply an enormous guest room.

Dark-red velvet curtains hung on either side of the floor-to-ceiling windows.

A large four-poster bed stood in the center. A thick wool carpet covered the floor.

A bedside cabinet, wardrobe, and dressing table were all there, every piece made of dark solid wood with exquisite craftsmanship. Although their surfaces were covered in dust and cobwebs clung to the corners, everything had been preserved remarkably well overall.

With just a little cleaning, the room could immediately be used.

“…Patolize.”

Stella threw the broom straight onto the floor.

“Hm?”

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“What were you screaming about?”

“I…” Patolize scratched her cheek. “I was just too pleasantly surprised. Look at this room. It’s so luxurious. Even an ordinary guest room in Blood Demon Manor is this extravagant, so I couldn’t hold myself back…”

“You nearly scared me to death just now.”

“I’m sorry, President.”

Stella couldn’t be bothered to argue with her. She looked around the room.

It really wasn’t bad.

In fact, it was almost exactly the kind of room she had wanted.

Stella walked back into the corridor, helped Aetlana away from the wall, and brought her into the room. Then she carefully laid her flat on the mattress of the four-poster bed.

Aetlana’s eyes remained closed, her breathing steady. She looked like she might wake up at any moment.

Stella breathed a sigh of relief.

She stood up and prepared to use a current of magical power to sweep away the dust and cobwebs, tidy the place up a little, then take out the Primordial Doctrine and ask what she was supposed to do next.

Then Stella’s gaze accidentally landed on the bedside cabinet.

A silver tray rested on top of it.

In the center of the tray sat an apple.

Fresh.

Bright red.

Stella blinked.

‘Huh?’

‘Where did this apple come from?’

Translator Note

A manor that can grant wish?!