Chapter of Slavery, Episode 10: At the Manor Where the Black Roses Bloom

Arilai, Zarish Manor, Evening—

The sky was covered in a thick cloud, as if it was in the middle of the rainy season. Thunder crackled over the manor that was owned by the hero candidate known as Zarish.

In the country covered in a vast expanse of sand known as Arilai, the ruling king gave rewards to those who made contributions through military prowess. As the one who owned more land than all others, there were high expectations for Zarish’s future. But he walked through his wide corridor with a sullen expression and somewhat aggressive steps. His heels clicked on the stone pavement with each step, his brows furrowed deeply. His frustration was all but palpable. The beautiful women referred to as his collection seemed to sense his irate air and maintained some distance.

Last night, he had made contact with the two women he sought after. The pair were an incredibly rare draconian and an extremely talented half-fairy elf. He had disposed of the pesky boy and the now-unnecessary dark elf with his own hands and obtained what he wanted... or so he had thought.

“Damn it, what the hell was that...?!” He slammed his fist into a wall out of frustration. Web-shaped cracks spread across the wall, and women could be heard shrieking in surprise.

He had extended his hand to that draconian with such elation last night, but she had looked down on him with a mocking smile and turned her back, as if to say he wasn’t worth her time. By the time he turned around, the boy and the dark elf’s bodies, and even the blood that had splattered on the ground, had vanished without a trace, and he just stood frozen at the bizarre sight.

Before he knew it, even his two targets had disappeared, leaving only his pale-faced underlings standing there with him. When he asked the others what had happened, they told him they had seen it with their own eyes. The boy and the dark elf both just faded into thin air like a mirage.

No one had seen them since then.

The manor had been in a state of full humidity, as was standard during the rainy season. It was once full of splendor, but there was an evident gloominess that could be felt throughout the place.

Zarish was deep in thought as he walked down the corridor, and then he suddenly stopped in his tracks. The personnel managing the manor were speaking in hushed voices. Zarish peered into the dim room from the corridor to find uniformed members of his collection there.

“There were so many creepy crows in the yard...”

“My, it’s like some sort of curse. I felt like I was being watched all day yesterday, too.”

Zarish dismissed it as foolishness. They were an elite group that had sent countless foes to the afterlife, yet they were worried about curses and stares?

He glanced at the window in the corridor and heard the rain trickling down onto the sand. Normally, the rain would have been considered a blessing, but the sight made him instinctively wipe the uncomfortable clamminess on his neck. The rainy season would continue for some time.

Raindrops quietly pattered against the windowpane as he penned a letter, and he looked up and stared at it after some time. This room incorporated glass in much of its design, and he was usually able to enjoy the bright sunlight here. There was a tree planted by the window that would have allowed him to spend his time comfortably in the shade. But now, he was simply fed up with the humid, sweaty discomfort from this weather.

Knock, knock.

The sound of someone knocking on the hard door reverberated through his room, and Zarish gave the visitor permission to enter with a magnanimous tone. A woman in a maid outfit entered the room.

“It was just as you surmised, Lord Zarish. I have received reports that the interrogation is making little progress.”

“Hmph... He is under a spell that will inflict a curse upon himself and those around him if he makes a confession. That would be one way to get rid of the captives, but... That old geezer will surely notice then.”

Yet, the rebels that had been captured didn’t have much information to speak of. Only less than half of them were caught, and from the looks of it, they were just expendable grunts that were only in it for the pay or to get revenge.

Gedovar, the neighboring country known as the land of demons, already had their next move to prevent the exploration of ancient labyrinths ready. Now that they had sent in their forces across borders, it was unlikely that they were under the impression that their secret would be kept hidden. It was only a matter of time before a full-blown battle between countries would break out. Zarish grinned.

The “old geezer” he had just referred to was Aja the wizard. Zarish had used the funding provided by Aja and managed to grow up to this point. But now that he had failed to acquire his two targets, there was nothing else for him to gain here. He just needed to wait for the right moment now... However, there was something dark and viscous spreading within him.

“Is something the matter, Lord Zarish?”

“It’s nothing. Now, come over here.”

The woman, who was a servant and a member of his collection, bowed politely, and then Zarish slowly embraced her. Their tongues intertwined as he held her voluptuous body in his arms. She tasted pure and sweet, but it was far from her true nature. She enjoyed being taken aggressively, and when he opened her mouth by force, she made a slovenly expression and her body immediately grew hot with embarrassment.

Her body felt sticky to the touch from the heat and humidity, but when dealing with such a fine woman, even the excessive humidity was part of the enjoyment. He considered such thoughts as he caressed her twitching body.

Zarish had acquired this woman three years ago for a hefty price, along with this manor of black roses. House Blackrose was well-known among aristocrats and commoners alike. They were an incredibly powerful house that had ruled over this land until finally yielding to the royal family after a battle spanning over a thousand days. But as the years passed, they were unable to upkeep this grand manor and desperately clung on to life out of pride as a noble household. Their flourishing garden and their military might was a thing of the forgotten past.

Zarish was the one who had dealt the finishing blow to their bloodline, and this young woman, a knight of the black rose, was nothing more than a trembling lamb by now. Indeed, he was the one and only hero candidate of this world. Nothing was out of reach for him, and he was a being who lived life better than anyone. As this realization set in, he felt his displeasure from the rain and frustration from earlier dissipate.

Just then, the two eased up slightly in their embrace. Things were just beginning to get heated, but they both looked at the window and stared at the fluttering curtain.

“Oh, the window... I will close it so the rain doesn’t get in.”

“I don’t recall opening it...” Zarish said.

No, something was off. Who in their right mind would have opened the window in the middle of this rain? Let alone while writing a letter for such a long time. Such questions began running through Zarish’s mind.

“You should have simply watched admiringly from afar... But now you have meddled with the Phantom.”

The words flashed in his mind despite being in the midst of an intimate encounter. The words from that black-haired draconian woman... He couldn’t help but remember that boy’s eyes staring at him ever since then. Come to think of it, there was something very strange about that boy. There was no fear in his eyes even on the verge of death, and he simply watched with his lifeless, observing eyes. The expression was so foreign to Zarish that the memory had left a lasting impression on him. Or was it because his corpse had inexplicably vanished?

“Lord Zarish?”

The window had been closed before he knew it, and the sound of rain had quieted down. The maid stared up at him with a confused expression, the look in her eyes seeming to ask whether they were going to pick up where they had left off.

There was no curse. There couldn’t have been. Still, he couldn’t help but stare. His eyes were fixated on the wet footprints near the closed window. Small footprints... as if they were left by a child. He was still staring at those footprints as he spoke in a rigid tone.

“...Something is wrong. Conduct a search within the premises.”

“What? Y-Yes, then I will call for Hakua the fortuneteller right away.”

The security level here was among the highest in all of Arilai, and intruders were extremely uncommon. But if there were an intruder, the situation would have been dire. It would mean there was a possibility that his betrayal of his homeland had been discovered, and the royal family was making a move. But the maid bowed without a trace of worry on her face and left the room. The word of her master was absolute, and there was no room for questioning. She was his pawn, and he was her controller.

“More importantly...” he uttered to himself, “Why was the window open? Rather... did someone come in here?”

He felt as if he had just found a foreign object under his skin. If someone had tried to open the lock, he should have heard it. He considered this as he moved the lock on the window with a creak.

He had purchased this manor three years ago. In order to acquire the woman with the title of the Knight of the Black Rose, he had set a trap for their household and wiped them all out. The only one to notice what was happening at the planning stage was the woman from earlier. But she didn’t express any complaints or displeasure, and she didn’t even think of crossing Zarish. As long as she wore that ring...

The ring was part of a pair, and it made the wearer swear loyalty to whoever wore the other piece. Not only that, but it had a terrifying Primary Skill that allowed the owner to steal levels. Zarish had the incredibly rare ability to materialize skills into rings. This was how he had made his climb to these heights. His finger instinctively reached to touch his rings. As long as he wore these, he wouldn’t lose to anyone. No one and nothing could defeat him.

Guaaaaaargh!

The shrill screech made him snap back to focus. A black bird flew down to the other side of the window, cocking its head to the left and right and watching Zarish with its beady eyes.

CAAAAAAAAAAAAWWW!

It was somewhat of an unpleasant sight. Seeing a black bird... that is, a crow, so closely in the desert was not so common. The garbage-rifling bird screeched out loud without showing a hint of fear.

“What’s up with this thing? Get lost.”

Zarish knocked on the window with irritation, and then something black came falling from above the windowpane... Two more crows of the same exact size. His skin crawled just a bit at the jarringly unnatural sight. Although the window was of the highest quality, there was a faint fogginess to it that prevented one from seeing the other side clearly. Yet, when he squinted his eyes, Zarish could see that the garden almost looked like it had turned black...

“I know it’s wet from the rain, but was the garden ever this black...?”

Slowly, hesitantly, he began unlocking the window. He shooed off the creepy crows as he did so, then decided to look around his surroundings. He would have his subordinates do a complete scan of the property, have a meal and drink the thoughts of the ominous presence away, then climb into a warm bed with his beautiful women.

He pictured the women raising their voices in passion and decided that was exactly what he would do. He unlocked the window and opened it. The wind and rain blew into the room, causing the curtains to billow wildly. But Zarish was at a momentary loss for words. Under the window and in the garden, masses of blackness were staring directly at him.

CAAAW! CAAAAAAW! CAAAAAAW!

Their synchronized cries were so unnerving that it sent a shiver down his spine. They were nothing but birds, but he had never seen so many crows at once in his life. No, a hero candidate did not feel fear. That was only for lowly commoners.

And so, he turned on his heel and reached for a stick from inside his room. He decided he just needed to scare them off and exited through the door leading to the terrace. All he had to do was crush a few of them, and the rest would leave. He walked through the garden slowly, swinging his stick around while making intimidating noises. Sure enough, the crows began to flee. He felt a weight lifting from his chest.

But perhaps they didn’t want to fly in the rain, because they simply fluttered a short distance away and hopped around the garden. Zarish ignored the rain as he chased them around a corner and found himself in front of the office from earlier.

The countless crows covering the lawn still made for a disturbing sight. But he noticed there was something strange in the center of their crowd. Someone stood there, lifeless and stock still, their black hair soaking in the rain as they groaned.

“Ah...!”

Before he knew it, Zarish’s stick had fallen to the stone pavement. He didn’t even realize he had let go of it. His shoulders trembled as it made a high-pitched clang, and he felt cold sweat running down his back.

It was a bit hard to breathe. The humidity in the air and dense atmosphere that was so unfamiliar in his own garden made it feel as if he had stepped into ruins. The one before him was no illusion. They were definitely there. Their arms limply hung to the ground, still groaning as the rain washed over their body. Just then, Zarish realized something. Whoever was standing creepily before him... was someone he had seen just recently.

“Don’t tell me... Are you that brat from last night? Then this is all your doing, isn’t it?!”

Zarish felt his face grow heated and picked up the stick he had dropped earlier, then began walking toward the boy. Black crows surrounded him, but they would surely have left if he took out their source. First, he would beat the boy’s shoulders and back repeatedly and render him unable to stand. Then, he would rip out the boy’s innards.

His shoulders swayed with each step, pure rage driving him forward through the lawn. The sound of the rain hitting the sand was somewhat annoying, but there was no stopping him until he heard that boy’s cries of pain. The boy’s mouth was visible as he looked at Zarish with downcast eyes, his lips distorting into the shape of a saucer.

“Haha, I’ve got you now! You creepy little shit!” Zarish reached out and grabbed him. Or so he thought, but the boy slipped through Zarish’s fingers as soon as he touched him, only leaving his expression as he vanished into thin air...

CAAAAAAW! CAAAAAAW, CAAAAAAW! CAAAAAAAAAAAAWWW!

Before he knew it, he was surrounded by the shrill cries of the crows. They all flew off at once, and seeing that creature dissolve before his eyes left him stunned, as if all of the blood had left his body at once.

It was evening already, and the sun provided little lighting. Zarish stood still under the rainclouds as thunder crackled overhead. He wiped his forehead, breathing in rough, shallow breaths.

Something was wrong. This wasn’t normal. He turned to look at the manor, and the scenery seemed cold, as if to reflect the state of his own emotions. Zarish still didn’t realize the reason behind it.

He walked forward for some time with the stick still in hand, and then it stopped raining. He found himself under the eaves before he knew it and let out an exhausted sigh.

“Lord Zarish! Is something the matter? You’re soaking wet...”

“Crows... No, never mind. Bring me a towel.”

Two maids rushed up to him as soon as he returned to the dim manor. They looked up at him with concern, and the light of their lamps brought him some relief. What he had seen earlier had to be some sort of mistake. There was no other explanation...

“Well, enjoy, Zarish.”

The mocking voice of the draconian he had heard last night echoed in his mind, and he slammed his stick against the wall in a flash of rage. The women cried out at the sudden and loud noise, but Zarish’s anger hadn’t subsided.

“What did that damned woman do to my manor?! If I ever find her, I’ll drag her around by her hair!” He then came to his senses and noticed his frightened subordinates. Their hands were clenched so tightly that their knuckles were white, likely because he had murdered a member of his own collection before. Even if they swore their undying loyalty, they still couldn’t hide the fear of Zarish turning his sword on them. But right now, he didn’t even have the capacity to offer them soothing words out of a fake gesture of kindness.

“Bring me a towel, now! And have some liquor ready for me in my room!”

The women rushed away at once, and Zarish began to feel better as their footsteps grew fainter. But his irritation at that woman mocking him still lingered, and he headed back to his room with his shoulders scrunched up angrily. Those who stood near him quickly gave way, and he eventually made it back to his room.

He pushed the door open with a creak, and the room was tinged with the faint light peering in through the window. Zarish picked up a lamp that was nearby, feeling the cold metal against his fingers. A spell had already been prepared for it, so he only simply ordered it to “turn on,” and it lit up.

The room became visible under the dim lighting. There was a lavish bed there, and comfortable-looking chairs and a table were arranged by the window. The room was decorated with refined furniture, and the window was tightly shut. He tentatively reached out for the lock on the window and confirmed that it was indeed locked.

“It’s closed...”

He let out a sigh of relief and placed his lamp on the table. The lamp hit the hard surface with a metallic ding, filling the room with a warm light. Of course, there was no such thing as a fireplace in the desert country. Lamps and spirits were generally used as the main sources of light.

“...Right, Eve isn’t here anymore.”

That dark elf did all sorts of work, including maintenance of the garden, but he now had her ring again. Zarish unconsciously touched the matching ring, which was designed to fit it like a puzzle piece. That girl had diligently worked for him like a dog, but things were not so peaceful that he could’ve let someone who knew his secret roam free. He had ended her life as a result, but...

Wait, was she truly dead in the first place? Her blue, wide-open eyes were still burned into his memory. But her corpse had vanished, so what if she appeared again like that boy had in his garden? Zarish shook his head, as if to shake off these pointless thoughts. It was better not to think about it. For now, he would just wipe down his wet body and drink some alcohol. But what was taking those women so long? It shouldn’t have taken so long just to get a towel and something to drink. He sat there irritated for some time, then heard the door handle begin to turn.

“Took you long enough. Come in, and give me that towel alrea—”

The door knob creaked as it turned halfway, then stopped. Something felt wrong. He could sense that someone was standing on the other side of the door, trying to open it. But why were the women, who had sworn their eternal loyalty to him, not knocking before trying to enter?

Creak, creak, creak... The knob began to shake up and down, and Zarish felt his vision grow dark. It was like a child was excitedly moving it up and down. The repeating noise of the knob moving in the otherwise-silent and dim room made him gulp audibly.

He began slowly walking forward. Light from the hallway could be seen from the bottom of the door, with shadows being cast by someone’s feet. That meant there was certainly someone there. His breath became more labored from an unseen pressure, and he loosened the collar of his shirt. Then, he stood in front of the door, ready to grab whoever was standing behind it.

“...o... z...” His hand, which had been reaching for the door knob, froze in place when he heard the faint voice coming from behind the door. He moved closer without thinking, straining to make out the words. The voice became more and more clear... He pressed his ear right up against the door, and he could feel the subtle vibrations in the air.

“...Ohh... oh... Zar... i...”

The voice sounded cursed. The source of the quiet mutters were very close. He couldn’t help but imagine the unseen stranger behind the door, smacking their lips around as they said whatever they were saying. His breathing gradually grew more shallow. His skin felt moist, and sweat trickled down his forehead. Just as he was wondering what in the world was going on...

“...Open it...”

A chill ran down Zarish’s spine. It was as if the voice knew he was listening with his ear against the door, and his eyes were instinctively drawn to the door knob. The metallic knob incrementally jerked downward at the pace of the second hand of a clock. It would open any moment now.

Would he open it himself, hold the knob down, or hide somewhere? Various options flashed through his mind, but time continued to move forward without a decision being made.

Creeeeeeak... Click.

...It... opened...

The door slowly creaked open, and Zarish pressed his shoulder against it without thinking. He felt as if something horrible and terrifying were awaiting him and held the door shut with both hands. He held it closed with all his might.

Bam, bam, bang!

Someone was tackling the door with incredible force. The impact landed on Zarish’s shoulders and ran all the way through his back, making him exhale air through his gritted teeth with each hit. This power wasn’t that of a girl’s. The sound of flesh being violently slammed against the hard surface was clearly inhuman.

What was happening? Wasn’t Zarish the one who was about to grab the intruder? Why was he the one desperately trying to keep the door closed? Why? This was his manor. But if this door opened, whoever was on the other side would barge into his room. Yes, his subordinates should have been there soon. He just had to hold off until then.

His heartbeat was insufferably loud. But as he held on for dear life, it seemed it was finally time for relief. The pressure from the other side let up, and silence fell upon the room. Zarish felt sticky sweat all over his body, his eyes darting around to scan his surroundings. Then, a different noise sounded from the door.

Knock, knock...

Two polite knocks.

There was a vaguely feminine tone to it that brought him some relief.

“Who is it...?” His voice was hoarse as he asked the question, and he swallowed his own saliva. Since when had his throat been so dry? But a maid had arrived with the towel and liquor he had ordered. But wait... Why wasn’t she answering right away?

Knock, knock...

The only response was more knocking, and Zarish’s hand froze on its way to the door knob. His heart began pumping blood rapidly through his body, and sweat erupted out of his face.

I’m Zarish, damn it. The future hero. So why am I cowering in my own room? I’ll kill them. I’ll fucking kill them. I’ll grab whatever is behind that door and cut it in half!

He set his resolve and busted the door open with all of his might. Then...

“Huh? Lord Zarish...?” The woman who had been standing there jumped in surprise at the look in Zarish’s eyes, nearly dropping her tray in the process. She quickly regained balance and straightened herself.

Meanwhile, Zarish crumpled to his knees. The immense sense of relief and the fact that he could finally breathe left him panting.

“I-Is something the matter, Lord Zarish?”

“No... I just... don’t feel well...”

He must have looked terrible. The maid hurriedly began wiping Zarish’s face, then supported him by the shoulders and took him into his room.

“You look so pale, sir... Please, take a seat on the bed.”

“Yeah... Right, Puseri, you stand outside the door tonight.” His orders were absolute. No one could defy a direct command from him.

There was confusion in the woman’s eyes, but she replied, “Yes, sir,” without hesitation. The bed creaked as Zarish lowered himself onto it. The woman finished wiping down his sweat, then bowed.

“Then I shall stand guard until the morning. Please rest well.”

Zarish watched the door close behind her and let out a big sigh of relief.

It would be fine now. Even if something happened, she would put her life on the line to deal with it. Forget eating. He would just sleep until morning and figure things out then. And so, he laid down onto his bed. His body sank into the soft, expensive bedding.

Haah...

He let out a weak, drawn-out sigh toward the ceiling. Something was off. The manor was different from usual. He just couldn’t put his finger on it, which was frustrating him to no end.

Just then, he rolled over to the side and noticed a strange sensation. Something moist clung to his arm, along with what felt like water. His nose twitched, and recognized a foul, metallic odor. He sat up and raised his lamp to find it was covered in something black. His eyes widened.

...Was there something under the blankets? Honestly, he didn’t even want to consider the idea.

His eyes darted between the door and bed several times, but there was no way he could tell his subordinate he was afraid of his own bed.

Zarish breathed heavily as he clutched his blanket.

It’s fine, it’s fine... Nothing. There’s nothing here. Even if there is, no one could possibly beat me. Still breathing with shallow, labored breaths, he slowly began peeling back the blanket.

I hate this, I hate this...

The moment he flipped the blanket back, the sight of a woman’s blood-soaked hair and limbs flashed into view, causing the muscles of his entire body to convulse in shock. Whatever it was swiftly scuttled back under the blanket, and he couldn’t take it anymore. It was too much.

“Kyaaaaaa!!!” He leapt into the air, screeching as loud as he could.

§

The three women hunched over while clutching their stomachs, then bent backward like a rebounding spring.

“Nngaaaaaaaaahahaha! Gaaaaaahaha!”

“Ahahaha! He... he said, ‘Kyaaaaaa!’ Oh my goodness, my sides!”

“Did you see him jump?! The great hero candidate flew into the air!”

The group roared with laughter as they thrashed about within the Thousand household’s grounds, just several hundred meters away from Zarish’s manor. We had prepared a sound-proofing effect to prevent disturbing others, but the bedroom had been quite noisy. I was listening in via Mind Link Chat, but I couldn’t quite find the right timing to get a word in. The three women were still rolling on the floor laughing, and I could hear someone having a coughing fit. At this rate, they probably wouldn’t have even heard me if I said something. I mean, they did see some rare footage of the hero candidate, after all.

Marie was supposed to be the control tower of this operation, which meant she would display the current state inside the manor with her visualization magic and give out pertinent orders based on what was happening. But I was feeling like this was turning into a theater of a comedy movie.

“Hmm, I think we’re starting to lose sight of our purpose here. But I guess it’s fine if they’re enjoying it.” I scratched my head at the back of the manor. After last night’s events, I spent plenty of time to work out a scenario before going to sleep. The plan was to scare the daylights out of Zarish, and things had been moving smoothly so far.

“Hee, hee, my sides...!”

“U-Um, Marie? What’s going on inside the manor...?”

“Gahah, gahahah, wait a moment. I must drink some wine to calm myself before going on,” Wridra’s voice replied.

Come to think of it, we did get some as a reward for clearing the labyrinth floor.

That’s weird... I don’t remember getting any of it.

In any case, HQ seemed to be on the verge of collapse. This was all because Zarish’s reactions were just too good.

Now, the scares we had pulled on him weren’t all too complicated at this point. To explain them in chronological order, the massive murder of crows served Marie, the detection blockage and spy footage was Wridra’s dragon magic, and we had insider info thanks to Eve. As for our final accomplice...

A woman emerged out of the wall. The semi-transparent woman was once the former second floor master. She shyly removed the mask she was wearing to reveal gentle-looking eyes and long lashes.

“Hey there, thanks for your help. It must have been rough waiting so long for him to go under the blankets, huh?”

Shirley shook her head. She removed a bit more of her mask to reveal her mouth, formed in a happy smile. She had taken on the role of scaring Zarish, but I was glad to see she didn’t seem bothered by the task.

The sun had set pretty far already, and rain sprinkled down to soak my hair and skin even under the eaves. But considering this was in the dream world, I wasn’t at all concerned. I sat down next to the woman in the white dress and laid on my back. Maybe it was due to the weather, but her shoulder felt warm when we briefly made contact.

“I’m pretty ignorant when it comes to ghosts. Does it feel bad when people get scared of you?”

The pale woman cocked her head and considered my question. She remembered the events in the labyrinth and furrowed her brows in thought. She was originally a sort of supervisor of life, so maybe reaping souls was never part of her role. But it seemed she didn’t dislike scaring people like this. Or maybe to her, this was her way of playing and having fun with others.

“I don’t know why, but I was never scared of you even when we first met.” I said so without really thinking about it. Shirley’s sky-blue eyes widened, and then she bashfully hid half of her face with her mask. But there was such sincerity in her eyes that I could tell what she was thinking from them alone.

Then, I noticed her hair was still undone. This was part of her getup for scaring Zarish, and she even prepared fake blood with illusion magic to add to the effect. I reached out to tie her hair up for her, but my hands passed right through her. I had forgotten she was incorporeal. There was no way for me to physically interact with her.

“Oh, will you take me by the hand again? I’ll tie your hair, then go scare him some more in soul form. Today is Sunday, so we’ll have plenty of time to have some fun.”

Shirley wasn’t familiar with the term Sunday, but her eyes went wide at my suggestion for her to pull out my soul. She tentatively reached out her hand, then touched me with her soft fingertips. The strange thought of, “Maybe having my soul pulled out of me wouldn’t be so bad if I could touch her like this,” crossed my mind for a moment.

Anyway, it was time to get back to it. The horror show just for the hero candidate Zarish was about to resume. Oh, I wasn’t accepting any payment. I just wanted to see everyone’s happy faces.

§

Arilai, Zarish Manor, 21 o’clock—

The women spoke softly in hushed voices. The servants, also known as Zarish’s collection, moved in closer to each other in the large, lamplit bedroom. The topic of discussion was, of course, their master, who had been acting strangely as of late.

“I wonder what’s going on with Lord Zarish...”

“He seems afraid of something... I saw him put Puseri on watch in front of his door.”

The women furrowed their brows in anxious expressions. Puseri was a Knight of the Black Rose and a powerful fighter that boasted the second-highest firepower and defense, next to Zarish. Not only was she an iron wall of defense, but her mounted charge upon her summoned beast could punch a hole through any bulwark. Normally, using her to stand watch until morning would have been unthinkable.

“But you found nothing through your fortune telling, did you?”

“No, I didn’t detect anything. I did go report as such to Lord Zarish, but he refused to step out of his room...”

They couldn’t understand what he was afraid of when nothing was detected through precognition. But it was impossible for them to predict that the Arkdragon would have obstructed detection magic from being used at the manor.

They all looked at each other, and then they slowly turned toward the same direction. Their gazes fell upon an empty bed with flowers laid upon it. Evelyn, who went by Eve, was no longer there.

She was once mocked for having the lowest fighting abilities in the group, but no one expected to part ways with her in such a way. The thought of dying by getting impaled through the chest by one’s own beloved master was a nightmarish concept.

“But you know... Wridra and Mariabelle, was it? If he’s gonna get in contact with them again, he’d need to open another spot in his collection, right?”

“I-It’s definitely going to be me... If my fortune telling is wrong this time...”

The oldest woman of the group walked up to the cowering fortune teller and held her against her ample breasts. The young resident of the sand dunes clung to the older woman and began crying out the tears she had been holding back.

The long, cold night was just beginning. At the very least, the woman had a warm bed to sleep in. Despite the late hour, a crow cawed atop the roof of the building. Its cries almost sounded empathetic.

§

I’m fine... I’m fine. There’s nothing wrong with me. I’m as calm as always, and there’s nothing to fear.

Zarish muttered to himself at the side of his bed. His surroundings were lit with a pale blue light that was emitting a faint hum. This was his unique Primary Skill that provided protection from enemies.

This recently-acquired ability was known as Sealed Domain, which could designate a fixed area of absolute defense. It could prevent all sorts of damage and completely shut off the flow of information, making it useful for secret meetings with representatives of neighboring countries. He had never tried it before, but it would likely hold up against a hostile army, too.

There was no one who could defeat Zarish on land. Everyone knew this. But there he was, curled up on the ground, maintaining a defensive skill that could render military forces useless.

He glanced at his bed. The blankets had been peeled back, now completely free of blood. What he had seen earlier must have been an illusion. Yes, it had to be his mind playing tricks on him due to mental fatigue. It wouldn’t have made sense otherwise. His subordinate’s fortune telling was extremely accurate, and it should have detected any intruder right away.

And so, he slowly rose. His bladder was reaching its limits from drinking too much, so he had to leave the room sooner rather than later. He really didn’t want to. There was nothing he hated more than the idea of stepping foot out of his room right now. But there was no way he could allow himself to have an accident, so he sighed and stood to his feet. He deactivated his Sealed Domain and moved toward the door with uneasy steps.

His breath grew steadily rougher. On the other side of the door, Puseri the Knight of the Black Rose should have been waiting, as ordered. But would she still be there? Zarish hadn’t heard a peep in quite some time, which was actually making him more nervous.

He touched the cold metal of the knob, then slowly pushed it downward. The door creaked open, letting the cold air from the hallway flow in and caress his cheek. Due to the humidity, it felt as if the air clung heavily around his neck.

There stood Puseri, standing completely still in the dark hallway. Her back was facing Zarish, and she slowly turned as he emerged. He could feel his heart beating harder from her dramatically slow movement.

“Ah, Lord Zarish. How are you feeling?” Her smile was almost motherly in nature, and he let out a deep sigh of relief.

Everything was fine. She was under his management due to his ring. Even if danger confronted him, she would have protected him with her life. This woman was far more trustworthy than some unreliable lover or friend.

He couldn’t show any weakness due to his position, but it was too late for that after the shameful display from earlier. She had frantically burst through the door upon hearing him shriek like a girl... but he decided to forget about that.

“Come with me. I want to go to the restroom.”

“Certainly, Lord Zarish.” Her response swept away his anxiety.

It was a big relief to have someone walking with him. They proceeded down the hallway together, and by the time they entered the corridor with pillars lining one side instead of a wall, Zarish was feeling much more like himself.

On the other side of the roof, he could see the rainy night full of wet trees and grass. Among them, something covered in thorns happened to catch his eye.

“Black roses... Does it look like they will be blooming this year?”

“They will absorb plenty of water during this period and should bloom by the end of the rainy season. They had been wilting as buds without ever fully blooming, but this year, the manor would surely look splendid with...” Puseri stopped mid-sentence. Her memories beyond that point had been sealed away by Zarish. He had executed a trap for the household at this very manor on a day when the black roses were in full bloom. Many felt malice for him due to the fall of the once-glorious house. He had invited them into the territory, and after all the bloodshed, he had cut everyone down in the end. All but that Knight of the Black Rose, Puseri.

Despite how gruesome that night was, it was that very night that he had acquired the high-quality piece to his collection. Zarish thought back to that time as he touched the bulbous rose bud. It was about the size of a head of garlic and surprisingly weighty from the rain water.

“Lord Zarish, it is forbidden at this manor to touch them before they bloom.”

“...Ha.” He crushed the bud in his fist. The bud was easily torn from its stem and fell upon the ground with a soft plop. Zarish grinned and turned around as if to declare that he was the master of this manor. Puseri looked at him without displaying any emotion, then wordlessly lowered her head. She knew that even showing any sorrow would be an act of disrespect.

But just then, a thought came across Zarish’s mind. Perhaps the grudge and hatred of those he had cut down that day were still whirling about this manor. Well, that was no matter. At least, it wouldn’t have bothered him normally, but his senses felt extra sensitive this night. And so, he voiced his concern in an unusual display of insecurity.

“By the way, are there any ghosts... I mean, ominous legends surrounding this manor?”

“Hm? Yes, I had been told of it when I was young, so I am certain I can meet your expectations in that regard.”

Zarish twitched in response. Despite the dark subject at hand, Puseri’s expression seemed strangely happy. Her twilight hair formed an arc as it swayed and enshrouded her cheek. Her wavy hair was entwined with her maid outfit, shoulders, and back... reminding him of black roses.

She reached her hand out into the rain. The mixture of sand and rain landed upon her maid outfit, leaving black spots upon her clothes. There was a strangely mystical aura about the speaker, and Zarish found himself listening intently.

“We of House Blackrose swear our loyalty only to our country. This is why our house words are ‘We shall have no master.’”

Indeed, Zarish already knew this; it was exactly why he wanted to take her by force. They were an old-fashioned bloodline that ruled over this land since before the king’s reign. The black knights were the ultimate fruits of their labor. But fruits were not something that should have been left on the tree to spoil. They were meant to be greedily picked from the branch.

“But as we pressed forward through our long history, a certain fool appeared to battle and rule over us. It was the current king. Now, what sort of conclusion do you think came of this?”

“...Who knows? Yours is a household with such old-fashioned house words. I doubt you bent the knee without a fight.”

“Indeed,” Puseri replied and nodded with a faint smile. She pointed ahead to indicate the black rose from earlier swaying in the rain. As Zarish stared, he heard her beautiful voice ringing in his ears.

“At the end of the battle of one thousand days, our house let a few of our bloodline flee, and everyone else ended their own lives. They sliced open their own necks and stomachs in that garden right over there.”

Zarish could feel the chill of his own sweat. The sound of the rain grew more intense, and he looked down upon the bud he had crushed in his own hand earlier. It left a black stain in his hand, and the torn petal was like a piece of trash. Thunder crackled overhead, and his fingertips trembled in response.

“They say that the roses had turned black after drinking in so much of the blood of my ancestors. In the language of flowers, they mean... no, perhaps you shouldn’t hear this.”

There was something raw about the tone of her voice that made this all too real. And the dark twilight of her eyes seemed to have a glint of satisfaction in them. Maybe he was imagining it, but it was almost like she had obtained something horrible. He wondered what was going through Puseri’s mind as she saw the expression on his face. She wore a faint smile as she lowered her arms in the rain.

“Therefore, you are the first one to claim this place as a master, Lord Zarish. Hehe, did my humble tale meet your expectations?”

“...Yeah.”

Why? Why now?

I’ve lived here for three years. Why of all times was she telling me this story now...?

A streak of light flashed down from the sky, momentarily illuminating his pale face full of regret for having heard the story. Then, the sound of thunder rolled in from afar.

§

“Now, what to do...?”

I muttered to myself as I peeked out from one of the pillars lining the corridor, and a face full of curiosity turned to me. The vivid eyes reminded me of the blue sky despite the rain, and they seemed to help me forget about the incessant downpour. Though, I was in soul form, so the rain went right through me anyway. The sound of raindrops could be heard all around us as I turned back toward them.

The scenario was already starting to stray from our original plan. It seemed Zarish decided to have that woman accompany him, so there wasn’t much opportunity for me to make a move. After all, I had no interest in scaring anyone but him.

Anyway, I couldn’t help but notice how unsteady I felt without standing on my own two feet. Shirley was holding on to my shoulder, and when I turned around, I could see her clothes and both her feet floating behind us. It sort of felt like swimming in a pool. It did feel very ghost-like, but it was quite a sight regardless. Just then, I heard a voice speaking in Mind Link Chat.

“Hmm, that’s quite an interesting character.”

“Oh, Marie. Did you guys finally recover over at HQ?” Marie, Wridra, and Eve were gathered at a spot near Zarish Manor and keeping an eye on things. They saw through the entire building and heard every word being spoken, thanks to magic.

“Yes, that was terrifyingly powerful. My sides still hurt so badly. I was afraid my abs would be destroyed. No wonder they call him the hero candidate,” Marie said.

“I was dying on the floor laughing, too. This visualization magic stuff is pretty crazy. I feel like I could get addicted to this. Are you guys always doing fun stuff like this?” Eve asked.

“Actually, I did not realize how entertaining this magic could be. Perhaps I should work on refining it further. Now that my sweat has dried from all of that laughing, I would like to see what comedy scene awaits us next.”

Huh, so the viewers were demanding more. Also, I could hear them munching on something... but they left some for me, too, right? Though, I was more focused on Marie’s comment from earlier.

“When you mentioned an ‘interesting character’ earlier... Were you talking about Puseri?”

“Yes. There is always a core to any good story. We can’t be content just giving him a few scares. This is the time for us to move on to the next step.”

Ohh... She was starting to get pretty serious about this. I wasn’t sure if I should’ve been happy about that, but I did kind of understand how she felt. She had been spending most of her time reading in the rain, and we even went to a giant theme park. It was no surprise that she had an eye for quality storytelling. And so, I wanted to give it my all to earn her seal of approval.

I heard Eve swallow something that might have been wine, and she raised her voice to join the conversation.

“Zarish’s ring has a domination skill applied to it called Engagement. You won’t be able to convince Puseri with it in effect. It steals her levels and free will, too.”

Whoa, she just totally blurted out the secret behind his skill. But I couldn’t really blame her. It was Zarish himself that released the ring from her, so I’d say it was karma.

“Hm... then I feel a bit bad for the ladies, but I’ll have to take the aggressive route to gain their cooperation.” I then turned to Shirley, whose sky-blue eyes blinked with confusion.

The pieces were all set, and now we only needed to weave the bloody tale of this manor. Once it was complete, it was sure to dig deep into Zarish’s heart. And it would all have been recorded, of course.

I looked forward to the story to come, and Marie cracked her neck in anticipation.

§

Rain gently poured down in the dark, moonless night.

A handheld lamp lit the way instead, and Zarish pushed the heavy door open.

Bathrooms in the desert country could hardly have been called hygienic. Dried sand or pebbles were used to wipe in most of them. Water buckets were used to rinse off in this manor, which was considered better than most. Zarish sat with irritation upon the seat that had a long history here. The window was small, and no stars or the moon could be seen due to the rainy season. Only the lamp he placed at his side provided any light, and he let out a deep sigh as the sound of rain sputtered outside.

“Haah... Damn it!” The Knight of the Black Rose was standing guard on the other side of the door as he did his business. And so, there was nothing to fear... or so he thought. According to that strange legend he had heard earlier, the house words of this manor rejected Zarish as its master. Not only that, but it felt as if there were evil spirits or something floating about the place.

What a creepy place it was. He felt like there had been eyes upon him for some time, and maybe he was imagining it, but could even occasionally hear laughter.

“Have I really been living so carefree in a creepy place like this?” He uttered to no one in particular. He almost wanted to rebuild this place, and its legend along with it, but he didn’t intend on using the manor for much longer. His plans had been making steady progress, and he was going to move somewhere else when the time came.

As he pictured his plans for the future, he heard a footstep crunching right on the other side of the door. He looked straight ahead with a dubious expression.

Thunk!

He twitched in reaction at the sound. Something hit the door pretty hard, and only his eyes darted around in the darkness. What... What was that? Perhaps someone had hit the door, or it could have been some sort of sign from Puseri. That was right... What was Puseri doing?

“Puseri... Hey, are you there?” She had to be. It would have been strange if she wasn’t. Zarish had given her a direct order. She was to stand there and guard him. The ring took away her free will, so she couldn’t leave her post no matter what. But he felt his heart beat faster when no response came.

Something was off. Something was happening. But he didn’t know what. He wiped his forehead with one hand, which came away slick with sweat.

He let out a tense sigh, then heard a woman’s voice echo in the room.

“Lord Zarish, hehe...”

“Oh, you’re there. Goo—” He nearly let out a sigh of relief, then froze. Her voice had come from a place a lot lower than expected, like it was coming from the space under the door. His eyes moved downward, as if drawn to the voice, then noticed something long and black crawling on the ground. It was a mass of something fibrous. He clutched his bone-dry throat and spoke with a hoarse voice.

“What... are you doing? Hey, what are you doing?!”

“What...?” She snickered. Then, her voice vanished.

The lamp was nearly out of oil, and the fire seemed like it could’ve faded any moment now. As he cowered in the dim lighting, he heard disturbing noises from all around him. It sounded like countless “somethings” were crawling around. He was desperate to know what they were, but it was too dark to see. Zarish swallowed hard, then gripped the fingers of both his hands.

He screamed internally. He wanted to shriek in fear and run away from this cramped, dark place. But because of all the alcohol he drank, he wasn’t going to be ready to leave any time soon. In fact, his abdominals had tightened from fear, making his stream come out weaker and more strained.

“Haah...! Haah...! Haah...!” He breathed heavily, his greasy, sweat-soaked hands gripping his lamp as he pointed its weak light toward the ground. No, perhaps he shouldn’t have looked. The light of his lamp trembled as an undulating mass of something black came crawling through the space under the door. What seemed to be black vines were countless strands of human hair.

Normally, he would have already been screaming. But his throat had tightened up so much that he could only scream with short, strained bursts of “Ungh! Ungh! Ungh!” Zarish grabbed the handrail with a white-knuckled grip as he pointed his lamp this way and that in a panic, then froze.

Under the door, a finger had emerged between all the hair. The finger was slim, and it was unclear whether it belonged to a man or woman. It slid right inside, followed by another finger. Two, three, and more appeared, squirming around under the door. Their numbers increased gradually, and a shiver ran down his spine at the sight of the space under the door being completely filled with them.

“Ungh, ungh, uuungh! Hmgh, hmph, hmmgh!” He breathed with shallow, tense breaths, and then a thought came to him. The window. He could escape through the window. Just as he turned to look, he saw that a pale face of a child was right in the space of the window.

“Nnwaaaaaaaaah!!!”

He couldn’t. He was done. He didn’t even bother to pull his pants up as he unlocked the door in a panic, then pushed it with all his might. The door swung open without resistance, and Zarish rolled out into the hall in a heap.

A flash of light appeared, and it was as bright as mid-day in that moment. There, he saw a woman standing in the garden in the middle of the downpour. She stood there all alone, but her face was familiar. It was the last remaining survivor of the Knights of the Black Rose...

“Pu...seri...?” She stared at the ground, letting the rain wash over her.

It was an abnormal sight. A beautiful woman standing completely motionless in the rain, both arms hanging limply at her sides. Zarish felt his cheeks twitch involuntarily. He laid there on the ground with rain pouring onto his exposed buttocks and shivered. He stayed on the stone pavement and called out her name again with a pleading tone.

It seemed she had heard him this time... And he soon wished she hadn’t. Her face snapped up with unnatural speed. Zarish let out a yelp of fear as he realized something was off about Puseri. She was wearing a mask with black blades protruding all over it, and he felt something warm flow out of him.

No, that was the least of his worries right now. The way she slowly lumbered toward him was far from her usual behavior. Her neck cracked as it turned sideways, and the way she reached for him as if she meant to tear his face off was nothing like the Puseri he knew. Just then, an arm emerged from the stone pavement, and he felt goosebumps erupt all over his body.

“AAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!”

He was so disturbed that he felt like flailing his limbs about uncontrollably. The hand that had touched him was slick and warm, like that of a human’s, and it vanished when he swatted at it. But another one emerged from the ground immediately after, and he let out another shriek of fear.

Zarish leapt to his feet, then ran for his life as he desperately tried to pull his pants up. His pants were hard to lift from being so wet and heavy, so he had no choice but to limp away clumsily. Semi-transparent hands reached out and caressed him from behind, and the sensation of having his innards touched made his eyes roll back with horror.

Just then...

“Zari...”

The whisper in his ear came from somewhere much closer than the rain falling around him. His teeth clattered uncontrollably, and the last thing he wanted to do was look. But he couldn’t help it.

The horrifying, rain-soaked, mask and Puseri’s familiar voice made Zarish scream and run as fast as he could. He tripped several times and did a few flips as he sprinted into the corridor of the manor, then slammed the door shut behind him and locked it with trembling hands.

§

I wasn’t all that familiar with horror myself, but I felt like I was getting the hang of the unique presentation methods of the genre. Though, I thought about how this knowledge really wouldn’t have helped me in any other aspects of life as I watched Zarish flee into his manor.

“He’s probably holding the door closed as hard as he can, so let’s try an illusion of hair appearing under the door like earlier. We have to make sure they crawl around like living rose vines. If the presentation isn’t properly fitting of the manor of black roses, a certain picky elf will voice her complaints.”

I conveyed my message through Mind Link Chat, and Shirley raised both thumbs while having Puseri under her possession. Oh, that was a pretty charming gesture. Anyway, it was probably better for her to keep that mask on. Not being able to see her whole face made one’s imagination work all the harder. It turned out that horror movie study groups were surprisingly useful.

Now, this raised an important aspect of horror movies: thematic consistency. The seed of hypotheses would be sown within the viewers... I mean, Zarish’s mind by presenting similar illusions all over the place that were befitting of a cursed manor of black roses. What if the vengeful ghosts of this manor had a grudge against me? What if the Blackrose household was attacking me tonight? He wouldn’t have been able to shake such questions from his mind.

Shirley pointed at the door, as if to signal that she was good to go. I raised both thumbs back at her. And so, moments later, I heard a voice shriek from the other side of the door. I could hear the ladies burst out in laughter through Mind Link Chat, along with cries of “His butt’s showing!” Personally, it felt more like watching more of a comedy than a horror show.

I heard the sound of someone pounding on something from the inside, likely in an attempt to wake up the others. But they shouldn’t have been interrupting people’s sleep at such a late hour. Besides, providing a moment of temporary relief was an important part of setting up for the finale.

“Hmph, a toddler could execute such simple soundproofing magic.”

“You took care of that quickly. Guess that’s why you guys are manning the HQ.”

The lady Arkdragon quickly took care of the noise problem, so the women were promised a good night’s rest.

The lock opened with an audible click, and then the door slowly opened. A lock couldn’t stop Shirley, since she could have just phased through matter, but it was customary to take one’s time with this sort of presentation.

An unusual chill flowed through the opening and into the dark hallway ahead. The woman known as Puseri entered, her heel clicking against the floor as she stepped forward. She was a bit taller than me, and her undulating hair was the color of twilight, a shade that would have paired well with the morning star.

Her hair and clothes fluttered in the chill wind coming in from behind her, and I wondered how she was creating that cold air. But Shirley, who had possessed Puseri, turned to me and cocked her head as if to say she didn’t know either. Maybe the elite lineup of Team Diamond all had special abilities of some sort.

In any case, the presentation was befitting of the grand finale. Our target was likely hiding somewhere in the dim, straight hallway ahead.

I whispered to Shirley via Mind Link Chat, “Would you mind singing with me? Marie and I came up with it earlier. I think it would be more fitting here if we’re a bit out of tune.”

It was a rather difficult request, but she responded with a small nod. And so, the sound of forlorn singing reverberated through the empty corridor.

“Someone is here. Someone is calling.

If you wander in the manor of black roses,

Stuff your mouth with dirt and make the flowers bloom.”

We walked slowly as we repeated this song.

It shouldn’t have bothered him too much at first. He was an adult, after all. A little song and a scary mood wouldn’t have terrified him right away... but it began to creep in as it was repeated over and over. It made one imagine what would have been coming next, gradually making the fear grow deeper and deeper.

Right at the deep end of the hallway, where the thud had just come from, was likely where Zarish was trembling with his hands over his mouth. It was better not to find him right away. We walked away in the other direction instead. Waves of hair made disturbing slithering sounds as they extended outward and covered the walls like rose vines.

He would sense that the horrifying “something” was moving away from him during his state of distress. Then, when he saw that the door was still open, a faint hope of escape would grow inside of him. He would crawl toward the door and be relieved to make his way toward safety. Of course, we knew his exact position from the information Marie and the others were feeding us.

As Zarish crawled across the ground, something reached out and wrapped around his arm. It was a woman’s black hair. Of course, the horror didn’t just end there. His gaze followed the hair up to the ceiling to find something was waiting for him from above. There, in the darkest corner of the ceiling, the Knight of the Black Rose was staring directly at him as if he were prey.

“Ungh... Ah...” He couldn’t even move a finger.

The knight descended to the floor like a predator, and Zarish could hardly draw breath as he considered what was to come. He had very few courses of action available to him, and now that he was reaching his mental limit, he could only utter in a trembling voice, “Sealed Domain.”

The dim hallway was filled with a pale blue light, and the black hairs momentarily vanished from the territory in which only he could exist. It made no sound and only created a rather plain visual effect of white smoke, but it was intense enough to make even the second floor master take a step back.

So this was Sealed Domain. I had heard about it from HQ, but it was my first time actually seeing it. Supposedly, its defensive power was so absolute that even an army or a mob of monsters couldn’t inflict a single scratch on it.

I watched from a distance and groaned. Things weren’t panning out quite like they did in the movies. We were dealing with the hero candidate who had a skill that would completely protect him, after all. But this was quite impressive. His powers were enough to keep even the second floor master, Shirley, at bay. Relief came over Zarish as he smiled tensely and pointed his open right hand at her. I realized his intention soon after.

“Puseri, I order you. Protect me with your life.” The Knight of the Black Rose recoiled as she was hit with an invisible force. Despite Shirley having possessed her, the power of the ring’s domination was still in effect. Pushed back by an invisible pressure, her writhing, twilight hair began to settle down.

She looked at me as if to ask what she should do. Shirley may have been fine, but blood ran down her physical vessel’s cheek. Blood was flowing from her twilight eyes, indicating that the situation had grown far more dire from our little pretend horror game. As I was about to call for retreat in a panic, I heard a woman’s voice in my head.

“Make no mistake, Kitase. That is no unbeatable defense. If such a thing existed, it would defy the laws of nature. That which is created by man can be destroyed by man. Indeed, even by you.”

As usual, the Arkdragon liked to speak in mysterious terms, as if she were some sort of prophet. I had the impression that the ancient being had a heart for romance more than any other.

I let out a deep breath. And yet, neither this nor Wridra’s sage words helped in calming my irritation. I was feeling anger from this man who showed no concern over the pain he was causing and prioritized only himself just because he was afraid.

He called his precious teammates his “collection” and wasn’t bothered by the thought of causing their deaths.

Is this how you killed Eve, Zarish?

If he ever got Mariabelle or Wridra on his side, would he have done the same thing to them? He would have murdered someone who was always laughing, loved spending time with her friends, and found such joy from simple things like taking baths?

An unfamiliar feeling was boiling up inside me. It was the horrible, horrible emotion known as hatred. By the time everyone had become students, they learned techniques to shelve this emotion away so they would have been able to grow up to be a respectable adult. But it continued to swell up within me. My fists tightened, hardly able to contain it.

I realized it was no use. I couldn’t forgive him. No matter how much fear I struck into his heart, no matter how much we mocked and laughed at him, there was no sense of satisfaction. In fact, it had only served to reveal his true nature, further stoking the ugly feeling burning inside.

“Why make such a face? Tonight is the night of our wonderful horror party. I shall lend you my power, Kitase. I will nullify his defense just this once. Keep your wits about you, and burn what lies ahead into your memory.”

There was no time to even think about it. The next moment, it vanished into thin air. The Sealed Domain that seemed so unstoppable blew away in the wind as if it was an illusion.

It wasn’t me who was most surprised by this but Zarish. He let out a dull-witted “Huh?” and waved his arms around uselessly. Then his eyes bulged at the sight of all the hair wrapping around his arms. Countless strands of hair were entangled around his trembling fingers, and Puseri’s horrifying visage immediately came closer as she shuffled up to him with inhuman speed.

All he could do was scream.

The high-pitched shriek echoed throughout the manor of black roses.