We live at the foothills of Dragon Peak.
The Cursed Mansion
“It’s my brother Rudoriado’s conspiracy!”
“It’s my brother Rudoriado’s scheme!”
So say Yufilia and Nina.
Apparently, Rudoriado knew about the abnormal situation that occurred at this inn in advance. Therefore, he pushed the problem onto us and withdrew from the troublesome affair.
It’s possible!
If it’s that Rudoriado.
However, now is not the time to be discussing conspiracy theories.
First, we need to find a way to break through this crisis.
“Elnea, shouldn’t we retreat for now?”
“Yeah, I agree with Mistral’s opinion.”
Although there were no abnormalities with our lives or bodies, we have casualties among our kin. It is a priority to ensure everyone’s safety rather than staying at the inn to solve the problem.
Besides, if Rudoriado really knew about the inn’s problem, we would have to extract information from him.
Well, we might not even need to get involved in solving the inn’s abnormal situation in the first place.
So, we immediately spring into action.
Yufilia and Nina embrace Ruiseine and Laira, who have lost consciousness. Mistral and I gather everyone’s belongings and gather in the center of the room.
Then, everyone touches me.
“Alright, here we go!”
Emergency departure!
I activate Spatial Jump.
There’s no need to go out through the entrance as we did when we arrived. Because I can use Spatial Jump.
In an instant, from our lodging room to outside the inn’s grounds!
However, my plan ended in failure.
“No… could it be!”
I certainly activated Spatial Jump.
I directed my consciousness outside the inn’s grounds, even though I couldn’t sense any presence.
Originally, we should have moved outside in just an instant.
And yet…
“Elnea-kun’s Spatial Jump failed.”
“Elnea-kun’s Spatial Jump didn’t activate.”
Yes, as Yufilia and Nina said.
We momentarily disappear in the center of the room. But in the next moment, we appear in the same position as before activating Spatial Jump.
“That’s strange, again!”
I activate Spatial Jump anew.
But the result was the same as before.
“It activated without any problems when we rushed to the room…”
Just in case, I tried activating a short-range Spatial Jump alone.
From the center of the room to the hallway.
This time, Spatial Jump activated without any problems, and I appeared in the hallway.
So, what happens if I go with everyone?
This time, I try activating a short-range Spatial Jump with everyone.
As before, from the center of the room to the hallway.
This time, too, Spatial Jump was successful.
Then, we try the emergency escape again.
This time, we’ll surely get outside the inn.
But the result was the same.
For some reason, when I try to use Spatial Jump to head outside the mansion’s grounds, it fails.
Spatial Jump itself activates, but the destination does not move from the original position instead of the intended location.
Upon further testing, it was found that Spatial Jump fails not only when trying to go outside the mansion grounds but also when trying to go outside the building.
Furthermore, the seriousness of the situation did not end there.
“Haa!”
If Spatial Jump doesn’t work, brute force!
Mistral strikes the window with all his might.
But instead of being shattered, the window does not even show a speck of damage.
The building, which cannot be broken even by the Dragon Princess’s fist, let alone her jet-black one-handed club, is nothing short of abnormal.
“In other words, we’ve been trapped in this inn by someone’s power?”
After that, we, along with Mistral, Yufilia, and Nina, conducted several verifications.
And the results obtained led to Mistral’s conclusion.
We all nodded seriously at Mistral’s words.
“The windows leading outside won’t open either.”
“Only the doors connecting the rooms within the mansion work without issue.”
In any case, we cannot escape outwards.
However, movement within the mansion is unrestricted, and there were no traps hindering our movement.
“What in the world is happening?”
“It’s a curse.”
“It’s a ghost.”
“Whaaaat!”
Could it be that this inn is cursed by evil spirits, and we’ve become prisoners of ghosts!?
According to Temple Religion beliefs, all who die are equally summoned to the Goddess and await their next reincarnation.
However, there are souls who are bound to this world by magic, such as those who have unfinished business in this world, or like the undead user Golboda, whom we fought in the past, whose souls are forcibly bound to this world by magic.
So, have we been driven into a state where escape is impossible by the evil spirits haunting this inn?
And the event that awaits us is the unconsciousness of everyone.
Even though it only resulted in unconsciousness for now, it is questionable whether the evil spirits will remain peaceful even after lulling all of us to sleep.
Perhaps they will gradually drain our life force while we sleep!
I gulp, swallowing my saliva.
Then, Mistral points out with a sigh.
“Yes, yes, Yufi and Nina, don’t scare Elnea so much. First of all, there are fundamental doubts about your assertions from the beginning.”
Oh. Detective Mistral has apparently noticed the anomaly in this situation.
“Besides, if it’s Rudoriado’s conspiracy. I can understand sending us to such a dangerous inn, but in the first place, if the inn were a dangerous place, wouldn’t the employees have evacuated from the start?”
“Ah! Come to think of it?”
“And, as we confirmed together earlier. Not only Ruiseine and Laira, but the employees are just sleeping, and there are no problems with their lives or bodies? If Rudoriado knew about the inn’s problems in advance, wouldn’t he have had the employees evacuated?”
If we investigate calmly, it becomes clear.
Everyone who has collapsed at this inn is merely sleeping.
There is no sign of their life force decreasing, nor are they having nightmares.
Well, the possibility that they will gradually do something bad after causing all of us to collapse cannot be dismissed, but Mistral’s point was accurate.
“So, this isn’t a problem Rudoriado pushed onto us, but an abnormal situation that occurred suddenly, right? Then, what is the culprit’s objective…?”
What is the perpetrator aiming for by causing this abnormal situation?
But before we proceed with the deduction.
Yufilia and Nina fidget, holding their legs slightly embarrassed, and look at me with a troubled expression.
“I want to go to the restroom.”
“I want to pee.”
“Honestly, you two. It’s because you drink so much alcohol.”
Mistral chuckles with a wry smile, saying “Geez.”
Among our kin, Ruiseine and Laira have collapsed, but for now, the possibility of the situation worsening further is low. Perhaps that’s why she feels a little more at ease.
While smiling wryly at Yufilia and Nina’s blunt and no-holds-barred remarks, Mistral does not get angry.
“Will it be safe if you go together? Come on, go ahead.”
However, acting alone is still dangerous. Therefore, Yufilia and Nina went to the restroom together, and Mistral and I waited in the room.
“It’s safer for everyone to go to the restroom together.”
“It’s safer for everyone to act together.”
Yufilia and Nina had said that.
Well, I’m a boy. Besides, I have no interest in peeking into someone’s restroom.
So, we decided to split into two groups…
The quiet inn, with no signs of activity.
Mistral and I, while watching over Ruiseine and Laira, wait for Yufilia and Nina to return from the restroom.
However, the two do not return at all.
“Did they get a stomachache?”
“Not with those two.”
Unlike me and Mistral, the twin princesses are very strong drinkers. It’s unthinkable that those two would get sick from a long bath and a small amount of alcohol.
Then, what is the reason for their prolonged absence…
“Mistral!”
“Indeed, we cannot let our guard down!”
Mistral and I nod to each other and quickly rush out of the room.
Then, we head towards the women’s restroom.
“No!”
“Could it be, Yufi and Nina too…”
We were on the long hallway.
Were they on their way back from the restroom?
Or on their way there?
Regardless.
When we rushed over.
Yufilia and Nina had already collapsed in the hallway.
They were holding each other tightly.
“It’s as if they were terrified of something just before?”
When you say that, it might be true.
Yufilia and Nina, being twins, are very close.
However, they don’t have the habit of hugging each other on the way to the restroom.
If they were to hug each other in the hallway. It would be when some threat suddenly attacked them, and they were frightened, wouldn’t it?
Then, who was the attacker?
She not only frightened Yufilia and Nina but also caused them to collapse without resistance.
“We can think about that later. First, let’s take them back to the room.”
“Yeah. Let’s go back carefully too.”
We gently pull apart the tightly hugging Yufilia and Nina. Then, Mistral and I embrace them and carry them back to the room.
“Hey, Mistral. What should we do?”
I never thought we would suffer such one-sided damage.
Not only Ruiseine and Laira, who must have been caught off guard, but even Yufilia and Nina, who recognized that an abnormal situation was occurring, have fallen.
With this, will it be my turn next, or Mistral’s?
If both of us fall, there will be no one left to solve the problem.
External support may be difficult.
After all, the inn is reserved for us for the next few days.
There is no possibility that new guests will arrive and notice the abnormal situation.
So, it seems we will have to get through this situation with just Mistral and me.
“In any case, solitary action is forbidden. And do not let your guard down.”
“Also, we have to find the culprit.”
“Yes, that’s important.”
Even I cannot detect any suspicious presence.
This means that the opponent is either highly skilled, or it is merely an abnormal phenomenon, and there is no culprit in the first place.
No, there is one more possibility!
Here, I have a flash of inspiration.
“In the first place, it might not be the act of an outsider.”
“What do you mean?”
As I tuck the four fallen people into their futons, Mistral asks.
“You know, I’m sure you’ve been sensing their presence too, but…”
There shouldn’t be many people who can completely hide their presence from me, the Dragon King, and Mistral, the Dragon Princess.
If there is such a person, they must be highly skilled, and we, without weapons, would be no match for them.
However, this possibility seems unlikely, doesn’t it?
Among familiar people who can outwit us are the Giant Demon Lord and Charlotte, but those two have already left.
Apparently, they couldn’t afford to be away from the country for several days during the busy New Year period.
While there’s a possibility of unknown individuals besides them, their motive for the crime becomes weak.
If they wanted to fight us head-on, they wouldn’t resort to such trickery.
It is through a direct confrontation that we can measure each other’s abilities, and there is no reason for an unknown person to suddenly attack us.
If that’s the case, then the theory that someone is hiding and inexplicably putting everyone to sleep doesn’t make sense, does it?
So, where is the culprit, and what is their motive?
At that point, I remembered something.
“We didn’t count the inn staff in the first place, did we?”
“Now that you mention it, yes? We could sense their presence, but they were people who were naturally supposed to be at the inn.”
“Yes. Wasn’t there a pitfall there!”
We are not unable to sense the presence of someone.
Rather, we sensed their presence from the beginning. However, we didn’t think they were the culprit and overlooked them.
“In other words, the culprit is among the employees who are pretending to be unconscious?”
“I think that’s a possibility.”
“Then, what is the motive?”
“Uh, this is speculation without evidence. Don’t you think it would boost their reputation if they could defeat us?”
Although not as much as the hero party led by Listea.
My family and I are also famous in the Armēdo Kingdom and the Yorttenitos Kingdom.
The prestige of having defeated us would surely shine brightly.
However, a problem arises there.
While the achievement of defeating us might be something to brag about. However, if we were killed or injured, instead of gaining prestige, we might incur resentment from various quarters.
Therefore, they might be unconscious but not aiming for our lives or causing injuries, don’t you think?
“That’s a good conjecture, isn’t it? Even in a match, it’s not just about skill. For those who make a living by support and assistance, having the achievement of neutralizing us with subtle tactics rather than brute force would be more valued. Besides, if the culprit were an employee, Ruiseine and Laira wouldn’t have been wary of them, would they?”
Mistral nods at my idea.
“So, it’s the employees after all?”
“We need to check.”
We were so preoccupied with worrying about our kin that we hadn’t checked on the detailed well-being of the employees earlier.
However, with this situation, we need to check each one thoroughly.
“Alright. If that’s the case, let’s investigate thoroughly!”
The culprit is not a ghost or an evil spirit.
And they do not want to have a strength contest with us.
However, in this situation.
Carelessness is a great enemy.
I search the room for a weapon to protect myself.
Anything, even a stick, anything will do.
Mistral also seems to want a means of self-protection, rummaging through her luggage.
So, for this brief moment, Mistral and I disappear from each other’s sight.
It was that slight moment that was targeted!
“You are!”
At Mistral’s urgent words, I turn around.
But it was too late.
Mistral collapses powerlessly.
I saw her collapse as I turned.
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