Black Demon King

542 Stigmatized Property (1)

Fiona dragged me to the upper section beyond the second barrier, where a gorgeous corner filled with a row of luxurious mansions. It was the so-called aristocratic district.

“That one, Kurono.”

Fiona pointed at a certain Western-style house located in a not-so-luxurious location at the very end of the aristocratic district.

An iron fence that seemed like black thorns kept a strict enclosure of the main building. In terms of size, it was comparable to the mansion next door. However, the mansion that stood behind the main gate was considerably smaller than the mansions of aristocrats and wealthy merchants that I’d seen along the way. Moreover, its construction was rather rustic.

At first glance, the building seemed to be based on the traditional Sparda style. However, without any decorations in sight, it looked rather drab. The gray stone construction and the maroon bricks on the triangular roof were all old and worn. It seemed that it’d been a long time since someone lived there.

A plain Western-style building with no special features. But if I had to guess, what stood out was the tower on the right side of the building. The stone tower, which was twice as tall as a two-story mansion, seemed like a defensive tower connected to the castle wall.

In fact, the Western-style building itself, along with the tower, had the atmosphere of a castle rather than that of an aristocratic mansion.

…Come to think of it, it does remind me of Ischia Castle.

“What do you think?”

“Well, even if you ask me that… I guess it’s fine?”

I didn’t feel the need to live in a flashy palace to flaunt my status. From the perspective of an aristocrat, the run-down mansion might be preposterous, but to me—a Japanese—it was a majestically large house. Living there would be an incredible luxury.

“The price is 99.99 million Clans.”

“Wow, that’s actually kind of cheap. On the contrary, I’m worried because it’s under 100 million Clans…”

I’d looked at properties several times, so I had a rough idea of the market prices for mansions in aristocratic district. Even if it was small, the lowest price of a mansion was about 150 million clans—

—and that’s just the housing, while the land is charged separately.

“Oh, the aforementioned price already includes the land.”

“…Hey, why is this place so cheap?”

Even though the mansion was located at the corner of the aristocratic district, it was still part of the district.

“Shouldn’t that be obvious? Because it’s a stigmatized property.”

I was becoming more and more anxious… Apparently, the plain mansion was a stigmatized property that had claimed several lives.

“…Uh, detailed explanation, please?”

“Of course. This mansion is said to have been the residence of a certain baron about 40 years ago—…”

…1557 years of continental history, a certain man inherited the title of baron. Nowadays, it was unknown what generation of family head he was, but in any case, a new family head was born in that place.

The baron was a devout believer of the Pandora Temple. Every day, without fail, he’d pray to the Black Gods. He also donated exorbitant money to temples and orphanages. Sometimes, he’d have to sell something from his own mansion. Precisely because the Sparda aristocrats around him knew of his philanthropic side, no one made fun of his mansion. Despite the fact that the mansion looked like a rustic castle building, it was also a silent witness to his piousness.

—However, that reputation was suddenly overturned one day.

That day, there was a lot of traffic. It happened when a carriage full of exotic wine barrels that the baron had purchased was about to enter through the front gate of the mansion. Suddenly, one of the barrels began to shake, severing the rope as its content tumbled onto the street.

Instead of expensive wine, what came out of the barrel was a girl.

She was naked, gagged, and blindfolded, while her limbs were restrained with coarse ropes. Seeing this unusual situation, the Law Guardian of Sparda assembled.

The baron was suspected of illegal human trafficking. The mansion was sealed off that very day. The next day, the baron was set to be tried at the court, and the mansion to be raided.

After just one night, the baron’s crime was brought to light, and he was to be justly punished under Sparda’s laws.

Although, not everyone agreed.

“—I’ll kill him!”

“Let’s prepare for tonight!”

“We should do it before the military police catch a hint!”

That evening, one by one, youths began to gather around the mansion. They were the relatives and friends of the kidnapped children.

Several years had passed since their disappearances. Unable to identify the culprit, they continued to spend their time in frustration. However, today, the mastermind—namely the baron—was finally revealed.

They jumped to action. Information quickly traveled through the streets of Sparda, reaching even the corners of the slums. That very night, dozens of people assembled, brandishing blades of revenge.

In the aristocratic hierarchy, the baron was the lowest, but he was a nobleman nonetheless.

What if he used his status and wealth to get a pardon?

Worst case scenario, he might be acquitted and get off scot-free.

—Above all, rather than waiting for the death sentence, they’d rather avenge the children and friends they lost with their own hands.

Harboring such determination, they took action to exact divine punishment before the culprit could be taken away.

“Let’s go!”

A group of avengers broke through the back fence and rushed into the premises all at once. Half of them would try to break in through the back door, while the rest through the front gate.

“You bastard—! Prepare yourself—!”

They smashed the door with a large hammer and bravely stormed through the main gate.

“Hello, everyone. I’ve been waiting for you. Thank you for coming to my last supper. Thanks to you, it’s going to be a joyful night.”

The front staircase at the middle of the entrance hall led to the second floor. The owner of the mansion stood on the landing.

With a finely tailored tailcoat and a top hat, he seemed like a dapper gentleman.

He was, without a doubt, the baron himself.

“How dare you! After kidnapping the children and my sister—!”

One of the boys at the front roared.

“Indeed. I’m a follower of the great goddess, and have sacrificed 108 children so far in order to offer my eternal faith.”

“You madman!”

Hearing the words of the baron, who openly admitted his crime, the avengers were seething with murderous rage.

“I have a profound sense of gratitude for the children who sacrificed their lives, so I remember every single one of their names… Do you know Mary? Oh, are you her brother, perhaps? Haha, your gaze is so fierce.”

“Y-you—!!”

Seeing red, the boy raised his sword and charged at the baron.

Was he trained, or did he train just for this day? Both of his legs were infused with [Air Walker], while the grip on his sword was firm. Once he swung it down, he’d surely unleash a martial skill.

Of course, there were many others besides him who started running towards the enemy. The group started moving almost all at once.

Just as they stepped into the middle of the entrance—

—A booming sound crashed through the wide hall.

A large chandelier had fallen, illuminating every corner of the entrance hall. The chandelier, which had a thorny design similar to the iron fence outside, used its piercing shape and crushing weight to smash the unfortunate people right below it.

As the blade of revenge shattered, the roar of anger was swallowed by silence. A hollow silence dominated the entrance hall.

“Pfft, huhu, ahahahAHAHA—! Now, the almighty Goddess of Destruction, behold me from beyond the abyss. Please accept my final sacrifice—!”

Along with the baron’s frantic scream, the front door, which should’ve been blown off with a hammer, closed by itself.

“D-damn it…! Don’t falter! Kill him—!!”

—and so, the bloody banquet between the deranged cultist of a baron and those burning with a righteous desire for revenge began.

Perhaps because he’d already paid off his servants and the others, but other than the master of the house—the baron—there were no other enemies in sight.

There was only a single enemy.

Yet, nobody could land a hit on the baron.

‘We’re about to get him.’ ‘Just a bit more.’ ‘One more step…’

—Yet for some reason, something always got in the way.

A malicious hindrance with a wicked intent concealed within.

Anyone who stepped into the dining room on the first floor would be struck by the knives and forks. The utensils, which flew like arrows, would pierce their entire body. Those who were still breathing would be finished off by a broken plate that cleanly sliced their necks.

When someone crossed the hall, the lamps that illuminate the path would hurl fireballs, blasting everyone in vicinity.

The antique armor displayed in the drawing room began to move and attack them using the sword strapped to its waist. When they tried to fight back, the red carpet would entangle their feet, preventing them from moving. In such a state, there was no way they could avoid the blade, even if it was a basic move.

“Where is he!? Where did he run off to!?”

Even as their comrades fell one after another, the avengers searched the whole mansion up and down, steadily cornering the baron.

“Is this the basement…?”

“I’m sure the children were kept here…!”

One group saw that there were many basement rooms in the mansion. They were unbelievably large and didn’t match the exterior of the mansion.

“There’s also a wine cellar.”

“Tsk, it’s not a cellar, it’s probably where the sacrifices were kept!”

The chilly wine cellar, with many barrels stacked on top of the other, was especially spacious even for a basement.

Some were wondering if they should check the contents of the barrel. But in the next moment, the door slammed shut, just like the front door.

“W-we are locked in here! It’s a trap!”

It was, in fact, a kill zone set up by the bloodthirsty mansion. Or, the belly of a monster. As such, there was no way the monster house would be satisfied with just trapping them inside.

From the numerous wine barrels, bright red liquid oozed. Blood.

Before they knew it, dark, muddy blood gushed out from the plugs. At the same time, showers of fresh blood spurted out from the gaps between the stone blocks.

As a result, the wine cellar was quickly drowned in blood, like the bottom of a sinking cargo ship. With the door closed, there was no escape.

The wine cellar sank into the crimson sea with several living people still inside.

“Haa… Haa… E-everyone has been defeated, shit…”

In the basement, which was a gallery for torture devices, they’d be captured and tortured. Terrifying screams, full of terrors, could be heard faintly from the other side of the open basement door.

Fortunately, some groups didn’t venture into the basement and headed for the second floor. But one by one, they fell down as the mansion’s traps became more and more ferocious.

In the woman’s bedroom, a ghoulish arm would extend from a large full-length mirror, dragging anyone who came into contact to the other side of the mirror. In the children’s room, the nutcracker dolls would swarm them like man-eating insects, puncturing their bodies with needle-like swords and spears, killing several people.

In the splendid library, a heavy bookshelf would fall over with perfect timing, trapping the victim beneath it. In the terrace, the handrail began to wriggle as it turned into a tentacle. It’d capture the avenger and throw it towards the thorny fence below. The fence, lined with sharp, spear-like ends, waited for the prey to fall akin to a beast baring its fangs.

“I guess I’m the only one left… But I can’t just leave here.”

A man blessed with good fortune and ability to overcome countless traps finally reached the baron’s private chamber. It was the only room they hadn’t checked. His friends risked their lives to score the entire mansion.

“How amazing. I can’t believe you made it this far.”

Sure enough, the baron was there.

“T-this is…! Why—!? How could you!?”

Upon entering the chamber, the man was immediately greeted with the sight of several bodies scattered around the fur carpets. A boy, a girl, and a lady with a frilly dress holding hands. An elderly butler, a young maid, and a cook dressed in white.

The baron’s family, along with all of his servants, were there. There was no one there because everyone was here. They’d perished a long time ago, and only their remains were left.

“This is the last sacrifice I can offer.”

The baron spoke with a thrilled expression.

The baron had loved his wife. They met during his student days at the Royal Sparda Seminary. A woman of great intellect and beauty with whom he’d fallen in love at first sight.

The two children that his dear wife gave birth to were truly life’s greatest treasures.

His eldest child was kind-hearted yet brave. Although he was only 9-years-old, he’d begun to show that he was a better swordsman than the baron. As such, the baron couldn’t help but look forward to his future. His youngest child was still young and spoiled, but she was also incredibly cute.

The elderly butler had been the right-hand man since his father’s time. The butler’s granddaughter also worked diligently as his maid.

The cook was a friend of his from school. He was a hopeless, disheveled commoner who couldn’t get a decent job. Nevertheless, the baron was indebted to him for mediating his relationship with his wife. Thus, the baron hired him as a chef. Although his culinary skill was nothing out of the ordinary, the baron was glad to see him working hard and improving every year.

Surrounded by his precious family and trusty servants, the baron was very, very happy.

“I loved you. I believed you. Hence why, you are the ultimate sacrifice. Thank you, everyone. Thank you so much!”

In front of the baron, who seemed overcome with emotion and even began to shed tears, the avenger almost dropped his ax.

“You’re… mad! You’re a hopeless lunatic! I’ll absolutely kill you!”

Even in the face of the baron’s frenzy, the man’s desire for revenge kept him sane.

“You’re my son’s enemy! I won’t lose to the likes of you!”

With the battle ax in his hand, he stepped forward, intending to split the baron’s head in half—

—but the baron was faster.

“But it’s not enough. It’s still not enough. Not enough at all…! Therefore, Goddess, please lend me your role for a moment…”

There was a rapier in the baron’s hand. It was probably the weapon that’d slaughtered his family and servants.

Yet, in the next moment, the baron pointed the sharp tip at his neck—and drove it into his throat.

“G-gah… Aah… Black… Destruction, God…”

Before the man could bring his ax down, the baron had toppled over with the look of extreme joy on his face.

“S-shit…! Goddammit—!”

Suicide.

The blade of revenge shall never reach the baron, who’d chosen the ultimate escape and fled beyond his reach.

With the man’s wail echoing, the night of the murder weapon dawned—

“—Or so they say.”

“This mansion is 100% cursed!”

…The backstory of that curse packs quite a punch.

If it were a weapon, it’d definitely be a unique weapon that surpassed Nameless.

“Yes, it is cursed. In fact, those who lived in this mansion after that…”

“Huh!? There was an idiot who chose to live here despite that story!?”

“No, it seems that they were misled.”

Isn’t that just a scam? How awful…

“So, what will happen to the person who lives here?”

“He’d become a cultist who tries to appease an unknown evil goddess.”

As the baron had wished before his death, he’d turned into a curse that haunted the mansion, driving anyone who lived there crazy enough to make sacrifices to the evil god.

“Fortunately, it seems that the crisis of further deaths was averted, but the mansion has already become a den of evil spirits, summoned by the curse of a powerful baron.”

“Why has such a dangerous property remained abandoned until now?”

What are the Sparda army and the Pandora Temple doing? Shower it with holy light and purify it already.

“Currently, it appears that the owner of this property is skimping on the cost of cleanup.”

“I-I don’t know what to say.”

In Sparda, where the rights to private property were guaranteed, you couldn’t do whatever you want with people’s assets.

In other words, if the owner of this place claimed that he couldn’t afford the cleanup costs and that demolition was prohibited, his argument would be accepted.

“For the time being, it seems like a barrier has been put up to contain the evil spirits.”

As expected, if a neighbor complained, ‘Isn’t the evil spirit in your house a bit noisy.’ The owner would have no choice but to deal with it.

Seeing that there’s no complaints so far, does it mean that the owner is doing a good job?

“Hey, Fiona. Do you really want this cursed mansion?”

Actually, I think she’s under the impression that I’m a curse aficionado.

Of course, my house was usually a quiet and calm place that was also curse-free.

“If I’m going to turn it into a witch’s workshop, it’s better to keep it fairly closed-off. Above all, the basement is perfect to set up a workshop.”

“I-I see…”

The reason why it’d been so difficult to settle on a property was because Fiona deemed other properties unfit for a workshop.

…In fact, it was the first time I heard her say it was good.

“But what about the curse?”

“The curse has to be broken.”

“…How?”

“The two of us will find a way.”

It’s becoming a pattern, now…

“Until this point, I’ve only handled cursed equipment, so I’m not really sure.”

“No problem. At the very least, I know there’s no such thing as going crazy after experiencing God’s miracle.”

I don’t really understand the logic, but if Fiona said it’s okay, then I guess it is.

Although, that wasn’t the last of my concerns….

“I’m injured. Also, I don’t have any protection.”

I left [Maximilian] at the Stratos Blacksmith Workshop in the morning. Currently, I was wearing nothing but casual clothes. I was wearing black slacks and a shirt, along with the dress shirt and vest that Sariel bleached for me the other day.

The reason why I was dressed up  a bit was because if I was wandering around the upper section of the building, dressing too lacklusterly would make me stand out.

Fiona, on the other hand, was wearing a navy blue cardigan over the white dress I gave her as a gift before. She looked more like a young lady from a proper family than a witch.

For now, both of us had weapons in the [Shadow Gate], but we weren’t wearing any armor.

It went without saying that my fighting strength had decreased due to the injury I sustained in my right arm.

“There’s no problem. Even if there are evil spirits, they’re just remnants of shallow thoughts. Just roast them a bit, and they’ll scream and disappear.”

“All right, then let’s just take a look.”

Thus, Fiona and I decided to rush into a cursed mansion that was infested with evil spirits.