Black Demon King

543 Stigmatized Property (2)

“Oh, wow… The chandelier suddenly fell down. How dangerous.”

We entered the mansion from the front, excusing ourselves.

“…Excuse me.”

But when we stepped in the middle of the entrance hall, the chandelier suddenly came crashing down.

As a matter of course, if it hit us, we’d get injured. Nevertheless, it was still part of the mansion, so I couldn’t just knock it away and be done with it. In the end, I just extended my left arm and caught it.

If it’s only this heavy, I can handle it without having to rely on [Overdrive].

Although, it’d have been easier if I could use both hands…

“It’s been quite a few years since it fell into shambles.”

“We have to be careful so the floor doesn’t collapse.”

Once again, I was reminded of the horror of dilapidated buildings. I gently placed the flashy chandelier, which was adorned with thorny decorations, on the floor of the entrance hall.

“So, what should I do to break the curse?”

“Let’s look for the spirit of the baron, which is the root of the curse. He’s probably one of the evil spirits.”

Understandable.

Just like in the true story, we were going to catch the baron who fled from the avengers.

“Why don’t we take our time exploring the mansion starting from the first floor?”

“I have a good idea of where the baron is, but well… Let’s take a look around just to be sure.”

At the same time, I’d also be checking whether this mansion was suitable for our new home or not.

“Well, why don’t we start with the dining room over there?”

“Sure. Oh, for here on out, the curse might attack us, so let’s stay alert.”

Of course.

Fiona and I braced ourselves, and stepped into the dining room on the left.

“T-this is!?”

Instead of a dilapidated, dusty hall, it was a pristine dining room filled with the scent of breakfast.

“What is the meaning of this…? The dishes are lined up.”

“The menu is simple, but it looks delicious.”

The breakfast was lined up so neatly on the long table that I thought Fiona would just sit down and start eating.

The main dish was grilled eggs and smoked beef, and a pile of soft white bread served in a baguette. A flat plate filled with soup, which could be eaten with a spoon. A cup of clear red tea. Steam rose rapidly, indicating that these dishes were freshly prepared.

It felt like an aristocrat who’d just woke up would appear to have breakfast at any moment.

The mansion was definitely neglected for more than a decade, but…

…It’s similar to a story about a certain ghost ship.

Despite the preparations, there was not a soul to be seen.

“What should we do with this?”

When I stared at the dining room suspiciously, the knives and forks arranged on the table darted towards me and Fiona. It was like magic [Sword Arts].

“Phew…”

Just as I was momentarily debating whether to dodge or knock them down, Fiona took the initiative and burned them.

She didn’t even use her staff. Instead, she lightly blew some air, and with that, a crimson wall of fire appeared in front of her.

In front of the shield of blazing flames, the knives and forks that flew in were reduced to charcoal.

“It’s a low-level illusion.”

“Ah, now that you mention it… Yes, this is an illusion.”

When I squinted my eyes, the refreshing breakfast scene of the dining room became dark and distorted. Once I realized that, all I could see was a decayed room.

There wasn’t a single plate of freshly prepared food on the table, where only a pile of dust and an unlit candelabra remained.

“Other than that, there doesn’t seem to be anything out of the ordinary.”

“Where should we go next?”

Is the guy who cursed the mansion trying to pull a prank on us?

Only a weak curse, without any murderous intent, could be felt in the dining room.

“Apparently, there’s not much going on the first floor.”

“That’s right.”

The search for the first floor ended smoothly. Neither noteworthy enemies nor vicious traps appeared.

At most, the lamp in the hallway suddenly started emitting flames, while the armor in the reception room started moving.

Even without my equipment, I had [Nana Blast Amulet] on me, so even if I was exposed to burning flame, I wouldn’t be scorched. Of course, for Fiona, who was a fire expert and whose fire resistance was at an all-time high, mere flames were less irritating than a spray of cold water.

Fiona and I didn’t do anything special to the flames and passed through the hallway without being charred. Rather than my own safety, I was worried about how the flames would cause a fire, and how I wouldn’t want to leave scorch marks on the walls.

Also, since the moving armor would be a nuisance if it was wandering around, I restrained it with chains using the [Bind Arts] and left the rest as it was before.

“This carpet keeps trying to wrap around my legs. How gross.”

“Should we just dispose of it?”

“Well, not like we have any other choice.”

Fiona incinerated the dusty red carpet on the spot. Keep in mind that she didn’t leave any scorch marks on the floor. Perhaps, her magic control had improved a bit.

While secretly admiring her skill, we proceeded with the inspection.

“At last, we’ve arrived at the basement.”

The basement continued from the tower attached to the East side of the mansion. There was no other entrance.

“Although I can somewhat grasp the structure from the floor plan, I have to see it in person.”

Fiona, who wanted to open her own workshop, enthusiastically went down the spiral staircase of the tower.

“Wow, it’s quite spacious.”

At the bottom of the stairs, there was an underground passageway. Several doors could be seen along the way.

“It appears to be a wine cellar.”

“There’s a torture room at the bottom.”

Apparently, the rooms on the basement floor were used as a refrigerator and a storage room for the mansion. The baron was performing his malevolent sacrificial ritual in the only room on the second basement floor. Said room could be reached by climbing the stairs at the back of the wine cellar, where the sacrifices were kept.

“Okay, let’s go.”

In high spirits, Fiona stepped into the wine cellar.

“Hey, the door suddenly closed on its own. Is it an automatic door?”

“That’s handy.”

The wooden door closed and even locked itself. Although, since we’d be leaving soon, best to leave it open.

“Hey, Fiona, the wine seems to be leaking from the barrels.”

“Probably another illusion.”

“Uh-huh. There’s no way wine would spill out of all the barrels at once.”

Before I knew it, in addition to the barrels, bloody red wine was gushing out from gaps and cracks in the tiles on the wall. The water level increased rapidly, drowning the wine cellar in no time.

No need to worry, though.

The pool of wine had reached my waist, but I didn’t feel any moisture. No matter how vivid it seemed, it was merely an illusion.

“Hey, Kurono, the door appears to be locked. Can you help me?”

“We’ll just change the lock later.”

By the time I got to the back door leading to the second basement floor, I was already gurgling underwater. However, I wasn’t stupid enough to drown in imaginary wine.

With my vision turning red under the wine, I forcefully twisted the doorknob and opened the door. At times like this, it was convenient to be strong.

When the door opened, the sea of wine vanished in an instant, as if realizing that there was no point in continuing anymore.

Now, we’d finally arrived at our destination—the second basement floor.

“Kurono, this place is wonderful.”

“—Uugh… Aah…”

“Yep, it’s more beautiful than I expected.”

“—Oooh… The pain… Make it stop…”

I thought the sacrifice room at the bottom of the stairs would be more bloody, dingy, and terrifying, but it was mostly empty. Beautiful, spotless gray stone walls encased the room on all sides.

It’s quite spacious, as well.

In that case, I could bring in my belongings and set up the workshop right away.

“As expected, my guess is correct.”

“—Save me… Aargh…”

“It’s relaxing, isn’t it?”

“UuuuuuUUuurgh…”

We’d made our decision. Although Fiona sported her usual blank look, she seemed to be somewhat satisfied.

“UwaaaaAAaaH…”

“By the way, Kurono.”

“I-it hurts…”

“What?”

“Aren’t the voices a bit loud in this room?”

“I agree. It can’t be helped, if we blacken the room, they should tone it down a bit.”

For someone like me, who’d blackened the entire Adventurer’s Guild in Alsace, it didn’t take much effort to blacken a single room.

In an instant, the gray stone wall was stained with pitch-black magic, as if black paint had been splattered carelessly. After whimsically changing the color of the walls, we left the basement.

“Only the second floor is left.”

“It’s taking longer than expected. Why don’t we go straight to the baron’s room?”

“Let’s go.”

It’d be a problem if noise problems caused by vengeful spirits occurred. Even if I was a laborious person, it’d take a lot of time and effort to blacken the entire mansion.

If we got rid of the baron’s spirit first, we’d no longer be harassed by bizarre illusions or furniture moving on its own.

We bravely rushed towards the baron’s private chamber, where he should be lying in wait.

Apparently, the baron also sensed our intentions, and things were flying randomly at us along the way. Antique swords and other cutlery. Expensive-looking vases. Paintings with heavy frames. Other furniture such as dolls that looked like children’s toys. Large mirrors and chairs also made a beeline for us.

That’s dangerous…

If I get hit, it’ll sting. Hell, I might get a bruise.

“All right, this should be the place.”

“Okay.”

Somehow, I managed to overcome the poltergeist fest. I asked for one last time before making my way in.

Without hesitation, I kicked down the locked door and stepped in to break the baron’s annoying curse.

“Kukuku… How bold. You’re a very brave guest.”

Inside the room was the wraith of a man wearing a top hat and a tailcoat. His appearance, which had a dark, purplish aura all over his body, was definitely that of an evil spirit exuding the magic of darkness.

“You magnificently passed my trial. You’d make the best sacrifice—”

“[Bullet Arts]!”

The one that made the first move wins.

The baron seemed to be saying something, but I wasn’t going to let him cast any spell. Therefore, it’d be best to hit him without giving him a chance to attack.

“UoooOORgh—!?”

The bullet I fired went straight to the baron, who was still praising me. I didn’t know how effective it’d be, but as if he’d taken the brunt of the [Bullet Arts], the baron fell flat on his back.

“Well, it’s a black magic that is very similar to darkness, so it’s not surprising.”

“About half of his body has materialized.”

The battle against evil spirits had been going on since the mobile experiment, but the general countermeasures had been established. Physical attacks would work on an evil spirit that had materialized. However, because his magical power was so dense that they formed a physical body, he was akin to a powerful undead.

If the baron, which had half-materialized, was left alone, he might evolve into a dangerous and powerful being like a lich.

…Nevertheless, the baron’s ambition ends here today.

“Kurono, don’t let him escape.

“Of course, [Bind Arts].”

As the baron hurriedly stood up and turned his back on me, I used a jet-black chain to restrain him. As expected, [Bind Arts] were useful for capturing enemies.

The baron’s entire body was tightly restricted by chains of black magic that not even ghosts were safe from, and rolled on the floor again.

“I’ll burn him to crisp.”

Fiona stepped forward, and drew her right index finger towards her lips, as if telling someone to be quiet.

Then, a golden spark sizzled at her fingertips, resembling a golden candle.

“Phew.”

Once again, she lightly blew air into the golden fire, and it turned into golden flames and burned the baron, who was unable to move.

“Aaarrgh—! Imbeciles! Why, hoooOOOOWW—!?”

Leaving behind an ear-splitting scream, the baron’s evil spirit was purified by golden flames.

“Oh, I feel like the atmosphere in the mansion has gotten a bit lighter.”

“Yeah, I guess it’s now just an ordinary ruin.”

Somehow, thanks to exploring it like a dungeon raid, I started to feel a bit attached to this mansion. At first, I thought that a cursed mansion was a no-go, but… Well, after it was purified, it wasn’t so bad… Best of all, it was a steal.

“All right, then. Fiona, let’s buy this mansion.”

“Of course, Kurono.”

I took Fiona’s hand and left with mansion with a great sense of fulfillment.

99.99 million Clans. With a lump sum payment of gold coins, I was able to purchase my dream house.