Chapter: 18
Episode 18 – Room 102, Cursed Room – ‘Mansion of Fear’ (4)
[User: Han Kain (Wisdom)]
[Date: Day 6]
[Current Location: Floor 1, Room 102 (Cursed Room – Mansion of Fear)]
[Sages Advice: 3]
The cathedral was cleaner than I expected. The butler claimed that half of it was in ruins, but was his standard really just compared to a ridiculously neat mansion?
At this point, it wasn’t that big, so with just half a day’s worth of cleaning, we could hold a proper worship service.
Following the butler, we passed through the chapel and stepped out the back door to find a lake and a boat awaiting us.
Due to the storm, the water level had risen dramatically, lapping right at the door. As a consequence, the boat was knocking against the building as if it were eager to join us.
Naturally, the boat was in a deplorable state. Having been tossed around in the storm while exposed, it looked like it had come from a mud wrestling match. Did it collide with something during the sudden flood?
“Well, it’s not exactly pristine, but if it’s just this, I believe it could still be operable.”
“Just to clarify, you do know how to drive a boat, right, Mr. Butler?”
“Of course, Miss. However, it seems challenging to operate this boat immediately.”
The butler casually reached out and pointed at the boat’s outer frame.
Did it get damaged while the water level was drastically rising? I could see water seeping inside. For the moment, it was only a slow trickle, but it was clear it needed repairs.
“There are tools to fix the boat in the mansion. If we get those and seal that hole, crossing the lake should be doable. The motor should be fine.”
After a moment of silent eye communication with Eunsol-noona, she nodded.
Cough, cough, at-choo!
“Are you alright? You’ve been out in that storm for too long.”
“I’m fine. You don’t have to worry about me; I can head back if necessary.”
“No, I think we should warm ourselves up for a bit. The way back to the mansion isn’t short. Let me fetch a heater.”
The butler disappeared to get a heater so we could warm up, and we felt a bit less tense as we plopped down onto the long chairs in the chapel.
Clatter, clatter…
Creeeak…
A creepy sound echoed. I looked up, and a door across from us was swaying.
“What room could that be?”
“Probably the one used by the priest.”
How suspicious.
The butler insisting we need to rest despite us saying we were okay and then leaving the moment we got comfortable, just for a door to creak open…
“Is this room practically inviting us to snoop around?”
“I’ll go check it out.”
“Let’s go together. Having one person hold the torch will make things easier.”
“No, I think it’s better if you stay close to noona. The butler might come back soon.”
The butler…
From day one, hyung had been wary of him, declaring that he seemed like a pretty strong person. Once I mentioned we should prepare for his return, Jinchul-hyung seemed to agree and sat back down.
Of course, while I was cautious of the butler, it is only prudent to enter dangerous situations one person at a time. Even if we end up dead, it must be one at a time.
Just like you shouldn’t put all your eggs in one basket in investments, we can’t all rush into such risky places at once.
Holding the flashlight in one hand, I stepped into the room.
Inside, there was a half-rotten desk and various scattered documents. I skimmed through them, mostly citing lines from the Bible. They were likely written for worship or written down due to some powerful emotional impact on the priest.
Apologies aside, I rifled through the papers and roughly tore out several pages of a squashed Bible, giving the decaying desk a few taps while stealing glances at the door, hoping the butler didn’t return just yet.
It was then that I stumbled upon a peculiar document for the first time.
They were papers concerning a lawsuit between the cathedral and the mansion.
The contents matched what I had heard from the butler yesterday. Each party was proclaiming various reasons why they believed the cathedral and surrounding land belonged to them.
Digging deeper, I soon found letters exchanged between them.
Initially, they started with respectful tones, “Dear Reverend,” or “Dear Faithful Lee Sehyun” (finally, I had a name for this mysterious elder). However, the tone swiftly changed to something much less cordial.
The middle letters included legal claims and arguments that were convoluted, but one thing definitely stood out.
The way they referred to each other changed to “Greedy rotten priest” and “Damn heretic devil.”
Crazy for money.
Thus far, it was within the realm of normal insults that you would expect in a land dispute.
However, a “Damn heretic” was not an ordinary curse. It seemed like a word that shouldn’t be casually dismissed amidst this chaotic, supernatural drama.
Suspicion about the Sir was definitely warranted.
With that conclusion reached, I didn’t find anything else significant, so I exited the room.
The butler still hadn’t returned, and I could see hyung and noona shivering in the cold.
“Hasn’t he returned yet? He said he’d bring a heater…”
“I know, right? Where on earth can he find a heater? It feels like it’s been an hour already.”
“That old man must be trying to let us freeze to death. That’s why I thought to kill him first -”
“Please keep it down. I’m begging you.”
The remark from noona echoed in my mind, “Jinchul is spaced out.”
Now, it started to make sense. This hyung certainly couldn’t keep his emotions in check after Elena’s death…
After what felt like an eternity, the butler returned.
He carried a heater, but no one wanted to waste another moment in this ominous cathedral just to use it. We hastily took off back to the mansion as soon as he arrived, heater and all.
The butler didn’t voice any objections, promptly setting off like warming us was never truly his intention.
After arriving at the mansion, we finally settled down to rest and warm ourselves.
While we were gone, Seungyub, Songee, and even Ari had been anxiously awaiting our return, bustling about, boiling water, and heating the bathtub.
After a hasty dinner – just like our lunch consisting of mediocre sandwiches and coffee – we proceeded to execute the plans formulated before we headed to the cathedral.
“Butler, can I have the key to the study?”
“Pardon?”
“The key to the study. I need to look for something.”
“Haha, Miss. I already told Seungyub-gun, but Sir has explicitly instructed that no one is allowed to enter the study. There are many legal and financial documents inside…”
“Butler, just give him a call or something!”
“Oh, young Miss…”
“I have to check the study. Strange incidents have been happening in the mansion! Is there anything buried in the study? Give me the key.”
“Noona, the house owner has expressly prohibited us from entering. Aren’t you being a bit too frantic?”
“You just sit there and zip it. What if someone dies in this house? We won’t be able to reach that damn owner for help!”
After pretending to argue a bit more and turning around dramatically, I noticed the others staring at me wide-eyed.
Upon realizing I might not be the worst actor, I was slightly embarrassed, thinking perhaps my performance was unexpectedly convincing. Or maybe this spooky, eerie atmosphere made them jittery about the sudden argument.
Even Jinchul-hyung looked surprised, and instead of explaining myself, I quietly sat back down.
Ironically, everyone’s impressive reactions likely reduced any suspicion towards our little act.
—
Lee Eunsol
The study was exceptionally clean and ordinary – too ordinary, in fact, making it my biggest suspect.
Ever since Elena’s death, the mansion descended into chaos. An alternate version of me mocked me from the mirror, the cuckoo clock exploded every hour, and the dolls grew increasingly curious about humans.
Let’s not forget the recent incident during dinner, where the moment I set the cup on the table, it sprouted legs and almost poured hot water on me!
And yet, this study felt completely detached from everything else occurring in the mansion.
It was too peaceful.
I stood still, reflecting on the information provided by Kain.
Sir had indeed fallen prey to heresy. This was clearly significant information.
From the very first day, the butler had persistently drawn us to the cathedral, and in the end, he kept us there for an hour.
He had likely intended for us to uncover something. If the cathedral contained revelations about Sir as a heretic, then there must be something related hidden in the study.
I began rummaging through the area, opening every book and pulling drawers.
Why was it me?
That question lingered in my mind ever since the first weird occurrences in the mansion. Elena stated back in the car that our lives felt like a play.
We each had our assigned roles.
And the most crucial role in this ‘Mansion of Fear’ was undoubtedly mine.
The others were really just visiting because they were college friends of Lee Eunsol.
I was the niece of the mansion’s owner; I had the unique ability to command the suspicious employees at will, making my role distinctly important.
But why me? Why was I handed the most pivotal position? What trait set me apart from others?
Wealthy lineage? It wasn’t like I could access the funds sitting in my bank account, so that hardly mattered.
Above-average intelligence? Based on my observations, Kain held his own. He seemed sharp enough that I’d want to hire him as a consultant if we ever left the hotel.
And, on top of that, I was multilingual.
As I stretched out and probed the ambiguous space between the second and third drawers, my fingers latched onto a hefty envelope. Inside were documents in a variety of languages—Spanish, French, German, English, and more.
It wasn’t just the languages that varied; the handwriting, formatting, and types of paper were all different. It appeared as though these pieces of fragmented information had been collected from all over the world, all describing a single subject.
Upon reading the last line of the fourth document, I finally understood. I had steeled myself, yet the trembling was inevitable.
It was now my turn to be sacrificed.
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