Cursed Villainess' Obsession-Chapter 47

When I played, I often brought characters with low affection levels to participate.

So, for someone like me, who doesn’t need to increase affection levels, there wasn’t really a reason to join this event.

But that’s only true for me as a vessel.

“Wow! Are you really giving away that mansion?”

As expected of the protagonist, Emily was completely captivated by the idea of receiving a mansion.

“What do you think, Ken? Should we give it a try? The old man seems troubled.”

“Troubled? Really troubled! Oh, I wonder if there are any good young people to help me…”

“Grandpa, what can I help you with?”

“That mansion is a headache... It’s been haunted for years. When you go inside, you keep encountering strange rooms. If you can open all those rooms, I think it could be resolved, but I just can’t do it. At this rate, I can't even sell it... If you can solve it, I’ll give you the mansion!”

“That’s what he said! So, what do you think? If it’s Ken, maybe you can do something about it?”

Curious about it, Emily sparkled with excitement and urged me to respond.

Hmm, how should I explain this?

It’s an event that’s impossible to clear anyway; wouldn’t it be a waste of time and effort to try?

“…Um, Emily.”

I whispered softly to Emily after pulling her away from the old gentleman.

“We don’t even know what’s inside. If no one has succeeded in getting the mansion, it seems no one can solve it.”

It’s something that ultimately can’t be succeeded.

I found it hard to explain my reasoning, so I skirted around it.

But that didn’t seem enough to convince Emily, who frowned in response.

“…Hmm, is that so? But I feel like you could do it, Ken.”

It’s a bit troubling how much trust she has in me.

“And Ken, I have a suggestion…”

Having thought of something, Emily whispered back to me.

“What if we just break down the door if we can get it?”

With a confident smile, she proposed her idea.

While she seemed proud, that’s such a foolish method.

“No, it can't be that simple.”

To think of clearing an impossible event... That’s just...

...Wait a moment.

For a brief moment, as I considered Emily’s words, something sparked in my mind.

It was information about another impossible maze, not about the mansion’s solution.

‘What if, if we can solve this mansion, we can also...?’

I had vaguely thought it impossible, but looking back, there were many things in this world that were possible even if they weren't in the game.

One prime example was Raphne’s pendant.

That was an item that didn’t exist in the game from the start.

It wasn’t even in the category of item creation, but I made it myself from a combination of similar items.

And the rune seal stone that I broke when I obtained the pocket dimension.

That also couldn’t be destroyed unless you had a certain amount of strength, but I managed to break it after several attempts.

So, if that’s the case...

‘...I can test whether I can clear this mansion.’

After a moment of thought, I smiled at Emily, who was waiting for my answer.

“Okay, then let’s give it a shot!”

“Wow! Really?”

When I gave a positive answer, Emily was happier than I expected.

Is it really that great?

“I’ve always wanted to live in a mansion! Oh, is it a bit too big for just the two of us?”

“Hmm? What do you mean?”

It is indeed a large mansion for just the two of us.

But the ownership issue should be addressed after clearing it.

Two?

Is someone else going to be there?

Upon hearing my question, Emily’s cheeks flushed, and she looked away, flustered.

“Oh, ahaha. I was just saying that.”

Anyway, she seemed thrilled at the thought of getting the mansion.

First, if we’re going to challenge the mansion of Goongpo, we need to gather people.

Of course, in the game, it’s an event where only Emily and another character participate.

But inside the mansion, it’s advantageous to have more heads to find hidden keys and such.

Anyway, my goal is not to own the mansion.

I just want to confirm if it can be cleared.

Thus, I gathered as many people as I could.

“Wow~! A mansion exploration! That sounds fun!”

Alicia, who looked quite free at the moment, exclaimed.

“Do you need help? I understand. I’ll assist.”

“That sounds exciting! I want to join too!”

When I asked Ziegfried and Ellice, they readily agreed.

“If Ken needs me, I’ll do anything... but you aren’t planning to live in the mansion, are you? If you do, you have to take me with you!”

“I’m not sure how much help I’ll be, but I’ll do my best!”

Then Raphne and Mary joined in, bringing our total to seven people, including Emily and me.

“Ken! Adrian came too!”

“I heard you’re doing something fun. If it’s okay, I’ll help too.”

As we gathered, Emily and Adrian waved as they approached us, waiting at the academy entrance.

Wait... What’s someone so busy doing here?

Could it be that they’re keeping an eye on Raphne outside the academy? ...Or did they really just come because it looked fun?

Well, the more, the merrier.

Besides, having an even number is easier for pairing than an awkward odd number.

So now, including Adrian, we had a total of eight members challenging the mansion.

“Is this the mansion? I feel like a ghost is going to show up!”

“Don’t start with ominous predictions before we even go in.”

“Eek, Z, Zieg! What if we get lost? What if we fall...?”

Upon reaching the front of the mansion, everyone reacted differently, but mostly the girls were frightened.

That makes sense; the mansion is indeed grand.

However, the vines surrounding it, the cobweb-covered windows, and the uncollected leaves made it feel like an abandoned school.

It felt somehow chillier after we entered through the main door.

“Ken, I’m scared…”

Raphne, frightened by the atmosphere, clutched my right arm.

“R, Raphne, come on... You’re quite the scaredy-cat. This is nothing to be afraid of.”

“Mary, I’m trembling.”

“It’s just the cold... Ken, please don’t leave my side. It’s dangerous.”

The ice mage, shivering and clutching my left arm, displayed her fearful side upon entering such a scary place.

“I’m scared too. Let’s stick together.”

And from behind, I heard Emily’s voice.

She had already grabbed the hem of my clothes, slightly pulling on them.

Having three clingy girls was incredibly uncomfortable.

“Hmm, this is quite something. I’m glad I came. What a heart-pounding sight!”

“How do you manage to act like that? I admire you as a man.”

“You really charmed three girls… What a playboy.”

Alicia, Adrian, and Ellice were each enjoying the comical scene.

If I had known this would happen, I should have come with a more elite group.

“Alright, I’m opening the door.”

Leading the group, Ziegfried, the least scared among us, stepped into the mansion.

━ Creak...

As the old door, which hadn’t been opened in a long time, creaked, dust and stale air rushed out.

“Ugh! Ugh! Dust got in!”

Starting with Alicia, who let out a dramatic gasp, the eerie atmosphere of the mansion revealed itself.

“...Oh, it’s cleaner inside than I expected?”

“Can you not say ominous things?”

“What’s so ominous about that! It’s actually you, Ken, who’s scaring us!”

As if she accidentally cast a spell to summon a blue goblin, Ellice protested while shivering.

But just like she said, the inside was cleaner than expected.

Was the dust only on the door?

No... There must be another reason why it looked clean inside.

“Is this really the mansion...? The structure is different from what we saw outside?”

Emily reacted after we entered through the door.

That’s right.

Originally, we expected to be welcomed by a spacious hall, but what greeted us was a long, narrow corridor.

There were no windows, no frames—just peculiar wallpaper and slightly dim lighting.

At the end of the corridor stood another door, the only one.

“Do we have to go there...?”

“Yes, since there’s only one door.”

“Eek, K, Ken. Please don’t leave my side.”

Perhaps now they might regret coming. If I had known they would be this scared, I would have warned them earlier.

For someone who’s quite immune to horror games, this event was just a simple mansion exploration to me.

Still, it’s better to be safe than sorry; nothing should happen to us.

Click, clack.

The sound of eight pairs of feet on the smooth marble floor echoed down the corridor.

I could hear a few of them nervously swallowing dry gulps.

Before long, we reached the end of the corridor.

“Nothing much is happening so far!”

Alicia seemed to have lost her fear, instead wearing a curious and cheerful smile as she bounced on her feet.

Unlike before, this time I stepped forward and stood in front of the door.

“Well, I’m going to open the door and go in. If anything happens afterward, please don’t panic, and if it gets too scary, you can just turn around and leave.”

I explained even how to back out of the event, looking around at the others.

Adrian and Alicia were smiling.

Ziegfried had a stoic expression.

And the others seemed nervous or trembling.

Confirming everyone’s condition, I turned back and grasped the doorknob.

Now, opening this door would mark the true beginning of the event.

The problem was that I had no idea what the first challenge would be. It was random.

It could be a quiz or a search for an item.

Feeling a bit tense about that part, I slowly opened the door and stepped inside.

Then the rest followed me into the room in turn.

As Ken opened the door to the eerie room, the others followed one by one.

Somehow, it felt like there was a strange barrier at the threshold of the door.

After squinting against the bright light for a moment...

Once the surroundings started to come into view...

“...K-Ken.”

“Raphne? ...Where are the others?”

In the room, only Ken and Raphne remained.

Ken felt a bit confused by that.

In the game, events were designed for two players, so he hadn’t anticipated the other participants vanishing.

Visit frёewebnoѵel.ƈo๓ for the b𝘦st novel reading experience.

‘...There’s nothing to worry about, right?’

It was likely a two-person event where the other participants had all paired off to enter their respective rooms.

Just as Ken was thinking that...

“M-Mary? Where is everyone? Ken, where are you?”

“E-Emily... Oh no, I don’t know either... Just don’t let go of me!”

Mary’s voice trembled, and Emily comforted her.

“Wow! Everyone disappeared! ...And here we are, left alone! What’s going to happen to the pretty boy now?”

“Ugh... This is a bit unsettling.”

Alicia exclaimed excitedly, while Adrian observed their surroundings, resting his chin on his hand.

“Z-Zieg! Everyone’s gone! Isn’t this a big problem? What if we can’t go back?”

“Ken said, if it’s scary, we can just leave. And don’t worry, I’m here.”

“Ugh…”

Lastly, Ellice and Ziegfried paired up and entered their room.

Though they all arrived in different rooms, the structure was identical.

On one wall of the room, there was a bed, and a small table.

Across from the entrance was another solitary door.

“...What is this?”

Looking towards the exit, Ken’s expression turned anxious.

The others felt the same way.

Above the exit door, there was a note detailing the way to escape this room.

[■ You can exit only by completing the task.]