Cursed Villainess' Obsession-Chapter 49

With the sound of scissors crossing, the pain she felt surfaced again, reviving the horror of her body being cut away in her memories.

“I don’t want this, I don’t want this—!!”

Screaming, Emily shook her head violently, crouching on the floor as she crawled away from the woman.

But soon she bumped into the wall.

“N-No, don’t come near me…!”

As the woman’s figure drew closer, Emily’s despair began to show as tears streamed down her cheeks.

Her face turned pale, and as her trembling gaze recalled death, suddenly—

━ Bang!!

“E-Emily! Are you okay?!”

With a swift kick from Raphne nearby, the long-haired woman was thrown against the wall.

The vibrations echoed through the mansion, and the wall cracked.

“Whoa! Wh-What’s happening?!”

The voices of Ellice and the others, who rushed in after hearing the noise, brought a short end to the trauma.

“Ugh, Raphne…”

Emily looked at Raphne, who had saved her, with tear-filled eyes.

“Thank you, thank you… ugh, thank you…”

“Umm, it’s okay… Huh? E-Emily?”

“Ugh, thank you…”

As the tears flowed, Emily, who had panicked, calmed down with Raphne’s help.

Raphne gently stroked Emily’s head, remembering how Ken had done the same for her when she had cried.

‘...I must have felt this way too.’

Imagining how she would cling to Ken, Raphne looked at the weeping Emily.

“Whoa… I guess this is what Ken meant by illusions.”

“Indeed, so this is how it comes out… There’s definitely something real here.”

Ziegfried and Ellice, who had come rushing over, watched the disappearing scissor-wielding woman vanish into dust.

“…I hope the others are alright.”

“They said they wouldn’t get hurt, so they should be fine.”

“Given Emily’s state, it seems injuries are not the main concern.”

Ellice gazed at the trembling Emily with worry in her eyes.

And in another room...

Meanwhile, Adrian, also searching for keys, stood abruptly in front of a door.

“Senpai? What are you doing, just standing there?”

Alicia, who was exploring the area with him, looked at the room he was staring at.

“Wow… What is all this? Ugh, disgusting!”

The sight Adrian was looking at was a mound of corpses strewn across a space far too wide to be considered a room in the mansion.

“…Is this what Ken meant by illusions?”

An illusion that stirred the fears within human hearts.

As he observed the scene, Adrian tightened his grip on the doorknob.

“What a revolting mansion.”

Then he raised one hand, snapping his fingers.

━ Whoosh.

A small spark ignited at the tip of his fingers.

He intended to burn it all.

Just as he was about to unleash a massive flame...

“Kyaaaa!! What are you doing, you crazy senpai?!”

━ Smack.

Alicia’s small hand struck Adrian on the head.

“Are you planning to burn down the mansion?! Have you lost your mind?! We’ll all die!”

Adrian extinguished the spark on his hand in response to Alicia’s panicked shout.

In that moment, he realized what he had almost done.

‘...Setting the mansion on fire.’

It was something Adrian wouldn’t normally consider.

He had failed to think rationally in front of the horrifying sight.

“...I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to see something so dreadful.”

“Don’t apologize if you’re going to act like an arsonist!”

Leaving behind the apologizing Adrian, Alicia glanced back and forth between the gruesome scene and him.

“Is it really that unpleasant to look at?”

“Anyone would dislike a pile of corpses.”

“Phew, I can’t just let this go!”

With hands on her hips, Alicia puffed out her chest. Adrian tilted his head at her declaration.

Then, Alicia placed her hand on his shoulder and looked him in the eye.

“Now, in this mansion, nothing terrible will be seen.”

A peculiar pattern floated above her eyes.

As her voice rang out, the magical energy from her eyes flowed into Adrian’s.

In that moment, the mound of corpses before him vanished.

“How about that? Isn’t it wonderful? Don’t I deserve some praise?”

As Adrian’s fear dissipated, the frightening scenery in the room disappeared along with it.

Seeing this, Alicia smiled smugly and demanded compliments.

Adrian, who had been staring at everything in astonishment, smiled lightly and ruffled her hair.

“I owe you one. Thanks.”

At the sudden gesture, Alicia’s cheeks flushed.

“It’s a bit embarrassing when you do this, you know.”

“Wasn’t this what you wanted?”

“Well, yes, but…”

After resolving the illusion, they returned to the search for the key.

As they listened to the commotion of the other group, Ken and Mary were rummaging through a room together.

“W-What’s happening with everyone…?”

Mary, who was opening a wardrobe, spoke with a trembling voice, feeling a chill.

“…Hmm, they might be seeing something scary.”

True to its name, the Ghost Mansion of Goongpo was modeled after a haunted house.

Remembering the various sights from this event in the game, Ken answered nonchalantly.

“Ken… aren’t you scared?”

Mary questioned him with a hint of doubt in her voice.

“Well, …it’s not like anyone’s getting hurt, and they’re all illusions. Once you realize it’s fake, it becomes boring.”

“That’s impressive… I want to be brave like you, Ken.”

“Haha, I’m not brave, Mary. I just don’t find it scary.”

Unlike Ken’s calm demeanor, Mary felt disheartened by her trembling.

Noticing her distress, Ken continued speaking.

“Actually, you, who are scared but still challenge yourself, are the brave one, Mary.”

“...Is that so?”

Ken’s kind words were clearly intended to comfort her, but hearing him say she was brave brought her joy.

As Mary smiled shyly, her previously fearful emotions began to fade.

“Well, it seems there’s no key here, so shall we check another room?”

As Ken stood up to leave the room, preparing to exit, just as he was about to step out...

Splash.

A sound that should not have been heard echoed beneath Ken's feet.

With a strange sensation beneath them, both Ken and Mary looked down.

━ A massive puddle had formed at his feet.

In this unrealistic scene where something should not exist appeared, Ken stared at the puddle in shock.

“W-Whoa!!”

Swish! Splash!

The support beneath his feet vanished, and he was swiftly sucked into the water.

“Ken!!”

Seeing this, Mary’s face turned pale, and she immediately dropped to the ground, calling out his name.

But it was too late; she couldn’t reach Ken, who was already submerged.

‘...I need to call someone else…!’

Knowing she was of no help in saving him, Mary turned to exit the room.

But—

There was no door where it should have been.

“...Huh?”

A plain wall.

The wall was solidly built, with no door leading to an exit anywhere.

“N-No, no…!!”

She knocked and pressed against the wall, but the door she had just entered through wouldn’t reappear.

━ Bang!!

Even if she tried to break down the wall with a massive ice spear, all she found were more bricks behind the wreckage.

“Ken…”

With no way to open the door and unable to seek help, despair flooded Mary as she stared at the tranquil surface of the water.

If this continued, he would drown.

She had to go in and save him.

...But the fear of getting wet held her back.

Her body froze with the sensation of being submerged in water.

Just then, bubbles rose to the surface.

‘If I don’t do something, Ken will die.’

Images of him lying cold days ago filled Mary’s mind.

The sensation of fear from being wet was nothing compared to the terror of losing him.

In an instant, she dove into the puddle.

Splash!

“...Ken!”

With a pale face, Mary, trembling in fear, swam through the water, spotting Ken deep beneath the surface.

“...Ventus…!”

As she expelled air and her voice resonated underwater, she spoke the incantation for the beginner wind spell.

With the incantation, the wind gathered around her legs, propelling her forward.

At an incredible speed, she quickly reached Ken’s side.

“Whoosh!”

Thanks to her help, Ken resurfaced, gasping for breath, and immediately pulled the shivering Mary up with him.

“Are you okay?! You’re all soaked!”

As the two emerged onto the mansion's wooden floor, the puddle beneath them vanished.

Ken quickly pulled a large towel from his pocket dimension and began to dry her off.

Mary trembled as her body soaked with water.

Ken looked at her with worried eyes, knowing how much fear being wet would instill in her.

But despite trembling, Mary smiled at him with a pale face.

“...I’m so glad.”

“I’m sorry. It was my carelessness that put you in this situation…”

“No, ...it’s alright.”

With her drenched body, Mary leaned her head against his chest.

“...More than being wet... it was scarier thinking Ken might die.”

Now that they were saved, Mary felt more relief than fear about being soaked.

The image of Ken lying cold and unresponsive rose again.

The trauma of that moment was far more frightening now.

So, she felt grateful for being wet instead.

“Ken-senpai! Ellice-senpai found the key…! W-What’s going on?! You’re all drenched!”

Thus, the key search wrapped up without incident.

“Are you feeling better now?”

“Yes... Thanks to you drying me off, I feel completely fine.”

Just moments ago, Mary had been soaked, but thanks to the dryer I created and multiple dry towels, she was now fluffy and dry.

“Well then, let’s open it.”

Once Mary was all set, we stood before the door leading to the next area.

Adrian, at the front, inserted the key he found into the lock.

Click.

With the sound of the lock clicking into place...

━ Creak.

The massive double doors opened simultaneously, revealing the next room.

If I remembered correctly, this was the final room.

‘...Now it’s time for the important part.’

As the doors opened, a vast empty room awaited us.

The only things in sight were the entrance door and a strange statue opposite it.

Other than that, there were walls made of bricks blocking our path.

“…What are we supposed to do now?”

As the group looked around, Ellice mumbled, unsure.

And then, at that moment—

━ Creak, creak.

“Kyaaa! It moved!”

Emily shouted as she noticed the source of the sound—the statue standing before them.

The statue, a woman’s upper body with wings and a lower body buried in the wall, slowly raised its head.

The image it conjured was unmistakable.

A sphinx.

It looked like a riddle brought from Egypt, and as it lifted its bowed head—

━ Flash.

“Y-You’ve opened your eyes! How creepy!”

As the stone eyelids snapped open, they revealed what looked like living eyes.

The eyes scanned the room with an unsettling gaze, locking onto us.

Then, after a moment, the moving eyes stopped.

[Answer the question I pose; only then will you be granted passage.]

A voice in human language echoed from the statue.

“A question…?”

Ziegfried muttered at the statue’s words.

Then, as if to respond to him, the statue continued.

[However, should your answer be incorrect, you will lose the right to remain here. Leave this place.]

This was the final gate of this mansion event.

It was the reason this event could not be cleared.

‘As expected, it’s this again...’

I had hoped maybe something different would come up, but just like in the game, this creature always appeared at the end to present a question.

The missions leading up to this point had randomly appeared each time the event was attempted.

But the final mission always ended with this statue’s quiz.

And if you got it wrong, the event would end, and everyone would be kicked out of the mansion.

As for the question...

This 𝓬ontent is taken from freeweɓnovel.cѳm.

[Answer what I, who knows everything, do not know.]

It was a paradoxical question.

When I first encountered this event, I had thought there would surely be an answer.

I had searched for other players’ guides and skimmed through the developer’s setting book.

Perhaps there would be a hint in the mansion, so I searched the previous rooms thoroughly for clues.

But the conclusion was...

There was no answer.

No matter what answer I provided, it was deemed incorrect, and I was expelled from the mansion.

Thus, I realized one thing.

This mansion event was never intended to be cleared in the first place.

No, more accurately, being kicked out by this statue was, in a sense, the true ending.

In the end, I had reached this conclusion.

“Answer what you know while knowing everything…”

“How could we know something like that?”

I had thought that with this many people, surely someone would figure out the answer.

But it didn’t seem like that would happen either.

‘...But this is reality.’

An event that could not be cleared.

I was testing whether this event could indeed be cleared. That was my purpose for participating in the Goongpo mansion event.

So, now it was time to find a way, any way possible.

In the game, my only option would have been to answer the question, but...

Now that it was real, maybe I could simply break down the door...

“Aha! I think I know the answer!”

At that moment, Alicia, who had been quietly contemplating, raised her hand.

“Wait, you know the answer?”

“Fufufu, this is easy for me!”

With confidence, Alicia puffed out her chest.

‘...Did she find a hint somewhere?’

Having searched the mansion together, she might have discovered something I missed while playing the game.

“Wait a second, Alicia! If you’re wrong, we’ll get kicked out!”

Emily, seemingly doubtful of her claim, warned her in a panic.

“Don’t worry! I know the correct answer!”

Alicia stepped forward confidently.

Standing before the statue, she readied herself to give her answer.

Swallowing nervously, I felt the tension in the air as we waited for her response.

As Alicia faced the statue, she spoke.

“Open.”

With those words, a pattern arose in the statue’s eyes.

[Yes~!]

Click.

The door opened.