"Thank you for saving our servants. I know it's a bit much, but how about staying at our house while you're in town?"
A scene that always appears at least once in a book or comic about a hero's adventures.
An NPC who provides a place to stay in return for saving them. This scene usually appears when the main characters stay in one area for a long time and progress through several episodes.
Simone never thought such a scene would happen here.
Grand Duke Illeston, who was a villain in the original work, was reborn as an NPC who takes responsibility for the accommodations of the main characters.
"Ha!"
Abel smiled brightly and said, perhaps thinking that Simone's empty laughter was a welcoming laugh.
“This place is on a whole other level than any other place I’ve stayed at before. It’s really great.”
Luckily, Louis noticed Simone's nervousness and changed the subject.
“So when are you going to go to the closed orphanage that Marquis Barrington mentioned?”
“There’s no reason to waste time. Let’s go tomorrow.”
“Okay, I’ll come back tomorrow then.”
“Huh? Hey, you! Where are you going!”
“Do you think we’ll let you go easily?”
"...Come on?"
Abel and Bianchi caught Louis as he was about to leave after saying goodbye.
“Hey, since it’s come to this, you should stay here with me!”
“Only until we leave!”
Louis was dragged towards the room where they were staying by Abel.
Just like in the original, they quickly became colleagues.
***
The next day, Simone finished getting ready to go out and came out of her room to look around.
“There is no escort knight?”
Does this mean that Grand Duke Illeston's trust in Simone has deepened?
Even though she was going out, he did not assign a separate escort to watch over her and instead entrusted her escort solely to Louis and Abel.
Of course, Simone found this much more comfortable.
“Simone, I’ve put everything I think you’ll need for going out in your bag! And I’ve also put the amulet, Simone’s wallet, and the money my master gave me this morning in it!”
Rather than the Grand Duke of Illeston, Anna was more worried about sending her away, so she followed her around and gave her advice and nagging.
“You must eat on the way! I have also taken care of other people’s portions, so please eat properly and don’t get hurt! Oh, but just in case you get hurt, please bring some ointment or simple medicine-”
“Okay, I understand.”
Anna seems to think of Simone as someone who grew up beautifully like a noble young lady.
She is the one who ran away from the orphanage to Illeston Manor alone without even dyeing her hair.
'I'm sure I'll do well on my own.'
What are you so anxious about, huh?
Simone patted Anna's head as if she was satisfied and headed to the meeting room where she was to meet with Abel and his group.
“Uh- you’re here?”
“You’re here.”
“Are you here?”
Abel and the three musketeers greeted her comfortably. Simone gave them a quick morning greeting and looked around.
“What about Wren?”
“Ah- Wren-”
“He went. Home. Last night.”
As Abel became more and more angry, Orkan spoke to him as if he was rebuking him.
“I told you that Wren doesn’t like sleeping with other people. He has a house nearby, so why would he want to sleep tangled up with other people?”
“Ah- As expected, Crown Prince, you are truly a young master-”
Simone tilted her head as she listened to Abel and his group.
“Is there a house nearby?”
The Crown Prince's house? Isn't the Crown Prince's house a castle?
The castle of the Luan Empire is naturally far from the Illeston Manor, which is located outside the castle walls.
So she used to admire the passion and desperation of those who traveled such great distances every time just to investigate the necromancer.
Then Bianchi smiled and said.
“Didn’t you know? Wren lives not far from this Grand Duke.”
"Oh yeah?"
Simone chuckled softly. She wondered how he got here so early, but it seemed like he had purposely bought a house nearby.
As expected, he is a Prince born with a silver spoon in his mouth.
'He just bought a house.'
At that moment, Louis came into the reception room, and they all got into the carriage and headed to the orphanage that Barrington had mentioned.
***
“...People lived in a place like this?”
“It was just roughly made out of planks?”
As the group arrived at the orphanage and began to talk about the condition of the facility, Simone just stared blankly at the orphanage.
So that's why he said that Duke Illestone would know about this orphanage.
This closed orphanage is none other than the one where Simone lived and ran away.
'I never thought I'd come back here like this.'
It was closed in the meantime.
As Simone stood there blankly, Louis approached her.
“Why are you doing that?”
"Ah."
Simone looked around the building broadly. After being in Illeston's mansion, she saw once again that it really wasn't a place for people to live.
Simone answered with her complicated feelings behind her.
“This is where I used to live.”
Louis stopped and looked at Simone with a surprised face.
“Did you say you lived here?”
“Yes. It’s the orphanage I ran away from.”
She was living in an orphanage. And in this crumbling place at that.
In a closed place where the Grand Duke's support money was not used for children.
“...How could that be?”
Louis never dreamed she had such a past.
He used to think that she would live comfortably, eating and drinking in luxury and taking on commissions like she did now.
In a place like this.
Louis clenched his fists.
“How did you come to be under the protection of the Grand Duke of Illeston?”
Simone said without realizing it.
“I almost got sold to the Occult Society. The director wanted to sell me to the Occult Society because I was the only necromancer left. So I had nowhere else to run but here.”
She heard that the Illestons were suffering from a curse.
Simone said in a slightly bitter voice.
How did I end up in this situation?
She's been running forward without looking back, but when she sees this place where it all started, her heart starts to feel strange again.
“Ugh!”
At that moment, Simone frowned at the heaviness that suddenly weighed down on her shoulders.
Die
The old ghost who had appeared after a long time showed her delight by lightly carrying her on her shoulder.
“Why are you doing that?”
“Oh, on my shoulder right now, no, no.”
What am I talking about?
Simone wondered where the ghost had gone, but it seemed she had returned here when Simone was in the cursed mansion.
'Then the something with nine arms that the Marquis of Barrington spoke of must be this woman.'
One solution.
“Anyway, I’m glad that Grand Duke Illeston accepted me so well, right?”
Simone lightly shook off the mood and headed towards Abel and his group.
“Simone, are you ready to go in now?”
Abel approached her closely and asked, and Simone nodded and headed towards the orphanage building without saying a word.
As Simone walked, Abel and his group and Louis followed behind her.
This is probably how Simone felt in the original.
It was understandable that the timid Simone was becoming more and more courageous and bold.
Those damn guys above.
It's quite sturdy and reliable, so it seems like it'll cover whatever you throw at it.
Even if the opponent is a ghost, it seems like they will protect her unconditionally.
Because the people who are together are the main characters!
Before they knew it, Simone and her group had arrived at the entrance of the building.
“I'll open it.”
“Huh, so quickly?”
Simone pretended not to hear Bianchi's fuss and grabbed the handle.
Squeak-
The door opened with difficulty, with a creaking sound.
“Let’s go in.”
“I will take the lead.”
Louis took the lead, then Simone, and then Abel and his party went in one by one.
“Is it daytime now? Why is it so dark?”
“Ouch, it stinks! I can’t breathe.”
“Ugh! It stank! Oh, it must be dark in the hallway because there are no windows.”
Even though it was daytime inside the orphanage, the hallways were dark and stale because there were no windows.
This was a different scent of determination than the fraud that always accompanied curses.
The smell of rotting food, old clothes, and decaying furniture. And even the smell of mold.
It wasn't just the usual dreary smell you'd expect from a ruin, it was a smell that had a hint of life, a dirty smell.
Louis, who had been taking steps forward nervously, stopped and tilted his head as if he couldn't do it.
“It’s too dark. I won’t be able to see what’s inside like this.”
“I knew this would happen, so I prepared-”
Bianchi quickly took a candle out of her bag.
“As expected, Bianchi. Amazing!”
Abel gave Bianchi a thumbs up and Orkan lit the candle she had brought with fire magic.
“If you brought this, you should have taken it out a long time ago, Bianchi.”
As Orkan spoke in passing, Bianchi pouted and snapped, asking why he was complaining about something he didn't like.
But anyway, thanks to Bianchi, the hallway became brighter.
As the surroundings brightened, the gruesome sight became clearly visible.
Rotten food, vomit, broken furniture, broken glass, and blood stains of unknown origin.
“...It’s scary.”
Bianchi muttered quietly and the others were speechless.
Simone walked ahead of those who stood frozen still.
“Let’s just keep going in.”
“Ugh!”
At that moment, Simone frowned at the heaviness that suddenly weighed down on her shoulders.
Die
The old ghost who had appeared after a long time showed her delight by lightly carrying her on her shoulder.
“Why are you doing that?”
“Oh, on my shoulder right now, no, no.”
What am I talking about?
Simone wondered where the ghost had gone, but it seemed she had returned here when Simone was in the cursed mansion.
'Then the something with nine arms that the Marquis of Barrington spoke of must be this woman.'
One solution.
“Anyway, I’m glad that Grand Duke Illeston accepted me so well, right?”
Simone lightly shook off the mood and headed towards Abel and his group.
“Simone, are you ready to go in now?”
Abel approached her closely and asked, and Simone nodded and headed towards the orphanage building without saying a word.
As Simone walked, Abel and his group and Louis followed behind her.
This is probably how Simone felt in the original.
It was understandable that the timid Simone was becoming more and more courageous and bold.
Those damn guys above.
It's quite sturdy and reliable, so it seems like it'll cover whatever you throw at it.
Even if the opponent is a ghost, it seems like they will protect her unconditionally.
Because the people who are together are the main characters!
Before they knew it, Simone and her group had arrived at the entrance of the building.
“I'll open it.”
“Huh, so quickly?”
Simone pretended not to hear Bianchi's fuss and grabbed the handle.
Squeak-
The door opened with difficulty, with a creaking sound.
“Let’s go in.”
“I will take the lead.”
Louis took the lead, then Simone, and then Abel and his party went in one by one.
“Is it daytime now? Why is it so dark?”
“Ouch, it stinks! I can’t breathe.”
“Ugh! It stank! Oh, it must be dark in the hallway because there are no windows.”
Even though it was daytime inside the orphanage, the hallways were dark and stale because there were no windows.
This was a different scent of determination than the fraud that always accompanied curses.
The smell of rotting food, old clothes, and decaying furniture. And even the smell of mold.
It wasn't just the usual dreary smell you'd expect from a ruin, it was a smell that had a hint of life, a dirty smell.
Louis, who had been taking steps forward nervously, stopped and tilted his head as if he couldn't do it.
“It’s too dark. I won’t be able to see what’s inside like this.”
“I knew this would happen, so I prepared-”
Bianchi quickly took a candle out of her bag.
“As expected, Bianchi. Amazing!”
Abel gave Bianchi a thumbs up and Orkan lit the candle she had brought with fire magic.
“If you brought this, you should have taken it out a long time ago, Bianchi.”
As Orkan spoke in passing, Bianchi pouted and snapped, asking why he was complaining about something he didn't like.
But anyway, thanks to Bianchi, the hallway became brighter.
As the surroundings brightened, the gruesome sight became clearly visible.
Rotten food, vomit, broken furniture, broken glass, and blood stains of unknown origin.
“...It’s scary.”
Bianchi muttered quietly and the others were speechless.
Simone walked ahead of those who stood frozen still.
“Let’s just keep going in.”
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