Simone froze, still holding the jewel.
"...Uh?"
What the heck just now?
"...Uh?"
What the heck just now?
It was so sudden that she couldn't really grasp the situation.
Simone stood frozen for a long time, thinking back on what she had done and what had happened.
Louis headed to the door to lock it, while Abel used his incredible strength to overturn all the furniture.
Bianchi was using his skills to raid the Emperor's tightly locked vault, while Orkan had his hand on the wall, ready to cast a sensing spell.
In that situation, a familiar jewel appeared in the drawer that Simone was opening, and the moment she picked it up, the entire group disappeared like dust...?
‘Even if I look back, I still don’t get it...’
No, this is nonsense.
Simone barely managed to get up from her frozen body. Her body was moving again, but her heart was still pounding hard.
Why is it disappearing?
Like this all of a sudden? Like people caught in a nuclear explosion in a movie, all at once and without a bone to be picked up?
This was an absolutely ridiculous situation.
Simone began to look around the room, denying reality.
This is literally a state of mental breakdown.
It is even more confusing because they did not disappear out of nowhere, but rather turned to dust and disappeared right before her eyes.
'Hey, no way. No, that can't be true.'
They are the main characters.
There's no way the main characters would risk their lives for a jewel like this.
There were many things more dangerous than jewels on their journey, but didn't the main characters overcome all the trials and eventually defeat the Demon King?
Why would they disappear from here?
'So this is a curse.'
Simone stared at the jewel in her hand. She must have fallen into a trap again.
Just like when she entered the mansion of the Viscount Delang, she fell into a trap set by the Occult Society.
So after everything is resolved, the group all returns.
“...Phew.”
Simone finally pulled herself together.
When she thought of it as a curse, her mind became more at ease.
Simone exhaled once more and slowly left the room.
If this is a curse, staying in this bedroom won't solve it.
First, let's find a collaborator to help Simone investigate the castle.
'I wonder if the Marquis of Barrington is in the office too?'
He would probably help without hesitation if he were told that the Crown Prince had disappeared under a curse.
'This really sucks.'
Simone sat down with a vain look on her face.
She doesn't know how to express how she feels right now.
Feeling empty? Do you feel like you're standing alone in a vast ocean, a sea where nothing can pass?
She didn't know, but anyway, she felt utterly lost.
There is no one.
There really wasn't a single person in this huge castle.
Simone recalled the scenery when she first arrived at the castle.
The castle was full of nobles and servants, and she thought, "There are too many people. A castle is a very noisy place. It must be tiring."
But all those people disappeared.
This means that there is no one to ask for help and no one to cooperate with to determine the situation.
Simobe circled this huge castle three times. She even went into areas where the general public was prohibited from entering to check if anyone was there, but there was no one there.
Not only was there no one but of course, there were no clues to figure out what was going on.
'That's because this is what happened as soon as I picked up the jewel.'
The clue is just this gem, the occult society.
That's all.
'Then, is it possible that this jewel was the cause of the Emperor's body being taken over? In what way was this jewel?'
Simone paused for a moment to think, then raised her head and looked down the long, stretched-out hallway.
'I don't know.'
If something goes wrong, it goes very wrong.
'What can I do now?'
What can I do to get closer to you?
Simone clutched the jewel in her hand tightly.
There's no need to panic or be scared. Every curse she's ever experienced started out like this.
There must be a way.
Ta-da-da-dak!
Simone suddenly raised her head at the sound of footsteps.
'Footsteps!'
It wasn't the sound of footsteps that could be heard inside the castle, but it was the sound of someone running urgently.
Simone looked at the end of the hallway where the sound had come from, feeling both glad and wary.
The sound of footsteps was getting closer.
'If it's a person, just talk to it. If it's a ghost, just run away.'
The hallway is so wide that there is plenty of room to escape.
As she was staring at him like that, someone quickly appeared and disappeared from the right corner to the left corner at the end of the hallway.
“Huh?”
Simone stood up awkwardly, shouting without realizing it.
He passed by so quickly that she couldn't see him clearly, but he was definitely blonde hair.
Uncommon blonde, blonde like the light of the sun.
'Louis.'
Simone reflexively walked towards him.
Normally, chasing someone out of suspicion would be something to think carefully about.
'What are I going to do if I don't chase after him?'
For now, she won't chase after him, but she'll just sit here in vain and pray for the situation to change.
Oh well, actually, there was no need for a long explanation, her legs were already moving on their own in the direction where the blond man had disappeared.
This place where there is nothing.
Whoever that person is, he's probably the only person who can get information about this situation right now.
Crunch- crunch-
Again.
Crunch- crunch-
Another sound was coming from somewhere, but Simone didn't notice.
"Ha."
Simone burst out laughing.
“Wow... It’s hidden.”
She circled the castle a few more times. But the blond man from before as if he had been hallucinating, didn't show a single hair.
Even though she went around calling him ‘Your Highness, Your Highness’, she got nothing.
Now Simkne was starting to feel mentally exhausted.
How long do I have to go around and around this castle?
But the silver lining is that she found out a few things while she was wandering around.
First, the castle's doors and windows.
The doors inside the castle can be opened and closed freely, but the doors leading outside the castle are tightly shut and cannot be opened. The same goes for the windows.
In short, Simone is now trapped in the castle.
Next, the view outside the window.
It had been quite some time since Simone had wandered the castle alone after her companions had turned to dust and disappeared.
Even though it didn't feel like a long time, she walked around this large castle seven times.
According to Louis, the castle was so large that it would take about two hours to see the whole thing, excluding the gardens, so roughly speaking, she walked around for fourteen hours.
Despite this, the scenery outside the window remained unchanged.
The sun was still shining and the birds were chirping, creating a beautiful, picturesque scene.
Even though it should have been pitch black after fourteen hours.
“This is driving me crazy. Seriously.”
Simone sat down on a chair in the hallway that was roughly in front of her, swearing.
'This is another world.'
It's like the old popular horror story about 'how to get to another world' comes to mind.
For example, there are ghost stories about going to another world by pressing an elevator button, or covering yourself with the blanket all the way to your head while using your phone, and then suddenly feeling something strange and lifting the blanket to open it, you realize that it looks like your room, but you have a feeling that it is not really your room, but some space in another world.
'What the heck, really?'
It was when she was lying on her back with her body sagging and rolling her head endlessly.
Crunch- crunch-
An irregular footstep sound was heard.
"Huh?"
Simone raised her head and looked in the direction of the sound.
The sound of shoes? It's a different sound from the one made by the blond man who was running around barefoot earlier.
'Is there anyone else?'
As Simone focused on the direction from which the sound came, a woman in a red dress slowly, staggered towards her from a distance.
"Uh?"
Coming here? Simone sat up without realizing it.
'Where have I seen that woman?'
Where have I seen you?
Simone stood frozen for a long time, thinking back on what she had done and what had happened.
Louis headed to the door to lock it, while Abel used his incredible strength to overturn all the furniture.
Bianchi was using his skills to raid the Emperor's tightly locked vault, while Orkan had his hand on the wall, ready to cast a sensing spell.
In that situation, a familiar jewel appeared in the drawer that Simone was opening, and the moment she picked it up, the entire group disappeared like dust...?
‘Even if I look back, I still don’t get it...’
No, this is nonsense.
Simone barely managed to get up from her frozen body. Her body was moving again, but her heart was still pounding hard.
Why is it disappearing?
Like this all of a sudden? Like people caught in a nuclear explosion in a movie, all at once and without a bone to be picked up?
This was an absolutely ridiculous situation.
Simone began to look around the room, denying reality.
This is literally a state of mental breakdown.
It is even more confusing because they did not disappear out of nowhere, but rather turned to dust and disappeared right before her eyes.
'Hey, no way. No, that can't be true.'
They are the main characters.
There's no way the main characters would risk their lives for a jewel like this.
There were many things more dangerous than jewels on their journey, but didn't the main characters overcome all the trials and eventually defeat the Demon King?
Why would they disappear from here?
'So this is a curse.'
Simone stared at the jewel in her hand. She must have fallen into a trap again.
Just like when she entered the mansion of the Viscount Delang, she fell into a trap set by the Occult Society.
So after everything is resolved, the group all returns.
“...Phew.”
Simone finally pulled herself together.
When she thought of it as a curse, her mind became more at ease.
Simone exhaled once more and slowly left the room.
If this is a curse, staying in this bedroom won't solve it.
First, let's find a collaborator to help Simone investigate the castle.
'I wonder if the Marquis of Barrington is in the office too?'
He would probably help without hesitation if he were told that the Crown Prince had disappeared under a curse.
***
'This really sucks.'
Simone sat down with a vain look on her face.
She doesn't know how to express how she feels right now.
Feeling empty? Do you feel like you're standing alone in a vast ocean, a sea where nothing can pass?
She didn't know, but anyway, she felt utterly lost.
There is no one.
There really wasn't a single person in this huge castle.
Simone recalled the scenery when she first arrived at the castle.
The castle was full of nobles and servants, and she thought, "There are too many people. A castle is a very noisy place. It must be tiring."
But all those people disappeared.
This means that there is no one to ask for help and no one to cooperate with to determine the situation.
Simobe circled this huge castle three times. She even went into areas where the general public was prohibited from entering to check if anyone was there, but there was no one there.
Not only was there no one but of course, there were no clues to figure out what was going on.
'That's because this is what happened as soon as I picked up the jewel.'
The clue is just this gem, the occult society.
That's all.
'Then, is it possible that this jewel was the cause of the Emperor's body being taken over? In what way was this jewel?'
Simone paused for a moment to think, then raised her head and looked down the long, stretched-out hallway.
'I don't know.'
If something goes wrong, it goes very wrong.
'What can I do now?'
What can I do to get closer to you?
Simone clutched the jewel in her hand tightly.
There's no need to panic or be scared. Every curse she's ever experienced started out like this.
There must be a way.
Ta-da-da-dak!
Simone suddenly raised her head at the sound of footsteps.
'Footsteps!'
It wasn't the sound of footsteps that could be heard inside the castle, but it was the sound of someone running urgently.
Simone looked at the end of the hallway where the sound had come from, feeling both glad and wary.
The sound of footsteps was getting closer.
'If it's a person, just talk to it. If it's a ghost, just run away.'
The hallway is so wide that there is plenty of room to escape.
As she was staring at him like that, someone quickly appeared and disappeared from the right corner to the left corner at the end of the hallway.
“Huh?”
Simone stood up awkwardly, shouting without realizing it.
He passed by so quickly that she couldn't see him clearly, but he was definitely blonde hair.
Uncommon blonde, blonde like the light of the sun.
'Louis.'
Simone reflexively walked towards him.
Normally, chasing someone out of suspicion would be something to think carefully about.
'What are I going to do if I don't chase after him?'
For now, she won't chase after him, but she'll just sit here in vain and pray for the situation to change.
Oh well, actually, there was no need for a long explanation, her legs were already moving on their own in the direction where the blond man had disappeared.
This place where there is nothing.
Whoever that person is, he's probably the only person who can get information about this situation right now.
Crunch- crunch-
Again.
Crunch- crunch-
Another sound was coming from somewhere, but Simone didn't notice.
***
"Ha."
Simone burst out laughing.
“Wow... It’s hidden.”
She circled the castle a few more times. But the blond man from before as if he had been hallucinating, didn't show a single hair.
Even though she went around calling him ‘Your Highness, Your Highness’, she got nothing.
Now Simkne was starting to feel mentally exhausted.
How long do I have to go around and around this castle?
But the silver lining is that she found out a few things while she was wandering around.
First, the castle's doors and windows.
The doors inside the castle can be opened and closed freely, but the doors leading outside the castle are tightly shut and cannot be opened. The same goes for the windows.
In short, Simone is now trapped in the castle.
Next, the view outside the window.
It had been quite some time since Simone had wandered the castle alone after her companions had turned to dust and disappeared.
Even though it didn't feel like a long time, she walked around this large castle seven times.
According to Louis, the castle was so large that it would take about two hours to see the whole thing, excluding the gardens, so roughly speaking, she walked around for fourteen hours.
Despite this, the scenery outside the window remained unchanged.
The sun was still shining and the birds were chirping, creating a beautiful, picturesque scene.
Even though it should have been pitch black after fourteen hours.
“This is driving me crazy. Seriously.”
Simone sat down on a chair in the hallway that was roughly in front of her, swearing.
'This is another world.'
It's like the old popular horror story about 'how to get to another world' comes to mind.
For example, there are ghost stories about going to another world by pressing an elevator button, or covering yourself with the blanket all the way to your head while using your phone, and then suddenly feeling something strange and lifting the blanket to open it, you realize that it looks like your room, but you have a feeling that it is not really your room, but some space in another world.
'What the heck, really?'
It was when she was lying on her back with her body sagging and rolling her head endlessly.
Crunch- crunch-
An irregular footstep sound was heard.
"Huh?"
Simone raised her head and looked in the direction of the sound.
The sound of shoes? It's a different sound from the one made by the blond man who was running around barefoot earlier.
'Is there anyone else?'
As Simone focused on the direction from which the sound came, a woman in a red dress slowly, staggered towards her from a distance.
"Uh?"
Coming here? Simone sat up without realizing it.
'Where have I seen that woman?'
Where have I seen you?
A woman wearing a dress as red as blood and red shoes.
Crunch- crunch-
And the kitchen knife in the woman's hand.
Simone's eyes widened.
'That woman...'
Forty-fourth, when you meet a woman in a red dress, shout out loud, “The Grand Duke is out,” and run away.
Look closely at what the woman is holding in her hand.
That woman is the woman in the red dress who was created by the curse of Illeston Manor.
A curse that should not be seen here was approaching here.
"Why?"
Why is that woman here?
The moment Simone looks puzzled.
Dadad...
The woman ran at full speed and in an instant, raised her kitchen knife high in the air and stabbed Simone.
Gyaaa...
“Ahh! Oh! Ahhh!”
The blunt knife mercilessly cut through Simone's body, and blood spurted everywhere, soaking the castle.
That's how Simone died.
Crunch- crunch-
And the kitchen knife in the woman's hand.
Simone's eyes widened.
'That woman...'
Forty-fourth, when you meet a woman in a red dress, shout out loud, “The Grand Duke is out,” and run away.
Look closely at what the woman is holding in her hand.
That woman is the woman in the red dress who was created by the curse of Illeston Manor.
A curse that should not be seen here was approaching here.
"Why?"
Why is that woman here?
The moment Simone looks puzzled.
Dadad...
The woman ran at full speed and in an instant, raised her kitchen knife high in the air and stabbed Simone.
Gyaaa...
“Ahh! Oh! Ahhh!”
The blunt knife mercilessly cut through Simone's body, and blood spurted everywhere, soaking the castle.
That's how Simone died.
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