As Simone sat back in her chair and stared out the window for a long time, the group that had left the room began to come back in one by one but stopped when they saw Simone sitting back down.
“What? Simone, why are you doing that?”
“Oh! Is this still here? I’m starting to feel sick again.”
“It still smells good. It smells.”
“When are you bringing me the new meal, Louis?”
“Abel, be quiet.”
Louis silenced Abel, who was looking for a new meal even though his arms were full of food.
And then he looked at Simone's back with a serious face.
“Have you found out anything in the meantime, Simone?”
Everyone's gaze turned to Simone.
Simone stood up, turned around, and said.
“I will not eat any food from this mansion from now on.”
“Huh? Why?”
“Because it doesn’t taste good?”
Simone shook her head and pointed out the window.
“From now on, I will only eat food that I bring from outside.”
What's going on outside the window?
The group looked out the window without knowing what was going on.
Then, Orkan gradually began to notice something strange and his expression hardened.
“Why? Why, everyone?”
“Why is it so serious?”
As Abel and Bianchi, who had not noticed yet, made a fuss, Louis pointed to a spot on the window glass without taking his eyes off the window.
“The bowl...”
"Bowl?"
“There is... no food.”
“What are you talking about-”
Only then did Bianchi look surprised, his mouth tightly shut.
Abel turned his head around, unable to understand the situation, looking back and forth between the plate in the window and the plate full of food in front of him.
“Wren? Why is it like this...”
“I don’t know.”
Simone answered Abel instead of Louis and said:
“There’s something fishy about this mansion. For now, I’d better not eat this strange food. It’s a good thing since it didn’t taste good.”
Louis nodded slightly.
“Okay. Then Orkan and I will buy you some food while you stay here.”
“Well, no. Going out to buy it every time might attract the attention of the people at the Delang Mansion.”
“Then what will you do?”
“Wren, I’m sorry, but I have to go to Illeston Manor for a moment.”
“Is this the Illeston family mansion?... I don’t mind, but what brings you here?”
Simone's expression became unusually serious.
“I will write a letter to the Grand Duke. First, let’s talk about our meals and...”
It seems that she needs to find out about things that she cannot know inside the Delang mansion.
'I should have suspected that old ghost from when she ran away...'
Couldn't that old ghost also act as a danger detector?
Simone didn't have a good feeling about it.
“...Then, should we eat first?”
“Oh, haha! Okay! B, do you want to eat?”
Abel and Bianchi quickly broke the tense atmosphere by distributing the food they had bought outside to the group.
However, no matter how much they tried to lighten the mood by talking, the people in the group eating, including Simone, all just kept their mouths shut and sat there, lost in their own thoughts.
***
That night.
At a time when everyone except for Viscount Delang, who worked late again today, was asleep, Louis quietly left the mansion and headed to Illeston Manor.
And the rest of the group each did their own thing.
Bianchi roamed the mansion without the servants' knowledge, looking for useful information, while Abel hid in the garden and spied on Viscount Delang's room.
And Simone.
“Place your hand on the wall and slowly let mana seep into the area you touch.”
"Slowly?"
“Yes, very slowly, gradually. The shallower and wider the better. Just be careful not to use too much force.”
Simone took advantage of the little time to take a short magic lesson from Orkan.
“...It’s harder than I thought.”
“You’re doing very well for a beginner. Moreover, the amount and depth of mana that Simone possesses is extraordinary, so, amazingly, you’ve made it this far with just this level of teaching.”
Orkan spoke to Simone as if she was a young disciple, and felt the flow of mana while placing his hand on the wall next to hers.
“Yes. It’s spread thinly like this. However, spreading it doesn’t mean you’ll lose your mana. The magic that detects hidden things connects all nerves to the spread mana and looks for any irritants.”
"...Yes."
As expected, Orkan. As the best magician in the Luan Empire, he had given numerous lectures and classes, so he explained how to use detection magic in a way that even Simone, who had no knowledge of magic at all, could understand.
Simone closed her eyes and focused all her attention on the mana spread on the wall.
Something irritating, caught in the faintly spreading mana.
“...I don’t think there is one here.”
As Simone spoke seriously, Orcan nodded with a small smile.
“That’s right. Nothing is detected right now. You did well. From now on, you can just use detection magic like you do now. Fortunately, the way to handle death mana is the same as handling regular mana.”
Simone nodded.
“So, does that mean I can just spread mana on the wall all day and check for any irritants?”
"Yes, it is."
Orkan seemed to be the type to raise his disciples through praise. He seemed delighted as if she had understood very well even though she had only asked him about something trivial.
Simone took her hand off the wall.
From tonight until sunrise, or until the incident occurs, you must keep your hand on this wall and remain alert for any signs of interference.
It would be nice if it was discovered all at once, but she heard that sometimes hidden things disappear completely and only reappear at certain times, so she decided to use detection magic at certain times to check.
It seems like there will be a fairly large mana and spirit drain.
'Of course, this room may be free of trouble, unlike the room of the Viscount Delang.'
She doesn't know. It may be a phenomenon that activates on any floor if she uses the last room alone, even if it's not necessarily Viscount Delang's room.
So while Abel and Bianchi were watching and investigating the mansion, Simone and Orkan decided to check the end rooms of each floor to see if there was anything hidden in the walls.
Orkan thought enough was enough and walked out of the room.
“Then I will also be monitoring from the basement. If anything happens or you have any questions, please call me anytime. If things don’t work out, you can connect to the communications seat.”
“Yes. Thank you, Orkan.”
Orkan returned to his room and Simone sat on the bed, staring at the blank wall.
'The ghost that knocked on the wall might not be the problem.'
Suddenly, that thought occurred to her.
It started with a request to deal with a knocking noise coming from the wall and someone looking into the room from the air, but well.
Is that really all that's wrong with this mansion?
Food that has no taste at all, food that appears in reality but isn't in the window.
The servant who served it even though he should have tasted it.
A new dish that never came even though Louis asked for it.
Of course, this was all the clue they had, but she was really glad they found it early.
Now she can't miss even the little oddities that come up in the next few days.
Simone stared blankly at the wall, then stood up and put her hand out again.
'Slowly, gradually.'
The first night passed like that, with each person doing their own thing.
***
Scratch Scratch Scratch Scratch Scratch Scratch Scratch Scratch Scratch Scratch Scratch-
“Ugh... Ugh...”
The room of the Viscount Delang.
His hands move quickly as he writes under the rapidly melting candlelight.
His skin had turned purple, and his eyes were still sunken.
He stared at the letters written by the hand connected to his body, without blinking, his eyes wide open and filled with blood vessels that seemed ready to burst.
Scratch Scratch Scratch Scratch Scratch Scratch Scratch Scratch Scratch Scratch Scratch Scratch Scratch Scratch Scratch Scratch Scratch-
Jjieeeek-
The paper eventually tore in his hands, which moved so fast that it was invisible to the eye, and before he knew it, he had filled his desk with letters that had nowhere else to turn.
“Clang! Clang, Clang...”
At that time, knock.
The butler came in unsteadily, his eyes rolling back, knocking on the door and speaking with his mouth open.
“Woo... Tie it up...Aaaaaaaaaahhhhh..."
“Shut up... Shut up... Shut up...”
Scratch square square square square square square square square square square square square square square square square square square square square square square square square square square-
Within a moment, Viscount Delang rolled his eyes and continued to speak as if reciting a spell.
“Shut up, woah... Shut up... Woah... Knock, keke! Knock!”
Even though the flesh on his hands rotted away as he could not keep up with the speed of his writing, the Viscount continued to write with his bony hands.
Gradually, the desk became soaked with blood. Even so, Viscount Delang did not stop his hands.
The butler looked at him with sunken eyes, lowered his head, and tilted the empty teapot over the empty teacup.
“Euuuuu, euuuuuuuu..."
Scratch Scratch Scratch Scratch Scratch Scratch Scratch Scratch Scratch Scratch Scratch Scratch Scratch Scratch Scratch Scratch Scratch Scratch Scratch Scratch Scratch Scratch Scratch Scratch Scratch Scratch Scratch Scratch Scratch Scratch Scratch Scratch ScratchScratch Scratch Scratch Scratch-
I can't go anywhere. It's so hot.
I can't go anywhere. It's so hot.
I can't go anywhere. It's so hot.
I can't go anywhere. It's so hot.
I can't go anywhere. It's so hot.
I can't go anywhere. It's so hot.
I can't go anywhere. It's so hot.
I can't go anywhere. It's so hot.
I can't go anywhere. It's so hot.
I can't go anywhere. It's so hot.
I can't go anywhere. It's so hot.
I can't go anywhere. It's so hot.
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