Sob, sob-
The thing making a sobbing sound wandered around the room and came to me as it had been yesterday. The damp thing leaned towards my ear.
As if the gaze pouring down on my face had some kind of physical property, fluff rose everywhere it passed.
Is it a ghost? Or is that the real Rhineland Mansion? I don't know what it is, but it's a problem if it keeps going like this every night.
I already don't get much sleep, but aren't I having trouble sleeping properly?
If I do this, my work efficiency will decrease, I won't be able to make many candles, and I will end up making less money.
Which is scarier, ghosts or loan sharks?
Of course, it was the latter. The fear of lack of sleep and poor sales overcame fear. I got out of bed, grabbed a pot, and crept out into the hallway.
Sob sob-
Where are you? I turned my head while holding the pot. The hallway, which had no lights, was even darker today. I, who was hesitantly walking back, felt a presence behind me and my hair stood on end.
At that moment, I swung the pot. The pot flew through the air and hit the wall, and I staggered under my own strength.
“Ugh.”
A strong arm wrapped around my waist as I staggered and was on the verge of falling.
“It was you?”
“Sir Erne?”
Since it was not dark, I felt him with my palm to see if it was really Erne.
“Stop groping.”
As my hands began to touch his shoulders and chest, Erne let go of my waist. With the arm that had been holding me steady gone, I ended up staggering and hitting my head against the wall.
"Ah!"
“You’re teasing me in the dark? That’s really low-class.”
“But what if I suddenly let go of it?”
I rubbed my forehead. Would it wear out if I touched your shoulder? Would it wear out?
“Did you come out after hearing someone crying?”
“Yeah. I’ve been hearing it since yesterday.”
Erne, who had been foolishly hit by the sound of crying yesterday, was holding on. He pretended to be asleep, but as soon as he heard the faint sound of crying, he went out to find where the sound was coming from.
Then he ran into me, who had also followed the sound of crying.
“Why did you bring out the pot? Are you going to go find it and beat him up?”
“Could you describe it as subjugation?”
“That’s too much. You can’t even comfort a crying person, but you’re trying to beat them with a pot.”
“That doesn’t seem like something someone with a sword should say.”
“I am a knight. A knight is one with his sword.”
“Oh, yes, I guess so.”
I answered Erne's excuses half-heartedly and groped along the wall toward my room.
I lit a fire in the fireplace and plopped down in front of it, rubbing the back of my neck, which had become stiff with tension.
Erne, who had naturally followed in, also took off the sword on his waist and sat down opposite me.
“Then, what does the capable knight Erne Rhineland, who is one with the sword, think is its true identity?”
“Well, I wonder if it’s the money ghost that was brought in by someone’s greed.”
Sparks flew from the two eyes that met.
“If it was a money ghost, it would be walking around making a lot of noise. When I see it crying, it seems like a ghost with a story.”
“It doesn’t seem like it’s trying to cause any particular harm.”
It was only yesterday and today, but it was just wandering around and sobbing.
“That would be great.”
“But this can’t happen every night, so let’s call a professional.”
He was right. No matter how hard I and Erne racked our brains, it would be difficult to figure out what it was. We needed an expert.
“Do you know any experts?”
“There’s Henry. He’s an expert at finding psychics.”
Oh, that expert.
I nodded as I threw some logs into the fireplace. I intended to make another candle while I was up.
But as I watched the flickering flames, my eyelids began to close. Nodding, my head lost its strength and tilted forward.
“Oh.”
“Just get up.”
"No."
No, that's not true. Erne hurriedly grabbed Judith, who blinked and eventually fell to the side.
He lifted her lightly without much effort. Why was she so light? Her thin wrists felt like they would break if he squeezed them hard. It couldn't be helped that she worked all day and ate only a small amount of food.
Why are you doing this, you.
Erne asked in a whisper, poking Judith's cheek as she lay on the bed. She would have answered that it was because of debt, but not all debtors lived like Judith.
Usually, people despair and give up when they have to pay back money they didn't borrow. Why is this guy so determined?
Erne sat with his back against the bed and pressed his temples.
Anyway, he's nervous. At first, he kept looking at her with suspicion, then with curiosity, and now when he came to his senses, he was looking at Judith. Maybe it's because he's seeing her for the first time and it's so new to him.
Erne's eyelids also became heavier as Judith's breathing became louder. As his head tilted to the side,
Sob, sob, sob-
"...Ah, I, really, am annoyed.”
“Fuck! Call him now, the medium.”
The crying that woke Judith and Erne at the same time did not stop throughout the night.
“It’s a shame.”
In the end, two days passed without any results. The medium who came on the day of the appointment started sprinkling salt on the mansion as soon as he entered.
“The whole mansion is filled with evil energy.”
The medium was not polite, whether it was because I looked young or because he was originally speaking informally to his clients.
But that actually made me trust it more. How brave must it be to be fully booked despite being so rude?
“The aura of death is piled up high. Oh, this isn’t an old death.”
He even matched the assassins' deaths. His appearance and sharp eyes were different from those of the shaman Henry had brought before.
“If you stay in a place like this, you’re bound to hear all sorts of things. Move.”
Moving, that's not possible. I have to somehow hold on and survive, otherwise the house price will go up!
“What about the ring? Can something bad come with the ring too?”
Come to think of it, I've been hearing someone crying since the day I received a special order from Zark.
I quickly took a candle from my room and broke the candle containing the ring in half.
"This."
The medium frowned as soon as he saw the ring.
“Why? Is there something wrong with the ring?”
“To be exact, the problem is the jewel on the ring.”
The ring had an ordinary-looking amber gemstone. It wasn't suitable for a proposal, but it wasn't particularly strange either.
The medium pointed to the jewel with his finger and said.
“It’s a terrible jewel. It’s made by solidifying the bloody tears of a mother who lost her child in the womb. No matter how much you lose a child, how can you easily shed tears of blood?”
“Usually, to make this jewel, the fetus is killed, and after receiving the mother’s bloody tears, the mother is killed as well. That’s how the jewel is made.”
“So what a sorrowful and heartbreaking cry that must be,” the medium added.
“It’s a gut-wrenching cry. You can’t ignore this kind of cry. Whether you like it or not, it’s stuck in your head.”
Erne and I nodded vigorously at the medium's explanation.
“It’s a bit noisy, but it doesn’t really cause any harm. Except for pregnant women.”
As the medium spoke, he glanced at me, or more precisely, at my stomach. Then, when his eyes met mine, the medium pointed at Erne with his chin.
Although his face was half-covered, there was no hiding the fact that he was a young man about your age.
In short, that look meant, did you have that man's child?
"No."
Judith jumped. Erne also noticed the exchange of glances between me and the medium and frowned in displeasure.
“Where do the two of us look like that?”
“When a man and a woman live together in the prime of their lives, things like this and that happen. What’s going on?”
“I said no.”
The medium snorted in amusement despite me and Erne's strong objections.
“Anyway, the grudge contained in that jewel is looking for the baby. And when it finds the baby, it thinks it’s its own and takes it away.”
“How do you take a baby that is still in its mother’s womb?”
“Steal his soul.”
“That means...”
“Why are you asking when you already noticed? That’s right, the curse on that ring kills the unborn baby.”
The thing making a sobbing sound wandered around the room and came to me as it had been yesterday. The damp thing leaned towards my ear.
As if the gaze pouring down on my face had some kind of physical property, fluff rose everywhere it passed.
Is it a ghost? Or is that the real Rhineland Mansion? I don't know what it is, but it's a problem if it keeps going like this every night.
I already don't get much sleep, but aren't I having trouble sleeping properly?
If I do this, my work efficiency will decrease, I won't be able to make many candles, and I will end up making less money.
Which is scarier, ghosts or loan sharks?
Of course, it was the latter. The fear of lack of sleep and poor sales overcame fear. I got out of bed, grabbed a pot, and crept out into the hallway.
Sob sob-
Where are you? I turned my head while holding the pot. The hallway, which had no lights, was even darker today. I, who was hesitantly walking back, felt a presence behind me and my hair stood on end.
At that moment, I swung the pot. The pot flew through the air and hit the wall, and I staggered under my own strength.
“Ugh.”
A strong arm wrapped around my waist as I staggered and was on the verge of falling.
“It was you?”
“Sir Erne?”
Since it was not dark, I felt him with my palm to see if it was really Erne.
“Stop groping.”
As my hands began to touch his shoulders and chest, Erne let go of my waist. With the arm that had been holding me steady gone, I ended up staggering and hitting my head against the wall.
"Ah!"
“You’re teasing me in the dark? That’s really low-class.”
“But what if I suddenly let go of it?”
I rubbed my forehead. Would it wear out if I touched your shoulder? Would it wear out?
“Did you come out after hearing someone crying?”
“Yeah. I’ve been hearing it since yesterday.”
Erne, who had been foolishly hit by the sound of crying yesterday, was holding on. He pretended to be asleep, but as soon as he heard the faint sound of crying, he went out to find where the sound was coming from.
Then he ran into me, who had also followed the sound of crying.
“Why did you bring out the pot? Are you going to go find it and beat him up?”
“Could you describe it as subjugation?”
“That’s too much. You can’t even comfort a crying person, but you’re trying to beat them with a pot.”
“That doesn’t seem like something someone with a sword should say.”
“I am a knight. A knight is one with his sword.”
“Oh, yes, I guess so.”
I answered Erne's excuses half-heartedly and groped along the wall toward my room.
I lit a fire in the fireplace and plopped down in front of it, rubbing the back of my neck, which had become stiff with tension.
Erne, who had naturally followed in, also took off the sword on his waist and sat down opposite me.
“Then, what does the capable knight Erne Rhineland, who is one with the sword, think is its true identity?”
“Well, I wonder if it’s the money ghost that was brought in by someone’s greed.”
Sparks flew from the two eyes that met.
“If it was a money ghost, it would be walking around making a lot of noise. When I see it crying, it seems like a ghost with a story.”
“It doesn’t seem like it’s trying to cause any particular harm.”
It was only yesterday and today, but it was just wandering around and sobbing.
“That would be great.”
“But this can’t happen every night, so let’s call a professional.”
He was right. No matter how hard I and Erne racked our brains, it would be difficult to figure out what it was. We needed an expert.
“Do you know any experts?”
“There’s Henry. He’s an expert at finding psychics.”
Oh, that expert.
I nodded as I threw some logs into the fireplace. I intended to make another candle while I was up.
But as I watched the flickering flames, my eyelids began to close. Nodding, my head lost its strength and tilted forward.
“Oh.”
Blinking, Judith wiped the corner of her mouth unnecessarily and blinked again, this time almost falling backward.
"No."
No, that's not true. Erne hurriedly grabbed Judith, who blinked and eventually fell to the side.
'Tsk, tsk, tsk,' Erne snapped, scooping Judith into a quick hug.
Why are you doing this, you.
Erne asked in a whisper, poking Judith's cheek as she lay on the bed. She would have answered that it was because of debt, but not all debtors lived like Judith.
Usually, people despair and give up when they have to pay back money they didn't borrow. Why is this guy so determined?
Erne sat with his back against the bed and pressed his temples.
Anyway, he's nervous. At first, he kept looking at her with suspicion, then with curiosity, and now when he came to his senses, he was looking at Judith. Maybe it's because he's seeing her for the first time and it's so new to him.
Erne's eyelids also became heavier as Judith's breathing became louder. As his head tilted to the side,
Sob, sob, sob-
"...Ah, I, really, am annoyed.”
“Fuck! Call him now, the medium.”
The crying that woke Judith and Erne at the same time did not stop throughout the night.
***
“It’s a shame.”
In the end, two days passed without any results. The medium who came on the day of the appointment started sprinkling salt on the mansion as soon as he entered.
“The whole mansion is filled with evil energy.”
The medium was not polite, whether it was because I looked young or because he was originally speaking informally to his clients.
But that actually made me trust it more. How brave must it be to be fully booked despite being so rude?
“The aura of death is piled up high. Oh, this isn’t an old death.”
He even matched the assassins' deaths. His appearance and sharp eyes were different from those of the shaman Henry had brought before.
“If you stay in a place like this, you’re bound to hear all sorts of things. Move.”
Moving, that's not possible. I have to somehow hold on and survive, otherwise the house price will go up!
I shook my head and hurriedly grabbed the medium who was trying to leave the mansion.
“No, the crying sound wasn’t there before, but it suddenly started a few days ago.”
"Suddenly?"
Hmm, the medium's eyes became dim.
“Have you ever received something that someone else had used? Or maybe you picked up something that someone else had thrown away.”
The medium urged me to think carefully about things like furniture or clothing, but the furniture was something that had been used by the Rhineland family, and I had not received any discarded items.
“Usually this kind of phenomenon happens to objects, but this is strange.”
The medium tilted his head.
Suddenly, Judith remembered the unusual spell. It was a very romantic-sounding order, asking for a candle to be made from a ring.
“No, the crying sound wasn’t there before, but it suddenly started a few days ago.”
"Suddenly?"
Hmm, the medium's eyes became dim.
“Have you ever received something that someone else had used? Or maybe you picked up something that someone else had thrown away.”
The medium urged me to think carefully about things like furniture or clothing, but the furniture was something that had been used by the Rhineland family, and I had not received any discarded items.
“Usually this kind of phenomenon happens to objects, but this is strange.”
The medium tilted his head.
Suddenly, Judith remembered the unusual spell. It was a very romantic-sounding order, asking for a candle to be made from a ring.
“What about the ring? Can something bad come with the ring too?”
Come to think of it, I've been hearing someone crying since the day I received a special order from Zark.
I quickly took a candle from my room and broke the candle containing the ring in half.
"This."
The medium frowned as soon as he saw the ring.
“Why? Is there something wrong with the ring?”
“To be exact, the problem is the jewel on the ring.”
The ring had an ordinary-looking amber gemstone. It wasn't suitable for a proposal, but it wasn't particularly strange either.
The medium pointed to the jewel with his finger and said.
“It’s a terrible jewel. It’s made by solidifying the bloody tears of a mother who lost her child in the womb. No matter how much you lose a child, how can you easily shed tears of blood?”
I'll have to lose a child with a story that will bring tears to my eyes.
“So what a sorrowful and heartbreaking cry that must be,” the medium added.
“It’s a gut-wrenching cry. You can’t ignore this kind of cry. Whether you like it or not, it’s stuck in your head.”
Erne and I nodded vigorously at the medium's explanation.
“It’s a bit noisy, but it doesn’t really cause any harm. Except for pregnant women.”
As the medium spoke, he glanced at me, or more precisely, at my stomach. Then, when his eyes met mine, the medium pointed at Erne with his chin.
Although his face was half-covered, there was no hiding the fact that he was a young man about your age.
In short, that look meant, did you have that man's child?
"No."
Judith jumped. Erne also noticed the exchange of glances between me and the medium and frowned in displeasure.
“Where do the two of us look like that?”
“When a man and a woman live together in the prime of their lives, things like this and that happen. What’s going on?”
“I said no.”
The medium snorted in amusement despite me and Erne's strong objections.
“Anyway, the grudge contained in that jewel is looking for the baby. And when it finds the baby, it thinks it’s its own and takes it away.”
“How do you take a baby that is still in its mother’s womb?”
“Steal his soul.”
“That means...”
“Why are you asking when you already noticed? That’s right, the curse on that ring kills the unborn baby.”
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Ohhhhhhhh. So the guy might have wanted to abort his lover's unborn child. Anw, Erne's now being less of an asshole, that's nice lololol. Ty for the translation!
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