IARMDH - Chapter 23

I went to deliver to Briggs's men's warehouse was unusually light. This was thanks to the matter being resolved smoothly.

Layla listened to me and followed the Baroness, thinking that it was better to lose than to gain.

The Baroness actually had another young male lover, who happened to be Baron Briggs's aide.

The Baron is said to have gone on a rampage and chased the Baroness away. He was so shocked that he fell ill and has been bedridden ever since.

Thanks to this, Layla became the Baron's deputy, which was essentially the same as inheriting the position of head of the household.

Feeling good, Layla ordered a bunch of candles as promised and even added some cash to me.

“When money is tight, your mouth tends to become loose.”

“My mouth just got heavier, Young Lady.”

“I hope you took care of the ring well?”

“Of course.”

The ring was destroyed by the medium that had revealed its true identity. Although it cost extra money, it was not a loss for me, as I had also charged it to Baron Briggs.

As I came out of the Baron's house with steps as light as my pockets, someone called out to me.

“Excuse me.”

"Yes?"

Perhaps because of the scar on his face, he was a man with a not-so-good impression.

“Let me ask you some directions. Where do I go from here to get to the square?”

“Just go straight from here and then turn left.”

“Thank you. Oh, over there.”

The man stopped me as I was about to bow and pass by.

“I’m not usually the type of person to say things like this, but there’s something really wrong with you, young lady.”

What is this familiar yet ominous feeling?

“If you come into the Horse Captain’s Alley, there will be a tent decorated with red tassels. If anything comes up, come there. I will give you a special free look.”

Do you know the way here? There is a way.

I nodded politely and left the room. If I'm a cultist, I'm the one who pays the price, mister.

I, who had walked away from the man quickly, bought the things I needed at the market and returned to the mansion. Erne, who had gone to get a fake ID, had already come in.

“Are you here, Ma’am?”

“Sir Henry came with you too.”

“We should throw this guy a farewell party.”

Henry, who had good sense, did not come empty-handed but brought food and wine.

“Just put it on a plate. If you point me to the kitchen, I’ll prepare it.”

“Come with me, Sir Henry. I’ll just put my luggage down and come back.”

I went into the room, put down my basket, put on my apron, and came out.

“Come on, Sir Henry.”

“Just a moment, Ma’am. It fell.”

Henry picked up the yellow pouch from my lap.

“Huh? What is this?”

“Isn’t this Madam’s belongings?”

I tilted my head, my eyes slightly open. It’s strange. It’s definitely the first time I’ve seen this pocket, but why does it look so familiar? It’s strange. It’s strange.

“What’s in here?”

Henry, who was shaking the pocket, opened it absentmindedly and looked inside.

After about three seconds of silence, Henry screamed and threw his pockets at me.

“Ugh!”

“Sir Henry, are you okay? What’s in there?”

“B, a bug...!”

"What's the matter?"

Erne, who was packing his bags in his room, heard Henry's scream and came over to the room where I and Henry were. Henry exhaled and pointed to the silk bag that had fallen on the floor.

“Sir Henry, are you afraid of bugs? The Rhineland Manor has been uninhabited for so long that there are bound to be bugs.”

I responded calmly.

“Have you ever seen a bug in this house?”

Erne, who had been silent after discovering the yellow silk pouch, asked something out of the blue.

“Have you ever seen a bug...?”

Wait, have you seen the bug? A question mark appeared above my head.

When I first came to the Rhineland Mansion, it was very clean. There wasn't a single cobweb.

I have never seen a single cockroach, or even a single fly, in this mansion.

“Hmm, I’ve never seen one, but I’ve often heard bugs gnawing on things.”

“Did you hear a gnawing sound?”

“Yes, it’s something like square, square.”

I could always hear it. When I was making a sip, when I was waking up, even when I couldn't sleep because of the crying, I could always hear the squeaking sound of bugs eating.

“Wait a minute, that’s not the issue right now. That’s not a bug. I just made eye contact with the bug.”

“Sir Henry, even bugs have eyes.”

It's hard to meet, but you might meet.

“No, ma’am, that’s not it, they have real eyes, bugs. Human eyes!”

"Yes?"

Does that make sense? Judith picked up the pouch and opened it to look inside.

“Huh? It’s not a bug, it’s gold?”

Inside, there was a gold nugget the size of my thumb. The moment my pupils shook in the sparkling yellow light, the gold nugget began to move.

It raised its head. Black eyes, like mine, stared straight at me. Countless legs, a wrinkled torso, a human face hanging before it.

“...!”

As I couldn't take my eyes off the insect, Erne snatched the pouch from my hands.

Only after the pouch disappeared from my hands did I come to my senses and scream.

“Whoa!”

“Isn’t it too late to scream?”

Erne sighed, closed thr pockets tightly, and threw them on the table.

“Is this really your first time seeing that?”

I chewed my lips as I listened to Erne's words and searched my memories.

For some reason, the yellow pouch and the gold nugget seemed so familiar.

"Ah!"

Yes, I remember. The day I first set foot in the Rhineland Mansion.

As I explored the mansion, I discovered a bright yellow silk pouch in Cedric Rhineland's room.

“What is this? It’s gold. Wow.”

I remember being so excited about the little gold nugget the size of my finger and thinking I should use it as emergency funds.

But I couldn't remember what I did after that. It seemed like only the part about the pockets was completely erased.

“What? It was definitely gold back then.”

“It’s not gold. It was originally a bug, but you just saw it as gold.”

Our gaze was focused on Erne, who seemed to know something.

“Does Sir Erne know what that is?”

“Man-eating bug.”

"Yes?"

“I don’t know the details, but I just know that if you get bitten by that bug, you’ll die.”

Erne frowned as if recalling a memory.

“Didn’t you say that your family bleed from their nose, vomited blood, and eventually died with holes in their internal organs?”

“What, what did you say?”

“Yes. When I first heard the story of this mansion, I thought it was strange.”

Because the symptoms were exactly the same as when Erne himself was bitten by the golden bug. But he had no doubts.

“It wasn’t this mansion that ate people, it was that bug.”

“No, why are you talking about that now, huh?”

I, who had turned pale, was about to question Erne, but he suddenly covered my mouth. I coughed as if I was vomiting, and red blood appeared on my palm.

“Ma’am, are you okay?”

I wasn't okay. How could I be okay when I was going to die soon? My legs gave out and I collapsed.

“You said earlier that there was something evil attached to me.”

"Who?"

“A man asked me for directions earlier and said, ‘There’s something evil attached to you, so come here if anything happens.’”

I wiped the blood on the handkerchief Henry had handed me, picked up the silk pouch, and jumped up.

“I have to go where the man said.”

He is a person who has realized that an evil being has attached itself to me even in the short time that passes by. Perhaps he knows a way to get rid of the evil being.

“Where is that?”

“It was called Horse Blacksmith Alley.”

“Madam, the security there is not good.”

Henry shook his head as he looked out the darkening window.

“It’s dangerous during the day, but it’s even more dangerous at night. Robberies are common.”

Even the police force didn't patrol that area after the sun went down.

“But if you go with Erne, it’ll be okay.”

Henry, who had been looking at me with concern, looked back at Erne as if he had a good idea.

“Why are you suddenly dragging me in?”

“Even if you are cut off from the Knights Templar, you must uphold chivalry, Erne.”

Henry picked up Erne's sword and placed it in his arms.

“I think you’ll do something good before you leave.”

Judith looked at Erne with pitiful eyes, begging for her life. She looked up at him with her eyes downturned and her small lips pursed, just like a rabbit that got drenched in rain...

'What about rabbits? Did all the rabbits freeze to death?'

Erne quickly denied the thought that she looked like a rabbit, but for some reason, she couldn't turn away when Judith made that expression.

Erne, unable to turn away from the dark eyes, sighed briefly and stood up.

“Go, take the lead.”

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