Chapter 185
Zeke frowned at Richmond's words.
"Don't just glance at it. Look carefully."
"I-it's true. Oh, Master, that mansion looks perfect for hiding and conducting research."
Zeke kicked Richmond's shin for his irrelevant remark.
"Ouch! That hurts."
"Stop whining and follow me, you Lich. We're going to lift the curse on that mansion."
No matter what kind of ghost it was, it wouldn't be difficult to dispel it with the power of Greater Purification.
Zeke climbed the hill with Richmond.
However, despite the eerie atmosphere, as Richmond said, he didn't feel any evil presence.
'What, did people just see things?'
That's when it happened.
Swoosh!
A black shadow moved from within the mansion.
Zeke shouted to Richmond,
"Richmond! Catch that ghost!"
Richmond instantly transformed into an Arch Lich and soared into the air.
Richmond chased it from the air, while Zeke chased it on the ground.
But the black ghost suddenly dispersed like smoke and disappeared.
Zeke conveyed his will to Richmond.
'Richmond, can you see where the ghost went?'
'I can't see it from here either, Master.'
Richmond descended from the air and returned to Zeke.
"This is strange. I didn't sense any ghost or demonic energy."
"Yes, but it didn't seem human either."
He was starting to understand why this place had been known as a cursed place for a thousand years.
Zeke decided to enter the mansion with Richmond.
The mansion was covered in vines from years of neglect, and the walls were partially broken, but considering it had stood for over a thousand years, it was practically in its original form.
Zeke entered the mansion through the broken walls, remaining vigilant.
"Hmm."
The inside of the mansion was also filled with old dust and had a gloomy atmosphere, but he didn't feel any evil presence.
Richmond, on the other hand, liked this kind of atmosphere.
"Wow, it's spacious, comfortable, and really nice. It's perfect for research, Master. If I had a mansion like this as my laboratory..."
"You talk too much, Richmond."
Richmond immediately shut his mouth at Zeke's rebuke.
Zeke lowered his body and activated his dragon eyes, examining every nook and cranny of the mansion.
A moment later, Zeke found traces of something other than a ghost.
'Traces of humans.'
There were subtle but visible signs that people had been coming and going throughout the mansion.
Only a limited number of people could leave such subtle traces.
'Assassins? They're not ordinary. They're specially trained.'
Zeke shared the vision of the Dragon Tooth Soldiers guarding the mansion and checked for any ambushes.
But he couldn't find any other traces.
'What is this? I thought Howard would have set a trap. Did I arrive too early?'
Zeke had deliberately arrived in Baranawon early to catch them off guard.
But he seemed to have arrived much earlier than expected, as there was no one there, only traces.
Slightly flustered, Zeke decided to follow the traces left in the mansion. Most of the traces led in one direction.
'Were they chasing something?'
Zeke followed the traces deeper into the mansion.
After some time, Zeke found another trace.
He lowered his head and examined the mark on the floor.
"It's blood."
Zeke gestured to Richmond.
"Richmond, check what kind of blood this is."
Richmond grumbled, examined the bloodstain on the floor, and then lightly touched it with his finger, putting it in his mouth.
"Ugh! Ugh! Master, this is human blood."
"Human blood. How old do you think it is?"
"It's still fresh, so it can't be that old. Two days at most?"
It didn't seem like blood spilled by adventurers or freelance knights who entered the mansion.
'Could it be that the guys waiting to set a trap here were attacked by the ghost?'
It was a ridiculous assumption, but there was nothing else to explain the current situation.
Zeke examined the spot where the bloodstain was. The bloodstain led towards the stairs leading down to the basement of the mansion.
"Hmm, is this also a trap?"
Just in case, Zeke summoned some of the Dragon Tooth Soldiers guarding the perimeter.
"Go down and check the situation below."
The Dragon Tooth Soldiers nodded and went down the stairs.
Since Zeke could scout within the maximum range he could summon Dragon Tooth Soldiers, they should be able to explore to some extent.
After sending the Dragon Tooth Soldiers down, Zeke took out a camp bed from his inventory and lay down to rest.
"Master, don't I get one?"
"..."
Richmond was a Lich with many desires.
***
"Gasp!"
A man ran hurriedly through the dark corridor.
The man's name was Aaron.
He was an agent from the special assassination unit of the Magic Corps.
'Damn it! What the hell is that?'
Aaron barely managed to hide behind a wall.
He turned the gun on his back to the front and caught his breath.
"Huff, huff."
The cold metallic touch of the gun against his forehead seemed to calm him down a bit.
He had lost all his comrades to the mysterious being chasing them.
'What kind of absurd situation is this?'
Aaron and his comrades were deployed to Baranawon after receiving a special mission from their superiors.
The order was to ambush the target in the old mansion in Baranawon and eliminate them.
With not only his unit but also knights, mages, and even suspicious black mages with chimeras gathered here, eliminating the target didn't seem difficult.
Aaron and the other assassins from the Magic Corps were snipers, so after arriving, they waited outside the mansion for the target to appear.
But two days ago, something happened.
While observing the mansion through a telescope, he saw a black shadow flickering inside.
Upon discovering this anomaly, Aaron immediately sent a signal to the other units.
However, he didn't receive any response from the others waiting inside the mansion.
Aaron decided to contact the assassination unit agents and investigate the situation inside the mansion.
Although they were snipers, they were also excellent assassins and knights who had undergone formal knight training.
They were prepared to complete their mission, no matter the target.
But that thought was shattered the moment they entered the mansion.
A mysterious ghost appeared and eliminated his comrades one by one, dragging them away without a trace.
Even the special bullets provided by the Magic Corps had no effect on the ghost.
Aaron was chased by the ghost into the basement of the mansion, trapped in this underground labyrinth for two days, unable to eat, drink, or sleep properly, constantly being hunted.
Aaron's face was covered in cold sweat.
That's when it happened.
'It's coming.'
Aaron's sharp senses felt something approaching.
It was a subtle presence that an ordinary knight wouldn't even notice.
Aaron caught his breath, immediately raised his gun, and leaned out from behind the wall.
Bang! Bang!
The magic gun fired with flashes of light.
Clang!
The bullets pierced through the black shadow.
However, the shadow only flickered for a moment and didn't seem to be harmed at all.
'Damn it.'
Because of that damn ghost, his entire unit, including his comrades, who were waiting here, had disappeared.
What was worse was that there wasn't just one or two of those ghosts.
The ghosts moved in groups, like a military unit.
Click, click!
He had used up all the bullets provided by the Magic Corps.
Aaron put his gun back on his back and drew the sword he had strapped to his leg.
It was a strange sword, longer than a dagger but shorter than an arming sword, a specialized sword issued to special agents of the Magic Corps.
It was an artifact enchanted with 'Sharpness' magic, capable of easily cutting even thick armor.
'I have to pray that the magic can cut the ghost too.'
Aaron caught his breath and, as the ghost approached, got up and swung his sword.
Whoosh!
Aaron's sword grazed the black shadow.
Whoosh!
At that moment, the black shadow also swung its sword.
Clang!
A sharp strike deflected Aaron's sword.
"Ugh!"
Aaron stumbled back.
He glared at the ghost with his sword raised.
Although its form was blurred, blending with the darkness, the figure wielding the sword was clearly visible. Aaron immediately charged towards the ghost.
Clang!
The ghost skillfully blocked Aaron's attack.
It felt like he was facing a seasoned knight.
Aaron, while launching a flurry of attacks, seized an opportunity and threw the mana bullet he was holding in his other hand at the ghost.
Crash!
The mana bullet exploded, emitting a blinding light.
Tsssss-
The ghost's shadow dissipated and disappeared.
"Huff... Huff..."
This was the only way he had found to drive away the ghosts after two days of fighting them.
It seemed they couldn't maintain their spectral form when exposed to the light from the exploding mana bullet.
Thanks to this method, which he learned through the deaths of his comrades, Aaron had managed to survive until now.
The problem was that he had run out of mana bullets.
'I have to escape this mansion somehow.'
He had to escape this maze-like basement and get outside.
Aaron tried to find an escape route before the ghost returned.
That's when it happened.
He sensed someone approaching.
'Is it another ghost?'
But the approaching presence felt different from before.
Aaron pressed himself against the wall, vigilant, and scanned his surroundings.
He could sense a figure in black armor approaching from the end of the corridor.
Aaron felt confused as he looked at the figure.
'Who is that? It doesn't seem like a ghost. Could it be the target?'
The figure was wearing a black mask and black armor, making it difficult to identify.
As Aaron held his breath and remained alert, the black figure also stopped and didn't move.
'What's going on?'
Aaron was puzzled by the sudden halt of the black figure.
But he soon regained his composure and carefully drew his sword.
'If it's an enemy, I'll eliminate it now.'
Aaron jumped out from behind the wall and charged towards the black figure.
Clang!
The figure, who had been standing still, suddenly moved again, raising a shield to block Aaron's attack.
Thud!
The figure pushed Aaron back with the shield, drew a sword, and swung it.
Clang!
Aaron blocked the incoming attack and thrust his sword into the gap in the armor.
Thud!
But his sword didn't seem to pierce anything.
'What?'
Surprised, Aaron immediately retreated and regained his stance.
The enemy, seemingly unharmed by the sword stab, raised his shield and approached again.
Aaron looked at the figure with confusion in his eyes.
'Could that be a ghost too...?'
That's when it happened.
Thud!
Aaron was struck hard on the back of his head and lost consciousness, collapsing.
Thud!
Standing behind the fallen Aaron was none other than Zeke.
"What is this guy?"
Zeke muttered with a slight frown. The Dragonian Knight he had sent to scout was fighting with someone, so he came down himself and subdued the opponent.
He searched the unconscious Aaron's body and checked his equipment.
Zeke was surprised to see the gun he was carrying.
"Damn, isn't this a magic gun? It's already been made? And he has it... Who is this guy?"
Magic firearms, which fired bullets infused with magic, were weapons occasionally seen during the Continental War.
However, since they were difficult to produce and expensive, after the war, they were generally used as toys for nobles' amusement.
Because they weren't very effective for their cost, even in Zeke's previous life, not many people used them in actual combat, so he was surprised to see someone carrying one already.
Zeke shook his head and searched Aaron's pockets further, finding something.
It was a spent shell casing from the special bullets.
Zeke carefully examined the casing and called Richmond, who was behind him.
"Richmond, check the remaining energy here."
Richmond took the casing from Zeke, examined it closely, and sniffed it.
Then he tilted his head.
"Master, it's faint, but I sense demonic energy here."
Zeke nodded as if he had expected it.
Then he looked at the unconscious Aaron and gritted his teeth.
"This bastard, he's a Night Killer."