Chapter 54 - My Horror House <4>
VI
"It was about forty years ago that Annie and I lived in this mansion."
The man, who should have still been in his sixties but was aged beyond his years with white hair, began to speak. He was clad in the vestments of a priest—specifically, those of a Light Priest, a wielder of the light spirit magic capable of exorcising ghosts.
Franz stared intently at the man.
After leaving the mansion to search for Evans Clayton, Kenny had found him surprisingly quickly. The name Evans Clayton, he said, had been recorded among the priests of the Main Temple of Light in the Royal Capital Sears.
When Kenny went to meet him, half-doubting, it had turned out to be the very man he was looking for.
Upon hearing about the events taking place at the mansion and that a young girl had gone missing in connection with them, Evans had requested to accompany Kenny back to the residence. And so, here he was, recounting the past.
"At the time, our family of three lived in this house, along with a butler, a cook, and several maids. Annie was one of them. Her real name is Anna Hall."
"Anna Hall… Same name as our Anna," Ritz murmured. Franz nodded in agreement. Could there be some significance in the fact that their names were the same?
Evans glanced at Ritz and Franz, silently asking for permission to continue. When Ritz gave a silent nod, Evans cleared his throat softly and went on.
"Annie was from the slums of this city, but she was an incredibly honest, cheerful, and capable woman."
Evans’s eyes seemed to drift, as if looking at something far away. Was he reminiscing about those days? His gaze, so full of nostalgia yet tinged with pain, left everyone unable to speak.
After a brief pause, he continued.
"Back then, I was poor at socializing and rarely went out, preferring to spend my time at home. And Annie’s main duty was to look after my personal needs. She was the only woman who would speak to me so warmly, with a smile. And so, I…"
Pressing a hand to his forehead, Evans grimaced. The regret and anguish of that time were palpable in his expression.
"I fell in love with her."
As Evans fell silent, Ritz spoke up in his place.
"…I see. I’d figured out that much, more or less."
Even Franz had noticed it. It was obvious from the dreamy way the woman who had possessed Anna’s body had spoken Evans’s name, and from how she’d flown into a rage, convinced they were being torn apart.
But what was unclear was what came next.
When he had discussed the matter with Ritz after a short nap, Ritz had said that Evans was probably dead. That’s why his ghost was here. Franz had had no objection to that theory.
But he was alive. Their prediction had been proven wrong, and for the better.
If that was the case, though, then who was the voice that Annie believed to be Evans? Was that the head ghost… no, ghosts didn’t have leaders and followers.
His head was just spinning. The key to this incident was probably hidden in that day from the rumors, the day ‘a maid suddenly disappeared’.
"Why did Annie vanish from this house? And why did you leave?"
Ritz’s tone was somewhat accusatory as he questioned Evans.
"It’s a foolish story. Will you hear it?"
"…Let’s hear it."
Evans was silent for a moment before he began to speak, bit by bit.
Evans’s feelings eventually reached Annie, and the two began to nurture their love in secret.
Forty years ago was before the civil war. It was an era when the aristocracy in Yuresla still held power, wielding their privilege over the common folk.
Even in this day and age, a noble and someone from the slums would be an unsuitable match; back then, it would have been a relationship that was absolutely forbidden. The two of them should have been well aware that their love was an impossible dream.
One day, their secret love was discovered by Evans’s parents. The scion of an earl’s family and a woman from the slums. Enraged by the forbidden relationship, his parents flew into a furious rage and ordered Evans to break it off.
But Evans, refusing to follow his conscience, confronted them head-on. From that day forward, quarrels became a daily occurrence in the Clayton household.
Amidst those turbulent days, Evans finally resolved to leave home, taking Annie with him.
However, his parents found out about his decision once again. It was simple. He had been betrayed by the servants he trusted.
Perhaps in that era, it couldn’t be helped. It was a time when a servant who betrayed their master could be killed without question. Thus, Evans could not blame them.
Now that his plan was exposed, Evans tried to leave the house as quickly as possible, but he discovered that his room had been locked from the outside. No matter how much he raged or shouted, there was nothing he could do.
It was then that he heard Annie’s scream.
He opened the window and looked down into the garden. Annie was there, being chased by several men. Evans screamed desperately, but he didn’t know if his voice reached her.
Eventually, she and the men disappeared from his sight, and silence returned to the garden.
After that, a particularly high-pitched scream rang out, followed by the sound of men shouting angrily at each other. Something had definitely happened. Then he saw the men running out from the back garden in a panic.
He desperately climbed out the window and ran in the direction Annie had vanished. He didn't even remember how he got down.
It was a beautiful moonlit night.
The round moon was reflected in the small pond behind the house, and the garden, illuminated by two moons, was surprisingly bright.
What he saw then was the figure of Annie, standing motionless, bathed in the moonlight.
He called her name, but she didn’t move an inch. As he slowly approached, he finally noticed her bizarre state.
Annie’s wide-open eyes were as empty as glass. Her bright, lively eyes that used to dance with joy now reflected only the moonlight.
Evans stared, stunned.
A broken tree branch was thrust through the center of her chest, impaling her. The blood flowing out had formed a pool at her feet.
Evans suddenly recalled that the tree had been split in two by lightning a few days prior and had been left there, untouched.
After that, Evans took an astonishing course of action. Without taking his beloved Annie down from the branch that impaled her, he fled.
He had abandoned his beloved’s corpse in that gruesome state.
That was the very seed of his unending regret.
"I ran. I saw Annie like that, and I was terrified, and I ran away. I am a foolish and cowardly man…"
Having finished his story, Evans covered his face. He must have lived with that regret for many long years. It had completely worn him out.
"Why did you become a priest of the Light Spirit King?"
"I wanted to pray for Annie. But it took me many years of wandering this country before I could even think of doing so. Whenever I closed my eyes, that scene would return, and something inside me would torment me. You ran away, didn’t you…"
"…"
Everyone was at a loss for words. They had no idea what to say. After that, Evans had lost his father, his mother, and his home to return to.
Even now, as a priest, he still had not found peace of mind.
"But after hearing your story, I have finally made my decision. I will apologize to Annie directly. And I will get back the girl she has possessed with my own hands."
Ritz and Kenny exchanged glances. So that was why Evans had willingly come to this mansion. He was now trying to do what he couldn't forty years ago.
Franz felt a deep sympathy for Evans in his heart. If he had been in Evans’s position, what could he have done in front of his lover’s gruesome corpse?
Overwhelmed by shock, fear, and confusion, he might have run away just the same. He wasn’t confident that he wouldn’t.
What about Ritz…?
"…Alright. But Anna is our friend. We’re going to be there too, is that okay?"
Evans nodded at Ritz’s reasonable proposal. He probably wanted to speak with her alone, but under the circumstances, it couldn’t be helped.
"And one more thing… there’s someone behind Annie."
"What did you say?"
"He’s probably telling Annie that he’s ‘Evans’. And Annie believes him."
"…Impossible… when I am right here…"
As Evans stood there, dumbfounded, Franz, the other witness, gave a nod.
"There was definitely someone else. I was taken down by him."
That’s right. Ritz had been hit by a shockwave from that being, and Franz had had his power drained by that lukewarm wind. Something was definitely there.
"Draining power…?"
It seemed Evans had an idea about that.
"It might be a dark spirit."
"A dark spirit?"
As a spirit user, Franz was quick to pick up on those words and react. He had fought a dark spirit user before, but he had never seen a dark spirit itself.
"I see, that’s a possibility…" Ritz murmured as well.
"I will return to the temple once to prepare. Is that acceptable?"
"Yeah."
Ritz answered curtly. There was no mistaking the words of a professional spirit user. The spirit user they had on their side was, after all, a mere amateur.
"Then I shall see you at dusk."
Evans left the room, staggering slightly. There was something pitiful about his retreating figure, so full of anguish.
Will he be able to erase forty years of regret by saving Anna?
As Franz vaguely watched the door Evans had exited, he noticed Kenny handing something to Ritz. It looked like a lunch box.
"Please have this. You can warm it by lighting a fire in the hearth. I will also return at dusk."
"Thanks."
"Not at all. Please get some rest."
After the two were alone, Ritz opened the basket of food and let out a heavy sigh.
"What is it?"
Ritz gave a wry smile when asked.
"It looks delicious, but… something’s missing…"
"…The portion size?"
Not understanding, Franz asked again. Ritz gave a weary smile.
"I just can’t help but think how happy Anna would be if she were here."
As he said this, Ritz took the food out of the basket and placed it by the hearth.
"Yeah, you’re right."
"Should we just eat a little and save the rest for her?"
There was no immediate prospect of rescuing her, so it was strange for Ritz to say such a thing, but Franz agreed with the idea.
"Yeah."
Eating in silence, Franz stole a glance at Ritz’s face. It was then that he first noticed the dark circles under Ritz’s eyes.
During their earlier nap, Ritz had woken up before Franz and had been staring into the hearth with a grave expression. Had he really not slept at all?
Thinking that, he felt like he could somehow understand Ritz's harsh words to Kenny.
Anna was probably becoming a presence that Ritz took for granted. The same was true for Franz. Without Anna, it was quiet, but somehow too quiet, and it felt like something was missing.
Besides, while Franz hadn’t touched Anna directly, Ritz had. And he had confirmed how cold her body had become. He might be more panicked on the inside than Franz was.
"Ritz."
"Hm?"
"…Never mind…"
"?"
But even if he understood, Franz couldn’t bring himself to tell Ritz and apologize.
"Do you think Anna will come back safely?"
"She’ll be fine. It’s Anna, you know? That girl’s got luck on her side. She’ll be fine."
Ritz muttered the words as if to convince himself. He ate in silence, gazing out the window. Franz followed his gaze and looked outside as well.
As if nothing was wrong, the bright afternoon sunlight flooded the world outside.
"Anyway, we should probably calm down a bit, too."
"Yeah."
There was still some time until dusk. It seemed the two of them would have plenty of time to fill their stomachs and collect themselves.
VII
At dusk, the group of five—Ritz, Franz, Kenny, Gordon, and Evans—finally began their move to rescue Anna.
From what Ritz and the others had investigated the previous night, they knew that Annie and the false Evans were not inside the mansion. That left the detached building that had been built for the servants.
With Ritz in the lead, they stepped out of the back door. A cold wind brushed against Franz’s cheek. It was as if he’d been touched by the dead, and a shiver ran down his spine.
He wanted to save Anna, but he didn’t want to get involved with anything scary. To be honest, he wanted to leave it all to them and go to sleep with the covers pulled over his head.
But even so, his desire to save her won out.
This was the back garden. According to Evans’s story, this was the scene of the tragedy. The pond where the moon was said to have been reflected also existed, though it was now dirty.
However, the tree she had been impaled on was apparently gone, cut down by someone. Inwardly, he was relieved it wasn’t there. If it had been, he would have imagined terrible things again and been unable to move.
"O Light Spirit King, who governs shining hope and pride…"
Evans knelt down at the spot where the tree had apparently been and recited a short prayer. He had to meet Annie in person quickly, to tell her that he was alive and that the one with her was an imposter.
That, Franz thought, would probably be an incredibly painful thing to do.
"This must be it."
The detached building was considerably smaller than the mansion, and due to lack of maintenance, it had fallen into disrepair over the last forty years.
"Yes. This is the servants’ annex."
"Do you know which key it is?"
Ritz held out the ring of keys in front of Evans. If he knew, there would be no need to try several keys. As expected, Evans knew the key to the annex.
"This one."
The key he pointed to was somewhat smaller and more worn than the ones for the mansion. Ritz casually inserted the key into the lock.
"Alright, I’m opening it."
"Right."
Franz, Kenny, and Gordon braced themselves for whatever might come out. It was useless to prepare against a spirit, but it was better than doing nothing.
Evans, too, readied his holy staff, holding it out in front of him. He was the only one who had a means to fight back.
Ritz threw the door wide open without hesitation. The four of them rushed in at once.
The old shack contained nothing but stacked old furniture, a dusty floor, and cobwebs spun everywhere.
The only things that moved when the door opened were small insects; nothing else happened.
"…"
"…?"
"I don’t sense anything."
"It would seem so."
Apparently, this wasn’t the place. In that case, where could it be? He thought this was the only suspicious place mentioned in the story.
Looking at Ritz next to him, it seemed Ritz had the same idea and was perplexed.
"This is strange…" Ritz muttered, crossing his arms. Franz tried to recall the floor plan again. There was only the mansion and this annex; there were no other buildings. If they were on these grounds, this had to be the place.
At this point, their only hope was Evans, the former resident.
"Evans-san, is there anywhere else?"
Kenny, looking around the annex at a loss, asked Evans.
"Anywhere else…"
The other three waited in silence as Evans pondered. But he didn’t seem to be coming up with anything. Ritz, looking somewhat bored, began to play with the key ring in his hands.
The heavy clatter of the keys was the only sound that echoed. The jarring metallic noise in the silence was incredibly grating. Especially when he was already on edge.
"Ritz, that’s noisy."
Unable to stand it any longer, Franz reached out to snatch the key ring from Ritz’s hand to stop the noise.
"Whoa."
Caught off guard, Ritz fumbled the key ring. It fell to the floor with a loud clang.
"Ah, jeez. Don’t just grab at it like that."
"It’s because you were being so loud."
As they bickered in low voices, Evans seemed to notice something and let out a small cry.
"Could it be!"
"…?"
Evans’s gaze was fixed on Ritz’s hand as he picked up the keys.
"Could you let me see the key ring?"
"Oh, sure."
Evans took the key ring and compared the three large keys. Come to think of it, he seemed to remember Kenny saying something when he gave Ritz the keys.
One was for the gate, another for the front door, and the last one was unknown…
Large keys were usually for large doors facing the outside. Having lived in a large mansion, Franz knew this.
In that case, didn’t that mean there was another door facing the outside, or this garden?
"This key was probably made after I left. I don’t recognize it."
"So, after Annie was killed…"
One servant disappeared, and then the heir… not much time had passed before the residents of this house were gone.
Then it might be related to Annie’s case. When he voiced his thoughts, Evans nodded.
"I thought so as well. In that case, there must be another door in this garden that requires this key…"
"Then it looks like we have no choice but to search."
They began to search, limiting their scope to the back garden. If it were a building, it should have been easy to find, but they couldn't seem to find anything. Could such a thing be possible?
After a short search, it was Kenny, a professional in investigation and searches, who discovered a staircase leading underground.
"I found stairs!"
"Underground!"
The discovered staircase was dark and steep. The carelessly laid bricks told a story of a hastily constructed basement. This was most likely the place.
The stairs leading to the basement had decayed over the long years. They had probably remained unseen by anyone since the day they were built.
"Let’s go down."
"Yeah."
With Ritz leading the way holding Sara-chan’s lamp, they descended the stairs. At the bottom was a sturdy-looking door. Without hesitation, Ritz inserted the last of the large keys. The key turned without any resistance.
This was definitely the place.
When he pushed open the sturdy iron door, a smell of dust and damp mold flowed out. It smelled like it had been left untouched for a very long time.
The lamp Ritz was holding wasn't bright enough, so Kenny lit his own as well. That made it much brighter.
"Anna!"
The sight of Anna, still in her maid uniform and lying on the floor, jumped into Franz’s eyes. Thinking she was dead, he panicked and rushed toward her, but tripped on something wrapped in a cloth.
"…What is this?"
As he tripped, the cloth was dislodged, and its contents spilled out.
"Franz, don’t touch it!"
Ritz’s sharp voice stopped his hand just as he was about to pull back the cloth.
"What?"
When he asked, Ritz quietly informed Franz.
"That’s probably a corpse."
"!"
He instinctively pulled his hand back and staggered away. A corpse…? Why was something like that here?
His mind went blank. It wasn't that he'd never seen a corpse before, but a corpse in this situation was so unexpected he couldn't process it.
As Franz backed away, Kenny took his place, kneeling beside the cloth and slightly opening a corner. Inside was, just as Ritz had predicted, a skeletonized corpse.
He caught a glimpse of a thin, shriveled arm protruding from the hem of the clothes and was overcome with a wave of nausea. Noticing this, Kenny quickly covered the body again with the blanket.
"Your Excellency, if Evans-san’s story is correct, this would be the body of Anna Hall."
"Probably…"
While the two conversed calmly, Franz shivered beside them. He couldn’t remain composed. The skeleton was still clad in clothes. Its hair was spread out on the floor.
The sight was so surreal it made his skin crawl, and at the same time, the thought that this woman was inside Anna was unbearably terrifying.
From beside Franz, someone unsteadily approached the body. It was Evans. He walked toward the corpse, trembling.
It wasn't that he was terrified like Franz. The body of the woman he loved, the one he had abandoned and fled from, was right there. How could he remain calm? The sight was too painful, and Franz averted his eyes.
"Annie… Annie…"
At the sound of him lovingly calling his lover’s name, Franz cautiously shifted his gaze back to Evans. Evans had finally reached the body and knelt beside it.
"To be locked away in a place like this… you poor thing… forgive me…"
No one could say anything to Evans as he covered his face and groaned… or rather, they shouldn’t have been able to, but there was one person who answered his words.
"What are you talking about?"
"…Anna! No, is that you, Annie?"
Anna’s body, which had appeared to be asleep on the floor, slowly sat up. Her gaze was fixed on Evans, who was clinging to Annie’s corpse.
"Who are you?"
"…"
As Evans was momentarily unable to respond, Annie shoved him. Staggering, Evans stared at Annie in a daze.
"Don’t touch my Evans-sama!"
"…Annie, what are you saying…"
Annie walked over to her own corpse, which was wrapped in the blanket.
"Get out of here! Don’t tear Evans-sama and me apart!"
Evans could only stare silently at the screaming Annie. It seemed Annie believed this corpse was Evans.
"Hold on, just listen to what we have to say."
Ritz tried to speak to Annie, hoping to make her understand the truth. But, apparently remembering when he had caught her in the kitchen, Annie glared at him.
"No. You’re a thug hired by Master, aren’t you? I won’t fall for the same trick again."
"A th-thug…"
To be fair, Ritz, covered in dust and looking penniless, couldn’t be blamed for being seen that way. Ritz shrugged his shoulders, at a loss for words.
"I’ll leave it to you, Evans. She probably won’t listen to us."
"…Understood."
Evans knelt before Annie, who was desperately trying to protect the corpse. At this sudden action, Annie looked up, bewildered.
"Annie… it’s me, Evans."
"…Huh?"
"…I’m truly sorry… I’m so sorry for leaving you and running away."
"You’re lying… what are you saying? Because Evans-sama is right here…"
Evans took the hand of the frightened, retreating Annie. He pulled her hand close and held it tightly in both of his.
"Look closely. I may have aged considerably, but can’t you recognize my face?"
"…"
Annie squeezed her eyes shut as if in refusal and desperately tried to pull away from Evans’s grasp, but she gradually lost strength and became still.
"Annie, look closely."
Evans placed his hands firmly on Annie’s shoulders and spoke to her.
Her tightly shut eyes began to open, little by little, as if in fear. Her gaze turned directly to the man in front of her.
What her eyes saw was the face of an old man in priest’s robes. His hair was pure white, and deep wrinkles, carved by a lifetime of anguish, were etched into his face.
Even from a distance, they could see Annie's tense face gradually soften. Annie’s hand caressed Evans’s wrinkled cheek.
"Evans-sama… is it you?"
"Yes, it’s me, Annie."
But Annie, as if she couldn’t quite believe it, looked at the corpse she had been protecting.
"But, this is Evans-sama’s body… Evans-sama said so…"
"I left this mansion the night you were killed and haven’t been back since. I am alive. That is your… corpse."
Annie slowly shook her head. She was confused by what she was being told, unable to believe it.
"Lies… but Evans-sama has always been near me, talking to me."
"That wasn’t me. I am right here."
"No!!"
Evans glanced at the corpse. He must have realized that the only way was to show her directly. Franz understood that it was for the best, but he was unbearably scared.
"I’m sorry, but could you please remove the cloth from that body?"
His words were directed at Ritz and Kenny. With a silent nod, Ritz and Kenny quietly removed the cloth that had been covering the body.
"Ugh…"
Seeing the corpse, Franz let out a groan and turned away. He still couldn't bear to look at it directly, nor did he have the courage to stare.
Although the corpse was skeletonized, it was still wearing a maid’s uniform, and on its chest lay the pointed piece of wood that had clearly impaled it. A large bloodstain was visible on its chest.
"…Is that me?"
"Yes, it is."
"It’s my body, isn’t it? It’s not Evans-sama’s?"
"Yes, that’s right."
Annie stared intently at her own corpse. She clutched her head as if trying to remember something. She must be recalling the events of that night.
The four of them waited in silence for a long time. She needed time to understand. They couldn't rush her. If she remembered the reason for her death, it would become clear that this body was her own.
"I was being chased by thugs hired by Master…"
Annie muttered softly.
"…Yes."
"I was all alone. No one helped me."
Remembering that time, Annie began to tremble, hugging herself. The memories were coming back.
"…When I was cornered and tripped, a broken branch pierced my chest."
The image of the impaled Annie must have surfaced in Evans’s mind as well, for he closed his eyes in pain and shook his head.
Annie collapsed, quietly sitting beside the corpse.
"There’s no mistake. This is me. For some reason, I’ve always believed this was Evans-sama."
Muttering, Annie slowly turned and looked back at Evans. She slowly raised both hands and touched his cheeks.
"Evans-sama, you’re alive? Is that really you?"
"Yes, it’s me, Annie."
"Thank goodness…"
Large tears spilled from Annie’s eyes as if she could no longer hold them back. She lovingly cupped Evans’s cheeks in both hands, caressing them as if to feel his warmth.
"…You were alive, Evans-sama."
"Annie."
"As long as you were alive, that’s all that mattered. As long as you were safe…"
Unable to say anything, Evans also shed tears.
"That night, I saw your body, and I was so scared I ran away. Why did I leave you and run… I’m a coward."
"It’s alright. Please don’t worry about it. I thought you had been killed too… that you had been killed because of me. That’s what made me so sad."
"…"
"But you were alive."
"Annie."
It seemed the fact that he had left her and run away was not an issue for Annie.
"If we couldn’t run away together, I wanted you, at least, to be free. I just wanted you to live freely. That was my only wish."
That was why she didn’t mind that he had abandoned her corpse and fled, Annie said.
What an incredible self-sacrifice, Franz thought.
"Evans-sama…"
Finally, the two were reunited.
"Annie, I’m so sorry."
Franz glanced at the corpse once more. It was scary and unsettling, but now that he knew the circumstances, it was more bearable.
Besides, he felt it would be unfair to Annie to feel scared.
Until now, he had thought of the incomprehensible existence of ghosts as nothing but terrifying, but for the first time, he learned that if there was a reason and he could understand it, the fear was considerably lessened.
But the problem started from here. They had to find out the identity of that mysterious voice.
"Evans, sorry, but save the heartfelt reunion for later. I’m worried about that fake voice."
"Ah, you’re right."
Ritz said apologetically. Franz also felt it was a pity to interrupt the two of them, but there was something that took priority. If they didn’t resolve it, there would be no true resolution.
Now that Annie was back to her senses, there was no need to worry about Anna. She would be released soon. Ritz faced Annie once more.