Life in Another World With Narration

35 – The Curse of the Belle Epoque Mansion

I didn’t expect this.

Patton immediately admitted to what he had done in the basement of the Belle Epoque mansion.

But what he killed was not a person. He wasn’t even half-breed. Not a slave either.

He said that he simply picked up a young demon child, locked it in the basement, used it for entertainment, and then killed it.

“I have to sell the mansion, so it’s a bit uncomfortable to have something like that, right? So I blocked the entrance to the basement and nailed it down. Well, it’s true that I killed a demon brat in that basement, so I can pay the repair fee for that. That’s enough now, right? “I’m busy, so I’ll figure out whether or not I’ll send you a bill later, and now get out of the way.”

Patton’s attitude was relaxed.

It was a natural thing for him.

Demons are the long-standing enemies of humans. It is the target of subjugation.

Although he could be accused of being cruel, he could not be truly convicted and punished.

This is because demons are beings outside the protection of the law.

But somehow I couldn’t accept that fact.

A hallucination shown by the ghost of a child presumed to be a demon that the mansion showed.

All the emotions that flowed into me during that terrible experience were not much different from those of humans.

Could it be that Patton is lying?

They kill people and call them demons…… No, if that were the case, they would have said that there was no such enemy in the first place.

There is no reason to admit the fact and confidently kill the demon, so there is no reason to say what is the problem.

“What the hell…” ….”

But I was confused.

What is a demon in the first place?

I only know that it is a race led by the Demon King, but I have never actually met or fought with it.

All I know is that it is a long-standing enemy of humans and an object that must be subjugated by warriors.

When I returned to the guild, I spoke to Tina.

“It looks like it was a ghost, a demon, from that mansion.”

“Demons… ….”

Tina seemed a little surprised, but she didn’t open her mouth any further.

I suddenly became curious.

“I want to ask you something about demons.”

“Yes?”

“Is it different from monsters?”

“That’s right. If I were to be specific… “It would be closer to a different race under the influence of the Demon King.”

Close to a different race.

Meruru, a beast-human race, is also a different race.

Speak and think like a human, cry when you’re sad, and laugh when you’re happy.

The lizard people I saw at the guild before are also of a different race.

He will talk, think, cry, and laugh like a human being.

Although such different races may be discriminated against because of their different race, they are not randomly captured, tortured, and killed.

But is it okay to cruelly torture and kill demons? Why?

It’s not that I don’t understand.

It was well known that the humans here had been in countless dangers due to the war with the demons.

For people living in this world, it is common sense that demons are ‘enemies.’

But… ….

Is it because I come from a different world?

No matter how much I thought about it, it bothered me.

In particular, the hallucinations I experienced in the Belle Epoque mansion…….

As Sylphy also told me, while I was experiencing that hallucination, I felt uncontrollably fearful and sad.

If I think about it now, those feelings were not my true feelings, but rather a reproduction of the feelings the ghost in the mansion felt during his lifetime.

Is it really okay to torture and kill a child who is so scared and sad because he is a demon?

Even though I understood it intellectually, I could not accept it as someone who had experienced the demon’s emotions even indirectly.

It is common sense that even if there is a war, civilians and children are not harmed.

Even when slaughtering animals, they are not tortured to death while still alive.

Patton Noia was neither an adventurer nor a strong human being.

If he was a demon who could not resist him and was captured, was there a need to torture and kill him?

“…… “I don’t like it.”

“Yes?”

It seems that Tina heard me muttering to myself without my knowledge.

“No, nothing.”

“Do you think the request will be resolved?”

Tina asked me.

I am not sure about the resolution of the request.

“I want to go to the mansion again.”

* * *

The Belle Epoque mansion I visited again still had an eerie atmosphere.

Because it was an extension of the request, Tina and Sylphy came along, but this time I planned to enter the mansion alone.

“Senior…… “Are you really going to go in there alone?”

I quietly nodded at Sylphy’s worried gaze.

I don’t know about the old relationship between demons and humans.

Because I am not a human from this world to begin with.

In that case, I have no choice but to judge it in my own way, based on what I see and feel.

First of all, I wanted to know what kind of demon child was who died in this mansion.

It will be judged later whether the actions that Patton proudly revealed can be justified.

More than anything, I didn’t like Patton’s face, which made him laugh and say, ‘I’m a demon, so what does it matter what I do?’

No matter how demonic the opponent is, it still doesn’t change the fact that he did something terrible to a weak child who couldn’t resist.

But will the ghost in the mansion talk to me?

Could it be that I end up only seeing those terrible hallucinations again?

I wonder if I’m experiencing something worse than hallucinations this time.

『Contrary to Yunoa’s worries, the ghost of the Belle Epoque mansion had no malicious intent.

She just wanted to let someone know what she experienced here.

But none of the people who experienced what she went through visited the mansion again.』

At that time, I heard a narration in my head.

So, does that mean the ghost in the mansion had no malicious intent?

And there was no crazy person in the world who walked back into the mansion after seeing that terrible hallucination.

Then I will become that crazy person number one.

There was no need to hesitate any longer.

I stepped into the mansion alone.

* * *

The inside of the mansion was still a mess.

Tables and chairs were rolling here and there, and dirt-covered footprints were left on the dirty carpet.

I shouted loudly in the empty mansion.

“Hey! I can hear? Ghost! “I don’t know your name, so I’ll just call you this!”

My voice rang loudly in the empty mansion.

There was no reaction.

“I also know that you are a demon!”

I shout out once again.

Suddenly, the surroundings slowly darkened and fog began to form.

You can hear the wind and the windows are shaking.

Has it started?

But the narration clearly said that this ghost had no malicious intent.

I shouted again before the hallucinations got any worse.

“It doesn’t matter to me whether you are a demon or not! “I want to know what kind of kid you were!”

Rumbling. It rattled. It rattled.

Kkiik─ Kkiik─

“I want to talk to you!”

Boom!

In the increasingly intense storm of hallucinations, I was waiting for the ghost to respond in any way.

And after a while, just like before, my vision began to blur from the periphery to black.

Oh, do I have to see the terrible hallucinations in that basement again?

The moment I thought that.

Suddenly, my vision became brighter and the scenery of the mansion returned to its original state.

“You… ….”

And then a small, semi-transparent being appeared before my eyes.

She was a very small girl who would have looked no more than ten years old if she were human.

“… ….”

The translucent girl stood still and looked at me.

Looking closely, I saw that small horns were sprouting from her head.

And although she was so small that it was barely visible, it seemed like she also had wings on her back.

Is that child the demon ghost that haunted this mansion?

“That… nice to meet you. Name is?”

I asked the ghost carefully.

Then suddenly the scenery of the mansion became distorted and unfamiliar scenes passed before my eyes like a panorama.

It was as if fragments of memories were shown in my mind.

Shari.

It appears that the name of the ghost is Shari.

Instead of answering my question verbally, the child answered my question in a strange way by showing the scene directly in my head.

Shari continued to show me various scenes, and little by little she let out the emotions she felt.

It felt like watching several movies in a short period of time.

I was able to find out what kind of life Shari lived and what she thought before she was captured and brought into this mansion.

What Shari showed me and experienced was no different from her complete life.

Although she was born as a demon, she grew up receiving love as a normal child.

She loved flowers, so she made a wreath out of purple flowers that grow in the demon world and wore it around.

She was playful, so she enjoyed walking up behind young demon children her age, tapping them on the shoulder and poking their cheeks with her fingers.

When her pet died, she cried all day without eating anything.

Those memories that flashed through her mind were her answer to my question about Shari wanting to know what kind of child she was.

“… ….”

I was able to be sure after sharing Shari’s memories.

Demons are fundamentally creatures that are not much different from humans.

I think you shouldn’t touch a child, regardless of race.

Fighting to death is enough between adults.

Shari seemed to have shown me everything she had to show me, as she was looking at me with a sullen expression.

What on earth did Patton do to such a small and cute child?

“Shari, do you want to get revenge on that bastard?”

I asked Shari.

Dori Dori.

It looks like he doesn’t want revenge.

Shari was so small and fleeting that it seemed as if she would disappear at any moment.

“Actually… ….”

I explained to Shari why I came to this mansion.

The story is that because of Shari’s illusions, this mansion became her cursed mansion.

I told him everything, including the story that I had been commissioned to acquire this mansion.

Shari was quietly listening to me.

She then conveyed her own opinion directly into my head.

“…… Are you sorry? “You won’t do that anymore?”

Nod.

He was a good kid.

Shari just wanted someone to know what a terrible thing had happened to her.

She

That’s why she showed hallucinations to people who came to the mansion.

The hallucination was so terrible that everyone ran away.

The worries that were boiling in my heart disappeared.

Patton’s kidnapping, torturing, and brutal killing of Shari may not be officially considered a crime.

But at least I couldn’t forgive him.

It was as if the curse of the mansion had already been lifted.

Shari will no longer show terrible visions to those who come to the mansion.

But I wanted to punish Patton.

Shari said she has no intention of revenge, but I can’t stand by and watch a guy like Patton sleep comfortably.

“Shari, I have a favor to ask… ….”

I explained my plan to the small demon ghost Shari.

After hearing the whole plan, Shari nodded and smiled brightly at me.

It looked quite cute, so I reached out my hand to pet Shari’s head.

But nothing was touched by his hand, only cold air passed by.

* * *