Translator: Nox

Chapter 1

"Ah, finally..."

I've finally achieved my dream of owning my own home!

Due to the soaring house prices, there were only a few houses that I could afford with the money I had painstakingly saved.

But I was lucky enough to win the lottery for an apartment subscription, and I had the opportunity to get a loan and buy a house. The conflicts with landlords, the stress of moving, and the sorrow of not owning my own home, which I had experienced while wandering around in monthly rent, are now over.

It's practically a bank's house because of the loan I have to pay off for the rest of my life, but anyway, it's my house!

...But happiness didn't last long.

Because I died in a traffic accident before paying the down payment.

In the end, my dream of owning my own home ended with a royal suite in the charnel house.

* * *

"Huh-erk!"

Waking up from my sleep, I shuddered and jumped out of bed. The sunlight filtering through the window was so dazzling that I unknowingly squinted.

"Ah, I had an old dream for the first time in a while."

A dream from before I died in an accident. I rubbed my face and lay back down on the sheet. And I looked up at the shabby ceiling that still felt unfamiliar.

When I opened my eyes after death, I was in a completely different world. A modernized era where engineering and industry are developed, and airplanes and automobiles exist.

In addition, it was a worldview with supernatural powers such as magic and Aura, so at first, I thought I had been possessed into a novel.

But I was just an ordinary person born in a rural village. It's a world where Ability Users run rampant, but sadly, I have no abilities. The people around me were also completely unrelated to the novels I had read.

So, after living an ordinary life, I became an adult, and after my grandfather, who raised me, passed away, I took the money he left behind and the money I had worked hard to save and went to the capital, Londinium.

Because there was always something my grandfather used to say before he died.

"Horses to the countryside, people to the capital."

In the future, we had promised to go to the capital and live together, but unfortunately, that promise was not kept.

So, thinking about my grandfather's advice and promise, I came here.

Although house prices are expensive, it's my second life starting from scratch anyway, so there's nothing I can't do. I'll find a suitable house, earn money, and gradually expand the house.

I can't believe my dream here will also be to own my own home.

I leave the inn again today to find a decent house.

"Mia Fortuna, what's your budget?"

At the real estate agency in the square. A real estate agent in a neat suit asked me.

"30 million Give. If I consider bank loans, it'll be about 50 million."

At my answer, the real estate agent tapped the abacus, then raised his monocle with his finger and said.

"First, I'll show you the first house. It's better to see the real thing than a picture, right? Because there are many cases where they deliberately take pictures to make it look bigger and deceive you."

"Yes, of course. As long as it's a decent house to live in."

So, I took a car with him and arrived at a magnificent mansion.

Wow, can you buy a house like this for 50 million in this world?

"It's a nobleman's Manor House built 50 years ago, and the remodeling has been completely completed this time."

Listening to the employee's explanation, I entered the luxurious interior of the house and looked around here and there with a feeling of dreaming.

"Please follow me closely. The house is so big that you might get lost."

"Yes."

It's so big that I need a guide, how big is it?

He walked down a long corridor, opened a steel door, and gestured inside. Behind the open door, there was a staircase leading down to the basement.

Is he trying to show me that there's also a basement warehouse? I followed him down with a face full of anticipation.

"This is where you will be moving in."

A dark basement.

When the employee holding the oil lamp shone the light, I saw a place that looked like it had been used as an underground prison.

The reddish-orange light of the lamp swirled around the bars, torture instruments, and blood-splattered walls. A chilling atmosphere that seemed to create crimes that didn't exist.

"Sir? Is this the house?"

"Yes. The landlord said it's a space that he doesn't use now, so he's offering it at a particularly low price."

As I blankly looked around, I discovered something in the darkness and was startled and took a step back. There was a skeleton hanging on the wall with handcuffs on both hands.

"Someone's already here! I have to take them to the hospital!"

"Ah, that's just a wall decoration that the Manor House owner bought from a voodoo sorcerer. Isn't it cool?"

Don't talk nonsense! What about the red letters on the wall that say 'Save me - February 17, 1874'!

"If you move in this time, the landlord will specially provide a bed."

The employee banged on the rusty iron coffin standing in the corner.

Isn't that a medieval torture device? Iron Maiden? What kind of bed is that?

I wiped the cold sweat from my forehead and asked him.

"Do you know where the people who moved in before went...?"

"Everyone did well and left. The land is so good."

Don't lie! They must have died!

I didn't want to become a prisoner by paying money, so I urged the employee to show me another house.

"The atmosphere is too sinful and ominous. Is there another house?"

"Hmm, you value the atmosphere."

I took the employee's car again and headed to the second place.

The house I saw this time was definitely smaller than the previous mansion, but the exterior looked fine.

"Here it is."

"It's not an underground prison or a dog house, is it?"

"Yes, it's right to buy this house."

That's a relief. He's finally showing me a decent house.

I entered the front door with anticipation.

But the internal structure is a bit strange.

"......"

The house is tilted. Everything is tilted like a slide. I think I've seen this kind of house in a comedy show.

At my gaze asking for an explanation, the employee shrugged and spread his hands as if introducing a work of art.

"It's a postmodern style. It has a sophisticated and artistic atmosphere, right?"

I didn't answer. Instead, when I glared at him with a cold gaze, the employee began to explain the story behind this house.

"It used to be a hill. The house price is low because it was built without cutting down the hill."

"Can you show me a more common-sense house, not an underground prison or a house with a declining family?"

At my request, the employee put his hand on his waist with a face that said it was impossible.

"Do you know how high the house prices are in the capital, Londinium? You can't even buy a straw house with 50 million. How much thought did I put into finding this place?"

"It should at least be a house where people can live! Is there really no other house?"

Huff, the employee who let out a sigh took out his hardcover notebook and flipped through it, then looked at me with a face that said this time was real.

"This is not a house that I show to just anyone, but it seems like Mia is desperate for a house, so I can't help it."

I don't expect anything anymore, but I decided to follow him with the feeling of grabbing at straws. He gestured for me to get in the car quickly.

How long has it been since I got in the car? The road I was driving on had already turned into a bumpy unpaved road. I entered a forest path lined with straight pine trees.

The surrounding area was blurry with fog. Occasionally, there were strange bird cries.

It's not a joint ancestral complex with a cemetery view, is it?

The atmosphere was humid and gloomy, but since I had seen so many ominous things earlier, I decided to think of it as just my imagination.

"Here it is. There is no better house than this now."

The last house that the employee revealed was a very large old mansion where royalty or high-ranking nobles would have lived.

Doesn't the historical value of this kind of house increase as it gets older?

"It's a Manor House where a great lord lived during the feudal era a long time ago."

I followed the employee, who was rattling off the advantages of the mansion, into the house. The voice echoed in the empty interior.

Furniture covered with white cloth caught my eye. There was a little dust, but it looked clean considering that people hadn't lived there for a long time.

It's not bad? It's more than just okay, it's touching. Is this house possible for 50 million Give?

Knowing that I seemed to like it very much, the employee said.

"You don't have to pay for this house, you just have to transfer the ownership."

"Yes?"

I was surprised and opened my eyes wide.

"However, there are conditions. First, it must be kept clean without a speck of dust. Second, a lifetime contract. This means that you cannot move while you are alive. This house has cultural value, so the Ministry of Culture pays a management fee every month."

There is a disadvantage that I have to clean this big house alone, but it's still a very good condition. I should be suspicious of this, but...

The employee's clear voice pierced my brain.

"4 million Give. This is the amount paid every month."

"I'll take it."

I answered quickly. I was tired, and I realized that this house was the best option no matter how I thought about it. I can live for free and get paid for the rest of my life, so why wouldn't I do it?

"Here, write the contract."

I signed the contract that the employee handed me without hesitation.

After the contract was concluded, the employee waved his hand and smiled at me for the first time.

"Good luck."

I didn't know what that meant until the first night after moving in.

A Blackmailer as a Housekeeper