Chapter 6
Simone stared at the door from which the sound had come, her face tense.
It had come. Something bizarre in its very existence had come to find Simone.
The feeling of drowsiness vanished. Although she had prepared herself mentally, when the moment arrived, her throat felt constricted, and she couldn't even let out a breath.
Knock, knock.
In the suffocating silence, a delicate sound echoed as someone knocked on the door.
Simone bit her lip tightly and glared silently at the door. Her fists clenched unconsciously.
Knock, knock.
Once again, the knocking came from outside the door, which was as quiet as a grave.
Intermittently.
Knock, knock.
Irregularly.
Knock, knock.
The entity that had been knocking suddenly stopped its actions. Then,
Clunk.
Simone instinctively took a step back. Something was now shaking the doorknob.
Clunk, clunk.
As the entity continued to knock and shake, it began to act more violently and quickly when Simone showed no reaction.
Knock, knock, knock, knock, knock. Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock, bang!!!!!!!
Clunk, clunk, clunk, clunk, clunk, clunk, clunk, clunk, clunk, clunk, clunk, clunk, clunk, bang!!!!!!
With each shake of the doorknob, the ground trembled. Each time the thing outside knocked, the door seemed on the verge of breaking apart, revealing pale, dry skin that was cracking.
“...Ha.”
Simone barely managed to exhale quietly. It felt as if her heart might drop out of her chest.
But she forced down her fear and stood up from her chair, slowly walking toward the door.
She had to face it, no matter how scared she was. It was better to overcome the fear once than to die.
Simone tried to gather her thoughts once more.
Bang! Crash!
Simone stood quietly in front of the incessantly banging door. At that moment,
Crash! Thud—
The sound of knocking stopped.
Heehee...
A soft girl's voice came through. Through the barely held door, bright red eyes stared at Simone, grinning mischievously.
It exists.
The soft girl's voice had now changed to that of an old man.
Heeheeheehee! Heeheeheehee! It exists. It really exists. Heeheehee!
The thing outside dug deeper through the crack in the door, scanning Simone as if indulging in her.
Simone stared back at that gaze with a blank expression. No, she couldn't muster any expression at all.
It looked so grotesque and menacing that she couldn't even react.
“Stay calm. Stay calm.”
She mustn't get tense. She mustn't be afraid. She had already been scared enough, but what would happen if she got even more frightened?
The fact that it had come here instead of roaming outside meant it was drawn to her immense power. It must want to seize this Power of Death.
If she loses in this battle of wills, she would be consumed. That was all Simone could think about.
As she continued to engage in a staring contest through the crack in the door, the cracked skin began to move and grin.
It exists?
Just as Simone took a deep breath.
Open the door, open the door, open the dooooor!!!!!!!
Bang!! Crash!
It began to knock on the door even more frantically.
It was truly strange. Was it possible for no one to come check on this ruckus, despite the noise?
As if everyone had been caught in a collective Sleep Magic.
The silence of this space was only broken by that grotesque thing and Simone.
Open the door, open the door, open the door, open the door, open the door!!!!!
It shouted and knocked as if trying to break the door down.
No, could it even be called knocking? It was trying to smash it.
“I already knew I would become prey.”
She mustn't be afraid.
Even though there was just this wooden door between them.
Simone stood in front of the door, her trembling hands clenched into fists.
Open the door, open the door, open the door, open the door, open the door, open the door, open the door, open the door, open the door, open the door!!!!!
Suddenly, the surroundings fell silent.
There were no more voices or knocks. The thing that had been staring at her with its blood-red eyes slowly vanished, and the door that had been ajar closed again.
“What the...?”
Simone looked around, bewildered.
In typical horror movies, doesn’t this mean that while you think it has disappeared, it has already entered the room?
“Wow, this is terrifying.”
At that moment, a voice came from beyond the door once more.
“Let me in.”
Simone stopped her thoughts. The voice of a young woman had changed to that of a low, polite man.
A voice that was both unfamiliar and familiar.
It was Archduke Illestone's.
Knock—
“Let me in.”
Of course, Simone knew that the one standing at the door was not Archduke Illestone.
She cautiously opened her mouth.
“Who are you?”
Simone frowned. It seemed her response was not what the other party wanted.
With a small sigh, she reluctantly provided the answer they sought.
“...Is it the Archduke?”
“Yes, it is the Archduke.”
The voice was that of the Archduke, but it had an awkward tone, as if it were a child who had just learned to speak.
Simone calmly asked again.
“Which Archduke are you?”
“Archduke Illestone.”
“What brings you here at this hour?”
“I have something to say. Let me in.”
Clack. The doorknob clicked once. Simone stared at it, then reached out and firmly grasped the doorknob, saying resolutely.
“I’m sorry, but I cannot open it.”
Then, this time, a flustered girl's voice spilled out.
Why? Why?
Simone replied in a slightly sleepy and bored tone.
“I'm just too sleepy right now.”
“It’s the Archduke’s command.”
This time, it was the Archduke's voice and tone.
“Then come back in a week. I’ll let you in then.”
“Really?”
This time, it was the Archduke's voice in a childish manner. Simone nodded at the unseen entity, thinking so. Then she released the doorknob and turned away.
“Good night.”
“......”
Silence fell. Was it contemplating? Or had it accepted and turned back?
“...Has it gone?”
Clunk, clunk, clunk!!!!
“Ah!”
Knock.
Knock, knock.
After several knocks with no response, the unidentified entity outside clicked the doorknob once more and then vanished without a sound.
“Ha.”
Simone exhaled, relaxing her stiff body. The dangerous air that had filled the space felt like it was finally regaining warmth.
With her still trembling, cold hands clasped together, Simone trudged toward her bed.
“It’s over...”
Still, she had done everything she needed to do in advance. She had confirmed that the curse of the Mansion only moved when everyone was asleep, just as she had read in the novels.
Now.
‘If I can just handle my mana properly for a week.’
If she could at least manage her abilities as a Necromancer based on her memories and the information from the books, she would be able to deal with this curse easily.
The Tree Monster was about the level of a level 1 monster in front of a village in a game.
Just by watching it hide and move only when everyone else was asleep, one could tell how cowardly it was.
For a Necromancer, it was that easy.
Then, it was time to sleep.
“...I’m so damn tired.”
Simone trudged toward her bed.
Damn, it was exhausting. Whether in Korea or here, overworking was the same.
Glancing at the clock, she saw it was already four in the morning.
Waiting for it to come had made the time pass so quickly.
Having already exhausted all her energy escaping the orphanage...
“Ugh.”
As soon as Simone lay down on the bed, she fell into a deep sleep.
And the next morning.
“Lady Simone.”
Simone opened her eyes to Anna’s timid yet caring voice.
“Did you sleep well?”
Simone nodded and gently brushed the soft blanket with a serious expression.
Goodness.
“I slept incredibly well.”
Isn’t the bed a marvel of science? After escaping the orphanage, experiencing the Power of Death for the first time, staying up all night, and encountering a ghost.
The fatigue that had tormented Simone all at once melted away like snow with a proper night’s sleep.
“How is this possible?”
“Eh?”
Could this be the feeling of a bed used only in a seven-star hotel in Dubai, which she had never been to? Is it possible that the fatigue that had never been relieved no matter how much she rested in either this world or the modern one could vanish in just one night?
“Haha...”
Anna noticed that Simone’s serious contemplation was nothing to worry about and sighed in relief, smiling lightly.
While other senior attendants seemed to dislike Simone greatly, Anna wanted to treat her well, seeing her as a benefactor who had come to lift the Mansion's Curse.
“I will prepare breakfast in your room just like yesterday.”
“Okay.”
“Did anything happen last night?”
Anna was asking about her sleep the previous night.
However, Simone unexpectedly blurted out an answer that was not what Anna intended.
“The Red Tree blocking the front gate will disappear around the morning a week from now.”
“...What?”
The tree?
Anna’s head instinctively turned toward the window.
The Red Tree that had never once been passed since the day Anna was sold to this mansion.
She thought that it would never disappear while she worked in this mansion.
Yet the girl in front of her casually said it would be gone in a week.
The curse that had isolated this mansion for 300 years would be lifted so easily?
‘How powerful must a Necromancer be to make that possible...?’
Is that even feasible? Given the size of the tree, it would take at least a week just to remove it.
‘I can’t believe it...’
But Anna did not show her thoughts.
This was something Simone had brought up, and it was her responsibility to resolve it.
Whether a mere attendant believed it or not, the predetermined outcome would not change.
A full table was set.
The amount of food was quite substantial for breakfast, yet once again, Simone’s face lit up as she slowly began to empty her plate.
“Lady Simone, after breakfast, you are free to stay inside the mansion until the Archduke calls for you.”
“Thank you for letting me know.”
The Archduke was not as strict as she had expected.
She had thought he would call her for various reasons to report on the events of the previous night as soon as breakfast was over.
“I will record and compile the sleeping times of the mansion’s inhabitants for you!”
“Anna, thank you so much.”
Anna was the only one she could rely on in this mansion. Anna nodded with sparkling eyes, smiling brightly.
“Taking care of you is my job!”
Simone finished her meal with satisfaction after their conversation.
And for the following week, Simone locked herself in her room.
