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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 5
Chapter Title: The Sealed Basement
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[…! …cian!]
“Hiccup, R-Ria?”
He could hear Ria’s voice. Lucian tried to stand, only to tumble forward. He quickly looked around.
“Ria! Ria! I’m here! Riaaa!”
[…Lucian! Quick, come over here!]
The voice was coming from the stairs. Tears blurred his vision, but Lucian desperately scrambled to his feet and managed to make his way to the staircase.
At the top of the stairs, light streamed in through the door. It felt like salvation in the darkness.
“Ria!”
[Lucian!]
Ria was standing halfway up the stairs. The desperate look on her face sent a wave of sorrow through him.
“Waaah! Where were you! I… I called for you for so long…!”
He resented her for not coming to find him, no matter what cruel things he had said. And why wasn't she coming down now?
[I can’t go any further than this! Can’t you see it? I can’t come down even if I want to!]
“Hiccup! Huh…?”
Lucian managed to stifle his sobs and looked up. Sure enough, Ria was looking down at him with her hands pressed against empty air, as if blocked by something.
Puzzled, Lucian climbed up to where Ria was.
“There’s nothing here…?”
[Of course there isn’t, for you! But not for me! The only place I can’t go, besides outside, is the basement!]
This was new information. Lucian was surprised for a moment, then grew angry, demanding why she was only telling him this now.
[Did you think I’d know you were going to the basement?! I thought the door was locked. How on earth did you open it?]
“I, I just… came in because I saw it…”
[Hah. Still, I’m glad you’re safe. Are you hurt anywhere?]
Ria sighed in relief, looking Lucian over. Sniffling, he followed her outside.
In the light, he was a complete mess.
A livid bruise was forming on his chin, his entire body was caked in something black and brown, and his arm was scraped and bleeding.
[Good heavens! What in the world happened down there!]
“Hic! I-I don’t know… The basement is weird. There are only strange rooms…!”
[Wait a minute! Isn’t this blood? But it can’t be yours… it looks old.]
Ria’s panic subsided as she realized the powder caked on Lucian’s hands and body was dried, ancient blood.
Ria managed to calm Lucian down enough to hear what had happened in the basement.
A door engraved with a strange symbol, another leading to a long tunnel, and an unidentified room stained with blood.
She hadn't even known such rooms existed, since she couldn't enter the basement herself.
From the sound of it, some kind of trap had been set, and it had likely reacted to Lucian’s blood.
[Hah, still, it’s a relief you got out quickly. If you hadn’t made it out in time, you would have ended up like the lantern.]
“No! I don’t want to die!”
Lucian shrieked and clung to her. He could lean against her because Ria had enveloped her entire body in mana.
Ria decided to wash him first and led him to the bathroom. Still terrified, Lucian refused to leave her side for even a second.
Though it must have been quite a bother, Ria didn’t complain. Instead, she gently soothed him, telling him it was okay.
Thanks to her, Lucian felt his racing heart begin to quiet.
Once he was in the bubble bath Ria had prepared, the events in the basement started to feel like nothing more than a terrible nightmare.
“…Ria, I’m sorry.”
Lucian thought this had all happened because he had said mean things to Ria. If they hadn’t fought, none of this would have occurred.
At his words, Ria chuckled and began to wash him.
[No, I’m sorry too. I didn’t understand how my Little Groom was feeling. Let’s not fight again, okay?]
“Okay…”
[And don’t go down to the basement again. I can’t go there, so I can’t help you if you get into danger.]
“Okay, I’ll never go in there again.”
Lucian made a firm promise to Ria, and his tense body finally began to relax. As the tension eased, his eyelids grew heavy.
[Here. Let me wash you.]
“No. I can do it my…”
[It’s okay, just go to sleep. I’ll stay right here beside you.]
If Ria was by his side, he felt safe.
Lucian couldn’t fight the heaviness of his eyelids any longer and drifted off to sleep.
As Lucian’s soft, even breaths filled the silence, the smile Ria had been wearing vanished. A chilling wind swirled around her.
Her expression was so terrifying that anyone who saw it would have thought her a malevolent spirit.
* * *
Ria laid the sleeping Lucian on his bed and let out a sigh.
[Thank goodness nothing happened.]
When she heard Lucian’s screams from the basement, she had felt like she was going mad. For the first time, she had despised being bound to the mansion, unable to do anything.
[What in the world is in that basement? And what’s with the long tunnel?]
She had lived in this mansion for over 300 years and had prided herself on knowing every corner of it, but that belief was shattered today.
Based on what Lucian had told her, the mansion was connected to somewhere else. And someone had been entering through that tunnel and doing strange things in the basement.
A shiver ran through her entire being, so intense it felt like her very soul was trembling.
[Wait, something’s not right.]
She had the nagging feeling she was missing something important. Ria re-examined the clothes Lucian had taken off.
Besides the dust and powdered blood, there were also jelly-like clumps of blood stuck to the fabric.
Then it hit her.
[…They were here recently.]
Not only that, but from Lucian’s description, the magic circle drawn on the floor resembled some sort of sacrificial ritual.
[Since when?]
Since she had been conscious…? No, that seemed unlikely.
That would mean someone had been coming and going from the basement for at least 300 years, which was practically impossible.
It was an unrealistic story unless there was some psycho family passing down this insane hobby from generation to generation.
To know for sure, she would have to see the symbol on the magic circle.
If she asked Lucian to draw it for her…
[No, no. He’s already traumatized. I can’t send him back to such a dangerous place.]
It couldn’t be helped. It wasn’t like she could go down to the basement herself.
[I’ll have to seal the door to the basement instead.]
It was partly to prevent Lucian from ever going down there again, but also to prevent whoever was entering the basement from potentially coming into the mansion.
Leaving the sleeping Lucian, Ria went outside. She went down to the basement before sealing the door.
*Thud-!*
As expected, as soon as she reached the midpoint of the stairs, a transparent barrier blocked her way, preventing her from going any further.
Now that she saw it up close, it was distinctly different from the phenomenon that occurred when she tried to leave the mansion grounds.
Venturing just one kilometer from the mansion brought an excruciating pain that wracked her entire body, but here, it was merely a defensive wall, as if to block access to the basement.
[I don’t know what you’re using my mansion for, but you won’t be touching Lucian.]
Ria closed the door to the basement and formed a spell.
*Click-*
It was now impossible to open, as if a deadbolt had been thrown from the inside.
This should be enough. She had woven the array so that a signal would be sent to her if anyone tried to break the door by force, so a surprise attack shouldn't be a problem.
*Mmmmn…*
She heard a moan from Lucian on the second floor. Thinking he had woken up, she hurried upstairs.
Fortunately, he was still asleep. But he was having a nightmare, tossing and turning in a cold sweat.
“Ugh, Ria…”
Lucian called her name, his hand flailing in the air. Ria took his hand and lay down beside him.
[Shhh… it’s okay. I’m right here.]
After a long while of gentle patting, Lucian’s moans subsided and he grew peaceful again.
Ria stayed by Lucian’s side all night, praying he wouldn’t have any more nightmares.
* * *
After the basement incident, Lucian became even more attached to Ria.
They were always together since it was just the two of them, but he had never clung to her like this before.
As a result, Ria had to constantly keep her body enveloped in mana. Otherwise, Lucian might pass right through her incorporeal form and fall.
[Still, it’s more dangerous for you to be this close to me right now. Move back a little.]
Ria was currently standing in front of the stove, making lunch.
“No.”
[Ugh, you’re so stubborn.]
Despite Ria’s grumbling, Lucian simply pouted without saying anything else.
[Are you still scared?]
“…”
His silent aversion of her gaze was answer enough. After all, even adults could be traumatized for days, so it was bound to be worse for a child.
[What’s there to worry about when I’m right here? The basement is locked up tight, and no one is going to hurt you.]
“…I still don’t want to be apart.”
[What am I going to do with you…]
Ria looked down at Lucian, who had buried his face in her back. Because her body was transparent, the sad little expression he was trying to hide was perfectly visible.
If this continued, he would be paralyzed by fear and unable to do anything. She had already paused their usual routine, prioritizing calming his frightened heart.
As she wondered how to dispel Lucian’s fear, the bright weather outside the window caught her eye.
It was the season transitioning from spring to summer. The sunlight was warm, and wildflowers bloomed beautifully across the yard.
A good idea came to her.
[Lucian, should we go on a picnic?]
“A picnic?”
[That’s right. Let’s eat lunch outside today. I was about to make sandwiches anyway, so we can pack them like a lunch box. Eating by the stream would feel like an outing, don’t you think?]
Curiosity flickered in his golden eyes.
“An outing, where you go out and eat delicious food and talk and have fun? Like the outings in my storybooks?”
[Yes, just like that.]
“I’d love that! I’d really, really love that!”
[Let’s not study or train today. Let’s just play all day.]
“Really? No studying today?”
[But starting tomorrow, we go back to our old routine and study diligently.]
Lucian flinched, but after a glance at the sunny world outside, he nodded his head vigorously.
[Alright, soldier! Will you assist me in ensuring a successful picnic?]
“Yes, General! I’ll do my best!”
[Excellent. Your mission, soldier, is to prepare the toys and storybooks we’ll need for our outing!]
“Sir, yes, sir!”
Lucian ran off. Only after the sound of his footsteps faded did Ria begin to cook.
…*Pitter-patter!*
But then, the footsteps returned.
When she turned around, Lucian was standing in the doorway, a slightly frightened look on his face.
“…Can you come with me?”
[You’re still scared?]
Lucian nodded. Right, being excited and being scared were two different things.
Ria had no choice but to prepare for the picnic with him.
* * *
“Whoa!”
They came to the edge of the forest where a small stream trickled by. With spring in full bloom, the flowers were a riot of color.
“Ah! Ria! Look over there!”
[Looks like they came on a picnic too.]
A den of foxes was visible deeper in the woods.
With two cubs, they seemed to be a family. Lucian just watched in awe, exclaiming “Woooow!”, but didn’t chase after them.
She spread out a blanket. With sandwiches and fruit placed in the center, it truly felt like a picnic.
[Let’s fill our stomachs before we play properly.]
“Okay! Thank you for the food!”
His constant smiling as he ate was a much better sight than the listlessness of the past few days.
Ria waited for Lucian to finish eating and looked around.
The chirping of birds, the flowers dancing in the breeze and releasing their sweet fragrance, and even the animals playing in nature’s playground.
She had been in the mansion for over 300 years, but for some reason, the scenery looked particularly different today.
“Ria, you’re the best! These sandwiches are so delicious!”
Perhaps this different scenery was only complete because Lucian was in it.
[I’ll make them even more delicious next time.]
“I’ll look forward to it!”
Ria smiled and looked up at the sky again. She felt as if the warmth of the sun was settling over her entire body.
Even in a body that couldn’t feel warmth, she thought she understood what that sensation was like.
* * *
After lunch, they played all sorts of games. They played chess, looked up the language of flowers, skipped stones, and played hide-and-seek.
There was an incident where Lucian started crying because Ria hid so well he couldn’t find her, but all in all, it was a joyful time.
The only problem was that Ria’s stamina couldn’t keep up with that of a vibrant child.
No, she was a ghost. She shouldn’t have a limit to her stamina, so why did she feel so tired?
“Ria! What are we going to do next?”
Even after nearly three hours of playing, Lucian showed no signs of fatigue. In fact, she had the illusion that his eyes were sparkling even more brightly than before…
*Sparkle, sparkle, sparkle-*
…It wasn’t an illusion.
Ria swallowed the sigh that was trying to escape.
[Lucian, aren’t you tired?]
“Are you tired, Ria? Even though you’re a ghost?”
That was a good question. Why was she tired when she was a ghost?
Ria realized today that even ghosts could become mentally exhausted.
In the end, she had to think of a way to play with Lucian that didn’t require so much effort.
