Chapter 57

Part 7: The Baron's Family (2)

Bang!

Contrary to my expectation that the window would break easily, I was bounced back by a loud explosion.

This was no illusion.

Unlike the floor that undulated and moved, the window remained intact.

However, I could feel a powerful force and a strong repelling energy emanating from the window, along with the scent of mana.

Upon closer inspection, I could sense the same mana in the rising floor, the walls, and the distorted corridor.

And that mana had the same scent as the mana flowing from the girl laughing behind the wall.

"Whoa, I almost slipped out. You're even stronger than a knight!"

Her voice came from behind the wall, sounding very pleased.

"Whoa, impressive. I've never seen prey like this. Can I add you to my collection?"

Her voice, as if asking for a toy, sounded like a girl begging for a new toy.

However, the baron's response was firm.

"No. Kill him."

"That's a waste..."

Bang! Bang!

While she was talking, I tried my best to break the window.

I was prepared to be discovered and pushed mana into my sword to slash at the window, tried to break through the wall, and even attempted to shatter the floor blocking her.

But none of it worked.

The window didn't break, the hole in the wall sealed itself, and the floor kept rising, preventing me from taking a single step toward her.

"Really impressive. But struggling is pointless. This house is my kingdom, my declared domain. No one can defeat me here!"

Indeed, all these bizarre events were due to her abilities.

Was it some kind of 'domain declaration' ability? It was an incredibly powerful ability, to the point of being absurd.

As she said, it seemed difficult to capture her or escape from here.

The floor, which had been normal, started undulating again, and the walls, ceiling, and everything in the room attacked me.

They even blocked my mana-infused sword.

As she said, this room, or rather this mansion, was moving like her body.

I had already been swallowed by her, and I was just struggling prey inside her body.

Despite the futility of my efforts, I was speechless but continued to resist.

Honestly, it seemed difficult to win, and I didn't think I could win immediately.

But I didn't stop fighting.

It didn't matter if I couldn't win now. It was more important to provide proper information for my next life.

I needed to figure out the extent of her power and if there were any weaknesses.

"You're fighting well and holding on. But I have to listen to Father, so I guess it's time to end this."

As she spoke, the mana surrounding me grew thicker.

The air became heavy, making it hard to move.

Damn, can she even control the air and gravity within her domain?

Then, through my strained ears, I heard her declaration.

"This house is my kingdom. I am the ruler of this kingdom!"

Boom!

At the same time, I collapsed to the floor. My limbs broke, and blood gushed from my mouth.

It felt like my insides were torn apart.

A fatal blow.

'Ah, I understand how it works now.'

But thanks to this, I learned about her ability.

However, another question remained.

"Cough, why, why are you trying to kill me? Could it be that the duchess ordered you to kill me? But, if I die here, the duke will... will know, right?"

I asked, lying on the floor and spitting out blood.

In the room that had returned to its original state, the daughter shrugged.

"That's what I'm saying. What are you going to do after causing such an accident? It's not like Father to be so careless."

Despite her words, the baron glared at me intently.

Then he approached me.

"Cover your ears."

"Yes, yes."

After making his daughter step back, he knelt beside me and whispered the reason for killing me into my ear.

"What a ridiculous situation..."

I laughed bitterly at the baron.

At the same time, my vision began to darken.

* * *

"I'll show you to your room."

When I opened my eyes, it was the evening after we met the travelers in the lobby.

We followed the maid who was showing us to our rooms.

"Is something wrong?"

A worried voice came from beside me.

"No... no, it's nothing."

My body wasn't actually in pain, but the aftereffects of the pain I experienced before dying still lingered.

It was like phantom pain.

However, my current bad expression wasn't due to that.

It was because of the girl who had spoken to me.

The girl who smiled and spoke to me was the same baron's daughter who had just killed me.

Or rather, who would kill me soon.

Perhaps my acting until now was just like a child's play.

Even though I had just heard the order to kill me, she could still show such a face.

If I hadn't known her true nature, no one would have noticed.

Her ability to become almost invincible within a certain area—though I'm not sure exactly how large that area is—was terrifying, but her acting now was even more frightening.

I tried my best to act normal, but I couldn't match a professional.

After parting ways with the others, I spoke to the maid who was about to leave at the door to my assigned room.

"Don't worry if I'm not in my room at night. Sometimes I go for a walk if my bed is uncomfortable."

I had never done that before, but I needed to establish an alibi.

"Ah, it's best not to wander around at night. There... there have been incidents where monsters took people at night..."

The maid looked troubled and spoke cautiously in response to my words.

"What? Monsters? This mansion is in the heart of the baron's territory. It's close to the village."

While not as large as a city like the duchy, the baron's mansion was located on the outskirts of a sizable village.

"No, no, it happened in the past. The baron and his soldiers dealt with it, so it doesn't happen anymore."

"What kind of monsters were they?"

The maid shook her head in response to my question.

"The baron just said he dealt with them, so I never saw them. But after that, no one disappeared due to monsters."

"Have people disappeared for other reasons?"

The maid clamped her mouth shut in response to my question.

Her expression was the answer.

"Don't worry. You heard the story. I may be young, but I have knight-level skills. If any monsters appear, I'll take care of them."

The maid gave an awkward smile at my bold statement.

It was hard to believe a young boy, but it was also difficult to deny the words of a noble child with abilities, even if he was a bastard.

In the end, the maid accepted my words and left.

I entered the room and opened the window.

Creak.

Unlike before I died, the window opened easily.

"Well, shall I wait for the sun to set?"

I leaned against the windowsill and looked outside.

In the distance, the low mountains were bathed in a red sunset.

As I watched the sunset, I recalled the conversation from earlier.

Monsters that kidnap people at night.

"Those 'monsters' must refer to the baron's daughter."

Given what I heard from the baron and his daughter before I died, that was the only conclusion I could draw.

"After gaining her abilities, the baron's daughter abused them, and when people started disappearing, the baron stepped in to cover it up..."

Why did she kidnap and kill people? Was she just a serial killer, or was there another reason?

As I thought about it, I shook my head.

It didn't matter now.

The baron and his daughter were my enemies, and as enemies, I needed to deal with them decisively.

It grew dark outside.

With the clouds, it would be hard for ordinary people to see without a lamp.

I enhanced my eyes with mana, tapped the dagger at my waist, and leaped out the window.

Thud.

I jumped from the second floor, but only a small sound was heard.

I quickly crossed the garden in front of the mansion.

Although it was a maze-like garden, I had checked the path from the window before it got dark, so I could move quickly.

After quickly exiting the garden, I climbed the not-so-low wall.

In my previous life, there might have been CCTV or electrified fences, but here, the wall was topped with sharp spikes.

After leaving the mansion, I circled around to the hill behind it.

I thought the baron's daughter's ability only applied to the mansion, but if her domain extended to the village, it would be problematic.

The hill was not very high and covered with grass.

But from the top, I could see the baron's mansion and the village at a glance.

The clouds had cleared, and the night sky was filled with stars.

The noble mansion and the village were beautifully spread out under the night sky.

It was a completely different scene from the night views of my previous life.

I felt a bit melancholic but quickly regained my composure.

Now, I just had to wait for time to pass.

I sat on a low rock, placed the dagger on my knee, and looked at the mansion.

Time passed.

The lights in the windows went out one by one, and the mansion, as well as the entire village, fell into deep darkness.

It was the time when I had died.

I could feel a brief surge of mana throughout the mansion.

It was a change I wouldn't have noticed without my previous experience.

The mana started from the main house, where the baron's daughter's room was, swept through the entire mansion, and lingered in the area where my room was before disappearing.

"Did she check?"

I had wondered if she would include the entire mansion in her domain.

It was a good thing I had left early.

After that, there seemed to be a small commotion in the mansion, but it quickly subsided.

Thanks to the warning I gave the maid, the commotion ended quickly.

After that, the mansion remained quiet until morning.

I returned to the mansion in the morning dew.

I avoided the soldiers guarding the wall, climbed over it again, and walked through the maze garden to the mansion's entrance.

Since they would know I wasn't in my room, it didn't matter if I entered through the front door.

"Where were you all night?"

The baron's daughter stood at the door with a tired face, apparently having waited all night.

"I, the bed was unfamiliar, so I practiced swordsmanship all night."

I tapped the dagger at my waist.

"The guards at the main gate said no one left."

"I didn't want to bother the guards, so I left secretly. I'm sorry for worrying you."

"Hmm... No, it can't be helped."

She sighed, a mix of disappointment and relief.

She rubbed her forehead and went inside first.

Like other noble households, the baron's mansion had a rather late breakfast.