Hathaway, the only Enchanter present, was still shaken whenever she recalled the mont the bizarre transformation had occurred. She didn't want to tell Jenkins how close she had been to breaking down, but he could sense just how fragile his girl was at that mont.
Hathaway knew how terrifying the arrival of Nightfall Manor was. Her first instinct had been to grab Briny and flee the estate, leaving the matter of the shadows for later. But just as she was about to speak, a living corpse, holding its own head, walked in from outside the dining room and introduced itself as the manor's butler.
It placed the candelabra it was holding on the dining table and inford them that one among them would have the honor of eting the master of Nightfall Manor. The "lucky one" would be the first person to make a significant movent or utter a word.
"We were frozen in place for nearly two hours before you arrived," Hathaway whispered, hugging Jenkins from behind. In front of him, Briny, whom he was holding, had just barely managed to regain her composure. This was her first true encounter with the supernatural.
"What was that? That walking corpse, and that candelabra?" she asked, tears streaming down her cheeks. She hadn't cried before, but being held in Jenkins's arms had finally opened the floodgates.
It was the question on all the girls' minds, but Jenkins himself wasn't sure if the creature was a byproduct of Nightfall Manor or an external entity that truly existed within it. He couldn't offer a detailed explanation, only the promise that he would get them all out of there.
Jenkins had no desire to uncover the secrets of this manor, especially after a being he suspected was an ancient god of death had warned him not to enter.
"Who else is in the manor tonight?" Jenkins asked before they set off. There were twelve girls in total. Miss Lawrence, the owner of the estate, answered his question.
"Aside from the original servants and the friends I invited, the only other people staying here tonight are my aunt's family, who are visiting from out of town."
Miss Lawrence's aunt and her family were not from Nolan. Like many other nobles, they had co to the city for the excitent surrounding the Tri-King Summit.
The Lawrence family was not particularly close with her aunt; lending them rooms in their country manor was rely a courtesy due to their familial ties. Miss Lawrence couldn't even say what her aunt and uncle did for a living, or whether they had any children.
"The problem might lie with them," Jenkins suspected aloud. The ritual to summon Nightfall Manor was not sothing that could be completed in minutes. The person who had cast it must have been residing there. Besides the servants, Miss Lawrence's relatives were the most likely culprits.
"Regardless, let's get out of here first. I contacted the Church before I ca in, so reinforcents should be arriving soon," he said, handing his cane to Hathaway for protection. He then motioned for the girls to gather close. The candlelight in his hand flickered, and an unquenchable fla flowed from it, forming a fiery circle on the ground that enclosed them all.
"Stay close to , and don't make any loud noises," he warned the girls, knowing deep down that the chances of getting everyone out alive were slim. But at the very least, he had to try.
"Jenkins, you..." the blonde girl began, grabbing his right arm. She'd had her suspicions, but now Jenkins was openly displaying supernatural powers right in front of everyone.
"We'll talk about this after we get out. I'll explain everything," he told Briny. She nodded, then suddenly rose on her tiptoes and kissed him. Only after they parted did she rember Hathaway was right there. She turned her head to see the red-haired girl watching her with narrowed eyes.
"I know the layout of the manor. I can lead the way," Miss Lawrence volunteered, but Jenkins stopped her. The entire estate had beco a hellish labyrinth. To escape, he would have to rely on the fate-guiding power of The Unknown Path.
He placed his hand on the doorknob, ready to open it, but paused. He let go and looked back at the twelve girls behind him. After a mont of hesitation, he spoke.
"The corridor outside has beco a bit... terrifying. You need to be prepared."
The girls, dressed in their nightgowns, so with tear-streaked faces, looked at him. One of them, whose na Jenkins recalled as Seville, asked quietly, "Is it more terrifying than before?"
Jenkins considered it for a mont, then gave a firm nod. "Infinitely more terrifying. Every single place you can see will have so bizarre object or horrifying scene that could drive you insane. You can imagine the most terrifying thing you can think of, and I guarantee that what's outside is more frightening than all your imaginations combined."
He knew he shouldn't be crushing their morale before they even started, but if a dozen girls started screaming and running hysterically the mont he opened the door, he would truly be at a loss.
He also knew that re words wouldn't be enough to steel the courage of these young won, so he made a suggestion. "Leaving and staying here are both dangerous. If anyone is worried about what's outside, you can remain here and wait for the Church's rescue team."
He didn't actually favor that option, but thankfully, no one chose it. The girls were stronger than he had given them credit for.
Still, Jenkins worried that the abyssal corridor would instantly shatter their resolve. After so thought, he proposed another idea. "I'm a clergyman of the Church, so to speak. I can create my own holy water, or bless items. Under normal circumstances, with the Church's permission, I can even conduct exorcisms. This is an ergency, so even though it's against the rules, please take out a personal item. After I bless it, it should be able to protect you for a while."
This was a privilege reserved for a Saint Son. Otherwise, even the old bishop could only add a faint blessing to a small amount of pure water through prolonged prayer and recitation of the Sage's scriptures—the very thod used to create so-called "holy water."
"Viscount, do gods really exist?" one of the girls asked boldly. Jenkins understood her thoughts and nodded, giving a definite answer.
"Since these terrible things we're facing exist, it's only natural that gods who protect humanity also exist. Otherwise, wouldn't this world be too tragic?" he said, glancing at Briny's expression. She was gripping his right arm tightly.
"So, divination, spirit channeling, and..." she trailed off.
"Yes, they all exist. In fact, that spirit channeling ga we played really did summon an evil spirit. I just took care of it," he replied. Most of the girls present knew what he was referring to, as the ga's organizer, Miss Lindsay—the girl who was later punished by the Church—was among them. She looked dejected, but when she saw Jenkins smile at her, a blush suddenly crept up her cheeks.
"Alright, ladies, this isn't the ti to dwell on that. While this world is dangerous, it's not lacking in supernatural users like who protect ordinary people. After we're safe, the Church will explain everything," he announced, then shot Briny a wink. "I'll explain it to you personally."
Briny wasn't angry that Jenkins had kept this from her for so long. In fact, after eting him, her interest in exploring the unknown and uncovering mysteries had gradually waned. For the past few months, at least, Hathaway hadn't ntioned Briny engaging in any more dangerous activities.
Blessing a few pieces of ordinary jewelry was a simple matter of a few words for Jenkins. But when he again asked the ladies to produce so personal items, they all looked awkward.
On a hot sumr night, with few effective ans of cooling in this era, everyone had been wearing only their nightgowns while playing cards in the ventilated dining room. They had no jewelry or other items on them.
Of course, they wore clothes underneath their nightgowns, but they couldn't possibly take those out for Jenkins.
Hathaway and Briny were closer to Jenkins, so seeing their friends' discomfort, they hesitantly explained the situation. Jenkins finally understood. "It's fine if you don't have jewelry. I'll think of sothing else."
After a mont of contemplation, he had the girls line up before him. Soon, each of them possessed a "blessed nightgown." If this were a world of data, the item na would probably have a " 13" suffix.
With the circle of Enchanter's fire and the blessed items, Jenkins then instructed each girl to silently recite a maxim from their faith's scriptures, or at least attempt to praise a god in their hearts. Only then did he place his hand on the doorknob and gently turn it.
As expected, the corridor outside was still a dark, tomb-like passage. Cruel and terrifying oil paintings hung on the walls, and through the windows, one could see bizarre, hellish scenes of every color.
The girls huddled together, supporting one another as they clustered behind Jenkins. Hathaway and Briny were naturally the closest to him, but he could also feel many hands grabbing the hem of his clothes. He worried that if a fight broke out and he had to leap forward, his clothes would be torn to shreds.
Fate continued to guide Jenkins's path. After leaving the dining room, they proceeded straight down the corridor, turning left at the third intersection. The corridor was terrifying, but at least it was free of enemies and monsters. However, the power of the Cursed Item was corroding all life more severely now that they had left the dining room. If not for the faint golden light emanating from Jenkins that shielded them, everyone, including Hathaway, would have already been assimilated by Nightfall Manor.
Even so, they couldn't last much longer. The group hurried forward. When Jenkins saw the purple line of fate stop at a doorknob ahead, he pulled it open without a second thought.
Only a few rooms in the manor had weak assimilation and infiltration effects. These were the rooms occupied by the manor's "original inhabitants." It seed Nightfall Manor didn't want to kill them imdiately.
Before, it had been the dining room. Now, behind the opened door was the living room. Flas roared in the fireplace, where several uniford servants were huddled together on a sofa. As their backs were to the door, Jenkins couldn't see their expressions.
"A fireplace couldn't possibly be lit in the sumr. There's sothing wrong with it," Jenkins realized at once. He gave Hathaway a look, silently telling her to continue acting like an ordinary person, then ushered the girls, who were on the verge of collapsing, into the room.
The fire made the living room brighter than the terrifying corridor outside, but it did little to make the space feel comforting. On the contrary, it was frighteningly damp and cold; everyone's breath ford white clouds in the air. The atmosphere felt more like a gloomy tomb than a living room, and the act of opening the door and stepping inside seed to activate so indescribable, special power in the air.
A cloud of black smoke rushed toward the group at the entrance. The girls' nightgowns began to glow, and Jenkins seized the opportunity to throw a powerful punch forward.
The punch condensed the water droplets in the air, sending a crackling spray of ice particles into the black smoke. A faint scream was heard, and the smoke retreated back into the fireplace.
Jenkins told the girls to stay within the circle of Enchanter's fire and not to move, while he quickly walked to the side of the sofa.
Within the flas of the fireplace was a face—a terrifyingly deford human face. It reminded Jenkins of the true form of the vampires he had recently encountered.
The servants huddled on the sofa trembled as they stared at the face. Their shadows, cast upon the wall, writhed like centipedes.
The most robust-looking of the male servants whispered, "We don't know!"
"Then you shall be granted the privilege of eting the master."
The fla whooshed out of the fireplace, engulfing everyone on the sofa. Jenkins reached out to stop it, but the fire passed through him like an illusion, completely intangible.
"Hahaha, more have co, more have co! The master's guests have increased!" the face in the fire roared with laughter as the flas receded. The people on the sofa had all vanished.
"Sit down, quickly sit down! Listen to my questions, listen to my questions!" it urged. Jenkins remained unmoved, but when he turned, he saw all twelve girls walking stiffly toward the sofa, their blessed nightgowns powerless to stop them.
"What do you think you're doing?" Jenkins demanded. He slipped his left hand into his pocket, slid the Air Bomb Ring onto his finger, and swung his arm toward the fireplace. The exploding air slamd the flas back into the depths of the hearth with a loud bang. But it was useless. Not only was the fireplace itself undamaged, but the flas were completely unaffected by the blast.
"The master is awake! The master wants to see guests! The master wants to see many, many guests! I will bring more guests to the master!" the face in the fla shrieked, and the girls quickened their pace.
"No, you won't!" Jenkins retorted. The face in the fire possessed a soul. He activated Blasphemous Creation, targeting it. Vine-like tendrils descended from above like a curtain and plunged into the flas.
But this wasn't an offensive ability. No matter how powerful the vines were, they were still classified as plants. As they entered the fire and found their target, the flas automatically split, dodging the tips of the vines even as they burned the otherworldly vegetation. The vines retreated in defeat.
"A human Enchanter!" the fiery face exclaid. "The master likes Enchanters! Sit down quickly and listen to my questions!"
Jenkins ignored it, stepping back to block the girls' path. From an angle no one could see, he drew the White Bone Holy Sword. But before he could swing, the face in the fireplace spoke again. "If you answer three questions for , I'll tell you the secret of this manor. I'll tell you how to get out."
Following the purple thread of fate, Jenkins was completely confident he could find his own way out, so he ignored the creature's attempt at manipulation. He infused his spirit into the blade, and the holy sword began to glow with destructive power.
"I will tell you the most terrible secret. Do you think you can just walk out even if you find the path? Those human won... don't you want to save them?"
That sentence stopped Jenkins's attack cold. He trusted The Unknown Path, but the ability only guaranteed his own safe exit. He had no way of knowing if the path fate had laid out was for "Jenkins survives alone" or for "everyone survives."
That mont of hesitation was all it took. He had been swayed. Half a minute later, thirteen people were cramd together on the sofa.
It was an ordinary fabric sofa, far too small to accommodate thirteen people. So girls sat on their friends' laps, while Jenkins found himself squeezed between at least five others.
If the situation weren't so dire, Hathaway and Briny would never have allowed their friends, clad in flimsy nightgowns, to press so close to Jenkins.
"Ah!" The ladies' minds had been foggy when they were compelled to move. Now, sitting down, the reality of their situation sank in. Miss Lawrence looked up and, by the firelight, saw the old photographs hanging on the wall. She couldn't help but scream.
They were black-and-white photos of her and her family. Since this was a manor they only visited occasionally, there weren't many private pictures, but they were unquestionably photos of her closest relatives.
The subjects in the photos were the sa, but now, each person had been captured at a mont of brutal torture. Jenkins could see at least three different depictions of Miss Lawrence's death, and he understood her terrified scream all too well.
Her friends murmured words of comfort as Jenkins turned his gaze back to the face in the fire.
"My first question is..."
"That's not fair," Jenkins cut in bluntly. "Why do you get to ask first? Shouldn't I get the answers I'm supposed to know first?"
"Then what do you want to know?" the swollen face asked, its tone still cheerful. It was a tone that made Jenkins want to kick it squarely in the ass.
"How do I get everyone here out of Nightfall Manor safely?" Compared to the safety of Hathaway and Briny, the master of the manor's secrets were utterly irrelevant. Jenkins didn't care what Nightfall Manor was.
"Nightfall Manor rejects any of the manor's own creations and assimilates any living being that enters," the face explained. "But it doesn't want to kill everyone. It simply wants to keep a suitable number of outsiders here... for a rainy day."
The statent was clearly a bait, tempting Jenkins to ask what "a rainy day" ant. But Jenkins wouldn't take it.
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