[Translator - Peptobismol]
[Proofreader - Max]
Chapter 15: The Mage's Mansion (2)
The luxurious and glistening food.
Hamel's gaze fell on the dishes the food was placed on.
Among the silver tableware, there was only one that was different.
"The turkey."
"Aha... I see."
David nodded, seemingly noticing something at Hamel's words.Nôv(el)B\\jnn
But the others still looked puzzled, so Hamel added,
"The keyhole in the dining room matched the silver key. So the key to the kitchen must be brass-colored."
...Ah!
"Huh."
Exclamations of realization erupted from the others.
As Hamel had said, only the brass dish holding the turkey had a brass color, a copper hue.
Daniel, sitting closest to the turkey, picked up the knife in front of him and sliced open the turkey's belly.
Wiggle!
As the golden-brown roasted turkey's belly split open, something white wriggled inside.
No, not something.
Some"things".
“Ugh.”
"..."
Starting with Antonio's gagging sound, everyone frowned.
Squirm!
Hundreds, thousands of maggots were writhing inside the turkey.
"Tsk."
Daniel, taking off his gauntlet, clicked his tongue and rummaged through the turkey's insides, pushing aside the maggots.
After a while, he pulled something out.
A brass key.
"Found it."
"...Thank you for your effort."
Even Hamel showed a rare apologetic expression.
Whoosh!
The flames of the candles on the table and walls flared up wildly.
And at the same time,
Sizzle!
The food on the table transformed as if melting.
The suckling pig, which had crispy skin, turned into a pig carcass with its entrails spilling out and blood gushing forth.
The fish, drenched in sauce, rotted, swarming with flies and maggots, and the fragrant soup became a filthy mess with dark food scraps and what looked like human fingernails floating in it.
Before they could even examine it closely, an indescribably foul smell assaulted their noses.
"Ugh."
Everyone covered their mouths and reflexively got up from the table.
Then, the table shook violently on its own, and the food on it splattered onto the floor.
Just as everyone was frozen by the bizarre sight,
"Let's get out of here."
Hamel shouted as he headed towards the door.
There was no need to stay here now that they had the key.
As soon as Hamel spoke, the group rushed out of the dining room.
"Close it! Quickly!"
Everyone rushed out and hurriedly closed the door.
Only after the dining room door slammed shut with a thud did they breathe a sigh of relief.
"What... was that...?"
The head priest's pale, muttered words echoed everyone's feelings.
The dining room was silent once again, as if nothing had happened.
"This is just the beginning."
Hamel said, passing by the stunned group.
He was the only one who seemed unfazed as he walked towards the kitchen.
"You seem used to this kind of sight."
"It's my job as an exorcist priest."
Hamel replied calmly to David's question.
It was his duty to face all sorts of mysteries and strange things in the world.
He had experienced too much to be surprised by this anymore.
Perhaps thanks to Hamel's composure,
The others, one by one, got up awkwardly and followed him.
"Is there a need to rush like this?"
Only the head priest asked in a weary voice, but Hamel's resolve was firm.
"The owner of the workshop must have noticed our presence. The more time passes, the more they will try to hinder us."
There was nothing more foolish than giving a mage time to prepare.
The head priest simply nodded, seemingly understanding.
"I'll open it."
They returned to the hallway and arrived at the kitchen.
Hamel quietly but quickly inserted the key into the keyhole.
Click!
The lock disengaged, and the door creaked open.
And then,
"...What is that?"
Even David frowned at the sight before them.
***
—Chop, chop, chop, chop!
Everyone seemed to share the same sentiment, staring at Hamel as if he were a monster as he nonchalantly picked up the key.
Hamel simply shrugged as if he were used to it.
***
At the end of the hallway on the right side of the first floor,
The parlor door opened with a click.
"It's dark."
That was Hamel's first impression.
A room devoid of any light.
He vaguely remembered.
It was strange for a parlor, but it was probably intended for quiet conversations.
Hamel lit the lamp he had brought with him.
Whoosh!
The darkness receded, illuminating the parlor.
As expected, there was a scene that was both expected and unexpected.
"..."
Skeletons.
The dead, who had died who knows when, were sitting around the table with a tea set, on the sofas.
Some skeletons were even holding teacups, as if they had been drinking tea when they died.
"Excuse me."
Hamel said as he took the cup from the skeleton's hand.
There was no trace of demonic energy.
Of course, seeing the strange phenomena that had been occurring, it seemed like this workshop was a mix of magic and mechanical devices...
David was beside Hamel.
He was someone employed by the Magic Tower, a place where only a handful of the most skilled mages could enter.
He would be able to fill in the gaps that Hamel missed.
David, meeting Hamel's eyes, shrugged as if to say there was no problem.
The others started to gather the tea set from the table.
'This is too easy.'
Was this really it?
Hamel remained suspicious until the moment they left the parlor, but nothing else happened.
All that remained was to bring the tea set back to the kitchen.
But what was this uneasy feeling?
"Huh?"
David's puzzled voice pierced through the air.
His gaze was directed at the teapot Antonio was holding.
'...The teapot?'
A thought struck him like a bolt of lightning.
Meanwhile, Antonio tilted his head, seemingly sensing something strange.
"Something inside this just..."
David couldn't finish his sentence.
Hiss!
With a sharp sound, the lid of the teapot flew open, and a black snake sprang out.
...Gasp!
The terrified Antonio choked back a scream.
Its mouth was wide open, revealing sharp fangs with yellow venom.
Just as death loomed over Antonio, a sharp cutting sound rang out.
Slice!
Hamel had swung his sword and cut off the snake's head.
He had swung his sword at the teapot even before the snake appeared, thanks to finally realizing why the people in the parlor had died.
'It was poison.'
The moment he saw the teapot, Hamel understood the source of his unease.
What had killed the people in the parlor?
They must have fallen into an eternal sleep after drinking tea laced with snake venom.
Clang!
One of the teacups in Hamel's hand slipped and shattered on the floor as he hurriedly swung his sword.
The sharp sound of the breaking teacup made everyone freeze.
Silence fell.
An ominous silence swept over them.
It was Antonio who broke the silence.
He pointed down the hallway with a dumbfounded expression and asked,
"Was... was that there before?"
Everyone's gaze followed Antonio's finger.
The hallway in front of the dining room they had just passed.
There was a strange figure there.
It looked like a doll, patched together with rags, because it didn't look like a living creature at all.
Its mismatched eyes had no eyelids and didn't blink, and its mouth was missing, revealing gums and teeth that protruded haphazardly.
Its head, torso, and lower body were indistinguishable, and its thick limbs stood out.
Hamel slowly shook his head and replied to Antonio,
"No."
David and the head priest also frowned and added,
"It's not magic or a mechanical device."
"It's not a demon or a living creature either, but..."
"Then what in the world is that...?"
Just as everyone was trying to deduce its identity with tense expressions,
[Ugh...]
It slowly opened the dining room door and entered.
He didn't know what it was.
But if they had to move, now was the time, while it was gone.
[Translator - Peptobismol]
[Proofreader - Max]