Everyone quickly returned to their rooms, where their groups were waiting to hear about the meeting and receive the plan’s details.
A tense night began as the clock struck 11 PM. Everyone had gone back to their rooms—two people to a room.
At that moment, the free esper was curled under his blanket, so terrified he didn’t even dare to breathe too loudly.
When he returned, everything in the room had been restored to its original state—except for the blast marks that hadn’t been fully repaired. All the blood had been thoroughly cleaned away as if the place had never been soaked in blood in the first place.
Drake sat beside the bed. On the bed lay Saphen, still staring wide-eyed at him, clearly never having fallen asleep.
Drake couldn’t help but stroke his chin and nod thoughtfully. "Have you fallen for my handsome looks? Honestly, who could blame you."
Saphen lowered his gaze and said nothing.
[A silent yet thunderously loud rejection, lol]
[I still can’t understand why Drake treats Saphen ]
[+1 to the theory that Drake’s soul has been swapped!]
[But Saphen is so adorable. He should be lying next to me, not Drake!]
[Oh, it’s time. I have a feeling there’s no way these humans will pull off their plan to explore the mansion tonight. Ethan’s definitely not going to give them a chance, hahaha.]
"No matter what happens, you don’t need to be afraid. Like I said—I’m here," Drake said slowly to Saphen.
Saphen lowered his eyes again, then gently nodded. He sat up and leaned in toward Drake’s ear.
Seeing this, Drake immediately tilted his head, bringing his ear close to Saphen’s lips.
A loud crashing sound rang out almost the moment Saphen’s soft voice stopped.
The door was hit so hard it trembled; the wood bowed inward with every strike as if it could be smashed through at any moment.
Even though he was the one who had just told Drake that Ethan was coming, Saphen still flinched at the deafening and violent sound.
The boy grabbed the blanket with both hands, trembling, tears falling endlessly onto the fabric like a tiny stream.
Seeing this, Drake’s brows furrowed instantly. His eyes grew cold as he stared at the door. One arm pulled Saphen in close, and he said softly, "Don’t be afraid."
Saphen had said Ethan was coming—meaning the person outside was the chef, Ethan. It seemed he was the one patrolling the castle at night.
Usually, Drake might’ve kicked the door down and got into a fight with Ethan immediately. But now, his mind was clearer than ever. He sat there in silence, covering Saphen’s ears, and waited for the onslaught to pass.
On the first night, as long as they followed the rules, the door would never be broken down.
And at that moment, right on the second floor—
A slow knocking sound echoed from door to door, accompanied by the butler’s mechanical, repetitive tone:
"Dear guests, I merely wish to ensure that you still comply with the castle’s rules. Please respond to confirm the number of people in the room."
Silence. The only response was an endless, eerie quiet.
A heavy, restrained breathing sound followed, making it easy to imagine a monster with a huge head, gaping jaws filled with sharp teeth, drooling constantly, holding itself back out of hunger.
In the darkness, it dragged itself toward another room. Again came the sound of knocking and that same voice echoing throughout the second floor.
Zara exhaled slowly when she felt the thing had moved away from their room.
She was sure that if the room had too many people—or none at all—that monster would immediately break in.
Luckily, they were still following the rules.
"But it looks like we won’t be able to carry out our mission to explore the whole mansion tonight," Zara said with a hint of regret.
At that moment, the butler had reached the last room at the end of the hallway.
The knocking startled the free esper so severely that he jumped. His first thought was that someone had come to get him for the mission—that maybe it had already begun.
He hurriedly got out of bed, slipped on his shoes, and rushed to the door.
"Dear guest, please speak so I can verify whether the number of people in the room complies with the mansion’s rules," came the butler’s voice.
Just as that voice sounded, the esper’s hand landed on the doorknob—just a little more and he would’ve opened it.
He could hear his own heartbeat pounding in his ears.
Each beat louder than the last as if his heart was about to leap from his throat.
He stood frozen in place, not daring to move an inch.
Cold sweat rolled down his forehead and face and dripped onto the floor.
Only now did the free esper notice something wet had soaked into his shoes, seeping in from under the door...
He looked down—and his eyes instantly widened, pupils contracting into pinpoints. A flash of red glared back at him.
It was blood. Blood was flowing in from under the door, along with shredded bits of flesh and crushed internal organs.
But something even more horrifying happened next.
Something soft and thin, like a sheet of paper, slipped in through the crack beneath the door. And on this pale "sheet" were eyes, a nose, and a mouth!
It was Rowan’s face—his skin, in fact—though now it had turned ashen gray and disturbingly flattened.
Suddenly, Rowan’s eyes flew open, glaring fiercely at the free esper.
He opened his mouth wide and let out a shrill, piercing scream:
"You bastard! This is all your fault! If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t be ! It’s all because of you—because of you!"
He screamed and then began slithering forward like a snake, wrapping himself around the free esper’s legs. His twisted, grotesque facial skin contorted as he moved, making him even more terrifying and disgusting.
A wave of nausea mixed with fear surged through the free esper.
"AAAAAAH! Get away from me! Disgusting thing, get away!"
He screamed, his voice echoing loudly through the room.
Silvanus silently watched the scene through a live broadcast screen. No one knew what the free esper was actually seeing, but one thing was clear—it was all an illusion.
In Silvanus’s view, all he saw was the esper thrashing wildly, stomping, and jumping like a fish thrown onto dry land.
There was absolutely nothing at his feet—no danger in the room at all.
The esper had been contaminated.
"Dear guest, are you alright? I heard shouting. Please open the door if something is wrong—I can help you. No one is allowed to harm the guests of this mansion!"
The butler’s firm voice sounded from just outside the door.