Mr. Andersen seemed to read the group’s expressions and hurriedly shook his head. "No, it’s not what you think—honestly. How could I ever hurt Angelia? I truly love her; she’s my life’s love!" New ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄhapters are published on 𝗇𝗈𝗏𝖾𝗅•𝖿𝗂𝗋𝖾•𝗇𝖾𝗍
The moment Mr. Andersen finished speaking, the temperature in the room seemed to drop by ten degrees. All the doors were tightly shut, but a cold wind swept through, skimming their bodies and sending shivers down their spines.
Mr. Andersen appeared to feel it too; clutching his head, he muttered in agony, "Please, please—just leave me alone..."
His frail body trembled. Hermes stood quickly and said, "Mr. Andersen, we’re here. Nothing will harm you. Tell us everything you want to say."
Hermes’s words seemed to snap Mr. Andersen back to himself. He gasped and hurriedly explained, "Last time—when I went to the church to pray—on my way back, I heard Angelia crying for help. She was about to die. I was terrified and panicked! I must have lost my senses; I opened the curtains and came back to my senses. Fortunately, there was nothing outside. But from that day on, strange things started happening around Angelia and me. I can bear it... But Angelia— I don’t want her to be afraid. I married her to give her a peaceful, happier life."
Fiona clutched her chest and sighed, "Oh my god, that should have been a romantic story, right? Whatever’s tormenting you two really deserves to die."
Fiona asked, "Then why didn’t you tell Mrs. Andersen about this?"
Mr. Andersen shook his head. "I couldn’t. She’s terribly scared of the supernatural. I could only convince her that ordinary people were trying to ruin us out of jealousy. That’s why I invited you—exorcists are rare; only nobles can afford to hire them! When this—"
"My name is Hermes," Hermes interrupted.
Mr. Andersen eagerly nodded. "Yes—Hermes. When you said people didn’t cause the troubles around us, my heart trembled with hope!"
He bowed his head. "I only ask that you quickly deal with whatever is plaguing us."
Hermes nodded and replied, "That’s our duty."
Hearing those words seemed to lift a weight off Mr. Andersen’s shoulders. He stood up, his eyes filled with trust and relief as he looked at Hermes’s group.
After reminding them to rest early, Mr. Andersen returned to his room.
The moment he left, Fiona jumped up excitedly. "I told you! You all saw it. This is scenario number three!"
Hermes glanced at her. "We still need to investigate further. We can’t fully trust the information provided by a monster."
"Let’s go," Hermes said, then led the group upstairs. The entire third floor belonged to the Andersens, while the guests were arranged on the second floor—three rooms, with three sets of keys hanging outside.
In the end, the three girls shared one room, Hermes and Finn were paired, and Liam shared a room with Austin.
Before heading to his room, Austin gave Alice a brief look and nodded. "Be careful," he said before walking away, his large frame looming in the dim light.
Fiona waved her hand and said, "Don’t worry, Austin! I’ll definitely protect Alice!"
Austin didn’t even stop.
Fiona pouted, but since Alice and Austin were on the same team, she didn’t dare speak too rudely about him in front of her.
Then she turned to Finn, raising an eyebrow. "You’d better not get completely corrupted tonight. I’m not in the mood to kill you yet."
Finn frowned, staying silent. Nyx chuckled softly. "Don’t worry, the guild leader’s with him. Fiona, it’s unlikely you’ll get a turn."
Fiona clicked her tongue and said nothing more.
Everyone returned to their rooms, and night fully descended, seeping into every corner of the mansion.
Suddenly, Fiona’s ears twitched. Her eyes snapped open in the darkness, faint light glimmering within them.
Nyx seemed to sense it too. She sat up—despite just waking from sleep, not a single strand of her hair was out of place, each lock falling neatly in line.
With calm grace, she adjusted a few folds on her not-so-expensive clothes and said softly, "Fiona, don’t act rashly."
Fiona scoffed dismissively, a smirk curling her lips, but said nothing.
In the darkness of the night, the sound of a woman’s sobbing grew clearer and more transparent—heartbroken, despairing cries that carried the pain of a soul whose entire world had collapsed.
"Guess what," Fiona said softly. "Do you think the one crying is Mrs. Andersen... or the girl with the black cat?"
She was sitting upright now, her hips still on the bed but her feet already on the floor. With one raised hand, a sword appeared as if summoned from thin air. Its hilt rested firmly in her grip, the blade gleaming coldly in the dark. Intricate patterns carved along its length glinted faintly gold for an instant before fading away.
Fiona lifted her gaze, staring fixedly at the door.
The footsteps outside grew closer and closer, and the weeping became louder—so much so that it almost felt as though the sound was echoing right beside their ears, not from beyond the door.
Startled, Alice sat up, her lengthy hair sliding off her shoulders. Instinctively, she went on alert, eyes fixed on the door.
Their room was the closest to the source of the approaching footsteps.
Yet, the expected danger never came.
A loud knocking sound rang out—but not on their door. It came from the next room—the one belonging to Liam and Austin.
Fiona was momentarily stunned by the turn of events. She stood up and glanced at Nyx. But Nyx didn’t seem particularly concerned. "If it doesn’t plan on attacking us for now," she said calmly, "we might as well enjoy the peace."
With that, she lay back down on the bed.
Fiona kept her eyes on the door, as if she might kick it open at any moment. Alice spoke softly, "That’s enough, Fiona."
Meanwhile, in the next room, the knocking on Liam and Austin’s door grew louder and more frantic. Outside came a shrill, mournful wail—like the voice of someone screaming from the depths of hell.
"Why?! Why did you lie to me?! Why didn’t you tell me?! Why—why?! Liars! You’re all liars!"
Now, it wasn’t just a single pair of hands pounding at the door—it sounded like countless ones.
There came the eerie sound of something crawling, dragging itself across the floor, then climbing up the door, scratching and clawing as if trying to break in.
Liam and Austin stood motionless, expressions guarded, not moving an inch.
After a long while, the creature finally exhausted its rage. It scuttled toward the next room, and another round of noise began.
Inside their own room, however, Hermes paid no attention to whatever was outside the door. He was staring intently at Finn, his pitch-black eyes devoid of light.
Finn sat still, forcing a weak smile. "I... I think I’m feeling much better now."