NOVEL NEXT Chapter 47 - Episode 47: The Horror House and Frim-chan.
Episode 47: The Horror House and Frim-chan.
“You’ve been instructed by His Majesty to test that mansion.”
“I don’t wanna, can’t we do it later?”
“Should we postpone it then?”
I tried to sweet-talk Ael, and it seemed to work. I wanted to put off the unpleasant task, but… I had to let my adult reasoning prevail.
“… I’ll go then.”
Frim-chan listens to greetings from nobles, studies, and… as the head, she conducts personal interviews with subordinates. But there’s one big task she must do: explore the mansion of the ‘Levias’ family, renowned for their water. The debut, in a sense, has already happened when I received my title, but there seems to be significance in doing it properly at my own mansion. It’s fine to do it at any of the mansions we’ve received. Whether it’s the one we’re already using or another.
――――― But there’s one mansion that’s unusable.
There were four prominent water families: Lucarim, Tanana, Raym, and Levias. During political strife, Tanana and Raym dwindled due to border disputes and internal conflicts, with most joining Lucarim. Levias lost all its members when their relatives died out. The Levias family, once prominent in water, now has no one to inherit. Mama used to be known as Flana Raym. They seem to have cut ties with ‘Levias’ several generations ago, but the idea came up that I could use it since I’m from the Levias bloodline. Mama’s declaration before her passing indicated a connection to the Levias family, so perhaps it’s possible, but…
Ideally, using this as a base could reinforce the evidence of my heritage.
“It hurts, it hurts, it hurts! I’m scared! Ugh!!”
The mansion of the Levias family, once recognized as a prestigious family, has no caretakers. But a mysterious security system is still functioning. When you try to enter the grounds, you feel a barrier. If you try to force your way in, the barrier disappears, allowing entry. ――― But then, heads drop, and bodies are swept away in the waterways on the grounds. It’s extremely dangerous. However, those with blood ties don’t feel the barrier to begin with, and the spirits in charge play around… something invisible pushes against me. It feels like being hit by a charging Shiba Inu. It was scary when I first tried it, but if someone touches it, they can tell the position of the mysterious invisible barrier… Since I managed to enter, the investigation of the horror house began. Frim-chan alone.
But we don’t know where the thing to control the mansion is. And we don’t know how to use it.
My mother’s ancestors, two generations before, I don’t know the details, but my great-grandfather or great-grandmother left the Levias house due to a fight or something and married into the Raym family. Although this mansion is currently unmanned, if it could be used, more people would gather, and my safety would increase. There might also be magical tools suitable for someone like me who is involved with water. And there should be valuable liquor as well.
“What should we do to make the mansion usable? Specifically.”
“I dunno. Frim, don’t you know something? Things like this are usually passed down orally or something…”
“I don’t.”
“Well, according to the literature, if it’s not harmful, it’s best to search slowly.”
The king was useless. … So here I am, searching for magical tools or whatever to control the mansion in this horror house where something invisible attacks me. Ouch! It’s not enough to cause serious injury, but I feel some impact. I’ve searched and mapped the mansion, but found nothing. The building is adorned with a deep blue color and is very splendid, but the horror of it all is more terrifying than that. The grand mansion… it still has a sense of life that wouldn’t be strange even if someone were still there. Open windows, documents on the desk, traces of some work being done. It’s as if someone might come in and greet us at any moment. … Unlike the Raym family and Tanana family, which was absorbed into Lucarim’s original home, no one here is alive. People used to be here until a few years ago, and there’s still a sense of life, but the deterioration near the windows where rain and wind must have come in, and the creatures that were once ingredients in the kitchen, indicate that no one has entered. If I didn’t know anything, it wouldn’t have been this scary, but this is like a horror movie, it’s freaking terrifying. It’s like being in a horror movie. Something moves beyond my perception range ――― There’s a possibility that it could suddenly attack.
“Eek!?”
There was a thud, and a book fell from a distance. It’s not just coming towards me!? In a country with a belief in spirits like this, spirits are appreciated, and everyone says “it’s not scary,” but it’s so scary.
I want to go home, and I don’t want to do this, but I have to. It’s just like dieting or studying for exams. It’s tough to do what you have to do. You might procrastinate, or you might not even see the point in doing it, but… when you think about it, it’s clear that doing it is the best choice. So I’ll do it, I’ll do it too…
Our people are surrounding the perimeter of this Levias estate. They’re protecting us from attackers. Our people, who cheer for me as I enter the mansion, despite being bombarded with shocks from all directions, it’s really scary… but if they’re expecting it, then I have no choice but to do it.
Even quiet old Kiett was crying, “Oh… the princess, alive… ohhh…”
I’m still not fully in control of this mansion, and I can’t announce it externally, but I think the credibility with our people has increased. Some of them are very enthusiastic.
――― Nevertheless, the fact remains that I’m scared and in pain.
Something invisible is hitting me with force, making me stagger. I’d like to protect myself with magic, but if the spirits react and attack, I’ll have to endure it. The combination of ‘something invisible’ and the ‘horror movie-like eeriness of the uninhabited mansion with signs of life’ is a problem, but there’s a bigger problem ――― there’s no end in sight.
If it’s an unauthorized intruder without blood ties, they seem to be killed, and this spirit (temporary) is scary too.
“What’s wrong with you! It hurts!!”
I think it’s time to call it a day and end today’s exploration. It’s been three days with no results other than mapping.
The Levias mansion is about a 3-minute carriage ride from the regular mansion I received… I think it’s good enough to walk, but I’ll make sure to get a carriage. Those who came to the house are moving on foot, so it’s a distance they can handle. If anything, the people who surrounded the Levias mansion to greet me will run back in a carriage before I return. I feel bad for making them run a little marathon.
“Welcome back. May I ask about something I’m unsure of?”
“I’m back. What part?”
Mr. Bursa is here to check and improve the mansion.
The main tasks are sealing off the “suspicious escape routes” that were found and putting new locks on to make sure they’re functional, but he’s also doing a little remodeling of the mansion. He’s installed a few reservoirs for me. I can manipulate water, but water I produce is easier to control than regular water, and it’s safer not to go through the process of ‘water generation’ in case of emergencies. I wanted them to install a water supply system so I could turn on the faucet… but that’s impossible in this world of water bottle culture. It’s still a temporary mansion, so I can’t expect that much, but I want to do it someday. I want to install water supply and drainage systems. And if my water is valuable, I want our people to drink it, or I wouldn’t mind selling it to nearby people. Having access to drinking water at all times is very important.
I’m learning etiquette, conventions, and basic studies in this country from Ael… but I want to run away. No, I’ve already run away. I’ve been studying in between greetings from nobles, but there’s more to do than study. For a noble head, charisma, political power, leadership, lineage, and various other things are necessary, but above all, it’s important not to die and to show strong power. Etiquette is certainly a necessary skill. You wouldn’t want to follow a boss who doesn’t even have basic manners. But for the current Frim-chan, it’s more important to demonstrate a bigger power that can attract people. Producing water and practicing offensive magic. Frim-chan’s magic seems to be strong for water magic, and although the power of oxygen and hydrogen is not understood, it still appears to be strong. Breaking targets into pieces during practice and producing drinking water as usual.
“Oh…”
“Fleemis-sama!!”
“Magic is incredible!”
“It was not a mistake to come to this faction after all!”
I’ll need to learn etiquette eventually, but for now, by showing our people the practice of offensive magic, I can show that it’s not just for show. I’ll make some flashy magic eventually. ――― There’s a lot to do, but there’s not enough time to do it all. However, I feel bad for running away from studying. Sorry, Ael.