NOVEL NEXT chapter 5- Income, you have expenses
Income, you have expenses
Episode 5
Pretending to be drunk, Philip exaggeratedly stood up and pulled a money pouch from his clothing.
“I’ve paid!”
“Really? Is that so? Alright then.”
Deliberately swaying, he subtly showed the pouch’s opening to the next table.
Philip quickly noticed the expression of one young man stiffening as he saw the pile of gleaming gold coins.
He swiftly tucked the pouch back into his clothing.
“Thanks for the meal, owner!”
“Take care!”
As Philip walked away, pretending to be drunk, he glanced back to see the four young men coming out of the tavern.
“Gotcha.”
Now feeling a bit bored, Philip took out the dogbane he had on him and chewed on it while looking up at the moon.
The gigantic red moon is said to have been created by the Demon God, the ‘Red Moon.’
While that red moon was up, the boundary between the material world and other dimensions was said to draw closer. And the power of beings closely related to that world was greatly enhanced.
“Today is going to be a long night.”
With the four guests in tow, Philip quickened his pace.
Time to welcome the guests!
Philip completed his mission. He had brought the four hulking men to the mansion.
Rushing in like he was escaping, Philip released the possession as he entered the mansion’s front door, and as soon as he became a ghost again, he approached me.
I’m back.
Good job.
After receiving the doll back from Philip, I looked at the mansion’s front door.
The four young men who chased after Philip entered the mansion’s front door appeared momentarily flustered.
“What the hell? Where did he go?!”
“Damn. That old guy is fast.”
“Search! He must be hiding somewhere in here!”
The four hulks, each wielding clubs, were scattered throughout the mansion.
After confirming that all the hulks had entered the mansion, I quietly closed the front door and locked it with magical energy.
What are these guys doing? Thugs?
Just some third-rate ruffians. They’re nothing special.
– Really? They’re not fearless?
They’re just young chicks who haven’t tasted the bitterness of life. With the miss’s skills, they’ll be cooked in no time.
I nodded at Philip’s chuckling words.
Though they looked like they might slack off and weren’t trustworthy… no, they were ghosts, but they were quite capable. According to him, he was a well-known explorer in his previous life.
Whether that was true or not, he certainly excelled at camping, reconnaissance, and bargaining.
Since it’s the third attraction, let’s move to the location.
– Understood. I’ll see you in a bit. Hahaha…
As I watched Philip’s back as he passed through the wall to his position, I turned my head.
Through the mansion’s window, the red moon shaped like a full moon was visible.
The red moon…
In this world, it’s called the blue moon created by God and the red moon created by the Demon God.
The two moons periodically become full and wane, but the peculiar thing is that when one becomes full, the other wanes.
From my limited scientific knowledge, I thought since the moon reflects sunlight, if one is full, the other should be full too… or at least most of it should be shining, right? Well… what’s the use of discussing science in a fantasy world?
Anyway, if the blue moon in this world signifies divine blessings and peace, the red moon signifies chaos. And indeed, as the red moon approaches fullness, the boundary with other dimensions draws nearer.
There’s no distinction in the approaching dimensions.
It could be the divine realm where gods reside, the demon realm where demons live, or the spirit realm where spirits dwell.
And there’s also the realm of the dead…
Magical energy began to flow rapidly over my body.
Sure enough… I felt an unusual surge of power throughout my body. Right now, I felt I could do things I couldn’t do before due to a lack of strength.
That much is unnecessary, though.
Still, it felt good to be overflowing with power.
– Alright. Let’s get to work.
I moved behind one of the hulking men heading to the second floor.
* * *
Bren couldn’t shake off the feeling that something was off.
“I thought I found a rich fool…”
But what is this situation now?
His memories of desperately fleeing began to rewire for a few minutes.
At first, it was fine.
He pretended to listen to a friend’s story about losing his parents’ money in a scam at the Pigsty Tavern while trying to drink, and amidst that, he spotted a shabby-looking drifter holding a pouch full of gold coins. He even confirmed that the man was drunk and going outside.
The room was luxurious.
No, to be precise, it seemed like it used to be luxurious.
The high-end bed that should have had pillars had turned into a wooden wreck with holes and bug-infested fabric draped over it, and the curtain pieces were stiff with dirt and dust, shaking.
The frame that hung on the wall lay shattered on the floor, and the masterpiece that had existed in the center was gone.
At least there was a portrait of some man above the fireplace at the front of the bed, but the bloodstains that seemed to be scattered over it gave a chilling feeling.
“What the hell? Why does it have to be so scary…?”
As Bren muttered, he glanced around.
There was no space for a person to hide. The only thing that could be searched was that ruined bed or inside the fireplace, but the bed was too damaged to hide in. To be precise, there was no space for a person to hide.
In the end, the only option left was inside the fireplace.
“I doubt there’s anyone here…”
The fireplace was rather small. It seemed they had made it smaller to install one on the second floor, making it hard to even fit someone inside.
And even if someone had gone in, there would have been traces left. Footprints on the ashes inside the fireplace or clothing caught on the sharp edges nearby.
Ultimately, he concluded that there was no one here.
“Sigh… it’s annoyingly spacious. This will take a while.”
Just as Bren was about to leave the room, tapping the fireplace with the club he held…
Clunk.
He froze!
Suddenly, a presence came from the direction of the bed, causing Bren to stop.
Quickly readjusting his grip on the club, he cautiously approached the bed.
“What is it?”
The bed was worn out, and there was no space left for a person to hide, whether behind it or beneath it.
Logically, it was hard to think someone would be hiding here, and indeed, no one was.
Right, that’s what he thought just a moment ago.
“You little bastard!”
Bang!
Swish!
Rushing to the back of the bed, Bren swung his club.
His oak club struck the floor with a thud, and a mouse that had been next to it scurried away into the wall.
“That startled me…”
Feeling embarrassed for getting tense over a mere mouse and feeling a sense of discomfort, he suddenly noticed…
“…Huh?”
The wooden piece that the mouse had been gnawing on.
His face hardened as he saw the palm-sized wooden girl figure smiling at him.
“This is…?”
It was the wooden piece he had seen when he went up to the second floor. And it was the same piece he had kicked down to the first floor.
In other words, it shouldn’t be here at all.
“…Damn it. This feels awful.”
With a flick, Bren picked up the wooden piece and threw it into the fireplace.
As the ash cloud billowed up behind him, Bren’s body froze.
Right in front of the door, the wooden piece covered in ash stood with an angry expression.
“What the hell? Why is this here?”
The wooden figure looked up at Bren as if asking why he had thrown it into the fireplace.
Feeling chill, Bren tightened his grip.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
“This! This!! THIS!!!”
Bren smashed the wooden figure with his club, breathing heavily.
Only then did the sense of crisis he had forgotten return.
“Damn it. I shouldn’t have come here!”
From the broken window above him, a red light began to shine through.
The day of the red moon, when all monsters go berserk once a month.
Seeing the red moon nearly full, Bren’s face twisted uncontrollably.
Creeeak!!
That was the moment the anomaly began.
The hallway leading to the central staircase twisted in an instant, and from the shadows above, countless forms began to emerge.