Chapter 13
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"Unlike the hallway, there's nothing here... it's a simple room. Wouldn't be strange if they said this was a servant's quarters, would it?"
The Shinigami spoke her honest impression upon seeing Mary's room.
Mary's room was located at the far right of the second floor, precisely where it had been marked on Death's prepared map.
The rooms in front and next door seemed to be kept empty, with Diana's room diagonally across. Alcaiz's room was near the stairs, followed by Kiss, Diana, and Mary, in that order.
Walking through that hallway, not only were mysterious patterns drawn on the walls, but artwork such as paintings and vases were also displayed.
Of course, Kaito and the others didn't touch them, but even as decorations, the artwork didn't match the wall patterns at all...
Given that sight, one might have expected the rooms prepared for Mary and the others to have a unique feel, but it was completely the opposite.
The prepared room had nothing in it. No bed, no closet, not even mirrors or windows. Only a clock remained. It almost looked like a prison cell.
While it was said that servants other than Kaito had prepared the rooms, looking at the current state, it seemed more like they had cleared everything out rather than prepared anything.
Kaito didn't share this observation with Death because Mary's actions immediately made it clear.
She took out a desk, closet, and other furniture from the bag containing the carriage, returning them to their original size.
The room was empty so the magicians themselves could customize it more easily.
The servants likely moved the room's original contents to separate rooms, which explained why the rooms in front and next door were kept empty.
"I see... it's to help them feel at ease by making it similar to their own rooms. I know some people can't sleep when they change pillows... it's the same principle."
Kaito added that this wasn't unique to this mansion—it was the case in most places.
"Mirrors are easily used in magic, for peeping or as means of transportation. And having no windows is to prevent easy intrusion, is it?"
While Rei had advised against using magic as much as possible since rooms like this were prepared, it must be something all magicians did, so it probably wasn't an issue.
In such a room, it felt strange that only the clock remained.
Kaito sensed this too and checked the clock before Mary did. Of course, he also examined the walls, floor, and ceiling.
She had said there would be no problem touching anything in the prepared rooms.
While Diana and the others had their servants prepare their rooms, Mary was different. It was natural for Kaito to investigate first. After all, it was true that Mary and others had gone missing.
"The clock... seems fine. I think it shows the same time as downstairs. As for other suspicious spots—"
"There's no magical energy either, so it should be fine."
Mary pointed that out first. Since Kaito couldn't use magic, she had to be the one to check for magical elements.
Other magicians might knowingly use disposable servants to test things, even while being aware of the dangers.