The gates opened with a creaking sound; the coldness of iron bars washed through Fanz's hands as he took a step forward inside the garden, his steps echoing through the moss-field cobblestone pathway. He turned back to look at Asher, who looked rather carefree in his demeanor; his hands were in his pockets, and his silver eyes swept through the surroundings, dazzled by the spooky nature of this mansion.
"Asher, are you not scared?" Franz asked curiously, his lips felt dry as he ran a hand through his back.
"I am scared." I answered honestly, not finding any shame in telling so; rather, I find it amusing that the person who took this mission was scared himself.
"Have you ever fought a ghost before?" I asked in a friendly tone, then added,.
"I have no idea how to deal with them; my ability to tell the truth is not suited for this."
Franz frowned, his brow furrowed upward. He looked at the mansion's door and stopped with one step on the stairs to climb for entrance. He gave me a dubious gaze and answered.
"I have fought ghosts before, low-rank ones, but still they were tricky to deal with… If you don't have a way to deal with them, why take the risk to come here? You could have rejected my request."
Franz could not understand why someone would take such a risk, where they can't even fight against the enemy. Who would go through with such a stupid idea?
"My only reason for being here is to gain experience. And you also came here; this should mean you are confident, right? We can still leave; the gates are open." I pointed back at the iron door, still open outside the ruined garden.
Franz nodded. I can guess he was still not satisfied with this explanation, but I also can't delve deep into my reasons.
For me, the main reason for coming here was to get any hint for my next enlightenment; I had been stuck as an awakened for far too long. If getting my first enlightenment so early was possible, it should also be possible to get my next one early as well.
I sighed and took a good look at the mansion. The building looked precarious with its charred body; it had been burned long ago. I could tell this with a single glance; the pillars supporting the structure looked feeble and jagged from the outside.
Yet they had survived and supported the mansion until this day.
"What's the story of this place? It seems to have caught fire long ago." I asked as we stood away from the entrance gate.
"This place belonged to a former noble house named Pristel fifty years ago. It was on the verge of decline after the head of the family died. His son took his place later on and acted as the governor of this city for some years, but he, along with his family, died as the mansion caught fire… Old reports say that it was a case of suicide, as the funds for the city were being misused by him; in fear of punishment from the kingdom, he took this step in desperation."
Franz calmly explained the old report; his eyes looked uncertain, as if he himself didn't believe it to be true.
"That's some heavy story, actually. What was the temple's response to this incident?"
Franz shrugged and casually said,. "I was not even born at that time, so how could I possibly know about that?!"
'Isn't it your job to get the gist of things before taking a mission?' I was certain that this guy was being lazy, even in a matter of life and death. How can he be so careless? He might be even more arrogant than me.
"Do you know what the conditions are to be a noble?" He asked, his head turned to look at our surroundings; with raised brow, he took a step forward and started walking around the mansion.
Not wishing to be left behind, I followed his footsteps. The cold wind made my hair dance as I pressed it back in place and answered with haste. "No, I don't know the conditions…" I shook my head and asked.
"...And why are we roaming outside now?"
Franz chuckled, his eyes searching for something in the surroundings, and seeing a shed at the corner, he sped up.
"There are only two conditions for being considered a noble house: first, being transcendent, and second, making a great contribution to the safety of the kingdom."
Reaching the broken shed, he looked around the old carriage before answering my next question.
"We are looking for the vessel or any clue… I wouldn't want to frantically search inside the mansion while fighting a ghost only to find the vessel was hidden outside."
I started to search outside of the shed, looking for any anomaly. Listening to his explanation, a question popped into my mind as I asked. "Are they the only condition? Why is Lady Morgana without a family last name, then?"
Franz's voice answered back in a small echo from inside the carriage, his previous nervousness vanished from his voice, as he sounded cheerful. "Lady Morgana has a last name; she just doesn't tell us… Also, I don't think she is a genuine noble in a general sense."
"...And I think just being a transcendent will make someone a noble; they are very rare after all." He added slowly, his voice cracking as I saw him remove dust from his hair and walk toward me.
"Haha…"
I laughed seeing his face covered in dirt, then said eagerly, "Should we go inside now?"
He hesitated hearing my words, then nodded. "Yeah, let's go."
I nodded in return and took a brave step forward; the grass was growing ominously as we reached the mansion's door.
"Asher, you enter first; this way I will be ready to attack in case of any accidents." Franz said with a serious expression, His words were logical. If he can fight ghosts, using me as a distraction to attack was certainly a good strategy.
But I heard something different from the actual explanation.
'Go enter the house as my meat shield; I will either run away or fight back based on the threat we may face.' This was what I was actually taking the meaning of his words to be, and I am pretty sure this is what he is exactly thinking right now.
Sigh…
This is why people say you should choose your friends properly; a bad friend is worse than an enemy.
And I seem to have no luck with either of them.
"Franz… If by any chance you ran away after seeing someone strong, I will haunt you even after death." I grinned and looked back at him, my hands already reaching for the mansion's door handle.
He looked at me with disdain and then told in clear denial.
"Don't worry, I will die rather than have you haunt me for life."
'...I feel offended somehow.' I muttered slowly and opened the gate; a soft creaking sound followed shortly after, a chilling wind hit our faces, and we stepped back as bats flew all over us.
"W-what?!" I closed my eyes, the bats flying near us, almost hitting me abruptly in the face. Swinging my arms in their direction, they flew away with loud screeches.
The bats have made a nest here, their nasty stench felt rusty and heavy fetid in the air, reeking of pests and things I don't wish to know about.
Franz took out a flashlight, the inside illuminated with a single click, and seeing the inside, my eyes widened.
It was chaotic; the hall was empty, and at the center a chandelier was lying on the ground, broken and filled with a coating of dust and spiderwebs. A metallic string attached to its top still connected it with the ceiling, making it look gloomy. Two large staircases lay at the end of the hallway, broken and burned as well.
"This place sure is looking dignified." I muttered, even though I had been inside a ruin before, this place felt much scarier knowing that ghosts may actually live here.
My voice echoed out loud as I felt a chill run down my spine.
"Don't talk loudly…" Franz whispered in my ear; I nodded and took a step forward.
"Let's start with this floor." I said, walking inside, Franz continued to walk behind me. His fist clenched tightly in desperation.
"Lyra, keep an eye on us."
"Okay~"
A gentle voice entered my ears, making my hair stand up instantly. The sound was so low that I wouldn't have heard if I wasn't deeply focused right now.
"Did you hear that?!" I asked.
Franz's brows furrowed; he looked around us and then asked. "Hear what?"
"I heard someone say 'Okay' just now..."
Franz's eyes widened as he looked at Lyra flying above. He licked his lips and confirmed that Lyra was not using his origin to appear visible to Asher.
"...Can you see Lyra?" He asked hesitantly.
I frowned; my eyes searched the hall but saw no white mystical bird.
"No, I can't."
Franz's eyes squinted, he gulped, and told. "It was Lyra… Who said 'Okay' just now, If you can't see her, how did you hear her voice?"
"What?!" I said, surprised by his answer.
How was it possible for me to hear Lyra's voice now? It doesn't make sense… Morgana could probably do it as a transcendent, but me doing it… Something felt wrong.
"Franz, run~!"
Lyra's voice again echoed in my ear as we both looked up in surprise.
My eyes widened as a jaw opened up in the air and consumed us…
My vision went blank…
"Butler!"
A voice called from below; I opened my eyes that had been closed till now.
There a girl stood with a flowery yellow gown adorning her small silhouette; her big sparkling eyes stared at me as she stood beside a wall.
I blinked…
'Is she talking to me?'
Behind her I saw a reflection in the glass window. I could see her back, but my reflection was not there. It was someone else… A man much older than me, he had a low shade of black hair, along with brown eyes, and he wore a butler uniform just like Sebastian did…
A feeling of dread filled my heart as I realized the man in the reflection was me…