“They were looking for a box. A white box with two wings drawn on it.”
“It’s just like the criminal said. Have you ever seen the box?”
“No. I’ve never seen it. I guess they must have heard a tall tale somewhere and came here to find it. He said it was essential for the Prince to be crowned as a crown prince.”
Since this wasn’t a hotel-related story, Holloway told the story without hesitation.
He said that death row inmates had been coming here for 20 years to look for the box.
They all came here with the hope of being forgiven and living a normal life.
However, such malice didn’t help much in a place like this.
He added that it was easy to sneak in such thoughts in this space covered in magic.
He said that even if Holloway and the other demons didn’t do anything, they were crazy about killing each other.
Not only that, they lost their senses of fear and attacked the demons, making a mess of their territory.
He said that he watched them for several years, and then killed them without hesitation when they tried to kill him.
“Let’s put the box aside for now. How did they get in here?”
“I’m curious about that too.”
Judging from his expression, he didn’t seem to be lying.
The Empress knows about the gate that even the demons don’t know about…
“The prisoners came in through the gate.”
“No one has ever seen the gate.”
“Mayb the others in this place besides Holloway?”
“No.”
He was very firm.
I couldn’t ask any more…
—Huft, huuuft, huft…
…Ah, this is the basement.
I only realized it after hearing heavy breathing.
Holloway’s presence was so strong that I forgot that I was in the basement and kept asking him questions about this and that.
I carefully hugged Holloway’s arm tightly.
[Holloway looks at the comedian with pity.]
…What. What, why.
“Are you scared?”
“Your mouth hurts when you ask something obvious”
“That…”
Creak, creaaaak.
As Holloway cut off, I heard the sound of nails scraping against the wall.
I held my breath without realizing it, but soon straightened my hunched shoulders.
It’s okay. I have Holloway.
Creaaak. Creak, creak, creaaak.
The sound of nails scraping came closer. I held Holloway’s hand and quickly walked forward.
“If we go there, we’ll be further from the exit.”
“Let’s avoid the monster first.”
For some reason, I still didn’t have a feeling that he would be eager to save me.
He wouldn’t let me die, but he would think it would be okay for me to lose an arm.
Although I tried to hide in a nearby room, it was all locked.
At that moment, just as I was about to grab the handle right next to me.
Squeak…
The door opened with a creepy hinge sound.
I grabbed Holloway’s sleeve and pulled him in, yet black hair flowed out through the crack in the door.
“HIEEEKH!”
As I tried to run away with Holloway, a long hair suddenly grabbed my ankle and lifted it up.
“KYAAK!”
Is there some kind of scent that attracts monsters on my ankle?
Blood, my blood is running backwards.
Holloway strode toward me. My eyes, which were hanging upside down, met his eyes in a straight line.
“Sister is having a hard time, so can you get me down?”
“You’re only ‘Sister’ when you’re like this.”
“That’s just how it is.”
“Aaah.”
Don’t just admire me, I told you to get me down!
Sister is dying of blood rushing backward.
Yet Holloway stared at me and grabbed my hair and started braiding it one by one.
“I’m not kidding.”
“Can I tell you something?”
“Can’t you tell me after you get me off?”
“I can’t kill them.”
It was a sudden remark, but I could understand it.
It meant that he couldn’t touch these evil spirits. If I heard that in this situation, all I could do was escape reality.
“Evelin hates lies like that.”
“Holloway doesn’t lie.”
Damn it. Don’t copy me.
Holloway grabbed my hand as he looked at my face that was about to cry.
“I can’t kill them, but I can do the rest.”
“The rest?”
“To the extent of half-killing.”
As soon as he finished saying that, the hair was cut off with an evil sound.
As the strength holding my ankles released, Holloway lightly grabbed me as I was about to fall.
“Ah, thanks…”
—Don’t meddle!
An ear-piercing scream filled the hallway. The evil spirit that emerged from the crack of the door was walking on the floor like a spider.
The evil spirit, with its bright red eyes showing through its hair and dripping a thick liquid, was furious.
—Don’t meddle, don’t meddle, don’t meddle!
“I guess it’s mad because I saved Sister.”
How mean! You can save people, can’t you. If you lose your temper like that, do you think I’ll have any heart left?
“Since it’s already angry, keep saving me.”
It’s okay because my generous self understands. Just ignore me.
“So, will you run?”
Thud!
The hair blocked both sides of us. The rasping breathing was rough.
The escape route was blocked. The evil spirit crawled toward us, twisting its joints. Looking directly at Holloway, the evil spirit warned.
—Leave that human alone.
“It told me to leave you behind.”
“What? Don’t listen to that meanie.”
“Yes.”
Right. You answer well.
—You shouldn’t do this, you shouldn’t do this to me…
The evil spirit, who was rambling incoherently, suddenly latched onto the floor and began to sob.
And then its four arms began to pound the floor madly.
—You shouldn’t do this! This is against the law! This is against the law!
“Ah.”
Holloway gave a low exclamation and looked down at me.
“W-Why?”
“It must be angry because I meddled in.”
“I’m not.”
So it’s okay.
Holloway chuckled and shook his head.
“I guess they’re not.”
“…So?”
“The evil spirits are gathering here.”
“Then what should we do?”
I asked right away. Saying that also meant that Holloway should not interfere any further.
Holloway raised his finger and lightly drew a horizontal line in the air.
In an instant, the hair blocking my left side was cut off.
—You, you…! You brat!
“Run, Sister.”
He had already returned to his childish form and extended his arm to me.
I had no time to ask why he had become a child now.
Instead of asking that question, it was time to run away like Holloway had told me.
I grabbed him as if I was snatching him and started running to the left.
—Stand, stand! Stand there!
—Crack, crack…
—…You can’t get away.
The sound of all the evil spirits sent a chill down my spine.
“Turn right there.”
I gritted my teeth and turned to the right.
I never turned back. I could hear the sounds of crashing, running, and crawling all mixed together.
“Sister, up!”
“S-Stairs!”
Will my thighs hold up?
I have to run even if they burst!
I started to climb the stairs two at a time. I forced my legs, which seemed to be losing their will to live, to move again and again.
—Let go, let go…!
—H-Holloway, don’t touch…
—Don’t touch him…
—Screw off, screw off!
…What is it?
Are there different opinions even among the evil spirits?
Is this why they said that the basement was dangerous?
It was a basement that even Holloway couldn’t touch, so he died unconditionally.
“Gasp, gasp…”
I don’t know if he knows that. Suddenly, a thought occurred to me.
Now, I have a desperate question about whether Holloway can walk on his own.
“Huagh, ugh…”
“Various breathing sounds.”
I don’t have the strength to argue…
When my speed gradually slowed down.
—Got it.
Swish.
I felt goosebumps at the soft thing wrapped around my calf.
When I turned around, a long tongue was wrapped around my ankle.
“Ah, please!”
—Ain’t letting go.
“Uuuugh!”
Let go, please!
“Even if you don’t want to let go, just do it once!”
But the evil spirit was getting closer and closer.
The distance between us became so close that I could see the evil spirits behind.
What should I do, what should I do…
“Sister, do you have my brooch?”
“Huh…?”
“You picked up the brooch. The one with the Imperial emblem on it.”
“Ah.”
That’s right, the brooch.
Then it must be Holloway’s.
“I do, why?”
“Take it out. Press the jewel part and the knife will pop out.”
Without hesitation, I immediately took out the brooch inside the cardigan and pressed the jewel part.
Click.
As the sharp razor came out, I put Holloway down and pushed him.
“You go up first!”
“Yes!”
Geez. How can he answer that right away?
At least pretend to be worried! Make me feel a little touched!
I glared at Holloway’s back as he climbed up hard, and then I stuck the razor right into the tongue.
—KEUAAAGH!
When the blood spurted into the air and the thing holding my ankle loosened, I ran right away.
“Sister! This is the exit!”
Wow… The gap is really huge.
When he was the adult version, I was cautious about my actions because of the overwhelming pressure that I couldn’t ignore even when he was still, yet now he was acting like a child.
He wasn’t that active, but rather on the quiet side…
Rather, I felt like I knew what it meant to be hit by that gap…
“Sister, behind you.”
“Don’t say that!”
I almost jumped in place and flew toward the open door.
A long tongue barely brushed past my head before going back into the basement.
What I saw through the open door were the red eyes of the evil spirits.
—…
They went down quietly without saying anything, and at the same time, the basement door slammed shut on its own.
this chapter is sponsored by Lex13 (2/5)
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