Working at a Haunted Mansion Chapter 122

Climbing the stairs was a challenge with the house in ruins, but the knight — being of a profession where stamina was everything — had no trouble moving.

Lily stared hard at his back as he carried the Emperor. She hoped the second floor would be just as wrecked, so he’d struggle to find anywhere to lay him down.

Only when the knight was completely out of sight did she let out a deep sigh.

‘Phew. Alive, for now.’

Thanks be to the Almighty, she had escaped danger once again. Indeed, whatever happens, one just has to cling on until the end.

As she rolled her stiff shoulders, a knocking sound came from somewhere. Startled, she turned toward the entrance.

Were the farmer-disguised men outside trying to come in?

She held her breath and listened carefully. Luckily, the sound wasn’t from the front door but from inside. It was a bit rapid — thump thump thump thump — and mixed with shouts.

Only then did Lily remember the cult trainees in the basement. Julius must have blocked the door. She felt a pang of guilt but had no room in her mind to care.

Pushing through the wreckage, Lily went into the bathroom. That place was relatively intact, likely because Julius hadn’t stormed in there directly.

With slow movements she found towels in the cabinet, then carried them to the kitchen.

Above the sink was a small window for ventilation. Outside, in contrast to the chaos within, everything was calm.

Keeping her eyes on the view beyond, Lily scooped water from the bucket into a basin and began wetting the towels. She meant to pretend to prepare cold compresses, using it as an excuse not to go upstairs.

Would the knight come down first, or would Aiden arrive with news to find her? Or — could it be the knight might remember the cult leader’s instructions, lock her inside, and leave only with the Emperor? Well… that wouldn’t be the worst outcome.

She stirred the towel in the water, careful not to dip her hands because of her wounds. Later, if the knight questioned her, she could say her hands hurt too much to wring the towel, and make him do it instead. Perfect distraction.

Her mind never stopped scheming. Then, suddenly, her eyes widened.

From the window, she saw riders galloping fast. They moved so swiftly that in the blink of an eye, they were already out of view — but not before she recognized them clearly.

Wolfram. And the Duke’s soldiers.

Lily threw the towel aside and rushed out of the kitchen.

Before the knight could notice, she cleared the debris at the entrance with frantic speed and slipped outside.

“Secretary!”

Tears welled in her eyes as she ran to Wolfram. He was just dismounting, eyes wide, breath caught.

“Miss Dienta, you’re badly injured! Are you all right?”

He sounded terrified. Lily answered with forced cheer.

“I’m fine. Just scratches. Things got dangerous so I— well, no, I had to provoke the ring… uh, use it, but he flew into a bigger rage than I expected.”

With more than a dozen soldiers behind him, she couldn’t explain freely. She just grinned and stuck her thumb up.

“Still, I’d say I got lucky.”

“Lucky? Looking like this?”

Wolfram was aghast. He handed her a handkerchief from his breast pocket. Lily pressed it firmly to her wounds, where the blood hadn’t dried.

“What of His Grace?”

Wolfram shook his head.

“Sir Payne sent word, so only we came from the manor first to find you.”

“Then he doesn’t know yet. You’ve guessed it already, but His Grace succeeded! The cult leader’s completely gone. By the way, there’s an Imperial knight inside who threw himself fully into the cult’s cause. He’s called Lamond.”

She tried to keep her report crisp and clear.

“After the Emperor collapsed, he nearly killed me, but then noticed His Majesty was still breathing and is tending to him. He attends those secret meetings too. As for the two men guarding the door outside — did you see them? I think they bolted after seeing the house collapse.”

She racked her brain for more to add.

“Oh, and in the basement there are three cult believers. On the second floor, a man who almost became an experimental subject is unconscious. From what they said, there are probably more abducted victims elsewhere. The problem is I never saw such a place during the house tour. We might need to search for attached sheds or extra cellars.”

Wolfram had been watching the building, but at her words he turned and looked at her instead. His brow furrowed, and for a moment he simply stared without speaking.

Finally, he said softly:

“You’ve been through hell.”

The words struck her heart. Lily felt tears sting her eyes. She quickly bobbed her head in exaggerated agreement.

“Unspeakably so! But the important thing is, it’s all over now! I leave the rest to you, Secretary!”

She stepped back before tears could spill in front of Wolfram.

“Understood. We’ll hear the full story later at the manor.”

Wolfram split his men: one group to secure the perimeter and search for victims, the other to follow him inside. He even assigned a soldier to guard Lily’s side.

She stared in a daze at their orderly efficiency. At last, it truly felt over.

Strictly speaking, they still had to clean up the secret lodge case, and the matter of the Emperor’s soul wasn’t resolved — but that wasn’t Lily’s problem.

What mattered was she had survived this trial.

‘I did it again!’

How marvelous, really. She had bought time unscathed, prevented loss of life, and left everyone else in a state easy to handle. An accomplishment worthy of applause!

She felt like humming in triumph.

Then her gaze caught on a pale figure near the villa’s outer wall.

It was Julius’s spirit, kneeling near the window where she had thrown the ring.

He sat like a corpse, motionless. His eyes were unfocused, his face slack and empty of thought.

And sure enough, corruption was creeping up from his lower half. His soul had been too weak to withstand her torrent of insults.

‘That ring isn’t playing around…’

Cautious, Lily scanned the grass nearby, hoping he wouldn’t recognize her.

She quickly found the ring. Its odd shimmer gave it away.

Instead of picking it up, she studied it on the ground. As expected, the haze surrounding it was murky. To carry it directly would only invite misfortune.

“Do you have a rope?” she asked a nearby soldier.

“Yes, counselor. Here.”

By the time Wolfram and the others subdued Lamond and bound him, Lily had tied the ring with rope and hung it from a stirrup.

She had carefully adjusted the length so the ring dangled in midair, well clear of the horse’s influence.

Then, from behind the villa, came a shout — “Found them!”

Lily hesitated whether to go see, when Wolfram approached her.

“Let’s return to the manor first. His Grace will soon join us, but the house inside is no place to wait. Better you receive treatment at home, and we can bring more people back.”

With Wolfram’s help, Lily climbed onto a horse, and he mounted behind her. The party set off.

They moved cautiously, wary of ambush, since the fate of the two missing guards was unknown.

But Lily already felt as if a great weight had been lifted.

The further they went from the villa, the more her terror and desperate struggle faded. Instead she wanted to boast about how bravely she had faced it all.

It had been chaos since morning, but she had fought and endured!

As she savored her victory, a heavy rumbling came from afar. Lily’s eyes widened with anticipation.

 

 

 

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Aiden drove his horse harder once more. But the beast, already at its limit, could no longer pick up speed.

Gripping the reins tightly, bloodshot eyes fixed ahead, he burned with frustration. If only he could run like the wind. If only he could reach her instantly…

He had been following the trail of wagon tracks from the western forest entrance, just as the lookout had described. Every fiber of his mind was locked on reaching the end of this path.

Then, suddenly, Aiden felt the air shift. From up ahead came vibrations — not from his own party, but from others. He gradually slowed his pace.

Soon a group of figures came into view, halting just as he did. Among them, he immediately recognized Lily Dienta.

“Aiden!”

She spotted him as well, calling out brightly.

He started to open his mouth to reply—then froze.

Blood was smeared across her cheek, stark and undeniable.