Working at a Haunted Mansion Chapter 29

When Julius Sheiwartz and Aiden Kashimir still owned their bodies.

Everywhere you looked was a majestic imperial city, but even among them, the Sapphire Palace—where the emperor was received—was a space so awe-inspiring that a commoner might collapse just from stepping foot inside.

A courtier pushed through the dense crowd that had gathered to see the emperor, even if only for a moment. As if it were incredibly joyous news, he delivered it clearly for all to hear.

“Your Majesty, Duke Kashimir has sent word that he has wiped out the Solmon cult and captured their leader.”

“Aiden has done it again.”

Julius forced a bright expression.

“Prepare a banquet. We must celebrate my friend’s victory.”

The perfect act deceived everyone present. But inside Julius, envy and shame festered and spilled over.

‘So the heretic’s sorcery, said to be beyond words, was nothing special after all.’

Julius stared at the court attendants who were now chattering in excitement.

They traced Aiden Kashimir’s long list of achievements back to the beginning, passionately praising what a great man he was.

A paragon of the Empire in every way, family, honor, wealth, appearance, now gained the reputation of being a divine apostle who had vanquished evil heretics.

Feeling twisted inside, Julius rose from his seat. As if waiting, a voice echoed in his mind.

—Be grateful that he even considers you a friend.

‘Of course, Your Majesty.’

Julius muttered to himself as he left the audience chamber.

‘If not for him, the Empire would’ve fallen long ago. How lucky I am to clean up after a fool.’

Though many years had passed since his father died, Julius still remembered his words vividly.

—Can you not even be half the man Duke Kashimir is? It is truly lamentable that you’ve learned nothing from being at his side.

The late emperor and the former Duke Kashimir were true friends. After the duke died young, and his wife soon followed, the emperor brought their toddler son to the capital and raised him like his own.

Thanks to that, Julius and Aiden had been together since early childhood. Just as his father cherished Aiden, Julius too had considered him a brother.

But that feeling became twisted around the age of ten, when the emperor began comparing them.

In truth, Julius Sheiwartz was no fool. But the tragedy lay in the fact that he was not better than Aiden Kashimir in anything.

He felt the blatant favoritism, the criticisms, and the disapproving gazes deep in his skin.

Whenever Aiden stood out, Julius braced himself for nightfall. Because the drunken emperor would surely visit his room.

—Sleeping soundly, are you? You can’t even match Aiden, and yet you sleep so peacefully?

Julius rubbed his cheek with one hand. Though it couldn’t be, his cheek felt numb.

At this point, the emperor’s judgment seemed fair. The heretics, whom Julius had failed to eradicate no matter how hard he tried, were so easily taken down by Aiden.

Julius had done everything he could to subdue the cult. Yet he couldn’t stop the spread of Solmon or capture its leader.

To make things worse, unsettling rumors about the “Day of Rest” began to spread, and the situation grew tense. Julius had no choice but to turn to Aiden for help. And of course, he completed the mission perfectly.

Why could Julius Sheiwartz not fulfill the emperor’s duty completely on his own? If it were a task no one could do, it wouldn’t be so shameful…

It wasn’t incompetence but inferiority that tormented him.

A few days later, the cult leader was brought to the underground prison of the imperial city. After some internal conflict, Julius went down to the prison.

The underground prison was damp and musty. On top of the soot from torches, the stench of filth was overwhelming.

The reason he’d come down to such an unpleasant place was simple—he wanted to see the face of this supposedly incredible cult leader.

Also… he had something he wanted to know.

The cult leader was bound at the wrists and ankles, fixed to the wall, and forced to kneel on the hard stone floor, unable to move.

His head, which had been hanging low, lifted at the sound of footsteps.

He was an old man, at an age where moving about was difficult. His skin was wrinkled, and one eye was a cloudy gray, as if veiled by a film.

His ash-colored hair was wild, and his black clothes had grown ragged during the transfer. He looked like a wise prophet—and also a cunning sorcerer.

He recognized who Julius was and spoke.

“It is an honor, noble one… I have finally met you… as expected.”

The cult leader pronounced his words very slowly, taking his time. But he hadn’t fully adjusted the unique Solmon word order, so his sentences sounded slightly awkward.

“To manipulate souls at will, and yet be unable to protect your own neck. Isn’t that a useless power?”

“It is enough… For me, and for the noble one.”

The cult leader was oddly calm for someone on the verge of death. He quietly stared into Julius’s eyes.

Unable to bear the piercing gaze, Julius turned his head and repeated the cult leader’s words in his mind. A temptation brushed against his heart.

He ordered the guards and soldiers to leave.

“I have a question.”

“I will answer.”

“The Day of Rest. Is it real?”

The Day of Rest was said to be when the gate to the so-called “Land of Rest” in the heavens would open.

Solmonism claimed that when five special stars aligned in a line, one could perform a ritual and ascend to that radiant place, free of pain and trials.

Desire for paradise spread quickly, especially among the lower classes, and it was predicted that at least a hundred would join in a mass suicide. It was the decisive reason Julius turned to Aiden for help.

If the search had been delayed further, the Day of Rest would have arrived. As of today, only a few days remained.

While he couldn’t understand how the people had fallen for such an absurd trick, Julius couldn’t help but wonder—what if it was real?

—You let your mind wander with such nonsense, and that’s why you’re inferior to Aiden. Why haven’t you cut that bastard’s throat already? I spoon-feed you and you still can’t swallow, you useless fool!

The voice echoed in his ears.

The emperor had never spoken that harshly. Julius bit his lip, unsure if it was his imagination or self-loathing.

“Indeed. We endure hardship… solely for that day…”

Julius opened his mouth to ask a second question, but then closed it. It felt like a stench was rising from his throat. The moment he spoke, the smell of foul jealousy would be noticeable to anyone.

The cult leader’s eyes curved faintly.

“If you have something touched by hair, nails, or saliva… I can guide the soul.”

He spoke as though he knew Julius’s thoughts completely.

Julius didn’t bother to deny it. Things were moving on their own now. He would simply ride the current.

“Do you want anything in return?”

The cult leader shook his head. His frail body swayed with the motion, and his restraints made an ominous sound.

“What I desire… will come to pass on its own.”

The cult leader, consumed by his role, didn’t even beg for his life. Excessive pride was no different from foolishness.

‘Whether the ritual succeeds or fails, I’ll kill him before he even gets a chance to react.’

Julius thought coldly. There was no reason to let someone who knew his weakness live.

Come to think of it, it really was the perfect opportunity. Even Aiden, who defeated assassins and survived poison, would have no way to protect his soul.

Aiden had helped him countless times. He was a loyal vassal, the kingdom’s fixer, and a reliable ally.

At the same time, Aiden was the seed of Julius’s shame and self-loathing, a subordinate praised more than the emperor himself, and his father’s true son.

All Julius had left, torn apart by defeat and inferiority, was deep-rooted hatred.

‘Helping him reach the Land of Rest… I suppose that’s not such a cruel thing for a friend to do.’

With a bitter smirk, Julius left the underground prison.

The preparations were simple. Julius personally ordered that the guest of honor be adorned splendidly for the celebration. Aiden didn’t notice anything strange.

When the late emperor was still alive, Aiden often stayed in the capital. He spent more time in the imperial palace than in the Kashimir estate. He truly behaved as if he were part of the royal family…

Just as he had easily obtained hair and nail fragments, acquiring something touched by Aiden’s saliva was no trouble either. He simply had a trusted servant bring him the tableware Aiden had used.

Julius placed the gathered items into a small box for safekeeping.

It was clearly a suspicious act, but the servant acted as if he’d forgotten to ask questions, and Julius repaid his loyal subordinate with a few small favors.

The celebration was grand. Everyone honored Aiden lavishly.

After the banquet, Julius patted his departing friend on the shoulder, thinking only of driving a dagger into that soul.

And so, a few days later—when Aiden was far enough from the capital that no one would suspect Julius of his death—on the night when the five great stars aligned for the first time in 99 years…

He descended into the musty underground prison with the small box, alone with the prisoner. It was under the pretense of granting a chance for repentance.

He personally released the cult leader’s restraints.