IKMHITM 5

࣪ ִֶָ☾. Chapter 05 ࣪ ִֶָ☾.

“Kamien!”

Julian shouted the man’s name, practically frothing at the mouth.

“What are you doing?! Are you trying to protect that lowly wench?”

Julian was truly Serian’s brother. It meant his way of speaking was quite cheap.

“I told you that bitch killed my brother?! Blinded by money, she came here to sell her body, and now she has the nerve to take over our mansion and try to sleep with you too!”

When did I ever.

Julian grunted, trying to pull his fist out of the man’s grip. However, the fluttering of a leaf could never move a boulder.

“Kamien, how could you do this? You’ve watched us since we were young! We are your family. We are…!”

“Young Master.”

Ah, what a voice… The man only said one word, but it felt like her ears were melting.

“The Young Master was an Arno. I trust you know what that name means.”

But the words coming from the man’s mouth were a bit strange. He was an Arno? Why did he speak in the past tense?

“Y-Yes! Right. I’m an Arno too, aren’t I?”

Julian’s face brightened.

“I yielded to my brother Serian before, but it doesn’t matter now. I will become the master of Belper Mansion!”

“You are late.”

“Why?! I just need to kill that wench! And then it will be fine once I become the master!!”

“Right now.”

The man’s voice, heavy as the deep sea, suddenly took on a cold, sharp edge.

“Did you just say you would kill the master of Belper Mansion in front of me?”

“Eek! N-No. I misspoke.”

Julian, who had been acting so arrogant, unexpectedly turned pale. Only then did the man let go of Julian’s hand, almost tossing it away.

This time, Julian desperately grabbed the man’s forearm.

“Kamien, are you okay with this? The master changed so suddenly!”

“…”

“If we leave, we might never see you again. Does that still not matter to you?!”

At the desperate cry, the man frowned.

“Forty-six.”

“What?”

“That is the number of masters I have served so far. If I count their direct family members, it is over 200. What makes you more special than those 200?”

Kamien asked as if he genuinely didn’t understand.

Julian gasped as if he had been punched in the gut. The man nonchalantly turned his back, and Eve, who now saw him from the front, stopped breathing. She had seen his face once in a dream, but she still wasn’t used to it. The time when she briefly thought Serian was handsome felt as distant as a past life.

“Let us go inside, Master.”

“Ah, yes.”

Eve barely held onto her sanity.

“I greet the new master. I am Kamien.”

Entering the drawing room, the man bowed. It was a neat movement with no unnecessary gestures. It seemed Eve was the only one shaken by last night’s dream.

“I am Evenie Roman. Everyone calls me Eve.”

“Please speak casually to me. And Arno.”

“Pardon?”

“Your name must be followed by Arno. That will be safer for you in this mansion.”

“…Yes. I mean, okay.”

“Is your face alright?”

He seemed to be referring to where Julian hit her.

“I’m fine. You don’t need to worry about it.”

Compared to being hit by Hyde, it was nothing. Instead, she was more bothered by the dozens of portraits hanging behind Kamien. The eyes of everyone looking this way were completely gouged out, white and blank. Only one, Gain, who smiled haughtily like a victor, had perfectly fine eyes.

As expected, this mansion was a creepy place.

“Excuse me. You keep calling me master, but I don’t really know anything about this.”

“I will teach you from now on. That is my role.”

“What exactly is your role?”

Gain had called him an excellent doctor, he acted like a guard in front of Julian, and now he was acting like a butler.

“Belper Mansion does not have many employees. I will become whatever employee the master desires. A doctor, a butler, a chef… sometimes, a night attendant as well.”

Kamien spoke so plainly that she almost missed the last part.

“Please call for me on sleepless nights, Master.”

So he really did come to me last night? Eve was curious but kept her mouth shut.

“First, I will give you a tour of the mansion.”

It was a welcome offer. The only places Eve had seen in this massive mansion were the drawing room, the hall, and the bedroom.

“This is the drawing room. That is the hall. Up there is the bedroom.”

The problem was that the three places Kamien showed her were only those three.

“What about the other rooms?”

“They are not available for your use right now.”

“I understand.”

At Eve’s answer, Kamien turned around.

“You accept situations quite quickly.”

“That’s how it usually is. For people who don’t have the power to decide their own fate.”

Honestly, she just answered half-heartedly. Eve had no intention of playing ‘master’ in this mansion anyway.

A slight change appeared on Kamien’s mask-like expression. It seemed her words had touched something deep inside him. However, Kamien silently continued the tour.

“Please come this way.”

Next to the main staircase on the first floor stood a marble stand as tall as Eve. A thick book resting on the pedestal caught her eye.

“Is this a guestbook?”

“No.”

“…? Then?”

“It is the ‘Record of Ghost Stories’ that you will use from now on.”

What was that again?

“All ghost stories have a true name. If you write the true names of the ghost stories you will rule over here, they will be bound to you.”

I thought I only had to rule the mansion?!

Kamien opened the first page of the Record of Ghost Stories. His true name was already written there.

[Kamien]

As expected, the man in front of her was not human. He looked like one, though.

“Belper Mansion is a mysterious place. The laws of the human world do not apply here. Managing the mansion and opening locked doors are done by ghost stories, not humans.”

So that’s why there were almost no employees.

“The more ghost stories you collect, the stronger the mansion becomes, and your power will also grow.”

Eve felt ominous. She thought she knew what Kamien was going to say next.

“Therefore. As the master of the mansion, Lady Eve must collect as many ghost stories as possible and write them here.”

“Do you have any questions?”

“I want to retire. Can I?”

“Yes.”

“Really?”

“You just have to die.”

A few days later.

Eve passionately vented her frustrations to Gain.

“Retire? You just have to die.”

“Ahahaha! Did Kamien really say that?”

“Yeah.”

“Your tone just now was exactly like Kamien’s! I’m going crazy.”

Gain rolled around inside the square frame, laughing.

Eve was not laughing.

“I wish it was a lie.”

“Kamien cannot do that.”

“Why?”

“His true name is written in the Record of Ghost Stories, right? Then he cannot disobey or lie to his master.”

It was practically a slave registry. Eve recalled Kamien’s somewhat weary and worn-out eyes.

But why is his true name written in the Record of Ghost Stories?

Should I go and ask Kamien?

No. Let’s not ask useless questions.

Eve had a strong survival instinct. She had survived living under her terrible family by keeping her head down. Therefore, she had no intention of bringing danger upon herself.

Eve thought of the countless blank pages in the Record of Ghost Stories. There was definitely something strange.

“Gain. There were other masters in this mansion besides me, right?”

“Of course. Although they all died young!”

“Why did they die you… Ah, never mind. But why is the Record of Ghost Stories empty?”

“The Record of Ghost Stories is also a measure of each master’s capabilities. When a new master arrives, the Record is renewed. To confirm the current master’s abilities.”

It was quite the performance-based system. Did the mansion evaluate the master itself?

“In return, the rewards are clear. Belper Mansion is not a place that leaves its master disappointed!”

Eve was already disappointed. Get me out of here.

“If the Record is renewed every time the master changes, what about the ghost stories the previous masters collected? What happened to them?”

“They’re all released and roaming around the mansion!”

The color drained completely from Eve’s face. She thought she knew why Kamien had only shown her three places in the mansion.

“Master. Have you noticed by any chance?”

“N-Noticed what?”

“My name wasn’t in the Record of Ghost Stories either.”

Gain’s smiling face slowly turned counter-clockwise. Slowly at first, then so fast it was a blur. Blood splattered everywhere beyond the portrait. Like fresh meat being thrown into a meat grinder.

“Aaagh!!”

Eve ran out of the room without hesitation.

I knew it! This damn mansion, I’m escaping right now!

“Master.”

She ran into Kamien downstairs. He remained calm even as he saw Eve tumbling down the stairs like a crazy woman.

“You’re just in time. I have something to tell you…”

I don’t want to know anymore!

Eve ran to the front door and grabbed the doorknob. If she just left like this…

“Eve! Did you come out to greet us? How commendable.”

Seeing Hyde’s face through the door, Eve froze stiff.

“I heard the rumors. Is this mansion yours now?”

Ghost Story 1:

Kamien Identity: ?

Taboo: ?

°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･