WDHTBT 10

Chapter 10

‘Peter was right—it’s not raining that heavily.’

It doesn’t really look like flood prevention is necessary. Just the usual level of “I don’t want to go to work today.”

But I came out to work—strictly speaking it’s not work, but since I’m forcing myself to do it, let’s call it work.

There’s still over 24 hours left, but I figured there’s no point in just resting.

*Flash!*

Lightning struck in the distance, briefly lighting up the surroundings like daytime.

I was hiding in the forest, which had become familiar by now, and I quickly ducked behind a tree and clicked my tongue softly.

‘From now on, I’m avoiding rainy days no matter what.’

The unpredictable lightning is a problem, but the bigger issue is that Invisible Human becomes useless.

If raindrops form a silhouette like a human figure, even I would take a swing at it.

Plus, every step makes a splashing sound, and just thinking about the water on the wet ground scattering in the shape of footprints is truly chilling.

‘Carpet trauma….’

Still, if I had to name one good thing about the rain, it’s that the number of guards decreased.

I tossed a stone to distract them, then—

*Bang!*

“What was that sound?”

“Isn’t it something breaking?”

I slipped through the bars of the front gate and ran straight to the main building.

I judged that rather than walking slowly to muffle my footsteps, minimizing the time spent in the rain was the way to minimize the risk of being caught.

Once I arrived at the main building, I called the mascot right away.

‘Hey. You can come out now.’

—That was scary!

‘Of all things, you’re scared of lightning, for fuck’s sake….’

—“For fuck’s sake”?! Lightning is supposed to be scary!

‘If that’s how it is, why did you call me a scaredy-cat on the first day?’

—F-forget it! Hurry up and take off your raincoat and get inside!

It was kind of pitiful how desperately it was changing the subject, so I said nothing and put my raincoat and wet shoes into the inventory.

Both were bought from the item shop, so they get retrieved automatically without me having to physically take them off—convenient.

‘What? I’m not wet at all?’

The raincoat cost 5 coins and I bought it while grumbling, but the function must be better than I expected—my whole body is dry without a single drop of water.

—Aren’t you glad you bought it like I said?

‘I would’ve bought it even without you saying so.’

I stretched briefly and stepped into the corridor, the quest location.

[Quest: Chapter 1–1 Ainsworth Manor Main Building, 1st Floor Corridor]

[GAME START]

[RUN!]

After quickly picking up ten coins, I stared at the spot where the red coin had appeared before.

‘Not giving it today?’

—If they give it every time, you’ll get spoiled!

‘Do people usually say that to the person concerned?’

A shame, but I placed my hand on the doorknob—the Day 1 option—and waited for the door to glow.

Before the hiding spot marker appeared, light footsteps echoed.

*Step, step.*

Seems like two people, but they’re not walking quietly—they’re just naturally light-footed.

When the time came, I went into the room and positioned myself in the corner.

Even with a raincoat, I don’t want to be hanging outside the window in this weather.

—You don’t have to hang outside for it to not count as a failure, you know.

The reason it’s saying such smug things is that the women’s voices coming from outside are trembling.

Thanks to that, I was able to eavesdrop on their conversation while keeping my heart rate at its usual level.

“With the knights and servants gone, we’re doing all this work.”

“Everyone went with the Grand Duke to where the wildfire was before. Apparently landslides are more likely in places like that.”

“But does it even make sense for us to patrol? They said an intruder came a few days ago—if we get caught, we’ll die on the spot….”

“……Why say something like that. Didn’t you hear what the knights said? They said intruders won’t come on rainy days either.”

The one who’d deliberately put on a brave front continued.

“And there are two of us, so it’s fine….”

“Even with two, it’s scary!”

“…Let’s ask to patrol in threes tomorrow.”

*Bang, thud. Bang, thud.*

“Eee…!”

Frightened whimpers and the sound of doors being opened and slammed at the speed of light drew closer.

—Kikiki. They’re such scaredy-cats! Let’s scare them! Rawr!

‘Are you insane?’

Soon my room got the same treatment, and the two maids’ running footsteps followed.

‘Oh boy.’

I caught a glimpse of their faces through the door as it opened—they were so young. Seems patrols are assigned by seniority.

The adults should be setting an example, honestly….

Anyway, with no Grand Duke and no knights, this is an opportunity.

‘Am I actually going to succeed at the quest this time?’

* * *

Before I knew it, it was daytime on the fourth day of the break-in.

I wandered around the manor with a peaceful heart. It was to scout out backup hiding spots in advance.

‘If I’d known the homeowner wouldn’t be home, I would’ve come out starting the day before yesterday. I wasted time hiding in the room for nothing.’

Since I still have over 20 hours of Invisible Human left anyway, I decided not to skimp on the tickets.

Roughly, I use about 20 to 40 minutes of Invisible Human per day, so using up all 24 hours would take at least 36 days.

Having already earned 30 coins from this quest, I explored the manor leisurely with Invisible Human activated.

‘This looks like a training ground.’

—The building right next to it looks like the knights’ quarters! Let’s go look!

‘Training ground, knights’ quarters… high risk.’

I recorded the information on the system blueprint.

Originally the blueprint couldn’t be edited, but today the system sold editing rights.

It really is a swindler, but it was only 1 coin, so I bought it without complaint.

‘It looks like a different house in the daytime.’

—Why aren’t you going over there!!

At night, all I felt was that it was simply big, but now color is the first thing I notice.

The stone paths and the manor are all gray—imposing but overall cold. The only saturation was the green of the garden.

‘Not a single flower?’

The lack of unnecessary frills, with only the necessary facilities, and the fact that the buildings all look similar with only differences in size—it hinted at the homeowner’s utilitarian nature.

They’ve probably been using this manor for generations, so it must be a family-wide disposition.

When I’d gone about halfway around, the raindrops began to get thicker.

—Ah! Rain!

The mascot, wearing a raincoat to match mine, crawled inside my raincoat.

‘You don’t even get wet, why are you being so dramatic.’

Might as well rest a bit while I’m at it.

I went to the nearest building and sat on the steps under the eaves.

‘Why are there so few people in this manor?’

—Because it’s raining, they’re not walking around! Let’s hurry to the room too!

‘There might be that many people drafted.’

Still, I can’t let my guard down, so I rummaged through my bag without deactivating invisibility.

‘This is hard….’

Even with this body, I feel my stamina draining. Thirsty, hungry, sleepy….

‘Ah. No water.’

I put the canteen to my lips to satisfy one of my physiological needs, but only a few drops came out.

—See, I told you to buy a bigger one!

‘There’s no room in the bag.’

Since they’re items bought from the system shop, you’d think I could put them in the inventory, but I couldn’t.

When I asked the mascot, it said the ones they sell are empty canteens, so a canteen with water in it doesn’t work.

‘Why—you’re saying the things you sold were sterile, but once I touched them and got bacteria on them they can’t go in? Then what about the rain-soaked raincoat and the mud-covered shoes?’

—That’s different from that~!

‘How is it different.’

Still, I don’t regret buying the canteen.

[Stainless Water Bottle (200ml) — 2 coins]

[The freshness and temperature of the drink inside are maintained as if it were the first time.]

Despite the knockoff-sounding name, it has a mysterious ability.

Indeed, I’d been drinking the water for three days and there was no smell at all.

—But now there’s no water left to drink!

I’d been rationing it, but because I brought bread that was too dry as rations, the water ran out faster than expected.

‘I should go get some water.’

I looked at the free water falling from the sky.

‘Is this a bit much?’

The mascot threw a fit saying the canteen doesn’t have a purifying function, so I had no choice but to come to the kitchen.

The large space was systematically divided into sections, and the cooking equipment was neatly organized—it looked exactly like a hotel restaurant kitchen.

—Have you ever been to a hotel restaurant?

‘Do I look like I would have?’

The others must have stepped away for a moment—there were only three people in the kitchen.

I dodged this way and that to avoid their paths and made my way to the sink.

People here seem to drink tap water directly, so I’ve been drinking tap water too.

Besides, I’m not picky, so it doesn’t matter what I drink.

I’d seriously considered drinking rainwater too.

—Blegh!

*Drip. Drip. Drip.*

I carefully adjusted the faucet so water dripped one drop at a time, and held the canteen awkwardly.

‘Hey. Does Invisible Human even make sense like this?’

I get that the clothes I’m wearing and the objects I’m holding are within the invisibility range.

But what’s the deal with the part that touches something I’m leaning against becoming invisible too?

‘By that logic, the ground stuck to the soles of my feet should be invisible too, shouldn’t it? Why was everything fine when I sat on the stairs earlier?’

—That’s different from that!

‘How is it different.’

—It just is!

I gave up on getting a proper answer and watched the kitchen staff standing in front of the oven.

On the tray they pulled from the oven were breads arranged in neat rows and columns.

The bread, glazed with egg wash and baked to a shine, gave off a savory, salty smell.

Real bread—incomparable to the bricks in my bag…!