Chapter 4.2

Without thinking, I shoved the man aside and sprinted to the window. I never thought I’d be so happy to see another living being. I nearly cried tears of joy.

I flung the window open and squinted at the figures approaching in the distance.

They were all wearing black masks, huddled together under the purple-tinged sky, whispering amidst the swirling ash.

“Looks like nothing’s happened here yet.”

“Let’s grab whatever’s valuable and go!”

There was no way I should’ve been able to hear them from this far away, but their voices sounded as if they were right beside me.

Just as I started to feel like something was off, the masked group pointed at the mansion and began speaking again.

“Move it! Have you ever seen anyone come back alive after breaking into the Count’s estate?”

“Nope. But Count Arthur’s already dead!”

Well. That was news to me.

So the father of this body’s original owner was dead?

Suspicious, I eavesdropped on their conversation while randomly flipping through the diary.

Regarding the mansion’s magic: Numerous attack spells have been cast to ward off unauthorized intruders. But rest assured, your body bears a protective magic sigil, so no attack will harm you.

As for the types of spells…

Magic and all that might’ve sounded cool when I was reading about it in a book, but now that I was supposed to understand it? It made absolutely zero sense.

I shook my head and skimmed further…

To put it simply, inside the mansion, you are invincible.

…until I found this.

So the reason I could hear those voices from far away was likely due to the magic sigil on my body.

“Hey! Over here! Look this way!”

I shouted at the approaching figures. They looked like thieves here to loot the place, and their conversation confirmed it, but I was still glad to see them.

Better them than being stuck here alone with a guy named “Kill.” Yeah, they were clearly dangerous too, but maybe if I bribed them with some valuables from the mansion, they’d be willing to side with me.

But just as I opened my mouth to try and get their attention again—

SHREEEEE!

“AGHHHH!”

The next thing I saw looked straight out of a splatter film.

“AGH! SHIT!”

“NO! ZEKE! PHIM!”

From out of thin air, a sudden barrage of crimson arrows rained down, piercing through the thieves’ foreheads and chests in an instant.

One by one, they all collapsed like reeds. The last remaining thief let out a desperate scream and bolted in the opposite direction, but he didn’t make it far. Within seconds, he was struck down by another volley moments later.

I couldn’t tell if the horrific scene I’d just witnessed was a dream or a horrific reality.

“Urk… What the hell was that?”

My stomach churned like I was about to be sick. I gripped the curtains, sucking in gulps of air.

Were they uninvited intruders? Is that why they met such a brutal end?

I was going to welcome them! The mansion had plenty of rooms and food to spare!

I could feel Killian’s gaze on me, but I couldn’t move.

Wait, hold on. Then how did Killian get in here?

Bile rose in my empty stomach. Staggering, I fought back the urge to vomit.

Meow.

I was sitting with my back to the window, eyes shut tight as I tried not to look at the carnage outside, when suddenly, I heard a faint, helpless meow.

Was that sound coming from outside too?

No. No, no, not the cat.

I couldn’t handle seeing another living thing die.

“Kitty! Where are you?!”

Clutching my trembling knees, I forced myself to stand and peered outside again, making sure I avoided looking at the arrow-riddled corpses.

But spotting a tiny cat in the sea of black soot was impossible.

“What do I do, what do I do? Kitty, kitty…!”

Panicking, I cupped my hands around my eyes like makeshift binoculars.

And then, whirrr.

“What the—?”

My vision zoomed in, just like when you pinch the screen on a phone camera—no, a telescope.

Startled, I pulled my hands away from my face. The thieves’ bodies and arrows blurred back into the distance.

Am I a cyborg or something? What kind of tech is installed in this body?