HH Chapter 26

The ghost pressed his lips into a thin line at my words. He looked like he was contemplating how to kill me. I meekly lowered my gaze, realizing I had been too impertinent. My body trembled uncontrollably again.

“Does the owner of the house know you’re here?”

“Which homeowner…? You, or that kid?”

“……Him.”

Oblivious to the disapproval in the man’s gaze, I shook my head.

‘As if Haylan would know….’

That kid’s asleep at this hour. I shook my head again and spoke,

“No way. No one will know if you keep your mouth shut.”

“…….”

The man’s lips twitched into a smirk. Why is he smiling? I suddenly felt a chill down my spine. I had a bad feeling about this.

“Are you asking me to be your accomplice?”

“No, when did I….”

“I can’t do it for free.”

He tapped his cheek lightly with his index finger a couple of times, then murmured, “Alright,” as if he’d reached a decision.

“If you answer my questions properly… well, I won’t make a fuss.”

I hesitated at his words.

‘Does that mean he will make a fuss if I don’t answer?’

If he caused a commotion, Haylan would wake up. And if he woke up to find that I had not only secretly picked the lock to the library but also disturbed his sleep…?

“Are you going to scream?”

“No!”

That wouldn’t do. If I upset Haylan, my affection plan would go down the drain. I’d be immediately killed and sent straight to one of the remaining 197 bad endings.

The man, noticing my hesitation, immediately asked his first question.

“How did you get into the library? The door was locked.”

“…….”

Hi purple eyes glinted menacingly. He was testing me. Obvious lies wouldn’t work.

I hesitated for a moment, then pulled out the brass key from my pocket. The key had small tag attached that read “Library.”

“I found this in the hallway.”

“……A key?”

His gaze, fixed on me, was full of suspicion. But I was confident. Well, somewhat….

The mirror was in the hallway, and I found the key behind it, so technically, I did find it in the hallway. Besides, the key was only attached with a thin piece of tape, so it would have fallen off eventually, even if it hadn’t been today.

The man’s eyes narrowed.

“Let’s say you weren’t trying to steal anything and you really did find the key by chance. …That still doesn’t explain why you’re in here now.”

“…….”

“What’s your real purpose for entering my house?”

His suspicion didn’t waver. He was still wary of me.

‘He’s calling it “my house” again….’

Would I become like that too if I owned a house someday? 

A ghost who clings to a sense of ownership even after death… I felt a little sorry for him, and my tension eased slightly.

“My real purpose…? Money, of course.”

I’m being paid for this. Everyone in this house was so suspicious. Not only the people but even the ghosts. I complained, somehow feeling wronged.

“I’m not a good sleeper. I couldn’t go out for a walk because the doors were locked, and I happened to find a key, so I just tried it on teh door.”

“Most people don’t secretly unlock doors just because they found a key.”

“I don’t know about other people, but I would.”

“…….”

“I was curious what was inside.”

If there’s a path, I want to walk it. If there’s a door, I want to open it. Isn’t that normal?

“You’re strange.”

But the man called me strange, even though I was perfectly normal. This ghost lacks empathy.

I told him truthfully what I had been doing until just now.

“There’s a book I wanted to read, so since the door was unlocked, I thought I’d look for it.”

“Why would you look for it secretly? You could have just asked the homeowner for permission.”

“Ask whom? You, or the kid?”

“……Either one.”

The ghost mumbled vaguely. He probably realized his own words didn’t make sense.

‘Is that even a valid argument?’

I imagined asking Haylan about the library.

Haylan, can you open the locked library door for me? 

Why? 

Just because. 

No.

No matter how nicely I asked, he would never grant my request.

“That won’t work. Unlike you, Hayl… I mean, the new homeowner doesn’t like me very much.”

“Unlike me?”

The man raised an eyebrow slightly, seemingly irked by my words.

“Don’t get the wrong idea. I don’t particularly like you either.”

“Huh? No, I….”

I just meant… I felt my face flush with embarrassment, realizing I had created a misunderstanding.

“It’s not like that… actually, I’m not close enough to the kid to ask him for such a favor. We haven’t known each other for long.”

“At least you have some shame.”

“He hates me.”

I added with an awkward laugh. The man, who was staring down at me, asked,

“What book are you looking for?”

What’s it to you? I grumbled inwardly, losing my caution due to drowsiness, then it suddenly hit me.

‘Wait, why is he asking that? Does he know where the books are?’

“Do you happen to have any books related to defensive magi…?”

A rumbling sound interrupted my straightforward answer.

“……Are you hungry?”

“…….”

He seemed to still be hungry even after stealing a kid’s snack. The man stared at me with a strangely disgruntled look, then abruptly turned his head away.

“So, about the books?”

“I don’t know. It’s probably somewhere in here, so look for it yourself.”

He wasn’t going to tell me. Well, of course, the quest wouldn’t be solved this easily.

“Alright, I’ll look for it myself.”

I had inadvertently gotten his permission.

‘He doesn’t seem angry, does he?’

The ghost, surprisingly, didn’t seem upset that I had snuck into the library. Come to think of it, he hadn’t been particularly surprised yesterday when he found out he was dead.

He returned after a brief absence, holding a piece of bread he’d gotten from somewhere.

Crazy. Where did he even steal that from?

“It’s my house.”

“I didn’t say anything….”

He continued munching on the bread, lingering near me. After searching the library for about an hour while being constantly distracted by the ghost, I found a book with a title that seemed quite useful to me, though it wasn’t about defensive magic.

‘…….’

I wanted to read this book right away, regardless of the quest.

“…’101 Ways to Exorcise Ghosts, Believe it or Not’?”

The man read the title on the book’s spine aloud. Then he turned his gaze toward me, his eyes glinting ominously.

“…….”

I quietly slid the book back onto the shelf, pretending I hadn’t been looking for it. His gaze was burning into me.

“Why are you looking for books about defensive magic?”

“Because of you….”

“To use against me?”

I hadn’t meant it that way, but his incredulous tone made me realize what I had said.

‘What did I just say…!’

I was so sleepy that my words were escaping without being filtered by my brain.

“No, no, no! It’s not like that… it’s just that the world is a dangerous place, you know? I thought it would be nice to be able to protect myself in an emergency.”

Haha… ha…. I tried to salvage my words. The ghost stared at me, then frowned.

“Why are you trembling so much? Are you scared of me?”

Was that even a question?

I looked up, dumbfounded, then quickly averted my gaze as our eyes met, his purple eyes piercing through me.

“Of course, I’m scared. You’re a ghost…”

I was being completely honest. Despite his inhumanly beautiful appearance, I was terrified of him.

“Why? Have I done anything to harm you?”

I wanted to correct him. 

He hadn’t… yet. 

I knew the nature of this house’s ghost very well. Even though he seemed languid and indifferent now, he could turn on me and kill me at any moment.

“I’m scared of anything whose intentions I don’t understand.”

We don’t know each other yet. I told him that my fear stemmed from the unknown.

I wasn’t afraid of death anymore. It didn’t hurt, and I could always revive. But regardless of death itself, the thought of someone actively trying to kill me was terrifying. The malice of others is sharp and painful.

“Why are you asking?”

He answered curtly, as if surprised by my words,

“Because I was wondering if you’d bind me up again and run away again out of fear.”

“…….”

I feigned ignorance, secretly keeping the existence of the scroll in my back pocket a secret.