A Horror Game Steeped in Immorality - Volume 1 - Part 5
“Stop doing things that don’t suit you, it makes me sick. Since when did our family start exchanging heartfelt gifts?”
“Do you want to go back to your room then?”
“Shut up, Lionel.”
“It’s a gathering to celebrate my birthday… If anyone should be quiet, it should be you, not me.”
“This is getting ridiculous!”
Lycan picked up a wine bottle, threateningly as if he was about to strike Lionel’s head without hesitation.
“Stop it, Lycan.”
My voice made Lycan pause. A deflating sigh was heard from the side. Lycan’s face twisted fiercely, but upon seeing me, he put the wine bottle down.
I quietly pushed my chair back and stood up.
“Sister?”
Lionel gently grabbed my sleeve. Lycan’s hardened face turned even more ferocious.
“I’m tired, I’ll head in first. Happy birthday, Lionel, sincerely.”
The Alberts, excluding me, each had their own twisted nature. Violent, sinister, and obsessively attached to me. Whenever my attention focused on one of them, a fight would inevitably break out. I had no time to get caught up in their conflicts.
***
[Tonight, the murderer begins their activities. Please be cautious not to be murdered.]
[It’s a stormy night. If you see the long-haired maid dancing under the Zelkova tree on your way to the annex, do not stop her. She is from the south and finds the cold rain fascinating and enjoyable. Do not ruin her joy.]
[surprise mission: The Maid Under the Zelkova Tree.
Please sing a song for the joyously dancing maid.]
[Mission Completion Condition: Go to the terrace on the 2nd floor and sing a song. However, you must not look at her face. She is shy, and if eye contact is made, she will run away.]
[Reward: An old map of the Albert mansion. The murderer’s wide-ranging activities will be marked.]
– Acquired ‘Sheet Music, A Song for Her’.
“…A surprise mission on the night a murderer is active.”
[Would you like to proceed with the mission?]
[YES / NO]
The old map could be very helpful. Although it didn’t pinpoint the murderer’s exact location, it gave a rough idea of whether they were in the main house, the annex, or perhaps in the gardens.
Missing the chance to get the old map now meant uncertainty about when another opportunity would arise. Plus, this surprise mission was relatively easy, requiring only to sing from the 2nd-floor terrace. I looked at the rain streaking down the window.
“…I’ll do it.”
[Mission time is two hours from now.]
[May you complete the song without being murdered.]
“Couldn’t you just say ‘Be careful not to get caught by the murderer?’ Why always tell me not to get killed? It’s like you’re trying to make it sound more creepy on purpose as if people will think it’s not a horror game system.”
I carefully opened the door with a small lamp in hand. The corridor was well-lit thanks to the lamps placed along it, but the eerie atmosphere lingered.
I walked down the long corridor, making as little noise as possible. The sound of heavy raindrops hitting the window was chilling. I was on high alert, listening for any out-of-place noises.
[Fortunately, you have arrived at the mission location without being detected by the murderer. Please open the terrace door and sing loudly.]
As I opened the terrace door, raindrops instantly soaked my face. I wiped my damp eyes with my hands and stepped outside.
The lush branches of the giant Zelkova tree swayed in the wind, and below it, a woman was spinning around joyfully as if she was truly delighted. It was too dark to see her face, but the fluttering of her long hair as she moved back and forth was unmistakable.
“But what if singing loudly here alerts the murderer?”
[You die.]
“…I appreciate the simplicity.”
I took out the sheet music I had acquired. The item provided by the system wasn’t affected by the environment, so it was naturally dry.
“But why are the lyrics like this?”
The pronunciation was marked for me to read, but the letters were jumbled and nonsensical, something like “Kikkektsutsuk saksak,” …
[The song is in her native language. Although it may be unfamiliar to you, she will enjoy it, reminded of her homeland.]
“Then, that’s fine.”
It was peculiar, but I didn’t have the luxury to focus on the song lyrics. There was no telling when the murderer might open the terrace door and barge in.
I cleared my throat and followed the sheet music as I sang.
“I’ve seen you, no need to hide, come play with me. Come out, come out, you’ve been spotted, dance for me. I’ll watch and laugh.”
[She is thoroughly enjoying herself. She will never forget this night.]
– Mission successful, ‘Old Map’ acquired.
I immediately unfolded the old map to check the murderer’s location.
“…Crazy!”
The entire 2nd floor was flashing brightly in red. This meant the murderer was on the 2nd floor. They must have come here after hearing my singing.
Damn it!
Just then, the terrace door burst open behind me. Frozen with fear, I couldn’t move.
“Leah!”
[The murderer has calmed down. The mansion is safe now.]
Strong hands grabbed my shoulders and turned me around. Lycan, soaked from the rain, looked down at me with wide eyes.
“What are you doing here?”
“…”
I finally exhaled the breath that felt like a scream stuck in my throat.
“What were you doing here?”
“…Just, it was too hot.”
“Too hot? In this rainstorm, you were out on the terrace because it was too hot?”
“Yes.”
Lycan’s eyes narrowed. He asked with an uneasy look on his face.
“…You didn’t see anything here, did you?”
“See what?”
“If you didn’t see anything, that’s good. Let’s go inside, you’ll catch a cold.”
I walked closely to him, almost as if I was being embraced. Our footsteps left deep water stains on the floor.
“Lycan, what were you doing outside?”
“Jogging.”
“In this rain?”
“If you can go out to the terrace to catch a breeze, why can’t I go jogging?”
“…”
It was a suspicious conversation. It was clear that he was hiding something, but I had no way to figure out what it was. Without concrete evidence, I couldn’t bring up the topic of the murderer.
