Surviving in the Cursed Mansion

Chapter 12: A Beast’s Happiness (3)

Asche didn’t want to believe it. But her mind was being invaded by increasingly ominous thoughts.

Losing the dress itself wasn’t a huge problem. The butler was frail—he could easily have been caught.

In other words, it was reasonable to assume that while the dress had been taken, the butler was still unharmed.

But…

‘I can’t feel the butler’s presence at all.’

The hunting dog, which could detect even the faintest scent, should have encountered him by now. And if he were still moving through the mansion, he’d undoubtedly be calling her name, searching every corner.

It was clear who would have been found first.

‘No, no. It’s possible, however unlikely, that he’s taking a roundabout route in the opposite direction.’

In this mansion, the butler’s safety was absolute. Asche held onto the belief that the butler’s previous behavior supported this fact. She steadied her feet against the ground.

“I won’t get caught. I’m not dying stupidly again!”

Fwoosh!

She accepted the deadly game of tag.

Asche pushed off the ground with all her strength, retracing her steps through the paths she had just run. Her frantic movements spurred the hunting dog, whose grotesque growls filled the air.

“Graaah!”

Its howls were ghastly but strangely weak for its enormous size. It seemed that even in its rage, this was the loudest it could manage.

But its speed was relentless.

Fury-fueled, it pursued her like a force of nature.

“Huff, huff, haaah…!”

Tap, tap, tap!

Asche’s feet pounded against the floor, her breaths ragged.

When she glanced behind her, she was met with the terrifying sight of its gnashing yellow fangs.

Her abdomen ached sharply, her thoughts clouded as her mental focus drained.

She couldn’t even remember how many corners she had turned in a desperate attempt to lose the beast.

But eventually, she arrived at a dead end.

‘I… I’m going to die…!’

She didn’t want to die.

She couldn’t die—not yet.

She had to escape this wretched mansion and take her revenge on the older siblings who had conspired to push her into this dire situation.

She couldn’t let it all end here.

“Aaaahhh!”

Reaching into her leather pouch, she pulled out—

Shiiing!

—a gleaming longsword.

Despite its age, it still shone with a sharp, threatening edge.

Thud!

The hunting dog leapt forward, its massive body hurtling toward its prey. Asche gritted her teeth and took a stance.

“I will… survive!!!”

Clang! Crash!

Her blade clashed violently with the monstrous predator’s claws and fangs.

Though Asche’s body had the robust strength of royalty, her opponent was a beast of a completely different scale. Without rigorous training, it was impossible for her to overcome such a foe.

Snap!

A sickening crack rang out from her left elbow. The searing pain that followed tore a scream from her throat.

“Aaaagh!”

Instinctively, she shifted more strength to her right arm, trying to reduce the strain on her injured left arm. But it was both her best and worst move.

The delicate balance of power was shattered, and the hunting dog took full advantage of the opening, slamming her backward with its front paw.

Bam!

She was thrown against the dead-end wall.

“Ugh… ah…!”

“Graaaah!”

The beast lunged again, aiming to pin her down and end her life.

In a desperate moment of ingenuity, Asche threw herself sideways, sliding along the floor just before the beast’s massive body landed where she had been.

Thud!

Missing its target, the hunting dog frantically searched for her.

“I-I almost died…!”

But the reprieve was fleeting. It quickly realized that her scent was moving, and resumed its relentless pursuit.

Clutching her injured arm, Asche forced her legs to keep running.

“Doesn’t that thing ever get tired…?!”

She needed to return to Maid A’s room. She had to regroup and prepare for when the butler returned.

She had to—

But it might not happen. Her damaged left arm had slowed her down considerably, while the hunting dog’s superior speed closed the gap.

Thud. Thud-thud.

The vibrations climbed from her heels to her Achilles tendon, like the reaper’s scythe poised to claim her.

Just then, a voice pierced through the air.

“Asche!”

From the distance came the faint but unmistakable call of the butler. Like a traveler finding an oasis in the desert, she shouted back with relief.

“Butler! I’m here!”

Her legs found new strength. The nearness of salvation spurred her forward with renewed vigor.

Soon, she saw the butler, who extended his hand urgently.

“Asche! The spare dress!”

“Oh, right! Here!”

Fwoosh!

She tossed the dress—a striking crimson gown adorned with amber and ruby gems—into the butler’s waiting hands.

“Where have you been?!”

“… My apologies.”

“As long as you’re okay!”

Ahead, the corridor opened into the lobby, and from there, the hallway leading to Maid A’s room was just a short distance away.

Once they reached safety, they would regroup and make better preparations. They would find whatever it was the hunting dog was seeking.

Asche vowed silently to herself as she passed through the art-lined hallway.

But something caught her eye.

A fleeting glimpse of words she had nearly forgotten.

[Conversations should always be at eye level! Listen with empathy, and put yourself in their shoes!]

-From B to ■■, with sincerity.-

The note from Maid B’s journal.

What did it mean?

Was this playful-sounding phrase really just nonsense? Or could it be the key to this entire ordeal?

Hanging just above the note was a mask, carved to resemble a beastly face.

“… Butler.”

She stopped abruptly.

“Asche?!”

Reaching upward, she grabbed the beastly mask. With a strange compulsion driving her, she gave the butler a firm order.

“Throw that dress away.”

“… Tsk.”

The butler hesitated briefly before complying, flinging the dress far into the distance.

The move distracted the hunting dog, buying them both a few precious moments.

But Asche wasn’t done.

While the dog focused on the discarded dress, she fitted the mask onto her face.

The moment the mask was secured, the world she saw changed entirely.

“… What?”

The colors drained away, leaving a black-and-white landscape.

In this monochrome world, the hunting dog savagely tore into the crimson dress, its voice echoing with heart-wrenching cries.

[Give it back!]

[Give it back!]

 [Give me back my happiness!]

The beast was sobbing.

With a pitiful, mournful tone, it scratched at the floor beneath the tattered dress, pleading endlessly.

[Don’t take it.]

[It’s mine.]

[A gift…]

[Don’t burn my happiness…!]

Crack!

The mask Asche wore began to fissure, the fractures spreading like spiderwebs. Pieces of the mask crumbled as its durability reached its limit.

Snap!

Finally, the mask shattered entirely, and the hunting dog’s cries reverted to the language of beasts.

At the same time, a memory she had carelessly dismissed resurfaced, sharp and vivid.

“… I see it now.”

Fate had been so close all along, so simple it felt almost absurd.

Asche, her path now clear, gave a firm command.

“Butler, hold it off!”

“Where are you going, Asche?!”

“I’ll be back in no time—don’t worry!”

And she meant it, literally.

Near the gallery where the mask was displayed lay the lounge.

It was the very spot where she had found the coin and the longsword.

She wanted to claw at her own hair in frustration.

How could she have overlooked something she herself had commented on?

[You know what? Fireplaces are suspicious places.]

[Hah, all I found were scraps of burnt cloth. Decent material, too—probably not something a servant’s salary could justify throwing away.]

She had grumbled about the discovery, tossing the blue scrap of fabric back into the fireplace.

How proudly she had declared it suspicious, only to leave like a fool…!

“Damn it!”

She flung the door open and made a beeline for the fireplace.

Without even bothering to close the door behind her, Asche plunged her hands into the soot, searching desperately for the clue she had discarded.

Her hands grew blackened and filthy, but she didn’t care.

“It’s so deep… Damn it…!”

Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud.

The hunting dog’s footsteps drew nearer.

Turning her head, she finally noticed the door she had left wide open.

“… Ah.”

Through the doorway, the corridor stretched out—and in it, the hunting dog’s mangled body.

Its decayed flesh exuded a stench as it bared its yellowed fangs and charged.

“Asche!”

In a split second, the butler stepped between them, just as the dog lunged.

[Indestructible Object Activated.]

The protective mechanism flared to life, triggered by the immense force of the attack.

The hunting dog, undeterred, began to push against the butler with its massive paws.

“I can’t hold this for long, Asche!”

“Just a little more… a little longer…!”

Asche crawled deeper into the fireplace, her heart pounding wildly as she rummaged through the ashes.

She had long forgotten the pain in her left arm as she dug through the soot and debris.

“Asche…!!!”

Crash!

A loud, heavy sound rang out from behind. The butler, it seemed, had finally lost the struggle.

It was do or die.

On this razor’s edge between life and death, Asche’s fingers finally grasped something.

“This… is it!”

She hurled it with all her might.

Through the dusty air of the fireplace and into the dimly lit lounge, the faded blue scrap of cloth flew gracefully, landing squarely on the hunting dog’s nose.

‘Please… let my intuition be right…!’

She squeezed her eyes shut, nausea welling up as memories of being devoured came flooding back.

Silence.

A suffocating stillness, as though time itself had stopped.

The murderous aura that had filled the room evaporated completely.

Cautiously, Asche emerged from the fireplace, her soot-covered face peering out.

“Asche… Are you unharmed?”

The butler was there to greet her first, as always.

“I’m fine… except for this throbbing elbow.”

“That’s a relief.”

“What about the hunting dog?!”

Whipping her head around, she fixed her gaze on the creature.

The dog remained motionless, as if frozen in time.

The blue scrap draped over its nose seemed almost enchanted, radiating an inexplicable power.

After a few seconds of tense silence, the hunting dog’s mouth moved.

[… Belle.]

***

The single word was spoken clearly, in human language. Unlike its previous guttural cries, the voice was neither pitiful nor pained.

If Asche had closed her eyes, she might have thought it the innocent murmur of a child.

[I’m sorry… The gift… I let it be taken. I failed to protect it.]

Tears spilled from the empty sockets where its eyes should have been, trailing down its decayed face.

As they dripped onto the marble floor, the hunting dog began to change.

Its ashen fur gradually turned a golden hue, its massive body shrinking in size.

Its jagged fangs and monstrous claws receded, replaced by the features of an ordinary dog.

It was no longer the grotesque beast from before, but the lively dog from the photograph.

[I’m sorry, Belle. I couldn’t protect the things you loved.]
 

[This mansion… it feels so cold without you. I hate it here.]

[And… Everyone hates Retia. I wanted to protect her, but I failed.]

[Now, there’s only one person left who loves Retia, and even they… they’ve grown so distant, I couldn’t understand them anymore.]

The dog’s confessions trailed off as it slowly approached, its steps light and delicate.

[I’m sorry for misunderstanding you.]

It whimpered softly and lay at Asche’s feet, its posture submissive, as if offering itself to be struck.

“… Hah.”

If it had retained its monstrous form, she might have stomped on it out of rage.

Being torn apart by the creature had left her with trauma that would last a lifetime.

But now, as it lay there meekly, its pitiful appearance stirred something in her.

“… Fine. If you’re sorry, how about letting me out of this wretched mansion?”

[I’m sorry… That’s not within my power.]

“Tch.”

Clicking her tongue in frustration, Asche suppressed her disappointment. Deep down, she had known her demand was impossible.

The dog then turned toward the butler and bit his leg with surprising force.

[Indestructible Object Activated.]

The mechanism flared up again. Whatever the dog had done, it wasn’t a joke. The impact had been enough to trigger the butler’s defenses.

The butler glared down at the dog in disbelief.

[I don’t like you.]

“… What?”

Though it had just insulted him, the dog wagged its tail playfully, leaving one last remark.

[But if Retia likes you, I like you too.]

The dog’s form began to dissolve into a green glow.

It faded into the air, the light scattering like falling petals.

Was this what it looked like when a spirit found peace?

Asche’s crimson eyes reflected the ethereal green glow as it disappeared into nothingness.

[I’ve found it at last… my happiness.]

The blue cloth burned away into the air, vanishing entirely.

Every moment, it chases the echoes of two people.

The one who gave it something precious and the one who took it away.

It retraces their steps, reliving its most cherished memories.

Give it back.

Give it back!

Give me back my happiness!

-Reward: Treasure Chest

-Special Reward: The Hunting Dog’s Memory

[You have appeased the hunting dog’s soul.]

[Rewards have been granted.]