Chapter 33: BB's Haunted House
Before entering the haunted house, Eikou still had a bit of preparation to do.
He leaned in close to the two Round Table Knights and whispered in their ears:
"This time I'll have to trouble you two to be my wingmen again. Try to create as many chances as possible for me and Baobhan Sith to be alone. Tonight I'll treat you both to barbecue."
"Be your wingmen? Like at that party last time?"
"...Last time, you two only made the atmosphere even more awkward. I sincerely beg you to make up for it this time."
Eikou pleaded with a voice full of earnestness.
"Leave it to us," Gawain said confidently, as if there was nothing more to say.
"Last time Mother-sama was present, so I was a bit reserved, but this time I'll definitely help you two get together. I shall protect your love!"
"You were already flirting with your own sister even when Morgan was around... If she weren't there, I don't even want to imagine what you'd do..." Eikou sighed.
This challenge would definitely involve the suspension bridge effect and opportunities to be alone. As long as these two Round Table Knights had some sense and didn't ruin the plan, Eikou should be able to raise Baobhan Sith's affection toward him.
Meanwhile, Baobhan Sith was silently observing him, trying to find what qualities of his might have enchanted Morgan so she could learn and imitate them.
In other words, today Baobhan Sith would be paying even more attention than usual to his every word and action.
This was a golden opportunity to make an impression.
But the real issue lay with the haunted house.
When he invited her, he didn't investigate carefully. Now that he took a second look, this Courage Challenge seemed to be a hundred times scarier than he imagined—Servants had been fleeing in terror.
If he revealed a cowardly, spineless side in front of Baobhan Sith, it'd be utterly humiliating.
But now that they were already at the haunted house's door, there was no turning back—he could only grit his teeth and charge in!
After all, he had played FGO for many years; he'd weathered all kinds of storms.
How terrifying could Chaldea's haunted house possibly be? It was all familiar faces anyway—at most they'd set up a cute, big-eyed Caster Marshal, add some fake blood and tentacles, throw in a few ghosts and Dragon Tooth Warriors, maybe some eerie effects—that's it!
No way it could be that scary!
"Oh god..."
Just as Eikou thought that, a trembling figure stumbled out.
It was Gilles de Rais of the Caster class. He crawled and scrambled out of the haunted house, his entire body shaking like a blender. He couldn't even walk straight, nor form coherent words.
"Oh god! I've seen the vision of hell, how can something be so inhumane! From now on, I'll repent and start anew—please give me a second chance to live a proper life aaaaaaaaaa!"
The Caster Marshal's desperate screams echoed in the distance.
Goddamn it, even the Caster Marshal came out scared shitless!
No one had ever witnessed a sight like this before!
What the hell kind of haunted house could terrify even the most bloodthirsty, depraved freak like that?
"..."
The four of them exchanged silent glances.
The atmosphere fell deathly quiet.
After a moment, Eikou slowly spoke.
"...Baobhan Sith, if you're scared, we can still turn back."
"Who would be scared of something like this," Baobhan Sith scoffed, "who do you think I am? If you're scared, just admit it—don't use me as an excuse to chicken out."
"Haha, you think I'd be scared? I'm a firm believer in materialism—I've never believed in ghosts and spirits!"
That said, technically speaking, everyone present here was a kind of ghost in one way or another.
But now that he'd said all that, there was no backing down anymore.
[...]
[The four of you step into the haunted house, which has been renovated from an old school building.]
[This old school building is eerily quiet, not a single soul in sight, with only the dim, mottled moonlight casting shadows. Occasionally, you hear the drip of water from a faucet that wasn't fully turned off in the bathroom, or the sound of footsteps echoing from a classroom somewhere. On the blackboards, chalk-written lesson topics are still unfinished, as if the rooms were in use just moments ago.]
[The hallway is pitch black. The pale moonlight falls on your faces, making you look bloodless and ghastly.]
[You encounter nothing unusual on the first-floor hallway, nor any scares. But when you reach the second floor, you find the shutter door leading upward has been locked.]
"No way forward, huh."
Looking at the locked shutter, Eikou said with some confusion.
Moreover, it was reinforced with mana—no matter how high your Strength stat was, you probably couldn't force it open.
"Don't just stand there staring. There are two keys on that table," Baobhan Sith pointed at a nearby desk.
Cherry blossom patterns were carved into the keys.
"You're good, spotting that so quickly."
"You should think about who I am," Baobhan Sith said with a proud smile.
Come to think of it, Baobhan Sith had vampiric traits—she clearly had the advantage in this night setting.
In fact, compared to daylight, she probably felt safer in the dark, so she wasn't scared of this so-called haunted house at all.
Eikou thought to himself, maybe Baobhan Sith was actually the most reliable person in their group.
As Baobhan Sith picked up one of the keys, the speaker mounted on the ceiling suddenly came to life.
A female voice rang out through the night, making their hearts skip a beat.
It was the voice of Moon's AI — BB-chan.
["Teng teng~ Welcome to the haunted house designed by BB-chan! You'll be spending an unforgettable night here, a night full of passion, and unlimited beautiful memories in this Courage·Challenge~!"]
"Seriously, so it was BB's doing. She really has way too much free time."
Eikou couldn't help muttering sarcastically.
Even though her voice sounded light and cheerful, there was no doubt it was dangerous — he was starting to get scared now.
No wonder this haunted house managed to scare off so many Servants. Letting BB run a haunted house was far too fitting. A twisted, dark-bellied Servant like her would definitely think up all sorts of human-tormenting tricks.
["This haunted house on the moon has seven floors in total. Senpai just needs to climb to the top floor to clear the challenge."]
["But the stairs on each floor are locked. You'll need to find the Sakura Key. Most floors have staff disguised as monster NPCs to scare you and stop you from completing the challenge. Do your best~ Come find BB-chan on the top floor~"]
So basically, a tower climb, huh.
Didn't sound too hard.
The speaker chimed again.
["First up is the challenge for the first floor. Please listen carefully~"]
BB's sinister laughter rang out,
["If Senpai wants to clear the first floor, you must split up. The first floor has two staircases leading in different directions. At least one person in the group must take the alternate path."]
"Oh..."
Eikou nodded thoughtfully.
Splitting up — the classic horror movie trick.
Divide the group, isolate everyone, and create tension through isolation.
But this wasn't necessarily a bad thing — in fact, it played right into his hands.
Because this way, he'd have a completely legitimate reason to be alone with Baobhan Sith.
Gawain and Tristan got the message immediately. They started winking at him repeatedly, signaling ["Opportunity's here, we'll go right!"]
"Ohya,"
Tristan slowly opened his mouth,
"To proceed with the trial, it seems I must go down the other path. How very sad. I do hope we meet again soon." (spoken like a robot)
Gawain played along perfectly, saying: "That won't do, Sir Tristan. What if you run into danger going alone? Let me go with you on the right path."
"..."
Eikou was immediately moved—these two good brothers really understood him right away. They knew exactly how to play along.
However, the three of them simultaneously looked up at the sign on the remaining path.
On it was written: "Path Reserved for Idiots."
"...Seriously, that's straight out of Grand Blue," Eikou said.
The two Round Table Knights silently withdrew their feet.
"Well..." Tristan muttered quietly, "I'm not worthy of taking this path."
"What are you saying, Sir Tristan? This path was prepared just for you. You go alone," said Gawain.
Eikou sighed. "Stop stalling, just go already."
"I think all three of you should take that path," Baobhan Sith said flatly.