Chapter 20
"Trickery"
The living room was truly filled with happiness and pure chuckles, soon Nairda said to Adrian with a smile, "Heh… I think I must go, Cadeyrn."
After taking a few sips, Adrian tilted his head in confusion as he asked curiously, "Why? Do you still have work to do?"
"Correct! Because of that I must go now. And.. if you still wish to eat then go on, I won't stop you!" Nairda spoke to him as he tidied up his plate, "Well, maybe I'll leave you here! There's no ghost, so don't be afraid!"
Adrian was only able to see that Nairda left him there alone, looking at him as he went into an unknown room while carrying his plate.
Strange. Why Nairda has so many works, and what kind of works he's working with? I shouldn't think about it too much, Nairda is really busy with his work… Adrian attentively observed a fruit basket, the fruits reminded him when he ate a whole Petrioth fruit along with his two guards.
How beautiful it is to remember those moments… Moments when I first transmigrated to this world, knowing new people… Rosey to Ludwig, I miss them. Adrian deeply thought, recalling the warm moments as he picked up a white-looking fruit.
He then bit the fruit carefully, trying to feel the taste of it although it was the same; bland. After taking this bite, Adrian suddenly put the fruit on the table without a reason…
Ah… my past life, I miss you. My friends that I made along the way when I was in kindergarten, I miss them too. Alder, you must be sad, forgive me… Adrian leaned forward slowly, covering his eyes with hands as he began to contemplate and recall the wonderful memories.
Wait… does Lymus waiting for me now? It must be boring for that little boy, waiting for his older brother playing this horrible game. Adrian's deep thought suddenly jumped to a new theme, thinking it must be tedious and unpleasant for little Lymus.
Adrian soon ended his thoughts, standing up and tidying up his plate. He then went toward the direction where Nairda walked into—a room near the left side of the curved stairs, with a grayish door there with him twisting the handle.
The door, unfortunately, can't be opened by Adrian. Even though he had tried so many times, the door was still unable to be opened; it was likely locked from inside or something blocking the door.
Heh? The door is locked? Why would Nairda lock this door, why would he? Huh… Adrian then came back to the living room, he then placed his plate on the table with his gaze fixed on the door with curiosity afterwards.
"This has to be disrespectful… I literally have no other way, I'm sorry Nairda." Adrian mumbled quietly, feeling a bit of indecorousness as a guest in this mansion.
However, Adrian's gaze was caught by a white light which was coming from the gap of a drawer in the corner of this living room.
Powered by his curiosity, Adrian soon walked toward the spot slowly, like a fish lured by a bait… He then moved the drawer slightly, trying to not make a loud sound.
Adrian immediately crouched down for a better view, to his surprise, he discovered a white stone and it was likely to have been there for a long time.
He then picked up the stone slowly, observing it sternly, the size was rather medium—half the size of a hand.
Weird… Why would someone put this stone here, is there something special with this odd rock? Adrian examined thoroughly, he indeed was still puzzled by his own discovery.
Until he unexpectedly tapped the stone with his index finger, attempting to hear the sound that the rock may create.
Instead of a sound of tapped-hard-surface, Adrian oddly was able to hear something from the stone… It was rather a conversation of a family.
While listening closely, Adrian was able to hear these:
"Father, where's Nairda?" Spoken by someone, the voice was likely a girl.
Soon, it was followed by a masculine voice, "He'll be here soon, Wequlyn. Don't be afraid."
"Daerlock, I think someone's knocking on the door, could you check it?" The main subject was suddenly changed to something mysterious, a sound of knocking door?
"Someone's knocking? In the middle of our dinner? I'll check it, dear." Someone named Daerlock then tried checking the strangeness, the sound of his footsteps indeed began to fade away.
"Ah! Don't be afraid, kids, continue eating…" The feminine voice ordered her kids to continue to eat, although she was rather hiding her trembling voice.
All of sudden, a loud sound of broken door echoed vehemently. It was so loud even Adrian who was listening jolted and surprised.
"DAERLOCK!!! WHO ARE YOU! WHY DID YOU DO THAT!? WHY!?" The woman screamed aloud, her voice was so thunderous and full of lamentations.
Furthermore, a mysterious and feminine voice loudly exclaimed at the woman, "Silence thy voice at once!"
A sound of footsteps was able to be heard by Adrian, the sound of the footsteps became nearer and nearer…
"None shall hark thy mourning, thy agony!" Another mysterious voice resounded, but this time the voice was fairly masculine.
The kids who were truly terrified by two strangers who broke into their mansion, beginning to cry as they were shrouded in fear.
With the mother beginning to soothe her kids, the two strangers were walking nearer.
However, the mother suddenly grabbed something heavy and screamed aloud, before she ran at them with a perfect hatred!
But before the mother was able to inflict a single wound, a blaring noise of a falling object resonated from the stone. It was certainly loud too, equal to the sound from the beginning of this recorder.
What the… Adrian gulped, stunned as he continued to listen to it with a horrified face.
The kids began to wail for the loss of their mother, their cry and their sorrow were too painful to hear…
Until a deafening sound stormed them at high speed, ending this baleful and merciless legacy.
Adrian shortly after listening to it dropped the stone subconsciously, falling backward and aghast. His body was trembling from it, too he was able to imagine the situation although only from a sound. It was too terrifying, too horrible.
"S-so… Nairda… was k-killed? What the f##k!?..." Adrian stuttered as he tried to calm himself, the sound was absolutely still lingering in his ears.
"No… I have to confirm it first…" Adrian muttered quietly, but this time he had calmed down utterly.
Afterward, Adrian strained his muscle as he attempted to stand up and clear his mind from it. He slowly but surely walked toward the fearsome stone, before picking it up and putting it into his available pocket—Derron likely knew about this hideous thing.
As he moved toward the grayish door, he knew everything that he looked at now was very wrong and hostile. It hurt to think that someone he had talked with was already dead, like talking to a living corpse.
Adrian knew that happiness was a taboo thing in this very world.
"This might be risky, but I'd do it anyway…" he murmured, looking at the door as he took a few steps back.
I don't know if it's work or not, but trying isn't a bad thing. Adrian then stretched his arms forward, hoping that this method would work.
"Yellow Light, Golden Lamp, and Glory Key…" Adrian commenced to chant the prayer from the weird book, with him closed his eyes tightly.
He was so serious this time, this method was considered by him as a risky one because he might encounter the same cosmic entity like he had experienced before.
He then uttered the final words solemnly, he felt that his surroundings seemed intense like a breeze blew his hair. Before he ultimately said:
"Let the Golden be eternal!"
After doing that, he opened his eyes slowly and expected something would magically occur.
Adrian then took a deep breath, before twisting the handle and pulling it outward. Fortunately and strangely for him, the door can be opened.
Adrian's eyes widened with surprise, before he fully opened the door and saw a hallway with a cold atmosphere shrouded it.
The dim lights were able to shine a bit of the hallway's interior, black carpet with unique white patterns and many lanterns attached to the walls.
W-what!?... It works!? I-I can't believe it! Adrian's lips twitched slightly upon seeing that, he soon moved into the hallway with surprise and horror as if it was mixed together.
But before he fully entered the hallway, half way through he stopped unexpectedly. He then returned back and went to the living room immediately, before returning to the hallway with a chair.
He then blocked the door with the chair, he smiled faintly as he looked at his simple plan.
If this door suddenly closed by itself, then this chair would block it…
Adrian then turned his gaze to the eerie hallway, beginning his journey to explore it.
After taking a few steps forward, he caught a revolting aroma from the left door of this hallway. Adrian immediately covered his nose tightly, before going into the room to check it…
His eyes suddenly widened, his mouth was somewhat agape. Before him, there was a pile of corpses and consisted of four people. On their bodies there were so many wounds inflicted, similar to the wounds of being whipped and slashed.
Holy God... Adrian gulped upon seeing this.
The room was kinda dark and the lanterns inside it had dim lights, Adrian was still able to see the horrendous bodies although with the limited illumination.
His gaze suddenly fell on a mysterious dark cube—each of its sides had white symbols, whether it was ancient or not but it was certainly odd.
Adrian approached slowly, holding his breath deeply… However, the cube unexpectedly began to shatter. Its surface began to crack, making Adrian take a few steps back.
Ultimately, the cube shattered within seconds, before Adrian was able to process what he saw. A shadow suddenly emerged from the shattered pieces, it immediately stormed Adrian at high pace. Thankfully, Adrian was able to dodge it.
Furthermore, a loud sound of a broken door suddenly echoed into his ears. All the lanterns simultaneously went out, making Adrian difficult to see. He was only able to rely on his hands, it was indeed tricky for him.
Aw hell nah! It's so hard to see!...
After moving out from the hallway, Adrian faintly saw that the giant chandelier had already fallen.
He quickly walked toward the hallway and discovered that the main entrance of this mansion had already torn apart, he then stepped out from the mansion and breathed peacefully.
He looked at the dark sky, where the black celestial object hung there as though was looking at him.
"W-where did the shadow run!?..." Adrian observed his surroundings, he found nothing but trees surrounding the mansion. "I guess I have to continue my journey again…"
The shadow was certainly a girl or lady, and there's only one participant who was a girl… She was indeed Tyva who was beginning to play her card, 'the Felon.' Acting as Marvolyn, Lady of Trickery.
Truly, Adrian was lost in the shadow of the dark sun, of the Black Star, fooled by His companion's sublime trick.