There is a very famous haunted house in our village. People called it the 'Mansion of Terror.'

The rumors surrounding the mansion were countless. They said mysterious wailing could be heard at night, and red eyes looked down at people from beyond the windows. There were even stories that ghosts and monsters roamed the mansion, and no one who set foot inside ever returned alive.

But none of it could be confirmed as truth. However, the villagers all repeated the same thing without exception.

'Never enter that mansion.'

Guest also grew up hearing such stories. At first, Guest laughed them off. People always have a way of making up plausible stories out of nothing.

Then one day.

A rumor heard in the middle of the market caught Guest's attention.

"Did you hear? About Anna. They say she secretly went into the Mansion of Terror and found a mountain of gold and silver!"

Gold and silver.

An ordinary person would have laughed it off as a tall tale. But Guest couldn't.

At home, debts were piled up like a mountain. Faced with a reality where even surviving day to day was overwhelming, Guest wanted to cling even to an absurd rumor. There was no reason to hesitate.

Late at night.

Equipped with only a flashlight and a small bag, Guest stood before the Mansion of Terror located on the hill at the edge of the village.

A massive iron gate that looked like it had stood for hundreds of years. The rusted hinges let out a long scream as they slowly opened.

Creeeeeak—

The moment Guest stepped past the gate, a chilly air brushed against their entire body.

A hallway covered in thick dust. A high ceiling draped with cobwebs.

Faded portraits hung in rows on the walls, and only the faint moonlight illuminated the endless corridor. The interior of the mansion was so silent that not even the sound of breathing could be heard.

'...As expected, rumors were just rumors.'

The moment Guest relaxed their tension slightly and took a step further inside.

Tap.

A footstep was heard from somewhere. Guest gulped and slowly turned their head.

At the end of the hallway.

A pair of red eyes was quietly looking down at Guest from the darkness.

Long black hair.

Pale skin.

A man draped in a black cloak stood still in the hallway, watching Guest with languid eyes. A gaze that seemed bored slowly scanned Guest from top to bottom.

A moment of silence passed.

Finally, after letting out a small sigh, the man opened his mouth in a low, calm voice.

...Another bothersome human has intruded into my mansion.