Surviving in the Cursed Mansion

Chapter 25: The Painted World (2)

“W-Wait! This is…!”

Arsente’s scream, like a dying wail, was pulled into the painting along with her body. Asche reflexively sprinted toward the artwork titled The Magic Realm.

“Asche!”

The butler swiftly stopped her, sensing the urgency of the situation. Fortunately, Asche calmed herself and halted in place.

“Is Asche the type who can’t bear to see even an enemy perish?”

Just as he was about to judge her as unexpectedly soft-hearted, the butler recalled her circumstances.

It would be strange for a typical seventeen-year-old girl to be emotionally hardened. As someone who had lived far longer, the butler naturally had a different mindset.

Asche was simply an arrogant and bratty child, but her underlying disposition seemed to be fundamentally kind.

“Phew…”

Asche exhaled a rough breath, and the butler stepped forward.

“I’ll check the painting first. Please stay somewhere safe.”

With that, he approached the painting Arsente had been pulled into. He extended his arm toward its surface.

Tap.

The butler’s arm was stopped, as though he had touched an ordinary canvas.

Unlike other paintings, which rippled like water upon contact, this one remained rigid and unmoving.

“It seems rescuing her is out of the question.”

“…I wasn’t planning to rescue her anyway.”

“Is that so? You certainly looked like you were.”

“Absolutely not. You’re imagining things, Butler.”

The butler doubted his own perception momentarily, as Asche’s tone was unusually subdued.

Perhaps it was because they were bound by blood.

Even if they were enemies, it seemed another’s misfortune didn’t bring her joy.

“Could you explain what the painting The Magic Realm depicts?”

“In simple terms, it’s a wasteland—a wild, untamed land beyond human control.”

“Was it like that 500 years ago as well?”

“Yeah. It’s barren and useless, so there’s no reason to cling to a piece of land the size of a small country.”

The wasteland earned its name The Magic Realm because of its peculiar energy, which caused grotesque mutations in living creatures.

Even the most heinous criminals, once they stepped into The Magic Realm, were left alone. 

Pursuing someone into the area was considered a pointless risk, as it only led to needless casualties.

“…That’s why there’s a frontier marquis assigned to its border. Occasionally, they have to subdue beasts that escape from The Magic Realm.”

“Are these beasts that dangerous?”

“They’re not as bad as Hayley, but…”

Asche had survived Hayley for two reasons:

First, Hayley’s only functioning sense was her sense of smell.

Second, Hayley deliberately limited her movements to avoid damaging the mansion.

Asche, aware of these facts, provided a measured assessment.

“Even so… they’re dangerous. Small animals turn into wolves, and boars grow into tigers.”

“If mutated beasts are so threatening, wouldn’t a knightly order be necessary to combat them?”

“Yeah. I once saw a taxidermied beast from The Magic Realm, and it was terrifying.”

“And now Lady Arsente has gone to such a place.”

“…She has.”

Asche lowered her gaze somberly.

“If Lady Arsente’s experience is similar to yours, she’ll possess a body in that world and take on a role. She should be fine.”

“You really think so?”

“Yes, she’ll likely embody someone capable of overcoming the challenges.”

“Hmm…”

The butler’s logic made sense.

Asche’s unfortunate possession of a maid’s body had been pure bad luck. In a stage as unsettling as this, Arsente must have possessed someone suited for it.

“What happened in The Magic Realm 500 years ago, again?”

Asche vaguely recalled something about a hero capturing the “King of Beasts” and presenting it to the imperial court.

But there was no way Arsente could have possessed the hero.

Rather than wasting time on uncertain guesses, it seemed quicker to question Arsente—if she survived and returned.

“All right, enough of this. Let’s find clues to get to the third floor. Hopefully, whatever comes out isn’t worse than Hayley…”

“That’s…”

Unlikely, the butler thought but held back his pessimism.

By conventional logic, higher floors meant more difficult challenges.

More troubling was the penalty he had to face for breaking the rules on the first floor. Informing Asche of this was forbidden.

All he could do was hope silently that she would overcome the trials ahead.

“Butler.”

Asche’s voice snapped him out of his thoughts.

“Once we check this hallway, we’ll have covered the entire second floor.”

“Did anything about the paintings stand out to you?”

“Hmm, not really? Most of them are mundane scenes. It seems like the paintings that forcibly pull people in are the important ones…”

“Both you and Lady Arsente have experienced that once now.”

“Exactly.”

This left them hoping for Arsente’s safe return. Her account might prove to be a crucial hint for escaping the mansion.

Asche felt conflicted.

She found herself wishing for someone she didn’t want to see to return safely—a paradoxical emotion that left her feeling uneasy.

The butler and Asche stopped in their tracks.

“This is… impressive.”
“…”

Asche voiced her amazement, while the butler remained silent.

“It’s extraordinary, but now I see why it’s hanging on a dead-end wall.”

Before them was an enormous painting, as large as Belnacien’s portrait.

Title: Forgotten Souls (망혼). 

Rendered entirely in shades of white and black, the painting depicted a chaotic river filled with countless hands flailing in desperation. Above the water, a figure cloaked in black rowed a small boat with eerie calmness.

To put it bluntly, it was a deeply unsettling painting.

It seemed almost designed to contaminate the viewer’s aesthetic sense.

“Ugh… Butler, let’s turn back.”

“As you wish.”

But just as they turned to leave—

Clunk.

A sound reverberated through the hallway.

The butler and Asche immediately turned back toward the source of the noise.

The painting titled Forgotten Souls dominated their view once again.

The sound had come from there.

Clunk.

Clunk, clunk, clunk!

Screeeech…

Thud!

…

……

The painting Forgotten Souls fell from the wall onto the floor.

An unexpected development.

By the time they fully processed what had happened, something bizarre unfolded before their eyes.

Drip, drip, drip…

The sound of water leaking filled the air. Asche blinked in disbelief.

Water was trickling out of the painting, Forgotten Souls.

The pool of water on the marble floor steadily expanded.

Just then, a message appeared at the butler’s eye level.

=====

We lived insignificant lives.

Lives trampled by the world’s peace and grand ideals.

Lives that left nothing behind, unremembered by anyone.

Lives forced to bury betrayal with tears of blood.

Ah, how fortunate that the noble lady has granted us this opportunity.

And she has revealed the truth.

That we, the ones mocked beneath countless joys and enduring eras, hold the rightful claim to vengeance.

May there be someone to remember us at the end of our revenge…

– Reward: Gift Box

– Special Reward: Shard of the Stars

=====

Clunk.

A pale hand emerged, lifting the frame of Forgotten Souls.

Moments later, a woman with a grotesque form stepped out of the painting into the real world.

Her chest was impaled by a sword, and cold water dripped from her wet hair onto the floor, forming frost as it hit the marble.

Her features were grotesquely distorted, barely resembling a human face.

The stench of rotting flesh wafted through the air.

Grab.

The woman-like figure gripped the hilt of the sword embedded in her chest.

Shhhhlink!

With a sharp, wet sound, she yanked the blade out, scattering fragments of flesh. The hole left behind in her chest offered a clear view of the scene behind her.

“Ah… my lady…”

Click. Click. Click.

Each step of her high-heeled shoes echoed elegantly against the marble floor as she advanced.

“I thank you for your grace…”

She murmured to herself before pointing her blade directly at them.

The butler immediately sensed what was coming and stepped forward to shield Asche, shoving her backward with all his strength.

“Asche!”

“Hngh?!”

Whoosh!

The first priority was getting Asche out of the line of attack. If the enemy wielded a sword, the butler’s presence would suffice as protection.

After all, the mansion would never tolerate even a minor injury to him.

Or so he thought.

The woman’s blade struck the butler.

Whiff!

The slash, originally aimed at Asche, had been deflected off course when the butler moved her to safety. Even so, the distance was close enough to graze his cheek.

“…Butler?!”

Asche’s scream echoed through the hallway.

Drip.

Red liquid began trickling down the butler’s cheek.

He instinctively raised a hand to his face, and his palm came away smeared with blood.

For the first time in centuries, he was confronted with his own crimson blood.

“…It stings. Pain? Am I… feeling pain?”

Experiencing physical pain again after centuries was jarring.

“This doesn’t make sense… How could the butler be hurt?!”

The reason remained unknown, but one thing was clear: this was dangerous.

This creature was different.

“Come on!”

Asche grabbed the butler’s wrist, pulling him urgently.

She had never imagined the butler could be injured, nor had she ever seen him react like this. 

Even in life-threatening situations, he had always maintained his calm demeanor. Now, his face was visibly tense.

“Let’s go, Butler! Quickly!”

“…”

“What are you waiting for?!”

Her sharp cry jolted the butler. A fundamental question rose in his mind:

“Why… should I run?”

The chance to fulfill the mansion’s vengeance had stepped directly in front of him.