Chapter 18
"Deceit"
Adrian and Nairda soon arrived at the grandeur mansion of which located in the midst of numerous trees, only this giant building that stood alone indeed.
Nairda stared at the mansion intensely, with his back to Adrian who carefully examined his surroundings. Nairda then turned his body to Adrian, before expanding his hands up and declaring with a smile, "Welcome to Hovor Grand Mansion!"
Adrian shortly fell quiet, stunned and baffled by Nairda's house and thought he was a wealthy boy who likely came from an influential family.
Nairda is likely rich… woah! I don't have any words to say… Adrian swallowed hard, nodding lightly at him as an answer.
"Is there anything wrong, Cadeyrn?" Nairda questioned, looking at the speechless 'commoner' and feeling puzzled.
"N-nothing's wrong, I guess…" Adrian responded stammeringly, forcing his lips to curl into a smile.
Nairda showed a bit of puzzlement on his face, raising slightly his right eyebrow and observing Cadeyrn's strange behavior.
"Okay then! Let's go in! Don't be timid!" Nairda exclaimed excitedly, stepping into the mansion while Adrian followed behind.
As Nairda guided Adrian to the second floor of the mansion, Adrian's gaze was unable to stop examining the interior of the mansion. He felt a sense of familiarity with all he saw, but he did not know how to react to it.
This place feels kinda similar… but I'm not sure, this is right or not… also this is only a game, why would I care about it? Adrian analyzed sharply, his eyes glancing around as Nairda guided him to the left side.
Adrian slightly turned his head back, finding something that strengthened his suspicions. While they were stepping on the stairs, Nairda led him to the left side, but at the right side there was a sign and a door that looked exactly like in the palace of the Afflueth Kingdom.
However, Adrian insisted to never think about it any further, perhaps it would burden his mind if he did.
Nairda soon opened a door, revealing a few doors of which were located in a hallway with few unique ashen chandeliers that shimmered gray. With this, Adrian's suspicions grew stronger as Nairda led him to a door.
"Cadeyrn, maybe you could rest here, I hope you enjoy it well! Forgive me if you're not." Nairda said while handing a golden key to Adrian, while a sense of anxiety had overwhelmed his mind indeed.
"This is an empty room for you! Well now, I have work to do… you can call me if there's something wrong!" Nairda explained solemnly with a smile, before walking and passing Adrian who was now completely wreathed in silence.
Adrian's eyes stared sharply at the golden key, while facing the wooden door that had no sign also with the other dark-colored wooden doors.
Adrian then inserted the key and twisted the handle gently, as the door slowly opened, it revealed the same room he had like in the Afflueth Kingdom!
"W-what!? H-how is this possible!? Does this game don't correspond to the original tale!?" Adrian mumbled aloud, before lowering his tone to avoid someone or something that may attack him at any moment.
Adrian soon wreathed in another silence, he looked at the room in disbelief. He then shook his head, trying to accept it and don't mind about it.
As he stepped in, he was clearly able to see the same interior his room had in the kingdom, and then closed the door quietly.
Adrian then sat down on the somewhat comfortable mattress, he then murmured as his eyes were blank with confusion, "It's all the same furniture, but the colors are different. Heh… I think I must check the wardrobe, maybe I will find something cool…"
Adrian immediately tried to find nearby wardrobes, with one wardrobe next to his left.
He gently withdrew the drawer, as he found a single yellowed paper in the wooden drawer, the paper seemed abandoned or it was.
Adrian intensely checked the paper, finding a few lines of texts written in unknown language of which he was able to read. Adrian soon muttered few lines from the paper in curiosity, "Shepherd in Blue, Anchor of Souls, and Tower of Spirits-"
Unexpectedly, Adrian heard a knocking sound from the door. He immediately shut his mouth, before answering at someone that knocked on the door, "Come on in!"
But before the door was opened, Adrian was already sensed something was wrong about this mansion. With the door slowly opened, he saw something…
The door was fully opened, by itself. Nothing showed up, his eyes captured nothing there. Adrian soon frightened by the mysterious knock and the door's movement, his mind was cluttered indeed.
"W-what the hell… what's happening-" before Adrian was able to finish his words, Adrian suddenly woke up in the same room, but this time it was all normal.
What the f##k is happening with my mind!? This game feels like a torture chamber, when would this game stop!? Adrian looked around frustrated, holding his head and trying to soothe himself.
Adrian soon stood up from his bed, walking toward the door in search of air. As Adrian slowly opened the door in hurry, he saw a silhouette before him and startled immediately!
He jumped back and screamed aloud by the sudden appearance of the eerie silhouette, his heart rattled rapidly as he breathed heavily upon seeing that.
After some observation and encouragement, he found that the silhouette was… Nairda, standing there while looking at him in puzzlement.
"Huh? Are you okay, Cadeyrn?" Nairda asked gently.
Adrian looked at Nairda in shock, his heart was still pounding fast after going through that jumpscare. Adrian soon shook his head, trying to clear his mind out of all this nonsense.
"I-I'm okay… I'm alright…" Adrian murmured, his body trembling while looking at Nairda of course.
Nairda then offered him help to stand up, with Adrian took his right hand and slowly stood up while fear still lingered within his soul.
"Thank you…" Adrian spoke.
Nairda soon spoke to him in a calm tone, like it was normal here, "Hm… Cadeyrn, let's go to the dining room, you must be hungry!"
Nairda smiled sincerely, while Adrian only nodded at him with a few shocks that slowly went away. Nairda soon guided Adrian to the dining room of the mansion, while observing the dark brownish walls that seemed hexed.
…
As soon as they arrived, Adrian saw a long-white-table in the center of the dining room, with two white chairs and a few foods on the table of which the scents pierced into Adrian's nose.
There was a giant white chandelier that illuminated the whole room, the design seemed luxurious indeed. However, the room was rather empty without anyone other than Adrian and Nairda.
Even so, Adrian and Nairda sat on their own chairs, with Adrian sat beside Nairda as he prepared the food for Adrian and for himself of course.
But immediately, Adrian's gaze was caught by a giant painting on the brownish walls, depicting a white tree which was beautifully drawn with a faint white light emitted from the tree.
"Uh… Nairda, what's that?" Adrian questioned, scrutinizing the painting with sharp eyes.
Shortly after, Nairda then explained the painting to Adrian like a historian, "That's Tree of Life, a tree solely emerged in the prehistoric era… My father commissioned the painting from Lobirus, and he's truly a skillful man!"
Nairda soon added, overwhelming Adrian's mind with another new information, "From that tree, our ancestors are born, and they're… Agavon and Puella! The first two Talerians!"
Adrian nodded silently, gaining new information about the world where he was transmigrated into.
Adrian and Nairda shortly pick up their spoons, eating and savoring the foods as they stung his mouth with pleasing tastes!
While eating, Adrian observed the room and felt a bit of anxiety as it began to embrace his very body. He sometimes looked at the giant chandelier that seemed to be blown by wind, glancing at Nairda who was eating his delicious food with a quick gaze.
In the moment of silence, Adrian did not dare to utter a single word from his mouth, he did not know the reason but he certainly felt something was wrong.
…
After the likely ominous dinner he had, Adrian soon returned to his room with quick steps. As he reached for the door's handle, Adrian appeared to be hesitant as he was curious for an unknown room on the right side near the staircase of which he had seen prior.
Adrian, who was compelled by his curiosity, soon walked out from the hallway, looking at the wooden door far before him.
He immediately walked toward the door in order to reveal everything he had suspected before, gazing at the door with a sharp stare.
He then twisted the door's handle, however… Unfortunately for him, it was locked.
"It's locked…" Adrian muttered quietly, glancing around in unknown intentions.
However, Adrian remembered the prayer he found in the mysterious, religious book. He thought for a moment, before chanting, "Yellow Light, Golden Lamp, and Glory Key…"
He chanted and spoke the prayer in a respectful way, hoping for something to answer his very prayer. Soon, Adrian uttered the last line…
"Let the Golden be eternal!"
As soon as he uttered the line, he then tried to twist the handle and open the door. Fortunately and magically, the door was able to be opened by only reciting an orison? Miraculous indeed.
With the door opened, Adrian then stepped into the unknown room he wished to enter before. Until something caught his attention in a single glance…
His eyes captured a pile of dead bodies, consisting of four corpses with hideous wounds like it had been scratched with sharp blades.
"What the f##k!..." Adrian muttered in shock, trembling as he covered his nose to prevent the horrible scent from the long decaying corpses.
Adrian's eyes were shortly fixed on a cracking sound created by a mysterious and foreign object, taking the form of a dark cube with a few strange symbols on each side.
Unexpectedly, the cube suddenly shattered into featureless pieces. As Adrian tried to turn back and flee away from the terrifying scene he encountered, a dark silhouette suddenly passed by him at a quick speed as it flew to the balcony of the mansion.
Adrian was startled immediately, however, his unexplainable urge compelled him to chase the silhouette. As he arrived at the balcony, Adrian looked down with no trails left by the inexplicable thing.
Adrian, fortunately remembered the face of the silhouette even though in a quick glance.
In his mind, Adrian was depicting a familiar face and the silhouette resembling a woman or likely a girl.
And then he realized Derron's words: Marvolyn was sealed somewhere, and the place was the mansion. And she was…
Tyva, acting as Marvolyn, Lady of Trickery.