The Mansion That Refused the Light
Morning came quietly.
That alone was strange.
Axel was usually loud by sunrise—arguments in the street, Aqua shouting about something pointless, adventurers bragging too early in the day. But when Ruko opened his eyes, the world felt… muted. As if the town itself was holding its motion.
He lay still for a moment, staring at the ceiling, letting the feeling settle.
The ruins were behind him now.
The relic fragment was secured—nothing to it, but unfortunately real.
Varo had already departed, chasing his own path, leaving Ruko once again threaded loosely into Kazuma's chaotic orbit since two days ago.And today, something new waited.
"I dont know why but this day feel like im in need of something to get my freaking mind off," Ruko spouted while in bed. "Well," groaning by sitting up, do stretches and get dress.
"Let's see what type of chaos nightmare going on," putting on gloves in tired mood.
By the time he arrived at the guild hall, the air had shifted. The receptionist's expression was nothing to consern about as usual, professional but lazy, as she pinned a fresh parchment to the quest board. The paper fluttered once… then stilled.
Several adventurers leaned in. Then leaned back. Some laughed nervously. Others pretended not to see it. Kazuma squinted at the notice.
"…Well im not surprised and why is it always us?"
Aqua read the title and immediately recoiled.
"Nope. No. Absolutely not. It's unfair, and spiritually discriminatory."
Megumin adjusted her hat, eyes narrowing in interest rather than fear.
"A haunted noble estate? That suggests either an unresolved high-tier spirit… or an artificial haunting."
Darkness swallowed, then stood straighter. "An abandoned mansion… at night… unknown threats…" Her voice trembled. "I volunteer."
Kazuma groaned into his hands.
Ruko approach and didn't speak immediately. "Hey guys what's the nonchalant look like your not in any place to be right now,"
"Um look at this," Kazuma pointed. "Huh? what the a haunted mansion seriously," While look at Kazuma!
"Don't look at me cause I'm shock has you are," Kazuma stated. Ruko felt a pulse and he felt it again— what the hell is that. It's seems weaker than the ruins, but scary and danger. Like a thread tugging at something buried deep inside him.
"Hey... HEY RUKO!" Aqua shouted.
"Huh wah wah what," just shocked of his thoughts?. "So will you taking it as well ruko," Megumin talk tuition desire.
Ruko feel lost. "The quest to haunted mansion"–
"Yeah cause we need money due to aqua love spending money on booze and not saving," Kazuma point plank that out. "I do not and who wouldn't want booze"–
"Me since your annoying as any ants and yeah I'm in cause everyone make big charges on me for no reason," by cutting straight to true words.
The quest was accepted.
High pay. Low interest. Entry permitted only after sunset. Perfect. "We'll go at the end of afternoon so gets things ready since it ghost hunting time," smiling by fist one hand to other.
The rest of the day dragged. Preparation became a way to avoid thinking: Aqua insisting on holy water that no one trusted her to technically carry. Megumin spent most of the afternoon quietly muttering calculations under her breath, while Darkness checked and rechecked her armor for reasons no one asked about.
Ruko stayed apart when he could. He sat near the stables, his weapon resting across his knees. It looked different in normal way.
Ever since the ruins, it had gone unnervingly quiet. Just weight like a tour truck. As if it were nothing—or does it want some trigger—or just a piece of junk that I pick up, well it's doesn't matter.
As the sun dipped lower, shadows stretched unnaturally long across the road leading out of Axel. The mansion appeared on the hill like a broken silhouette, its windows dark, its walls sagging under years of not repair.
Aqua stared at it and shuddered.
"That thing is definitely haunted. I can feel it." Kazuma sighed. "You say that about every place with bad architecture within you."
They arrived just after nightfall. The air changed the moment they crossed the outer boundary. It seems this place isn't cold—but it felt wrong.
Even Aqua's complaining dropped to a whisper. The mansion loomed ahead, its gates rusted but intact for sure, vines curling like fingers around the iron bars.
Then the gates creaked open on their own.
Darkness smiled faintly, Megumin frowned, Ruko stepped forward with no expression and his weapon start reacted.
A sharp, brittle sound cracked through the air. Lines spiderwebbed across the surface of the house, darkening like rot spreading through wood or corrosion biting into metal.
Ruko look at his weapon and started to noticed. It didn't crumble it just decayed but not much. The sensation surged up Ruko's arm, it's not pain. As if the the weapon itself was a fake.
Then the reaction stopped. The weapon stabilized for eithergood or bad purpose. But the damage remained.
"What the fuck, why did it started to decay." Kazuma shocked. "Did you use a word that is not mentioned to say." Ruko look at Kazuma. "So what?... like it not a problem to some people who is reading this."
Kazuma noticed. "…Was it always supposed to do that and what are you talking about?" Staring at Kazuma. "...Nothing you should know."
Aqua edged away.
"I don't like it. I don't like it at all and i dont like when ruko is swearing some words around a goddess."
"Like your the one to talk!"
They entered inside, the mansion smelled of dust, mold, and something faintly metallic like. Moonlight filtered through broken windows, casting warped shadows across the floor. Furniture lay overturned or torn apart by some buggy little insect.
The first "sighting" came quickly. A little whisper in the hall, moving shadow at the corner of vision that'shard to see, a sudden slam of a door that scare them to death.
Aqua shrieked and clung to Kazuma.
"SEE?! GHOSTS!" Megumin knelt, examining the floor. "…No mana distortion. Interesting." Darkness stepped forward eagerly. "If something attacks, I will gladly—"
"Please don't encourage it," Kazuma muttered. Ruko stayed alert while he felt something is watching or someone.
Ruko break the scary atmosphere. "Hmm guys look like we have to spilt up." Kazuma and others. "Ehh."
"HEY WHAT ARE YOU SAYING RUKO," Aqua blab out. "YEAH THIS ISN'T TIME TO BE MAKING JOKES, " Megumin scared in in words.
Kazuma: "Well im good with it so i'll spilt from these lunatics,"
Darkness: "Ooohh did u call me lunatic ohhh do it more cuz i need it,"
They split briefly and carefully checking rooms and corridors. Every disturbance turned out to be well: loose boards, trapped air, cleverly placed strings.
Kazuma muttered. "Im guessing if it a ghost or someone trying very hard to look scary." But something didn't add up. The decay on Ruko's weapon have been a fake. Whatever else was happening here… wasn't just a trick.