"Is this the place...?"
The group stood before a mansion in the suburbs.
According to the quest description, despite its grand appearance, the mansion had few rooms — each one's usable area had been significantly expanded.
The property belonged to a nobleman who, for undisclosed reasons, needed to relocate to the royal capital. His plans to sell were thwarted by an unexorcisable Evil Spirit haunting the premises.
With his departure date looming and Evil Spirits frequently interfering, the nobleman resorted to posting a quest at the Adventurers' Guild, steadily increasing the reward. The goal was simple: exorcise all Evil Spirits completely, allowing new occupants to move in without fear of supernatural disturbances.
"Not bad! Very good, very good, quite impressive!" Aqua exclaimed excitedly upon seeing the villa, "It's perfect for me to live in!"
Beside her, Megumin was equally overjoyed, her eyes gleaming red and cheeks flushed with excitement.
In contrast, Darkness remained composed, showing no signs of enthusiasm. As the daughter of a noble family, such sights were commonplace to her.
"Let's move into this mansion!" Adam's suggestion wasn't without reason.
The mansion's value had plummeted at the property assessment office. Its price had dropped from an initial ξ13,000,000 to a mere ξ5,000,000 — a veritable fire sale. Yet, it still needed a buyer. Without one, the price would fall even further.
Adam saw an opportunity, intending to acquire the mansion at an ultra-low price. When he expressed interest in purchasing, the nobleman's butler promptly lowered the price by another ξ500,000, eager for a quick sale. This turn of events delighted him immensely.
The two quickly reached an agreement. In the end, Adam bought the mansion for ξ6,000,000.
To clarify, the extra ξ1,500,000 was at the Adventurers' Guild. The nobleman had already paid the full reward, and canceling the quest would incur a 30% commission loss. This reward was included in the mansion's purchase price. Otherwise, the butler wouldn't have lowered the price by another ξ500,000.
However, such financial matters were trivial to them. They had Aqua, a goddess, on their side. Any Evil Spirit that encountered her would either retreat or be sent straight to heaven.
Darkness voiced her concern, "Can we really exorcise these Spirits? I've heard that in town lately, no matter how many times you banish them, new Evil Spirits keep appearing."
"That's right!" Megumin added anxiously, "This mansion seems to have been vacant for a while, and the Evil Spirit disturbances only started recently. Could it be a haunted house?"
"Don't worry." Adam reassured the two anxious girls, "Aqua is a High Priestess. Dealing with mere Evil Spirits is child's play for her, isn't it?"
"Exactly." Kazuma chimed in, "Aqua's a High Priestess. What are you afraid of?"
Aqua puffed out her chest and declared, "Just leave it to me!"
"Alright, it's getting late. Let's go in." Adam called out, "We need to unpack our luggage, or we won't have anywhere to sleep tonight."
Aqua stood motionless before the mansion, raising both hands to sense something with her magic.
"I see it, I see it!" She muttered, "This mansion once confined an illegitimate child of a nobleman. That girl was born from a nobleman's momentary indiscretion with a maid! Her name is Anna Filante Estroid. She likes dolls, puppets, and adventure stories about adventurers..."
She fluently recounted the mansion's history and the haunting Evil Spirit's life story in great detail.
While Kazuma, Megumin, and Darkness dismissed her claims as mere boasting, Adam never doubted Aqua's divine ability to exorcise evil spirits. He recognized, however, that her skills in other areas were rather lackluster, and her often foolish behavior was unbecoming of a goddess.
Next came the room allocation.
The group unanimously insisted that Adam take the largest master bedroom in the center of the second floor. Despite his reluctance, he had to acquiesce.
From left to right, the five rooms were assigned to Kazuma, Aqua, Adam, Megumin, and Darkness.
After unpacking and settling in, they all sat cross-legged on their beds, silently awaiting the stroke of midnight.
Time crept forward, inching ever closer to midnight.
Just as Adam began to wonder why the Evil Spirits hadn't materialized, a faint sound echoed from the room's door.
'At last, they've arrived.' He thought, discreetly activating the Sun Breathing technique.
Adam was eager to test whether Sun Breathing would affect Evil Spirits. If successful, it would significantly broaden the technique's applications.
His sharp eyes snapped open, fixing an intense gaze upon the doorway. It seemed as if a sun had ignited in his gaze, burning the soul of anything that might appear before him.
"Waaaaaaaaah——!" A piercing shriek suddenly shattered the silence.
That familiar voice... It was Megumin.
His intimidating stare had startled her.
"Megumin? Is that you?" Adam realized the crimson glow emanated from her eyes, "What brings you here? Is everything alright?"
"Um, well..." Megumin, clad in a thin nightgown, fidgeted awkwardly. In an extremely shy, hushed tone, she mumbled, "I... I need to use the bathroom. Would you mind accompanying me?"
The awkward silence spread in the night…
After a moment, Adam cleared his throat and inquired, "Ahem, what about Aqua and Darkness? Wouldn't they be more suitable companions?"
"Aqua is exorcising spirits, and Darkness went with her." Megumin explained.
"I see." Adam mused, "That makes sense. Darkness is a Crusader, after all."
An awkward silence again fell between them, stretching uncomfortably.
"Um... I can't hold it much longer..." Megumin squirmed visibly, her desperation evident.
A righteous young man couldn't stand idly by while someone suffered!
"Alright, I'll accompany you." Adam said, grabbing his Nichirin Katana before leading her towards the mansion's bathroom.
"Thank you." Megumin whispered.
"It's nothing." He replied softly, shaking his head, "Relying on teammates is normal. Don't mention it."
"Mm." She nodded slightly.
Shortly after leaving the room, a strange sound reached their ears.
Dolls. Turning, they saw a multitude of them floating in the air, their cold, lifeless eyes fixed on the pair, sending chills down their spines.
Megumin cowered behind Adam, who stepped forward, raising his Katana and activating the Sun Breathing technique.
◈ Sun Breathing, First Form ⫸ Dance ◈
The Nichirin Sword, wreathed in scorching flames, swept through the air. It incinerated the dolls and dispersed the Evil Spirits in one fell swoop. Having secretly learned the 「High Priest」 skills, Adam could sense that the Spirits had truly dissipated.
"Not bad." He nodded in satisfaction, "It seems the Sun Breathing technique is effective against Evil Spirits as well."
"Adam, I... I can't hold it anymore." Megumin's body trembled as she tried to move forward, her legs refusing to cooperate.
The fright from the Evil Spirits had pushed her to her limit.
"What?!" Adam exclaimed, startled. He swiftly scooped her up and dashed towards the bathroom, "Hang in there, Megumin! You have to hold on!"
Taking the stairs three at a time, they reached the bathroom door in seconds. He hastily ushered her inside.
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