Chapter 462

Chapter 469: This Guy’s a Total Loser! (Please Subscribe!)

The location was to the northwest of the Labyrinth City, an undeveloped area filled with vast ruins.

To put it more plainly, this was the remote residential area far from the bustling streets of Orario.

After deciding on the next quest to undertake, Izay and Ais stepped into this ruined zone together.

More accurately, Izay had been dragged here by the girl.

There was a slight disagreement between them regarding when they should proceed with the quest.

Izay thought that since it was a ghost-related quest, they could just wait until nightfall and relax during the day.

But Ais didn’t see it that way.

She exuded an eagerness to get things done quickly, even showing a hint of nervousness.

When Izay suggested taking a rest first, she unexpectedly became firm with him for once, dragging him along.

At first, Izay was puzzled, but after a while, he recalled…

—Ais isn’t good at dealing with ghosts.

This was confidential information only the close partners within their Familial Group knew.

Behind the naturally strong appearance of the blonde girl lay things she couldn’t handle—or rather, things she was innately afraid of.

Ghosts were one of them.

Incidentally, Ais is also scared of swimming~

The reason being that when Riviria helped her with swimming training in the past, young Ais was rebellious around her mother figure.

Not only did she refuse Riviria’s swimming lessons, but she also disdainfully called her “old lady” after a long lecture. This escalated into a tear-jerking series involving young Ais suffering miserably.

Since then, Ais has developed a psychological fear of swimming. Even now, hearing Riviria suggest swimming makes her shrink into a ball, trembling.

It was a case of acquired trauma.

While reminiscing about these matters, Izay noticed the sky above gradually darkening. Somewhere along the line, gray clouds had covered the sun and continued to pile up.

As Izay pondered that Orario would soon experience a downpour, Ais, who had been holding his arm as they moved forward, stopped.

“We’re here…”

“Huh? Did you find the place mentioned in the quest info?”

Izay redirected his attention to what lay ahead.

Before them stood the mission location described by the little girl.

Dark walls covered in moss and cracks, glass windows broken beyond recognition, yet still radiating an alternative kind of grandeur—an exterior clearly indicating it was once a fine mansion.

Around it, many neglected dead branches and vines had overrun the courtyard.

“Paired with this gloomy weather before the rain… It truly fits the image of a haunted house~”

Taking in the full view of the house’s façade, Izay gave it high praise.

An appearance like this, which easily piqued children’s curiosity, wasn’t surprising to be considered their secret playground.

According to Ais’ retelling, a terrifying ominous shadow, entirely pitch black, appeared in this exclusive playground for kids, naturally being mistaken for a ghost.

Frightened children decided to seek help through a commission, asking adult adventurers to deal with the ghost.

Far from formal quests, this was actually a personal request, completing or not completing it wouldn’t matter much. But feeling pity for the little girl, Ais didn’t think too much and agreed immediately.

And now… the [Sword Princess] who promised to complete the quest was clinging to his hand nervously…

Izay felt a mix of helplessness and amusement rise within him.

Ais being scared of ghosts is cute too!

Unaware of Izay almost laughing beside her, Ais scanned the house’s exterior and noticed something…

“—Is the door open?”

According to what the girl said, the last time they left the house, they rigorously closed the door out of fear that something inside might come out!?

So what does this situation mean?

Considering the terrifying possibility, a bead of cold sweat formed on Ais’ delicate cheeks.

“Well, let’s go inside then? Standing outside won’t help us find the ghost, and we might even get soaked.”

“Eh!?”

When Izay said this calmly, Ais stared at him in shock.

“Shouldn’t we just go inside? I think if Izay uses perception magic to check the situation inside, that’d be enough… If there really is a ghost… Um, I’ll wait for you outside!”

Indeed, Ais never planned to enter.

Doesn’t Izay have perception magic?

Wouldn’t that make the interior of the house completely transparent to him?

Finding a ghost shouldn’t be hard for him; all she needed to do was watch, and they could complete the request!

Her internal calculations clicked perfectly.

She wouldn’t have to face the ghost she feared, yet the request from the little girl would still be fulfilled. Perfect.

“Ais… You need to understand one thing. Ghosts are different from living beings. We don’t even know in what form ghosts exist in this world. Perception magic might not work on ghosts.”

Upon hearing Ais’ words, Izay sighed deliberately, pretending to be reluctant, acting as if he wanted to help but couldn’t.

“And if the ghost is powerful, you might have to help too.”

Is that so…?

Could it be…?

Looking up at the house, Ais’ side profile began tightening with tension, as if preparing herself mentally.

“But… ghosts can’t be cut down…”

“No worries, Ais. You still have magic, right? Relying on magic will suffice. Magic is omnipotent, after all.”

Izay encouraged her.

Today, no matter what, he had to convince Ais to go inside and play!

A haunted house with Orario flair, missing it would definitely be regrettable!

And under Izay’s persistent persuasion, the girl eventually relented, being pulled inside.

The interior of the house matched its exterior perfectly.

The dimly lit, empty entrance hall connected to side rooms and narrow corridors. Spider webs hung from the ceiling where rust-eaten old chandeliers dangled. On the walls hung a goat head specimen missing half its face and an arm.

The atmosphere could only be described as eerie.

“I don’t sense any human presence…”

Ais was already standing extremely close to Izay.

After entering the house, the girl refused to move away from him even a step, as if fearing that Izay would vanish without notice.

“This area is rarely visited by people anyway, so it’s normal to find no one.”

Unlike Ais, who walked cautiously, looking around every three steps, Izay was in high spirits.

From the slight upward curve of his lips, it was evident.

What a loser this guy is!