Chapter 463

Chapter 470: A Rendezvous with Ais (Please Subscribe!)

As they conversed, the two stepped over the aged threshold and fully entered the hall.

Outside, just as Izay had anticipated, the heavy clouds that enveloped the entire city began to release a torrential downpour. The rain fell in sheets, completely drenching the outside world.

Inside, however, the two large, dilapidated front doors seemed to be rigged with some sort of mechanism.

The moment the raindrops started to fall, the doors slammed shut with a loud bang!

This startled Ais, causing her whole body to tremble, her face nearly losing all its color.

(Fels… That guy actually set up such a trap… No wonder he never bothers to close the door.)

Noticing the earlier loud noise, Izay glanced back and smirked slightly.

Understanding the reason behind it, he didn’t panic like Ais did. Instead, he was somewhat speechless because even he didn’t know about this little contraption.

Anyone who doesn’t know the truth would really get a fright coming in!

Izay led Ais closer to the house’s entrance to confirm that it could still function properly before patting the girl’s head.

“Well, Ais, don’t be too scared. The door can still be used normally. It was probably the wind, relax a bit. We still need to investigate~”

“Hmm… Investigation is fine… But Izay, you can’t go too far from me…”

Perhaps embarrassed by her earlier reaction, Ais’ face flushed red. She lowered her head and mumbled softly.

“It depends on whether you’ll let me go far from you. With how you’re holding me, I wouldn’t be able to leave even if I wanted to.”

Izay tried to move his right arm, which was completely trapped in her embrace.

Hearing this, Izay couldn’t help but chuckle wryly.

The heavy rain continued to fall outside, the cold, damp air characteristic of rainy days spreading as the rain hit the ground.

Yet, the two inside barely felt the chill. Instead, they felt their bodies heating up.

Their tightly pressed bodies exchanged sensations through their clothes, the heat from their skin unable to be stopped even through layers of fabric. Izay could even smell the faint, sweet fragrance emanating from the girl.

Looking down, he saw Ais realizing her actions and blushing shyly.

He finally understood why there was a conclusion that ghost houses were the best places for couples to meet.

Whether it’s the serene atmosphere, the time spent alone together, or the reactions after being startled—it was flawless!

If your partner is afraid of ghosts, it’s even more fitting!

A different environment than what one usually encounters in daily life can encourage intimacy that would otherwise make one blush.

To sum it up:

—Ghost houses are forever gods!

…

After calming down the slightly frightened Ais, Izay looked at the three paths ahead of them.

The staircase leading upstairs, the room to the left, and the narrow corridor to the right.

“Ais, which way do you want to go? Upstairs?”

“No, no… we should start the investigation from the first floor. It’s better to save the core areas for last, that’s what Rivelia said…”

Clutching Izay’s sleeve, Ais took on an extremely cautious demeanor.

She seemed to resist going to the second and third floors.

Maybe she saw something through the windows earlier?

Izay recalled seeing vague shadows near the window edges—was it Fels’ spare robe?

Izay guessed that this was the reason for her choice.

Taking advantage of this pause, Ais regained some “energy” and pulled Izay into the narrow corridor to begin their investigation.

The rain outside grew heavier, occasionally accompanied by thunderclaps.

Immersed in exploring the haunted mansion, every time Ais heard thunder, she instinctively moved closer to Izay, seeking security—or perhaps simply out of fear?

She was practically jumping at every sound.

The girl who remained unshaken even against Floor Masters was now unusually sensitive, caught in a state of battling the air around her.

In all the time they’d known each other, today might be the day Izay observed the most of Ais’ girlish side.

While he often caught glimpses of this side of her, they usually flashed by quickly, far less frequent than today.

If this mission were considered a ghost house trip,

Then Izay undoubtedly profited immensely.

Being relied upon brought them closer, allowing him to closely admire Ais’ adorable appearance, indistinguishable from any ordinary girl.

However, though it was called a ghost house, the world of Orario does not have spirits.

Orario has a nearly complete reincarnation system; after death, human souls are guided to the heavenly rebirth pool to be reborn.

With this system in place, ghosts cannot exist in this world.

Only places like the Dungeon, which are glitches, can compete with heaven for souls.

So naturally, there wouldn’t be any ghosts where Izay and Ais currently were.

As for what this mansion truly was… Izay knew it all too well.

From the very first glance, he recognized it.

This house was Fels’ Magic Workshop, one of the many bases of the Black Robe Magician in Orario. Izay had even stayed here before, exchanging magical insights with Fels.

Rather than saying that “ghosts” invaded children’s secret playgrounds, it would be more accurate to say those children mistakenly entered the territory of “ghosts.”

Izay had the idea to enter here with Ais purely for fun, under the notion that “ghost houses enhance relationships,” so he dragged her inside.

Though later, it was Ais pulling him along.

Thus, after a period of time, the two finally reached the third floor, the topmost and deepest room of the house.

“Alright, the final place is here. We haven’t encountered any ghosts on the way, so probably won’t find any here either. Once we search here, our investigation will be complete.”

“Mm… mm!”

Even while having great goodwill towards this house, Ais continued to breathe deeply in tension beside Izay.

Throughout this “ghost house exploration,” despite encountering nothing strange along the way,

She wasn’t about to let her guard down when facing the last location.

She must remain vigilant!

Who knows, maybe there’s a ghost king beyond this door!?

When faced with untouchable ghosts, Ais’ dictionary doesn’t include combat as an option~

“——————”

With a creaking sound, Izay and Ais pushed open the door together.

Inside, it was a rather old-fashioned room.

At the center of the room stood a large pot, seemingly used for cooking, but it was empty.

On the floor were black magic array markings, their purpose unknown.

Surrounding the room were numerous cabinets filled with glass test tubes preserved intact.

By the cracked window stood a wooden hanger, on which hung a pitch-black hooded robe.

Judging from the texture of the robe, it seemed to be an ancient style, with signs of damage in several places.