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The Mansion of the Purple Girl, Dining Area.

The dining area where I had breakfast with my Attached Human was as extravagant as ever.

Chandeliers adorned with all sorts of jewels emitted a soft glow from the ceiling, and the gold-embellished wallpaper sparkled as it caught the light.

However, to the Golden Reaper’s eyes, that extravagance felt hollow.

The dining area, which once buzzed with countless Hungry Ghosts bringing in meals, now lay silent like an abandoned ballroom.

Only one Golden Reaper sat at the massive dining table, wearing a sulky expression.

“Human….”

The Golden Reaper let out a silent sigh while seated at the table.

The girl would always be led away by the Hungry Ghosts for a bath after breakfast.

And every time, she would say, “It’s embarrassing, so wait here.”

Instead, she would leave a heap of delicious snacks behind, but that only made the Golden Reaper’s heart feel even lonelier.

If the snacks weren’t shared with the Attached Human, they held no meaning.

The table was piled high with colorful macarons, hot chocolate in fine china, and homemade cookies.

Yet, none of it whetted the Golden Reaper’s appetite.

Strangely, the snacks in this mansion were less flavorful than even those from the Mini Reaper Garden, let alone regular snacks.

They felt almost like decorations rather than real food.

They were incredibly extravagant and smelled delicious, but that made it feel a tad odd.

Looking up at the dining room wall, a massive stone tablet caught my eye.

It was a rough stone that clashed entirely with the glamorous atmosphere of the dining area.

The edges looked like they had been struck by a hammer, with bits broken off all over.

It was the stone tablet inscribed with the “rules” the Purple Girl checked every morning.

“Change a little each day, so keep an eye on it.”

I recalled the girl’s words from when I first arrived here.

<1. Do not go outside the room at night.>

<2. Keep the doors of unused rooms closed.>

<3. Turn off the lights in unused rooms.>

<4. Use a sleep mask and earplugs at night.>

<5. Don’t worry even if the Guardian looks strange.>

Fortunately, the characters inscribed on the stone tablet were ones the Golden Reaper could read.

However, despite examining it carefully every single day, the contents of the rules only changed order; the message remained the same.

The Golden Reaper tore its eyes away from the object tablet and looked around the dining area.

“This mansion feels strange….”

Even without the bizarre illusions that occasionally appeared, something felt off.

I couldn’t express exactly what it was in words, but something was definitely wrong.

Especially that feeling grew stronger when the Purple Girl was absent.

It felt as if the world was muffled, like my ears were stuffed with cotton, and the scenery in front of me seemed to dim.

“I don’t understand.”

Honestly, the Golden Reaper wasn’t certain either.

It could just be an illusion caused by the sadness of the Attached Human drifting away.

Without even taking a bite of the snacks, the Golden Reaper simply waited for the Attached Human.

In the silence where even the bustling footsteps of the Hungry Ghosts could not be heard, it suddenly felt something was staring at it from behind.

“Human?”

With a small flicker of hope in its chest, it turned its head.

Could it be that the girl, having finished her bath, was softly approaching?

But the figure that appeared from around the corner of the corridor was something entirely different from the Golden Reaper’s expectations.

It was undoubtedly a Hungry Ghost.

But it was different from the usual Hungry Ghosts and even from the Tooth Hungry Ghost.

It was stained ominously with patches of black and had a distorted shape.

Sharp teeth protruded from its mouth, and sharp claws adorned its legs.

The Golden Reaper’s gaze met that of the creature.

In an instant, the contorted Hungry Ghost crumbled, its form melting away like ink dropped on water, disappearing beyond the corner of the corridor.

‘!’

Without a moment to calm its racing heart, the Golden Reaper shot up from its seat.

The presence of a Harmful Object and a faint smell of oil.

The Golden Reaper rushed out into the corridor but found nothing there.

The long corridor stretched away into darkness like the gaping maw of a monster.

Dozens of doors lined either side, and oddly, the chandelier’s light did not reach the end of the corridor, fading midway.

Slowly, cautiously, the Golden Reaper approached the door that cast the darkest shadow.

Just as it jumped and reached for the doorknob, the rules on the stone tablet flashed through its mind like lightning.

<2. Keep the doors of unused rooms closed.>

Was it alright to open this door now? The Golden Reaper pondered as it gripped the doorknob.

Unlike the doors it had seen in the mansion that always opened smoothly, this one felt different.

Creeeak-.

It opened with a creepy sound reminiscent of a rusted joint creaking.

And beyond that door….

There was nothing.

Or rather, to be precise, there lingered a pitch-black darkness that seemed ready to swallow everything.

*

When the Purple Girl returned to the dining area after her bath, a scene different from usual unfolded.

The Golden Reaper, making eye contact with her, rushed over with a serious expression as if it had made a significant discovery.

Normally, it would greet her with a bright smile every time she returned, but today was different.

Its small face was filled with anxiety and unease, and it continuously tugged at her clothes, as if urging her to go somewhere.

“What on earth is wrong?”

The Purple Girl tilted her head in confusion.

It was the first time she had seen it so flustered.

Following her small friend’s lead, she moved through the dining area and into the long corridor.

Upon reaching the end of the corridor, a door caught her eye.

The door of the small storage room that held the drawing tools was wide open.

For this door, which usually needed to be kept tightly closed, to be left open like this was unusual.

The girl intended to remind her friend of the mansion’s rules once again.

“Doors shouldn’t be opened carelessly…?”

But as she started to speak, she suddenly fell silent.

It was because doubts about the rules had arisen in her mind.

Lost in thought for a moment, she muttered softly, “Isn’t it also a ‘used room’ if my friend is trying to go inside?”

The Purple Girl looked confused because of the mansion’s rules.

But more serious than that was the Golden Reaper’s reaction.

Just a moment ago, the Golden Reaper, who had been impatiently leading her, now wore a very bewildered expression.

Its small eyes were fixed intently on the room inside.

“The darkness has disappeared. Why?”

The room, which had once been filled with endless darkness, now looked like an ordinary storage room.

Drawing tools neatly organized on the shelves, a small vase placed by the window, and the girl’s sketches hanging on the wall.

Everything felt too mundane.

*

A dreamscape garden filled with Golden Reapers having nightmares.

I continued to comfort the Unicorn Golden Reaper that kept biting my finger.

“I’m sorry. I won’t disturb you anymore.”

To soothe the Unicorn Golden Reaper, I bestowed happy dreams upon all the Golden Reapers suffering in nightmares.

A dream where enormous star candies rained down endlessly from the sky.

Sure enough, the Golden Reapers waved their hands towards the sky, wearing joyful expressions.

And I made pudding for the Unicorn Golden Reaper and fed it loads while petting it.

I spent much more time comforting it than the other Golden Reapers, but I didn’t mind at all.

After all, a little trouble was worth it for automatic hunting.

Hehe.

As I petted the Unicorn Golden Reaper extensively, its expression gradually relaxed into happiness.

As if forgetting that I had caused it to have nightmares.

Then I made a small request of the Unicorn Golden Reaper.

Just a tiny request to gather up the firewood of the sleeping children little by little.

“I can’t do it!”

However, contrary to my expectations, the Unicorn Golden Reaper shook its head gently in refusal.

Then, with a cheerful laugh as if to show what it could do, it reached out into the air.

Suddenly, the Golden Reapers, who had been deep asleep, slowly rubbed their eyes and woke up with expressions of disappointment.

“Nooo….”

“My star candy….”

And as the Unicorn Golden Reaper stretched its hand out again, the Golden Reapers, who had just started to wake, returned to deep slumber once more.

‘!!!’

As soon as I saw that ability, I recognized it at a glance.

It was the sleep-inducing ability I possessed!

It seemed even more effective and with a larger range than what I had!

But….

It was completely useless for automatic hunting.

“Hehe.”

The Unicorn Golden Reaper tilted its head and smiled brightly as if asking for compliments.

I gazed down at that Golden Reaper with a blank expression, feeling like a total failure.

“You’re just a useless Golden Horn Reaper!”

For some reason, I felt uneasy as if my plans for “Golden Horn” nourishment had derailed before they even started.

“Could it be… my dream… my hope….”

I hurried toward the Golden Horn Isolation Zone.