Part 56: Fleeting Resistance

October 5th, 1986, 6:00 PM



BGM: Voiceless

"...Yes. We described everything as we saw it."

George folded his arms and started humming again. And the kitchen was once again absorbed by a long silence.

"George-sama, I understand well that you aren't able to believe that so suddenly. Anyways, even though I should have seen it with my own eyes, I'm still not sure what it was I saw... I'm sure I saw it. And I'm sure I got into a scuffle! And yet, I almost feel like it was all an illusion..."
"...I see. So that's why you couldn't go into the details in front of Aunt Rosa. If what you said is true, then we're in even bigger trouble... I see, I understand that Genji-san handled the whole thing composedly."
"...If only I had the power to explain it."

George had not actually seen it, and even when pressed to believe, he just couldn't imagine it. It was only natural. Because even the people who had actually seen it had given up asking themselves what it was...



"...That's right, I was thinking about that as well. Why spider-webs?"
"In the past, I happened to hear it from Kumasawa-san. A long time ago, evil spirits lived in Rokkenjima and they, umm, feared spider-webs. And they say there's a legend that people treasured spider-webs as amulets. And, umm... right at that moment, I, I think I was also a bit confused..."
"...When it came to those old stories, Kumasawa was very knowledgeable."
"That's because spiders are useful. Certainly, the existence of such a creed isn't strange at all."
"...I'm sure. I think that torii shrine was entrapping the power of those evil spirits. And, since the spirit mirror was broken, that power revived... I have no doubt that it became the power to make Beatrice-sama revive... If I, as weak-hearted as I am, hadn't done such an outrageous thing... Whaaaaaaa...!!"
"...Shannon. You don't have to worry about that anymore. I don't blame you for that."



After listening to her, George had come to think that this was typical of a girl, associating love with fate, chance, and miracles. George thought that she had gone a little too far when she broke the spirit mirror that was offered at the torii shrine, but he had smiled and forgiven her, thinking that it was only a little prank she had done because she had seriously desired a relationship with him. Just breaking a mirror in some musty shrine wouldn't change the fate of our meeting. And that would never cause any curse. I should have cheered her up, saying it was only a musty mirror covered in dust.

"...I had heard the story of a spirit called Beatrice from several coworkers ever since I started working on this island."
"In the beginning, I thought it was ridiculous, but since it would appear indiscreet to comment on that... outwardly, I conducted myself as if I also believed it. But, could it really-"
"She existed. Beatrice-sama was in this mansion all along. But Beatrice had lost her powers, and could not appear before us. She did 'exist' all along. It's just that we couldn't see her."
"...I'd like to hear Genji-san's opinion."
"...I do not have any opinion. All that I would like to say is, at that time, there were five people there. And I thought that Kanon had returned through the back door. Then, we carried him to the servants' room, something happened, and Doctor Nanjo and Kumasawa became people who will never come back."
"...That is all. We have already explained everything we saw. I understand that it would be very unreasonable to try and force you, who didn't see it, to believe it."
"How could he believe it? I thought that it was undoubtedly Kanon-san. But that guy got up from the bed, and, that's right, when he started to grope about that wound in his chest in that manner, I felt that this wasn't Kanon-san, but some different being."
"...You probably couldn't understand it, George-saa. The terror of that moment when the person I thought I knew well exposed that he was in fact, a different person... I can't explain. I can't explain it at all..."
"I understand. I can guess at what kind of a shock such a dreadful thing would cause to Gohda-san."
"...Thank you very much, George-sama."

And they all went silent again. Shannon kept crying no matter how many times she was consoled, thinking that listening to the witch's sweet whispers and breaking the spirit mirror on that day had all been a mistake...



"...I think she explained it to me a little, but I don't really remember. I think she said something about how she couldn't release her power if that mirror existed."
"...What happened to this mirror that you broke?"
"I don't remember. I probably left when I broke it, so it's probably just how I left it."
"...So when, as they say, the reef was struck by lightning and disappeared, the bottom of the ocean... Well, I'll bet picking it up and taping it together won't make it effective again. Hahahahaha."
"...Truly, what... have I done..."
"...Sorry. I shouldn't have said that."



The servants didn't blame Shannon, but it seemed that they believed that had been the beginning. But even now, there was no way George could believe that far. Even if he was told a story about witches and evil spirits, it just sounded fake to him. Even so, he listened seriously to Shannon's story, trying find a hint that might relieve at least a little of the pain in her heart.

"Come to think of it... I think it is different from the one in that torii, but I have heard that Madam keeps a spirit mirror as a charm."
"...Really? Aunt Natsuhi?"
"Yes. I believe she received it as a memento from her grandfather or something, and that it held a very strong magic repelling power, of high pedigree? A spirit mirror or something..."
"...I have also heard the same story. Something about the mirror having the power to reflect that which is not good and send it back."



BGM: Dead Angle

"Huh..."

When George proposed this, the servants looked up.

"...The shrine and the torii where it was enshrined are gone now, but the important thing is that there is still another spirit mirror. I've heard that Aunt Natsuhi's family is descended from Shinto priests. Maybe that isn't just a simple mirror."
"I, I am sure that I have heard Madam say that she keeps it safe in a treasure box. It might not be very large."
"...I don't think its size is a problem. Even the mirror I broke didn't look so big at a glance."
"...If our opponent is occult, then we too must resist by using occult measures. If we just sit around here, nothing will be resolved. It's worth trying, if only for some peace of mind."

Of course, this didn't mean that George had accepted the witch. However, he thought it would be necessary to have some kind of purification ceremony to heal the wounds in Shannon's heart. So this story about Natsuhi's spirit mirror was really convenient.

"Let's go. I won't say that it will finish off the witch or something so outrageous. However, I think it would be nice if we had something that repels magic to protect us from the witch."
"...Maria-chan told me about it earlier, but the door to Grandfather's room was supposed to be able to repel magic, right? As expected of Grandfather. This means he was pretty good on defense when it comes to the occult. Let's go. To Aunt Natsuhi's room!"
"B, but, I think Madam's room is locked...! We returned the master keys to Rosa-sama, and even the key box in the servants' room is now locked away..."
"...In that case, Aunt Natsuhi should have been walking around with that key. Aunt Natsuhi's corpse should still be in the chapel. It would be bad to disturb it ourselves before the police come, but we can fully explain that."
"However... the entrance to the chapel is also locked..."
"Hahaha, Gohda-san, can't you break a single glass window with your physical strength? You could smash it with a rock from around there."
"W, would it... umm, be okay to break the window of that important chapel...?"
"When Grandfather gets mad at us, I'll take responsibility. From the beginning, I was planning on fighting with the whole Ushiromiya family today. So that they would permit my engagement with you... So I'm even more prepared than before."
"Let's break the glass. Then, let's borrow the key from Aunt Natsuhi's corpse."

It seemed that George's claim that he would take responsibility gave the servants a great amount of courage. Shannon and Gohda faced each other, and then looked at George's face again.

"Grandfather knows everything about the occult. I'm sure he'll understand if it's about the power of Aunt Natsuhi's spirit mirror. Don't worry, he won't get mad at you."
"...I wonder if Madam's mirror... can really seal... Beatrice-sama once again."
"I don't know. But I think it's worth trying. So let's go. It's getting darker and darker outside. Quickly!"
"Shannon, get a flashlight! Gohda-san, find something that looks like it can break the glass! Sorry Genji, but could you get us some umbrellas?"



The servants, who had been rejected by Rosa, gained a new master and started to move. George, who was normally calm and gentle, was now oozing dignity.

Shannon checked the emergency flashlight. Just in case, she changed the batteries. Gohda was testing several heavy looking cooking tools. Normally, a highly praised chef like himself wouldn't want to use them for something other than their intended purpose. But now he was frantic to fulfill the orders of the one he accepted as his master. After some worrying, he took a large, thick-feeling frying pan. Genji removed several umbrellas from the umbrella stand set in the corner near the kitchen door. He took three of them.

"Genji-san...?"
"...I cannot go with you. It would be embarrassing for me, as the head servant of the Ushiromiya family, if we were all gone when an order is given."
"Wh, what in the world, Genji-san?! Even you should understand how dangerous it would be to be alone in this mansion now...!"
"...I cannot go. So that the Master can call for me at any time, I must remain here."
"Genji-sama..."
"...Go, so that you can work for George-sama. Be sincere, so that there are no blunders. Gohda, I am counting on you to be an example."
"Y, yes. Leave it to me."
"I will surely fulfill my duty..."
"Is this really alright, Genji-san?"
"Yes. I am already at this age. All the days of my life until now have been in repayment for the Master's favor. Whatever happens to a senile old man like myself will be decided by the roulette. I want to sit here and see what the result will be with my own eyes."

As Genji said that, he sat down.



When George saw this, he decided to leave Genji there.

"Let's go, everyone. It looks like the wind is a little softer right now!"

When George took an umbrella and dashed down the hallway, Shannon and Gohda chased after him, each holding a tool. After they flew out of the room, Genji quietly stretched his hand out to the corner of the room with the chessboard. He softly pulled something that was there towards himself, and hid it by covering it with his palm. Genji killed his breathing even more than before.

...As he did, something flashed gold.



It was almost as though it had seen George and the rest off, and was trying to secretly chase after them...

It happened in an instant.



After the gold butterfly beat its wings several times, looking like it was in pain, it accepted the fact that it couldn't break free, became fine gold powder and smoke, and disappeared as though it had melted into water...

Genji still gazed down at the chessboard as though nothing had happened. Maybe he would think up a brilliant move very soon. But no matter what move he made, his opponent would not be able to respond for all eternity. Even though he knew that, Genji searched for a brilliant move. It must have been the perfect way to kill time, during the short period before some fate would be given to him...

...He didn't know what result the roulette would bring about. But that decision would be made very soon. No one could interfere with the tumbling roulette ball...



BGM: Voiceless

So Rosa scowled, apparently thinking that if a suspicious person appeared, it would be by breaking the window. Sitting on a one-person sofa, her back to the door, she continued to hold onto her gun.

I didn't know what was what anymore, and even though my body and mind were worn out, I played with Maria, as she wanted. Maria had said it. Beatrice wanted to see whether the epitaph of the gold could be solved, so we had to challenge this riddle. In the beginning, I had been a little interested, and had tried to solve it, but I had never had a clue about what that weird paragraph meant. I didn't doubt that there was some riddle hidden there, but I couldn't imagine that I would solve it by chance.

In the middle part of the epitaph, there were the lines from the first to the tenth twilight, saying to journey to the Golden Land.



It was obvious that this hinted at the first six murders that had already occurred in the chapel, and Jessica and Kanon-kun's murders. If this was being followed, we still had to be prepared for five more people to be killed.



Doctor Nanjo and Kumasawa baa-chan's corpses hadn't been found. However, if we reasonably assumed that they were the sacrifices of the fourth and fifth twilights, they would surely be found in a pitiful state, with their head and chest gouged. In which case, could we expect that three more would be gouged in the stomach, knee, and leg and killed? Who would that be?

...I looked around the room, noticing that there were three people here, but, how should I say it, my emotions seemed paralyzed. I couldn't understand my strange and frightening feelings. As I leaned on the sofa with the top part of my body, gazing up at the ceiling, Maria noticed. Somehow, it seemed as though she felt I was slacking off in my riddle-solving. She was mad at me, like I wasn't being serious enough.

"...Hey, Maria."
"Uu-...?"



I was sure that the witch had written in her letter that she would give up on collecting the debt, or something abstract like that. I optimistically took that to mean that she would give up on killing the whole family, but was it really written with that meaning?

I didn't really feel like solving this riddle would actually save us. I thought that even if we did solve it, would that be doing just what the culprit wanted us to, and would all be a wasted effort...

"No, that's not true. If you solve the epitaph, Beato's ceremony will be over. So there won't be any need for more people to die."
"...Really? Isn't that rule just something she made up...? If we solve this riddle, we'll probably know the location of Grandfather's hidden gold. She'll surely go after that..."
"Uu-. Won't go after."
"...Why are you so sure?"
"The gold has been Beatrice's from the beginning. She wouldn't go after something that's hers."
"...Then... then why is Beatrice giving us all these big hints? Not just that, why did she even set up this game-like thing?"



"...Risk. I don't really know what you mean."
"For example, in a marathon, do you think that a medal that anyone can get by running the whole thing is worth the same as the medal given only to the person who gets first...?"
"No, I don't... So what does this mean? In the end, she's just playing around? Purposefully giving us a chance-"
"W-ro-ng. That's what a witch is. No matter how great the magic, there are definitely risks and weak points. No, there has to be."
"...I don't get this stuff you call magic, but if I think about it as a gamble, I can understand a little. If you aren't prepared to lose big, then you can't win big. And the slimmer the chances of winning, the bigger the payoff."
"That is correct. So Beato properly explained the risk of the ceremony to everyone. Therefore, if this riddle is solved, the ceremony will be suspended. After all, if she breaks her promises, then there wouldn't be any risk."
"If we solve this... will she really keep her promise?"



"Humans can bring about miracles by gambling their death. If there were an undying human, that person would have no way of bringing about a miracle. Us too, life too, the witch and the ceremony too. If we don't bear a risk, we can't succeed in anything."
"...What do we do if we solve the riddle? Should we raise our hand and cry 'That's it!', tell the witch our answer and see what she says?"
"Uu-. I don't know about that. But, if we solve it, the ceremony will surely end automatically."
"...You sure know a lot, Maria. Did you learn all of that, from Beatrice?"
"Uu-."



At least when making moves in chess, players grope for the best move, always trying to avoid risk and hoping for an advantageous turn of events. They don't trust to chance, like in gambling. That's right, there's no room for gambling in an intellectual game. And yet, this person called Beatrice had committed such an outrageous crime... or maybe a ceremony... while purposefully imposing conditions for her own loss and announcing them to us.

In chess, you always play the best move. So by standing in your opponent's position, you can predict their next move. However, you couldn't say for sure that Beatrice's moves were always the best moves. I thought she was probably making us focus on the epitaph to trick us in some way, speaking in riddles.

...But Maria said only that was impossible. She said that this was a genuine risk that the witch had taken, and therefore proof that this was a formal ceremony for magic.



Even though she is supposedly committing this chain of murders with some goal in mind, why did she go to all the trouble of exposing the conditions by which she would lose? No matter how I turn the chessboard over and think from my opponent's perspective, I can't understand why she would give up if this riddle is solved. Isn't it almost as though Beatrice doesn't care whether she wins or loses? It's natural that chessboard reasoning wouldn't work if you played chess against an opponent like this...

...I don't understand, I don't understand. What is Beatrice after that's making her cause this crime? If she just wants to massacre us all, she could just do it secretly, without this whole crazy setup. There was no need for that scrupulous advance notice, this closed room acting or anything. It's all over-acting. I don't understand at all what it means. As long as I continue to think of Beatrice as a greedy human culprit, will I be able to understand anything?



...If she was really a witch, and everything Maria had said was true, there would be only one thing for us to do. The reasoning and the discord and searching for the culprit had all been pointless. We should have all gathered in the dining hall, combining our knowledge to solve the riddle. If we had combined the knowledge of that many people, maybe we would be able to at least grasp a thread of the answer...

The greedy humans, desiring to gain something more than their opponent, were being offered up as sacrifices one by one, without gathering their knowledge together. In the end, did the humans get what they deserved? They thought they were thinking, but they were actually thinking only of their greedy selves. In the end, chessboard theory is a technique of thinking where you project yourself on your opponent. So greedy people see their greedy selves inside their opponents...



She was probably tired from being under all this tension the whole time. She couldn't sleep, but she kept staring vaguely at some point off in space. Aunt Rosa had proclaimed that she couldn't trust anyone who had not been killed. Aunt Rosa's chessboard thinking... saw herself inside her opponent. In other words, Aunt Rosa might have been an isolated woman, unable to trust anyone and unable to let her guard down.

Long ago, I think I heard a bit about it from my dad. Aunt Rosa had originally been a very obedient child. But her age was too far separated from the other siblings, and furthermore, because conflicting demands were often made of her by her confrontational siblings, since she was young, her thoughts had become psychologically harsh. Often, when she copied one of her siblings, another sibling would give her a hard time. Certainly Aunt Rosa had said many things today that could be taken as abusive language. But, in a sense, those were words that had been showered upon her, and engraved on her vocabulary. The many abusive words that she had spoken... were also words that Aunt Rosa had been showered with in the past...

Now that I think about it, I've had the feeling that her style of speech sometimes has traces of Krauss oji-san or Eva oba-san in it. I'd accepted that they might be similar because they were siblings, but maybe that wasn't the case... I sympathized from my heart with Aunt Rosa, who I had come to think of as being only gentle...



If we could solve the riddle that the witch announced to us, the ceremony would be halted and we would definitely be saved. And I think she also said that Beatrice would never break that promise. But this is Maria we're talking about. She herself would never break a promise, and she had the most innocent heart... So she believed that Beatrice also wouldn't break a promise. She could believe that.

But wasn't that just an image of Beatrice that Maria imagined...? There's no proof that the real Beatrice definitely keeps her promises, right...?



"...So you're saying a complete monster like you follows the rules?"
"I won't deny that I am brutal and unjust and a monster."
"However, I am a witch. I use magic. In order to use magic, there are some rules that must be followed. Because I am a witch, I cannot neglect those. You should believe at least that much."
"...Even after everything's gotten so crazy, you're still telling me to believe only those rules?"
"...I do play tricks. Of course, I also deceive people. That's no different from humans. But not once have I disregarded something that I have said as a promise. What about humans? Do you always keep your promises?"
"...Since we have catch phrases like 'Keep your promises', it's doubtful that we always follow them properly."
"From my perspective, humans are much more selfish monsters. There's nothing as doubtful as a human's promise. Even I sometimes make contracts with humans, but it's hard to imagine how strict an agreement must be made just to grant a single foolish wish."
"...If there's even a small loophole, they'll immediately say something like 'Increase the number of wishes to one hundred', or 'try changing into a tiny speck'."
"...Dad often tells me something. He says that there's nothing as scary as contracts. He said it's only natural that people who agree without reading them thoroughly will be chewed to the bone. He made a killing through vice."
"...Realize this. When people are born, they don't know of fraud. ...They suffer it somewhere. And so it is learned."
"..."
"Yes, the crimes of the human world, which must be forced on one another. Let me see, I've heard that from a witch somewhere. Oh well. I'm not as heartless as you think, you see? *cackle*cackle*cackle*!"
"Liar!! You killed so many people!! And you did it in such a horrible way too, how could you not be heartless?!! You say you keep your promises?! Don't say stuff like that!! I won't accept you. Never. I believe that not giving that up is the only way I can resist you!"
"...I see. So you're saying that this eternal torture, will be the same for me. ...*cackle*cackle*cackle*cackle*."



"Damn you, babbling on and on about this incomprehensible stuff. Let's quickly continue this eternal torture. I'm prepared to stick around for one thousand years or even ten thousand years."
"*cackle*cackle*! Good, good. It looks like you've regained some of your will to fight. It would be boring otherwise."
"Come now, don't you often see it in competitive games? Sometimes one player intrudes on their opponent's territory, but the opponent is so weak that it's a bit of an anticlimax, so the first player loses on purpose to extend the game until the last round, when they get serious and shower their opponent with blows, right?"
"...I don't get the analogy."
"It's the same as wine. If you don't let it age well, it won't sparkle. You are the same as that wine. I'll carefully make you age. I'll raise you to be the best alcohol to color my elegant time..."

Part 57: Fleeting Resistance II

"...I sympathize with all my heart. Shannon-san, please get the key. Even though she is dead, Madam is a lady. I cannot touch her."
"...Yes."

Shannon nodded sharply, her expression filled with a sense of duty. George, Gohda and Shannon had broken a suitable window, and were inside the chapel. Since they really hadn't wanted to break one, they had searched for another way in, just in case. But in the end, after proving once again that there was nowhere that they could slip in through, it only became more obvious that this chapel was a mysterious closed room...

Inside the chapel, time had stopped since they had left it earlier. Of course, George hadn't been able to approach this horrible Halloween party again. It was only natural. Because it made him remember again the sadness of losing both of his parents at once. And Gohda, thinking of the possibility that those corpses might have changed in some horrible way now that a half of a day had passed, didn't want to let George approach.

Shannon followed Gohda's instructions, and approached the party table...



Even though Gohda had prodigious skill, he had gotten into trouble, lost his job, and been left out in the streets, when Natsuhi had given him a new life. Even though it had just been a casual employment for Natsuhi, Gohda must have felt that it was a turning point in his fate. Those around Gohda could see that he felt a special kind of loyalty to Natsuhi. So he probably didn't want to lose that feeling, even though she was dead.

Now that half a day had passed, the bodies of Natsuhi and the rest had changed completely. Small bugs that had sniffed out the smell of death had started to gather. It really wasn't something you wanted to look at directly...

"...Madam... excuse me..."

Because of her long experience as a servant, Shannon had an idea of which pocket Natsuhi had kept the key to her room in. Probably, in this pocket...

Her guess didn't fail her. Just by touching the outside of the pocket, she was immediately able to feel it...



Shannon held the key up high, showing the others that it had been found. As George and Gohda watched her, their eyes opened wide... That wasn't the expression Shannon was expecting, so it startled her. Because Shannon hadn't noticed. George and Gohda, watching from afar, had noticed it first.



BGM: Red Dread

They were countless gold butterflies. Because it was the first time George had seen them, it might have looked like some kind of illusion. But Gohda already knew. He knew that those gold butterflies were a long way from being beautiful, and that they caused some kind of misfortune. And that gold swelled, trying to suck Shannon in...

"Sh, Shannon-san!! Run!!"
"Huh?! Kyaa!!!"

Shannon also realized that gold butterflies were trying to swallow her up. She ran unsteadily, her expression still shocked. As she did, the gold butterflies danced around Shannon at once. They grouped together. They tried to swallow her up!

"Shannonnnnn!! Damn it, what is this?! Are these... the gold butterflies you guys were talking about?!"
"Outside, quickly!! You bastards! Damn it, damn it!!"

George and Gohda rushed up to Shannon, driving off the group of butterflies. And while the butterflies were scattered, they ran towards the broken window! However, they needed a good footing to get out of the window, which was surrounded with shards of broken glass. When they had entered, there had been enough time to prepare for that, but now there was none.

"Let's go out through the door!! There's no time to look for a footing!"



"Give it to me!! Damn it, this piece of crap... nnnnnnnn!!"
"George-sama, quickly!! Damn it, don't take me lightly, uooooooooooooooohhh!!"

Gohda took off his jacket, swinging it around and scattering the group of butterflies. But he was vastly outnumbered. It was doubtful that it even bought them a short amount of time.

George struggled with the broken handle. Its age showed, and it didn't turn well. Brute force alone wouldn't do it, it needs the right angle or some trick...

"George-sama!! Damn iiiiiiiiiiiit!! You monsteeers!!"

...At that time, Gohda saw it. He was seen by it. In other words, their eyes met.



As the number of Gold butterflies decreased, he saw the figure of the laughing witch in the center of golden whirlwind.

"...Be, Beatrice..."

It should have been Gohda's first meeting with her. But he knew her at a glance. Just like the other servants had said, this was certainly, certainly the witch of the portrait herself...!



BGM: Worldend Dominator

"U... uwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!"
"I, it's open!!"
"Gohda-san, quickly...!! Beatrice... sama..."
"Huh?! ...?!?!"
"Are you sure it's good to just stand there...? If you think this place is suitable for your cemetery, then very well. *cackle*cackle*!! I'll praise your spirit for wanting to stay by your former master's side and serve him even after death!"

The golden whirlwind that wrapped around the witch burst. It was like an evil hand had literally spread its fingers and was trying to attack them! The group of gold butterflies made a 'whoosh' sound and attacked.

"Hurry!! We can't stand here!!"

George's voice brought Shannon and Gohda back to themselves. Standing here now would be the same as a frog being stared down by a snake. They had to resist. They had to fight this incarnation of the new, brutal, and frightening order that Rokkenjima had been wrapped in...!



They didn't turn around, so they didn't realize it, but because the gold butterflies apparently couldn't do as they pleased out in the rain, and they weren't able to chase the three of them well.

The three people ran from their golden pursuers, and flew into the mansion...



Video: Eternal Love

They unlocked the door, and flew into the room.



...However, there was no time to let that calm them now.

"Where is it?! You said it was in a treasure box, right...?!"
"It's just something I heard...! I never knew where it actually...!"
"...I, I think it's probably in her dresser, or in the corner by the bed!"

Shannon claimed that because of her woman's sense. But in the corner by the bed, there was only an incense burner, a half-read novel, and glasses.



"Aunt Natsuhi, sorry...!!"

He began to violently open each one of the drawers. He had to hurry. He couldn't actually hear footsteps, but he had the feeling that the witch was approaching... He had the feeling that her laugh was approaching...!!

He emptied the drawers one by one and examined their contents. Every small box for makeup looked like a treasure box, and the amount of effort it would take to inspect all of them made him feel a little dizzy.

"M, maybe it's this box... It's locked, and I can't open it...!"

At a glance, it looked slightly larger than a music box. When shaken, it rustled, as though various small objects were inside. But it was locked and didn't open!

"N, normally, you'd hide the key somewhere nearby. But maybe some people always take it with them... I don't know, I don't know...!!"
"There's no choice... let's break it! But we can't do it with force, right? We might break the mirror inside. Could there be a tool to pry it open...?! Damn it...!!"

Gohda looked all over the room, trying to see if there was some tool that they could use. And he noticed the door, which had been left open ever since they had entered. He approached the door to close it... and noticed the abominable shadows of people approaching from beyond the darkness in the hall...

No, the phrase 'shadows of people' wasn't right. Because that referred to human shadows. You can't call the shadows of beings that aren't human shadows of people!!

"...G, George-sama!!! H, hurry..."

Gohda's voice trailed off... It was the shock from seeing a procession of those not of this world.

He was a servant. So he knew all of the servants that worked for the Ushiromiya family. But he didn't know about these. However, they were definitely servants...!! They weren't servants working for Ushiromiya Kinzo or Ushiromiya Krauss. They were new servants, who worked for the new master of the mansion, the Golden Witch Beatrice, who had goat's heads and bright-red, boiled eyes of lava!!



...Of course, she was clad in the gold butterflies that were her symbol.

Gohda hurriedly closed the door and locked it! However, just as he locked it, it returned to normal, just as though a spring or something had knocked it back! Just as though some prankster on the other side of the door was creating the illusion that it was opening every time he closed it. They shouldn't have reached the other side of the door yet!! Then who, how...?!

It felt just like playing with a broken toy. *click*, *boing*. *click*, *boing*.

"U, uwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!! I, it won't close!! Even if I close it, it opens! What's going on, damnitdamnitdamnitdamnit!!"

"Ku-hah-hah-hah-hah-hah-hah-hah-ha...!! Did you think a lock would stop me? Did you think the door to that room would stop the new master of that room?!"

It was like the witch could see Gohda's frantic effort through the door. Even as their footsteps were approaching. And when not just footsteps, but their breath too could be heard, Gohda gave up on the lock and slammed into the door, locking it himself with his large body.



"George-sama, what about this?!"
"A letter opener?! That's better, let me have it! The fountain pen isn't working!"

George took it, and once again dug into the crack under the lid of the treasure box. It looks like it's working...!

"Quickly quickly!! Hiiiiiii, UOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!!"

The pressure from across the door grew even stronger. Gohda screamed. It wasn't a war cry for this test of strength. He was terrified. He was simply terrified that, except for a single wooden door, he would be touching something not of this world. But he was still lucky. He wasn't touching them directly. Because they were on the other side of the door.

So it was natural that if he touched them directly, Gohda's cry would turn from something brave into a shameful and very real scream that would make glass shatter.

Gohda couldn't believe what was right before his eyes.



...It slid up his arm... to his chest... and then... his chin.

By now, Gohda's scream didn't sound like his voice. He could hear a sweet whispering voice from across the door. It wasn't coming from the witch, but judging by the sound of the voice, it was a young woman. But that didn't change the fact that it was a voice from one not of this world.



"HIIIIIIIIIiiiiiIIIIIIIIIIIiiiiIIIIiii!!"
"Thanks. It's over already isn't it? *giggle*giggle*!"



That obscene arm split open. And they heard the sound of something jumping around the room at an incredible speed. They didn't know what it was. Incredibly fast, small, like steel or maybe a beetle...!



Gohda's large body shook... bent backwards... and fell over. As it did, the door opened softly, even though no one was pushing it, and the new master of this room was welcomed in. It looked almost as though the door itself had accepted her.

The goat attendants entered one after another, six of them...!! Then that witch entered, and the gold butterflies entered!! The room was wrapped in a blizzard of gold leaf, which fell and piled up, turning it into a world of gold...!!



"You don't, do you? Receiving an engagement ring from the man you fell for, and then being killed before spending your first night together, that isn't a regret at all, riiiiiiiiiiiiight??? You wanted him to hold you, didn't yooooooooooou? You wanted him to teach you a woman's joy, riiiiight? Kuhihihyahyahyahyahyahyahyahya!!"
"Ahh, no, no, Shannon, it's hanging, isn't it? Your regret is hanging from your mouth. You can see it dribbling from your moooooooouth, right, Shannonnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn?? Hi-hyahyahahahahahahahahahakya-kyakkyakkyakkyakkyakkya!!!"



When George turned it over, accessories, charms, various small objects that Natsuhi had treasured when she was a girl fell out. Mixed in with that, was a pouch that stood out from the rest. He picked it up, and checked it immediately. This was it.

"I found it, this is it..."
"One move short. *cackle*cackle*cackle*cackle*cackle*!! Die!"
"...D, damn it!!"

All at once, the gold butterflies attacked George, who was impatiently trying to remove the contents of the pouch.



BGM: Scorpion Entrails

At that time, it seemed like, for just an instant, a bright red flash lit up the room... That red flash seemed to wipe out the gold butterflies that were raging around the room, as though drawing a circle with Shannon at the center... Therefore, it was a very divine scene. Almost as though a single streak of light cut through the clouds in the ceiling, in this world of gold...

George, who was curled in a ball, trying to protect himself from the group of butterflies, didn't have a clue what was going on.



"...I'd forgotten. You were also Kinzo's excellent furniture. And you've matured much more than Kanon..."
"...Kanon-kun... how could you? Not that you killed him. How could you erase his remains... and even try to disgrace his honor..."
"Come now, Shannonnnnn, does that make you mad? If you're lonely because you can't meet Kanon, just ask me, I'll bring you together any tiiiiime!!"



It was definitely a sight to make one doubt their eyes. It was definitely Kanon's face. However, in those eyes, there was none of that sincere glint of Kanon's. They were only the vague eyes of furniture that only obeyed the orders of the witch.

George couldn't understand the scene right before his eyes. And he finally understood why Gohda and the rest had been unable to talk about what they had seen in the servants' room.

"...Is it fun?"
"Yeah, it's fun. It's always fun to reunite two that have been torn apart by death. Because I get to enjoy tearing the two apart by death, reuniting them, and then tearing them apart again."



From the impostor Kanon's arm, a strangely shining trail extended. It planned to tear Shannon apart with that. Shannon, who still hadn't prepared her heart, with a single stroke...



"Stop babbling, get killed by your brother, Shannonnnnn, I'm sure you'll be able to have a good dreeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaam!!!"

As the impostor Kanon drew several purple loci, he should have attacked Shannon... But when he flew at Shannon, it felt like some kind of invisible wall had been set up in front of her.
The trails left a bright red ripple on the wall, and it repelled the impostor.

...No, it didn't repel him, it smashed him. It knocked him back, turning him into golden dust, into pieces, scattering him...!



"...Sh... Shannon..."
"...George-san, please don't move from there. I don't want to shift the central axis."



"I see, so the spirit mirror is lending you power... But you don't have the preparations or the time to draw out the true power of that spirit mirror."
"I won't give you either of those. *cackle*cackle*cackle*cackle*!"

The spirit mirror George gripped had let out a divine sparkle, and displayed a strength that wouldn't submit to wicked power. But that sparkle was no match for the witch's sinister nature...
"This is why furniture is frightening! That feeling, like unexpectedly hitting the corner of a cabinet with your little toe. This is why furniture is frightening!! You furniture, furniture furnituuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuure!!"
"...I am not furniture. And, I think you are very pitiful right now."
"Whaat...? Hoh. I wonder, what did this furniture, who hasn't lived even a hundred years, just say to a witch of one thousand years...?"
"...You are a very pitiful person. Of course there will be regrets between two people who love each other. But there isn't even a scrap of the kind of regrets you're hoping for."
"You dare speak, furniture...!! When you say that, have you forgotten the days that you wanted to be tied to George so much that you licked my shoes?!!"



"Especially now, I think you are pitiful. How much does it mean to a loving couple when they sleep together and succeed in love on their first night?"
"...It does mean something, it definitely does. ...But it's completely different from what you're saying. It means something so sacred that one such as you has no right to speak of it wickedly."
"So I no longer have any regrets. George-san and I have sworn our love to each other. As proof, I accepted the ring. With that, our eternal vows were completed! No matter how you torture us with your wicked magic and your malice, you cannot disgrace that for all eternity!!"



BGM: Moon







The invisible column of light with Shannon at the center, started to have bright red ripples drawn all over it at once. The wall did its best to withstand the malice that eyes couldn't see as it tried to corrode in on them from all directions.









The golden windstorm that covered the room gradually began to shave the walls off the column that protected Shannon and George. The bright-red ripples frantically drew a pattern of resistance, but instead, it became a red wall of despair and began to wrap up the two of them...

"...George-san, I'm sorry... It was impossible... for me... after all..."
"...Yes, thank you. You fought for my sake. That alone makes me happy."

As the round wall that had once protected them was assaulted and covered with a locus of bright red ripples as it made something like a scream, it began to suck the two of them up instead.



"George-san, can I ask a favor?"

Shannon grasped George's hand behind her. So George hugged her shoulders just as strongly.

"What is it?"
"In the end, please let me hear you say I love you."
"...Yeah. Sayo, I will forever