Chapter 145 (2/2)

It wasn't as if there weren't flying creatures among the Parasites. If ocean waves swept him away to the open ocean, he would be in a terrible position.

He couldn't see rocks or any tiny islands to hide on either.

'How troublesome.'

[Um, what are you going to do?]

A fidgety voice rang out in his already-confused head.

“Do you need to go?”

Perhaps sensing the hint of annoyance in Seol Jihu's voice, Flone dropped her head.

[I want to go….]

[Being curious is one reason… but I really want to find Grandpa. There's something I want to ask when I meet him….]

“But there's no guarantee that your grandfather is in the villa.”

[Yes, but… it's not a matter of possibilities. That's the only place he can be at.]

[We were told about the a.s.sa.s.sination, but we never got his body back.]

Seol Jihu furrowed his brows and raised his gaze. He could see a ghost staring at the villa with an ardent expression.

[I realized after I died.]

Flone continued.

[I became free thanks to you, but most spirits who were once living are restrained to a specific place.]

“By a specific place, you mean….”

[The place they died.]

Flone emphasized.

[If he isn't in the villa, he must have become a free spirit and left, or pa.s.sed on to the afterlife. Since we can't really find him if that is the case, I can give up on finding him without regrets.]

With Flone saying all this, Seol Jihu's expression softened.

“…What do you want to ask him?”

[This.]

The pendant on Seol Jihu's neck clattered.

[I'm curious why Mother left me this and why she said what she did when she placed this on my coffin….]

Hearing her sorrowful voice, Seol Jihu bit his lips.

'Now that I think about it….'

[That necklace….]

[A fragment of the Seven Virtues. You did well to find that.]

After a short silence, Seol Jihu asked.

“How does it look?”

[Hm?]

“The villa, I mean.”

[Oh, who knows? I don't feel any presence worth noting…. It's just that…]

“It's just that…?”

[It's strange. It feels like it's gesturing at me to come in…. That's the only way I can describe this feeling.]

Seol Jihu crossed his arms and lowered his head.

'I have to make the right decision.'

Going together or staying alone.

After looking back and forth between the colorlessness and the yellow color, Seol Jihu decided.

“You can go.”

[I can go?]

“Yes, but we're going together.”

[E-Eh? You're coming too? Really?]

“It might help you ask if you have this pendant.”

Although this was the reasoning he gave, the real reason was that he trusted his Nine Eyes.

Of course, the Nine Eyes was more varying than one might think. Although the villa might be colorless now, entering it or touching something wrong could instantly change the color to something more sinister.

'But…'

Even while taking that into account, Seol Jihu thought it was better to go in.

He didn't know why, but he had a strong feeling that staying near Flone would greatly increase his chance of survival.

He would be able to deal with any situation that comes up too.

[Really? We're both really going?]

“…Yes.”

A sigh heavy enough to sink the ocean escaped Seol Jihu's mouth.

“But don't forget the promise you made me.”

[Yeah! Of course!]

Flone shouted joyfully.

Soon… the youth and the ghost circled around the cliff and disappeared inside the villa.

Seol Jihu and Flone entered the villa without much trouble. Because the villa was extremely dark, Seol Jihu turned on the illuminating stone he had brought along.

“Hm….”

The villa looked rather small from the outside, but as expected, the interior made him exclaim in awe automatically.

He could see traces of the place having been rummaged recently as if to say that the place had been worn down through the pa.s.sage of time. One thing that surprised him was that there weren't many ornaments and luxury goods that would be worth taking.

'Did they take everything…?'

“They should have left some for me…” Seol Jihu murmured to himself before suddenly remembering Phi Sora.

He wouldn't have to worry if she died or went back after the expedition, but there was a chance that she was still here. He had to be careful not to run into her.

[So this is the Sacrificium….]

“Flone? I don't think there's anything nearby.”

[Yeah. Let's go somewhere else.]

“Don't forget. We can't stay here for more than an hour.”

[Okay, okay.]

Where should I go? Flone wondered to herself before going up the stairs. Worried that he would get separated, Seol Jihu quickly chased after her.

At first, the desolate, ghastly atmosphere bothered him. But the uncomfortable feeling disappeared as he conversed with Flone.

Perhaps because of the black smoke Flone continuously emitted, Seol Jihu seemed to get used to the surroundings as time went on.

After wandering around the second floor for a long time, Flone pushed open a door. There was furniture and bed inside, but it seemed overly luxurious to be a simple lodging room.

Seol Jihu spotted a portrait of a woman smiling kindly, then when he saw the small drawer underneath it, his eyes widened.

The White Rose Guild must have missed this room as a beautiful ornament was placed on top of the drawer.

It was a large gla.s.s cup. The stem was crystalline, and the bowl was crafted with gems. Inside, tantalizing grape-like golden orbs were stacked on top.

'Just taking one would be….'

Since one gold coin was 550 million Won, the gold orb should easily go for a billion Won.

[You can take it.]

Seeing Seol Jihu entranced by the cup, Flone whispered.

“I, I can?”

[Yep. It's not like it has an owner.]

“But the emperor….”

[Don't worry. That greedy emperor was beheaded at a guillotine.]

In other words, he had been killed elsewhere.

In that case, there was no reason for Seol Jihu to hesitate.

Seol Jihu approached the jeweled cup and stared at the golden orbs with a look of rapture.

'Just how many are there?'

There seemed to be at least ten orbs in there.

[The cup's pretty too. Let's take it.]

Seol Jihu nodded in a daze.

'This place really is a treasure trove.'

To think just one room would have such an incredible treasure….

It was then…

While Seol Jihu was picking up the orbs with his jaw dropped, he suddenly felt a strange gaze. When he looked up, following his instincts…

His body froze stiff and his eyes widened.

The kindly smiling woman in the portrait now had the corners of her mouth hanging by her ears.

When he met the eyes of the woman, whose head had turned at a strange angle, his breath stopped. His scream became stuck in his throat.

[What's wrong?]

Seeing Seol Jihu frozen, Flone looked up without much thought. Then, when she saw the woman smiling frighteningly….

[NOOO!]

She let out a short scream and swung her arm subconsciously.

In that instant, Seol Jihu barely managed to snap out of his daze. A clear scene became etched in his mind.

Flone's sharp nails scratched the portrait mercilessly…

Tzzzzt!

And the smiling woman's face turned to stupor.

[You surprised me!]

It didn't take long for the portrait to transform into an unrecognizable mess.