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iridesenescenceChapter 2
It was as if this mansion alone had been left behind as everything else around it had progressed with the times. It was in dire need of refurbishing.
Maybe it had been damaged during the Great Calamity, or maybe it was just that old, but some parts of its roof and walls were missing or crumbling away.
Faust: I don't sense anything malicious, but let's all be careful.
After checking that everyone had nodded in response to his warning, Faust slowly pushed open the weathered door.
The creak of a rusty hinge echoed, and the smell of mold and dust filled my nose.
——
Relying on the magic light Faust was providing, we stepped into the mansion.
Nero: ... There's a whole lot of furniture and household essentials left here. Did they need to get outta here in a hurry or somethin'?
Akira: You're right... Everything is old and covered in dust, but there are utensils and even shoes lying around.
Shino: Those floorboards're rotting. Watch your step.
Shino was right. An awful creaking noise arose with every step we took.
In the silence of the mansion, those creaks echoed like a scream, which certainly didn't help my feelings of unease.
Heathcliff: This place is kind of creepy...
Akira: It really is... It feels like a ghost or something might pop out at us at any moment...
Shino, who was walking ahead of us, turned back to look at the anxious Heathcliff and I.
[Crackling sounds]
Akira: Wah?!
Heathcliff: Wh-what is that...?!
Shino: Sorry. The floorboard was kinda weak.
Heathcliff: Come on, don't scare us...
Nero: Glad to see you kids are as lively as ever, even in a situation like this.
Faust: Where is this energy when you're sitting for my theory lectures, I wonder.
Shino: Hey. You two are making fun of me, aren't you.
Nero: Nah, we would never.
Shino: So you were praising me then?
Heathcliff: Why is it always all or nothing with you...
Nero: Well, whatever the case. I can sense a li'l bit of magic from the guy who used to live here, but that's about it.
Heathcliff: Yeah... This mansion is a little creepy, but I don't feel anything bad lurking here.
Akira: But then, what were the animal-like cries that the villagers said they heard...?
Shino: Maybe it was actually just the sound of the wind passing through.
Or maybe it's the voice of some spirit of the dead that wandered in here and got stuck.
Akira and Heathcliff: A spirit of the dead...
Faust: Hush.
That single word from Faust prompted us to cut our conversation off.
A faint sound disturbed the air in the silence that followed. We all focused and tried to identify its source.
Akira: (This is the sound of...)
It wasn't, in fact, the sound of wind, or a creaking coming from the walls or floor. It was the sound of breathing that you would hear from a living creature.
The sound slowly grew louder, indicating that it — whatever 'it' was — was approaching us.
Akira: (But the villagers said that no one was in this house...)
The tension ran thick in the damp darkness.
Shino and Heathcliff: ......
Faust and Nero: ......
The wizards wordlessly summoned their magical instruments. They stared straight into the darkness and held their breaths.
Shino: ...! There you are!
Shino, who had spotted something, was the first to move, and he leapt at the door in front of us.
At the same time, the door was destroyed as something burst out from behind it.
Heathcliff and Akira: ?!
[Barking]
Nero: A dog...?!
Standing before us was an enormous dog with red eyes and pitch black fur. It was so big that if it were to rear up on its hind legs, it would easily be as tall as Riquet or Mitile.
Shino: 《Matztzah Sapidus》 !
Shino swung his scythe at the black dog, but it deftly dodged the attack.
Shino: ...! You...!
Stunned by its speed, Shino took some time to prepare his next attack.
In that split-second opening, the black dog charged towards Heathcliff.
Shino: Heath!
Heathcliff: 《Repsev Aivulp—》
Though it happened in the blink of an eye, Heathcliff was calm as he made to recite his spell.
However—
Heathcliff: ... Huh...?
Contrary to what we had been expecting, the dog came to a stop just in front of Heathcliff.
We watched as it turned around and began to bark at Shino, as if trying to intimidate him.
Heathcliff: ... Wha?
Shino: The heck?
All of our eyes widened.
Akira: (Wh-what's going on here...?)
The black dog had positioned itself in front of Heathcliff as if guarding him, and it showed no signs of trying to attack him.
In fact, it looked as if it was trying to protect Heathcliff from Shino, who held a weapon and looked ready to attack.
Shino: Hey, stop that. You're making it seem like I'm Heath's enemy.
Come and get me, you big hulking dog.
Shino swung his scythe to taunt it. But the dog simply glared in his direction without moving.
Heathcliff: Uhh...
Faust: ... If nothing else, it doesn't seem like it's interested in attacking us.
Especially you, Heath. This dog seems to have identified you as someone that it needs to protect.
Nero: And it looks like it thinks Shino is your enemy.
Shino: Why.
Akira: This whole situation is full of mysteries... Could it have gotten lost?
Faust: Not quite...
Faust observed the black dog with one hand cupping his chin. After taking a moment to think, he spoke once again.
Faust: It's not a living creature, but something closer to a spirit.
Akira: Wait, really? But it seems so much like a real dog...
Faust: Yes. I don't sense any harmful energy from it, so it's unlikely that this is a malicious spirit.
Shino: He's got it out for me, though.
The moment Shino glared at it, the dog began to bark once more. It seemed to be telling Shino to stay away.
Nero: Ahaha... Dunno how you did it, but it's taken a real likin' to you, Heath.
Why not try givin' it an order?
Heathcliff: Uh... Let's see...
Looking slightly lost, Heathcliff spoke to the dog that was continuing to bark at Shino.
Heathcliff: Okay, that's enough barking from you.
Just like that, the dog stopped.
Akira: Wow...! It listened to your command.
Heathcliff: ......
Heathcliff bent down, and with a bit of hesitation, began patting the dog's head. It seemed that it did have a physical body.
The dog wagged its tail, looking delighted, and began rubbing its head against Heathcliff.
Shino: Hey, don't get your scent and fur all over my master.
Nero: Would that even happen? I mean, this ain't your regular dog.
Heathcliff: I-I wonder. It feels soft enough...
Akira: Ooh, its fur has texture... That sounds nice...
Faust: It might have a large stature, but it's actually pretty cu... Uh. That aside, we've found the source of the strange cries.
The sounds that the villagers heard from this mansion must have been from this dog.
Shino: Well that's a letdown. I was here hoping for some kind of monster, but taking down one dog isn't going to count for anything.
Black dog: Woof!
Shino: What do you want?
Nero: He probably took that as an insult, just like you did earlier.
Shino: 'Scuse me? Don't lump me in with this guy.
Akira: But if it's not a stray or a lost dog, then what is it doing here...?
Faust: It must have either found its way here, or it was summoned by something... Either way, we can't just leave it.
Let's have Oz take a look at it and see what he thinks. Can you get that dog to come along with us, Heath?
Chapter 1 || Chapter 3
It was as if this mansion alone had been left behind as everything else around it had progressed with the times. It was in dire need of refurbishing.
Maybe it had been damaged during the Great Calamity, or maybe it was just that old, but some parts of its roof and walls were missing or crumbling away.
Faust: I don't sense anything malicious, but let's all be careful.
After checking that everyone had nodded in response to his warning, Faust slowly pushed open the weathered door.
The creak of a rusty hinge echoed, and the smell of mold and dust filled my nose.
——
Relying on the magic light Faust was providing, we stepped into the mansion.
Nero: ... There's a whole lot of furniture and household essentials left here. Did they need to get outta here in a hurry or somethin'?
Akira: You're right... Everything is old and covered in dust, but there are utensils and even shoes lying around.
Shino: Those floorboards're rotting. Watch your step.
Shino was right. An awful creaking noise arose with every step we took.
In the silence of the mansion, those creaks echoed like a scream, which certainly didn't help my feelings of unease.
Heathcliff: This place is kind of creepy...
Akira: It really is... It feels like a ghost or something might pop out at us at any moment...
Shino, who was walking ahead of us, turned back to look at the anxious Heathcliff and I.
[Crackling sounds]
Akira: Wah?!
Heathcliff: Wh-what is that...?!
Shino: Sorry. The floorboard was kinda weak.
Heathcliff: Come on, don't scare us...
Nero: Glad to see you kids are as lively as ever, even in a situation like this.
Faust: Where is this energy when you're sitting for my theory lectures, I wonder.
Shino: Hey. You two are making fun of me, aren't you.
Nero: Nah, we would never.
Shino: So you were praising me then?
Heathcliff: Why is it always all or nothing with you...
Nero: Well, whatever the case. I can sense a li'l bit of magic from the guy who used to live here, but that's about it.
Heathcliff: Yeah... This mansion is a little creepy, but I don't feel anything bad lurking here.
Akira: But then, what were the animal-like cries that the villagers said they heard...?
Shino: Maybe it was actually just the sound of the wind passing through.
Or maybe it's the voice of some spirit of the dead that wandered in here and got stuck.
Akira and Heathcliff: A spirit of the dead...
Faust: Hush.
That single word from Faust prompted us to cut our conversation off.
A faint sound disturbed the air in the silence that followed. We all focused and tried to identify its source.
Akira: (This is the sound of...)
It wasn't, in fact, the sound of wind, or a creaking coming from the walls or floor. It was the sound of breathing that you would hear from a living creature.
The sound slowly grew louder, indicating that it — whatever 'it' was — was approaching us.
Akira: (But the villagers said that no one was in this house...)
The tension ran thick in the damp darkness.
Shino and Heathcliff: ......
Faust and Nero: ......
The wizards wordlessly summoned their magical instruments. They stared straight into the darkness and held their breaths.
Shino: ...! There you are!
Shino, who had spotted something, was the first to move, and he leapt at the door in front of us.
At the same time, the door was destroyed as something burst out from behind it.
Heathcliff and Akira: ?!
[Barking]
Nero: A dog...?!
Standing before us was an enormous dog with red eyes and pitch black fur. It was so big that if it were to rear up on its hind legs, it would easily be as tall as Riquet or Mitile.
Shino: 《Matztzah Sapidus》 !
Shino swung his scythe at the black dog, but it deftly dodged the attack.
Shino: ...! You...!
Stunned by its speed, Shino took some time to prepare his next attack.
In that split-second opening, the black dog charged towards Heathcliff.
Shino: Heath!
Heathcliff: 《Repsev Aivulp—》
Though it happened in the blink of an eye, Heathcliff was calm as he made to recite his spell.
However—
Heathcliff: ... Huh...?
Contrary to what we had been expecting, the dog came to a stop just in front of Heathcliff.
We watched as it turned around and began to bark at Shino, as if trying to intimidate him.
Heathcliff: ... Wha?
Shino: The heck?
All of our eyes widened.
Akira: (Wh-what's going on here...?)
The black dog had positioned itself in front of Heathcliff as if guarding him, and it showed no signs of trying to attack him.
In fact, it looked as if it was trying to protect Heathcliff from Shino, who held a weapon and looked ready to attack.
Shino: Hey, stop that. You're making it seem like I'm Heath's enemy.
Come and get me, you big hulking dog.
Shino swung his scythe to taunt it. But the dog simply glared in his direction without moving.
Heathcliff: Uhh...
Faust: ... If nothing else, it doesn't seem like it's interested in attacking us.
Especially you, Heath. This dog seems to have identified you as someone that it needs to protect.
Nero: And it looks like it thinks Shino is your enemy.
Shino: Why.
Akira: This whole situation is full of mysteries... Could it have gotten lost?
Faust: Not quite...
Faust observed the black dog with one hand cupping his chin. After taking a moment to think, he spoke once again.
Faust: It's not a living creature, but something closer to a spirit.
Akira: Wait, really? But it seems so much like a real dog...
Faust: Yes. I don't sense any harmful energy from it, so it's unlikely that this is a malicious spirit.
Shino: He's got it out for me, though.
The moment Shino glared at it, the dog began to bark once more. It seemed to be telling Shino to stay away.
Nero: Ahaha... Dunno how you did it, but it's taken a real likin' to you, Heath.
Why not try givin' it an order?
Heathcliff: Uh... Let's see...
Looking slightly lost, Heathcliff spoke to the dog that was continuing to bark at Shino.
Heathcliff: Okay, that's enough barking from you.
Just like that, the dog stopped.
Akira: Wow...! It listened to your command.
Heathcliff: ......
Heathcliff bent down, and with a bit of hesitation, began patting the dog's head. It seemed that it did have a physical body.
The dog wagged its tail, looking delighted, and began rubbing its head against Heathcliff.
Shino: Hey, don't get your scent and fur all over my master.
Nero: Would that even happen? I mean, this ain't your regular dog.
Heathcliff: I-I wonder. It feels soft enough...
Akira: Ooh, its fur has texture... That sounds nice...
Faust: It might have a large stature, but it's actually pretty cu... Uh. That aside, we've found the source of the strange cries.
The sounds that the villagers heard from this mansion must have been from this dog.
Shino: Well that's a letdown. I was here hoping for some kind of monster, but taking down one dog isn't going to count for anything.
Black dog: Woof!
Shino: What do you want?
Nero: He probably took that as an insult, just like you did earlier.
Shino: 'Scuse me? Don't lump me in with this guy.
Akira: But if it's not a stray or a lost dog, then what is it doing here...?
Faust: It must have either found its way here, or it was summoned by something... Either way, we can't just leave it.
Let's have Oz take a look at it and see what he thinks. Can you get that dog to come along with us, Heath?
Chapter 1 || Chapter 3
