The Possessor Mistook the Genre for 20 Years

120 – The Hero Lives in the Mage’s House.

Beyond the door, just as he’d expected, was a staircase leading down.

Magical tools scattered about cast a glow, so it wasn’t exactly dark, but a chilling atmosphere permeated the air.

And it wasn’t just that; the damp air, the way sounds echoed – it was all straight out of some horror film.

‘Well, doesn’t really matter.’

Franz thought, stepping down with an unruffled calm.

It wasn’t as if this was his first time in a place like this. He’d been through worse when they were fighting the Demon King – his fear had long since faded away.

Besides, the Saint was right here. Even if a ghost appeared, all it could do was find peace and go meet the Goddess.

*Thud-*, *Thud-*.

*Thud-*, *Thud-*.

Footfalls echoed, casting a pall of dread.

A short descent down the stairs, and Franz and his party arrived in the basement.

The basement wasn’t much different from how he remembered it. A long, corridor-like structure, like a prison, with iron bars lining the walls. The only difference from that day was the scattered debris, the floor a mess of wreckage.

Memories of that day, along with what happened to Yuna’s family, twisted Franz’s face in a grimace.

Even though Duke Ishtar was dead, his anger wouldn’t subside.

If he, a stranger, felt such rage, Yuna must surely feel it even more so.

Just then, Yuna, who was looking around the basement, spoke.

“My mother and Yuri were here…”

Yuna’s small hand gripped the cold iron bars.

He didn’t need to ask what she was feeling. Her voice was thick with moisture, like she was about to burst into tears.

Franz wordlessly placed a hand on her head. It felt better than offering some clumsy, useless platitude.

After a moment, Yuna removed her hand from the bars and said,

“Sorry for making you worry. I’m okay now, let’s go.”

At that, Franz went to remove his hand from her head. It was strange to keep his hand there forever, after all.

But just as his hand was about to leave, something grasped his wrist.

It was none other than Yuna’s hand.

What on earth did this mean?

As Franz questioned this, Yuna said,

“Let’s stay like this a bit longer.”

Just how long was “a bit?”

What meaning, truly, was there in having a hand atop one’s head anyway?

Franz’s mind sprouted a garden of questions all at once, but he didn’t bother giving them voice.

‘Well, it’s not exactly hard, is it….’

And so, he was left looking rather ridiculous with a hand perched on his head, but with no one around to notice it didn’t truly matter. Or so Franz thought.

The other three, barring the one receiving the gesture, observed the scene with subtle gazes.

First, they felt envy. To be on the receiving end of Franz’s tender touch.

Then, resentment. For her to have it all to herself.

But beyond all that, pity for her plight was heavy.

So, in the end, they decided to let it be just this once—that it couldn’t be helped.

To voice discontent in a situation like this would be a truly inhumane act.

And so, amidst the swirl of such complicated thoughts, they resumed their steps. Before long, they reached the end of the long corridor.

There, a door stood fast shut.

For all of them, including Franz, this was the first time reaching this far, and they hesitated to step forward.

Who knows what contraption the Duke Ishtar might have left behind.

Of course, with this group they could shrug off most traps, but there was no harm in being certain.

Franz sent a stream of mana flowing beyond the door. Soon, the pulse of mana returned, bearing information.

‘A laboratory, is it…?’

Inside were only things resembling tools of experiments and books of all sorts. Unlike their fears, it didn’t seem too dangerous.

*Kreeak*—

Franz pushed the door open and entered.

His hand slipped from Yuna’s head just like that.

Yuna wore a look that seemed a touch regretful, but Franz didn’t catch it.

‘Doesn’t look too dangerous, really…’

The space beyond the door was just as the mana-scan had shown. It was ridiculously ordinary, for a cultist’s study.

‘What’s this…?’

Franz, slowly taking in the room, spotted papers piled on the desk.

They were covered in scribbled notes, seeming to be experiment logs, from a quick glance.

As he was looking through the papers, Justia tilted her head, asking,

“What are those?”

“Looks like they wrote down their experiments here.”

“I see. Not exactly pleasant, is it.”

Franz felt the same way.

It was unsettling, a bad feeling.

Even if these papers turned out to hold huge academic value, the feeling wouldn’t change.

Any person who’d witnessed the horrors of that day would feel the same.

“Come to think of it, what do you plan to do with all this stuff? Aren’t they pretty useful for a mage like you?”

She was right, for sure.

The materials here were unlike anything he’d seen, not in the Magic Tower libraries or anywhere else.

Taking them back and studying them would surely be useful in some way.

Maybe he’d find something groundbreaking, something that could change the world.

But…

“I’ll just erase it all. Isn’t that right, even from the Goddess’s perspective?”

Knowledge gained from such a horrific experiment isn’t worth knowing, nor worth passing down to later generations.

And even without resorting to methods like this, there are countless ways to develop magic.

If they can’t progress without it, then they’re just that weak of a mage, I suppose.

*Snap*—

Franz flicked his fingers. Instantly, all the books and documents in the room floated into the air.

Then, the books and documents began to turn white, and soon, they scattered into the air as pure light.

With this, all traces of what that guy left behind should be gone, right?

Franz, feeling slightly refreshed, spoke.

“Alright, let’s head back.”

Franz and his group immediately exited the basement. And as they had originally planned, they promptly sealed the place shut.

Using magic, they transformed the doorway into a solid, blank wall. They also applied appropriate seals to prevent magical intrusion.

With the mansion’s inspection roughly done, all that remained was to bring Yuna’s family.

‘Come to think of it, there was something to do before that.’

Franz snapped his fingers, using magic. It was none other than cleaning magic. Even so, tidying up before guests arrived was only proper.

Franz’s mana rippled outward, and the mansion, quite dusty before, was transformed into something practically brand new in an instant. It was truly a sight worthy of being called a miracle.

Upon seeing this, Yustia spoke, sounding deflated.

“It’s truly unfair…”

“Then why not learn it yourself? I’ll gladly teach you.”

“It’s fine. If it wasn’t for divine power, I wouldn’t have been able to save your life. I’m satisfied with just this.”

To bring that up…

For Franz, owing his life to Yustia was a truly unstoppable offense.

Though, he had greatly contributed to the demon king’s subjugation, so perhaps it wasn’t quite a debt.

At that moment, Yuna, who was looking around, spoke.

“I wouldn’t mind doing some cleaning…”

“It’s okay. It’s my house, after all.”

It didn’t really matter who did the cleaning. Whether Yuna did it, or he did it, as long as the house became clean, that was enough.

But, thinking about efficiency, this way was right. A huge mansion could be cleaned instantly with a flick of the fingers, there was no need to move a muscle.

Unless, of course, someone really, really liked to clean.

Anyway, with this, the preparations for welcoming guests were all done. Now, all that remained was to bring the guests here.

Franz spoke.

“Yuna, let’s go get your family.”

“Okay-!”

Yuna nodded, smiling brightly.

She had said that her dream was to live happily with her family in a large, spacious house, so her joy was understandable.

‘But what about later…?’

Right now, since they weren’t married, they could remain in this relationship, but if either of them got married, wouldn’t it be a terribly awkward situation?

‘Well, let’s think about that later.’

He didn’t want to worry about something that hadn’t even happened yet. If things came to a head, it wouldn’t be too late to think about it then.

“Alright you lot, just wait here a tick. Won’t be a moment.”

With that, Franz snapped his fingers, teleporting right to the front of Yuna’s house.

Knock knock-.

Yuna rapped on the door, and a rustle came from inside, followed by a voice calling out.

“Who is it? Sister, or no, Master Mage?!”

The door swung open, revealing Yuna’s younger sister, Yuria.

Yuna, met her startled gaze with the words,

“Yuria, let’s move out-!”