NOVEL ONLINE FREE Chapter 7 Part 7
The Master once said, “Demons whisper to people.”
That expression on Ted’s face—it was exactly the look of someone possessed by a demon.
The masks people wear can be stripped away so easily.
It’s not just Ted.
Perhaps, surely, everyone spends their days walking across a precarious bridge, teetering on the edge.
That’s why, when something happens, a person’s heart can shatter in an instant.
An ordinary person can turn into a madman.
Such an obvious truth—I only now truly realized it.
And then, the thirteenth day arrived.
If Ted were to offer a sacrifice to the demon, there was no doubt—it had to be today.
I made my decision in silence.
“Alright? I’m going out now, but you two are staying here.”
Despite my words, the white owl and the carbuncle didn’t seem convinced.
The white owl, who is supposedly smarter than me (according to my Master), was one thing—but even the normally obedient carbuncle was defying me. That was unusual.
Both of them looked at me with suspicious expressions.
“No use making those faces! You two stay here and wait for my return! And if something happens to me…”
My two familiars exchanged glances at my words.
I had let my weakness slip out.
I quickly shook my head.
I have always been called a “positive monster.”
Yes, I don’t need something as negative as doubts and hesitation. That’s not like me.
“Never mind. Just stay here and wait!”
“Hoo-hoo.”
“Kyuu-kyuu.”
“Ugh! Sometimes you just have to trust your master, alright?! Jeez!”
I forcibly left the house, leaving my two familiars behind.
That’s right.
This is something I have to accomplish.
No one else—only me.
The morning sky was overcast.
It looked like it could snow or rain at any moment.
A dim, restless sky, as if the weather could turn stormy at the slightest provocation.
Ding-dong.
Not long after I pressed the doorbell—
“Who is it?”
Mary appeared at the door.
“Oh? Meg? What’s up?”
She opened the door, her eyes widening in surprise when she saw me.
I scratched my head, feeling a little embarrassed.
“Well, you see, I heard from Fine that you live around here. Since I was in the neighborhood, I thought I’d drop by and say hi. Here, I brought a little something.”
I handed her some rosemary cookies, and her eyes lit up.
“Wow! Thanks, Meg! Come on in!”
“That was the plan. I actually brought some tea leaves too.”
“Yay! Mom! Dad! Meg came over to visit!”
“Pardon the intrusion.”
Mary welcomed me in without a hint of suspicion.
She led me by the hand into the living room, where her mother, Jill, and her father, Ted, greeted me.
“Oh, Meg, isn’t it? Nice to see you again.”
“Ahaha, sorry for barging in so early on your day off.”
Neither Jill nor Ted showed any signs of doubt toward my sudden visit.
Looking at them like this, they seemed like a perfectly happy family.
If I hadn’t seen the mark, I wouldn’t have sensed anything off about them.
But today, I can’t afford to let my guard down.
While making casual conversation about my gift, I remained focused on tracing the presence of magic.
For now, I didn’t sense the eerie aura from before.
It seemed like the ritual preparations hadn’t begun yet.
I didn’t know when they planned to perform it, but I needed to find the altar before then.
It had to be somewhere in this house.
“Just a little gift.”
I handed the tea leaves to Jill, whose face brightened.
“Oh, these tea leaves and cookies look lovely.”
“I made them myself. Dried and fermented the leaves from my garden. They smell great and taste even better.”
“Oh, that’s amazing.”
“Mom, I want to eat the cookies!”
“Well then, let’s all have some together.”
“I’ll help.”
I quickly helped set the table, pouring tea into cups and arranging the cookies on a plate.
When Ted caught the scent of the tea, his face softened.
“Smells wonderful. Looks delicious.”
“Please, enjoy.”
“Let’s dig in!”
As I spoke, the three of them sipped the tea without a second thought.
I took a sip myself, watching them carefully.
It worked.
Five minutes later.
The living room was filled with the quiet sound of three people breathing in their sleep.
After confirming that none of them would wake, I silently stood up.
The tea I had served contained enchanted leaves.
It was infused with a sleep-inducing spell.
For those without magical resistance, it would keep them asleep for at least an hour or two.
I hadn’t wanted to resort to this.
But without taking such measures, finding the altar in this house would have been difficult.
I would accept whatever punishment came later.
But right now, lives were at stake.
I couldn’t afford to be picky about my methods.
I searched each room of Mary’s house one by one.
For a home shared by just three people, it was surprisingly spacious—a two-story house that felt strangely vast.
I checked the child’s room, the couple’s bedroom, the storage room—nothing suspicious.
Just as I finished my rounds, I arrived at the very last room at the end of the hallway.
I quietly opened the door, and an unmistakable scent filled the air.
The smell of books.
“A study…”
The room was filled with neatly arranged bookshelves, most likely Ted’s collection.
Hundreds—perhaps thousands—of books filled the space, giving it the atmosphere of a personal library.
It reminded me of my Master’s study.
The room was so silent it felt as if the books themselves were absorbing sound.
As I scanned the shelves absentmindedly, something caught my eye.
A pentagram.
A single book, its spine marked with a pentagram, stood out among the others.
No—
It wasn’t just a pentagram.
It was an inverted pentagram.
I remembered Fine’s words.
“I saw him wearing that pendant even the other day.”
“Pendant?”
“Yeah, a silver one, shaped like a pentagram. Kind of weird for a grown man to wear, don’t you think?”
A regular pentagram was commonly used in magic.
But an inverted pentagram was different.
It was a symbol of demon worship.
This book had to be related to it.
As I reached for the book, a clicking sound echoed through the room.
A hidden mechanism had been triggered.
Slowly, a bookshelf slid aside—
Revealing a staircase leading underground.
A dark, foreboding stairway, shrouded in shadows.
Just as I sucked in a breath, preparing myself—
A sudden noise from behind.
Before I could turn—
A dull pain struck the back of my head.
The last thing I saw before my vision faded—
Was Ted, smiling ominously.