NOVEL NEXT Chapter 38
The doll’s face shatters under the shovel’s blow.
I checked the doll to ensure it wasn’t moving and let out a sigh of relief. Really, I should keep things reasonable; what kind of concept is this, anyway? It’s incredibly annoying.
The inside of the doll is completely hollow. Is it purely a gimmick? Maybe it’s the pursuer concept seen often in horror games. If I’d been a civilian, I might have died right here. I’d be panicking, grabbing the doorknob, and cursing before meeting my end.
Are there more of these things in the next room? Renny should be okay, right? Probably an unnecessary worry. A human wouldn’t even get a scratch if a bunch of those dolls came at them. Who’s really worrying about whom here?
I grasped the doorknob once more.
The door opened emptily.
I peeked out and surveyed the corridor. It was still quiet. I pondered over the fourth and second rooms.
Should I go back to the second room, or would it be better to check all the rooms? Or maybe just see Karina for a moment? I walked out into the corridor and approached Karina, who was sitting in a corner of the temple. Upon seeing me approach, Karina greeted me with a warm smile.
“Johann! Have you finished searching?”
“No. I just came to check in. How’s Millia?”
“She seems a lot calmer now.”
I looked at Millia, who was snuggled in Karina’s arms. She indeed seemed much better than before.
“I’ll go solve the mystery again.”
“Okay, be careful… if you get hurt, come to me right away.”
“…If anything happens, just scream. I’ll come running immediately.”
I doubt anything will happen… but as I walked back down the corridor, I glanced back at Karina multiple times. Given the dungeon theme, there was a chance another doll might pop out like before. I walked toward the fourth room. I was gathering information before heading back to the second room.
The key I got from the third room looked like it could fit the second room’s lock, but it might belong to another room too. I held the shovel in one hand and grasped the doorknob with the other as I opened the fourth room’s door.
Creeeak—
With the sound of squeaky hinges, the door slowly opened. I didn’t step into the room right away and instead focused on the view beyond the door.
It was exactly the same room as the third.
Just a mess inside. Bloodstains on the floor led from the bed to the door. What on earth happened in the room that had been fine up until the third? If my guess is right, the room’s order corresponds to the order of time. What could have happened from the perspective of the fourth room? I cautiously stepped inside.
“…It’s such a mess, I don’t even know where to start searching.”
I slowly examined the disheveled room. The window that had been closed in the previous room was wide open now. The chill wind blowing in from outside was eerie. Should I check outside first? The biggest difference between the last and this room is the window.
Approaching the window cautiously, I peeked outside. A city? At least it’s not an island. Should I stick my head out? Just to be safe, I tentatively reached out my hand. Just as my arm extended to my elbow…
“…There’s a malevolent intent.”
I glared at the closed window, feeling like it could chop off my arm at any second. Was it a trap in disguise, just waiting for me to poke my head out? If I had peeked out and something happened, my neck could have easily snapped. What a bothersome setup. I shifted my focus back to the now bloodied bed.
Thinking there might be danger there too made me hesitant to approach carelessly.
I pulled out my shovel and removed the blanket. Underneath was a notebook, like the ones I had seen in previous rooms. Carefully, I dragged it over with my shovel and grabbed it with my hands.
Let’s see what it says.
[X month XX day.
I can’t believe it!]
[X month XX day
It’s a lie, it’s a lie, it’s a lie, it’s a lie, it’s a lie, it’s a lie, it’s a lie, it’s a lie, it’s a lie, it’s a lie, it’s a lie, it’s a lie, it’s a lie, it’s a lie, it’s a lie, it’s a lie, it’s a lie, it’s a lie, it’s a lie, it’s a lie, it’s a lie, it’s a lie, it’s a lie!]
[X month XX day
Why are you doing this to me?]
[X month XX day
The door feels like it’s going to break soon. Help me. I don’t want to be dragged away.]
A scene unfolds in my mind. Did Millia learn something secret and get dragged by her parents? Thinking about the altar, it seems Millia’s parents were part of a cult. I don’t think we’ve gathered all the clues yet, should I keep looking? I searched the room further but found nothing of particular note. Instead, a hand suddenly shot out from under the bed and grabbed my ankle.
“Hmm. Should I head to the fifth room…”
Having gained no substantial clues, I exited the fourth room.
Now, the last room.
I wonder what’s inside this one. Taking a deep breath, I grasped the doorknob.
What will leap out this time? I cautiously pushed the door… huh?
What’s this? I saw a door that had toppled over rather than one that was just opening, and I couldn’t help but let out a chuckle in disbelief. What is going on here? I tore my gaze from the door and looked ahead. The mingling of silence and the stench of blood. This room was notably larger than the others. The gray walls and the ominous red letters carved on them sent chills down my spine.
What kind of place is this?
As I scanned around, I slowly read the blood-written words on the wall opposite the door.
“If you desire eternal life, offer your sacrifice… Well, how cliché.”
Isn’t this just a common trope found in horror games? Crazy cultists offer their children as sacrifices. So, is Millia a sacrificial victim? I turned my gaze downward. Blood. Entrails. Four corpses sprawled around. Approaching them feels like they might rise like zombies. But I have to.
I cautiously stepped into the room. The overwhelming stench of blood assaulted me. The air felt entirely different. I poked at the corpses with my shovel. They didn’t move. Squatting down in front of a corpse, I observed it closely.
The familiar hair color suggests they were Millia’s family? Why are they dead? If these people were the ones conducting this disturbing ritual, it doesn’t seem like they would have any reason to die. I had assumed they were trying to obtain eternal life by sacrificing Millia, but perhaps that theory was wrong.
It seemed that more investigation was needed to uncover the truth.
I moved my eyes around, examining the corpses.
A corpse with its abdomen opened, intestines exposed, a headless corpse, and a corpse with a hole in its heart. Bodies torn apart. It was a gruesome sight that made my stomach churn, but I swallowed the rising bile and quietly stood up. No matter how much of a tough guy I am, I couldn’t remain indifferent after seeing such horror. I turned my gaze and discovered some clothes strewn in the corner of the room.
Familiar clothes. The outfit the doll that resembled Millia was wearing in the third room. Stained with blood, it was hard to make out its original form, but it must be it. I carefully lifted the garments.
Just as I tried to examine the clothes, I heard a dull thud against the floor.
Is that a notebook? I picked up what would probably be my last notebook. What secrets does it hold?
I flipped through the opened notebook quickly. It took flipping through most of it to finally find the first entry.
[I wish they were all dead.]
[I will kill them.]
[Family is no longer necessary.]
Well, that’s a horrifying conclusion.
I closed the notebook and slipped it into my pouch. Is there anything else worth investigating? I turned my head side to side, surveying my surroundings, but there was nothing out of the ordinary. Just scattered corpses and clothing. Then perhaps the items meant for the altar are in the left corridor.
I quietly exited the room and entered the second room, promptly inserting the key into the barred door. Thankfully, the key seemed to fit, creaking ominously as it opened. I promptly stepped inside and grabbed the doll.
“Nothing too special… wait, there seems to be something inside.”
Flipping the doll over, I found a hole where stuffing was poking out. I reached in. Soft yet oddly creepy sensation. Carefully, I pulled out the unsettling object from within the doll.
“…What the hell.”
Why on earth is a human eye stuck in here?
I want to throw it away right now, but perhaps this is a sacrificial offering for the altar. I tucked the eye into my pouch and exited the room. The corridor was silent.
I glanced toward the altar. No one was in the opposite corridor. Are they still investigating inside? I should check in on Karina and then head into the left room. Just as I thought that and began to walk towards the altar…
“…”
Chills spread all over my body.
Something is behind me.
Something…
Is it a gimmick like before? Forcing my stiff neck to turn, I looked back.
At the end of the corridor. A dead end.
A figure shrouded in darkness.
Headless.
And, a scratching sound echoing from the floor.
My gaze instinctively dropped to follow the sound.
A very familiar blade used for chopping wood.
“…Yeah, I’d be disappointed if nothing like this showed up.”
A headless killer digs into the ground.
I tightened my grip on the shovel.