Chapter 151: Making Contact with Karashia

Making Contact with Karashia

* * *

“…………”

The woman walking down the manor’s hallway while holding a broom was a new maid recently hired by the Luclees family.

She had just finished the cleaning duties in the dining hall as instructed and was now heading to her superior to receive her next task, her long hair tied back swaying behind her.

“…………?”

The maid suddenly sensed some presence and turned around.

But there was no one there.

Just the usual yellow wood flooring and yellow painted walls of the hallway.

Nothing out of the ordinary.

However, she felt some indescribable sense of discomfort.

Born to a hunter father, she grew up running wild in the mountains as a child.

Perhaps because of that, her intuition was unusually sharp.

“Must be my imagination, huh…?”

But no matter how intently she looked, it was just an ordinary hallway.

Nothing strange at all.

(I must be tired.)

That’s what she thought.

Because the atmosphere of this manor was simply the worst.

The selfish younger sister.

The constantly enraged older sister.

The mother who only doted on the younger daughter.

The timid, indecisive father.

The arrogant servant Doj who did as he pleased.

Just breathing the air in this manor was exhausting.

She had started working here lured by the wages, but began regretting it after just a few days.

“Yeah, just my imagination, my imagination.”

In the end, the maid simply dismissed the presence she had sensed as her imagination and started walking again.

However, the discomfort she felt was by no means imaginary.

If she had looked up at the ceiling instead of just glancing behind her at that moment…

She would have spotted the bloodstained, fur-covered mysterious entity clinging there that had given off that presence!!

Just what kind of being was this furball creature!?

Some massive insect!?

A new species of monster!?

No, different!

This furball was…

Our protagonist, Emi herself!!!

* * *

Gikuri.

What a thing to suddenly bring up!? Extra-sama!

U-Uuh~~!

It can’t be helped!

【Presence Concealment】 is incredibly difficult!

Especially recently with how much my magic power has increased, just concealing the leakage is quite the challenge!?

And when I see living creatures, I get hungry and… well, my murderous aura leaks out!

Yes, so.

Currently, I’ve infiltrated this strangely decorated manor and am moving along the ceilings using 【Silverfish】.

All with the goal of dispelling the time loop phenomenon this manor is trapped in.

Or more precisely, to find the trigger causing this loop phenomenon and somehow avoid it.

That said.

Finding the loop phenomenon’s trigger.

It’s easy to say, but when I actually try to think how, it feels like grasping at clouds.

What should I even do?

Seeing me struggling, Extra-sama provided some advice.

Set tropes?

So if I prevent the designated protagonist from dying, time won’t loop?

That was Extra-sama’s speculation.

I see, so the key is Karashia, huh.

Which is why I’m currently searching for Karashia, moving across the manor’s hallway ceilings in a crawl.

Incidentally, the reason I’m “crawling” is because my fur rubs against the ceiling, making that kind of scratching sound when I move in a prone crawl position.

My master instructed me to move on two legs when using 【Silverfish】 (I think. My taciturn master never explicitly said it, but seemed to convey that through his attitude), but crawling makes it easier to cling and is faster in my opinion.

My master likely disliked the inability to use both hands in that situation.

But there are no enemies in this manor that would attack me while clinging to the ceiling, so I don’t need my hands free for attacking or defending.

Crawling should be fine.

Now then, Karashia is currently sobbing after having her ring stolen by Keranko and the others.

Moving across the unnecessarily long hallway ceilings while avoiding any passing servants from noticing me, I advance toward the sounds of her crying.

No one would ever think to look up at the ceiling for someone there.

By hiding behind pillars and beams, I remain completely unnoticed.

Oh.

Successfully encountering my target.

Karashia seemed to have just finished sobbing, her eyes swollen red as she weakly stood and started walking slowly down the hallway.

Likely heading to where her father is.

Hmm.

Well, if Karashia is the presumed protagonist, I just need to prevent her from dying, right?

Which means stopping her from touching that magic sword.

She died from having her magic power drained by that sword, after all.

Shall I make contact with her for now?

Let’s go.

I released 【Silverfish】, separating from the ceiling and rotating as I fell to land silently on the floor.

* * *

Karashia was at her wits’ end.

Keranko’s outrageous selfishness had grown even worse lately, already bad to begin with.

Yet instead of reproaching her, their mother and the servant Doj sided with the younger sister instead.

It made no sense.

In the Saryunas Kingdom, regardless of gender, inheritance followed the firstborn – so Karashia should currently be the legitimate heir of the Luclees family.

Her father had said as much before.

So why must she endure this?

While she had tolerated her younger sister’s selfishness with patience until now, this situation was abnormal.

The limit of her endurance.

On top of that, Keranko had stolen the “Ring of the Ranrananga White Lizard” – the signet ring proving the family head.

When Karashia noticed that ring lying in front of her room door, she had actually felt elated.

If used properly, she could be officially recognized as the next head.

She could deflect Keranko’s and the others’ outrageous behavior.

Yet in the end, even that precious ring was taken from her when Keranko happened to pass by.

They were fools.

Likely without understanding the ring’s true meaning.

To have that treasured ring stolen by such ignorant people was unbearably vexing.

No, surely the servant Doj who had served since the previous head’s time properly understood that ring’s value.

How dire.

That meant Keranko, whom Doj defended, had gained the backing to become the next family head.

This was beyond what Karashia could handle alone now.

Somehow, she had no choice but to seek the aid of her submissive, incompetent father who was the current head.

Otherwise, she had no bright future ahead.

Only the prospect of being continuously exploited and discarded like trash by Keranko.

Mustering what little rationality remained to steel her crumbling psyche, Karashia started walking toward her father’s room.

…It was at that moment.

“Wait.”

An unfamiliar beautiful girl’s voice called out from behind, stopping Karashia.

She instinctively turned around.

Standing there was…a furball.

“I have words for you.”

The furball spoke to Karashia in that beautiful voice.

“Hih!?”

Karashia inadvertently backed away.

…Can you imagine why?

Just think about it.

If a bloodstained, furball-like creature suddenly appeared behind you when there was no one there before, addressing you…!?

It would be absolutely terrifying!

At the very least, Karashia was terrified!

Just what kind of being was this furball creature before her eyes!?

Its bloodstained, ominous appearance!

Yet that beautiful, crystalline voice!

But the dreadfully ominous presence leaking from its entire body…!!

Undoubtedly an extraordinary existence!

Most likely some kind of monster!!

“Th-The Blood-Stained Furball Man…!?”

Karashia instinctively gave this incomprehensible entity that label based on its appearance!

However, that muttered name seemed to displease the creature before her.

“Who are you calling a Blood-Stained Furball Man!!!”

The next instant!

Along with those words of protest, an outrageous, nearly explosive murderous aura – killing intent – assaulted Karashia from the Blood-Stained Furball Man!!!

“Hih…Ah…”

The frail Karashia could not withstand such killing intent.

Taking the full brunt of that murderous aura, her eyes rolled back as she foamed at the mouth and fainted on the spot.

“…………”

The Blood-Stained Furball Man who caused it impassively looked down at the collapsed Karashia.

Her frailty left it dumbfounded.

Guuuu…

And dreadfully, it let out a growl from its rumbling stomach.

Gulping down its saliva, the Blood-Stained Furball Man stared intently at the fallen human woman…!

However.

In this situation, the Blood-Stained Furball Man retained enough rationality not to brutally tear off Karashia’s limbs and devour them.

For the Blood-Stained Furball Man, despite its appearance, was human.

Its abilities may have already surpassed human boundaries, but it still recognized itself as human and strived to act as one.

The Blood-Stained Furball Man… Emi shook her head slightly, slapped her own cheeks, then casually scooped up the unconscious Karashia and started walking to search for a spot away from prying eyes.