A Peacock Husband of Five Princesses by day, a Noble Assassin by Night-Chapter 40: The haunted mansion

Kael felt the weight of both their gazes, but the scent of danger had already passed. He knew he had to go, regardless of their arguments.

"It’s just a low-rank quest given to a Silver Tier merchant," he said firmly, his voice quiet but resolute. "It shouldn’t be dangerous. Besides, I have Nyx with me. I think it is better if I just go alone for this. Whether it is a ghost or a trained fighter, I can easily lead them to a trap, using my low mana reserves, and take them out by using Nyx’s help." He smiled at both of them with clear certainty in his eyes.

The spectral wolf was tagging along with him exactly for this reason. It would become a perfect cover for his solo tasks.

Laura reluctantly backed down. "Fine. But I want you to take a few knights with you. They will hide somewhere, around the house."

Seraphina, her expression unreadable, finally nodded but not because she was satisfied with his answer. But it is because she was aware that Laura would never let her go alone with Kael, especially during such late nights. She knew her obsessive personality very well.

She can agree with Laura tagging along with Kael, but when Kael expressed his opinion of leaving alone, she changed her mind, trusting his decision. Perhaps that trust was generated by a series of incidents that happened during the day.

With that, Kael stood and made his way out of the house, his mind already drifting to the haunted mansion ahead.

It wasn’t long before Kael arrived at the location of the haunted mansion. The evening air had a chill to it, and the path leading toward the mansion was overgrown with wild, twisted plants.

He paused as he came to a rundown house at the edge of the forest. The mansion loomed in the distance, the moon casting long shadows that seemed to stretch unnaturally across the yard.

An old man appeared from the shadows with a lantern in his hand, his features twisted with age and worry. His gait was slow, each step a creak of bones. As Kael showed the Quest parchment, he nodded at Kael but didn’t speak a word.

Instead, the man led him to the gates of the mansion and gestured toward the looming structure.

"It’s all yours now," the old man finally opened his mouth, his voice a whisper. "If you find anything... well, just leave it alone."

Kael didn’t reply immediately. Instead, he took a moment to observe the mansion’s exterior. Faint whispers seemed to fill the air, but there was no one around.

He finally nodded at the old man, offering a slight bow in acknowledgment. "Thank you."

Without further words, the old man turned and left, vanishing into the night in silent steps.

As Kael stood alone before the mansion, he couldn’t shake the feeling that something was watching him. He activated his senses to the peak, scanning any presence of life in the surroundings, but nothing was found, except for four royal knights who were hiding far away from the house, waiting for him to enter the house so that they could come closer and find a new hiding spot.

Taking a steady breath, Kael pushed open the creaking gate of the haunted mansion, the rusted hinges groaning in protest.

As the metal gate slowly swung open, a strange sensation settled over him—a weight in the air, almost like the entire mansion was holding its breath.

He stepped inside, feeling the cold breeze brush against his skin as the gate slammed shut behind him with a resounding thud. The door to the mansion followed suit, creaking on its hinges before snapping shut with a finality that made his pulse quicken.

"Hmm…"

He glanced around the eerie grounds of the mansion, noting the overgrown vines and the ivy that crawled up the stone walls like silent, watchful fingers.

But there was no movement, no sound save for the whispers of the wind.

"No one is hiding in the mansion unless they wiped out their trace."

He had no doubt that whatever haunted this place was no longer here—if it ever was. Kael was an assassin who operated in the dark, instilling fear in the hearts of criminals. The things around don’t matter much to him.

Moreover, he needs the time to be alone for his own mission.

Once satisfied that there was no immediate danger, he reached into his storage ring and pulled out the cursed black cat statue. The smooth, almost obsidian-like surface gleamed faintly in the dim light, its form simple, yet its presence felt far heavier than its size suggested.

Placing it carefully on the cold stone floor of the mansion’s foyer, Kael activated his senses.

"Here we go."

He was prepared to use his knowledge of magic, of curses, to deal with whatever lay within this strange artifact. As his senses probed the statue, his vision blurred for a split second, and then—there they were again. Eyes.

A malevolent presence stared back at him.

Kael’s heart raced for a moment, but he pushed through, focusing his energy on dispelling whatever dark magic was tied to the statue.

"The Art of Purification."

He began the technique he knew would break curses—careful, precise incantations combined with his innate magic.

He started trying to purify the statue in order to erase the curse completely but instead, a violent backlash tore through him, a wave of force that nearly buckled his knees.

"Ack…

He staggered backward, his hands clenching at his chest as pain shot through him like a jagged knife.

Blood surged to his mouth, and with a gasp, he spat onto the cold stone floor.

The source of this c𝓸ntent is frёeweɓηovel.coɱ.

"Sh*t. The curse is too powerful than I thought."

His vision blurred, and his knees buckled beneath him as the world faded to black.

And then the voice of a woman heard in his head. "Help me…"

When Kael awoke, it wasn’t the quiet, oppressive darkness of the mansion he found himself in—but a new reality altogether.

His surroundings had shifted. He was no longer on the stone floor but in what appeared to be an ancient chamber.

The air was thick, almost suffocating, and there was an overwhelming sense of age in the stone walls surrounding him. It felt as though time itself had frozen in this place.

His gaze immediately fell on a woman—cat ears, a tail—tied to a pillar in chains, her body bruised and battered. Her eyes, wide and desperate, locked onto his as she pleaded for help.

"Please..." Her voice was weak, her breath ragged, but there was a pleading urgency to it that struck Kael deeply.

He approached cautiously, noting her wounds and the brokenness in her voice. He reached for the binds, about to release her, when—

A shadow loomed from the corner.

A figure, a dark apparition—its shape a twisted reflection of the woman before him. It seemed to move unnaturally as if it were made from the very shadows themselves. Its eyes glowed with an eerie light, and Kael instinctively shifted into a defensive stance, his hand reaching for the magic that coursed within him.

The shadow-clad figure lunged at him, its claws slashing with supernatural speed. Kael raised his arms, his hands blocking its claws. Its dark energy slowly enveloped him, pushing him to the ground.

"Argh…"

Kael persisted with brute force, pushing it back.