Chapter 53

"Let me give you a word of advice: don't go there. Evil spirits will come out."

The next day, Wallace went to the haunted house and warned the construction workers on site.

Of course, he didn't mean to harass them. It was out of genuine concern, and also to be able to say, "I did warn you." Wallace had a mind to leave them alone, but considering that the homeowner who had hired the workers had brought pastries and said, "I'm sorry for the trouble," he couldn't just ignore them.

"Huh, we don't care about that. What do you think, guys?"

"Right, right!"

"Sure thing!"

The foreman was still young and full of energy.

The workers, though a bit nervous, followed the foreman's lead.

"Besides, the evil spirits are gone. There's no point in worrying about something that doesn't exist."

"Gone? What do you mean?"

Wallace couldn't help but ask in response to the foreman's confident words.

"What do you mean, you don't know?"

"I don't. Besides, it's suspicious. Even a famous monk couldn't do anything about it."

"Huh, our client is different from just any monk. They worked from morning till evening yesterday, but no evil spirits appeared."

"Really?"

When Wallace asked the foreman, it turned out that the client had identified the cause of the evil spirits. Apparently, the owner's lingering regret was a broken cup under a large counter. The client promised to repair the cup, and the owner's spirit was so moved that it emitted a green light and its soul ascended to heaven... The foreman told the story with a bit of dramatic flair.

"If that's true, that's good... Well, in any case, I've given you the warning."

Wallace said this and went home, convinced that the workers would scream and run away. But his prediction was wrong, and today's renovation work was completed without incident.

When Wallace told Karen what the workers had said, Karen said something strange.

"Oh, now that you mention it, I saw strange lights last week."

"Strange lights?"

"Yes, green lights. It seemed like Carol had brought some people to the house and was doing something. When I peeked, I saw strange-colored lights and a commotion. I thought about checking it out, but I was scared..."

"Did that happen?"

"Well, you suddenly had to work and couldn't come back, didn't you?"

"That's... I'm sorry. One of my subordinates was sick, and no one was on duty."

"I know. Anyway, something definitely happened at the haunted house next door."

"So, the story about the evil spirits being gone is true...?"

Wallace was still skeptical.

Karen felt the same way.

Both of them thought it was impossible for a seven-year-old problem to be solved so suddenly.

And their prediction was proven wrong.

◆

That day was unbearably hot from morning.

It was so hot that for a moment he thought he was seeing a mirage.

"The renovation is finished..."

"Y-Yes..."

"It looks like it's been reborn..."

"Really..."

Wallace and Karen looked up at the building with dazed expressions.

The walls, which had been in disrepair, were now painted white and looked fresh.

The door was new and gleaming.

The area around the building was spotlessly clean.

And there was a sign that read "Miscellaneous Goods Store Witch Hand Craft."

There was also something unusual.

"Am I dreaming...? There's a giant crab monster weeding the garden."

"...It's a Dylancarapa."

"What should we do? Should we call the knights?"

"No, wait. Dylancarapas don't harm people. As long as we don't attack them, we're fine."

"O-Okay..."

Unable to think of anything clever to say, Wallace and Karen stood on the road.

After a few minutes, a passing mailman called out to Wallace.

"Hey, Wallace!"

"Whoa!? What is it? You scared me. Don't sneak up on me like that."

"No, no, you're the one who's spacing out and dangerous. You might get run over by a carriage. Anyway, is this the place where Jill lives?"

"Jill...? No, the owner of the building is supposed to be Carol..."

At that, Karen snapped her fingers.

"Oh, I remember. There was a sign during the renovation. The name of the person who requested the work... I think it was Jill."

"So, this Jill must have bought or rented the building."

As Wallace muttered this, the mailman took a letter out of his bag.

"Well, can you deliver this letter? There's no mailbox here yet."

"No, no, just knock and hand it over."

"I don't have time. Please, do it for me."

"Sorry, that's not my job."

Wallace refused to take it and crossed his arms. The mailman pretended to force it into Wallace's hands but instead pushed it into Karen's hands, who had been watching the scene. The mailman then quickly ran away.

"Hey, wait!"

"Sorry! I don't want to get involved with the haunted house!"

Wallace and Karen were left standing there.

Karen looked down, on the verge of tears.

"S-Sorry..."

"No, it's fine. I'll go to the post office and complain to his boss later. Anyway..."

Wallace looked at the letter in Karen's hand.

"We can't just leave it here. I'll deliver it... I'll take it."

"O-Okay."

Wallace, determined, knocked on the door of the former haunted house.

"Sorry, is anyone there?"

"Y-Yes!"

A familiar voice to Wallace echoed from inside.

The door creaked open, and Carol appeared.

"Oh, Wallace, Karen! Good morning!"

"Ah, good morning. A letter was delivered here... Is there someone named Jill here?"

"Yes, she's the store manager. Manager! You have a letter!"

"Coming!"

Carol called out, and another girl's voice echoed from inside.

"Sorry, are you the mailman?"

"No, the mailman forced it on us and ran away. Can you put up a mailbox? It looks like we'll be getting letters here from now on."

"Oh, I forgot... I'm sorry for the trouble!"

The store manager bowed apologetically.

Wallace shrugged.

"By the way... this is a miscellaneous goods store, right?"

Wallace asked hesitantly, and the store manager looked up and nodded energetically.

"Yes! Oh, and we can also serve coffee."

"R-Really... I might be overstepping, but do you know about the previous owner before opening the store?"

"Yes. Oh, right. As the workers told you, the evil spirits are gone, so you don't need to worry."

Wallace was speechless, having been answered before he could ask his real question.

Karen was also too surprised to react.

"I'm really sorry for all the trouble we've caused you... It will be fine from now on..."

Carol bowed apologetically.

The store manager looked puzzled and asked,

"Neighbors?"

"These are Wallace and Karen, who live next door. They helped clean up when it was an abandoned house and have been a lot of trouble..."

"Oh, I see. Indeed, it would be hard to live next to a 'haunted house'..."

The store manager nodded in understanding.

"I'm more troubled by people than evil spirits. Especially on hot days like today, there are a lot of young people who do courage tests."

"Really?"

"With the renovation and the store, those people probably won't come anymore. Well, good luck."

Wallace said this and was about to leave.

The manager, looking thoughtful, clapped her hands and called out to Wallace.

"Since it's an apology, how about having something cold? It's really hot today."

Thank you for reading!

If you found it interesting and want to read more, could you please rate it with the stars below the ads?

(Star ratings are a great encouragement for authors, not just for my work)

Thank you very much.