The living room was silent—
Under the influence of the noise that couldn't be ignored, everyone beca quiet unconsciously.
The loud sound was like the neighbor smashing down a wall with a sledgehamr when getting up in the morning.
At the right ti, the most appropriate sound was made.
"..."
"What... what noise is this now?"
Finally, Thomson spoke up.
This rchant, who had been continuously stimulated, was now looking at Ronald and Nade with horror on his face while pointing cautiously at the ceiling.
The bravery he had shown while rebuking the boy seed to have completely disappeared from him.
However, following his instinct, he still asked his two companions.
After all, from their previous performance, the two n beside him were not on the sa level as himself.
"Ugh—"
Seeing Thomson's timid deanor, Ronald had a headache but still began to explain:
"It's the sound of wood being smashed."
"Based on other minor noises at the sa ti, it should be a wooden door being broken mid-way through."
Unfortunately, Thomson seed unable to accept Ronald's explanation:
"I'm not asking about what door; what's happening above us!"
"There isn't another monster, is there?"
Ronald shook his head:
"I can't see through walls."
"..."
Choked by Ronald's retort, the middle-aged rchant was completely silenced, unable to utter another word.
"Wooden door..."
Unlike the panicked Thomson, upon hearing Ronald's explanation, Nade thought for two seconds, then seriously raised his head:
"Shall we go take a look?"
Pointing at the living room window, Ronald expressed his thoughts:
"We must go."
"And we don't have much ti."
Through the window of the living room, the light from the fireplace barely allowed one to see outside into the night.
The dense fog that had previously swallowed the convoy and companions was still slowly encroaching towards the center. This process, though slow, still made one feel the terrifying oppression and danger.
And based on the current speed of the fog...
In about another hour, this thing would push the distance to the edge of the mansion.
Eventually, the all-consuming darkness would completely envelop Black Mountain.
By then, there likely wouldn't be 'anyone' coming with hot soup and food to serve them.
"Sigh—"
"Alright, alright."
"This really wears on a person, encountering such a deadly situation just from traveling."
Taking a deep resigned breath, Nade set the lantern on the table, then put his right hand in his pocket, and led the way towards the right side of the house.
—That was where the stairs to the upper floor were.
Without hesitation, Ronald also followed right after:
"rchants chase profits; since Gai En doesn't want to lose those fruits, encountering this is just inevitable."
"Isn't that the truth..."
Watching Nade and Ronald walk one after another to the second floor, Thomson who still stood in his original spot was completely different.
Listening to their conversation and watching their actions.
For the rchant, there was too much that he couldn't understand.
Despite being in danger, why could these two guys still chat leisurely and walk into danger as if strolling after dinner?
"Nade, you guys..."
"Aren't you behaving recklessly?"
"..."
Before their figures disappeared around the stairwell corner, Nade heard Thomson's voice.
He paused for a mont, thought about their interactions over the past month, and finally spoke:
"Standing dumbfounded downstairs is the real way to court death."
"Thomson, think about it carefully."
"Eh...?"
Watching the two step onto the staircase, Thomson stood still, stunned for a mont.
He instinctively glanced at the window Ronald had pointed to before, the heavy night seed to press directly on his heart, making it difficult to breathe.
"Wait... Wait for !"
Biting his teeth.
Under the intimidation of the dense fog outside the mansion, Thomson still mustered the courage to follow.
————
Unlike the illuminated ground floor by the fireplace, once he ascended the stairs, the surroundings suddenly dimd.
Although he could barely see, he could no longer clearly distinguish the colors of objects.
In the relatively darker corners, even the room's edges were completely hidden in the darkness.
At that mont, Ronald heard Thomson's footsteps on the stairs behind him and imdiately reminded the middle-aged trader:
"Shh—"
"Keep it down, watch your safety."
"Got it..."
Lowering their footsteps, the three of them then cautiously began to advance along the second-floor corridor.
The team still had Nade leading the way with Ronald on guard in the middle.
Thomson was responsible for covering the rear.
Since the noise upstairs had been very obvious earlier, their objective was clear.
—First, to check out the source of the noise.
In less than a minute, they arrived at the location.
At what used to be the position of a door, now only a lonely door fra remained, with the central lock shattered towards the inside of the room.
Also, because they were nearer, a woman's voice emanated from the room with the broken door:
"Co out, dear?"
"Why are you hiding from ? Is my dinner not tasty enough?"
"Your favorite child is right in front of ~~"
At that ti, a younger female voice appeared, pleading:
"Mom, please don't do this!"
"Shut up!"
Boom—
"Ah!"
Another loud bang.
This ti it was accompanied by an exaggerated sound of items shattering, along with the young girl's scream.
The dangerous female voice spoke again:
"Hehe, just stay put here."
"Once I've dealt with your father, we'll have plenty of ti."
"My dear child."
Mixed with crying, the younger voice continued to plead:
"Woo... woo..."
"Mom, please let go!"
"I never ant to oppose you!"
Tick tock tick—
Leisurely footsteps started, heading right toward the door!
In an instant, realizing that the person was about to co out, both Nade and Ronald spoke at once:
"Hide, don't let her find us!"
"Retreat!"
"..."
Faced with distinctly different choices—
Barely hesitating for less than a second, Nade imdiately realized Ronald was right.
The person in the conversation was clearly looking for sothing, and choosing to hide nearby ant a high chance of being discovered.
They couldn't hide; they had to retreat!
In an instant, with a consensus reached, the three of them tiptoed back.
Given the level of destruction shown by the other party, fighting was not a wise choice.
However, unfortunately.
Before they reached the stairs, the woman's voice rang out again:
"Who's there!"
"Run—"
"Go hide outside the house!"
Now there was no chance to tread carefully.
With the montum of a hundred-ter sprint, the three who made it to the second floor dashed, fleeing back to the ground floor living room like floodwaters breaching a dam.
But just as Thomson, who was at the forefront of the escape, was about to rush into the porch and then hide in the garden outside.
Ronald in the middle of the team suddenly stopped.
"Wait!"
"Sothing's not right!"
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