The Screaming House

(Katarina’s Perspective)

“Hm? What is it, Ailena?”

I turned back.

Ailena was staring up at me with big, watery golden eyes.

“Um… could we… maybe not go in?”

“Nn…”

That pitiful expression paired with her sweet little voice dealt ten thousand critical hits to my heart.

I clutched my chest.

“Young Miss? Are you all right?”

“I’m fine…”

For now… but one more attack like that and I might not be.

I took a deep breath and forced myself to stay composed.

“Ahem… I really do want to say yes, but if we don’t go in, we don’t have any other options.”

Going back would only return us to the mirror maze, and there’s no exit there either.

Breaking the glass corridor is impossible; the route is completely locked.

“Nn…”

Ailena fell into conflicted silence… She clearly understood we had no way out.

“Don’t worry, Ailena. I’m right here with you. There’s nothing to be afraid of.”

I gently patted her little head, comforting her the same way she used to comfort me.

“Mhm…”

Under my soothing, Ailena calmed down considerably.

“What kind of amusement park makes everything so un-fun?”

I was starting to feel a little annoyed.

“Anyway, that’s enough. Let’s go in.”

“Eek!?”

Ailena suddenly shrieked, cutting me off.

“Y-Young Miss! Did that skeleton head just turn and look at us!?”

When she said that, I looked at the skeleton pirate standing guard…

It was indeed tilting its head toward us.

…And for some reason it was decked out in gold and silver jewelry, looking oddly flashy.

But… I hadn’t noticed it moving. Wasn’t it facing us from the start?

To check, I stepped a little farther away, out of its direct line of sight.

It didn’t turn.

I looked back at Ailena and wiped the tears from her cheeks.

Because she had turned into a child, her tear ducts had loosened; big drops were already rolling down.

“Maybe it was just your imagination?”

“But I really saw it…”

“It’s not moving now, though.”

“Nn…”

“It’s okay. Even if ghosts and monsters show up, I’ll chase them all away for you.”

“Mhm… Then maybe I just scared myself…”

Ailena finally stopped protesting and agreed to go in…

However…

Creak creak…

The instant we stepped through the door, I didn’t notice.

That skeleton head had silently, eerily turned to watch us enter.

(Still Katarina’s Perspective)

I have to admit, this House of Screams was pretty convincingly done.

Pitch-black interior lit only by flickering blue flames.

Despite being sealed, cold drafts kept blowing from behind, and the floor was covered in puddles.

Every now and then, grotesque things would leap out of the darkness.

“Kyaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!”

Sure enough, a zombie-like creature suddenly lunged at us from the side.

Its body was withered, its face gaunt, and one eyeball was dangling from the socket.

It reached for Ailena…

As if I’d ever let it touch her!

Even if it’s a zombie, no one lays a hand on my Ailena!

Before it could reach her, I grabbed its wrist.

And before I could even fling it away, the wrist crumbled in my grip…

I barely used any strength at all, you know?

After its wrist shattered, the zombie lost all energy and collapsed, breaking into pieces on the floor.

Wasn’t that a bit too fragile?

Well… fragile or not, it was still far more sophisticated than Beglit’s little gadgets.

Aside from zombies, there were ghosts, skeletons, all sorts of lively horrors along the way.

No wonder Ailena was so terrified.

Of course… I drove every last one of them away (physically).

Perhaps because it was judged as defensive action, my attacks on the monsters weren’t blocked.

…Honestly, I was already holding back, yet they still shattered on contact.

Ever since entering the House of Screams, Ailena had been trembling nonstop, curled up in my arms like a newborn fawn.

She really, truly hated ghosts and ghouls…

And whenever she got scared, this soft, tiny, adorable creature would cling to me even tighter.

What kind of heavenly little thing is this!? Let me sniff her!

Aah~ Pure bliss!

It was different from that courage test before.

Back then, Ailena had a mature beauty that constantly stirred desire.

But in her current childlike state, she looked so vulnerable and cute.

Those wet, pleading eyes awakened my maternal instincts, making me want to cradle and protect her.

Yet at the same time, there was this strange, forbidden allure…

In short, she was impossibly adorable.

Ahem, getting off track.

Perhaps sensing how scared Ailena was, the horrors kept targeting her, frightening her half to death and turning her into a koala glued to me.

I played the role of knight in shining armor, repelling every monster along the way.

I figured we’d keep going like this until the end of the haunted house.

“Hey there, ladies!”

…Or so I thought, until something suddenly spoke to us.

“WAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH—!”

The moment we looked toward the voice, Ailena let out the loudest scream yet.

No wonder.

The one greeting us was a green, translucent spirit.

Its whole body was semi-transparent, its face blurry.

But it had a massive beard that covered half its face… and most distinctive of all was the captain’s hat perched on its head.

“Please wait, ladies! I’m Captain Roger, and I have a request!”

Straight to asking for help, huh?

But first…

“You scared Ailena. Apologize to her right now.”

“Er… but I’m a ghost? I didn’t mean to scare you, but it’s kind of unavoidable…”

“You scared Ailena. Apologize.”

“Uh, well…”

After scratching its head, it actually bowed obediently.

“Sorry, miss. I frightened you.”

After the apology, Ailena visibly relaxed.

“Mhm… I’ll forgive you on Ailena’s behalf. So, what do you want us to do?”

“Well… it’s nothing difficult. I just hope you can help me find a pendant.”

It gazed upward, as if reminiscing.

“It was a gift from my late wife… But pirates stole it during a voyage…

I’d like you to retrieve it for me. As for payment…”

It produced a smiling sticker—another «Joy Sticker».

“This is all I have left… If you don’t mind…”

So the key to clearing this attraction was helping it recover the pendant.

“We can help. But… what does your pendant look like?”

“Uh…”

The ghost captain looked away, clearly embarrassed.

“You… don’t remember what it looks like?”

“Ehe~”

It stuck out its tongue, trying to play cute…

You’re a grown man—and a ghost! Stop acting all silly!