I Have a Task Log

Chapter 318: Chapter 317: The Haunted Cabin

Colin was ready first thing the next morning.

Since his Plate Chain Armor was still being modified by the Dwarf, he was wearing his previous set of armor today.

Just as he started down the stairs, Ale pushed her door open and came out.

The two met up and descended the apartment stairs, wordlessly heading toward the pancake stall.

The seagulls in the Dock District were as active as ever, squawking annoyingly in the sky.

Fortunately, the effects of the winter disaster were slowly fading. More green had returned to the Dock District, making it look a little nicer.

"I’ve been thinking about buying a heavy crossbow, but they seem to be much more expensive in Silver Star Court than here in Thousand Masts City," Ale said.

"That’s probably because Elves excel with longbows. They have long lives to master weapons that require proficiency, so using a crossbow would actually limit their potential," Colin said. "Is this because of what happened with the Chain Demon?"

"Yes. I don’t want to just stand by helplessly and watch you in danger again. When my magic is useless, I need to have a backup plan," Ale said. "Or rather, I should have prepared for this long ago but overlooked it."

"That’s true. We should have gotten some ranged weapons back in Rommon." Colin suddenly remembered her heritage. "Don’t you know how to use a bow?"

"I’m still too young. I haven’t had time to learn."

"Well, we’ll look into getting you a light crossbow later. We can figure it out then."

Chatting, the two arrived at the pancake stall. They bought their pancakes and ate breakfast as they walked.

Map in hand, Colin led the way through the alleys, and they soon arrived at their first destination.

It was a large, unremarkable mansion tucked away deep in an alley.

The mansion had four floors, including the attic, with a single tower and four chimneys. Its windows were all boarded up, and it looked like it had been abandoned for a long time.

The Guards usually inspected abandoned houses like this once before reporting them to Horn Castle to be put up for sale.

Colin folded the map. "This is the place we’re inspecting today. We just need to clear out anything that isn’t supposed to be here."

Ale nodded.

Colin pushed open the large iron gate in front of them. As he approached the main door of the house, he drew [Burning Blood]. A slip of paper bearing the City Guard’s seal was nailed to the door, indicating it had already been inspected.

He pushed open the door.

The hall beyond was filled with broken tables, chairs, benches, and assorted junk. A bar counter and a wine rack stood against the far wall. It looked like the place had once been a tavern.

In that case, the upper floors were probably guest rooms.

Colin led Ale into the hall and looked around carefully, but he didn’t find anything out of the ordinary or any signs of recent activity.

"Looks like it’s empty. Old Black Heart and his crew are pretty lucky. If they bought this place, they wouldn’t even have to renovate," Colin said, then opened the wooden door to the back kitchen.

The moment the door opened, a skeleton hanging from a ceiling beam came into view.

’Alright, I spoke too soon,’ Colin thought, frowning at the sight. ’This isn’t some kind of unique racial decor, is it?’

He scanned the room.

It was no different from an ordinary medieval kitchen. In the center was a stone fireplace that could hold a pot or a grill rack. Against the wall stood wooden shelves stacked with plates and baskets, all covered in dust and cobwebs. An iron rack hung from the ceiling, the dried spices once suspended from it now completely rotten with mold.

A few small, high windows were boarded up, letting in only thin slivers of light. Specks of dust danced in the beams.

"What is that?" Ale asked, walking up behind him.

"It might be—" Before Colin could finish, the skeleton hanging from the beam suddenly began to swing, making a CLACK-CLACK sound like a giant wind chime.

The surrounding straw bedding began to stir, flying about in midair as if caught in a nonexistent wind.

Colin stood his ground and looked around, trying to figure out what was causing the disturbance.

Just then, a wooden barrel from the corner flew toward him and CRASHED on the floor, shattering into pieces.

"Let’s get out of here first!"

Colin said, backing away slowly, trying to get himself and Ale out of the kitchen.

However, whatever was causing the chaos didn’t seem to want to let them go. The sound of the wind around them grew louder, and combined with the stirred-up dust, it became impossible to see their surroundings clearly.

After a while, the two managed to feel their way back out of the mansion’s main entrance.

The moment they stepped outside the main door, the bizarre phenomena ceased.

To be safe, Colin led Ale all the way back outside the main gate.

"What do you think that was?" Ale asked, using [Magic Tricks] to clean the dust off both of them.

"I’m not sure... but I think it might be some kind of invisible monster. Let’s check it out, anyway. It doesn’t seem too difficult to handle, or at least, it doesn’t feel overly malicious."

Colin took out his spellbook and flipped through it, reviewing the formula for the [See Invisibility] spell.

Once ready, he took out some talcum powder, cast [See Invisibility] on himself, and led Ale back toward the mansion.

The two of them pushed open the main door again.

This time, as soon as they stepped into the room, Colin saw a strange shadow drifting around the ceiling beams.

He shot Ale a look, then casually started walking toward the kitchen, sizing up the creature as he went.

’On closer inspection, it looked like a human figure, but it was a translucent, spectral blue. It felt like... a ghost?’

Colin swallowed hard.

’Yes, ghosts exist in this world.’

’It’s just that most humanoid ghosts are much weaker than things like demons. And ghosts aren’t usually invisible. The books say they look "translucent and spectral blue."’

Colin considered this as he walked forward.

’A humanoid ghost that can turn invisible is almost certainly a "Noisy Spirit."’

’This type of ghost hasn’t realized it’s dead yet, so it wanders the place it used to live. They’re more powerful than ordinary ghosts, able to use Mind Energy to do things like send enemies flying, and they’re somewhat destructive.’

’But just like ordinary ghosts, these creatures are terrified of sunlight.’

With that in mind, Colin and Ale arrived at the kitchen entrance once more.

The ghost was still trailing behind them.

By now, Colin could make out its appearance more clearly. It seemed to be an Elf in a white shirt and linen trousers, and he had a rather unpleasant expression on his face.

Colin continued to lead Ale into the kitchen, and the ghost darted ahead, flying in front of them.