Mansion

Our footsteps made a rustling sound on the grass beneath us. While walking, I felt the vibe of the forest completely change; it wasn't bad per se; however, the trees had changed and became more spiky, and the forest floor had become a stone path.

I could hear the sounds of bats and animals from all around. Eden turned around while walking, "Don't worry about them; it's just a safety measure. Since I am with you, they won't attack."

"Sure." I already figured it out. It made sense they would have defenses. Why else would Eden bring a stranger like me here? She said that this was her family's mansion location, so is she a high-ranking vampire? Or are all vampires living in luxury, and there's not a lot of them?

I shook my head and followed Eden. I will figure out those things eventually.

As we got closer, I saw a small black mansion. It had a gothic style, with a high fence surrounding most of it.

As we walked toward the gate, we saw two guards standing on either side. They opened the door as we got closer. I didn't comment; however, walking beside them, I could smell a faint smell of mint.

I tried to look directly into their eyes, but nobody was inside the armor.

"..."

Eden must've noticed how confused I looked, so she explained, "Those are ghosts; they are unique, with different ranks. The ones you saw are just low-ranking puppets my father keeps around for guarding."

I nodded. "There seems to be a lot of magic in this forest; from far away, nobody would notice that this place has a mansion in it."

She smiled. "Of course, we've lived for hundreds of years. Even a sage like Gilbert would have problems finding this place."

I saw the garden surrounding the mansion; there were a huge number of different flowers, which gave it a beautiful look. It was taken care of carefully.

Out of the garden on our right was a tall-looking young man. His hair was pitch black, and his eyes were crimson red. He wore a simple tunic, but it was clean.

After spotting us, he walked towards us slowly, with a huge smile on his face. "Sister Eden, you're back? How was the mission?"

Eden looked at him before letting out a small sigh. "It was... successful. Tell Mars the teleportation papers are gone, all of them. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to rest."

The man nodded before looking at me. "And who's that?"

I looked at him before extending my hand. "I'm Taro. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Taro..." The man then shook my hand with great excitement. "It's been a while since we got a new face here! What kind of undead are you? By the way, I am Conall Winfield, Eden's little brother."

Eden pushed Conall away. "You're being too clingy. He just came out of a fight. You can ask him whatever you want later."

Conall smiled, then looked at me. "Sure, I am going to be asking you as well, Eden. Nice to meet you, Taro!"

I nodded, then continued to walk with Eden, leaving him behind. "He seemed to be excited."

Eden shrugged. "He can't leave the mansion, so if you ever go out and back, he will be like that."

"Why can't he leave?" I asked, puzzled.

She brushed the question aside, her tone weak. "Reasons."

Not daring to ask further, we finally got inside. In that instant, a maid with long, curly black hair was waiting by the door. The maid bowed and looked at Eden. "Miss Eden, welcome back. Your father has been waiting for a report; you can rest for a bit before meeting him."

Eden smiled, then replied, "I am going to my room; can you please lead him to one as well?" She pointed at me. "I will explain his situation to my father soon."

The maid nodded, and Eden went on her way.

I looked at the maid; her eyes were light purple. She gave off a smell I can't describe; the closest scent I could think of was lavender.

The maid and I kept looking at each other; there was an awkward silence. "Nice to meet you. I am Taro." I said, putting my hand behind the back of my head.

The maid looked down, then up, examining me. Her dark eyes reflected no light, giving me chills.

She nodded before turning to one of the hallways. "Please follow me, sir."

I did as asked, but the whole time I was walking behind her, it was full of silence. How can someone talk to a person like her?

After walking for a bit, she stopped in front of a small door at the end of the hallway. "This is one of the guest rooms. Please use it as you wish."

"Sure, thank you," I replied.

She nodded before walking away.

I got inside the room. It was spacious, with a giant bed in the middle with multiple wardrobes and bookshelves on each side. A huge window showing the garden and the forest outside.

I stood at the edge of the bed. I am really lucky to meet Eden at a time like this; if I didn't, my third life would have been a short one.

I wonder how Dorothea is doing right now; knowing her, she's probably trying to do her best to live life to the fullest.

Still, the reason for me coming to this world. Becoming Marik and resurrecting after my death—it's all still a mystery to me.

At first, I suspected that I wasn't truly undead, since Eden was confused about what I am; however, seeing real ghosts guarding the gate made my own impossible state feel real.

"..." I looked at both of my hands.

This world is unknown to me. I have to learn magic, become strong so nobody can harm me, and learn why I turned out like this.

My hands trembled lightly. "Gilbert..." I said.

He was arrogant, so thankfully, he didn't care about me at the start, but when he noticed me, I felt like I was certainly about to die. Like a giant looking at an ant.

My heart still feels that terror even if I am trying to suppress it as best I can. I wonder if Eden is feeling the same now.

Then I heard two knocks. Looking at the window, I saw Conall, who was waving at me with giant bat wings on his back.

I got up and opened the window as he jumped in. "Sorry about that!" He said.

"Don't worry about it. How can I help you?" I asked him.

He sat on one of the chairs and looked at me. "Well, Eden said you were tired. But I know that she's lying, so I don't want to be rude; that's why I am going to ask you directly. Taro, are you tired?"

There was no reason to lie. I guess Eden and Conall's relationship isn't the best. But they're also siblings, so it's to be expected. Back in my old life, a lot of siblings had grudges against each other, but they were mostly petty.

"No, not really. I guess Eden was just too worried." I replied.

"Then, can you tell me about the world outside! Everything about it." Conall said while moving the chair.

My curiosity got the better of me, so I asked, "Sure, but for that, can I know the reason why you can't go outside?"

Conall thoughtfully looked at the ground before smiling. "No idea! I asked them before, but nobody wants to explain it. So all of my knowledge comes from Eden, and now hopefully you!"

That's weird, but I guess they have their own reasons. Or maybe he doesn't trust me enough to tell me yet. Whatever, since Eden tells him about the outside world, it's not that bad to tell him about it.

"Well, what are you curious about then?" I sat on the bed.

"Tell me how you met Eden! I want to hear all about it."

Then, I went on describing most of the things that happened to me in the past few days.

Conall didn't interrupt; it looked like as long as he heard something interesting, he would be happy about it. The more I continued to narrate, the more I felt bad for him.

Then, as I was in the middle of explaining how we ran from the knights back in the forest, I heard a knock on the door of the room.

"Sir Taro, can I come inside?" It sounded like the maid from before.

I went there and opened the door to see her looking up at me. "Lord Winfield is asking you to join him at lunch." Looking down and up again, she continued, "Also, please change your clothes to anything you like in the wardrobe."

"Sure." The maid didn't wait, closing the door behind her.

She's truly unique... I looked back, but the room was empty. The window stood open, and Conall was gone.

I went and closed the window, then changed my attire to something more fitting of this place. After doing so, I opened the door. "Let's go."

The maid looked down and up again before putting on a small smile and nodding.