I Returned, and Now I See Strange Things-Chapter 14: The Game That Won’t End
She warned Hyeyeon sternly not to follow and gathered her supplies before running to the house where Hyesung was.
It wasn’t too far—just a short climb up some stairs—so getting there wasn’t difficult.
The problem began after she arrived.
She keyed in the code Hyesung had given her after flipping open the lock.
There should have been a sound of the door unlocking.
But there was only silence.
The mechanical device seemed to activate, so she pulled on the handle.
It didn’t budge.
As if someone were pulling it shut from the inside, the door stayed firmly closed, not even letting air slip through.
Come to think of it, it was strange.
Judging by the noise from the livestream, someone from the apartment across or downstairs should’ve come up to complain by now.
But it was dead quiet.
Sensing something was wrong, she pressed the doorbell attached to the wall.
The button sank in with a squish, but made no sound.
“...Looks like something more dangerous got summoned than expected.”
[Indeed it does.]
“You sound weirdly indifferent.”
[Perish the thought.]
Aslan’s oddly flat response was set aside for now. She examined Hyesung’s house more closely.
Most likely... some kind of barrier had been deployed.
Judging by the sacrifice placed in the stuffed doll, it would probably dissipate on its own soon enough...
But by that time, Hyesung might already be dead.
If he hadn’t spilled everything, this wouldn’t have happened.
Sighing, she pulled the black stone—Aslan—out of her pocket.
[You’re really going to do this?]
“What choice do I have? Even if it’s his fault, I’m the one who summoned this.”
[So this is what people here call tsundere, isn’t it?]
“...Where the hell did you learn that?”
Aslan offered no answer.
She closed her eyes and opened her mouth.
It was a power she’d used as naturally as breathing back in Entera—yet here, she had to go through all this trouble.
...What that means is—
It was just a little... embarrassing.
“The king’s most loyal and unyielding blade.”
“The sword that broke in the end, unrewarded for its loyalty.”
“I seek the fragment that rose again.”
...No one’s listening, right?
“Death Knight Aslan.”
As soon as the chant ended, a black gauntlet materialized in midair.
Considering Aslan’s true form, the size was adorably small.
But this was the best she could do for now.
Maybe if she gathered more power—but then she’d probably have to crawl into a cave.
She really didn’t want to go back to that kind of homeless life.
So... no choice.
She clenched her fist, then opened it. A loud clatter of metal sounded out.
[...This is inconvenient.]
“What can you do.”
Her eyes already felt dry. She needed to finish this quickly.
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“Let’s go in.”
[How shall I proceed?]
She stared at the hazy outline of the barrier, thinking.
It was better to keep the barrier in place.
No need to make a bigger scene than necessary.
“Tear it.”
[As you command.]
Aslan’s gauntlet lifted, then slowly came down, slicing through the barrier.
From the torn opening, faint sounds leaked out.
Something was breaking.
The door had already unlocked, so she rushed in with Aslan.
A chill greeted her as she entered the house.
Marks on the floor showed where something heavy had been dragged.
BANG! CRACK!
Securing Hyesung’s safety came first. She moved quickly.
Following the source of the noise, she heard incomprehensible howling, crashing, and clattering chains.
Inside the room, something wrapped in chains was gleefully hammering a massive awl against what she assumed was the closet Hyesung was hiding in.
...It was a miracle he had lasted this long.
She made a noise to draw its attention.
“Hey.”
The arm holding the awl paused.
The smashing sound died down.
Blood-red eyes turned toward her.
“Stop bothering the wrong guy.”
She gave it a smile and flipped her middle finger.
But the thing didn’t seem interested in her. It raised its awl again and poised to strike the closet.
“...The hell? Why’s it ignoring me?”
[Perhaps due to the ritual he performed earlier.]
“...Ah.”
She’d forgotten.
“...Stop that thing for now.”
As the awl came crashing down to destroy the closet, Aslan caught it mid-strike. A harsh screech rang out as the metal bent.
Only then did the creature react.
It must have instinctively realized she was interfering—because it let out an enraged shriek.
...Good thing she had only torn the barrier.
Imagining this noise echoing through the whole building was horrifying.
Recalling Hyesung’s earlier explanation, she rushed to where he lay while Aslan held the creature off.
His nose felt damp, so she wiped it with her hoodie sleeve. Blood.
It looked like ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) time was shorter than she thought.
The closet that had barely held together despite the abuse creaked open as she reached in and shook his shoulder.
Splinters had scraped his skin all over, leaving shallow cuts.
The faint warmth nearby suggested... Ignis had done something to help.
Maybe that was why he was bleeding—her intervention, rather than the spirit’s malice.
[Why—why are you only coming now!!!]
“I got here as fast as I could...”
She responded to Ignis while shaking Hyesung’s shoulder, but he wouldn’t wake up.
Only after slapping him on the cheek a few times did he finally manage to open his heavy eyelids.
“H-Haa...!”
Gasping like a scream, he sat up and looked at her with teary eyes.
“N-Noona, y-you really c-came!”
“Cut the crap and end this fucking hide-and-seek already!”
“Y-Yes, ma’am!”
She handed him the sake.
Once he took a mouthful, the screeching of the chains faded.
His nosebleed, which had been dripping steadily, also stopped.
But the moment Hyesung left the closet—
The ghost turned its gaze to her.
This must be what they called drawing aggro.
Freed from Aslan’s grip, the awl came flying toward her.
She rolled out of the way, barely dodging it. Splinters pricked her skin.
“Ah, shit...”
Her softened flesh wasn’t doing her any favors.
“Aslan!”
[I’ve reached my limit.]
The gauntlet crumpled with a clatter and dissolved into black powder, which returned to the black stone in her pocket.
Which meant—
The real game of hide-and-seek between her and the creature was now beginning.
She dodged the flying awl by throwing herself to the side.
She sprang up and fled the room, but something heavy struck her back.
“Ghk!”
Chains.
The bastard had switched to chains instead of the awl.
“You fucker, that’s cheating!”
“Y... ga...”
“What the fuck are you even saying?”
Rolling to the side, she avoided the blow that slammed down where she’d just been.
“Cough... Hah, fuck, and I’m doing all this...”
Better be worth it.
She really hated this.
Wouldn’t it be better to just go back to Entera?
Not that she could anymore, even if she wanted to.
This was the return she had chosen—so she had to push through with brute force and spite.
It was easier than summoning Aslan again, but her already-trashed body wasn’t cooperating.
Still, she kept rolling to dodge its attacks.
Chains grazed her cheek. At least the awl wasn’t flying toward her anymore.
Enduring the sting, she shouted,
“Hey! How much longer?!”
By now, he should’ve stabbed that doll and chanted a dozen times. What the hell was he doing?
Hyesung’s voice came from the bathroom.
“It won’t end!!!”
As he spat out the sake to talk, the ghost’s aggro snapped back to him. The chains clattered toward the bathroom.
She dashed ahead of it, slammed the bathroom door, and locked it shut.
BANG!
The door rattled like it was about to shatter.
The bathroom was dark, but her eyes had adjusted, so it didn’t matter.
She saw Hyesung, trembling and still stabbing the plush doll on the floor.
The doll looked shredded from being stabbed over and over.
Their eyes met—his, wide with panic.
“Did you try pouring the sake from your mouth?”
“Y-Yes! Of course I did!”
...He didn’t want to die, so he must’ve followed the instructions exactly.
Then what was the problem?
The magic circle she drew? The ritual itself? Or maybe it was a cursed combo of both.
Then it hit her—the ghost had stopped using the awl because it had been taken from it.
Maybe... the “hide-and-seek” was nearly over.
There had to be some other reason it was still here.
She decided to think that way.
...One idea came to mind.
“...You hold the bathroom door shut.”
“Wait, who? Me?”
“NOW! Unless you want to die in here!”
As Hyesung scrambled to his feet, she reached for something.
“Give me the stone I gave you.”
He dug through his pocket and pulled out Ignis, clutching it like a precious treasure.
“...Cut the crap and hand it over.”
“...Okay.”
Looking close to tears, he passed the stone to her and then pressed his shaking body against the door.
BANG!
Each time the door shuddered, Hyesung flinched with it. His teeth chattered, but he held on tight.
She gave him a small nod of approval and placed Ignis on top of the shredded doll.
A fleeting thought crossed her mind—what if this didn’t work?
She shook her head and placed her hand atop Ignis.
There’s no way she was wrong.
