Chapter 17: The Castle’s Great Cleaning
The curse on the castle was completely purified.
Even when I reported this to the Adventurer’s Guild, the receptionist didn’t believe me, saying, “Ehh, no way, you just took the request this morning, that’s impossible!”
Then, Mizuha declared with a voice and demeanor that exuded the very dignity of a Saintess, “I swear in the name of the first Saint Mizuha. We have completed the task.”
The receptionist, realizing that she was dealing with no ordinary adventurers, hurriedly began processing the paperwork.
“W-well then, I’ve accepted the completion report. From here, the guild will conduct a verification process. After that… well, I’m not sure how the castle will become yours. It’s a request that’s been left untouched for over two hundred years…”
“Well, I suppose so. We’ll wait patiently. Please proceed with the verification.”
That same day, it seemed that the Adventurer’s Guild staff, with other adventurers as escorts, went directly to the castle. They confirmed that the curse was gone and reported it to the Royal Capital. After that, a group from the Royal Magic Corps entered the castle and reconfirmed that there was no curse.
“The Royal Magic Corps has given their approval. The castle has been completely purified. It officially belongs to Mizuha-san and Akito-san.”
Mizuha and I exchanged a high-five after being told this by the receptionist.
However, the real challenge began from there. After all, the castle had been left to decay for two hundred and fifty years. The garden was overgrown with weeds, and the interior was filled with dust and cobwebs. Although the Evil Spirits hadn’t destroyed the furniture or decorations since it was their home, the deterioration over time was undeniable.
“Even though the curse is gone, it still looks like a haunted house. It’s not yet habitable. That’s why we need to do a great cleaning, Akito-kun. It’s impossible to do all the rooms at once, but we need to clean up the areas necessary for our lives as soon as possible.”
“You’re right. First, the living room, the kitchen, the dining hall, and the bath.”
“Y-yes, yes, the bath…”
Mizuha muttered, her cheeks flushed. Mizuha is so cute when she’s embarrassed. I want to see her more embarrassed.
“And, the bedrooms… since there are two of us, there should be two.”
“Eh!?”
“Why are you so surprised? Did I say something strange?”
“You didn’t, but…”
“I see, that’s good. I thought you were going to say you absolutely had to have the same bedroom. So, Mizuha, you’ve been freed from the desire to hug me all night long. It’s good that your spirit of independence has sprouted.”
“W-wait! Akito-kun is still small, and being alone must be lonely, right? Even if you’ve lived two lives, if your body is a child, your mind will be affected, right? So, as your older sister, I feel like I have a duty to sleep with you so you won’t be lonely!”
“That’s just your imagination.”
“A clean cut!? But, but, you know, it’s easier to clean one room than two, or rather, it’s not like I want to sleep with you, it’s just for a rational reason.”
“Stop with the clever sophistry, and if you’re going to be honest, it’s fine if we share a bedroom.”
“Ugh… I’ll be honest. I just want to hug Akito-kun and sleep together…”
“You should have said that from the beginning.”
“But, but! It’s one thing if it’s an inn, but in a castle with so many rooms, to deliberately share a bedroom… it’s like I’m desperate to sleep together!”
“Like? You are. You’re a fundamentalist extremist.”
“I didn’t want to be seen that way, so I wanted a pretext that it was for Akito-kun’s sake…”
“Trying to blame it on others, how cruel. Maybe we should have separate bedrooms after all…”
“Waaah! I admit it! I’m a fundamentalist extremist who wants to hug Akito-kun and sleep together! So, I don’t want separate bedrooms!”
Mizuha rolled onto the floor, flailing her arms and legs as she pleaded. Even her throwing a tantrum is cute. Everything about her is cute.
Alright then. Now that I’ve enjoyed Mizuha’s cuteness, it’s time to start cleaning the castle. My Dark Magic will be useful for this kind of work that requires manpower.
“Go, Undead. Weed the garden.”
I materialized the spirits of the villains I had killed as skeletons. Over a hundred undead soldiers began to diligently pull weeds, following my orders.
“Good. You’re pulling them out by the roots. Keep it up. You and you, go clean the inside of the castle. Transform some of the magical power that makes you up into brooms.”
The skeletons I pointed at emitted black mist and transformed it into brooms. I created a broom with Dark Magic in the same way. The details of the shape are rough, but it’s good enough for cleaning.
“Akito-kun, you can do such skillful things.”
“Mizuha, don’t just be impressed, help out. In a castle this big, I’m sure there are one or two cleaning tools.”
“Okay~”
Then, Mizuha found a duster and began to puff off the dust from high places. I and the skeletons swept it up. Since the weeding of the garden was going smoothly, I moved some of the skeletons inside the castle to accelerate the cleaning. Even places that were too high for Mizuha and me to reach were easily accessible with the skeletons giving each other piggyback rides. In this way, the castle was steadily becoming cleaner with sweeping and wiping. Furthermore, we bought new sheets and pillows in the village and made the beds.
It was a little past noon on the third day since we started the great cleaning. We had finally reached a lull.
“Alright. It’s finally habitable. Let’s move here today and stop living at the inn.”
I stood at the entrance and looked around the lobby. The chandeliers hanging from the ceiling and the glass windows were all sparkling. The garden behind me had been cleared of the overgrown weeds, and the neatly arranged lawn and brick paths showed an elegant appearance. The branches of the trees that had blocked the sun were pruned appropriately, allowing sunlight to filter through to the castle and garden.
“Thank you, skeletons. I look forward to working with you in the future.”
When Mizuha waved her hand, the skeletons waved back. I didn’t control them. It was the will of the Evil Spirits themselves. These guys are a group of scum, like thieves and my brother, but somehow, when Mizuha is nearby, they spontaneously become well-behaved. Is it because Mizuha’s smile is so beautiful that they want to act like decent people? It’s too late to repent after death! You’re done with your work, so disappear!
“Ah. They’re gone. You really can summon and dismiss them freely.”
“It’s the punishment for the bad things they did in life. They have to work hard as tools after death. They have no human rights.”
“Hmm…”
“What’s wrong? Don’t tell me you want to say that even villains have human rights?”
“It’s not that… I’m a Saintess who worked as a hound of the church, you know? Not only did I fight Monsters… I’ve killed people too. I know that there are irredeemable villains and pure evil people in this world who cannot be excused. Probably more than Akito-kun.”
She had killed people. Mizuha said this with an expressionless face. Of course, I knew that. She had been trying to not break the original story to meet me again. So, I knew that Mizuha, like Mizuha, had killed people. Even knowing that, hearing it put into words had weight. It was the weight of the hundred years she had lived. She had definitely had more experiences than me and was more mature than me.
“So, I don’t intend to say that it’s wrong for Akito-kun to kill thieves and turn them into your power. If there are fewer thieves, the security will be better, so it’s a good thing. It’s a win-win situation. I can accept it that way. But, I don’t think you need to bully them after they die. Of course, it’s different for those who cause harm even after death, like the Evil Spirits that controlled this castle. Those have to be defeated. But Akito-kun’s spirits are different, right? They listen to you properly. Even if you use them as tools, I don’t think you need to treat them poorly on purpose. You have to take care of your tools.”
It was a mature opinion that accepted both good and evil. Even if I could understand its correctness, I still felt like, “for Mizuha to say that.” However, to say “for Mizuha to say that” or to sulk here would be too childish.
“…I understand. I’ll continue to kill villains and use them as nourishment. But I won’t treat them poorly on purpose after absorbing them. They’re a part of me.”
“Yes, yes. That’s good.”
Mizuha stroked my head. Damn it. She’s really like an older sister. No, not like, she is one. Mizuha has to be in the position of a clumsy older sister. I want to reverse this situation and return her to her original position. What’s a good idea… that’s it!
“Alright. We’re covered in dust from cleaning, so let’s take a bath.”