‘No way…’

“Sera, so you are trying to say that I wouldn’t be taken here forcibly if I was still alive. Right?”

“Yeah! After all, it is normally impossible for material to go through the gate! It is like forcing something big through a small hole. Only corporeal things like spirits would fit there so the candidates are usually beings that freshly died.”

She explained in the hope for him to understand that he wouldn’t be here if he was alive.

“...”

But he seemed to get pale even more, making her confused.

“What is it, sir?”

“You see… Do you know how she got here with me?”

He asked as he gestured at the kitty.

“She is your spirit companion, isn’t she? It isn’t uncommon for spirit companions to follow their masters even after passing.”

With a sweet smile, she said this but he didn’t notice that.

He felt like crying with no tears coming out.

And so with a blank expression, he stared into the ceiling and explained.

“She isn’t. Or rather wasn’t. I met her the day this happened. She was fatally injured. And died probably like  a minute before we were taken by the house.”

“...”

Hearing her silence he sighed.

‘Am I just collateral damage? What a shitty situation.’

“Ah... Ah. Ah! I-I misjudged! Sorry for the mistake m-madam! My name is Se-”

Sera with a panicked face stood up and with haste, she started to apologize and introduce herself. To the kitty.

“...”

Black lines appeared on his forehead.

“Are you fucking kidding me?! She is a newborn cat! She can’t understand you, you shitty maid! I am not supposed to be here! Get me home!”

She flinched at his outburst as she held her head.

“So-Sorry! Like I said before, there is no way to take you back!”

“Then create a way someway! You guys ruined my life because of a mistake!”

“It is not my fault either! It is the house that took you in!”

*Rumble*

“Y-you! Even I know that talking bad about the house is a no-go here! You stupid!”

The house rumbled and creaked. It was visibly outraged by her words.

The walls of things started to sway and things started to fall one by one.

“NO! I am sorry! Please stop!”

But the house didnť stop. Instead, the frequency of the quaking rose.

In the end, everything started to fall from its place and got misplaced.

The young man watched Sera crying over this with little schadenfreude.

He wasn’t the only one to suffer.

This made him calm down quite a bit.

Fortunately, after this, everything got quiet again.

If the silent sobbing wasn’t counted.

“So much work to make this place inhabitable… All for naught…”

Seeing her on her knees lamenting made him feel content but also a little guilty. After all, what she said was true.

“Ha ha hah! That’s what you deserve for making this monstrosity!”

The needles who lay in silence suddenly floated up and with a raucous laugh they started to tear the ‘jacket’ she made. Then they left.

This made Sera even more sad.

And so he couldn’t stand aside any longer. She was the only one he could depend on right now.

“Don’t be like that. I appreciate the effort you put in this jacket. Fortunately, I already have this cloak. If it won’t run away then I will make do with it for some time. Until then we will surely get me a set of clothes one way or another.”

He could see that she was a horrible weaver. In fact, if someone showed him how to do it he would be able to do better work. However, the work he saw behind this misshapen jacket was undeniable. She probably worked on it since he passed out.

The hard work wasn’t always rewarded but it can be at least appreciated.

But while appreciation is a must, the same cannot be said about the use of the thing she created. There was a reason why those needles called for death.

He knew that betting on the living cloak staying on his until he gets back to Earth was unrealistic.

Once he gets a chance he will try to get something that can actually be worn.

Without trying to hurt the innocent girl who tried to sew him a set.

Not only because he would feel bad but also for his safety.

While he was thinking this, Sera who felt a big tide of negative emotions heard his words.

When they reached her ears she could feel his sincerity. Her furrowed brows softened and her facial expression relaxed.

She even felt the corner of her expression twitch into an indiscernible smile.

But realizing he still watched she froze her facial expression and snapped out of her daze.

She felt embarrassed at his gaze.

So she stood up and sat up in her chair with an awkward expression.

Or rather than being awkward, she was a little happy but didn’t want to show it.

She used to be scolded when she worked.

Even sir Araaz, who was as gentle as the breeze, rarely complimented her.

This made her weak against the compliments.

So she felt a little itch in her heart after hearing all this.

“Everything else can be cleaned again too. You have friends to help, right? Like Mr. Araaz and that three-eyed maid.”

“N-no, they can’t help. They are guarding the realm from the external forces. The only reason you met them was because you were one and so they inspected you.”

With this explanation, he pursed his lips.

“This place is in danger.”

“Ah no. It is just that the last Housekeeper made a big mistake that led to this realm being half-broken. And because he died they are still heeding his commands. They do not have a choice. Only a new housekeeper or old housekeeper’s command with higher authority can make them stop.”

“I see.”

He sighed in relief. Having external enemies on top of all of that? No, thank you!

“Is there really no way to get out of here?! If you give me a feasible idea and help me then I will help you clean this. It will take time but it will be much quicker with the two of us wouldn’t it”

Hearing this she looked deep into his eyes. It was at that moment that he realized how gorgeous this clumsy maid was.

“I… I know two ways to get out of this place but I don’t know if you will like it.”

“Doesn’t matter. As long as it is feasible then I won’t mind.

A rush of excitement was coursing through his body as he heard that there was still a chance to get out of there.

Unfortunately, it was doused as quickly as it appeared.

“First one is… Getting permission to leave from the Housekeeper. But since there isn’t one currently then you would have to wait for one to take a seat.”

“And the other?”

But he didn’t lose hope and asked about the second way.

“Well, the second is even more straightforward. By becoming a Housekeeper you can not only give permission to others but can leave too. Although you will then be bound to this realm.”

‘So in the end all of it comes to this.’

He sighed.

“How do you become a Housekeeper?”

She blinked her eyes seeing him change like this.

‘Must be nice to feel a feeling of belonging somewhere.’

Seeing him want to go back to his world so much made her feel a little envious.

But he didn’t notice this as he waited for her answer.

Not being able to read the emotions of young maidens was one of the biggest flaws in his non-existent love life.

Never would he expect that it would bring him so much difficulty in his unpredictable future.

“As you already know. The mad- K-kitten in your arms is the candidate. The candidates can participate in some trials of appropriate difficulty. Once he succeeds then he gets to become the Housekeeper.”

He clicked with his tongue.

“I don’t know if there are animals who can speak or whatever else but in our world cats have the mental age of children. The kitten’s mental age is especially like that of the toddler! There is no way she could succeed.”

When he explained this to her she seemed to be a little hesitant.

“There is a probability she will gain spirituality after some time. Many creatures evolved here. For spirits like her, it will be even more easier.”

“For how long?”

“You don’t need to fear! You won’t age here!”

Hearing this he felt like he had a lump in his throat.

With this, she basically said that it could take years. Maybe even a lifetime.

“I may not age but what about those outside? If the world will change and several generations will pass then everything will be for naught.”

“Well… The time is hard to calculate here. It could take a long time outside but it can also be the opposite where no time passes at all!”

“I can’t bet on this. How can I be a Housekeeper myself?”

And so he asked the question that would change his destiny forever.

“Actually, there was no one like you who isn't a candidate but also is too weak. Normally you would either do the trials or the Housekeepers were too strong and usurped this place with their power…

No, wait. There is actually another way. And that is to get recognition from this realm itself. I only heard that a few Housekeepers became one thanks to this but I wasn't a resident here at that time. If you will dedicate yourself to making this a better place then there is a higher chance that you will get the opportunity.”

When he heard this he knew that this was the only feasible way for him.

But what attracted him next was Sera’s words about generations of Housekeepers. She said that she didn’t know the ones recognized as if she knew a lot of those that weren’t.

‘Is the Housekeeper just a temporary title that will be in a few years given to someone else? Or… is she a grandma? It would make sense since she said that you won’t age here.’

Realizing that the clutz before him was probably older than he could guess he once again got to know how deceitful this place was.

“Then I will do my best to become a Housekeeper. Then I will be able to leave.”

Happy with finding his goal he cuddled with the sleeping kitty.

“Wait! If you become Housekeeper you won’t be able to get rid of the responsibility over this place! Only by dying or finding another inheritor would you be able to do so!”

But at this, he only laughed.

“So be it! Once the time comes I will give the place to someone else!”

As he continued to laugh he started to think how to accomplish his goal.

However, his mirth soon faded as the path before him wasn't easy at all.

On the contrary, it will be as difficult as it could be.

He saw in which state this place is.

But if he wants to leave then this would be his only way to get out of here in a short time.

He took a deep breath and exhaled.

After all of the events today, he was quite tired.

“All right then. Sera, I will help with this mess but not today. Firstly since I will stay in this place I want to ensure my basic needs. Like food, water, hygiene, and a private place to sleep. The previous place doesn’t count since it is literally full to the brim and the door was almost broken by Feliria.”

If you want to survive in an unknown place then the first thing to do is to get your basic needs done.

After a long time, he didn’t have food or even water.

He had short sleep but was in the place reminding him of the swamp so he wasn’t rested at all.

The worst thing was that he was dirty to the point that he was repulsive of himself.

Seeing Sera being clean he knew that there has to be a way to clean yourself or clean rooms.

If the only clean room belonged to her then he would barge his ass to live there!

“Don’t worry spirits usually don’t need to sustain themselves like- Oh never mind.”

Flustered, she stopped speaking.

‘Yes. I am alive. Thank you very much!’

“In that case, the best room in this house will probably be the master bedroom. That’s where Housekeepers usually resided. But it isn’t exclusive to them. As long as you gain the consent of the house you should be able to use the room. I don’t know what state it is in though. I or anyone else can’t enter it.”

“I see. So the previous room was just temporary, huh?”

“Y-yes. Normally we would give you time to gain consent. If you gain then you will have the master bedroom. If not then another bedroom would be given to you. Normally it doesn’t matter how long it takes since most candidates don't need to sleep. Your passing out was a unique experience, sir.”

She was a little embarrassed since it was her fault that I passed out.

“In the world I was born in, Earth, there are very few species that could survive without a head and even then it would be just a fraction of their lifespan before they die of the wound. And those species are far from humanoid ones like Miss Sera. So seeing the talking head was too shocking.”

He explained himself.

At this, she nodded in wonder.

“That’s interesting. But as you should, I am Dullahan. I do not survive without a head, I was born this way. It is just that I have difficulty keeping it at the place…”

Her voice was getting smaller as she talked.

It was obviously an uncomfortable topic to talk about for her.

And so he changed the topic back to his needs.

“What if I don’t get the consent or it will take a long time?”

Sighing secretly in relief she explained.

“Then you can only choose other rooms. But they won’t be better than the one you already were in so you would need to clean it for yourself.”

“What about showering and other things to keep your hygiene?”

“The bigger rooms have their bathroom and restroom. Only smaller ones do not have them but there are many public spas in the house. None of them work though.”

“What do you mean?”

“There are pipes leading to the bathrooms but they do not bring the water. The entire system is broken, or blocked or the water doesn’t flow. If you want to bathe then the best way to get water is going to the garden to get it from the pond there. That water is also drinkable and is one of the safest sources of water. The garden is a safe place itself so even getting some fruits is feasible as long as you gain consent from the gardener.”

‘I see. So the garden will be the second most important place for me to survive.’

“What did you mean by safe place? Are there many dangerous places? I mean, I know that Feliria can be dangerous if I couldn't persuade her before.”

“Yes. The safest place would be a garden thanks to the gardener. Normal corridors and rooms are quite safe too. But that’s all there is to safe zones. Before preparing yourself it would be best for you to travel alone only when going to your room, garden, and living room. With me, going to some other places would be fine too”

This was her sincere advice. After all, sir Araaz told her that he was only a weak human who couldn’t defend himself here.

The best way to live here was either avoiding the dangerous zones, getting protection from strong tenants or getting stronger himself.

The first option was a bad one in the long run since he wanted to be Housekeeper. Avoiding the problem wouldn’t solve anything.

On the other hand, getting strong would take willpower, talent, and time.

So the best for him to do was to get protection from someone.

But that would also be hard. Just as this realm is broken, the inhabitants are the same.

There are so many creatures yet how many can be even called acquaintances?

They just coexist. The same was true even when it came to Housekeepers of lower authorities who couldn’t command the tenants.

They were just ignored or even rebelled against.

And that is not to say what about the candidates.

Being exposed to the malice of the place, if they couldn’t become housekeepers soon, then almost always they wouldn't become one.

Now that someone who isn’t even a candidate wants to become a Housekeeper there will be conflicts. So it was for the best to go only to those three locations for his safety.

‘I would try to defend you myself but…’

She just sighed as she shook her head.

“All right. Not that I planned to go anywhere else anytime soon anyway.”

After saying this he stood up while still holding the kitty.

“Since it will take some time I would like to go to see my room. If I can’t get consent from the master bedroom today then I need to have a place to sleep.

“Yes, you are right. I will lead you. Please follow me, sir.”

She also stood up and prepared to leave.

But he couldn’t notice her bad expression towards the messed up room.

‘I guess trying to clean this alone can be a bad experience.’

“Don’t mind it. Once I will acclimate here I will help you with it. I have no choice anyway.”

He said this with a disinterested expression but for her, it was a blessing.

“A-ah, yes! This way.”

She turned her face, which rippled with a tinge of red, back to him as she guided him to one of the ‘true’ walls of the house.

‘Maybe this Housekeeper won’t be so bad? That would be good. But what if he fails? Well if he fails at least there will be someone to pass the time with me…’

The maid who felt lonely despite being in a place full of life could finally smile a little.

She came to the wall and started to knock at it in a certain rhythm.

This took a moment but once she ended there was a loud click and part of the wall in a rectangular shape similar to the door opened up.

Inside a dark pathway leading somewhere showed up.

“This is the shortest path to the master bedroom. Let’s go.”

With this, the maid disappeared inside of the passage.

The young man went after her in haste, fearing he would lose her.

Once both of them entered, the door swiftly closed behind them completely concealing the hidden passage.