The eccentric doctor never makes a misdiagnosis!

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"It's terrifying."

Davis's Adam's apple bobbed, as if he wanted to swallow back the rising shock. 3…』si→♂si"二％

"I know."

Fran nodded slightly, a hint of a smile flashing in his amber eyes.

"That guy has been lured to the other side of the hall. And even if there's no noise now... it probably won't have the energy to pay attention to the outside world."

The golden prayer seal that Fran used in his previous interactive experiments with the mansion model was a remelted "fragment of the Imperial Power Armor".

Originally embedded inside the Grey Knight's armor, it was removed after disassembly and carried with her. Its usual function is roughly similar to a lucky coin…

Well, speaking of which, the Grey Knight Armor's autonomous combat program had been running smoothly without any abnormalities.

The reason things later got out of control and damaged the storage cabinets in the collection room was most likely because he had taken out the gold emblem himself...

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羹～

Chapter Forty-Seven: The Meat Eaters [Ghost Residence]

An ornament imbued with pure faith, a spiritual essence to bring it to life, and a mansion model capable of influencing reality from the inside out...

The combination of the three elements created a "living armor" that seemed to be driven by a ghost.

Based on this, it possesses many features of the Grey Knight armor.

Although it was just an ordinary knight's armor, it showed a tendency to suppress the mud-like humanoid in close combat due to its almost instinctive fighting skills.

Davis followed Fran out of the bedroom and into the hallway.

He looked around as he went, glancing back every now and then, and only after confirming that the monster had indeed completely left did he feel somewhat relieved.

"What exactly is that thing? And... who lured it away?"

Davis was full of doubts, and after much deliberation, he finally asked Fran in front of him a question.

Although the other party may not know the details either, judging from her calm and composed demeanor... she might know more than I do.

1 "I'm sorry to disappoint you, but I know nothing about what's happening at the manor."

Lin: "However, I found a diary in the room. The rest of the diary had been torn out, leaving only a section of a poem."

As Fran left the bedroom, he casually took the room's owner's diary with him. Now, with a slight movement, he deftly tossed it to Davis.

Davis took the diary and began to read it as he walked.

[Deep within the splendor of this mansion, where my angel once dwelled, the palaces, magnificent—shining for her—scattered across the heavens.]

Within the dreamlike realm, her youthful appearance remains unchanged;

[Her delicate white dress and slender figure seem just like those of the past; her smile and voice remain unchanged.]

Silk [Though filthy and rotten, it has never been seen, yet it lingers hesitantly, relentlessly pursuing.]

Is this the first chapter of that short poem?

Davis stared intently at the last line of the poem, lost in thought for a moment.

"Nil and decay have not yet been seen, yet they linger timidly, relentlessly pursuing..."

He repeated it to himself, and for a moment he couldn't help but think of the monster that had broken into his door earlier.

Rotten, wandering, chasing—it seems every characteristic can be matched with it.

However, the short poem that appeared in my room describes my past with Dusan, and how Dr. Fran became the little girl she is now... is it also because of the "past"?

What kind of event could it be? I'm really curious...

Davis was considered highly skilled among his peers, possessing a high level of expertise in both classical text interpretation and field exploration. His lack of widespread fame was primarily due to his tutor, who was more interested in reaping the rewards than in achieving them.

The reason he persists in his work despite all this is mainly to satisfy his innate curiosity.

Seeing that he was still thinking, Fran then explained his point of view to him.

"I'll call that thing 'corruption' for now."

"It possesses some intelligence, but currently it only seems to follow sounds. It lacks visual and olfactory senses."

The fact that it cannot smell decay is quite reasonable, as it has an extremely strong stench. As for why it can hear the sounds around it... it probably originates from some kind of "organ" within its body that can sense vibrations.

As they were talking, Fran had already led Davis to his guest room bedroom.

Although she had memorized the entire architectural structure of the Hanover mansion, the model in her room allowed her to observe the mansion in real time. It would be more prudent to take a look before deciding on any further actions.

"We can only act by following the sound... Indeed, I have experienced this firsthand."

Davis still felt lingering fear when he thought of that extremely intimidating monster.

In his room, he kept his head down and crawled the entire time, not daring to look up at the mud-like figure, afraid that his gaze would attract its attention. He only glanced at it very cautiously out of the corner of his eye as the creature left.

It was a bloated humanoid figure made of mud and filth, its body studded with numerous human remains.

Whether it was a hand or a leg… it drove these limbs to move the body; the pale hands and feet thrashed wildly, like the legs of a centipede.

"Oh, so this is the guest room Count Ferdinand prepared for you..."

Even though he was somewhat mentally prepared, Davis still couldn't help but squint and sigh when he saw Fran's room.

The pinkish-white wall paint, the bookshelves overflowing with fairy tale books, and the plush bear taking up half the bed... it's the kind of decor only little girls would use.

"Judging from that short poem, this room had a 'former owner.' However, whether she was actually a member of the Earl's family remains to be verified."5

Fran explained, then went to the mansion model to examine the details.

The ancient knight's living armor relentlessly pursued decay, driving it to the end of a side corridor. While it possessed some combat experience from the Grey Knight's armor, the limitations of this particular suit prevented it from cleanly and decisively eliminating its opponent.

But if you're just trying to entangle it... that's more than enough.

Speaking of which, the number of servants Count Ferdinand had was somewhat unusual.

The knights' armor clashed with the corruption, yet no one noticed the extremely unusual commotion. The guards outside the mansion seemed to have vanished.

Given the size of the entire manor and its surrounding estates, at least twenty people are needed to maintain normal operations. And if one wishes to display status and wealth, this number would rise to over a hundred…

While examining the mansion model, Fran inquired about the specifics of Davis's past.

Since the anomalies found in the guest room are related to his past, there is value in understanding them.

"Davis, would you like to tell me your story?"

Fran often works as a psychologist, and this counseling session is just another example of his professional habit kicking in...

"There's not much to say, it's a very cliché story. If you heard what I said earlier... you can probably guess what happened."

Davis gave a barely perceptible sigh, but out of respect for Fran, he still gave a brief account.

“My supervisor has always published my research and exploration results in his name.”

"Two months ago, we were exploring together on the Fenrir when we discovered the entrance to the Wenlanta underwater ruins on an unnamed island... Professor Dusan stayed on the ship, while I almost died inside the ruins."

“It was extremely dangerous there. Of the seven sailors who went into the ruins with me, only two survived.”

Davis's gaze darted away slightly, as if he was unwilling to explain in detail what he had encountered inside the ruins.

"During the return voyage, he forcibly took my exploration notes. Later... the Fenrir entered a sudden storm."

He fell silent at this point, not saying anything more about what happened next.

But based on the information that 8 had obtained from David's self-talk 7, 6 Fran 3 was able to easily connect 4 and 4 to what would happen 2.

A shipwrecked by a storm, survivors who remain tight-lipped about the details, and Professor Toussaint, dismembered by a kitchen knife… By simply piecing these clues together, the truth becomes clear.

“Mr. Davis, do you know the navigator named Krull? He seems to be working on the Fenrir.”

Considering the folklorist's unstable mental state, Fran shifted the topic to other areas.

"……know."

This was a fairly common question, and Davis pursed his lips tightly before answering after a while.

"He was taciturn throughout the shipwreck, but displayed extraordinary calmness and cruelty during the disaster... He was a truly terrifying man."

Fran nodded slightly upon hearing this, seemingly already fully aware of the situation.

"I see."

“If I’m not mistaken… you and Krull have some kind of working relationship. He probably received an invitation letter from Count Ferdinand and then persuaded, or even threatened, you to forge your mentor’s recommendation letter, demanding that you go with him.”

Her voice was soft and gentle, like that of a real psychologist, full of reassurance.

But what he said made Davis's eyes twitch slightly.

Fran's guess was reasonable; after all, the two had spent some time together on the Fenrir and should know each other. If they had met by chance at the Earl's mansion... there would likely have been some surprise on their part.

Moreover, Davis's relationship with his mentor was so terrible that it's unlikely Dusan would have written him a recommendation letter before his death.

Of course, this is not their weakness.

If nothing unusual happens today, no one will know that Davis had ever been to the Fenrir. Even fewer people will know that his mentor had quietly perished on that ship. Even if Toussaint's obituary comes out later, it won't matter; it can simply be said that it was left behind before his death.

“Dr. Fran, you are truly… insightful.” Davis’s expression was somewhat complicated.

The facts are no different from what Fran said.

Krull wanted to make his fortune in the chaotic Earl's mansion, but he was also afraid of the strange legends surrounding it... and then he thought of himself. In the end, he was almost coerced into forging his mentor's letter of recommendation.

"Doctor, you know my secret, but you could have kept it to yourself. Aren't you afraid... what I might do to you?"

After a moment of contemplation, Davis finally voiced his doubts.

Upon hearing this, Fran calmly looked at the young folklorist, his amber eyes gleaming like candlelight.

"That's true, only the dead can keep secrets. But I'm a little curious, are you really going to do it?"

“No.” Davis shook his head slightly.

"I won't do anything to you, but I still hope you can keep this a secret."

As he spoke, his expression turned serious.

"Also, Dr. Fran... whatever you do, don't let Krull know that you know about that past. He's not like me; he'll absolutely kill to keep this a secret."

Davis's attitude was quite serious, as if he wanted to warn Fran about the dangers involved.

"Don't worry, I'm not interested in spreading your secrets."

Fran spread her hands slightly, a slight smile playing on her lips.

She reached into her medicine box and slowly pulled out a classic and exquisite pistol. It was the standard firearm of the Hunter Order, with a horizontally oriented holy emblem etched on the stock.

Yes, this gun came from Sister Heda.

She took two guns from Haida's waist when they were at the ruins of the library of the Son of Sugi, but later only returned one and kept one for herself as a souvenir...

"Moreover, even if you were to do something less than respectable, I have less than respectable solutions... I'm glad you didn't choose the wrong answer."

Looking at the classic-styled gun in Fran's hand, Davis felt a chill run down his spine.

Why would a doctor keep a handgun in their medicine cabinet? Do any patients actually need such a thing?

"Your safety awareness...is truly admirable."

He responded with a slightly dry tone.

In fact, even if Fran were to revert to her child form due to the influence of the Hanoverian mansion, she could still easily subdue Davis. The reason for choosing to display firearms... is because it's a more common-sense and acceptable form of deterrence.

During their conversation, Fran had already re-examined the mansion model. The others were still in their bedrooms, and for some reason, the door to the closest one was open.

That's Krull's room.

"Should we go to his place first..." Although the two were partners, Davis was still somewhat afraid of the sailor.

"Go and have a look."

Fran didn't care about the specific order in which she explored the rooms; she was going to visit them all anyway. However... she planned to save Attorney Tames for last.

"Ah."

Davis did not question her decision, since only Krull's room door was open at the moment.

Besides, Dr. Fran has a gun, so there shouldn't be any danger, right? As long as we don't encounter any monsters...

As he followed Fran out of the room, he glanced at the mansion model. He then noticed that Father Gorn's room, besides his own, also contained the young male servant from the Hanover mansion, and that two ceramic figurines were placed on the bed…