***

The carriage they took had seen far better days. The wooden panels throughout the cabin creaked and cracked, and quite a bit of paint flaked off. They probably had a glass window at some point in its past, but now it’s replaced with just a piece of thick cloth.

“We’re almost at Bridgehill.” [Lord] Quincy Baxter looked at his escort and guardian, a female [knight] named Sara Greylane. They were both dressed in civilian clothes. The only item that truly suggested that she might be a [Knight] was the sword, and the two daggers on her waist belt.

Quincy took the chance and recited his new persona. “Quinn Londen.” 

Quincy repeated it, reciting the scheme his father cooked up to protect him. “I’m Quinn Londen, a merchant’s son, and you’re my servant. We’re moving into Bridgehill, to take over an old mansion we bought, to start my own business and get away from my family.” 

Sara nodded, and inwardly she sighed at the thought of the mansion. As the young master’s only company, she’d be responsible for some cleaning later. That wasn’t what a knight normally did, but circumstances are unique. 

“Have you ever been to Bridgehill?” 

“No.” 

Quincy thought about why he was here in the first place. His family was embroiled in an elaborate shadow war and power struggle, and they sent him, the youngest male descendant, away for his protection. His elder sisters and brothers were similarly split up to a different city or region to fight their own war and battles against the still hidden enemies. 

For now, it’s just espionage and machinations. For now, no blood of any worth has been drawn.

The families are still cordial. On the surface. 

Sara noticed her master’s complicated expression. “Something on your mind, milord?”

“You’ll have to drop that ‘milord’ thing.”

Sara blushed, embarrassed. “Ah. Yes.”

There was a sudden thud, the carriage stopped, and Sara immediately snapped to attention. She asked. “Driver? Is everything okay?”

Both Quincy and Sara looked at each other, they both knew something was up. Sara reached for her dagger, ready for a fight. Quincy looked at his guardian, his heartbeat intensified. He repeated. “Is everything okay?” 

She placed her finger on her mouth. They both had to be silent. Quincy nodded and ducked. He didn’t believe any of the opponents would try something so dangerous yet. Not yet. Might just be bandits. 

The King still lived, and it’ll be years before war breaks out.

At that point, the carriage suddenly jerked into motion. They both heard their driver shout. “Sorry! We’ve got company! Bandits!”

They both felt a [skill] spread throughout the carriage, as they surged ahead. They felt more thuds and slams.

“Passing through some rough terrain!” The [driver] shouted. “Please remain seated and keep your head down. We’re passing through some bandit-infested areas.”

Sara looked at her liege, and nodded. “He’ll get a good tip if he delivers us in one piece.”

“Maybe that’s the plan all along.” Quincy responded and ducked. The shaking and explosions were fairly scary, and then there was an arrow that struck the cabin itself. The arrow pierced through the wood, but didn’t get further.

They both felt the carriage speed up, and then they felt the carriage swerved. A loud explosion behind them. 

“Cannons.” Sara said, they both ducked out of reflex. “That’s not normal banditry at all.”

“State-sponsored, then.” Quincy countered, and then they both felt the sound of the arrows and guns fade away. 

After two to three minutes of silence, the [driver] spoke. “Alright, we’re clear. Sorry about that. There’s a bandit gang war going on so things are a little more intense. Long ago we would’ve just paid a toll and they’ll let us go. These days they harass us a little.”

“A gang war?” The [knight] asked aloud. 

“Yeah. A new bandit gang trying to muscle in on the old gang’s area. Shit like that, apparently linked to the whole shadow cold war back in the Capitol. They’re not that hostile, but they still try to bully everyone going through this area.”

Sara cursed. “The shadow cold war has spread here too.”

“Oh it’s everywhere, now. You’re not the first to escape from the Capitol. Thousands of others made similar trips. Anyway, Bridgehill is right around the corner.”

***

They adjusted the cloth curtain and saw Bridgehill, a large sprawling city on the Bridgehill Delta. The guards checked them briefly, and waved them through. 

“Alright, where to?”

Sara checked a small notebook. “Maxwell Mansion, Westland Street.”

“Maxwell Mansion? That haunted possessed place that’s supposedly owned by a necromancer centuries ago?”

“Haunted?!” Sara yelped.

“Yeah.” The driver said as if it’s the most normal thing.

This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

“Shit. No wonder it’s cheap!” Quincy cursed. “I paid like 45 gold for the place. That’s like almost all my money.”

“45 Gold?! You got shoved, good sir. I heard it was on the market for as cheap as 25 gold. No wonder they even covered your moving fees!” The [driver] laughed. “The old lady that owns the place has been trying to get rid of it for years, but the ghosts apparently mess with anyone who tries to get near.”

“I bought a haunted mansion.” The young [Lord] sighed. “Great.”

Sara didn’t say a word. 

The driver chuckled. “That’s what happens when you make property purchases without seeing the place. But I suppose it is what it is.”

Sara thought for a moment. “Could you sue for fraudulent or omission of key facts?”

“I could.” But Quincy felt it was too much trouble. 45 gold wasn’t much in the real scheme of things. He’d have to turn up in court, engage a lawyer and all that, and that sounded like exposure he didn’t need. It’ll just draw attention to him, and he’d be scrutinized, and was fairly sure his story would fall apart. He’ll wait a year if needed, or wait for the 2nd batch of cash to come through. Then buy another place.

The carriage zoomed through the busy streets, and eventually arrived at the mansion’s gates. “Alright, we’re here. No tips needed. The property agent paid me handsomely for it. Besides, it’s not right for me to kick a man when he’s already down.” The [driver] was a middle aged, tanned, and muscular man, and he had a smile that seemed to glow with the brightness of the sun itself. 

Sara carried the two large suitcases easily, and looked at the gates of their mansion.

It was flanked by other equally secluded and abandoned mansions. “The other mansions are haunted too?”

“Nope. But no one wants to be near this mansion so no one bought it. Last I heard it’s all in the hands of the land office.”

“Shit.” Quincy cursed. “But oh well, couldn’t be worse.” 

The young lord approached the mailbox right outside the mansions’ gates, and found a letter inside. In it, was a gold-covered key. 

As he held it, he felt the faint notification of the embedded magical energies activating. The message was clear to him in his mind.

[Owner recognised. Quinn Londen registered.]

The gates opened up magically, and Sara smiled. “Well, at least the gates work.”

The driver waved at them. “Alright, good luck with your stay. Say hi to the ghosts for me.”

Sara gave the man a glare that could kill. The driver merely chuckled. Quincy approached the large wooden doors of the three storey mansion with supposedly twenty five rooms. He found it curious back then why the number of rooms was a rough estimate instead of exact count, but now it made sense.

The door clicked open with no fanfare, and Quincy walked into the foyer. There was a thick layer of dust on the floor, a place clearly not cleaned in years, some of the tiles were broken-

“Lights?” Quincy asked, and then the lights flickered on. “Oh, lights still work. The mana generator must still be working.”

Sara began to check her bags, and then took out a set of scrolls. “Alright, we’ve got some [clean] spells on these scrolls. We can use it to clean up the bedrooms and kitchen. I’ll go cook something for today.”

Quincy winced at the thought of Sara cooking. “No. I’ll do it.”

“Fine. Take this.” Sara frowned and handed Quincy two cleaning scrolls and a bag of stored food. Supplies for their trip. “I’ll go clean up two of the rooms.”

“Yup.” 

***

Quincy walked alone to the kitchen. It was located behind one massive dining room, and then the kitchen itself was massive, clearly meant for a staff of at least ten. He noticed a few set of doors that led downstairs, suggesting the presence of underground chambers. 

He’d explore that someday, but for now, food. He unfurled the cleaning scroll, and then, he spoke. “Activate [Cleaning Scroll].”

The scroll’s formation glowed, and then, magic spread out of the scroll, and the entire kitchen was suddenly clean. The scroll in his hand crumbled into ash and then, nothing. 

“Alright.” The kitchen was clean, all the grease and dust scrubbed away. It didn’t sparkle, though. That took a different set of spells. [Cleaning] specifically removed grease, dust, grime, mold, mildew, stains, used oil and other such items. They had to specifically mention used oil, because the earlier versions of [cleaning] vaporized unused oil as well, much to the annoyance of the users. 

The young [Lord] Quincy checked the bag of supplies. They had quite a bit of potatoes, two magically preserved bags of bacon and dried meats, and apples. Not much, but it’ll have to do. 

Some time later-

“Sara! Dinner’s ready.” Quincy shouted, and then walked to the dining room just to notice the dining room was still dirty. “Ah shit.” 

A [cleaning] scroll later, the dining room was in acceptable condition. He placed the two plates of fried potatoes, bacon and sliced apples, and began to eat.

Sara walked in a while later. “Sorry I’m late.” Sara had already changed into a cleaner set of clothes. “It’s proven to be a lot dirtier than expected, but I’ve cleaned your room and also the washroom.”

“Sure. Food’s ready. Eat.” 

Sara sat and began to take bites out of the fried meat. “It’s pretty good. You can cook better than me.”

Quincy didn’t respond to it, and just stuffed his mouth with another slice of meat. After he finished chewing, he asked. “Did you spot the ghost?”

“Nope. Seems like a fairly normal mansion, to be honest.”

“Maybe it’s underground. I saw some doors that lead below.”

“You did?” Sara squinted. “That’s not in the document given by the seller-”

"We'll go meet the seller and ask for more details. After we rest." Quincy said. He was feeling a little exhausted from the trip, and sleeping in carriages for the past five days wasn't ideal. "Everything can wait for a good night's sleep on a proper bed."

Sara shrugged. "Very well, I will check out the rest of the rooms instead."

***

Quincy climbed into his bed. His chambers were the largest in the entire mansion, fittingly so as it was the master’s chambers. The furniture was simple, according to the seller there was a burglary a few decades before that somehow made off with all the furniture. 

He had many unanswered questions. If this place was haunted, how did anyone ship any furniture in?

It didn’t take long for him to conclude it was a pointless thought exercise, so he decided to just crawl into bed and sleep. If it’s not haunted, all the better for him.

He closed his eyes-

[New owner identified. Scanning personal details. [Lord] class identified. First condition - met.]

[Scanning building occupants. Female servant identified. Second condition - met.]

[Do you wish to accept ownership and control over the [Core]? Acceptance of a [core] is irrevocable]

Quincy felt the notification bright and clear in his mind, and he looked around. A [core]? Here? That couldn’t be right. Magical cores are prized possessions-

This could entirely overturn the balance of their family’s struggles against the oppression of the royal court and the shadow guilds. He briefly considered whether selling the [core] would net him money to fund the war, but realized, selfishly, this was his chance to help his family.

Money couldn’t buy loyalty. A magical [core], on the other hand, was a force on its own. 

Quincy nodded to himself, and accepted ownership over the [core]. He wondered what kind of core this mansion held-

[You’ve gained control of the [Magical Maid Core]!]

The first word was exciting. Magical! That’s good. Then Quincy stared at the second and last word.

Maid core?

“Oh dear, what have I done?”