Chapter 37
The Art Gallery’s Mystery
“Nice atmosphere here. I’d like to come back during opening hours sometime and take a proper look,” Misty remarked as they entered the area densely hung with paintings, sweeping her flashlight beam around in admiration.
Her sentiment was spot-on, something most visitors would likely agree with.
Broad walkways were flanked by pale wooden walls stretching up towards the ceiling. Paintings hung at spaced intervals, with small cards to their right succinctly listing the works’ names and dates.
The overall effect was grand yet not overwhelming, a testament to the gallery’s masterful spatial balance.
“Though it would’ve been even better if the layout was a bit simpler…”
The only thing she didn’t quite like was the gallery’s layout itself.
The frequent turns required were gradually dampening her initial enjoyment.
“Yeah, that’s why there’s no shortest route, ahaha…”
Mio, already accustomed to it, gave a wry smile and directed Misty’s attention to the floor.
“Look, see the sliding rails on the floor tiles?”
“Sliding rails…? Oh, those?”
Unfamiliar with the term, Misty followed Mio’s pointing finger and noticed the metal rails running along the base of the walls.
“Right. These mechanisms allow the walls to move. That’s how the layout changes periodically.”
“Wow, really?”
Besides making cleaning easier, this system’s greatest advantage was the freedom to alter the exhibition route. It helped disperse crowds and kept things fresh for repeat visitors during events, but it wasn’t exactly friendly for anyone wanting a quick, straight path through at night.
The controls were in the main security room computer in the separate building, but they required the Director’s key to activate.
Thus, Mio and Misty had no choice but to navigate the complex, pre-set route. They’d reach the exit eventually, anyway.
“By the way, why do the paintings here look a bit… odd?”
Misty, who had somehow ended up walking ahead of Mio, shone her light on a painting to the left.
It was a piece dominated by vibrant colors and unrestrained, seemingly capricious lines. Chaotic at a glance, it was a modern abstract work embodying a peculiar imagination.
“Hey now, that’s a bit rude.”
Mio snorted, a flicker of Sylphess pride surfacing at this otherworlder’s slight against local art. Planting her hands on her hips and standing before the painting, she proudly lifted her head, cleared her throat, and declared,
“This is called ‘Pier.’ Its style has a unique individuality, expressing the mysterious emotions of the subject.”
“I see, I see.”
“Furthermore, the use of color narrates the subject’s inner feelings. Get it?”
“Yeah. But I’m a bit surprised. Mio, I didn’t know you had such taste.”
Misty looked genuinely impressed by Mio’s sharp commentary, though in truth, Mio was just parroting knowledge picked up from a game.
“W-well, of course! Wait, is it really that strange that I can appreciate art?”
“No, it’s refreshing. At least in the Noclaran Kingdom, only nobles in the academies usually get exposure to this stuff. It’s impressive.”
“R-really? Well, I’ll take that as a compliment th—”
Mid-sentence, Mio’s gaze returned to the painting.
In that instant, it happened.
“Whoa!”
His pupils contracted violently, a sensation like his heart being pierced shooting through him. Mio knew this feeling well—fear. Extreme fear. Just like when he first met Shamela and faced her pressure, his fingertips turned cold, and he felt his blood run cold.
(Mio! What’s wrong?! Are you okay?!)
Mina, his contracted spirit, sensing her Master’s turmoil, sent a worried telepathic message from the ‘Chamber of the Heart.’ But even looking through Mio’s eyes, she couldn’t comprehend what had frightened him so.
“?!”
Instinctively, Mio’s body reacted faster than his fear-frozen brain. He hurriedly hid behind Misty, clutching her waist with a pale face.
“Wh-what’s wrong, Mio?”
“The painting…”
“What about the painting?”
“The person in the painting… was looking at me…”
Mio answered, his trembling left hand pointing at the subject’s eyes.
“Just now… its eyes moved…”
“You can’t be serious.”
Skeptical but tilting her head, Misty carefully examined the painting from all angles. The figure’s face was exactly as before—the pupils facing right, the subtly downturned corners of the mouth.
“Nothing seems different. Are you sure you didn’t imagine it?”
“I’m a hundred percent sure I saw it!”
“Hmm. Maybe it was like a TV screen or something?”
“Impossible! Absolutely impossible! I was… Huh? Wait…”
As if realizing something, Mio approached ‘Pier’ again. This time, however, the unease had completely vanished.
Just as Misty said, everything looked normal.
Wondering if he’d just been overly nervous, Mio slowly backed away.
A slight shiver seemed to remain, and he pressed a hand to his chest, taking a deep breath.
“G-gone… What was that… The fear felt so real…”
“How pathetic. I take back what I said earlier~ Such a scaredy-cat isn’t impressive at all, Mio.”
“Ugh… can’t argue… I hope it was just an illusion.”
Slapping his cheeks to psych himself up, Mio quickly strode forward.
Their positions swapped, Misty now took the lead to avoid further disruptions.
Learning from the earlier incident, she was careful not to shine her light directly on the paintings, lest she startle the boy behind her again.
(Hey, are you there, my cute contracted spirit~?)
Wanting to bolster his courage but unwilling to be laughed at by Misty, Mio had no other choice. Keeping pace with the girl’s steps, he called out telepathically to Mina.
(I’m always here, my cowardly Master~)
Mina replied immediately in a playful tone, lying on the pure white floor of the ‘Chamber of the Heart’ and watching the real-time feed on the giant screen. She wished she could bring snacks into this space, lamenting that she couldn’t enjoy it like watching a movie.
(Mina, you too~! Give me a break… I told you from the start, I’m really bad with ghosts and monsters…)
(Then, does that mean Mio would be scared of me too~? After all, as a spirit, I’m similar to a ghost.)
(On the contrary. If they were all as cute as you, I might be able to overcome my fear.)
(Oh my~ It’s the truth, but I’m still happy~)
Praised twice for being cute, Mina blushed, rolling around on the floor in shy embarrassment.
(Mina, was I really that pathetic just now…?)
(A little bit. But from an ordinary person’s perspective, being afraid of ghosts is understandable.)
(But I’ve become a magician now…)
(There, there, don’t worry about it, don’t worry about it~)
Slightly wounded by Mina’s clumsy consolation, Mio scratched the back of his neck and was suddenly hit by a wave of sleepiness, letting out a big yawn. Observer Mina yawned along with him.
(What, are you sleepy too, Mina?)
(Fwaah~ Yeah, I haven’t slept much these past two days…)
(Hehe, welcome to the high school sleep schedule. I bestow upon Mina the title of ‘All-Night Rookie.’ Keep up the good work. By the way, what were you doing up all night?)
(Reading. I thought, since we’ll be living in Sylphess now, I should learn more about this place. That way, I can be more helpful to Master.)
(Heh, if only someone else had that kind of dedication like you do, it’d be a real help.)
Shooting a glance at Misty walking ahead, Mio吐槽ed internally.
(So, what kind of books were you reading?)
(Magazines! Oh, did you know? A new romance drama is starting soon! I’m so looking forward to it~)
(Trashy reading material, seriously! Can’t you read something more substantial! …Well, I’m the one who bought them, so it’s my fault… Next time, I’ll borrow some good books from the library for you.)
(Ah, then please get some ghost story books too~)
(Huh? You like those?)
(Yeah, I love them!)
Touching on an interesting topic, Mina sat up excitedly, her eyes sparkling, fixed on the screen which mirrored her movements.
(The Magical Realm has similar stories, but few are written as interestingly as they are in the Present World.)
(Really? What kind of stories are they?)
(Like one I read last night: Long ago, there was a monster that hid in folding screens or scrolls, peeking into the human world. It enjoyed startling people, feeding on their fear to grow stronger, until it gained enough power to leave the Present World.)
(That’s creepy! I knew I shouldn’t have asked!)
A chill ran down his spine, goosebumps rising. Unconsciously, he quickened his pace, trying to close the distance with Misty for a sense of security.
But— thud!
He’d gotten too close.
He bumped into Misty, who had stopped, and landed hard on his backside.
“Oww… Hey! What was that for?!”
“……”
In response to Mio’s complaint, Misty remained silent. Finally, she turned around. Her first words weren’t an apology, but a calm, questioning “Mio,” laced with doubt.
Seeing her serious expression, Mio understood—something had made her stop, and it was definitely not right.
He hurriedly scrambled up, swallowing his anxiety, and met her troubled gaze with a serious look of his own.
“Mio, how long have we been walking for?”
“Um… About five minutes?”
“Did we turn back at any point?”
“No. We’ve been following this corridor the whole time. Wait, shouldn’t you know better, Seraphin? You were walking in front.”
“That’s right. Then, the problem is here.”
Saying this, Misty raised her flashlight, illuminating a painting.
“—Is this ‘Pier’?”
“Huh? What kind of question is that? Is your memory that bad? Take a closer look.”
Mio sighed as if deeply disappointed, walked over to the painting, and began explaining impatiently.
“Look, this style, these colors, and the subject—no matter how you look at it, it’s ‘Pier,’ right? If you don’t believe me, look at the info card next to i…”
The sense of wrongness growing within him intensified.
And when that feeling peaked, his vision blurred, and a small “Huh?” escaped his lips.
“‘Pier’…? But, why?”
After staring intently to confirm again, his lips trembled as he asked,
“Mio. Are there… two of the same painting here?”
“No. Probably not…”
“Then this is really strange.”
Misty rested her chin on her hand, thinking for a few seconds. Her thoughts swirled, finding no satisfactory answer.
But she realized staying here was pointless. Pressing forward took priority over chasing clues leading nowhere.
“Let’s go, Mio.”
Having decided, Misty grabbed Mio’s wrist and broke into a run, heading deeper down the painting-lined corridor.
※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※
“Dammit, just how big is this annex?”
They had no idea how long they had been running flat out.
Mio endured the pain in his arm, while Misty had reached her physical limit, dropping to her knees, gasping for breath.
Ahead, darkness still stretched on. The promised ‘straight path to the exit’ now seemed a distant fantasy.
“I can’t go on…”
Overwhelmed by fatigue and sleepiness, Mio also collapsed flat on the floor.
Misfortune continued; the flashlight batteries died, plunging them into total darkness.
“Crap, the batteries are dead.”
“Ah, then no need to worry.”
A faint red light passed before their eyes, and Mina’s form became visible to them. Immediately, they understood what she meant by ‘no need to worry.’
A miniature version of Mio’s <Crimson Feather Alaroja>, several times smaller, could serve as a temporary light source.
Even if dim, it was enough to barely illuminate their immediate surroundings, enough to see each other’s faces.
“So, what’s the situation now?”
“Hah… We’re lost, and utterly exhausted…”
To be honest, a headache was setting in too.
Relying on the faint light, Misty approached a painting on the left. Whether it was astonishing or expected, the work within the frame remained ‘Pier.’
“As I thought…”
This was the third time. The first time was admiration for an artwork; now, it evoked feelings of aversion.
In fact, it wasn’t just this painting; many others they’d seen along the way had also reappeared.
It was highly unnatural, logically impossible.
Confronted with such a phenomenon, in Misty’s understanding—no, in this world, there was only one explanation.
“Mio, if someone were operating the rails, we’d notice, right?”
“Of course. Those mechanisms are pretty loud. In a quiet place like this, we’d definitely hear them.”
“I see. If that’s the case, then I understand.”
“Me too.”
As Mina and Misty reached an agreement, Mio, who hadn’t caught up with the situation analysis, tilted his head. “Understand what?”
“Stay calm and listen carefully, Master.”
“O-okay?”
“All these mysteries are…”
Mina narrowed her eyes mysteriously, deliberately pausing for effect before making a terrifying face and declaring:
“—The work of a monster! Aaah!”
