NOMAMWTM Chapter 1
Dong.
Ding.
Dong.
Ding.
Dong.
Ding, dong, ding, dong, ding, dong, dong.
Welcome to the Cardium Estate, everyone.
We sincerely, from the depths of our hearts, welcome you as our new family member.
For your well-being, please be sure to read the following regulations carefully.
1. Carry the issued items with you at all times.
Servants are issued navy blue uniforms, a necklace, and a small knife.
Always carry the necklace and knife with you.
2. Do not walk alone within the estate.
All servants work in pairs.
Members of the Cardium Estate, excluding the master, are never to walk alone and never to work in odd numbers.
Keep this in mind.
Under no circumstances will you ever be ordered to move alone.
3. The estate's nights are extremely dangerous.
As soon as your work hours end, enter your room immediately, lock the door, and do not come out until the next morning.
No matter what happens.
4. Do not open the windows.
All windows in the Cardium Estate are firmly secured with locks.
As a noble magical estate, Cardium maintains comfortable air without needing to open windows.
Do not open the windows no matter what happens.
However, occasionally you may find a room with an open window.
If you discover a room with an open window, close the door and open it again.
It will be closed.
Never enter a room with an open window...
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8. The estate's fourth floor is a restricted area.
The master's study is located on the fourth floor.
This is a place only the master may enter.
Never step on the stairs leading to the fourth floor.
If you climb more than three steps, it will recognize that you are heading to the fourth floor.
9. The estate's basement is a restricted area.
The Cardium Estate's basement is sealed, so no one should enter.
It is a place even the master and grand mistress do not enter.
If someone approaches you under the pretext of cleaning the basement, or suggests going down together because there might be rats, react as if you don't know the basement exists and naturally distance yourself.
Never look back.
10. Do not come out on nights when the full moon rises.
The day the full moon rises is a day off for everyone.
Never leave your room.
This night is the only night outsiders can enter the estate.
On this night, the only person guaranteed safety outside their room is the outsider.
The next day, we will be able to welcome a new family member.
11. While staying in this estate, you may suffer from various abnormalities or compulsions.
This includes irrational impulses such as wanting to scratch your palms until they bleed, wanting to gouge out your eyes, or wanting to rip out your ears.
Usually these are temporary symptoms, but if they persist to the point where you cannot maintain your reason, break the necklace from item 1.
You will soon be fine.
12. Watch your words.
Living in the Cardium Estate may make you feel negative.
You may want to cry, you may want to scream.
You may want to lose your temper uncontrollably.
We understand.
However, never let heated words spill out due to emotion.
They are watching and listening to us everywhere.
13. Actively use the distributed items.
If you fail to follow the regulations and make a mistake, or if you have an intuition that you are in danger, immediately break the necklace from item 1.
However, if the intuition does not disappear even after breaking the necklace, or if it seems ineffective, then sadly.
Use the knife ■■.
The knife is not intended for use on others.
Addendum.
Sometimes, you may see familiar faces in grotesquely bizarre forms.
They do not pose a ■threat to us■■.
They are merely phenomenaheeheehee
If you encount
Hee-hee-hee
Hee
Hee-hee
ter them, please observe five seconds of silent prayer over them
Hee-hee-hee-hee-hee
and we will be grat■■■■■■.
You know it, don't you? hee-hee-hee, everyone.
We cannot leave this place.
We must coexist with them and somehow surv■■.
Please, survive until the day the barrier breaks hee-hee-■■-hee-hee-hee-hee-■■-hee die die die■■die■■■■we hope■■......
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■■■■■die■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■die■■■■■■■die■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■die■■diediediediediediediediediediediediediediediediediediediediediediediediediediediediediediediediediediediediedie■■■■■■■die■ .
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Die.
Ding, dong, ding, dong, ding, dong,
Ding, dong, ding, dong, ding, dong, ding.
Ding, dong, ding, dong, ding, dong,
Ding, dong, ding, dong, ding, dong, ding.
Ding, dong, ding, dong, ding, dong,
Ding, dong, ding, dong, ding, dong, ding.
The clock's bell announcing midnight rang thirteen times.
The bell that should have rung twelve times had now rung thirteen times for the fourth time. It meant there was an abnormality.
"......"
Michael Cardium looked at the regulation document the butler had left in front of his door.
His brow furrowed deeply.
It seemed they were no longer willing to tolerate humans trying to escape their sight.
He expressionlessly threw the regulation document, which had been tainted by 'their' power, into the fireplace.
The golden magic that had tightly bound the document so they couldn't see it dispersed, emitting a soft glow.
Crackle.
That red thing licked and devoured the white thing.
Michael stared at the fireplace until the pages became a handful of ash and disappeared.
A weariness accumulated in layers settled in his cold blue eyes.
The things filling the estate were growing stronger.
In the past fortnight, one had died every two days.
The faces of the eight who had died flickered past.
Gnaw gnaw gnaw gnaw gnaw gnaw.
Bugs swarmed his head, chewing at his reason until his sanity would finally snap.
Fiiissss—
Michael Cardium, who had been watching the red flames licking as if demanding more prey, as if they would swallow him whole, sharply turned his head at a small sound.
On the desk, the only magical device connected to the outside world glowed softly and spat out a small piece of paper.
It was the response to what he had requested in an attempt to somehow halt the increasing deaths.
What was written on the note was a single word.
Accepted.
He didn't know if this shit would mean anything, but Michael stared at the black writing for a long while before burning the paper.
Ash flowed from his hand.
And without even a moment to catch his breath,
Rattle.
The study door shook violently as if someone were ramming it with all their might from outside.
At the same time, the golden magic circle engraved on the door revealed itself.
The magic circle, shining brilliantly in golden light, became stained with dark violet spots each time the door shook.
Rattle.
Once more, rattle.
A handful of darkness spilled in.
The fourth-floor study.
The time Michael Cardium could spend in this place, the only place where he could enjoy peace, was but a fleeting moment.
Rattle rattle rattle rattle rattle rattle rattle
BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG!
The door shook as if it would break, their patience seemingly reaching its limit.
"...Tsk."
Michael clicked his tongue and gestured.
Golden magic extinguished the fire in the fireplace.
The acrid smell brush past his nose as he walked toward the door.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
He cut through the silence he could only feel in this place.
Finally, he swept away the magic circle on the door once, scattering it, then turned the handle and opened it.
Outside the door was only pitch-black darkness.
No one was there.
Instead.
[Die]
[Diediediediediediediediediediediediediediediediediediediediediediediediediediediediediediediediediediediediediediediediediediediediedie]
Black malice burrowed into his ears.
It was the voice of the grotesque things swarming throughout the Cardium great estate, that no one could escape from, that only he could hear.
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