The Hand of Confession – Chapter 80

Volume 3: Days of Working at the Manor

Six-Pointed Star

It’s not like I don’t have

With Kris as their killing weapon [trump card], it was hard to tell if this was their luck or misfortune.

Along the way, they hadn’t encountered any more shadows or hands from the paintings, safely reaching the first floor; but Kris herself was like a time bomb, ready to explode at any moment.

She seemed to ignore the white light at the exit and showed no interest in the direction they were escaping. She just smiled while holding Shen Maomao’s hand, acting like they were the closest of sisters.

After failing to break free two or three times, Shen Maomao: “…” felt nothing inside, and even felt like crying.

Just as they reached the first floor, they ran into He Yongchang, whom they hadn’t seen for quite a while.

He Yongchang had also been following the white light’s direction. He was covered in blood, as if he had just rolled in bloody water, looking far more disheveled than the four of them.

Seeing them so clean and tidy, his eyes widened, and he quickly found the reason: “She…”

Shen Maomao, being watched by Kris, didn’t dare make any extra expressions. Golden Retriever and Wen Muyan frantically made eye signals to him, hoping he wouldn’t say more.

He Yongchang ignored all hints and spoke like a sweet white foolish [naive person]: “Wasn’t Kris already dead?! How did you bring her out with you?!”

Holy crap!!

The hands gripping her arms suddenly tightened, and Shen Maomao silently thought “not good.” Before Kris could turn dark [turn evil/hostile], she quickly said: “You’re farting [talking nonsense]! Don’t try to sow discord!”

The grip on her arm loosened again, and Kris rested her head on Shen Maomao’s shoulder, softly sobbing.

Shen Maomao got a break, but still had to act as the Fourth Young Lady’s dog-licker, and began comforting her: “Don’t listen to his dog farts [nonsense], he’s not a good person!”

This kind of person is more hateful than Yun Shengjin’s type. Yun Shengjin uses you under the pretense of being good to you, even if you know he’s problematic, you still have to deal with the tiger to survive [idiom: negotiate with a dangerous person out of necessity]; He Yongchang is different, he’s a pig eating a tiger [idiom: appearing weak but actually being powerful], appearing cowardly and weak on the surface, comfortably enjoying your help, but behind your back he’s like a lurking venomous snake, ready to bite at any moment.

Kris nodded delicately: “He’s so scary…”

As soon as the words fell, a large group of shadows appeared from nowhere, surrounding everyone.

Shen Maomao really wanted to hide behind Lou Jingmo, but she couldn’t, not only couldn’t she, but she had to put on a brave face and stand in front of Kris: “Fourth Young Lady, don’t be afraid! I’ll protect you!”

Kris’s eyes held a smile, those bottomless pupils were like a small stone had been thrown in, creating ripple after ripple.

The next second, all the shadows consciously ignored Shen Maomao’s group and attacked He Yongchang’s shadow instead.

He Yongchang, without another word, turned and ran, quickly disappearing from their sight.

The bothersome person disappeared, and Kris finally released Shen Maomao’s hand, walking toward the exit ahead of them, as if leading the way.

She took a candlestick from the wall and softly said: “Beauty is innocent, but when she lacks the ability to protect this beauty, that’s when disaster begins.”

The shadows on the ground stretched long, and holding up her skirt, she remained that elegant baron’s adopted daughter: “We are all beautiful, so we are all guilty…”

The white light grew stronger but was no longer harsh. Kris’s voice was soft, as if afraid of disturbing something: “Look at this luxurious castle, appearing bright and beautiful on the outside, but who knows how much filth is hidden inside, just like… us.”

The four followed behind her, as if accompanying her across time’s river, swimming toward places more distant and deep, seeking the most deeply hidden secrets.

They passed by the banquet hall’s entrance, seeing rolling paint and dancing skeletons inside; they went through the corridor, seeing those still-trembling picture frames; then they walked toward the kitchen, hearing the miserable screams of rats from the pots; finally, they arrived at the locked door at the corridor’s end, hearing screams identical to those rats coming from inside.

The white light was coming from here.

“This world is just this unfair, all beings are born unequal, so scum like him can possess noble status, can disregard laws and rules… while we are just tools, playthings.”

The large lock fell to the ground with a “clack,” the doors slowly opened both ways, revealing stone stairs covered in moss leading downward, along with a sharp smell of blood.

Kris had already started descending with the candlestick, and the others hurriedly followed behind.

After a small turn on the stairs, the truth locked behind the door was exposed to everyone’s eyes.

This was a basement, filled with rows of candles. The candles formed a six-pointed star pattern, stubbornly flickering their last bit of light, illuminating the oil paintings on the surrounding walls, as well as the dismembered limbs at the six corners.

Most of the oil paintings on the walls used red as their main tone, paired with the deepest black. Most of what was painted were corpses—disemboweled corpses, dismembered corpses, severed heads… extremely bloody. Among them were several paintings of naked bodies, expressing things too horrible to look at.

The white light was emanating from the center of this formation, and Shen Maomao could already feel the pulling force of the exit.

All six points of the six-pointed star formation were filled with things.

One corner held heads, one corner held bodies, one corner held arms, one corner held legs, and the last corner contained some foul-smelling internal organs.

The screaming was coming from the heads placed in the upper left corner.

The moment they entered this room, the piercing screams suddenly stopped, then transformed into whimpering cries.

These heads were beautiful, and even seemed somewhat familiar.

Kris walked forward, crouching before the collection of heads, her long skirt brushing past the candle flames, which failed to extinguish the candles, but instead caused her to be illuminated by the firelight.

She gently placed the candlestick on the ground beside her, pulled out one head from among the many, placed it on her knees, and tidied its messy long hair.

Shen Maomao recognized whose head it was—it was Vivian’s.

Kris smiled slightly and said again: “God is unfair. I prayed countless times for God to come save us, but he never appeared.”

“See this? These are all his evidence of crimes. He raped girls, cut open their stomachs when they became pregnant, just to sacrifice those unformed children to demons, in exchange for eternal life.”

“He dismembered the sacrifices, then ordered people to paint the dead sacrifices for his own enjoyment, and took the leftover heads, removed their skin and flesh, scattered them in soil, and planted roses…” Kris laughed, “And the unqualified sacrifices were taken upstairs to be auctioned, becoming tools for the wealthy’s lust and abuse…”

“God is unfair, but demons are fair.”

“He can beg demons to cure his strange illness, take away the devil lingering on him, bless him with immortality, and we can also sacrifice our souls to the demon, in exchange for him never being reborn for eternity!”

She held Vivian’s head up to eye level, suddenly crying out: “My Vivian… my Vivian…”

The fire spread, quickly burning up to the ceiling.

Shen Maomao’s pupils contracted, and she shouted: “Kris! You’re on fire! You should come over here first!”

Kris smiled at her: “You really are like my Vivian… but ultimately you’re not her.”

Shen Maomao’s eyes suddenly felt sour, and she asked with a nasal voice: “Have you gotten your revenge?”

Kris’s smile became even more radiant: “He will get the immortality he’s always dreamed of, carrying his plague, losing all his wealth, living like a stray dog just barely surviving…”

Shen Maomao lowered her head and wiped away tears.

Lou Jingmo beside her gave a cold laugh: “That’s too easy for him.”

Kris no longer spoke, she rested her head against Vivian’s head, slowly closing her eyes.

A cool breeze blew past, and Kris’s body turned to fine powder, along with those shapeless limbs on the ground, all turning to ashes.

“Ashes! Ashes!

We all fall down.”

She would rest eternally in the castle with her friend, carrying the joy of her revenge.

Golden Retriever, not having such sensitive emotions, felt like he had just watched a movie in a cinema and was still a bit confused: “So can we leave now? But the dungeon [instance] bosses have turned to ash, is the outside world safe now? Should we still do the side quests?”

Lou Jingmo pushed him, shoving him into the center of the hexagram formation.

Before he could say anything, the blonde was directly engulfed by the white light, disappearing from everyone’s sight.

Wen Muyan saw a glimmer of hope for survival, finally unable to stay calm or think about how to gain the favor of the experts to cling for help, and rushed madly into the white light. A very loud “Thank you” floated into the ears of the two girls. Shen Maomao felt a bit gratified: “There are so few newcomers like this.”

Lou Jingmo, expressionless, retorted: “You talk like you’re an old-timer.”

Shen Maomao covered her butt, guarding against an attack from Lou Jingmo: “Are we really not looking for the card? It’s a card! So precious!”

Lou Jingmo said: “Do you think the dungeon is that simple? If the shadows are only related to the baron’s adopted daughters, then why are there shadows outside too? Take a closer look at the bones on the ground.”

Hearing this, Shen Maomao immediately widened her eyes and looked at the hexagram formation, where the bones and internal organs were stirring, slowly gathering together and starting to assemble themselves…

Holy crap!

“And also…” Lou Jingmo said, flipping her wrist, and a card, thin like a playing card but slightly longer, was held between her index and middle fingers.

“It’s just a card? It’s not like I don’t have any.” She said very arrogantly.

Shen Maomao: “!!!!”

Lou Jingmo waved the “Andrew” Heaven’s Fire card in front of her in a circle, moving so fast she couldn’t see the card clearly, then with a turn of the wrist, the card completely disappeared.

Shen Maomao said huffily: “Aren’t you afraid I’ll covet the card and backstab you?”

Lou Jingmo calmly said: “Once you have enough strength, you don’t need to fear any schemes or tricks.”

Shen Maomao: “Are you really that narcissistic?”

“However…” Lou Jingmo changed her tone, “I don’t have that ability yet, so I might as well kill you here to silence you.”

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The author has something to say:

In school now, replies to comments might be delayed, but will definitely keep updating daily!

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LP: This instance is interesting, if only that Shan Zhou guy didn’t speedrun it… I want more backstory!

Also, how old is author-san exactly…?

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