Monster Girl Contract Manual

Chapter 39 I've Found You!

I never imagined Miss Theresa lived so far away!

After traversing most of the town, House finally arrived at the mission location. Leaning against the wall, he rubbed his aching legs, turned his head to look at the quiet neighborhood behind him, and couldn't help but sigh inwardly.

"Please come in, Mr. House."

"Just call me House, like before."

House looked somewhat helpless in the face of Miss Theresa's rather formal and distant way of addressing him.

He didn't want things to become so distant between them.

There's nothing wrong with being alone in this world, but it's also nice to make a few new friends and share your joys and sorrows.

As for the money, although Theresa asked for a high price, it was also a necessity for House himself.

But House had a principle: he couldn't take things from others for free.

If there are monsters, House will be responsible for clearing them out, and then he will collect the money as usual.

If not, then consider it a wasted trip and don't take advantage of Miss Teresa.

"Do I need to take off my shoes?"

Standing in the entryway, House's gaze swept over the spotless floors and neat, elegant furniture inside the house, and he couldn't help but hesitate.

He looked down at the soles of his boots, which were covered in dust and mud from the road, and was somewhat reluctant to dirty Theresa's clean house.

"Don't worry about it, I clean the house every day."

Miss Theresa's tone returned to its initial casualness.

My shoulders completely relaxed.

House shook the soles of his shoes and strode into the house, leaving the once clean floor stained with a layer of dirt.

A slight sense of guilt, mixed with a subtle feeling of immorality, rose faintly in my heart.

Once inside, after receiving Miss Theresa's permission, House carefully scanned every corner of the house, paying close attention to any dark spots that might harbor monsters.

About half an hour later, House, having finished his inspection, stood up, stretched his aching back, and wiped the sweat from his forehead.

Fortunately, Miss Teresa's house was not large, and there was no special basement or storage room.

The items inside were all neatly arranged, with no cluttered corners, so the search wasn't too difficult.

Of course, after a thorough search, no unusual aura or trace of monsters was found.

Sitting on the semi-soft leather sofa, I accepted the chilled tea that Teresa offered me.

House took a small sip to moisten his throat, looked up at the haggard-looking Theresa, and asked again:

Do you remember exactly where that sound came from?

Miss Theresa shook her head, still giving that ambiguous answer.

"Everywhere".

The chewing sound that had bothered Theresa for so long could be heard throughout the entire house.

Theresa couldn't tell where the sound was coming from at all.

"Well... then I'll leave now according to the previous plan, and come back tomorrow morning."

House put down his teacup, stood up to say goodbye, and turned to leave Theresa's house.

After seeing House off, a weary Theresa sighed silently, dragged her heavy steps back to her room, rummaged through the closet for a change of clothes, and slowly walked toward the bathroom.

As the sound of running water gently rippled from the bathroom, the shadows in the corner of the balcony next to the living room, which had been as thick as ink under the light, suddenly dimmed a little.

A moment later, Teresa, having finished washing up, emerged from the bathroom dressed in more conservative clothes than usual.

He went straight upstairs to his room, opened the previously closed window, lay down on the bed, and fell into a deep sleep.

A few more moments passed.

Theresa suddenly opened her eyes, her whole body instantly stiffening.

"Click, click..."

The soft, compact, slightly sticky chewing sounds were especially clear in the quiet night.

Theresa lay on the bed, her eyes filled with terror, and slowly turned her head to look at the window beside her.

The cool moonlight poured down, and a human-shaped shadow was cast obliquely along the windowsill onto Theresa's bed.

"There really are monsters!"

House, half-squatting on the windowsill of Miss Teresa's boudoir, bathed in moonlight, held his breath and listened intently to the faint chewing sounds.

His expression turned serious.

I searched for a while, but couldn't find anything.

It seems this monster is quite powerful.

Stealthily climbing down from the windowsill, House quietly approached Miss Theresa's door, pressed his ear against the crack, and continued to listen for the monster's exact location.

Unfortunately, I still couldn't hear it.

Gently pull the door handle, and with a "click" from the lock, the previously ubiquitous chewing sound suddenly disappears along with the sound of the lock.

"..."

House silently raised his hand and patted Happy, who was nestled on his shoulder. Upon receiving its master's signal, Happy immediately flapped its wings and flew downstairs in an instant. Relying on the mutual sensing between monsters, it tried to sense the presence of monsters around it.

"Ha (No)."

Harpy didn't sense it either.

call!

"Miss Theresa, please stay here and don't leave. I'll go check on things again."

He gave Miss Theresa a word of advice, signaling her to stay in a safe place and not leave, and then House slowly walked downstairs with his longsword in hand.

On the way home with Miss Theresa earlier, House had devised a plan of investigation.

First, they would search the house thoroughly. If they couldn't find the lurking monster, they would pretend to turn around and leave, creating the illusion that they had already gone far away.

In reality, they were secretly lurking in the shadows outside, patiently waiting for the "suspected" monster to appear.

Now the monsters have truly appeared.

But I can't find it.

House descended the stairs, his grip on the longsword tightening slightly. His sharp gaze swept over every corner of the living room, balcony, and kitchen, leaving no stone unturned, not even missing the cracks in the walls or the shadows of the furniture.

But in the end, just like the previous investigation, they couldn't find even the slightest trace of the demon.

Back on the second floor, after informing Miss Theresa of the current situation, House said no more and waited for Miss Theresa to make a decision.

Should we leave?

Should we stay?

Leaving means giving up this house, paying to live elsewhere, and waiting for the monster to leave on its own, but it's also possible that it will never leave.

If one stays, one must constantly be on guard against potential attacks from monsters lurking in the shadows, leaving one's mind never at peace.

Monsters like these, which have infiltrated residential areas but have not yet shown any danger, will not be dealt with proactively by the guild and the town's knightly order.

For them, as long as there are no actual casualties or disturbances, it's better to avoid trouble.

This is also why Miss Theresa issued a private commission seeking adventurers.

When Theresa learned from House that he had also failed to find the monster, the slight expectation that had been burning in her eyes gradually faded, and her gaze slowly dimmed.

"Even House, the druid, couldn't figure it out?"

Just as Theresa was packing her clothes, preparing to leave temporarily, House, who was acting as a guard at the door, suddenly called out to her.

"Theresa, you don't need to clean up."

House tilted his head back, staring at the dark corridor ceiling, a hint appearing in his eyes.

[Does not meet contractual requirements]

Got you.