The Servant in the Horror Game is Suspicious Chapter 24

When they arrived at the villa, Ian was already waiting outside. The moment Jade spotted Ian from a distance, he sprinted over in a single breath.

“Ian! What are you doing out here? It’s freezing!”

Reaching him instantly, Jade cupped Ian’s cheeks with his palms. He didn’t forget to wipe his hands clean on his pants first, worried he might transfer dirt onto those pale cheeks.

“You’re like an ice cube!”

Ian’s cheeks were colder than Jade’s hands, which had been digging through the snow. His pale skin and ears were flushed red from the cold, and even the joints of his small fingers were crimson.

“I was worried because you were late…”

“Let’s get inside first. Hurry.”

Tugging on Ian’s arm, Jade hurried into the villa. As soon as they entered, he sat the boy down in front of the fireplace and went to wash his hands. He was genuinely concerned that Ian’s delicate skin might crack from the chill.

“Myaa…”

Watching the scene from the side, Buster twitched his whiskers grumpily. Jade was tenderly rubbing Ian’s small hands to warm them up. Buster narrowed his eyes and glared at Ian.

“Myamyang.”

Buster had seen it clearly. Ian had intentionally stepped outside without putting on a thick coat or a blanket.

The human had been sitting perfectly fine in front of the warm fireplace reading a book, only to bolt outside the moment he spotted Jade emerging from the edge of the Elloban Forest. Was that all? Buster had also seen Ian touching the white snow on purpose to make his hands and cheeks cold.

“Myaaaack…!”

Humans truly are something else, Buster thought, shaking his head. He was utterly loathsome. Since his powers didn’t work on the boy, he considered giving him a good scratch across the face, but he knew he’d likely get it back twofold.

Buster didn’t know exactly what Ian was, but he instinctively knew the boy was stronger than him. He hated everything about him, from start to finish.

But now, it seemed something else had appeared that he hated just as much.

“Myack?”

Seeing the bundle slung over Jade’s shoulder move, Buster flew over to him.

“Oh, right…”

Jade scratched his head awkwardly. Buster circled the bundle and poked the moving part with his front paw.

It didn’t seem like he’d hunted a small animal; all Jade had taken with him was a trowel. So what on earth was moving inside there?

“Myang!”

Driven by curiosity, Buster batted at the opening of the bundle with his paws until it unfurled.

“Waaaaah!”

With a pop, the leaves of the Bluewood poked out. A wailing cry began to fill the villa.

“Myaaaaaack?!”

“Haha…”

Buster bared his teeth and growled. He looked at Jade as if demanding an explanation for what this thing was.

“Well, you see…”

The problem was, Jade didn’t really know either. He knew the name, but even that was awkward to admit. Officially, Jade was just an attendant sent from the capital who knew nothing about the North.

Watching the flustered Jade, Ian tugged on his arm.

“Jade, what happened?”

“Well, I found a winter radish, and…”

“That’s not a radish.”

“Waaaaaaaaaah!”

As Ian pointed his finger, the Bluewood wailed even louder. Buster’s tail puffed up and stood straight in the air.

“I was digging for radishes and it was right there. I thought it would be good to have one more, so I pulled, and this little guy popped out…”

“…”

Ian watched Jade silently as he listened to the story. He seemed to be asking what a plant popping out had to do with bringing it back to the villa.

“I tried to leave it behind, but it kept crying. It ended up following me all the way here, so I had no choice but to bring it.”

The longer the Bluewood wailed, the longer Jade’s excuses became. Buster was jumping around in the air as if asking how he could bring such a thing home.

“Myaack!”

“Sorry, Buster. Sorry, Ian.”

“Jade… you don’t need to apologize.”

Ian answered, looking away. He didn’t like the noisy plant, but he couldn’t scold Jade, who went out foraging for food every other day.

Given Jade’s personality, there was no way he could leave something crying like that behind. Having lived together for two months, Ian had figured out what kind of person Jade was.

Jade was altruistic and possessed a broad capacity for acceptance. He had a gentle disposition, but his convictions were firm, and he was refreshingly straightforward. It was precisely because of that personality that he was able to take charge of the household in this villa, unlike the attendants who had come before him.

“But…”

Tilting his head slightly, Ian spoke with a peculiar expression.

“This is a Bluewood.”

“You know this plant?”

“I’ve only read about it in books. This is my first time seeing one in person.”

In the Elloban Forest, where the power of monsters seeped into the soil, strange flora and fauna were born. The Bluewood was one of them—a rare species that was seldom found.

“How did you find it?”

“Like I said, I didn’t find it; it was right next to a radish. I touched it thinking it was a radish, and it popped out of the dirt.”

“This is a rare species. I knew they were in the Northern forests, but…”

“Doesn’t ‘rare’ mean it’s highly valuable?”

Jade’s eyes sparkled. He had been planning to go down to the village and sell something once spring fully arrived, and this was like a lucky break falling right into his lap.

He would be leaving the villa soon anyway. If he could find it a good owner before then, it would be a win-win for both him and the Bluewood.

“Kaaaaack!”

At the mention of the Bluewood being valuable, Buster bared his teeth again, clearly displeased.

“You could say it’s valuable, but…”

“Waaaah…”

Ian muttered while staring intently at the Bluewood. The plant seemed afraid of Ian, covering its “face” with its leaves as it cried. It was fascinating how it looked like it was shedding tears even though it had no eyes, nose, or mouth.

“Well, does it have any cool abilities?”

Jade suddenly remembered the system window displaying the phrase ‘Healing Bluewood’ regarding this plant.

He wasn’t expecting miracles from something that just cried all the time, but if the Bluewood had some kind of ability, wouldn’t it be better for everyone?

While Jade and Ian talked, Buster remained on high guard, his fur standing on end.

“Abilities?”

“Oh, no. I was just curious. This little guy can walk and seems to express its feelings. So I wondered if it had some sort of power.”

“It probably has a bit of healing power.”

“That’s great then! I was always worried Ian might catch a cold.”

With a bright face, Jade clapped his hands. In a situation where they had to go all the way to the village for medicine, a plant with healing powers was a total jackpot.

Ian stared blankly at the glowing Jade for a moment before scratching his cheek.

“Why… why would you worry about me? Anyway, it’s not that significant. It just helps relieve the fatigue of those nearby…”

“Fatigue relief? Isn’t that actually amazing?”

Jade turned the Bluewood over in his hands, examining it. To think this adorable little plant that fit in one hand had such an ability. It was no different from a living vitamin.

He had been feeling a bit drained lately from eating nothing but mushrooms, so this was perfect.

“You’re incredible. You’re not just an ordinary plant, are you?”

Jade happily stroked the Bluewood’s leaves.

Finding the gentle touch pleasant, the Bluewood stopped crying and sat quietly in his palm, enjoying the affection. It wobbled slightly, unable to bear the weight of its own leaves.

“However…”

Ian, watching them, spoke with an ambiguous expression.

“It has to be in a good mood for its ability to work.”

“Does that mean the strength of the power changes depending on its mood?”

“Well… something like that.”

From what Ian had read, that was the case. A Healing Bluewood would emit healthy air and energy when it was happy, but if it wasn’t feeling well, it became nothing more than an ornamental plant.

Actually, it was such a finicky and whiny plant that it wasn’t even great for decoration. It was a plant that required far more effort than the benefits it provided, and above all, Ian loathed the type that cried for attention like that.

“It’s high-maintenance. It only eats clean dew, so you have to take it outside every morning.”

“Really?”

“Before someone handles them, they live underground. They grow by taking deep roots.”

“Oh, no wonder! It was perfectly quiet until I touched it and it started crying.”

Jade thought back to how he’d tried to pull it up, mistaking it for a radish. It felt like it might be his fault. He’d woken the Bluewood that was growing peacefully in the earth.

“But once it’s out of the ground, someone has to look after it until it can take root in the soil on its own again.”

“And if… someone doesn’t look after it…?”

“It’ll die, won’t it?”

Ian answered with an indifferent face, blinking his innocent eyes. Jade’s hand, which had been stroking the leaves, froze.

“What?!”

“Waaaaaaaaaaaah—”

So that was why the Bluewood had clung to him. A surge of guilt and responsibility blossomed within him. Jade’s expression became quite serious as he looked down at the plant.

“Waaaah. Aaaaaah.”

When the serious-looking Jade stopped stroking it, the Bluewood began to wail loudly. Since it supposedly emitted healing substances when happy, it seemed sensitive to the surrounding atmosphere.

“Kack…! Myaaack!”

As the Bluewood started crying, Buster also grew more sensitive, wrinkling his nose. He even unsheathed the claws on both front paws.

“Waaaah—!”

“Myaaaaaack—!”

The Bluewood clung to Jade’s hand while Buster gripped Jade’s shoulder tightly, both displaying hostility toward each other. Jade, caught in the middle, felt like his eardrums were about to burst.

“Guys… hey, sorry, but it’s a bit loud…”

Watching the scene quietly, Ian suddenly grabbed the Bluewood by its leaves. In an instant, the Bluewood was plucked from Jade’s hand.

Ian marched straight toward the villa door and opened it. Realizing what Ian was about to do, Jade hurriedly chased after him.

“You can’t throw it away!”