The Servant in the Horror Game is Suspicious Chapter 52

“Hahaha! I’ve never seen a cat eat like a human before.”

“That little guy is quite the character.”

Customers drinking beer at the neighboring table chuckled as they watched Buster. Even though it was a compliment, Jade instinctively pulled Buster closer, worried someone might notice something was off.

“Oh, really? Ahaha. Thank you, sirs.”

“Meow…!”

Sensing the mood, Buster let out a cat-like sound. However, his cry was subtly different from a real cat’s. To be precise, it was a bit too literal.

“Ahahaha! He really says ‘meow,’ doesn’t he?”

“What a funny cat. Truly.”

To the sound of people’s laughter, the three of them finished their meal. It was so delicious that it vanished in the blink of an eye.

“Ian, I’m stuffed.”

“Me too.”

Back in their room, Jade rubbed his stomach with a dazed expression. He was full. He was actually full. Since dropping into this world, he had lived every day forgetting what that sensation felt like.

“Let’s check out the market tomorrow.”

After washing up and tucking himself under the covers, a pleasant drowsiness washed over him. His body was exhausted, but that made it the best day yet. Thanks to that, the meal had been incredible, and he knew he’d sleep like a log.

“Ian, since we don’t have a picture book today, do you want me to tell you a fairy tale I know?”

“…What kind of story?”

“Hmm. It’s a story called The Little Prince.”

Originally, Jade didn’t know many fairy tales. No one had ever read them to him, and a house that couldn’t even keep the pantry full certainly didn’t have room for books.

However, last year, he had read The Little Prince in his high school library. It was more of a fable than a simple fairy tale, and though he’d only picked it up for a mandatory book report, he’d ended up falling in love with it and reading it three times.

How should I explain this?

Ian wouldn’t understand things like the Sahara Desert or airplanes. Jade decided to adapt the story as he went. Buster snuggled up against Jade’s side, his tail swishing contentedly.

“Once upon a time, there lived a young boy. And this boy loved a rose.”

“How can a person love a rose?” Ian asked bluntly. As always, the boy lacked a certain childhood innocence.

“Oh, come on. That’s just how love is. It can be for a rose, or even an object. Love doesn’t pick and choose its targets.”

“Even if the target is much younger or much older?”

“Well, you’ve still got to have a conscience. It’d be a bit wrong if the other person was too young, wouldn’t it?”

“….”

It seemed Ian didn’t like that answer. Having been listening intently, he suddenly turned his back and rolled over.

“I—Ian?”

“….”

There was no reply. Even as Jade replayed the conversation in his head, he couldn’t grasp what had gone wrong.

“If you’re tired, should we just sleep for tonight?”

“….”

“I’ll blow out the candle, then.”

As Jade sat up to blow out the light, Ian rolled back around. He avoided Jade’s eyes, looking grumpy as if something still bothered him, but he was clearly curious about the rest of the story.

“Keep going.”

“About the love part?”

“About the Little Prince. He loved the rose, and then what?”

“Ah, right. But the rose was very delicate and very proud. So the prince was hurt and left his star.”

Jade continued the plot of The Little Prince. Ian seemed quite focused. He listened even more intently than when Jade read from a book.

“Then his words about loving her were a lie,” Ian muttered calmly when he heard about the prince leaving.

“Why do you say that?”

“If he really loved her, he wouldn’t have left for a reason like that. Leaving can’t be love.”

Ian spoke decisively, as if it were a matter of fact. He was still young, but his views on love were quite firm.

“Hey now, listen to the rest. The Little Prince eventually goes back to his rose.”

“….”

“The boy met many adults along the way…”

Jade’s soft voice filled the room. He explained through the short story the contradictory adults the boy met—people who had forgotten how to love.

When the story reached the part where the prince met the fox in the final land, Jade could feel Ian becoming deeply immersed. Ian’s body, which had been clinging to the far edge of the bed, edged closer toward the nightstand.

“‘But if you tame me, then we shall need each other. To me, you will be unique in all the world.’ That’s what the fox said.”

“….”

“Hearing that, the boy realized. His rose wasn’t just one of many flowers—she was the only one that mattered.”

The story went on for a long time, but Ian didn’t miss a single word, etching the tale of the prince, the rose, and the fox into his mind. Encouraged by Ian’s focus, Jade kept the story going without tiring.

Under the starlit sky, Jade’s voice flowed gently, and they fell asleep in the peaceful village.

The next morning, Jade spread out the sack he’d brought and organized the items he could sell.

After selling the candlestick yesterday, he had thirteen Pence left. He needed more. Only then could he buy supplies to help Ian survive and secure his own “escape fund.”

“We can’t sell this plate.”

“I suppose not.”

He had packed one of the more luxurious-looking pieces of silverware from the villa, but a closer look revealed the Linwood family crest engraved on the bottom. It was a shame, but it felt too risky to sell. After a quick sort, he was left with some spoons, a small statue taken from a display case, and an old tobacco pipe.

“Let’s go!”

He stuffed the sellable items into his backpack and went down for breakfast. Even though it was the same stew as yesterday, he wasn’t tired of it—it tasted just as good.

Today, they were served a loaf of bread with the stew, and dipping it into the broth was heavenly. Their bellies full, the two left the inn.

As soon as they stepped out, they saw the small village packed with tents and wagons. People were crowding in, perhaps visiting from neighboring towns. In the center of the village was a clearing—too small to be called a plaza but too large to be a courtyard—and today, it was overflowing. This was the heart of the market.

“Whoa.”

“Meow!”

“….”

Jade marveled at the sights. Ian didn’t say much, but his eyes—already round—grew even wider as he looked around the market for the first time in his life.

“Fresh vegetables, the first harvest of spring!”

“Freshly baked rye bread!”

Cries from vendors echoed everywhere as they tried to hawk their wares. A baker displayed bread straight from the oven, steam rising from the loaves. With so many things to buy, Jade’s head was spinning.

“Jade…”

“Ugh, why am I over here?”

Temptation had gotten the better of him; Jade realized he had unconsciously joined the line in front of the bakery and snapped out of it at Ian’s call. He couldn’t start spending yet when he didn’t know how much he’d make from his items.

“Um, let’s head that way.”

Today, he planned to sell to a street vendor rather than an antique shop. Selling to a traveling merchant felt safer. Those people would buy things and then disappear to somewhere far away.

At the edge of the village, near the end of the market, they found a wandering merchant. He had laid out wooden boards with various trinkets on top, and a sign in front of the boards said he bought anything.

“I’m here to sell some items.”

“Hmm? Let’s see what you’ve got.”

The man tapped the wooden board with his pipe. Jade laid out his items one by one.

“Hmph, let’s see… this is decent. Hmm, this one isn’t particularly useful, is it?”

Being a wanderer, he seemed much pickier than the antique dealer. He maintained a cocky attitude, shaking one leg while he inspected the goods. His touch was so dismissive it was almost rude—tapping the items here and there. It seemed more like a tactic for haggling than genuine dislike.

“Ho? Isn’t this a dragon’s claw?”

However, the merchant’s attitude did a complete 180 the moment he spotted the latch from Buster’s box. He suddenly became polite, cradling the latch in both hands as he inspected it from every angle.

“You recognize it?”

“Of course! This is the real deal. Ah, why would you carry such a precious thing around like this? Goodness, man.”

“Meow!”

Buster answered from inside the backpack as if agreeing that it was real. The merchant, acting as if it were too precious to even touch with bare skin, brought out a velvet-lined jewelry box from somewhere and placed the latch on top. Jade quickly snatched the dragon’s claw back. He intended to do some haggling of his own.

“I didn’t say I was selling it yet.”

“Aw, come now, don’t be like that. I’ll give you a great price.”

“You mean it?”

As Jade dragged out his words with a suspicious look, the merchant clasped his hands together and bowed low. The cocky leg-shaking was nowhere to be seen.

“Of course! It’s not just any claw—it’s a Black Dragon’s claw. How could I possibly lowball you?”

“Is it really that rare?”

“Oh, you have no idea! Please, sit down over here. This is the first time I’ve seen such a thing come on the market.”

Excitedly, the merchant sat Jade and Ian down on folding stools. He even bought tea from a nearby stall to serve them, calling them honored guests, before bringing out a magnifying glass to appraise the claw. He even pulled out gloves from somewhere to wear. The merchant’s excessive hospitality made Jade feel a bit uneasy.

“…Buster. Is it really okay to sell this?”

“Meow.”

When he peeked into the bag to ask, Buster looked up and gave a clear answer.

Dragon claws were rare. They were trophies that could only be obtained if a dragon died, but a dragon’s lifespan exceeded three hundred years. Furthermore, because their population was so small, they weren’t items that circulated easily in the market.

It was essentially a high-value item that could barely be traded even through the black market.

And as far as Buster knew, that claw was…

“Meow.”

‘It’s a fake, though.’

It was a total fake.