The Servant in the Horror Game is Suspicious Chapter 58

“Yes, I’m fine…”

“Myack! Myang—!”

While Jade was reassuring him, Buster came flying back at high speed. Behind him, the clattering sound of the carriage echoed from a distance.

Jade had worried they wouldn’t be able to communicate, but the creature had somehow managed to convince the driver. Buster’s eyes were brimming with tears, as if he had been terrified to go out alone in that chaos.

“Meow, Myang.”

The way he clung to Jade’s shoulder, meowing piteously, suggested the process of convincing the driver hadn’t been easy. Jade was concerned that the man would ask questions about Buster’s wings, but he had more pressing matters to deal with.

“Myang!”

Buster, still clinging to his shoulder, suddenly spotted the throwing star embedded in the other side and began to hop around in a panic. When he noticed Ian, who was dotted with patches of dried blood, the cat’s tail stood straight up. Terrified, Buster’s ears folded flat against his head.

“There was an intruder, but he ran away. It’s okay now. You don’t have to worry.”

“Meow…”

“Oh, right!”

Now that Buster was calmed down, Jade remembered the Mop Ghost and Bluey. In the middle of the chaos, he hadn’t checked on them.

He rushed back into the villa to find the Mop Ghost hiding behind the fireplace exactly where he’d been before. The ghost was huddled in a heap, its tassels gathered together limply.

“Are you two okay?!”

“Kieee.”

As Jade approached, the huddled form relaxed slightly. The Mop Ghost lifted its body to reveal what was underneath. There was Bluey. It seemed the ghost had shielded Bluey under its body when the smoke bomb went off.

“Hwee. Hwaaang.”

Bluey waddled out, sniffling. When Jade held out his palm, the little creature struggled up on its short legs and lay face-down on his hand, rubbing its face against him.

“And you’re all right?”

“Kie!”

Perhaps because it had no face, the Mop Ghost seemed unaffected by the smoke. Jade took the ghost and Bluey in both hands and headed outside. The carriage had already arrived in front of the villa.

“Wh-what’s going on here?”

“Thank you for coming. It’s nothing major.”

“Ack! What in the world! You’re a mess—how is that ‘nothing major’!”

The driver hopped down from the carriage but recoiled when he saw the blood-soaked Ian and the severely injured Jade. His wide eyes were full of horror. Jade wiped away some blood, trying to soothe him.

“Haha… we had a bit of a run-in with a robber. He’s gone now.”

“I-I only came back because of our arrangement, but…”

The driver looked Jade up and down with a suspicious gaze, a gold coin clutched in his hand. Jade was glad he’d sent the coin with Buster. It seemed the driver couldn’t ignore the promise of monthly pay, either.

“Anyway, what the hell is that thing? I thought it was a cat, but it’s got wings? My heart nearly stopped while I was driving.”

“Haha, it’s a monster, simply put. A pet monster… I guess?”

“What kind of crazy talk is that? I nearly headed straight back to town to call the guards.”

When the driver pointed at Buster, the creature ducked behind Jade’s back. This was exactly why Jade had kept him hidden while in town, but it had been a wasted effort.

“This is for your trouble. I’m grateful you came back.”

Jade handed over a few silver Pence. Perhaps because monsters were common in the North, or perhaps because of the bribe, the man didn’t press the issue of Buster further.

“Can you take us back to the village? As I said, there was a robbery, and I’m not comfortable staying here.”

“I’m heading back anyway, so it makes no difference to me, but…”

“You don’t need to do the monthly visits I asked for. And I won’t ask for the money back.”

Jade had made the monthly arrangement because he was worried about Ian being left alone, but that was no longer necessary.

He was leaving this villa. With Ian.

“Get in, then. I’ve got nothing but time. I’ll get you to your destination safe and sound.”

The driver had been uneasy seeing Ian and Jade’s state, but once he realized he could keep the deposit without doing the extra work, he became very hospitable.

“Could you help load these supplies? As you can see, I’m not in great shape.”

“Of course, of course! Happy to!”

Jade pointed to the items he had just finished unloading earlier. The driver set to work cheerfully, hauling the mountain of goods back onto the carriage.

Ian still seemed a bit dazed. Jade leaned down to meet the boy’s eyes.

“Ian, let’s head back to the village.”

“…”

But there was no answer. Ian was still staring fixedly at Jade’s shoulder. His gaze flickered occasionally to Jade’s arms and legs, focusing entirely on the bloody wounds.

“First, we need to stop the bleeding…”

Ian reached out a tiny, hand-like hand, intending to help. Seeing blood on those small hands made Jade’s heart ache.

Jade took Ian’s hand and rubbed it vigorously against his own trousers to clean it. Since the blood had dried and wouldn’t come off easily, he had to use water from a canteen. Even then, bloodstains remained on Ian.

Jade was in the same state. Blood was still flowing from his wounds.

“We can stop the bleeding in the carriage. I’ll need your help, Ian.”

“But the blood keeps coming…”

“It’s dangerous here. We have to leave quickly.”

“…”

At the mention of leaving, Ian was silent for a moment. He turned his head toward the open doors of the villa.

With both doors wide open, the interior was fully visible. The exterior walls Jade had repaired over the last two months, the firewood he’d stacked after roaming the forest, and the household items he’d meticulously cleaned and organized. Ian took it all in, one by one.

Once they left this time, they wouldn’t be coming back for a very long time—maybe never. Neither of them said it out loud, but they both knew it instinctively.

Ian looked back and forth between the villa and Jade several times. Finally, after a long silence, he spoke.

“Are we… going together?”

“I’m…”

Jade swallowed hard. He planned to go down to the village together. But after that? He couldn’t make Ian a fugitive too. Even now, the boy was covered in blood. He had to be taken somewhere safe. But would Ian accept that?

It would be fine. The boy was used to keeping people at a distance, and he was originally a character who survived and thrived on his own. Jade tried to steady his heart, but a faint sense of guilt kept tripping him up.

He suddenly remembered a day in his own childhood when he’d woken up to realize no one was there. At the very least, he wouldn’t let Ian feel that. He would tell him the truth before he left.

“…”

But how could he say it?

I originally came here with orders to kill you; I’ve already been paid but I don’t know where the money is; and now that I can’t kill you, I’m just going to run away. How could he possibly tell that story to this child?

“Well, you see…”

He tried to explain it step by step. Maybe it was a good way to sever the connection. If Ian knew Jade was the one sent to kill him, he would feel betrayed. Since they were never going to see each other again, it was better to let the boy hate him.

But looking at the bloodstains on Ian’s face, the words wouldn’t come. How could he tell a child who had slashed a man’s ankle just to save him that he was going to abandon him?

“Hey, mate! Everything’s loaded up.”

The driver called out, slapping the side of the carriage. Jade pushed the words he wanted to say back down his throat and urged Ian forward.

“We have to go. Someone else might come.”

“We’re going together, right?”

Just before boarding, Ian asked once more, as if trying to confirm Jade’s true intentions.

It was strange. He felt an odd, fluttering anxiety. Ian felt he finally understood the nature of the unease that had been stirring since last night.

“Yes, of course. Let’s get in the carriage together.”

It was a vague answer. He didn’t say what they would do after they moved. That lack of clarity only increased Ian’s anxiety.

But Jade was right. The intruder would return to the villa, and next time, they might come in force.

“…”

Ian was fine. He had survived his uncle’s countless schemes before. He wasn’t afraid of what would happen to him. But he felt like Jade would get hurt again.

Jade was already injured far too much. It was all because of Ian. This time was the same; even though the intruder was targeting Ian, it was Jade who ended up wounded.

“I’ll get in.”

Ian didn’t ask further. He couldn’t act like a spoiled brat when Jade was hurt. Once Ian was inside, Jade gave the driver some instructions and sat on the opposite seat. He held Buster, Bluey, and the Mop Ghost in his arms.

“Myang…”

And so, the carriage set off. The villa, which had only just begun to see a proper spring, gradually receded into the distance. Jade watched the villa until it disappeared, and Ian did the same.

The carriage clattered along the dark night road. The surroundings were silent, as if the earlier commotion had all been a lie.

“Ugh…!”

“Don’t touch it. Don’t try to pull it out yourself; I think it’s better to let a doctor handle it.”

“…Alright.”

Jade had tried to pull the throwing star out on his own, but it only tore the wound further. If it were a knife, he might have managed, but the blades were set in multiple directions. Two of the five points were buried deep. Jade’s hands were now covered in blood. Ian rummaged through the luggage and handed him a handkerchief and ointment.

“Here.”

“Oh, thank you. I almost forgot.”

These were items they had bought in the village. He’d bought them to prepare for Ian’s future, but he hadn’t expected to use them this soon—and for himself, no less.

Jade took the ointment and applied it to the gashes on his arms and legs. Once he was done, Ian handed him bandages.

“I’m alright. I’ll wrap them later.”

He intended to treat the wounds properly once the carriage reached its destination.

If it’s a temple, they should be able to provide basic medical care.

Before getting into the carriage, Jade had asked the driver to take them to the temple. Having already pocketed the gold coin, the driver had readily agreed.