The Servant in the Horror Game is Suspicious Chapter 60

Leaving the temple, Jade ran blindly. He felt that if he looked back, his heart would waver. No—where would he even find a heart left to waver? This was it. His role had to conclude here.

At best, it was a connection of only a few months. Honestly, even that had been too long. It was a bond that should have ended in a single week—one that could have been explained in a single sentence.

Yet there was no way to quell his churning heart. He thought he had spent over three months preparing to leave, but apparently, he hadn’t. This parting felt sudden. He had tidied up the villa’s winter by buying new curtains, blankets, and food, but he hadn’t managed to tidy up the affection that had burrowed deep inside him.

I promised to make him cake.

If only he had one more day. If they could have spent just one more day together, he could have made it. Ian had even chosen the menu himself, asking for carrot cake. It was the first time Ian—who ate whatever was put in front of him without a word—had singled out a specific dish.

He would have loved it. Given Ian’s personality, he might not have been expressive, but he would have eaten it well. And what about Buster? Being a creature that loved sweets, he would have meowed and meowed, eating until his belly was round. For Bluey, who had only recently gained a mouth, it would have been the first cake of his life. Even the Mop Ghost would have hovered nearby, pretending to clean while watching them.

The warm, cozy scene played out in his mind as if it were right before his eyes. Jade had believed that could have been tomorrow’s reality. What a presumptuous imagination.

I’m alone now.

He was alone again. Jade, who had always been alone, ended up solitary this time as well. He didn’t know why he felt such a sense of loss at this natural outcome. It wasn’t as if someone had stolen something from him. He was simply returning to where he belonged.

He had grumbled about being too busy while tending to the villa, but in truth, he liked the commotion. He didn’t actually mind the sound of Ian and Buster bickering or the Mop Ghost venting its frustrations.

His own childhood had been colored only by silence. Life at the villa was the exact opposite of that terrible quiet.

“I have to go.”

Before he knew it, his pace slowed. If he turned around, he could see the temple. After shaking his head like a madman to clear his thoughts, Jade searched for a place where he might catch a ride. He had to get far away from here. Only then could he shake off these distracting thoughts.

Above all, Jade was now a fugitive. Soon, the man who had intruded upon the villa would report back to Malderic, and people would be sent there. Then they would discover not only that Jade had been caring for Ian all this time, but that he had smuggled him out of the villa.

“Excuse me, how far can I get with this much?”

After wandering through the crowds for a long while, he found a spot where coachmen were gathered.

Jade emptied his pockets. After giving everything to Ian, all that remained were two silver Pence. He had only happened to have them because he’d tucked them in his pocket and forgotten they were there.

“Well now, I suppose I could take you as far as that village way down south of the northern border.”

“Could I go any further?”

“Young man, where did you sell your conscience?”

The coachman, gnawing on the end of a cigar, snorted and pushed away Jade’s hand as he offered the silver coins.

“Then perhaps… what about renting a horse?”

“Lord, man! That costs even more. Did you just come out of the woods or something?”

“I see…”

“How do I know you won’t just run off with the horse? You’d have to leave a deposit equal to the horse’s price.”

It was a disaster. He had boasted that it was fine and given everything he owned to Ian, but now he couldn’t even find a single carriage to travel in. Currently, he had no food and no spare clothes. Two silver Pence were all he had.

“Is there no other way? Please, I’m desperate.”

“If it’s that urgent, go over to the freight wagons and see if they’ll load you in a spare spot.”

“A freight wagon? Ah, thank you.”

Following the advice, Jade headed to the area where rows of freight wagons were lined up. Perhaps because it was night, there weren’t that many. Jade walked between the wagons preparing for departure, inspecting them one by one. Most, however, were packed so tightly with cargo that there was no room to even ask.

Then, Jade spotted a freight wagon stacked high with wooden crates. A burly merchant was in the middle of loading. Calculating the remaining cargo and the space left in the wagon, there was just enough room for maybe two adults to huddle together.

“Hello. Excuse me, where are you headed?”

“South. Why?”

The merchant looked Jade up and down, startled by the sudden approach.

Standing with a casual, swaying posture, the merchant’s gaze was crooked. The bald man with a heavy build gave off a fairly intimidating impression and aura. If possible, Jade wanted to find another wagon, but it was night, and every other wagon was bursting with cargo; he had no choice.

“Could you give me a ride in this wagon? I don’t have much money, but…”

“I’ve seen all sorts of strays today. Get lost before you bring me bad luck.”

The man scoffed at the two silver Pence in Jade’s hand and waved him away dismissively.

However, this was his last resort. And hadn’t the man said he was going to the South?

The South was the region furthest from here, and it was a good place to live with a mild climate. There was no better region for a penniless Jade to survive in. At the very least, even if he slept on the streets, his face wouldn’t freeze over.

“Please. Just let me ride in whatever space is left.”

“Look, the South is far. This isn’t a direct carriage. It’ll take at least a week to get there. How are you going to survive in the cargo hold? Besides, sir, looks to me like you need a doctor more than a trip south.”

The man pointed at the bandages stretching from Jade’s shoulder and shook his head, clicking his tongue.

“I’ll help you with your work. I’ll help load the crates—I’ll do anything.”

“Hmm… you’re going to help with that body?”

The man scrutinized Jade with an utterly skeptical face. In response, Jade put on a confident, bright smile. It was the very same smile that had gotten him through countless part-time job interviews.

“I can do it. You can put me to work, and if you don’t like me, you can just kick me off the wagon.”

“Hmm.”

The merchant pondered for a moment before nodding. It was a spare spot anyway, so taking one person made no difference to him, and since Jade had a likable face and seemed to have a head for work, there was no loss on his end.

The man snapped his fingers together, accepting Jade’s proposal.

“Fine. I doubt you can move crates with that shoulder, right? I need to sort the boxes, so help with that.”

“Yes! I’ll do a great job. Thank you.”

Jade bowed several times in gratitude. If he had been rejected, he would have had to sleep rough in the North; it was a stroke of incredible luck.

“There’s no room to sit up front, though. I’ve already loaded cargo onto the driver’s seat.”

“That’s fine. I can squeeze in between the crates.”

Glancing at Jade, who answered politely, the man tossed him a bundle of papers and a pen.

“Right. First, count the boxes by size. I’m no good at math. We have to leave soon, so you’d better count fast.”

Jade quickly read through the papers. The man wasn’t lying about being bad at math; the calculations were a mess. Even the simple addition of boxes had incorrect formulas.

Jade corrected the tallies and immediately turned toward the crates. Just then, a gruff voice spoke up.

“Right, let’s trade names. We’ll be traveling together for quite a while to reach the South.”

“Ah, yes. I’m Jade.”

“I’m Dan.”

Dan reached out a hand cheerfully. Jade shook it. The hand was thick and heavily calloused, suggesting he had been in this business for a long time.

“Don’t go slacking off then, get to counting. I only deal with people who are quick on their feet.”

“Haha, don’t worry about that.”

Dan patted Jade on the back and disappeared in another direction, saying he needed to bring more wooden crates. His stride was large and unhesitating. Though he had a rough aura, he seemed to have a blunt and easygoing personality.

“Let’s count quickly.”

Jade began classifying the wooden crates by size and tallying them just as Dan had instructed. He would handle the assigned tasks perfectly and make the man want to take him all the way to the South.

The South. He had a good feeling about it. Wasn’t it where he had originally planned to go? He would build a new life of his own there. He just had to start over. Since he had managed to keep his life in the North just as he’d first planned, he could settle down anywhere in the South. Building a life through steady work was one of the things Jade did best.

Having made a new resolution, Jade steeled his heart.

The wagon rattled along the bumpy dirt road.

Traveling in a cargo hold was even more grueling than he had imagined. Every time the wheels turned, the wagon shook violently and let out a clattering noise. Occasionally, a sharp jolt would slam his body against a crate, and every time they passed over a rock, the hold would bounce with a thud, making his backside ache.

But as someone catching a free ride, he couldn’t complain. At least the freight wagon had a fabric roof that blocked the wind. Thanks to that, it wasn’t cold. Squeezing himself between the cargo, Jade tried to lean against a crate and get some sleep.

“Meow…”

It was just as he was starting to drift off. A familiar sound from somewhere… no, a sound he shouldn’t be hearing. Since he wasn’t asleep yet, it couldn’t be a dream. Jade jerked his head around, scanning the interior of the wagon.

Am I hallucinating?

He looked around the wagon, but Buster wasn’t there. Of course not. There was no way Buster would be here. He should be having a meal with Ian at the temple.

“Meow…”

But that familiar cry reached his ears again. This time, it was even fainter than before.