The Servant in the Horror Game is Suspicious Chapter 73

The Empire was buzzing with news of the new Duke’s inauguration. Wherever two or more people gathered, the conversation inevitably turned to the new heir of the Linwood family. Ardel was no exception, and Jade, too, heard stories about Ian several times a day.

The Emperor of the Vilheim Empire had no siblings. Consequently, the rank of Grand Duke did not exist, so everyone couldn’t help but be excited by the news that the Duke, who held the greatest power after the Emperor, had changed.

Ian seemed to have grown up well, exactly according to the settings Jade knew. Even before officially taking the ducal seat, he had straightened out messy contracts and expanded the trade routes of the merchant guild, which had been stagnant for a while. Rumors also circulated that he planned to increase the scale of the weapons guild as well.

However, the part of the stories about Ian that took up the most space in people’s conversations was, without a doubt, his appearance.

The new Duke’s looks were so outstanding that rumors of his striking beauty spread even to the south. Praises ranged from claims that he looked like he was modeled after a god to words that he was so exquisite it was hard to believe he was human.

Jade nodded as he heard those descriptions. The portrayal of Ian he had encountered in the setting guide was just like that. A face beautiful enough that the word “brilliant” wasn’t a waste, and a tall, sturdy build.

‘I wonder how he’s changed.’

Since Jade had never reached the final stages of the game, he had only encountered the adult Ian through text. But the Ian in Jade’s memory was a child whose blue eyes beneath soft blonde hair were like an angel’s, as pure as a forget-me-not. He must have grown into a beauty overflowing with a sorrowful elegance.

Next week, a festival would be held for seven days to commemorate Ian’s inauguration. Though the main event was in the capital, the entire country was swept up in a festive atmosphere. Perhaps because of that, Ardel was more crowded than usual.

“Buster. Ian is becoming a Duke.”

“Myang?!”

‘How can this be…?’

Buster, who had been sitting at the table eating a cookie with his two front paws, stood his fur straight up. Jade stroked him with his palm, calming the bristling fur.

“Isn’t it great?”

“Mya-ong…”

Dropping the cookie as if the world were collapsing, Buster flew weakly to the window and slumped onto the windowsill. To think that wicked brat became a Duke. It seemed his chances of reclaiming his box were completely gone.

He had resigned himself to it to some extent since moving far from the north, but deep down, he had harbored a secret hope that an opportunity might arise someday.

But if it was the Ian that Buster remembered, he was more than capable of throwing such a box away. No, perhaps Buster’s box was already buried deep under the snow.

‘That damn brat.’

He had always been a suspicious and chilling human being. Ian used to make a dissatisfied face whenever Buster was near Jade. If he was like that as a child, how much more terrible would he be now? Just imagining it made Buster’s skin crawl.

“Myaaa…”

Fine. Rather than facing those eyes full of hostility, it seemed better to just give up on the box. However, it wounded his pride to think that he, a high-ranking magical beast, was living like a mere cat.

“Auu! Auuu!”

Just then, Bluey, who had crawled out of the flowerpot, fluttered his leaves. A large leaf patted the despondent Buster’s wing. Buster’s shattered pride nudged upward slightly.

Bluey found Buster’s wings very fascinating and often pestered him to show them. Every time, Buster would act annoyed but would flick his tail and hold his nose high. Today, too, Buster snorted as if playing hard to get and soared into the air.

“Myaa-!”

When Buster spread his wings threateningly, Bluey giggled and loved it. Buster performed a perfect somersault in mid-air and even stuck the landing. Bluey’s mouth turned into an ‘O’ shape, and his leaves swayed from side to side as if clapping. Buster’s shoulders, which had been slumped just a moment ago, now puffed out with bravado.

“Haha.”

Jade, who had a good laugh since morning at the sight of the two, put the finished dough into the molds.

Today, Jade made more dough than usual. Since people excited for the festival were crowding the harbor, he intended to make and sell more bread.

Even though it hadn’t been long since he started his business, he already had many regulars. They were always pestering him to make more, so this time he planned to make a large amount on purpose.

Jade’s determination to leave Ardel remained unchanged. The forged ID would be out soon, and he had secured enough for the boat fare. Now he really just had to pick a date.

‘It’s a shame since I’ve already settled in… but it can’t be helped.’

Even if it was out of apology to the customers who liked his bread, he planned to sell as many different kinds of bread as possible before leaving Ardel.

“Buster, Bluey! Do you want to try some cream cheese?”

“Myaa-”

Jade gave them little tastes of the cream cheese he had made himself. Both Buster and Bluey had good reactions. Jade smiled proudly and wiped the cheese off Buster’s nose.

The people here loved dairy products like butter, milk, and cheese. Strangely, however, cream cheese was hard to come by. So, he had simply gathered the ingredients and made it himself.

“It’s definitely going to be popular today, too.”

The menu Jade chose for today was cupcakes. Not muffin-like cakes, but clean, simple cakes with cream cheese sanded in the middle and blueberries on top.

He didn’t know what it was like since he hadn’t been to the capital, but in the harbor town of Ardel, there were no sliced cakes. Pound cakes or whole cakes were the mainstream.

In the first place, cakes weren’t a popular item in Ardel. There was a strong perception that it was a food purchased only for anniversaries or celebrations. Jade guessed it was because cakes weren’t something that could be eaten easily.

Being a harbor town, Ardel was busy without rest. Food that could be held in the hand and eaten easily was popular. So, after much thought, what he found was the cupcake.

To make the cupcakes, he had prepared the ingredients since yesterday and woken up at the crack of dawn to immerse himself in baking. Since it was hard to find disposable containers, he made circular boxes himself out of sturdy paper. It was so people could eat them by tearing the paper away.

“Dan said he’d help, so why isn’t he here?”

“Myang?”

This menu had particularly many labor-intensive steps. Since even the paper boxes had to be made, Dan had promised to come early and help. For some reason, however, he hadn’t shown his face even by midday.

“All done!”

“Myang-!”

“Ab-!”

In the end, Jade finished the work alone, put a backpack on his back, and left the house carrying two large baskets. Buster and Bluey saw him off, waving a paw and a leaf respectively.

Jade headed to the harbor, walking carefully so the cakes wouldn’t get disarranged. Upon reaching the harbor, the people who were out waiting greeted him as always.

“Hey, bread guy!”

“It’s bread, bread!”

Jade suppressed a laugh as he saw the people still calling him “bread guy.” Since returning to Ardel, he hadn’t made a new alias. Because he was known as the “bread guy” anyway, there was no need to say his name.

Since his days of being chased were over, he didn’t need to come up with new aliases anymore. In the past, he hadn’t made friends with people for fear of being discovered, but these days he was getting quite good at small talk.

“Hello, everyone. Good morning! Huh?”

Jade, who was about to set his baskets down anywhere out of habit from his previous experience, faltered. His stall was nicely unfolded at the spot where he sold bread every day. A sailor with burly muscles stroked his bushy beard gallantly and planted his arms on his hips.

“We unfolded it in advance, so hurry up and set the bread down.”

“Ahem, this stall is yours, right, young man? What kind of bread is it today?”

The customers’ gestures toward the baskets were urgent. Jade quickly set down the baskets and took out the cake boxes he had put in his bag, displaying them on the stall.

“Today, I’ve brought something called cupcakes. I think you’ll all like them once you try them.”

Jade picked up a circular box and tore it open to showcase the cupcake. Customers tilted their heads in uncertainty at the unfamiliar appearance. Some customers peered behind Jade, looking for other bread.

“Cupcake? Why is ‘cup’ attached to ‘cake’?”

“That chestnut bread or whatever was really delicious. My daughter insisted I buy that.”

“Got nothing else? Tsk, I don’t really like cake.”

The customers showed signs of disappointment but began putting money down on the stall one by one. For people who had already tasted Jade’s new menus several times, not buying was not an option.

“How do you bring something interesting every time?”

“Wow, this thing is tasty.”

And soon, the reactions Jade had expected began to pop up here and there. Jade handed out the cupcakes with a proud smile. Before he knew it, the cakes he brought were nearly gone, with only about five left.

“Ja…!”

“Dan?”

It was just as he was picking up a box to sell the remaining cakes. A familiar voice came from afar. When he looked up, Dan was rushing toward him through the crowd. He was about to call Jade’s name but hurriedly covered his own mouth.

“Ah, can’t you see the line? Do you want to get hit?”

“Do you think you’re the only one who wants to eat quickly?!”

The people who mistook Dan for a customer cutting in line instantly turned aggressive. Since there were only five cupcakes left, the atmosphere was even more grim.

However, as if the cake wasn’t the problem right now, Dan pushed through the customers and pulled Jade, who was sitting behind the stall, to his feet.

“You, pant, pant, you have to go.”

“What are you talking about? Where am I going so suddenly?”

Dan, who had run desperately while gasping for breath, was acting strange. He seemed shocked by something. His tanned skin had turned pale. In the ten years he had known him, this was the first time Jade had seen Dan look so flustered.

“Hey, it’s my turn!”

“Here, here. Take these.”

Dan shoved the remaining cupcakes into the hands of the aggressive people and then grabbed Jade’s arm blindly.

“Wait, my baskets and…”

“Is that the problem?! No time to explain. Hurry!”

The baskets caught on his feet and rolled on the ground. But Dan grew angry, even spitting as he spoke urgently. He was even dripping with cold sweat as he desperately dragged Jade by the wrist.

“Why are you acting like this? You said you’d come in the morning but didn’t.”

Something was definitely wrong. Jade looked at Dan with worried eyes. But Dan, without answering, pushed Jade into a narrow alley. Even while doing so, he looked around to see if anyone was nearby.

“What happened? You have to tell me for me to know.”

“Jade. L-listen carefully.”

The lips of Dan, who was trying to say something, trembled. His tense Adam’s apple bobbed several times. These were not the actions Dan, with his boisterous personality, would normally show. That unfamiliar reaction made even Jade anxious.

“A-a wanted poster was put up.”