The Servant in the Horror Game is Suspicious Chapter 8

“Ah…!”

With a sharp cry, Ian’s body tipped forward. His golden hair fluttered, and a flash of terror crossed his blue eyes.

Ian felt his body lift into the air. Time seemed to freeze, leaving only that momentary sensation and vivid fear.

He was going to die. He could actually die.

Perhaps this had been the servant’s plan all along. Even roasting the mushrooms and wrapping him in the curtains—maybe it was all a ruse.

He should have known from the moment the man greeted him so kindly. No one ever offered him favors without expecting something in return. He wasn’t the one being careless; it was himself. Only now, on the threshold of death, did Ian realize his mistake.

“Ah…!”

As he gasped for breath, the scream was swallowed back down his throat.

It was too unfair to die like this. Had he not endured everything specifically to deny his uncle the satisfaction?

He had survived in this isolated place, digging up tree roots to stay alive, all to avoid falling into the mouths of the wolf pack that waited with open jaws for his demise.

He couldn’t die here, not like this, not so pointlessly.

But contrary to Ian’s wishes, his light frame plummeted toward the cold stone steps. His heart surged up to the base of his throat. Expecting the pain to hit any second, Ian instinctively squeezed his eyes shut. Or rather, he tried to.

“Young Master!”

If Jade hadn’t lunged forward and reached out, Ian would have accepted the coming agony with his eyes closed.

Grabbing the railing quickly with one hand, Jade snatched Ian’s arm with the other. However, it wasn’t enough to withstand the momentum of the fall and Ian’s weight. Jade’s body buckled.

“Dammit…!”

Letting go of the railing out of necessity, Jade pulled Ian into his arms. Suddenly, a masculine scent like a forest and a surge of warmth enveloped the boy. Clinging to Jade, Ian began to tumble down the stairs with him.

“Agh! Ow, that hurts!”

The edges of the stone steps scraped against Jade’s back and shoulders. Because he had curled his body to protect Ian, they actually rolled down faster. Dull pain flared in his elbows and knees as they slid. After rolling down several steps, the two finally came to a halt on a landing.

“Ugh.”

Jade swallowed a groan and slowly pushed himself up. His knees stung and blood trickled from his elbows. But before checking his own injuries, Jade checked on Ian first.

Ian looked up at Jade, his face pale. His small body, remembering the terror of a moment ago, trembled slightly.

“Let… let go.”

Coming to his senses, Ian struggled out of Jade’s embrace. However, his legs were weak, so he couldn’t get far. Jade was in the same boat. The two of them just sat there on the stairs.

“Are you all right?”

“I… I never asked for your help.”

At Jade’s concern, Ian bit his lower lip hard. He was shaken, but the sudden physical contact with another person left him flustered. Ian gripped the edge of the curtain tightly. It felt as though that warm heat was still surrounding his body.

“Haha, is that so?”

Even at Ian’s cold retort, Jade simply gave a nonchalant shrug. Suddenly, Jade’s clothes caught Ian’s eye. Red blood was seeping through the ivory fabric near the upper arm. He must have been injured in the accident just now. It was only natural, considering he had supported Ian’s weight as they fell.

In contrast, Ian was embarrassingly fine. Aside from being startled, he didn’t have a single scratch.

“Um…”

“Yes?”

“…Nothing. I just meant I can sleep anywhere.”

“Hey now, I told you it’s too cold.”

As if a wounded arm was nothing, Jade stood up and patted the dust off his knees. Watching him, Ian lowered his head deeply.

He felt ashamed for thinking he was going to die. Even if he rolled down the stairs, at most he would have broken something; he wouldn’t have died.

“Let’s go with the second-floor hallway instead!”

“…”

“It’ll block the wind much better.”

Just as he said, the kitchen area seemed better than the space under the stairs. It wouldn’t be as cold as the first floor, where the chill of the snow fields seeped in directly. The second floor also had partition walls, so there were fewer drafts.

It had been a hassle to move bedding with such a small body, which is why he had stayed on the first floor, but with Jade here, there was no need for that anymore.

“Okay…”

“Then I’ll set up your bed in the hallway.”

When Ian gave a small nod, Jade moved busily, bringing up Ian’s blankets from the first floor. Truthfully, the fabric was an embarrassment to call a blanket, but in the face of the cold, even a scrap of cloth was precious.

“…”

Ian watched his actions, holding onto the curtain Jade had wrapped around him as if it were some kind of defensive shield. He was bothered by the bloodstain spreading on the man’s sleeve, but instead of telling him to treat it, he buried his face in the curtain. The faint scent of the forest from when the man hugged him lingered there.

Jade made a makeshift bed using Ian’s original blanket, a tablecloth from the kitchen, and some curtains. Unlike the drafty spot Ian had made for himself, it looked quite cozy.

‘Why?’

Ian’s mind was filled with questions. Why did he save me? Was he just born with an altruistic personality? But he was a servant sent by the family, so he must have come here wishing for Ian’s death.

“Go ahead and lie down.”

“Ah…”

Unaware of the turmoil in Ian’s head, Jade pulled him by the hand and tucked him into the bedding. Perhaps because he had been so startled earlier, sleep washed over him before long. It didn’t even seem as cold as yesterday. And so, Ian’s questions remained unresolved even as morning arrived.

The next day, Jade started cleaning the moment he opened his eyes. Yesterday, he had no stamina left and fell asleep the second his head hit the surface.

Being in the North, even the morning didn’t feel bright and sunny; it was a bit dim and hazy. Jade decided to start by cleaning the place that would be Ian’s room and the room next to it. In his hand was the broom he had acquired yesterday.

[ Exclusive Item ‘Beginner’s Cleaning Tools (1)’ Activated ]

[ >> Additional Skill Unlocked << ]

Lv1. Apprentice Cleaner’s Handiwork

The blizzard seemed to have paused, so he opened the windows and used the broom to sweep away the dust. A ding sounded, and a system message appeared. It seemed the additional skill had unlocked because Jade started cleaning with the tool.

‘Apprentice Cleaner’s Handiwork.’ He couldn’t even bring himself to laugh at the pathetic skills and items this game was handing him anymore. Still, Jade didn’t lose hope. Anything that helped even a little in this dire situation was a win.

“Use skill.”

Jade pressed the newly unlocked skill button. But nothing happened. There were no visual effects or sounds that usually accompany a skill activation.

Since it had been the same when picking mushrooms, he wasn’t too flustered. Instead, he tried sweeping the floor once. With each stroke, his speed increased by about 1.5 times.

“Oh, this is actually doable.”

For a Level 1 skill, it was quite useful. At least it was a practical skill. However, the moment he said it was doable, the buff stopped. Puzzled, Jade read the small print next to the skill.

‘Duration: 10 seconds. Cooldown: 10 minutes?’

“Are you seriously messing with me!”

He barely restrained the urge to throw the broom. If he broke his only cleaning tool, his days ahead would be even more miserable. As if to soothe the angry Jade, the system made a cheerful sound and displayed another message.

[ >> System << ]

Achieve Lv 2. Skilled Cleaner’s Movements to acquire additional items!

“Sigh…”

Even this required leveling up. Moreover, he didn’t like the names. If ‘Handiwork’ meant speed, what on earth did ‘Movements’ signify?

The ‘(1)’ attached to the exclusive item ‘Beginner’s Cleaning Tools’ had been bothering him, and it seemed this was why. It looked like he had to reach the next level to get other cleaning tools.

[ >> EXP << ]

40 / 2,000

He felt like he had done a fair bit of sweeping, but the experience points were only at 40. Jade started moving the broom again and looked above his head.

[ EXP +5 ]

With a ding-ding, the number 5 appeared above him. It seemed one sweep equaled 5 EXP.

Total sweeps needed to level up: 400.

He’d probably do dozens of sweeps every time he cleaned. He might fill it up quickly. On the other hand, he hated himself for thinking this wasn’t such a bad deal compared to the mushroom skill.

“Man, I’m annoyed.”

Just as he was cooling his temper, something tapped on the window. It was a sound coming from the window on the opposite side of the one he had opened earlier.

“…”

Suddenly, goosebumps erupted down his spine. Wasn’t the room Jade was cleaning on the third floor?

A fact he had forgotten suddenly surfaced. This game was a horror game. Ghost stories he’d read as a child flashed through his mind. Like a ghost with only a head floating outside the window, or a hopping ghost.

“Mm-mm—”

Jade tried his best to ignore the sound from the window, even humming a tune as he focused on his sweeping. However, the tapping on the window grew faster and more violent the more he ignored it. He couldn’t focus on cleaning at all.

‘God help me.’

Thump—

“Gah!”

Soon the window rattled. It felt like the glass was going to break. When it reached a point where he could no longer ignore it, Jade forced his head to turn. His neck felt like it was making a rusty creak as it rotated slowly.

He gripped the broom tightly. If it was a ghost, he’d beat it to death whether the broom broke or not.

“Huh?”

But the tension Jade had been holding snapped the moment he finally turned his head. What was outside the window wasn’t a ghost or a monster, but the magical beast he had brought from the shed yesterday. The beast was looking at Jade resentfully with teary eyes because he wouldn’t look back.

“Why are you out there?”

“Myang! Myang! Kyaaaa!”

When he opened the window, the beast leaped into Jade’s arms. Its body was freezing; who knows how long it had been outside. Covered in snowflakes, the beast was absolutely furious for some reason.

“Mya-ack!”

The beast used its four short limbs to gesture wildly, trying to explain something to Jade. At first, it was difficult to deduce the meaning, but after watching for a bit, he could roughly understand.

“So, while you were sleeping…”

“Myack! Myang!”

“Ian threw you out…?”

“Myang! Myang!”

The beast jumped up and down in the air, confirming he was right.