The Attendant in the Horror Game C3

Chapter 3

Jade pondered deeply whether he truly had to accept this as his reality. Even if he didn’t attempt to kill Ian—even if he didn’t steal the sword and try to run—the outcome was clear.

Ian would kill him.
Just as he had killed every other attendant before.

Maybe he should escape right now. That might at least offer a sliver of hope for survival. But dressed in nothing but thin clothing, he wouldn’t last long outside. The northern blizzard wasn’t something a human could endure. The land here in midwinter was merciless, and there wasn’t a single village nearby—no sign of civilization at all. Other than this mansion—no, this villa—there was nowhere to take shelter.

“…Hm?”

As Jade wrestled with thoughts of survival, he suddenly rubbed his cheek, sensing someone’s quiet gaze.

“Oh.”

The gaze belonged to none other than Ian, still half-hidden behind a pillar, peeking out cautiously to observe his every move. Every time the boy blinked, his pale blue eyes rippled like a frozen winter lake.

His face was expressionless—like a porcelain doll carved without emotion—and his eyes, calm yet desolate, carried an unnerving maturity, as if he already understood the cruelty of the world.

Ian’s gaze, cold and assessing, scanned Jade from head to toe, sharp as that of a wary predator watching an intruder. Seeing that hostility in such a young child was enough to make Jade dread what the future held.

Hmm…

Yet the fear lasted only a moment before giving way to confusion.

For one, the boy’s frame was so small, so fragile, that it was hard to feel threatened by him. His tiny hands clung to the pillar as if it were his lifeline. The sight was so pitifully rabbit-like that Jade couldn’t help but wonder—

Was the lore wrong?

Those small hands didn’t look capable of even gripping a rock, let alone taking someone’s life. His messy blond hair and pale, chapped fingers didn’t inspire fear at all. It was difficult to believe that such a fragile child could commit the kind of horrors recorded in the game’s setting book.

No wonder the previous attendants had underestimated him. Seeing him now, Jade understood how they’d failed to recognize the danger beneath the angelic exterior. But unlike them, Jade knew what Ian would become.

All he had to do was stay alert, rely on that knowledge, and never let his guard down. After all, the boy couldn’t overpower him by force. For now, the bigger threat wasn’t the child before him—but the freezing cold and the monsters outside.

For the time being, staying in the villa was his best chance at survival.

Having made up his mind, Jade slowly approached Ian, careful not to startle him. He kept his posture low, his movements unhurried.

“It’s late for an introduction,” he said softly.

“……”

Thankfully, Ian didn’t seem intent on attacking. He didn’t flee either, though the closer Jade got, the colder the air around him seemed to grow.

What am I supposed to do…

Jade had no idea how to handle children—least of all one so silent and detached.

“Hello,” he began again, forcing a gentle tone. “My name is Jade, and I’ll be serving you, Young Master.”

After a moment’s hesitation, he quietly extended his hand. The attendants who came before him had always treated Ian coldly—and that had only hastened their deaths.

He wouldn’t make the same mistake. Maybe kindness would earn him a little trust. Children were weak to warmth and sincerity… weren’t they?

“……”

But Ian merely stared at the hand without taking it.

Jade suddenly realized—was it even proper for a servant to offer his hand first? There must have been etiquette for how to address nobility in this world, but he’d been here for less than thirty minutes; how could he know?

Fortunately, Ian didn’t seem offended. After a pause, the boy reached out slightly—but just before their fingers could touch, he pulled back again.

“If there’s anything you need me to do, please tell me. I’ll do my best to be of help.”

“……”

Ian kept looking between his own hand and Jade’s, like someone who had never experienced such an interaction before. But soon his eyes hardened, and he shot Jade a strangely displeased look.

Watching him, Jade recalled the exact words from the lorebook: A beautiful face paired with a cold, unfeeling nature.
That sentence had never felt more real.

Feeling awkward, Jade withdrew his still-outstretched hand and looked around the interior of the villa. It looked even more dilapidated inside than it had from the outside.

He had hoped it might feel more livable once he entered—but there wasn’t even the faintest trace of human warmth. Each breath he took tasted of old, stale air.

“Haha… I got lost on the way, so I didn’t bring any luggage. Which room should I use?”

“……”

When asked about a room, Ian slowly turned his head toward the front door. The meaning was clear: There’s no room for you here. In other words, get out.

But Jade only scratched his head and laughed heartily, pretending not to notice.

“Well, that’s fine. I’ll just pick one. Plenty of rooms to go around.”

Leaving the hollow entrance hall behind, he began climbing the central staircase. Though the stairs weren’t made of wood, they creaked and groaned with every step as if ready to collapse.

Ian followed from a short distance, keeping about two meters between them—curiosity flickering in his wary eyes. Whether it was curiosity or suspicion, Jade couldn’t tell.

“Which room does the Young Master stay in?” Jade asked, glancing back.

Ian was silent for a long moment, seemingly lost in thought, then looked down toward the narrow space beneath the stairs. Following his gaze, Jade saw a cramped corner wedged between the wall and the staircase—where a pile of tattered blankets was bunched together.

“Oh… that’s your room…”

So that was it. Ian hadn’t been living in the villa so much as surviving in it. Sent here to die, he’d been left with no supplies, no bedding, nothing. He had been sleeping wherever he could find a spot on the cold floor.

“…Then why don’t we pick our rooms together?”

Jade straightened up, quickly prioritizing his next steps. Years of menial jobs had made him practical: first, win Ian’s trust. Second, become useful to him.

Given the circumstances, that was the only strategy that made sense. His instincts screamed that it was his best shot at staying alive. Once he became someone necessary, Ian wouldn’t be able to kill him—not easily.

He might have been thrown into a new life by accident, but he had no intention of dying again.

“Let’s start with your room, Young Master.”

Jade spoke with a deliberately cheerful tone as he strode up the stairs. Ian followed silently, like a cat—cautious yet unable to suppress his curiosity. Though, judging by his eyes, that curiosity seemed more about finding weaknesses than genuine interest.

Keep watching, kid. I’m not giving you any reason to kill me.

Jade shrugged and continued climbing. He’d make no mistakes that could give the boy an excuse.

“Hmm.”

The villa had five floors in total. The fourth and fifth were completely unusable, but the third looked manageable. It was clearly once the main living area—the hallways were wider, and the structure was more intact.

“This one looks best.”

He stopped before a large door in the center of the corridor. It had ornate handles on both sides, unlike the other rooms, suggesting it was spacious. The doorknob, however, was rusted and stiff from disuse. No matter how hard he pulled, it barely budged—until, with both hands gripping tightly, it finally creaked open.

“This should be the biggest room, and maybe even livable—ack! Cough, cough! Ugh, damn it—!”

As soon as the door opened, a cloud of dust burst out, choking him instantly. The long-trapped air of the room escaped with a musty stench of mold and damp rot that stung his eyes and nose.

“Wait there, Young Master! Cough, cough! There’s too much dust!”

Jade flung an arm toward Ian to stop him from coming closer. The boy was already watching from a safe distance, unmoving.

Then, before Jade’s watering eyes, a familiar system window appeared once again.

>> System <<
Ian’s Room. It’s a pit of dust.

“…What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

Was this some kind of joke? The system was literally describing what he already knew, serving no actual purpose whatsoever.

“Fine, I’ll clean it up first. So, where are the cleaning supplies…?”

Jade muttered, trying to reassure Ian—and himself. But in a place this decrepit, would there even be cleaning tools? And even if there were, would they still be usable?

Just as he was beginning to despair, another line appeared before his eyes.

※ Obtain your exclusive item.

Exclusive item?

For the first time since arriving, the system was giving him something that sounded useful. The word “item” made Jade’s eyes gleam with hope.

Finally! Something for me. Took you long enough to grow a conscience.

He stared eagerly at the glowing text—only for his excitement to die instantly at the next line.

>> Exclusive Item <<
Beginner’s Cleaning Tools (1)

>> Location <<
Behind the Linwood Family Villa – Storage Shed.

“Are you—kidding me?!”

How is this my exclusive item?!