The Attendant in the Horror Game C53

Chapter 53

“Myaaa, haaaam.”

Soondol yawned inside the backpack.

The latch had been an intricately crafted fake.

The real dragon claws were attached to each inner corner of the box. The box itself was made of dragon hide—hide that no sword or spear could pierce. Even without knowing the details, it was clear that the hide was far more valuable than the claws.

Foolish humans.

Soondol clicked his tongue as he licked his front paws inside the backpack.
To think they were fooled by something like that—humans truly were foolish.

This was why he disliked humans. They were foolish and of poor quality.
But they were irritating when they were too smart as well.
That was precisely why he disliked Ian.
The only human Soondol acknowledged was Jade.

“The total comes to thirty-five lumen.”

“Hm.”

The merchant, who had spent a long time appraising the “dragon claw” until his tea was empty, finally named a price.
Including the other items, he offered a total of thirty-five lumen.

He handed over a pouch heavy with coins. His hands seemed to tremble—perhaps Jade imagined it, perhaps not.
For a wandering merchant, this was undeniably a large transaction.

“You claimed it was so valuable, yet you offer only this much?”

“Only? With this money, you could buy a house in the capital.”

“Hm. Then I won’t sell.”

Jade let out an exaggerated huff and turned away.
The merchant hurriedly grabbed his sleeve.

“Please, sir! You’re being too hasty. Just sit for a moment, yes?”

The merchant practically forced Jade back into the seat.
Once Jade sat—pretending to relent—the merchant leaned in and whispered as if revealing a great secret.

“I’ll add ten lumen. That is the highest I can go. You wouldn’t be able to sell this anywhere else.”

“Very well. Let’s do that.”

Judging by the merchant’s nervous swallow, even this was a greatly inflated price.
But Jade had no choice; he needed to sell quickly, and there was no one else he could sell this to.

Jade tucked the forty-five lumen into his clothes and stood.
He blinked mischievously at Ian.
Ian promptly looked away.
Ever cold, as always.

With plenty of money secured, Jade and Ian began properly exploring the village.

They would have to depart early tomorrow morning to return to the villa, so today was the only day to see everything.
Jade wanted to show Ian as much as possible.
Today would likely be their last peaceful day walking through a village together.

Thinking that he would soon have to leave Ian behind put a weight on his chest.
Would Ian truly survive alone?
Would he become the powerful figure described in the setting guide—someone no one could ever touch?

“Ian, do you know the currency of the Empire? One gold lumen equals ten silver pence, and—”

Jade’s worries slipped out as trivial concerns.
Of the forty-five lumen he earned today, he planned to leave thirty-five for Ian.
But had Ian ever managed money alone?

“How would I not know that?”

“Right. As long as you do, that is enough.”

Ian gave a faint, amused smile—as if wondering why Jade would ask something so basic.
That small smile eased Jade’s heart.

Yes, Ian would manage just fine.
But no matter how often he reassured himself, anxiety rose again without warning.

“Oh, did you know? If you burn your skin, lavender helps draw out the heat. And ginger tea is good when you have a cold.”

“What lavender? This is the North.”

“They sell it here.”

Right then, a woman selling flowers stood before them.
She had neatly bundled small bouquets of blossoms rarely seen in the North.
Flowers were rare, so she had many customers.

“These are imported from the South. You won’t find them easily in the North.”

“One, please.”

Jade bought a bundle of lavender and handed it to Ian.
With the flowers in his hands, the already delicate-looking Ian resembled a forest spirit.

“It smells nice, right?”

“……”

At Jade’s question, Ian pressed his face into the lavender and inhaled its scent.
Whatever Jade taught him, he absorbed instantly—like a blank sheet of paper.

“Sprinkle salt on potatoes and they taste good. And onions need to be kept in the shade.”

Before leaving, Jade planned to buy a great deal of potatoes and onions—especially onions, since they stored well.

“…Jade. Is something wrong?”

Ian suddenly stopped walking.
Standing in the middle of the path, he looked up at Jade with sharp, searching eyes.

“It’s because I saw potatoes. Let’s buy a sack.”

“That many?”

“How is that a lot? We’ll go through them quickly.”

Jade purchased a sack of onions, a sack of carrots, and a sack of cabbage.
He did not forget dried meat and herbs, which stored well.
He even bought several blocks of butter.

If the North had any advantages—and it scarcely did—it was that food rarely spoiled due to the cold.

He bought flour by the sack, and found eggs and baking powder, which he had long wished for.
Once they returned to the villa, he planned to teach Ian a few simple baking recipes.

Having spent most of his childhood alone, Jade knew well—time passed quickly when one had something to do.

I should bake him a cake before I leave.

More than anything, he wanted to make a cake for Ian at least once.
He could not forget how Ian said he had never eaten a birthday cake.
But Ian’s birthday was in May—still two months away.
Jade would be gone long before then.

“Ian, when we return to the villa, I want to bake a cake. What kind would you like?”

Considering Ian’s age, perhaps chocolate cake.
Or maybe a cake common in this world—though Jade had no idea what types were typical here.
It was a Korean-made game, so it likely wouldn’t differ too much.

“…Carrot.”

Ian murmured softly—so softly that even when Jade bent down, he could barely hear it.

“What?”

“Carrot cake. The thing you mentioned earlier…”

On the day they made vegetable fritters with shaded carrots, Jade had casually said he might one day make carrot cake.
Ian had pretended not to care, yet he had remembered everything.
The hand holding the flowers fidgeted faintly.

“Carrot cake it is. I’ll show you what I can do.”

“……”

“Myaang!”

Ian gave no reply, only inhaled the lavender again and nodded slightly.
Soondol, poking his head from the backpack, answered loudly in his place.

“I’ll take these things to the inn first.”

They had accumulated many purchases, so Jade brought their food back to the room.
Once the bulky items were stored, they resumed browsing the market more freely.

“Let’s buy socks, coats, and a winter blanket in advance.”

“Isn’t it spring already?”

“Spring is short here.”

“We can come back in autumn.”

“You have no idea how cold autumn is here. Blink and it’s winter. Better to prepare early.”

Jade chose a thick coat and placed it on Ian’s shoulders.
The white coat suited Ian’s pale skin very well.
He would not feel cold even in the snow.

After the coat came socks and shoes.
As Jade kept selecting things for Ian, Ian tugged lightly on his sleeve.

“What about yours?”

“Oh.”

With so little time left before he would leave, Jade had not considered buying anything for himself.
He would not need winter gear anyway—he planned to head to the warm South.
The farthest point from the North.

“I’ll buy mine next month. Carrying too much at once is difficult.”

“……”

He glossed over it and purchased a blanket.
He intended to discard the old one and replace it with a proper winter blanket.

Next, he browsed necessities—knives of various sizes, kitchen tools, and more.

Ian followed him everywhere, taking in the bustling market.
It was his first time seeing such a lively scene—chaotic, noisy, and fascinating all at once.

“Wait.”

Jade suddenly stopped in front of a stall.
Hats were displayed in neat rows.

He examined several, then picked up the white one that had first caught his eye.
Since Ian’s new coat was white, the combination would match well.

“Try it on.”

“I don’t—”

Before Ian finished, Jade placed the hat firmly on his head.
Golden curls escaped from both sides in a fluffy mess, and the small hat fit his delicate face perfectly.

“I’ll take this one.”

“You’ve got a good eye,” the shopkeeper said with a bright smile.

Ian kept reaching up to touch the hat.
The soft, cushioned texture seemed unfamiliar to him.

“Now that you’re wearing such a fine hat, smile a little. People say a smile brings luck.”

“I’ve never heard that.”

“It does. Look at the flower seller—she smiles, and customers flock to her.”

Jade pointed at the vendor who sold them lavender.
Northern flowers were rare, but her pleasant expression certainly helped attract customers.

“Is a smiling face beautiful?”

Ian asked quietly, staring at Jade’s fingertips.
Naturally, a smiling face was more attractive than a weeping one.

“Of course it is.”

“…You really do like beautiful things.”

Ian muttered in a voice too soft to catch.
Jade was about to ask what he meant when Soondol cried, pointing at something.

“Myaang!”

There were skewers grilling over a brazier—various types sizzling as their juices dripped onto the flames.
The smell of seasoning and roasting meat was irresistible.

“Soondol, we just ate.”

“Myaaaang—!”

Denied at once, Soondol widened his golden eyes pleadingly, even lifting his forepaws beneath his chin.

“All right, we’ll have some.”

Jade, weak to affection, surrendered.
Ian tilted his head to the side as he watched.
Then, just like Soondol, he widened his eyes calmly and roundly at Jade.

Jade had no idea why he was so weak to things like this.