The Attendant in the Horror Game C48

Chapter 48

After subduing the blind servant’s wraith, Jade was able to obtain three healing potions.

The healing potions were extremely small. He had imagined a hefty glass bottle, but instead, each potion was contained in a tiny vial no larger than his thumb, filled with a milky white liquid. At least it made them easy to hide.

In contrast to their size, the potency of the healing potions was tremendous. His body had recovered overnight so completely that it startled even him. Wounds that should have taken days to mend had simply vanished.

The problem was Ian.
Even after drinking the potion, Jade continued to pretend he was still in pain, acting as though he were recovering slowly. Apparently, the performance hadn’t been convincing enough—Ian’s sharp eyes were becoming increasingly scrutinizing.

“Your recovery has been fast.”

“Huh? Ha, ha… well, yes. I suppose I was lucky?”

“Lucky indeed.”

Ian said it was fortunate and didn’t press further, but Jade flinched involuntarily, as though exposed.

“Myaang…?”

Now it was Soondol peering at him suspiciously. The creature tilted its head beside Jade’s arm. Jade had wrapped bandages around his now-healed hand to hide the truth, but even that seemed questionable to the winged beast, who flapped its wings like it was calling out his lie.

At this point, Jade wondered if there wasn’t something fundamentally wrong with his acting skills. He had always been terrible at lying.

“Here, have this, Soondol.”

“Myaang!”

Jade deftly diverted Soondol with food. Today’s breakfast was his attempt at recreating glazed potato bites.

There was no butter, so he substituted with oil and sugar. He diced the potatoes, lightly fried them in oil, and sprinkled sugar before tumbling them in a pan. Sweet, greasy—pure decadence.

As the saying goes, persistence pays off. Compared to the days he survived only on mushrooms, this was practically paradise. He still lacked protein, but at least he no longer struggled with hunger.

Breakfast had exhausted the last of their potatoes, but they still had pumpkin, lotus root, a bit of onion, and carrots left. Mushrooms, at least, were in endless supply.

“What should I make for lunch?”

It was nice to have the luxury to ponder such mundane matters again. Perhaps pumpkin soup with onion fritters on the side? It might taste good to dip the fritters into the soup.

“Is it all right to move your arm like that?”

“Ah…!”

Jade froze mid-motion, startled. He had unconsciously moved his once-fractured arm freely while preparing ingredients. No matter how he tried, acting was simply not in his blood.

“I must’ve just overestimated it. I guess the fracture wasn’t as bad as it seemed.”

He rushed to explain before Ian could say anything.

“It looked very swollen…”

“Haha, I swell easily. It was just a bruise. I exaggerated a little.”

Mumbling excuses, Jade quickly escaped toward the fireplace under the pretense of checking the firewood. The warmth spreading through the mansion meant that starting tomorrow, he would only need to keep the fire going briefly at night.

Spring had fully arrived.
Colder than any spring he knew, but the air no longer steamed with his breath, and most of the snow had melted.

The issue was: with warm winds blowing in, his remaining time was slipping away.

It had been exactly four weeks since the last delivery of supplies. Jade looked out the window several times a day, anxiety twisting within him. Someone from the Linwood family could arrive at any moment.

The time when he was supposed to kill Ian was approaching.
No—Jade had already decided he would not kill Ian.
More accurately, the time he would become a fugitive was drawing near.

Maybe… maybe I should just take Ian and run.

No. Absolutely not.
That was far too dangerous. He had no idea what hazards awaited on the road, and dragging Ian with him would only disrupt his future. Ian was destined to become duke someday—Jade had no right to steal that from him.

“Ian, why don’t we visit the village tomorrow?”

He could stall no longer. It was time to put his long-laid plans into action.

Originally, he intended to gather seedlings and goods to build a small garden outside the manor. Once Ian’s birthday came, he planned to bake him a cake, and make plenty of sweet treats for Soondol.

And that wasn’t all—he wanted to cultivate a garden, hang new curtains, and replace Ian’s bedding.

What if we could keep living together like this? he had once wondered.
To spend spring and summer together, harvest crops in autumn, stock up for winter, and read newly bought storybooks side by side.

Insane thought.

He had grown far too complacent. A vacation? Here?

His goal had changed now.
He wanted to leave Ian with as much comfort and stability as possible—everything Ian would need to survive alone. That was his new mission.

“There’s a village nearby?” Ian asked, bringing down a map of the northern region from the study.

The village was far. By foot, they would not reach it even after an entire day of walking, and there were no inns along the way.

The manor had no carriage, no horse. That was precisely why Malderic had abandoned Ian here—to prevent him from leaving.

But Jade could no longer afford to hesitate. He scratched his head sheepishly as Ian tilted his head in doubt.

“It’s far, but still doable. We can’t stay in the mansion forever.”

In the game, players visited the village before coming to the final stage—the manor. As Ian said, the distance was long. More than a full day’s walk. But they had to go.

“…Wouldn’t summer be better?”

“Well…”

Seasonally, Ian was right. Northern summers were similar to early spring elsewhere, so travel would be far easier.

But Jade wouldn’t be here by then. Someone from the family would arrive in a week or two at most. He could delay it a little, perhaps, but not for long.

“Spring markets are worth seeing. The timing is perfect.”

“Mm…”

“The snow has melted, so it’ll be hard, but possible. And we’re out of potatoes.”

“You still have a lot of ingredients. And won’t new supplies arrive soon?”

No, they would not.
The Linwood family did not expect Ian to survive until next month.

“The supplies are always lacking and poor in quality. And besides… the forest is too scary now.”

He pretended to shiver dramatically, and Ian reluctantly nodded.

“There’s nothing we can’t do as long as we’re together, right?”

As always, Jade flashed a bright smile.

“…Fine.”

In the end, Ian agreed. With his consent, Jade began preparing for the journey.

While Jade packed lightly, Ian returned to his room and stood before the mirror.

Today, jade had given him new clothes—not actually new, but garments Jade had found and mended.

Jade was skillful. With a few pieces of tattered cloth, he could create a proper outfit. Ian liked this one. The sleeves fit perfectly, the width was comfortable, and the slightly thinner fabric suited the spring.

“A village…”

Ian looked out the window. All he could see were withered trees and empty plains. This land was so desolate that even hunters avoided it. There would be no inns on the way.

Yet he felt strangely expectant.

He had lived his entire life indoors. The main mansion and its gardens were all he had ever been allowed. Only twice had he passed through the city square, and those were obligatory visits to the imperial capital.

Even the noble children he was meant to socialize with visited him instead. Tutors came to the manor, so lessons were all at home. Going outside was utterly foreign.

He would have been preparing for next year’s debut into society, had he remained in the main house. But being locked away in the manor had made that impossible. Even without exile, his uncle would never have allowed him to socialize freely.

But Ian found that he didn’t mind. He had no interest in social life or family duties. And recently, life in the manor wasn’t so bad.

It wasn’t cold, silent, or suffocating like the main house. He no longer had to stand rigid in the tense air of his father’s mansion. And even if the meals were humble, Jade prepared them with care.

The village intrigued him.
The Linwood mansion had been too perfect—too immaculate. His father tolerated no flaws, and the mansion reflected that sterile obsession.

Compared to that, a village might be… nicer.

But more importantly, the real reason he agreed was—

“There’s nothing we can’t do as long as we’re together, right?”

Perhaps that line was to blame.

Together.
Jade really said such ridiculous things with a straight face. Sometimes Ian was so taken aback by his shamelessness that he could only stare.

How could Jade and Ian possibly be a “we”?
Absurd.

“…”

Yet, the tips of Ian’s ears flushed red.
He cleared his throat and smoothed his clothes.

Ian had never been curious about anything. Nothing entertained him. Swordsmanship, horseback riding—everything was dull. Even hobbies that other noble children enjoyed were meaningless to him.

But now, tomorrow intrigued him.
He wondered what Jade would cook, whether anything new would happen at the manor.

He wondered about their journey to the village.
And not just tomorrow—he wondered about summer, about autumn, and even about the winter that would come again.

Jade tried to pack lightly, but once he finished, he had two sizable bundles.
Blankets and outerwear in case they had to sleep outdoors, simple food, and a few items he planned to sell at the village.

“Myaaaaaaang!”

And Soondol was currently clinging to its box, throwing a tantrum.

“You don’t even fit in there! You said you didn’t need it!”

“Myaak! Myak!”

Jade had asked Soondol for permission days ago. Soondol had been too busy playing with its furball to care. It even responded breezily when he said he would sell the box.

But now that Jade was actually packing it away, Soondol would not let go—clinging to the box as though its life depended on it.