The Attendant in the Horror Game C50

Chapter 50

Before the early morning sun had even risen, the two of them left the villa. The village lay a considerable distance away; even if they moved diligently, they might not reach it today.

Parang was left in the care of the Mop Ghost. Lately, the little sprout had been toddling around everywhere with boundless curiosity, which was worrying, but the Mop Ghost at least took fairly good care of him.

“We’ll be back soon, so try not to get into trouble.”

“Uwaang.”

“Kkiaaee.”

Parang waved his tiny arms and whimpered. The Mop Ghost hoisted him onto its back and soothed him with practiced ease.

Soon enough, Parang’s leaves were swaying happily. Once resembling the color of radish greens, they had been gradually turning blue over time.

Seeing the two getting along so well, Jade felt reassured. He put on a sturdy coat and slung a backpack over his shoulders. He also fitted a small backpack onto Ian.

Jade’s backpack was an old one from the storage room, reinforced with patches of cloth. Ian’s smaller one was a hand-crafted modification of a burlap sack, with pillow stuffing sewn into the shoulder straps so they wouldn’t hurt him.

Since they would likely have to sleep outdoors, they each wore sturdy outerwear. They only had one blanket—they simply didn’t have room for more. A sleeping bag would have been nice.

Jade strapped Ian’s gifted sword at his waist, put on sturdy shoes, held a sack in one hand, and a wooden walking stick he had carved himself in the other. Preparations were more or less complete.

“Soondol, do you really have to come?”

“Myaang?”

“You can still change your mind and go home.”

They had barely taken a few steps out of the villa when Jade asked. He had originally planned to travel with just Ian, but Soondol had thrown such a tantrum—jumping wildly and screeching—that Jade had no choice but to bring him.

He looked at Soondol with concern. The winged creature, who had been gliding ahead, spun midair and glared sharply at him.

“Myaak!”

“I mean—come on. Who’s going to see a flying cat and think it’s just a normal animal?!”

It wasn’t that Jade wanted to leave Soondol behind. But who would ignore a winged cat flapping around? People would definitely stare and ask questions.

“Myang! Myaang! Myang-myang!”

Soondol pointed at Jade’s backpack. If it was such a problem, he would ride inside it. Completely unreasonable.

“You’re heavy.”

“Myaang?”

Soondol whipped his head around in offense, as if he had just heard the most nonsensical lie. He then formed an X with his paws.

“I’m serious.”

Jade replied firmly. Soondol had grown significantly chubbier since hatching—and understandably so. He adored food; of course he’d gained weight.

They already had plenty of luggage. Carrying Soondol on his back would be impossible. But Soondol was equally resolute. He folded his wings tight against his back, flaunting himself as if to say he could hide them perfectly.

“Folding them doesn’t make the wings invisible.”

“Pig…”

“Myang?!”

Ian muttered, “Pig…” under his breath, and Soondol’s eyes sharpened into angry triangles. The bickering resumed immediately as the three of them entered the forest path.

After walking for quite a while, the sun rose high above them. Warm morning sunlight filtered through the canopy. Birds chirped; squirrels scampered up trees. The melted snow made the path easier to follow.

There were still patches of snow in the shaded areas along the trail. Jade occasionally stepped on them, enjoying the crisp, crunchy sound.

“Myang!”

“Sigh… Soondol.”

Soondol, now trailing behind, threw a ball of snow. A pitifully small one—his paws were too tiny to gather much—but cold enough to count as revenge for being left behind earlier.

“Myaang.”

“Ack—cold!”

Soondol tried shaping another snowball but quickly gave up; his paws were stinging from the cold. Instead, he hopped onto Jade’s shoulder and pressed his icy paws to Jade’s cheeks. Red paw-shaped marks bloomed on both sides of Jade’s face.

“Look, Ian. There are flowers here.”

“You’re right.”

Jade pointed to a patch of snow nearby. A small blossom had sprouted through the white. Its green stem and pale petals were refreshing to see. They had seen no flowers around the villa, so this small one felt particularly welcome.

“Do you like flowers?”

“Isn’t it rare for someone to dislike them? They’re pretty.”

“Not really… So Jade likes pretty things?”

Ian asked this in a half-mumbling, indifferent tone. He’d been talking to Jade more often recently—asking questions, even starting conversations. A huge improvement.

“Well, I suppose everyone likes pretty things?”

“So anything pretty, and you like it?”

“Oh—well… uh—look over there.”

Jade pointed hastily ahead. A narrow stream was flowing. He had heard the faint sound of running water; the frozen surface had begun melting.

“Ian, would you like some water?”

“Yes.”

They had been walking long enough that the villa was no longer visible. This was a good place for a break.

The two knelt by the stream and drank. Soondol lapped at the water too. Ice-cold water rushed down their throats with refreshing clarity.

The meltwater of early spring was incredibly clear. Sunlight scattered over its surface, shimmering. Shades of pale blue and silver mingled beautifully in the flowing water.

“Ian, your eyes look like the stream.”

“What does that mean? A stream?”

Ian retorted brusquely and buried his face in his arms. But it was true—his eyes really were beautiful, especially when light hit them.

“They’re similar in color. Clear and bright.”

His eyes were fascinating—mist-gray at times, glinting blue when illuminated, almost like shards of glass.

“Y-you said you packed snacks. Let’s just eat those.”

“Myang!”

At the mention of food, Soondol poked around Jade’s sack. They had left early and walked endlessly; it was about time to eat.

“Very well. Let’s eat the pumpkin.”

Jade took out the pumpkin he had steamed before leaving. A precious treasure—it was the last remaining one, after throwing the rest during the shadow wolf encounter.

That day still made him feel faint. When Ian later confessed he had gone outside the cave just to retrieve pumpkins, Jade’s heart had ached.

“Here you go.”

He handed Ian half of the pumpkin. Despite being called an “old snow-blossom pumpkin,” it was tiny—smaller than his palm. He wished it were the size of proper winter squashes.

“Oh, it tastes good. Right?”

“Yes… I suppose.”

“Myawng, myang-myang.”

Still, it was delicious—dense, starchy, and sweet. The exterior was rock-like, but the inside was white and sweeter than Jade’s memories of chestnut squash. It was so dry it stuck in their throats, but the stream water solved that easily. A cool breeze blew through.

“Let’s get moving again!”

Once they were lightly fed, the trio resumed their journey. Jade frequently checked the map.

With no houses or landmarks nearby, everything looked the same. Jade, used to modern conveniences, struggled the most. Ian guided him whenever he hesitated—an unusually perceptive child for his age.

“It should get easier to walk from here.”

After exiting the dense forest, they reached flatter terrain. The dirt path was uneven but still far easier to walk than the forest trail.

Thus began their march. They walked and walked. The sun climbed high overhead; sweat dotted Ian’s cheeks.

They took a short break in the shade of a large tree but couldn’t rest too long—there was still much distance ahead.

By late afternoon, they reached gentle rolling hills. The continuous ups and downs slowed them both. Ian’s breathing grew heavy. It was grueling for a child.

“Ian.”

Jade shifted his backpack to the front and crouched before him.

“Get on.”

“You know how much you’re already carrying?”

“This is nothing.”

“…No.”

Ian refused immediately and strode past him. He didn’t want to show weakness in front of Jade. He had already shown too much.

“I carried you in the Elrovan Forest, didn’t I?”

“That was different. And I said no.”

“All right, but don’t complain later.”

“I won’t.”

Jade tilted his head. Was Ian entering adolescence already? His curt, prickly tone was straight out of a teenage boy’s playbook.

They walked side by side again. Until the sun dipped westward, they talked about the clouds and pointed out flowers along the path.

By the time the sunset faded and darkness began to fall, they finally saw the village beyond the hill.

Jade had expected they would need to camp outside and sleep beside a campfire, but they arrived much earlier than anticipated—thanks to Ian’s surprising stamina.

The northern border village consisted of about fifty households—a small, cozy community. A little square with benches sat at its center, surrounded by several small shops.

Despite the late hour, voices carried through the streets, and smoke curled from chimneys. Children ran around laughing. After spending so long isolated with only Ian, seeing the lives of others again felt strangely moving.

“First, let’s make some money.”

They needed lodging. Jade didn’t have a single coin. The streets were thinning out as merchants began packing their stalls. He needed to sell something before nightfall.

“Let’s head over there.”

Jade pulled two silver candlesticks from the sack and pointed to an antique shop with determined eyes.

“When did you pack those…?”

“I prepared ahead of time. Ah, Ian—may I sell these?”

“You clearly brought them to sell…”

“Haha.”

Holding a candlestick in each hand, Jade shrugged sheepishly.