BCHG Chapter 58

Lian seemed quite flustered as well. While he could handle one creature, two at once was too much.

 

“Lian, run!”

 

It was impossible in this situation. We needed to retreat, regroup, and try again.

 

Realizing this, Lian quickly stepped back.

 

We had to get out of here!

 

Just as I was about to dash toward the stairs to the second floor, something grabbed my ankle. I fell to the floor and quickly turned around, only to see the creature in the tailcoat. It was staring at me with its enormous mouth wide open. I could feel the blood draining from my face.

 

“Mia! Ugh…!” Lian tried to rush toward me, but he was caught by the creature in the dress.

 

Am I going to die here? Do I have to use the Guardian Stone and start over?

 

The creature’s mouth was getting closer, and I squeezed my eyes shut.

 

“Mia!”

 

Thud!

 

With Lian’s shout, I felt a presence nearby, and suddenly, the creature let go of me with a screech.

 

Li-Lian? No, the voice seemed too far away for it to be him…

 

As I opened my eyes to see what had happened, I was met with an unexpected figure.

 

“Ma-Master…?”

 

It was Isaac, standing before me, sword in hand, fighting the creature in the tailcoat. I was stunned. Meanwhile, Lian, who had just defeated the creature in the dress, rushed over to me in a hurry.

 

“Mia, are you okay? Head downstairs for now!”

 

“W-What about you and Master…?”

 

“We’ll handle it. Just go!”

 

Realizing I’d only be a burden if I stayed, I let Lian push me down the stairs. Trembling, I clasped my hands together in a silent prayer. I should have been more careful. Now that I knew the events were deviating from the original game, I should have expected the boss fights to change as well…

 

Would the two of them be okay? And how had Isaac arrived here?

 

The time I spent waiting alone felt excruciatingly long. Then, a system message appeared before me.

 

[Night of Fear: The Night of Terror]

[Chapter 4. Unlocked]

 

It was a message announcing victory in the boss fight.

 

I quickly rushed back to the hall on the third floor. There, I found the two mutilated creatures lying on the ground. Everyone was safe…!

 

“Master, Lian…! Are you all okay? Did anyone get hurt…?”

 

I thought Lian might have been injured earlier, so I hurried over to check on him.

 

“Lian, are you okay? Where did you get hurt?”

 

“I’m fine. It’s nothing… Besides, any injuries will heal by the time morning comes.”

 

That might be true, but it still must have hurt a lot…

 

What about Isaac? I turned to look at him, and he seemed fine, though his clothes were stained with black blood. He quietly gazed at me before speaking.

 

“Mia, are you okay?”

 

“Huh? Ah, yes. Thanks to both of you, I’m fine…”

 

I didn’t even want to imagine what might have happened if Isaac hadn’t shown up.

 

Glancing nervously at him, I asked, “By the way, Master… How did you end up here?”

 

“I was looking around when I noticed something strange happening here, so I came.”

 

“Thank you. If you hadn’t come, it could have been really bad…”

 

I bowed my head in gratitude, and Isaac simply watched me silently. He let out a small sigh.

 

“From now on, it’s better if we stick together.”

 

“Huh?”

 

“I thought you’d be fine with him, but apparently not.”

 

Lian’s eyes narrowed, but he said nothing.

 

Isaac looked at me and continued. “You’re going up to the third floor, right? I’ll come with you. Let’s go.”

 

Wait, come with us? That wouldn’t work. In less than an hour, I’d turn back into a cat! I had to find a way to get out of this situation…

 

“Mia.” Isaac called my name as if urging me.

 

I bit my lip and, supporting Lian, spoke up. “I’m sorry, but I think we’ll be fine. I need to take care of Lian first…”

 

“Do it here.”

 

“We also need to talk, just the two of us. I appreciate your help, but I’ll go with Lian alone.”

 

I declined Isaac’s offer and hurried downstairs with Lian. Fortunately, Isaac didn’t follow us.

 

After locking ourselves in an empty room, I examined Lian’s injuries. He had several severe scratches all over.

 

“I’m sorry, Lian. I didn’t expect the second creature to show up…”

 

“It’s fine. If I were stronger, this wouldn’t have happened.” Lian smiled brightly as if it were no big deal.

 

Really… He’s still smiling like this, even while worrying about me.

 

“Are you sure you’re okay, though? That man is your master, right?”

 

“Yeah. It’ll be fine.”

 

Isaac probably wouldn’t say anything about it. Even if he did, we had no choice but to escape for now. So, I decided to stay hidden in the room with Lian and wait until morning. That wait felt incredibly long.

 

8. You Were There

Morning sunlight streamed through the windows. I woke up groggily, still lying in bed. Even though I had work starting soon, my mind was a mess from everything that had happened last night.

 

I replayed the conversation I had with Lian in my head. The one after we left Isaac behind.

 

“Are you sure you’re okay, though? That man is your master, right?”

 

“Yeah. It’ll be fine.”

 

I truly believed that. In my human form, Isaac didn’t seem to care much about me, so I didn’t think it would affect anything… But then…

 

[Isaac’s affection has decreased by 10]

[Current Isaac’s affection: 29]

 

Why did his affection drop so much?! I could only scream in disbelief when I saw that message the moment I woke up.

 

Isaac’s affection had been rising steadily, and now it plummeted all at once… It wasn’t the worst thing, but it definitely wasn’t a good sign.

 

What if he suddenly flips and tries to kill me again? Worrying about that, I made my way to Isaac’s room. After Raphael left on his trip, I had gone back to serving Isaac.

 

Sigh, this is nerve-wracking…

 

“Master, may I come in?”

 

“Come in.”

 

I knocked and entered the room to find Isaac sitting on the bed, as expressionless as usual. He didn’t seem any different from normal… As I helped him get dressed and joined him for breakfast, I couldn’t help but wonder if this food was safe to eat…

 

After an uneasy meal, I prepared his documents in the office and was about to leave when Isaac called me.

 

“Let’s talk for a moment.”

 

“Yes, Master.”

 

What could he want to talk about? Feeling nervous, I stood before his desk as Isaac began to speak.

 

“You told me before that you were scared because people slandered me.”

 

“…Yes.”

 

“It seems like you’re still afraid of me. You probably hate being in the same space as me, don’t you?”

 

Huh? Why is this conversation going in this direction…?

 

Isaac stared at me intently before continuing. “If being with me is such a burden, you can ask to be reassigned with a different maid.”

 

Although he said this calmly, I was breaking into a cold sweat.

 

What should I say to this? If I answered, ‘Yes! I’ll do that!’ it wouldn’t help his affection, I’m sure…

 

The answer to this question was already clear.

 

“No, Master. I want to keep doing this job.”

 

“Why? Don’t you dislike being with me?”

 

Now that I think about it… Is he sulking? His tone was so calm that I hadn’t realized it at first, but based on his words, it seemed like he was definitely sulking.

 

How should I handle this? I’d better act over the top for now.

 

I waved my hands frantically as I spoke. “No! Of course not. I misunderstood back then, but I actually enjoy being with you, Master.”

 

Though Isaac didn’t respond immediately, his mood seemed a little better. I could tell because a message appeared.

 

[Isaac’s affection has increased by 5]

[Current Isaac’s affection: 34]

 

…It’s still not fully restored, though.

 

I didn’t like the idea of continuing to stay awkward around him… But how should I make things right? When I’m a cat, all it takes is a little kneading and purring to make everything better.

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