The Eldritch Files

”Just as I thought. He’s already back!”

Han Su’s heart skipped a beat. ’Good thing I didn’t rashly summon the door and rush over. Otherwise, Pot Lid Head and I might have run right into his arms.’

From his last time in the Ancient Castle, he knew the old steward returned around midnight, about ten minutes after the black cat appeared. This time, the key was with the Ghost Princess, so stealing it could only happen during that same window.

No matter how he planned it, it was impossible to get the key before the old steward came back. In other words, there was no avoiding him.

Besides, back then, he hadn’t known the black cat’s help would make rescuing Pot Lid Head go so smoothly.

So, he had never expected to completely avoid the old bastard and escape before he returned.

It was with this in mind that he had arranged for the children on the first floor to create a distraction or serve as a warning if necessary. But there was no commotion from below, yet the sound of footsteps echoed from the right-hand staircase.

’So, did that old bastard return to the Ancient Castle, discover the situation on the first floor, and come straight upstairs to find me?’

’In that case, I’ll give you something to do.’

As he thought this, he grabbed a candle stub, quietly pulled Pot Lid Head along, and slipped into the room he had passed through on his way up. When he listened again, he could hear the distinct THUMP-THUMP of footsteps from the top of the right staircase.

It was obvious that by using a Spell to listen for the footsteps, he had also allowed the steward to pinpoint his current location on the ninth floor.

Just then, he felt a gentle poke on his back. Han Su turned to see Pot Lid Head’s perpetually smiling face.

Han Su had told him not to speak, and he hadn’t. But his lifeless eyes were fixed on Han Su as he made a gesture with his hands. Was he asking if Han Su had a knife?

’A knife? What damn knife!’

’Who would you even stab?’

’It’s not like you’re the hot-tempered kid from the third floor...’

Han Su simply waved a dismissive hand at him, gently pushed the door ajar, and led Pot Lid Head deeper into the room. He raised the candle and saw rows upon rows of clothes covered in cobwebs—all belonging to the Ghost Princess.

They felt cool and slick to the touch, made of some unknown material, but the styles were similar: old-fashioned yet ornate.

Han Su pulled one down, spread it on the floor, tore off a strip, and carefully lit it, making sure the flames would spread to the entire row of clothes.

Beside him, Pot Lid Head watched his incendiary act. A spark of life seemed to finally enter his dark, hollow eyes. He just tilted his head, seemingly puzzled.

’Why not light the row on top?’

’...’

”Let’s go!”

Han Su made sure the fire wouldn’t grow too large too quickly, then held up the candle and walked toward the back of a cabinet against the wall.

This was where he and the Duke had climbed up from.

However, navigating a secret passage with a candle was inconvenient, so he also grabbed an old lantern hanging on the wall.

Holding his breath, he passed through one secret passage after another, heading straight down.

The whole time, Pot Lid Head followed him without a sound, not making the slightest noise.

The kids in the first tier of Han Su’s escape team were either brave, smart, or obedient. Pot Lid Head, however, was strange in a way—the kind of child adults couldn’t understand.

But he never held anyone back.

The two of them snuck all the way down to the third floor. Han Su was on edge the entire time. After all, his repeated escape attempts had made him fearful of the mysterious will within the Ancient Castle, a force that could imperceptibly change things.

But to his surprise, this time was unexpectedly smooth. Every step of the plan went according to his carefully laid-out expectations, right up until they arrived opposite the revolving conference room on the third floor.

’This is the kind of treatment I deserve...’

Han Su thought to himself. He’d tried to escape this Ancient Castle so many times that he knew the general locations of the various monsters. Plus, he was small; logically, escaping shouldn’t be that hard.

But that mysterious will had always been there, secretly patching up any loophole he exploited, foiling him again and again. A loophole he used one time might become a trap the next.

Now, however, the Black Cat Duke had shown him these secret passages, returning the advantage in this game of hide-and-seek to him.

And just as he had guessed last time, these secret passages were an intrinsic part of the Ancient Castle, so they hadn’t been ”repaired” by the mysterious will.

And along the way, on every floor they passed, Han Su had used the candle from the lantern to light something—a curtain, a dress, a rug, or a decorative painting.

If it could burn, he lit it.

As they descended, he left a trail of faint but precious flames, letting them silently spread and grow.

Beside him, Pot Lid Head had gone from watching Han Su coldly at the beginning to his expression gradually becoming more and more animated. By the end, he was clearly excited, even looking at Han Su with something akin to worship.

Han Su knew that setting things on fire was one of Pot Lid Head’s three great hobbies.

He had first realized the boy was different when he was desperately searching for a fire source and encountered him, equally interested in flames.

As for himself, looking at all the little fires, he felt a sense of vindication too.

’I’ve wanted to burn this damn Ancient Castle down for a long time!’

...

They moved quickly, and since Han Su had been deliberately controlling the size of the fires, the Ancient Castle was still quiet when they reached the third floor. Not daring to delay, Han Su handed the lantern to Pot Lid Head and once again secretly cast Encrypted Spell Number 07 to listen carefully.

He heard the faint sound of a child sobbing from inside the conference room and frowned slightly.

”Someone really did make it up from the cellar?”

”The old steward must have found them when he returned to the Ancient Castle. Why hasn’t he captured them and taken them back?”

”Is he trying to bait me?”

”...”

A cold sneer crept onto his lips. ’The old bastard is still treating us like children to be toyed with!’

’Let’s see if you manage to bait me this time, or if I take your bait and still get away.’

...

He already had Pot Lid Head with him now. Even if he only escaped with this one, he would have at least broken even. But since the fires should be spreading by now, he might as well go all in.

He listened intently. Hearing no sign of the old steward’s footsteps, he went ahead and used Abyssal Spell Number 01, slowly emerging from the shadows. He walked straight into the revolving conference room across the hall and approached a corner.

There, three dark, huddled figures were balled up tightly, not daring to make a sound.

Han Su suddenly spoke. ”Are you three the only ones who came up?”

He was in a state of Invisibility, so the three children hadn’t noticed him. His sudden voice nearly made them scream, but they immediately choked it back.

”Th-they didn’t dare come... S-some were scared and... and went back...”

One of the braver children explained, looking at Han Su with pleading eyes. ”Wh-where is the grown-up?”

They had snuck all the way here with a courage that belied their age, all because Han Su had said a grown-up would be here to meet them. But in reality, all they found was the shrill laughter of a strange woman and dead, silent darkness.

Meeting their questioning gazes, Han Su said in a low voice, ”I am the grown-up.”

”I’m the one who came to save you!”

As he spoke, he gripped the key tightly and led them to the back door. From here, the hallway was less than twenty meters away.

Looking out, he could faintly see the glow of fire from above. By his calculations, that must be the Ghost Princess’s dresses catching fire.

It was time!

Han Su turned back to them and whispered, ”No matter what happens in a minute, run with me. As long as you can make it to the end of the hall, I can get you out.”

”Understand?”

Influenced by Han Su’s demeanor, the three children could only nod, not fully comprehending.

But they didn’t really understand why they had to run toward what looked like a dead end. They were just too panicked to ask.

Pot Lid Head, on the other hand, glanced at Han Su, then at the pitch-black stairwell. A thoughtful expression crossed his face, and he moved a little closer to Han Su.

”Stay with me!”

Han Su took a deep breath, moved a few steps closer to the door, and silently tightened his grip on the key, muttering under his breath.

”The door... The door should be appearing...”

The key in his hand grew cold, as if it sensed his will. A strange Activity was stimulated, triggering something on a deeper level. In the dead, oppressive silence of the Ancient Castle, an invisible power began its Penetration, changing things within.

At the end of the hallway, on what had been a blank wall, a door quietly materialized.

It settled into place, as if it had always been there.

The green letters spelling ”EXIT” on it seemed to bring a spark of life to the hopeless, dark Ancient Castle.

”Run!”

Han Su suddenly shouted in a low voice, then gritted his teeth and sprinted toward the end of the hall.

The other children immediately followed. Even Pot Lid Head, whose injured leg was so severe an ordinary adult couldn’t have borne it, ran faster than anyone, limping as if he couldn’t feel the pain at all.

No monsters came to stop them, nor were any of the lesser creatures alerted.

The distant curses of the hot-tempered kid echoed from the other end of the hall, and the Half-Doctor seemed completely unaware of the commotion here.

’There’s hope...’

”Well now, if I hadn’t discovered this pack of scurrying little rats, I wouldn’t have even known an outside force had invaded the Emperor’s domain...”

But in that same instant, a cold, strange laugh echoed from above.

The voice traveled down from the empty stairwell, booming like thunder in their ears and making all the children’s scalps tingle with fear. The most terrifying part was that with every word spoken, the voice grew closer.

It was as if the speaker was rapidly approaching them. By the time the sentence was finished, the voice seemed to be right above their heads, just one turn away from a direct collision.

’The old bastard is finally here?’

A flash of instinctual fear shot through Han Su, but it was immediately followed by a wave of unprecedented ferocity.

”You’ve still got the fucking time to deal with me? Why don’t you take a look at your own damn place first!”