The Eldritch Files

One was above, the other below. One was outside the cellar, the other within.

One’s eyes held impatience; the other’s, a pleasant surprise.

And then, the atmosphere suddenly grew awkward.

Han Su was certain the cat was calling to him, urging him to hurry out of the cellar to find it. But this was the Ancient Castle, after all.

’Should I really just run out because of some cat?’

’I’ll risk it!’

The Disaster Management Bureau’s code stated that there’s no such thing as a 100% safe situation; execution is the number one priority.

He had already determined that this cat was the one variable in his kidnapping, and he even felt a mysterious sense of familiarity with it. Why not go?

’At the very least, I have to figure out what’s so special about it!’

’Most importantly, the hunchback on the first floor won’t harm children anyway.’

He gritted his teeth and climbed up the stairs. The black cat—or rather, Duke, as he should probably call it—nimbly stepped aside.

Peeking his head out, Han Su was stunned. The hunchback was sprawled on the floor, unconscious. The lantern he’d been carrying was smashed on the ground, and the Crystal Finger Bone lay among the shards of glass.

The entire hall was in disarray, as if a small-scale battle had just taken place.

While the hunchback wasn’t as hard to deal with as the old butler and the other monsters, he was immensely strong, never rested or slept, and had a grip like an iron vise. Once he caught you, escape was impossible. Yet now, he was inexplicably unconscious.

’How did this cat manage that?’

He watched in amazement as the fat black cat moved with an unexpected lightness. It ambled lazily around the hall, trotted over to the Crystal Finger Bone amidst the glass shards, and sniffed it. A look of disgust crossed its face. It turned its back and kicked its hind legs twice.

Then it sauntered over to the hunchback on the floor, gave him a sniff, and promptly flopped down.

It yawned, its long tail swaying languidly.

?

’What are you doing?’

Han Su had been intensely anticipating some magical phenomenon, but... it just lay there?

’This cat took down the hunchback, opened the cellar door, and called me out. It has to have a reason, right?’

But it just sat there grooming itself as if no one else existed, letting the awkwardness fester in the dead of night.

’Maybe I should go back?’

Han Su waited for a moment, growing anxious.

’I’d better just go back...’

’Regardless of why this cat is here, I need to observe it more.’

’But not by staring at each other like this.’

’That commotion just now wasn’t quiet. What if one of the monsters upstairs heard it and comes down to investigate?’

But just as Han Su was about to turn away, the black cat stood up again. It lazily padded to the left side of the hall, stopped in front of a narrow door, and turned to meow at him.

When he didn’t follow, it meowed again.

MEOW, MEOW, MEOW...

In the dead silence of the Ancient Castle, the sound was so distinct that Han Su wanted to run over and clamp its mouth shut.

’What is it trying to do?’

’I can’t just wander around this gloomy Ancient Castle with it until I know what it wants.’

As he wrestled with his indecision, two soft knocks echoed from the main door of the Ancient Castle. KNOCK, KNOCK.

In an instant, Han Su whipped his head around, alert. The black cat also glanced over lazily.

Behind him, on the cellar ladder, a few other children had poked their heads out, but they immediately ducked back in at the sound of the knocking.

Han Su quickly and silently recited the Spell, backing up to the cellar entrance and staring nervously at the main door.

’The hunchback is unconscious on the floor. Who’s going to open the door?’

’Besides, is the old butler back?’

’I only know he leaves the Ancient Castle on the first night, but I have no idea when he comes back. Should I get back into the cellar, quickly?’

As he was pondering this, the knocking stopped. Suddenly, through the window beside the main door, beyond the bizarrely shaped iron bars, a face appeared—pale, riddled with cracks like a porcelain doll, and fixed with an eerie smile. Its gaze fell directly on him.

It was the old butler.

He stared intently at Han Su and smiled. ”It seems we have some mischievous little ones...”

”...”

’Dammit!’

Meeting the old butler’s grotesque face, Han Su felt a chill run down his spine. He had already recited the Spell and was maintaining his Invisibility, but it seemed utterly useless against him.

He was certain the old butler could see him, but he wasn’t sure if the man could make out his features.

’So, do I hide in the cellar, or...’

CREAK... CREAK... CREAK...

As the old butler clapped his hands lightly from outside, the dusty chests in the corner began to tremble. Inside the room, the oil paintings on the walls, the cutlery on the table, the tools by the wall—it was as if everything was coming to life.

SLAM!

Even the cellar door behind Han Su slammed shut, as if it had been welded in place.

”Meow!”

Just then, the cat meowed again.

Han Su finally made his decision. He bolted forward, following the black cat into a passageway behind the dining hall that led to the kitchen.

It was an area he had never entered before, knowing only that the monsters’ fine meals were served from behind this very door.

Behind him, he heard the chests creaking open, followed by the THUMP, THUMP, THUMP of footsteps heading for the main door. With a groan, the door opened, and the old butler’s measured steps echoed across the hall floor.

Meanwhile, Han Su felt a jolt of electricity, a frantic urgency to get as far away as possible. The black cat in front of him, however, showed no signs of panic. It continued to saunter through the cluttered passage at a leisurely pace, wagging its snake-like tail.

This was indeed the kitchen where food was prepared for the monsters. A quick glance revealed a row of dead rats hanging from the ceiling, cured cuts of fine ham, chunks of meat cut into perfect squares, and even rotting Crows stuffed into a massive wooden barrel to ferment.

Behind him, the butler’s elegant footsteps were already audible.

Han Su looked at the dead-end kitchen, and his heart sank into despair. He cursed himself for trusting a cat at such a critical moment.

’You’re going to get me killed...’

Hearing the butler’s footsteps drawing ever closer, Han Su thought despairingly as he snatched up a kitchen knife.

He prepared to fight for his life.

But then he saw the cat twist its body, dive into a nearby cupboard with one door ajar, and vanish from sight.

A jolt went through Han Su, and he scrambled in after it. He found that the seemingly narrow cupboard was surprisingly spacious inside. He crawled over stacks of dishes for about half a meter before his head broke into an open space.

There was a passageway leading up—a dumbwaiter shaft, the kind found in old buildings for servants to send meals upstairs. It had long been abandoned and was choked with cobwebs.

The black cat coiled its tail and hopped onto Han Su’s shoulder.

Han Su turned and met its gaze, instantly understanding its intent. He looked up the shaft, braced himself, and slowly began to climb.

Just then, he heard the kitchen door open. The butler had clearly entered and was looking around. After a long moment, a low, cold chuckle echoed from below.

Han Su didn’t dare let his guard down. Using the small size and agility of his ten-year-old body, he climbed up the shaft, soon found an opening, and carefully squeezed through. He found himself in what looked like a storeroom, surrounded by strange herbs and dusty bottles and jars.

He held his breath, lifted the surprisingly heavy black cat off his shoulder, set it on the floor, and quickly moved to the storeroom door.

He peeked out, and his heart nearly leaped out of his chest.

Beyond the door was a large, quiet laboratory. His eyes immediately fell upon a tall, elegant figure—the mistress of the second floor, Lady Meat Horn.

She held a candlestick in one hand and a dropper in the other, appearing to be meticulously concocting some kind of potion.

He clutched the kitchen knife in his hand tighter.

Glancing back at the storeroom, Han Su knew going back was certain death, but hiding here, discovery was only a matter of time.

Steeling his resolve, he rested for a moment, then once again silently recited the Invisibility Spell. His form faded into the shadows as he quietly exited the storeroom. He then tiptoed, inch by inch, toward the laboratory’s half-open back door.

Throughout the entire process, he barely dared to breathe, let alone let his heart beat too loudly.

But for whatever reason—perhaps some god had taken pity on him—Lady Meat Horn remained focused on her potion, never once looking back.

The effect of reciting the Spell from behind a target was countless times better than chanting it under their direct gaze. Han Su had actually managed to walk right past her.

But just as Han Su breathed a small sigh of relief, he heard a soft rustling sound from the floor inside, exceptionally clear in the quiet room.

It was the black cat.

It was following behind him, strolling out of the laboratory with an arrogant swagger.

Han Su’s heart leaped into his throat. Hiding behind the door, he watched as Lady Meat Horn froze. She slowly turned around, her expression hidden beneath a mysterious veil.

In a flash, Lady Meat Horn was beside the black cat. With a swift, delicate movement, she scooped it up by the scruff of its neck.

She zipped over to her worktable, producing a pair of gleaming silver scissors with her other hand and slowly bringing them toward the cat.

Han Su barely dared to watch what happened next.

Then he heard a crisp SNIP. He saw Lady Meat Horn snip a lock of fur from the black cat before setting it down on the floor. In another flash, she was back at her table, carefully placing the tuft of fur into a flask.

”Meow...”

The black cat trotted out, tilted its head, and gave Han Su a look that seemed to blame him for not waiting.

’How dare you look at me like that?’

Han Su felt this was all completely insane.

’This cat is ruining every strategy I have for escaping and surviving this Ancient Castle...’

’How do you make a cat understand it’s courting death?’