Lynne clicked his neck into place and adjusted his monocle, stepping out of the restroom with composure, as if nothing had happened.
As soon as he reached the corridor, Lynne saw the hostess, dressed as a noblewoman, standing at the end of the hallway, her face wreathed in a smile that was unnaturally stiff, like a grin sewn on with needle and thread.
Bayi was nowhere to be seen, as if he had never been there.
The hostess opened her arms with an overly bright smile.
"Ah—my esteemed guest, I thought you had left. If you haven't had your fill, we've prepared more exquisite dishes for you! Would you care to join us again? This time it will be even more lavish than before."
Lynne glanced at the walls lining the corridor and strode towards her. His calm face suddenly split into an unnaturally wide smile, saying: "Of course, let's eat right now."
For some reason, that smile sent a shiver down her spine. Suddenly, she felt a chill on her back, realizing that the once amiable doctor had subtly changed in a way she couldn't quite pinpoint.
"Hehehe—wonderful, doctor, please follow me!" she said with a forced chuckle, covering her mouth to maintain her façade. She then turned and led Lynne towards the living room, her walk noticeably stiffer than before.
...
In the grand hall, the candles still burned brightly.
The table, previously covered with dishes and leftovers, was now cleared and adorned with white tablecloths. On it were newly placed dishes, each covered with a silver lid. The burning red candles resembled dripping blood.
"Come, guest, please enjoy to your heart's content."
The hostess licked her blood-red lips, revealing a kind yet sinister smile.
Lynne, with a napkin neatly tucked into his collar, sat at his designated place at the dining table, fork in one hand and knife in the other.
"These are the dishes we've meticulously prepared just for you," she announced, swaying gracefully to Lynne's side. Extending her long fingers, she lifted the lid off the plate before Lynne.
Instantly, a rich, tantalizing aroma enveloped the room.
"This is a special dish I've prepared for you, using only the finest ingredients. I assure you, it will surely whet your appetite."
Lynne cast a glance at the plate.
Inside, a ghastly array of bloody organs was laid out – a heart, liver, lungs, intestines, and a thick sauce made from blood plasma, all pulsating as though freshly extracted from prey.
A system introduction flashed before Lynne's eyes.
[The Feast of Young Human Viscera: A meal crafted from freshly harvested premium human organs, typically served to amicable and esteemed guests.]
"How do you find it?" she asked.
Seeing Lynne sitting motionless, the hostess's smile deepened the mysterious chill that had previously risen in the corridor now long dissipated.
"Eat up, Doctor. You must finish it all. My dear Alice has awakened, and she's so fond of you! Eat, Doctor, and then we shall be family."
Her sinister, beguiling voice echoed in Lynne's ears.
Lynne, holding his cutlery, maintained the strange smile on his face and sat up straight, saying: "As I mentioned earlier, I really do not fancy offal. Not in the slightest. The sight of it turns my stomach, and yet you persist in offering it to me... Are you sick?"
Buzz—
Despite the absence of wind, the candles around flickered wildly. The servants, mechanically wiping walls and tables, suddenly halted, their movements becoming even more rigid.
The hostess beside Lynne slowly stretched her mouth into an unnaturally wide grin, saying: "You're quite impertinent! You've eaten all the food we prepared for months. To continue hosting you, we even had to sacrifice a recently reunited family member. Poor Alice is distraught without her brother. She's truly pitiful, longing for a brother who can be kind to her."
With a creaking sound, the hostess extended her increasingly pale hand towards the viscera on Lynne's plate. Her voice grew more eerie and chilling, like someone licking your spine, sending shivers down your back.
Her smile grew even more brilliant. "Do you need me to feed you? These fresh and exquisite ingredients will surely satisfy you. You'll love them, I'm sure..."
As her hand neared the plate of offal, clang—a fork pinned her pale hand to the table.
The hostess gasped in shock.
Lynne turned sharply, calmly adjusting his monocle, his gaze fixed on her face, now contorted in fear and disarray. "Do you enjoy eating this? Then why not try it yourself!"
In a flash, before the hostess could react, Lynne's left hand plunged into her gaping mouth. His expression twisted menacingly.
"Hidari, our patient's family seems to fancy these delicacies. What should we do?" he asked.
Hidari's teeth gleamed as she grinned eerily. "Of course, let the patient feast."
Buzz—
Under the hostess's terrified gaze, the food Hidari had previously consumed and stored undigested was forced into her mouth.
[Hostess Dark Elf's Fear Level +10]
[Hostess Dark Elf's Fear Level +15]
[Hostess Dark Elf's Fear Level +20]
She struggled frantically, one hand nailed to the table, the other tightly restrained by Lynne's vice-like grip. Her stomach visibly swelled at a terrifying rate.
"Ugh! Ugh!"
This sudden change sent the hall's candles into a frenzied dance.
The next moment, Lynne kicked her to the ground, withdrawing his hand from her mouth. He stared down at her, his gaze calm yet twisted, gripping her collar. "Does it taste good? Is it delicious?! Illness must be treated, and you seem gravely ill! Sorry, sorry, sorry! You're a patient's relative; I should be more polite. Yes, I should be more courteous."
Mounting her, Lynne's hand trembled as he pulled up the corners of his mouth into a forced, polite smile.
"Tell me, quietly tell me, don't be nervous, whisper it to me. Where have you hidden my fellow townsman? Your son, Bayi, yes, Bayi. He's a fellow townsman of mine. Do you know what that means? Someone from the same place, a kindred soul! Yes! Tell me, whisper it to me."
Lynne leaned in, his ear twitching slightly.
Beneath him, the hostess trembled in fear, staring at the doctor whose demeanor had abruptly turned menacing. The oppressive and disordered aura emanating from him was terrifying.
Something was amiss! His mental state seemed alarmingly disturbed! Had something triggered him? He now resembled a deranged killer freshly escaped from an asylum.
[Dark Elf Hostess's Sanity -10]
[Dark Elf Hostess's Sanity -10]
"I... I..." the hostess stammered, too terrified to form coherent words.
"Speak!!" Lynne suddenly turned his head, his eyes bulging with fury, grabbing her collar in a flash.
The hostess's face went deathly pale, her pupils trembling, and her body hair stood on end in fright.
"Sorry, sorry, sorry!" Lynne quickly placed his hand over his forehead, taking deep breaths. "I apologize! I was a bit too eager. I hope you can understand, it's just that I'm overjoyed. It's been two years since I've encountered a fellow townsman in this forsaken place. I got a little too excited. You're ill, and illness must be treated. Once you're cured, you'll surely answer my questions. Yes, I must heal you first."
[Ding! Random Diagnosis activated: Detected ailment 1: Cerebral lobe lesion]
[Ding! Detected ailment 2: Puppetry curse]
[Ding! Detected ailment 3: Malevolent spirit infusion]
Lynne, rubbing his temples, his hand trembling, exclaimed, "No, no, no, it's not just these. Our lady here has many more ailments."
[Ding! Random Diagnosis active effect: Diagnosed random disease: Skin cyst]
[Ding! Diagnosed random disease: Localized muscular necrosis]
[Ding! Diagnosed random disease: Acute lung perforation]
Buzz—
Almost instantly, the hostess felt the changes occurring within her body. She watched in horror as pus-filled cysts formed one after another on her arms, felt her abdominal muscles suddenly ache and swell, oozing thick, black blood. Her lungs seemed to urge her to cough violently, making her breathing labored.
"What have you done to me?! What have you done?!"
She was terrified.
[Sanity -10]
[Sanity -10]
Lynne, pulling out the Night Demon Knife from his waistband, spoke somewhat maniacally: "You need healing, and I'm here to help. Trust me, I'm a professional. Once I heal you, you'll tell me where my fellow townsman is. Right? Isn't it? It's going to be like that, right?"
Lynne, wielding the Nightfiend Blade, plunged it into the hostess's chest. He intended to perform surgery on her, to patch up her punctured lungs, to suture her open.
The excruciating pain caused the hostess to scream piercingly. Slice after slice, the sound of the surgical blade cutting through flesh reverberated.
[Surgery Skill +1]
[Surgery Skill +1]
[Surgery Skill +1]
"Stop!! Stop!! I'll tell you! I'll tell you where he is!!"
Finally, the hostess pleaded in agony, unable to bear the physical and mental torment any longer.
Lynne ceased his operation.
The hostess, in terror and with a diseased hand, pointed towards the hallway, saying: "He... the control of his puppetry fluctuated. He... has been repossessed by Alice and taken to the kitchen... Alice has abandoned him. She wants you... you to take the place of that human."
With a squelch, Lynne withdrew the Nightfiend Blade from her chest.
"Thank you for your answer. You are a kind person."
Lynne quickly regained his composure, took out a needle and thread, and meticulously stitched up the chest wound he had made. He then stood up rapidly, borrowed a washbasin from a mechanically standing servant, and cleaned the blood from his hands.
After expressing his gratitude, Lynne, carrying a chainsaw, headed towards the direction indicated by the hostess.
Left behind, the hostess, terrified and exhausted, leaned back, watching Lynne's retreating figure. She felt as though she had just endured a nightmare, more terrifying than any horror she had ever encountered.
This man... this man...
As she attempted to rise, her pupils suddenly went blank, and, like a puppet, she twisted and stood up unnaturally.
"Father," a child's eerie voice suddenly came from her mouth. "Stop Alice's new brother... send the useless old brother as well... take him to the cellar for surgery... Tomorrow we will be a family..."
The sinister voice echoed throughout the hall...
In the kitchen, the rhythmic sounds of chopping meat and slicing vegetables echoed, one after another. It seemed bustling, with creatures busily preparing and organizing ingredients.
"Ah, we've run out of ingredients! I heard that today the master and mistress entertained a doctor who came to treat the young lady. That doctor ate all the food in the storehouse."
"Yes, yes! All the meat that could be skinned has been removed, and bones have been boiled down to a rich soup! Even the blood has been drained dry!"
"But the head chef still has plenty of meat left, enough to prepare the next dinner."
The busy kitchen hummed with ongoing conversations.
Just then, a series of knocks sounded at the door.
Lynne, with a frozen smile and a hint of madness, appeared at the entrance. Upon entering, he saw the vast, empty kitchen, with only cleavers chopping ribs at every stove and cutting board, and iron spatulas and forks tirelessly stirring in pots and pans.
"Leave! This is the kitchen. Unauthorized personnel are not allowed. Otherwise, the head chef will get angry. He doesn't like outsiders in his kitchen!"
A cleaver shouted out a warning.
Lynne, calmly smiling, walked in, his head creaking as he turned to look at the cleaver.
No figure was visible. Yet it seemed as if someone really stood there, busily preparing ingredients.
"Sorry to intrude. Your mistress told me to come here to find her son Bayi. Do you know where Bayi is?"
The cleaver hesitated for a moment before replying: "The mistress sent you? Strange, she, like the head chef, doesn't like people entering her kitchen. But if it's indeed the mistress's wish, you can go inside and ask the head chef. We need to continue working, please don't disturb us."
Thunk—
Thunk—
The cleaver resumed its work on the ribs on the cutting board. But there was something odd about those ribs; they didn't seem like they belonged to any animal but rather resembled a more familiar kind of creature.
Lynne clicked his neck into place and adjusted his monocle, stepping out of the restroom with composure, as if nothing had happened.
As soon as he reached the corridor, Lynne saw the hostess, dressed as a noblewoman, standing at the end of the hallway, her face wreathed in a smile that was unnaturally stiff, like a grin sewn on with needle and thread.
Bayi was nowhere to be seen, as if he had never been there.
The hostess opened her arms with an overly bright smile.
"Ah—my esteemed guest, I thought you had left. If you haven't had your fill, we've prepared more exquisite dishes for you! Would you care to join us again? This time it will be even more lavish than before."
Lynne glanced at the walls lining the corridor and strode towards her. His calm face suddenly split into an unnaturally wide smile, saying: "Of course, let's eat right now."
For some reason, that smile sent a shiver down her spine. Suddenly, she felt a chill on her back, realizing that the once amiable doctor had subtly changed in a way she couldn't quite pinpoint.
"Hehehe—wonderful, doctor, please follow me!" she said with a forced chuckle, covering her mouth to maintain her façade. She then turned and led Lynne towards the living room, her walk noticeably stiffer than before.
...
In the grand hall, the candles still burned brightly.
The table, previously covered with dishes and leftovers, was now cleared and adorned with white tablecloths. On it were newly placed dishes, each covered with a silver lid. The burning red candles resembled dripping blood.
"Come, guest, please enjoy to your heart's content."
The hostess licked her blood-red lips, revealing a kind yet sinister smile.
Lynne, with a napkin neatly tucked into his collar, sat at his designated place at the dining table, fork in one hand and knife in the other.
"These are the dishes we've meticulously prepared just for you," she announced, swaying gracefully to Lynne's side. Extending her long fingers, she lifted the lid off the plate before Lynne.
Instantly, a rich, tantalizing aroma enveloped the room.
"This is a special dish I've prepared for you, using only the finest ingredients. I assure you, it will surely whet your appetite."
Lynne cast a glance at the plate.
Inside, a ghastly array of bloody organs was laid out – a heart, liver, lungs, intestines, and a thick sauce made from blood plasma, all pulsating as though freshly extracted from prey.
A system introduction flashed before Lynne's eyes.
[The Feast of Young Human Viscera: A meal crafted from freshly harvested premium human organs, typically served to amicable and esteemed guests.]
"How do you find it?" she asked.
Seeing Lynne sitting motionless, the hostess's smile deepened the mysterious chill that had previously risen in the corridor now long dissipated.
"Eat up, Doctor. You must finish it all. My dear Alice has awakened, and she's so fond of you! Eat, Doctor, and then we shall be family."
Her sinister, beguiling voice echoed in Lynne's ears.
Lynne, holding his cutlery, maintained the strange smile on his face and sat up straight, saying: "As I mentioned earlier, I really do not fancy offal. Not in the slightest. The sight of it turns my stomach, and yet you persist in offering it to me... Are you sick?"
Buzz—
Despite the absence of wind, the candles around flickered wildly. The servants, mechanically wiping walls and tables, suddenly halted, their movements becoming even more rigid.
The hostess beside Lynne slowly stretched her mouth into an unnaturally wide grin, saying: "You're quite impertinent! You've eaten all the food we prepared for months. To continue hosting you, we even had to sacrifice a recently reunited family member. Poor Alice is distraught without her brother. She's truly pitiful, longing for a brother who can be kind to her."
With a creaking sound, the hostess extended her increasingly pale hand towards the viscera on Lynne's plate. Her voice grew more eerie and chilling, like someone licking your spine, sending shivers down your back.
Her smile grew even more brilliant. "Do you need me to feed you? These fresh and exquisite ingredients will surely satisfy you. You'll love them, I'm sure..."
As her hand neared the plate of offal, clang—a fork pinned her pale hand to the table.
The hostess gasped in shock.
Lynne turned sharply, calmly adjusting his monocle, his gaze fixed on her face, now contorted in fear and disarray. "Do you enjoy eating this? Then why not try it yourself!"
In a flash, before the hostess could react, Lynne's left hand plunged into her gaping mouth. His expression twisted menacingly.
"Hidari, our patient's family seems to fancy these delicacies. What should we do?" he asked.
Hidari's teeth gleamed as she grinned eerily. "Of course, let the patient feast."
Buzz—
Under the hostess's terrified gaze, the food Hidari had previously consumed and stored undigested was forced into her mouth.
[Hostess Dark Elf's Fear Level +10]
[Hostess Dark Elf's Fear Level +15]
[Hostess Dark Elf's Fear Level +20]
She struggled frantically, one hand nailed to the table, the other tightly restrained by Lynne's vice-like grip. Her stomach visibly swelled at a terrifying rate.
"Ugh! Ugh!"
This sudden change sent the hall's candles into a frenzied dance.
The next moment, Lynne kicked her to the ground, withdrawing his hand from her mouth. He stared down at her, his gaze calm yet twisted, gripping her collar. "Does it taste good? Is it delicious?! Illness must be treated, and you seem gravely ill! Sorry, sorry, sorry! You're a patient's relative; I should be more polite. Yes, I should be more courteous."
Mounting her, Lynne's hand trembled as he pulled up the corners of his mouth into a forced, polite smile.
"Tell me, quietly tell me, don't be nervous, whisper it to me. Where have you hidden my fellow townsman? Your son, Bayi, yes, Bayi. He's a fellow townsman of mine. Do you know what that means? Someone from the same place, a kindred soul! Yes! Tell me, whisper it to me."
Lynne leaned in, his ear twitching slightly.
Beneath him, the hostess trembled in fear, staring at the doctor whose demeanor had abruptly turned menacing. The oppressive and disordered aura emanating from him was terrifying.
Something was amiss! His mental state seemed alarmingly disturbed! Had something triggered him? He now resembled a deranged killer freshly escaped from an asylum.
[Dark Elf Hostess's Sanity -10]
[Dark Elf Hostess's Sanity -10]
"I... I..." the hostess stammered, too terrified to form coherent words.
"Speak!!" Lynne suddenly turned his head, his eyes bulging with fury, grabbing her collar in a flash.
The hostess's face went deathly pale, her pupils trembling, and her body hair stood on end in fright.
"Sorry, sorry, sorry!" Lynne quickly placed his hand over his forehead, taking deep breaths. "I apologize! I was a bit too eager. I hope you can understand, it's just that I'm overjoyed. It's been two years since I've encountered a fellow townsman in this forsaken place. I got a little too excited. You're ill, and illness must be treated. Once you're cured, you'll surely answer my questions. Yes, I must heal you first."
[Ding! Random Diagnosis activated: Detected ailment 1: Cerebral lobe lesion]
[Ding! Detected ailment 2: Puppetry curse]
[Ding! Detected ailment 3: Malevolent spirit infusion]
Lynne, rubbing his temples, his hand trembling, exclaimed, "No, no, no, it's not just these. Our lady here has many more ailments."
[Ding! Random Diagnosis active effect: Diagnosed random disease: Skin cyst]
[Ding! Diagnosed random disease: Localized muscular necrosis]
[Ding! Diagnosed random disease: Acute lung perforation]
Buzz—
Almost instantly, the hostess felt the changes occurring within her body. She watched in horror as pus-filled cysts formed one after another on her arms, felt her abdominal muscles suddenly ache and swell, oozing thick, black blood. Her lungs seemed to urge her to cough violently, making her breathing labored.
"What have you done to me?! What have you done?!"
She was terrified.
[Sanity -10]
[Sanity -10]
Lynne, pulling out the Night Demon Knife from his waistband, spoke somewhat maniacally: "You need healing, and I'm here to help. Trust me, I'm a professional. Once I heal you, you'll tell me where my fellow townsman is. Right? Isn't it? It's going to be like that, right?"
Lynne, wielding the Nightfiend Blade, plunged it into the hostess's chest. He intended to perform surgery on her, to patch up her punctured lungs, to suture her open.
The excruciating pain caused the hostess to scream piercingly. Slice after slice, the sound of the surgical blade cutting through flesh reverberated.
[Surgery Skill +1]
[Surgery Skill +1]
[Surgery Skill +1]
"Stop!! Stop!! I'll tell you! I'll tell you where he is!!"
Finally, the hostess pleaded in agony, unable to bear the physical and mental torment any longer.
Lynne ceased his operation.
The hostess, in terror and with a diseased hand, pointed towards the hallway, saying: "He... the control of his puppetry fluctuated. He... has been repossessed by Alice and taken to the kitchen... Alice has abandoned him. She wants you... you to take the place of that human."
With a squelch, Lynne withdrew the Nightfiend Blade from her chest.
"Thank you for your answer. You are a kind person."
Lynne quickly regained his composure, took out a needle and thread, and meticulously stitched up the chest wound he had made. He then stood up rapidly, borrowed a washbasin from a mechanically standing servant, and cleaned the blood from his hands.
After expressing his gratitude, Lynne, carrying a chainsaw, headed towards the direction indicated by the hostess.
Left behind, the hostess, terrified and exhausted, leaned back, watching Lynne's retreating figure. She felt as though she had just endured a nightmare, more terrifying than any horror she had ever encountered.
This man... this man...
As she attempted to rise, her pupils suddenly went blank, and, like a puppet, she twisted and stood up unnaturally.
"Father," a child's eerie voice suddenly came from her mouth. "Stop Alice's new brother... send the useless old brother as well... take him to the cellar for surgery... Tomorrow we will be a family..."
The sinister voice echoed throughout the hall...
In the kitchen, the rhythmic sounds of chopping meat and slicing vegetables echoed, one after another. It seemed bustling, with creatures busily preparing and organizing ingredients.
"Ah, we've run out of ingredients! I heard that today the master and mistress entertained a doctor who came to treat the young lady. That doctor ate all the food in the storehouse."
"Yes, yes! All the meat that could be skinned has been removed, and bones have been boiled down to a rich soup! Even the blood has been drained dry!"
"But the head chef still has plenty of meat left, enough to prepare the next dinner."
The busy kitchen hummed with ongoing conversations.
Just then, a series of knocks sounded at the door.
Lynne, with a frozen smile and a hint of madness, appeared at the entrance. Upon entering, he saw the vast, empty kitchen, with only cleavers chopping ribs at every stove and cutting board, and iron spatulas and forks tirelessly stirring in pots and pans.
"Leave! This is the kitchen. Unauthorized personnel are not allowed. Otherwise, the head chef will get angry. He doesn't like outsiders in his kitchen!"
A cleaver shouted out a warning.
Lynne, calmly smiling, walked in, his head creaking as he turned to look at the cleaver.
No figure was visible. Yet it seemed as if someone really stood there, busily preparing ingredients.
"Sorry to intrude. Your mistress told me to come here to find her son Bayi. Do you know where Bayi is?"
The cleaver hesitated for a moment before replying: "The mistress sent you? Strange, she, like the head chef, doesn't like people entering her kitchen. But if it's indeed the mistress's wish, you can go inside and ask the head chef. We need to continue working, please don't disturb us."
Thunk—
Thunk—
The cleaver resumed its work on the ribs on the cutting board. But there was something odd about those ribs; they didn't seem like they belonged to any animal but rather resembled a more familiar kind of creature.
