HTPTMOTMM Chapter 27

"Wha, what, how did Lynn get in here?"

"I'm the one who wants to ask. Young master, why on earth did you come here?"

This troublesome sunfish! Fearless cat!

I knew Dian couldn't be unaware of the terrifying rumors surrounding this garden. But I stopped questioning Dian and looked around.

"No, let's talk after we get out of here first."

This place gave me an ominous feeling somehow. So I planned to quickly leave with Dian.

"Excuse me for a moment!"

"Eek!"

I quickly scooped up Dian and started running back the way we came.

But something must have happened in the garden during that time - I couldn't find the path.

What? This was definitely the right direction, but why is there no path? Is this why some people who entered the garden went missing?

Just then, one of the flower petals lightly touched my arm.

"Why did only you survive?"

Huh?

Suddenly I heard a human voice that shouldn't be here.

"Why did only you come back alive?"

"My daughter died because of you, so why did only you survive...!"

This time, a much clearer voice pierced my eardrums.

My face involuntarily hardened.

"Lynn? What's wrong?"

Dian asked quietly, sensing something strange.

Come to think of it, I'd unconsciously stopped walking at some point.

"It's nothing. Nothing at all."

I readjusted my hold on Dian and started walking among the flowers again.

"...I guess this place isn't called the Devil's Garden for nothing."

Fortunately, Dian didn't seem to hear the strange hallucinations.

I thought I needed to hurry out of here. But the inside of the garden was like a maze, making it difficult to find the exit.

Meanwhile, the voices I'd forgotten kept pounding my ears.

"Turns out the eldest had adopted that daughter."

"Oh my, so the real daughter died and only the adopted one survived?"

"Moreover, that girl secretly went out with her younger sibling when that happened, so there are even rumors that she did it on purpose..."

My vision gradually became dark and gloomy. Like being trapped in an abyss true to its name, everything around was dark.

"Miss Lynn."

Then, I heard someone calling me from somewhere.

It was similarly a faint whisper from far away. But unlike the sounds that had been buzzing in my ears until now, I couldn't feel any negative emotions directed at me from there.

At first I couldn't recognize it immediately, pushed aside by other noisy sounds, but when the quiet call repeatedly penetrated my eardrums, this time the voice, separated from other noise, was clearly perceived in my mind.

"This way."

A much clearer voice rang in my ears.

Then unfamiliar warmth spread over my skin. Someone's hand grabbed my arm and pulled strongly in the darkness.

As if that was a signal, I snapped back to my senses.

I blinked like someone who'd just woken from a brief daytime dream.

The reason I felt my vision had become darker than before was because someone was creating a deep shadow in front of me. The face of a man looking down at me from close by came into focus in my returning vision.

"Mr. Cheswick...?"

Cheswick was brushing back his disheveled hair with his hand, as if he'd run here urgently.

I was standing in the lush flower garden again.

I opened my eyes wide at the unexpected person's appearance.

"How did you get here?"

Dian, who had been in my arms, tugged at my collar.

"Lynn, are you okay? You were standing there looking really dazed just now."

"Was I?"

I tilted my head at Dian's worried gaze.

Come to think of it, I think I heard some strange hallucinations just now...

I frowned and pondered what had just happened, then noticed the anxiety on Dian's face and quickly smiled to reassure him.

"I'm fine. I'm perfectly okay."

Dian seemed to believe my words right away, but Cheswick didn't. He stared intently at my face before opening his mouth.

"A maid named Sara Rose told me that Miss Lynn had entered the Devil's Garden."

"So you came on purpose?"

Ah, this is kind of touching!

"They say once you enter here, you can't get out of this garden safely?"

Cheswick's eyes behind his glasses narrowed slightly.

"Knowing that, you still entered here?"

"Of course I did! Our young master is here!"

Dian, who had been in my arms, looked at me with moved, moist eyes.

"Lynn...!"

"Dian...!"

He was cute like a hamster receiving sunflower seeds, but our young master needs a scolding this time. But now isn't the right time and place, so let's go outside first and see.

Cheswick sighed lightly after hearing my words. His gaze toward me somehow seemed like he was looking at a troublemaker.

"There's a gate this way, so follow me for now."

He also seemed to think we should get out of here first like I had, so he turned his back without saying much. I followed him while slightly frowning.

"But the flowers seem denser than before. Did the plants grow more in the meantime?"

"It's not that they grew - the flowers came closer."

No, what kind of creepy thing is that to say?

I almost got goosebumps hearing Cheswick's matter-of-fact response to my puzzled words.

Swish swish swish.

Maybe because I heard what he said, the flowers around us really seemed to be slowly creeping closer to us.

"Eek!"

Dian also seemed to have similar thoughts to me, shrinking and pressing closer to me. His trembling appearance was so pitiful that my heart ached.

"Oh my, why did our young master enter such a scary place? Would you like to just close your eyes until we get out?"

Normally he would have acted tougher, but now he was really scared, so Dian obediently shut his eyes tight at my words.

"Mr. Cheswick, should we just run quickly?"

"That's not necessary."

While Dian and I felt wary of this situation, Cheswick remained leisurely.

And the next moment, I witnessed his hand lightly touch a flower blocking our way.

Ah, didn't they say the flowers suck life force?

But what happened next was truly shocking.

The flower visibly flinched the moment Cheswick's hand touched it.

Swish swish swish swish swish swish!

Then the flowers suddenly began scattering in all directions as if running away from Cheswick!

I could only blink in confusion at the amazing situation that unfolded as quickly as Moses' miracle.

"Why are the flowers... suddenly acting like this?"

"Who knows, maybe they realized it's not something they can digest."

Unlike me, who was sending wary glances at the flowers, Cheswick reacted nonchalantly.

I tilted my head at Cheswick's words, then nodded.

Is that so? Well, if you overeat anything you'll get indigestion, so human life force would probably be hard to digest if you consume too much.

"I can see the gate over there. Let's get out of here first."

"Yes, let's do that."

Anyway, since all the flowers had scattered to both sides and moved far away, we could easily see where the gate was with our own eyes. The time we wandered seemed long because the inside of the garden was obscured by flowers and trees, but the gate was actually nearby.

We escaped outside the Devil's Garden surprisingly easily and safely, enough to make us slightly bewildered considering the garden's evil reputation.

"Di-did you really come out unharmed?"

As soon as we exited the Devil's Garden, people greeted us with shocked eyes.

"Master Lynn, are you alright?!"

Sara Rose ran up first with a tearful face.

"No way...! Room 7 kid aside, how did you two come back unharmed?"

Room 4's Raven also bulged his eyes in disbelief. Not just Raven - some caregivers and children from other rooms had also come out and were standing in front of the gate.

But is this really something for so many people to come crowding to see? In this case, is it Sara Rose's loose lips or the tutor's loose lips?

Anyway, seeing how they all crowded to the front of the Devil's Garden gate that they'd been avoiding, it seems the formula 'enter here = death! or missing! or at least half-dead!' was firmly engraved in everyone's minds.

"What's with that reaction? Are you disappointed we came back unharmed?"

"Wha-what are you saying? I wouldn't be like that... right!"

When I tilted my head sideways and spoke, Raven finally realized his slip of the tongue and shut his mouth.

"The Devil's Garden was really scary as rumored."

Then Cheswick spoke in his usual languid voice.

"But the flowers ran away as soon as they saw Miss Lynn, so we could get out safely."

"Huh?"

I looked back at Cheswick as if asking what he was talking about. But Cheswick had an innocent face as if asking what was wrong.

"What? The flowers ran away as soon as they saw Room 7?"

Everyone murmured at Cheswick's words. Especially Raven pointed at me with an even more shocked face than before.

"That's impossible...! How can someone who points guns at people's heads without warning be a pure white angel? Is this possible?! Does this make sense...?!"

Raven got excited as if he couldn't believe it.

But what? Pure white angel? Why is this mister spouting nonsense again?

And I learned what Raven's words meant shortly after.

"A garden that feeds on human malice?"

After people dispersed, I couldn't help but look interested while hearing Cheswick's explanation.

"Would it just feed? It would turn them into allies too."

Allies? Then those giant flowers in there are perhaps...?

"Hmm, I said that to scare you a bit, but you're actually getting interested instead."

Seeing my face, Cheswick slowly crossed his arms as if this was unexpected.

"Are you perhaps thinking of entering there again... I think I'm right."

Oops, I got caught. But there's definitely going to be a quest related to this new map!

I went in too suddenly without any preparation today, but next time if I prepare equipment in advance, wouldn't it be okay?

"What? Lynn, what are you saying? After seeing those creepy flowers charging at us just now, you want to go into that horrifying place again?"

Then Dian jerked his head up and shouted.

He was still hugging my waist tightly with his face buried in my side, apparently still not over his fear even after getting down on the ground.

Of course, I loved and cherished my sunfish cat tremendously, but today I had no choice but to give him a stern expression.

"Someone who knows it's so scary secretly entered the garden alone while I was away?"

"I... it wasn't dangerous for me."

Dian looked at me with shaking eyes and mumbled dejectedly.

Room 4 Raven had said something similar earlier - maybe because young kids have barely any malice, it's not dangerous for them?

"So, Dian."

"Uh, yeah?"

"What on earth did you go to that garden for?"

Let's have a conversation with our kid first.

Dian hesitated at my question. Then he fumbled in the small crossbody bag he was carrying and took out something.

"This... I wanted to give it to Lynn."

What Dian offered me with both hands was a very pretty golden gem.

No, looking closely, this wasn't a gem but some kind of seed.