DLMSWSHH Chapter 33

TL: Hua

Chapter 33: Childhood

Zhong Ming stared at the man in front of him, speechless.

Right now, Zhong Ming’s mood was a bit like jokingly telling an online friend, “Hey big spender, send me $50,” only to have them immediately wire over five million. It took several minutes before Zhong Ming managed to find his voice.

“Y-your Grace—”

Zhong Ming was startled by the tension in his own voice and nearly bit his tongue. He stammered, “Don’t you need to hide your appearance?”

Hearing this, the man pondered for a moment before replying, “Is that so? I don’t mind.”

Astonished, Zhong Ming blurted out, “Then why have you always been hiding in the shadows?”

The Duke raised an eyebrow. “Hiding?”

Zhong Ming realized he had misspoken and blinked. Fortunately, the Duke moved past the topic quickly. He turned his head, his slightly curly brown hair falling across his temple. The lines of his profile reminded Zhong Ming of Albert when he was focused on reading a book. The Duke thought for a moment and said: “…Initially, it was to avoid certain troubles. But later, I simply got used to it.” He lowered his eyes to look at Zhong Ming. “Is appearance that important?”

Zhong Ming was struck dumb.

He looked at the man’s face and thought to himself that if the game company were willing to post the boss’s face publicly, the popularity of this dungeon would likely be even higher.

After a moment of silence, Zhong Ming nodded. “To me, appearance is quite important.”

If they were going to be on speaking terms, he should at least know what the other person looked like.

At this, the corner of the Duke’s mouth quirked up, a faint hint of a smile flashing across his face. He spoke with a touch of helplessness: “Fair enough.”

It was then that Zhong Ming noticed a faint dimple appearing on the man’s right cheek when he smiled, though there wasn’t one on the left. Zhong Ming was dazed for a moment.

The Duke’s looks weren’t those of a trendy modern pretty boy; he looked more like certain male stars from the Golden Age of 1960s Hollywood, but colder and more serious, with an air of majesty. Even when he wasn’t frowning, there was a shallow crease between his brows.

For a man like this to have a dimple when he smiles, Zhong Ming thought. How strange.

Meanwhile, the Duke seemed not to notice his gaze. He looked up at the sky.

“It’s getting late,” he said. “Shall we head back?”

Zhong Ming could only nod.

The two of them walked side-by-side on the path back to the mansion.

From the lakeside to the mansion, there was only that winding, narrow trail. Ordinarily, two people would have to walk single-file to pass through. However, the Duke seemed to know the surrounding terrain perfectly; the route he chose always happened to be wide enough for two.

Zhong Ming felt that the Duke was a bit too tall, making walking side-by-side feel somewhat oppressive, so he intentionally lagged behind by half a step.

He inconspicuously studied the man’s back, watching a small withered leaf land on the Duke’s cashmere suit. No matter how he looked at it, this man in a three-piece suit seemed completely out of place in the middle of a forest.

Yet his pace was steady. Unlike Zhong Ming, who stumbled unevenly along the dirt path, the Duke appeared entirely composed, as if he were intimately familiar with these woods.

As they ventured deeper into the forest, the light faded, and the deep green canopy turned black once more. In the dim light, the towering trees cast long shadows on the ground, making the path Zhong Ming had taken to get here grow blurry.

Seeing this, Zhong Ming began to feel fortunate that the Duke had appeared. Otherwise, once night fully fell, he truly might not have been able to find his way back.

Zhong Ming’s mind wandered for a moment, and he lost track of his footing. He accidentally stepped on a stone, abruptly lost his balance, and pitched to one side.

“Careful.”

As if he had eyes in the back of his head, the Duke caught Zhong Ming’s arm just in time.

“…Th-thank you.”

Zhong Ming stabilized himself, feeling a bit embarrassed. Seeing that he was steady, the Duke withdrew his hand, and they continued forward. But soon, Zhong Ming stepped into a hollow and nearly tripped again.

Zhong Ming: …What is wrong with this road?

Having nearly fallen twice, Zhong Ming was thoroughly mortified. Fortunately, the dimming light hid his slight blush.

The Duke turned back, his gaze falling on him. Suddenly, he extended his right hand.

“Would you like me to lead you?”

Zhong Ming’s eyes widened slightly as he looked at the man’s pale, slender hand.

This seems a bit inappropriate.

Zhong Ming hesitated.

But the Duke’s manner was polite, and his expression was serious, his black eyes focused intently on him. The man’s stern features and temperament made it difficult to project any biased ulterior motives onto his actions. After all, he looked like such a trustworthy person.

Furthermore, the forest was indeed getting darker.

Zhong Ming glanced at the darkening woods nearby, hesitated for a moment, and then took the Duke’s hand.

They continued forward.

With the Duke leading him, Zhong Ming indeed didn’t stumble again. They stepped over the thick carpet of withered leaves and moved through the trees. Behind them, the orange-red sun slowly sank into the gray lake, and the world went completely dark.

To be honest, the forest after dark was quite terrifying.

Zhong Ming looked around; the massive trunks turned into thick shadows in the night, surrounding them. In the darkness, it felt as though there was nothing there, yet also as if something could leap out at any moment.

His hand was held by the Duke. The man’s hand was large and slender, his palm dry and warm… completely enveloping Zhong Ming’s hand. The cool touch of a ring pressed against the back of Zhong Ming’s hand.

It didn’t feel much like a couple; rather, it felt like a parent leading a child.

Led by the other man, Zhong Ming truly couldn’t see the path in the dark, so he gave up and left the task of navigation entirely to the Duke.

A silence fell between them, broken only by the rustle of footsteps on dead leaves.

In the darkness, Zhong Ming gradually felt a bit drowsy, his eyes blinking slowly.

However, just then, the Duke’s voice suddenly rang out:

“So, why were you unhappy?”

Zhong Ming snapped awake instantly. He looked up sharply, only to hear the other man continue: “Was it because of the players?”

Zhong Ming was no longer sleepy. He thought to himself that this man definitely knew what had happened. But the Duke didn’t look back, and Zhong Ming couldn’t see his expression. He lowered his eyes, his eyelashes trembling slightly as he whispered, “It’s okay. I’m not unhappy anymore.”

Hearing this, the Duke stopped in his tracks. He turned his head, his gaze landing on him.

“Truly?”

Zhong Ming felt a shiver in his heart under that gaze. The man had typical Germanic features, with very little space between his brows and eyes, giving him a natural air of intimidation when he looked at someone.

Zhong Ming paused, then nodded. “Truly.”

The Duke stared at him intently for a moment, then turned back and continued walking. It was impossible to tell if he believed it or not.

Zhong Ming: …I hate people who only speak half a sentence.

Silence fell between them again. Zhong Ming looked at the man’s profile, his eyes flickering as he asked: “Your Grace, you seem very familiar with this place.”

The Duke held Zhong Ming with one hand and pushed aside a branch with the other.

“When I was a child, I often played in the forest with my parents.”

Zhong Ming froze, staring at the man’s profile. He thought to himself: This horror game boss actually had a childhood? And parents?

As if reading his mind, the Duke glanced at him and said, “That was a very long time ago.”

Then, he suddenly stopped and gently pulled Zhong Ming to his side, gesturing for him to look deep into the forest.

Zhong Ming turned his head, and beneath a certain tree not far away, he could vaguely make out a swing. It hung lonely in the forest, clearly quite old. The surface of the wooden board seat was somewhat decayed, but one could still see the traces of the careful polishing and carving from years ago.

Zhong Ming was surprised. He stole a glance at the man beside him, finding it hard to believe that the childhood described by this haunted house big boss was truly the same kind of childhood as a normal person, the kind with white socks and lollipops.

However, the Duke misunderstood his gaze. Seeing Zhong Ming staring at him, he tilted his head and asked: “Do you want to play?”

He paused, looking at the swing. “That one is too old. I’ll have a new one made for you to play on later.”

Zhong Ming choked, looking at him in astonishment as he shook his head. “I don’t want to play.”

The Duke stared at him again for a long moment, then nodded and looked away.

Zhong Ming: …I feel like I’m being looked down upon.

Just how old is this person? Zhong Ming wondered. No matter how he thought about it, to have lived long enough to forget his own name, it must have been a considerable amount of time.

Zhong Ming was curious, but he didn’t quite dare to ask.

The Duke looked at him and suddenly said: “What do you want to ask? Ask away.”

Zhong Ming blinked, looking up at him.

The Duke looked down at him, his thick eyelashes casting shadows that made his pupils look even darker. His expression was calm, his eyes holding a faint trace of encouragement.

It was as if he had already seen through Zhong Ming’s thoughts.

Zhong Ming felt inexplicably nervous. But since the opportunity was there, he might as well ask: “I just wanted to know… how old are you?”

The Duke thought for a moment and replied, “I don’t remember the specifics. Roughly over three centuries.”

That meant at least three hundred years. Despite being mentally prepared, Zhong Ming was still startled, only just managing to keep his expression steady. After a pause, he asked again: “Have you… been here ever since you were born?”

The Duke nodded. “Yes.”

Zhong Ming frowned, wondering if the Duke had been confined to this specific game instance the entire time. Organizing his thoughts, he asked: “Then… Do you stay here constantly? Or do you go outside?”

The Duke smiled faintly. “Sometimes.”

He gave a brief answer, then looked down at Zhong Ming, waiting for his next question.

Zhong Ming was momentarily dazed. He had an inexplicable feeling that the man would answer anything he asked.

He paused, lifting his eyes to gaze at the Duke, and suddenly blurted out: “What is the method to clear this game?”

This should have been a highly sensitive question. However, just as Zhong Ming thought the Duke wouldn’t answer or would at least hesitate, the man spoke directly: “Kill me.”

The Duke looked at Zhong Ming and said without any evasion: “Kill me, and they can clear the game.”

Zhong Ming’s eyes widened, his breathing hitching for a second. His heart tightened. He pressed his lips together, looking into the man’s dark eyes.

“You told me just like that… aren’t you afraid I’ll tell the players?”

The Duke arched an eyebrow. Instead of answering, he looked up at the sky and said: “Let’s keep walking. It’s very late.”

Zhong Ming was pulled along as the man turned. From the Duke’s casual attitude, he gathered that the man wasn’t afraid of the players knowing the win condition at all.

That makes sense, Zhong Ming thought to himself, lowering his gaze. The lower-level servants currently in the mansion were all elites selected from previous batches. Yet, they didn’t even know what the Duke looked like. From that alone, it was clear that in recent decades, no player had successfully even stood before the Duke, let alone killed him.

Zhong Ming silently processed this information.

The two continued through the silent woods, hands clasped. At night, the weather in the valley changed; the air currents moaned as they passed through the trees, creating a low, wailing sound that was rather eerie.

Zhong Ming gradually began to feel exhausted.

He was not someone with great physical stamina; walking from the mansion to the lake earlier that day had already drained most of his energy. Now, both his legs felt like lead, too heavy to lift. Having walked in the forest all day in leather shoes, his feet were starting to ache from the friction.

At that moment, the man’s deep voice echoed above him: “Tired?”

Zhong Ming looked up, saw the Duke watching him, and after a moment’s hesitation, nodded: “A little.”

The Duke nodded in response. He lowered his eyes, placed a hand on Zhong Ming’s shoulder, and pulled him a bit closer.

Then, for some unknown reason, the scene before Zhong Ming’s eyes changed, instantly transforming him into the grand hall of the haunted house.

Zhong Ming’s eyes snapped wide. He stared at the magnificent chandelier in front of him, his mouth falling open in shock.

He looked around, taking several seconds to accept the fact that they were inside the mansion. Zhong Ming turned his head to look at the man standing beside him. “If… if you could do this, why were we walking just now?”

The Duke stood before the dazzling chandelier, a strand of brown hair falling across his forehead, as he lowered his eyes to brush the leaves off Zhong Ming’s body. Upon hearing this, he casually replied: “I thought you wanted to clear your head?”

Zhong Ming: “…”

That… was clearing my head?

The Duke plucked the last leaf from him. Seeing Zhong Ming’s expression, he seemed amused; a tiny ripple of a smile flashed across the corner of his mouth.

Zhong Ming watched him, realizing that although he could see the man’s face clearly, he still couldn’t tell if he was joking or being serious. While he was trying to figure it out, the Duke suddenly spoke: “Don’t walk that far alone in the future,” he said calmly. “It’s not safe outside too late.”

The forest at night was indeed terrifying. Zhong Ming nodded and said, “I understand.”

Just then, as if someone had noticed their arrival, the lamps in the hall lit up one by one, and the entire mansion was soon brightly illuminated.

In the more brilliant light, Zhong Ming could see the Duke’s face clearly. But before he could observe him closely, the Duke suddenly looked up, glancing toward a spot on the left.

Simultaneously, a cold voice rang out: “Zhong Ming?”

Zhong Ming turned his head and saw Albert standing in the shadows of a corner, staring at them with a dark expression.

The boy’s face was deathly pale, his brow furrowed deeply.

Seeing this expression, Zhong Ming momentarily felt like he was looking at a miniature version of the man beside him.

He composed himself and said: “Young Master Albert.”

Zhong Ming instinctively wanted to step forward, but as soon as he took a step, he was held back by a force. Dazed, he looked down and realized he and the Duke were still holding hands.

Zhong Ming: “…”

He glanced at the grim-faced Albert and tried to pull his hand away. It didn’t budge on the first try; on the second, the Duke released him.

Zhong Ming immediately hid that hand behind his back in a guilty gesture, looking at Albert while biting his lip awkwardly.

Albert didn’t speak. He glared at Zhong Ming, his emerald eyes looking as if fire were about to burst from them.

“…Young Master Albert.” Seeing the boy so unhappy, Zhong Ming felt a bit guilty. He said softly, “I’m sorry, today I—”

But before he could finish, Albert abruptly interrupted: “You went to the gray lake?”

Zhong Ming froze. Albert stared at him, his face clouded with gloom as he said coldly: “I can smell it on you.”

His green eyes were exceptionally icy, burning with rage. However, he didn’t seem angry because Zhong Ming had failed to accompany him, but rather about something else—

“How dare you go there alone?!” Albert’s brow furrowed tightly, his voice suddenly rising as he hissed through gritted teeth, “I’m telling you if you dare run off again, I’ll—” tie your hands and feet and lock you in the room.

“Albert.”

Zhong Ming heard the Duke’s calm voice beside him. His tone wasn’t heavy, but the moment he spoke, Albert’s lips snapped shut unnaturally, as if he had been forcibly silenced.

Though he couldn’t make a sound, he continued to express his fury through his eyes, only this time, it was aimed at the Duke.

Zhong Ming was surprised, not knowing why Albert was this angry.

He heard the man beside him sigh. Zhong Ming tilted his head and saw a well-concealed look of irritation on the Duke’s face. He looked down at Albert, a crease appearing between his brows.

Albert couldn’t speak, but he was clearly defiant. He glared at the man who shared his likeness, and the shadow beneath his feet suddenly began to surge violently.

Zhong Ming’s breath hitched at the sight, and he immediately took half a step back. He had seen this state before on Joan.

Just then, Zhong Ming heard a faint “tsk” sound.

He blinked and turned his head to see the Duke looking at Albert with a cold expression, his dark brows slightly knit. But overall, he still looked perfectly dignified, as if that sound had been a trick of Zhong Ming’s imagination.

Noticing Zhong Ming looking over, the Duke turned and extended his right hand: “Come here.”

Zhong Ming hesitated for a moment, then stepped slightly closer.

The Duke directly reached out and covered his eyes. “Close your eyes and count to three.”

Zhong Ming felt the cold touch of the ring against the bridge of his nose. He didn’t know what the Duke was planning, but with his vision completely blocked, he obediently closed his eyes.

Then, he heard a faint sound of wind by his ears.

“You can open them now.”

The Duke’s voice sounded. His hand moved away from Zhong Ming’s face.

Zhong Ming opened his eyes to find that Albert had disappeared.

The corner where the boy had been standing was now empty.

Zhong Ming’s eyes widened in surprise as he looked up at the Duke. “…The… Young Master? Where did he go?”

The Duke lifted his eyelids, his gaze falling on the spot where Albert had disappeared, and said calmly: “Indeed. I wonder where he could be?”