Eldritch Horror Theatre

The Offspring were certainly thriving.

Unable to refuse their hospitality, Fu Qian soon stepped inside at the invitation of Madam Lucy and her husband, reaching back to pull the door shut behind him.

Dinner had clearly been underway for some time, but he didn't mind. He found an empty seat and sat down.

This series of actions naturally replaced the now-unseen Kadon, turning Fu Qian into the center of focus.

Suddenly understanding the reason for the strict dress code, Fu Qian sat up perfectly straight. He met everyone's gaze with a polite smile, doing his best to maintain the Old Man's imposing presence.

A single glance was enough to reveal the shared bloodlines around the table.

A young couple sitting with a child appeared to be the daughter and son-in-law of Madam Lucy and her husband.

The woman Kadon had missed his chance with all those years ago already had a granddaughter.

As for the younger woman with similar features—

Meeting her eyes, Fu Qian offered a slight nod of greeting and casually tossed out the name to confirm.

"Hmph."

Dressed in a green off-the-shoulder dress, the young woman of about twenty lacked her parents' manners. She froze for a moment before letting out a sharp scoff and turning her head away.

That reaction was all the proof he needed. Madam Lucy's former bedroom upstairs now belonged to her youngest daughter.

"Don't worry, Kadon shouldn't make a mess of the place."

Her hostility didn't bother him. Fu Qian offered a casual reassurance, hinting that the Old Man was merely here to resolve a lingering regret in his life.

...

"And who exactly are you? You realize I could call the police right now, don't you?"

Unfortunately, Wendy clearly didn't care whether her room was messed up or not. She merely shot him a glare and kept her mouth shut.

It was her father who spoke up instead. The man of the house could no longer hold back his interrogation.

His tone was so harsh that one might fear he was about to upend the large bowl of cream soup right over the table.

"Just someone receiving Mr. Kadon's guidance..." Fu Qian paused. "How exactly do you expect the police to handle this?"

It seems a bit thick.

Fu Qian was actually quite satisfied with the soup's aroma, and his gaze lingered on the bowl as he replied.

Given that the Old Man had subtly taken on a mentor's tone earlier, he opted not to simply label himself a driver.

"Just a friendly heads-up: I have no idea where he plans to go next. I wouldn't rule out the possibility that even if he's taken away, he might sneak back and hang himself on your doorstep."

The threat of the police clearly didn't faze him in the slightest.

As for that mentioned possibility... given Kadon's current mental state, it really couldn't be ruled out.

"Please, continue eating. Don't let an uninvited guest ruin your mood."

The conversation fell into another stalemate. Amidst the ensuing silence, Fu Qian proactively urged them on, signaling that they shouldn't let a terrible person disrupt their evening.

The logic was sound enough—

"Could you fetch me a set of silverware as well? Thank you."

Just as the family hesitated, wondering if they should take his advice, Fu Qian turned to Madam Lucy and pointed out that their guest was still missing a plate and utensils.

...

"Here you go."

Madam Lucy clearly had mixed feelings about the situation. However, the atmosphere was so suffocating that she seemed desperate for any distraction. A moment later, she actually hurried into the kitchen and dug out a spare set of silverware.

"Thank you... So, how did you and Kadon meet?"

He thanked her politely. Only after taking the silverware in hand did he express curiosity about the whole affair, speaking as naturally as if he were making small talk.

This...

Madam Lucy's hand gave a visible tremor. Had she still been holding a bowl, it would have shattered on the floor.

Although Madam Lucy had maintained her composure thus far, it was obvious she was just an ordinary woman, weighed down by the mundane concerns of daily life.

The unexpected arrival of a face from the past had already thrown her heart into turmoil, and Fu Qian's sudden question was far too sensitive.

"Getting it out in the open under these circumstances might be the best choice."

Seeing Madam Lucy unconsciously glance toward her husband, Fu Qian offered a reassuring smile.

Naturally, there was no way he was going to pass up on this gossip.

Everything Kadon had done up to this point seemed simple enough to understand on the surface.

Seeking out old acquaintances on his deathbed, making amends for past regrets, and so on.

But that was exactly the problem—was his Dying Wish List truly that straightforward?

Helping people fulfill their dying wishes was something he had done more than once.

Fu Qian knew all too well that in the face of life and death, the human heart could birth all sorts of peculiar desires.

So, even though he hadn't followed the Old Man upstairs, he was more than happy to dig into the background of this first checklist item.

And what he had just told Madam Lucy wasn't nonsense. Things had already escalated to the point where they couldn't just sleep it off and pretend none of this happened in the morning.

Being forced to speak out openly under these circumstances would actually make her far more believable to her family.

"Kadon wasn't from around here..." Madam Lucy said. "I actually only met him a handful of times..."

Diligent effort pays off. After a relatively long wait, Madam Lucy seemed to realize this as well. She sat down and began to recount the past.

...

"We were all so young back then. Kadon even claimed he was a year younger than me... He moved here with his father, who was a doctor."

"He was deeply melancholic and rarely spoke, but for some reason, I felt a strange connection to him..."

Sitting around a long dining table, quietly listening to a mother recount her past romantic affairs, was undeniably a bizarre experience for the family.

Yet, once the floodgates of memory opened, Madam Lucy's emotions seemed to stabilize considerably.

And it sounded like there indeed was an issue of premature aging—the Old Man was actually younger than she was.

"Then, one day, he told me he would be leaving soon... I told him no one would be home that evening, and that he could come over during dinnertime to see my cat..."

This piece of the past really wasn't complicated, and Madam Lucy's tale quickly arrived at the main point.

"But he never came. Not even when the sun rose... And I never saw Kadon again after that."

Oh, that's it?

The past had come to an abrupt halt, leaving even Fu Qian sighing with emotion.

Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed that even Wendy across from him looked disappointed, as if she hadn't heard enough.

But as they say, regrets hit the hardest. Wasn't that exactly why this missed connection was ranked first on Old Man Kadon's Dying Wish List?

Even if his method of making amends was a little... abstract.

"Thank you. The food is excellent."

Seeing Madam Lucy still looking somewhat lost, Fu Qian set down his silverware and expressed his gratitude.

Praising the soup right after probing into her painful memories sounded undeniably bizarre—like a malicious spirit that fed on the secrets of others.

"I'll go hurry him along."

Returning the favor, Fu Qian decided to stop torturing his audience and looked up toward the second floor.

Hmm...

No one said a word, but the entire family looked visibly stunned.

Watched by the silent room, Fu Qian turned and strode up the stairs.

"You handled that better than I imagined."

Wendy's bedroom was easy to find. Fu Qian quickly pushed open the ajar door, spotting a figure standing with his back turned in the darkness.

Kadon didn't turn around, but he offered immediate praise.

"I thought you would use your gun."

That specific phrasing...

Fu Qian swept his gaze over the modest bedroom, waiting a moment before nodding.

"Madam Lucy probably thought the exact same thing back then."

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