Eldritch Horror Theatre

So it really was Mister Dickens living next door, then?

It made sense. At an age where he was getting invited over to see a cat, sharing a family room was no longer appropriate.

Parents needed their privacy too, and having him in the same room would have made certain arrangements rather inconvenient.

Kadon's voice wasn't loud. In the dark, it almost sounded like a tender confession, forming a stark contrast with his actions.

Even though he hadn't used any specific names or titles during the whole process, that final mention of a "doctor" practically locked in the person's identity.

Lucy, the woman he had stood up, had mentioned before that the only reason they shared that ill-fated connection back then was because Kadon had been brought here by his doctor father.

The right profession, a bedside confession, and an item on his Checklist... Combining these elements, there was a very high probability that the man getting smothered with a pillow in the dead of night was none other than Kadon's father.

Though this display of filial piety was a bit extreme.

The lingering regret this old man was desperately trying to make up for on his deathbed was sneaking into his father's room in the middle of the night to smother him with a pillow?

Marveling at this deep, unfulfilled father-son bond, Fu Qian found himself growing even more curious about Kadon's Checklist.

To briefly summarize the situation so far—

Location: not the man's hometown, but an unfamiliar place he had visited with his father many years ago.

Time: at least thirty years had passed since then. The toll of those years showed on the man's face doubly so, and it seemed he hadn't returned once in all that time.

Characters: Lucy was still around, though long since worn down by the mundane grind of daily life. Mister Dickens was gone, leaving Kadon to put on a one-man show.

Judging by Kadon's attitude toward Lucy, though, whether the people were still around didn't really matter. What mattered was the place itself, and reaching a "reconciliation" with his past self.

Which raised the question: what exactly had happened here back then that required him to reconcile with himself?

...

Lucy's cat could probably be summed up as a youthful regret.

There were definitely suspicious elements there, of course—like why Kadon, who had clearly wanted to go and had the time to do it, ultimately stood her up.

But this second matter was far more abstract by comparison.

He regretted not smothering his father to death?

That was certainly what Kadon's actions looked like, even if his words told a different story—he had been expressing concern for his father's illness.

His complexion looked terrible, like something was about to burst out, making strange noises... No matter how you looked at it, it sounded like he'd noticed his father next door feeling unwell and came over to check on him and help.

So Kadon's regret was that he had noticed his father acting strangely back then, but hadn't offered a helping hand?

But unless it was an exorcism, smothering someone with a pillow didn't look like helping at all. Or perhaps it was an exorcism?

For a moment, Kadon's contradictory words and actions were pieced together by Fu Qian into a surprisingly fitting theory.

Had something unusual happened to Mister Dickens back then? Something so visually shocking that it traumatized the young Kadon, leaving him unable to help and saddling him with a lifelong regret?

Logically, it actually made a bit of sense—especially considering that this world possessed supernatural powers.

Of course, this was still just a rough, crude theory. There were too many questionable details in between.

For instance, Mister Dickens, who hadn't received Kadon's help, most likely hadn't suffered any actual mishap.

Otherwise, living so close by, Lucy wouldn't have been completely oblivious to the news after being stood up.

Furthermore, if Mister Dickens was the one who encountered the supernatural, why was Kadon the one who eventually became a Mid Tier transcendent?

Unfortunately, ever since that comment about the doctor, the old man hadn't made another sound.

His hands had even left the pillow entirely by now. He was just standing there quietly, staring at the bed, looking like he'd just wrapped up the first course of treatment.

Click!

Without sticking around for observation, the old man opened the door and left.

Though he didn't return to his own room—

Listening to the footsteps, Fu Qian kept his eyes on Kadon's figure as the old man walked to the motel's front desk and came back.

...

It looked like the second item on the Checklist was already complete.

As he approached step by step, the old man's eyes were visibly locked onto the car.

Even after his brief rest, there wasn't a hint of vitality in him. He still looked like he could pass away at any moment.

Knock, knock!

Soon enough, those eyes peered through the car window. He had even politely raised a hand to knock first.

Naturally, Fu Qian didn't refuse, casually reaching over to open the door for him.

"You've been here the whole time?"

After Mister Kadon climbed back into his seat with practiced ease, he was immediately surprised by his driver's dedication.

"The whole time."

Fu Qian nodded, telling the truth.

Hmm...

Kadon didn't say anything for a moment. His gaze in the rearview mirror was somewhat meaningful, as if he suspected Fu Qian had gotten out of the car and witnessed his earlier actions.

Fu Qian didn't press the issue. He leaned back comfortably, giving the elderly man plenty of time to organize his thoughts.

To an ordinary person, a Mid Tier transcendent was already a terrifying existence.

However, the gap between the two of them was vastly greater than that. Fu Qian wasn't worried in the slightest about Kadon noticing the supernatural elements on him.

In other words, as long as Kadon was confident enough, he would inevitably conclude that Anke the driver was just an ordinary person—someone utterly incapable of sitting in the car and observing his earlier actions and words from a distance.

"You didn't have to turn the engine off, actually. It wouldn't be so cold."

As it turned out, after a long period of contemplation, Kadon abandoned his questioning and offered a well-meaning reminder instead.

"Well, it's off now. We don't have that much gas left."

Unfortunately, this goodwill completely ignored their objective reality, which Fu Qian instantly pointed out.

...

They had only added a small jerrycan of gas. Their mileage was undeniably limited.

Fu Qian's logic was impossible to refute, causing Kadon to freeze up once again.

Silently, his already lifeless eyes slowly fluttered shut, looking as if he was about to shut down entirely.

"It's enough... Let's go."

In the end, he didn't. Having seemingly finished his mental calculations, he told Fu Qian not to worry about the mileage and to just drive.

Oh? Were they moving on to the third item this quickly?

The old man hadn't just come back to interrogate his driver; he was rushing to the next venue.

"Where to?"

Fu Qian naturally had no objections to this level of efficiency. He started the car almost the exact second he received the order.

"The place where you bought the gas."

Sure enough, his goal was crystal clear. Kadon gestured toward the direction they had originally come from.

"That'll be enough."

Fu Qian didn't bother reminding him that the place had probably closed for the night. He simply pulled the car out.

...

"Anke, what did you think of that place back there?"

They set off on the return journey, the road ahead remaining dead and empty of other cars.

Perhaps it was true that happy occasions lift the spirit. Having resolved two of his obsessions back-to-back, Kadon didn't immediately fall asleep in the car this time. Instead, after quietly watching Fu Qian's back for a moment, he suddenly broke the silence.

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