The Night of the Monsters - Chapter 24

Chloe tilted her head, confused by his sudden silence.

Then, staring at the ground, Allen mumbled.

“…I don’t know why, but… it felt like she was asking for help.”

“Help? With what?”

“I don’t know.”

His voice was quiet, uncertain.

“It’s just… once, when I went to the mountains with my dad, I saw a bird with a torn wing. Normally, birds fly away when they see people, but this one couldn’t go anywhere. It just cried.”

“That’s so sad… Did your dad help it?”

“No. He told me that even if I felt sorry for it, I shouldn’t interfere. That becoming food for other animals was part of nature. That if I wanted to be a hunter, I’d see things worse than that all the time, and I couldn’t try to save everything just because I felt bad.”

Later, when they passed by the same spot, the bird was gone.

Only a few bloodstains and scattered feathers remained, a clear sign that something had gotten to it.

“But for some reason, I keep seeing that bird when I think about her.”

Allen hesitated.

A trapped bird with nowhere to go.

Maybe the thought stuck with him because, just like the bird, she was locked in—he didn’t even know how to open those iron gates.

That mansion felt more like a giant cage than a home.

Chloe, watching him kick at a loose stone with a troubled expression, stepped closer.

Truthfully, she felt the same unease.

There was something about that woman—beneath her gentle smile, an unmistakable sorrow lurked.

It wasn’t just her beauty or her kindness that made her unforgettable.

It was the way she seemed… out of place. As if she didn’t quite belong to this world.

Allen was timid, but he had a strong sense of right and wrong.

His father had taught him that you shouldn’t ignore someone asking for help, nor should you turn a blind eye to something that felt wrong.

For a boy his age, that was the bravest kind of courage.

Understanding this, Chloe spoke brightly, her eyes sharp with resolve.

“Hey, Allen. If you’re that worried, why don’t we tell our parents?”

“Huh?”

“When kids need help, the first thing we should do is tell the adults. My parents always take me seriously, no matter what I say. Isn’t it the same at your house?”

“M-my mom and dad listen to me too… They’re just kind of scary sometimes.”

“Right? We’re not doing anything wrong, and we’re not making things up. If we just tell them we’re worried about that lady, they might look into it for us.”

Allen hesitated for a moment before nodding.

He thought back to the bear that had nearly killed him.

It had been captured in the end, taken down by his father and the other hunters. They had shot it full of poison-tipped arrows, forced it into traps, and crushed its skull. The hide and meat had been ruined in the struggle, but none of the adults had cared. They had only been relieved that no one was hurt.

That memory steeled his resolve.

As his expression brightened, Chloe grinned.

“I’ll tell Tasha and Andrew when I pass by their houses. Mine’s closer, after all.”

“Yeah! I’ll go straight home and tell my parents too. Thanks, Chloe. See you tomorrow!”

Below the hill, the village came into view.

Excited, Allen waved and ran down toward it.

He’s going to trip again.

There were only four children in the village—Andrew had moved from a neighboring town, and Tasha had only recently arrived from the city.

They had all grown close quickly, but Chloe and Allen had been together since they were small. They had always been inseparable.

Adjusting her basket, Chloe turned toward her own home.

For some reason, the hill felt longer today.

—

Allen arrived home first and waited anxiously by the window.

His parents usually came back around dusk, but now the sky was completely dark, and they still weren’t home.

Why are they so late?

It was rare for both of them to be delayed.

His father was likely in the mountains, while his mother was probably at the village chief’s house, preparing for winter with the other women.

Maybe he should check there first.

Just as he stood up, grabbing his coat, the door suddenly swung open, and a lantern’s glow flooded the room.

“Allen!”

“Mom! And… Mrs. Chloe’s mom?”

Allen’s relief vanished instantly.

The moment he saw his mother’s anxious face and the tear-streaked expression of Chloe’s mother, his stomach turned ice-cold.

“Allen, wasn’t Chloe with you today? Huh?”

“W-we parted ways at the hill leading into town. I had something to do, so I came home first, but Chloe went straight home too…”

His voice trembled.

“Mom… What’s going on? What happened?”

His mother took a deep breath.

“Chloe hasn’t come home yet.”

Allen’s face went pale. She hadn’t come home? That was impossible. They had separated right in front of the village. There was no way she could have gotten lost.

“Eat your dinner first—there’s boiled potatoes and stew on the table. Your dad and I will be out late, so just go to bed early, alright?”

“N-no! I want to help look for her! I have to—!”

“You can’t.”

Her voice was firm, leaving no room for argument.

“We don’t have the time to worry about you too. Just wait here and don’t worry too much.”

Biting his lip, Allen reluctantly stepped back as his mother led Chloe’s mother outside.

The door shut behind them, locking him inside.

But there was no way he could eat.

Even holding back tears was becoming impossible.

We were together. I should have stayed with her.

Through the window, he could see flickering lights scattered throughout the village and the mountains.

In the distance, voices echoed—searchers calling Chloe’s name.

Allen choked back a sob before breaking down completely, crying into his hands.

“Chloe….”

“She’ll come back safe.”

The moment Allen fell to his knees, a voice—one he didn’t recognize—spoke behind him. Every nerve in his body went rigid. He spun around, inhaling sharply. The doors were locked. He stood right by the window. No one had been there a moment ago. But now, a man stood before him. He had jet-black hair and striking blue eyes. A small mole beneath one eye made his delicate features even more striking.

“W-who are you…?”

“Hello, Allen. You were having an interesting conversation just now, weren’t you?”

“H-how do you know my name? What do you mean, interesting…?”

Allen had always been easily frightened, but now he was trembling so badly he could barely speak.

The man—whoever he was—sighed as if amused. He took a step forward, crouching to meet Allen’s gaze.

“If it were my brother, he’d find this too troublesome and just wipe out the whole village. But I don’t want to go that far.”

Suddenly, Allen realized something.

This man didn’t look like the one from the mansion. His hair was different, his eyes were different—practically nothing about him matched.

But somehow, the feeling he gave off was exactly the same.

A suffocating sense of danger.

Ian smiled, lifting a single finger.

“So, I’m going to give you two choices. Either one is up to you. But if you make the wrong choice, you’ll never see your friend, your father, or your mother ever again. Understand?”

Allen’s body refused to move. His voice was warm, gentle—like the white-haired woman’s. But his words were the complete opposite. Ian continued, his tone light.

“First choice: forget everything and continue living peacefully, just like before. And the second…”

Allen held his breath.

“…You do everything in your power to save her. Just like your father taught you.”

His mind went blank. He didn’t need to ask what the wrong choice was.

“If… if I forget everything… If I live peacefully… then Chloe…”

“Didn’t I already say? She’ll come back safe.”

“Then…”

“But in return, you have to tell everyone—spread the word. Say that there’s a terrifying witch living in the mansion on the hill.”

“A… a witch? Like the kind in storybooks? The kind that eats children?”

“If that’s what people want to believe, then sure. I don’t particularly care. All you need to do is spread the rumor.”

“But… but the lady…”

“If you don’t want to, you don’t have to.” Ian smiled faintly. “I told you—it’s your choice, Allen.”

A woman with a sorrowful smile. A bird with tattered wings, crying in the forest. His father’s teachings told him not to ignore someone asking for help. But his courage only carried him so far.

Here’s the English translation of the passage:

“I-I’ll say it like that. I’ll call her a witch. I’ll say that a terrifying witch lives there. So please, let Chloe go back…!”

“You’re a good child, Allen. Your father would be proud. Your choice saved your friend.”

Ian smiled kindly as he stood up. His hand, infused with magic, gently stroked Allen’s head, and before long, the crying boy’s eyes fluttered shut.

He had been keeping watch, just in case, and as expected, things had played out accordingly. Normally, no one would take a child’s words seriously, but if people did come looking, he would be the only one to deal with them. Hugo would never simply send people away unharmed, and Giselle stepping forward was out of the question.

Looking on the bright side, this situation made it easier to convince Giselle to leave this place. He could take her away by force if needed, but with her magic returning, there was always a chance she could escape.

Ian gazed indifferently at the unconscious Allen before opening the locked door and stepping outside. He whistled toward the sky. Chloe would return safely. As he thought about altering the memories of the other children who had come along, Ian melted into the shadows and disappeared.

It wasn’t until Allen, who had collapsed, heard Chloe calling him from the bushes that he finally woke up. Together, they returned to the village.

It was strange—he had searched the area thoroughly, yet he hadn’t seen her. But the important thing was that she had returned unharmed. The adults were bewildered, unable to understand what had happened, but Allen, clutching Chloe and sobbing, spoke up.

“Chloe didn’t do anything wrong. It was me… I kept insisting we go to the mansion on the hill….”

“The mansion…?”