Cairo and I left the guards' room together, our footsteps echoing softly through the quiet corridor of the first floor.
The place was wrapped in a strange, heavy silence.
As we walked, Cairo turned to me with a questioning look.
"So… who are we supposed to tell about what happened last night?"
I paused for a moment, thinking it through, then replied:
"We should tell the employer. He's the one responsible for everything that happens here."
Cairo nodded, but his voice carried a hint of worry as he asked:
"Do you know where he is right now?"
"I think he's somewhere on this floor," I answered. "His shift starts during the day, so he's probably close."
I glanced around us, searching.
"Let's look for him right away."
Cairo let out a hesitant sigh.
"And what if he doesn't believe us?"
I tried to reassure him.
"We haven't even told him yet. Let's at least give him the chance to listen. And if he doesn't believe us… we'll figure something out together."
We began moving across the first floor, weaving between corners and hallways, until we finally spotted the employer standing on the right side of the corridor.
He was keeping watch, eyes sharp and alert as he surveyed the area with practiced caution.
We approached him and greeted him respectfully.
He returned the greeting briefly before asking:
"What is it?"
I glanced at Cairo, hoping for a bit of support, then turned back to the employer and said,
"Last night… something strange happened."
His eyes widened with curiosity.
"What happened? Go on."
So I told him everything—every detail.
How I was guarding the second floor as usual, how that eerie doll appeared, how it moved, how it behaved, how we faced it until it eventually left.
I described the fear that clawed at my chest, the immobility we were forced into, and the tense stillness that followed afterward.
Cairo stood beside me the whole time, confirming every word with his presence alone.
When I finished, the employer looked at me with doubtful eyes and said:
"Do you expect me to believe that story?"
I answered despite the weight of the moment pressing down on me:
"I know it sounds unbelievable… but it's the truth. And Cairo was with me. He witnessed everything."
I turned to Cairo.
"Right, Cairo?"
He nodded hesitantly, his voice small.
"Y-yes… he's telling the truth. I saw everything too."
The employer fell silent, his gaze clouded with confusion. Then, in a low but firm voice, he asked:
"Is there anyone else who witnessed what happened?"
I thought for a moment, gathering what I remembered, then answered slowly,
"Last night, it was just the two of us… but someone else did experience something similar."
I looked him directly in the eye.
"It was the niece of Noble Valis. She told me the doll can move… and talk."
Another moment of silence.
Then he raised a skeptical eyebrow.
"Are you sure you weren't imagining it?"
I replied immediately, my voice steady and certain:
"I wasn't imagining anything. I'm completely sure."
He sighed, the sound heavy with disbelief, then said:
"Fine… let's assume the doll really can talk and move. Then tell me—why didn't you use your unique abilities? Or at the very least, why didn't either of you scream for help?"
His words echoed inside my head.
My abilities…
It wasn't like I didn't think of them.
The simple-movement speed skill was useless, and my quick-response ability only activated at the brink of death.
As for the refreshing-breath skill—well, it had triggered automatically in the midst of panic.
I finally answered, hesitant:
"I… don't really have an answer."
The employer shifted his gaze to Cairo.
"What about you, Cairo? Why didn't you use your unique ability?"
His unique ability.
I had almost forgotten he had one.
Cairo froze for a moment, then spoke in a stammering voice:
"I… um…"
Yes? You what?
He lowered his eyes in shame and muttered:
"I… forgot."
…
What?
He forgot?
The word echoed in my mind like someone shouting into an empty hallway.
How could he forget something like that at a moment like that? It made no sense… none at all.
I was about to question him when the employer's voice cut through my thoughts, firm and demanding:
"Then why didn't you scream?"
I hesitated.
The question seemed simple on the surface… but it dug right into the heart of the terror we felt.
I stammered:
"W-well… if we had screamed… the doll might have finished us off immediately."
The employer stared at me for a long moment, then exhaled slowly.
He fell into deep thought, brows furrowed, before finally saying:
"Fine… I'll think about it. You may go."
We both bowed slightly and began walking away at a calm pace down the corridor.
But Cairo's steps were anything but calm.
He suddenly turned toward me, agitation burning in his eyes.
"See?! I told you he wouldn't believe us!"
I looked at him calmly.
"He said he would think about it. That's better than rejecting it outright."
Cairo let out a long, frustrated breath, as though something heavy was still sitting on his chest.
"So… should we tell the others or not?"
"Let's leave things as they are," I answered.
"We already told the employer. That's enough for now. We should wait for his response."
Cairo still looked unconvinced.
It was clear in his eyes. But he pressed on:
"But what about Noble Valis? Shouldn't we tell him about the doll?"
His expression tightened.
"You saw it yourself—it escaped through the window and vanished! We can't just ignore that!"
I replied with a tone bordering on justification:
"It wasn't our fault. The doll left on its own."
Cairo fell silent, then murmured with deep worry:
"And what if Noble Valis accuses us of stealing it?"
I raised my eyebrows, baffled.
"We didn't steal it. And even if he does accuse us, he has no proof."
But Cairo cut me off sharply, waving his hands as if the words weren't enough.
"You think proof is the issue here?! We're in a fantasy world—a world full of impossible things and superpowers! No one will come looking for us if we disappear! Don't you see?!"
He leaned closer, voice trembling:
"What if he sends assassins after us? As revenge?"
A cold shiver ran down my spine.
Assassins?
No… no way.
I tried to calm my racing heartbeat.
Surely something like that wouldn't happen… right?
I steadied myself and spoke firmly:
"Calm down, Cairo… We didn't do anything wrong. We didn't steal anything. And even if Noble Valis suspects us, do you really think he'd send assassins over a… doll?"
Cairo answered instantly—as though the thought scared him beyond reason:
"What if it's actually worth a lot?"
I let out a sarcastic smile and said:
"How much do you think it's worth? A hundred thousand dollars? Hahaha…"
Then I calmed down a little, my voice turning serious.
"Anyway… there's something else. Why didn't you use your unique ability last night? You were right there with me when the doll appeared… so why didn't you do anything?"
Cairo hesitated, his eyes dropping to the ground for a moment before he answered quietly:
"I told you… I forgot."
I exhaled slowly, the disappointment sinking in, though I tried not to show it.
Then, in a calm tone, I asked:
"Alright then… what exactly is your superpower?"