A Horror Novel’s Supporting Character Wants to Live as a Human

I looked at the hot cup tightly gripped in my hand.

It was a heavy, large, and worn-out cup, with a slightly rough texture.

My head hurt, but I couldn’t bring myself to drink whatever was inside.

As I was dragged into what seemed like a kitchen, I noticed two men standing in front of me—one with brown hair and the other with black hair.

It felt like I wouldn’t be able to leave this place unless I drank from the cup.

“So, where exactly is this?”

“This is Duke Hartman’s castle, Your Grace.”

I’m neither a duke nor is this my home…

But I swallowed my words, unsure of how these two men would react if I said so.

Moreover, the name was Hartman.

Despite the unfamiliar surroundings, that name was something I knew well.

Duke Hartman.

It was from a free web novel with an overall rating of 2.8 stars, titled “<And There Was No One>”. It claimed to be a horror and cosmic horror novel, but it gained notoriety among readers on the platform due to the characters constantly going mad and trolling. To make matters worse, the novel was never completed and was abruptly discontinued at the height of suspense.

I’m probably the only one who gave it a 5-star rating.

Hartman was the name of the family mentioned in that novel.

But there was only one person who came with the name Hartman, and that was Arenheit Hartman, the unfortunate heir.

I thought for a moment.

If I were Duke Hartmann, does that mean I’m in the world of that novel?

It wasn’t just ‘not bad.’

Rather, it was good.

It was more than I could ask for as a second chance for someone who was about to die.

This warmth, this sensation.

My palms were burning because of the cup in my hands.

There was no way this could be fake.

After I remained silent for a while, the brown-haired man asked cautiously.

“Young master, I mean, Your Grace, since you have rightfully inherited the castle and the estate, it is a matter of congratulations.”

“Yeah, I guess so.”

“I’m worried about what happens next.”

The man who faithfully told me was clearly Arndt, the servant who assisted Arenheit.

A person with brown hair and green eyes is not that common.

That means it’s easy to figure out the identity of the person standing next to him.

“To truly illuminate the family’s legacy, Your Grace will have to assume a great responsibility.”

Sharp eyes and a cool impression.

The overall features were sharply defined, leaving a distinct impression.

However, this person seemed like someone whose cold demeanor would linger longer than their appearance as time went by.

Furthermore, their solid and well-built physique bore evidence of long years of training.

In the novel, a knight is described as the greatest knight among mankind.

Leandros.

He was a knight without a title, but he volunteered to escort the former Duchess to protect her child, Arenheit, until the end.

In reality, his presence was no joke.

But no matter what, he is just a character in a novel.

“It certainly seems like a big deal.”

“The palace promised a reinstatement, but as you can see…”

“I roughly understand.”

Just by looking at the dirty cups, the two people looked like they had gone through a lot of hardship.

I could only guess, but my appearance probably wasn’t any better.

Seeing them in such a sorry state made me doubt if they had been eating properly.

【I don’t really care; you can go ahead and eat, brother. I’m really not hungry! I’m fine.】 

A voice that hadn’t crossed my mind for a long time fleetingly passed through my mind.

Starving people is definitely not my hobby.

I roughly took off the heavy cloak that sat heavily on my shoulders and set it aside.

“Have we eaten?”

“Eat…? Well, pardon my bluntness, but may I ask what ‘eating’ means, Your Grace?”

“Having a meal. Did you have your meals?”

“Ah.”

With the sudden change of topic, Arndt and Leandros exchanged glances.

Leaving the two individuals with their mouths glued shut, I took the initiative and started rummaging through the kitchen.

However, I found nothing of value.

Despite the kitchen being several times larger than my studio apartment, all I managed to scrape together was an unidentified handful of grains and a dried-up bundle of herbs.

Well, this is a bit severe.

“Is this all there is to eat?”

“I-I’ll go check the basement storage.”

Arndt seemed to have come to his senses and ran off somewhere.

Judging by the direction he headed towards the stairs, it seemed that the basement was located below.

But considering the state of the kitchen, the basement probably wouldn’t be much different.

“Sir Leandros?”

“Yes, Duke. Please order.”

“It’s nothing grand. In the past, when the royal army invaded the castle, do you think they even ransacked the kitchen?”

Leandros’ brow twitched at the mention of past events.

But he answered obediently, without any intention of arguing with me.

“I think so.”

“I don’t think I can eat what’s left now.”

“That is likely.”

The novel doesn’t provide a detailed description of how Hartman Duchy fell into such dire straits.

However, even in those short sentences, there were hints of Hartman Duchy’s downfall.

When the former Duke and Duchess of Hartman were captured, the servants and retainers were also dragged away.

And, in order to ‘investigate’ whether the wealth was accumulated illegally, vital documents and assets were confiscated, and what remained was discreetly taken away, or so it was written.

We ended up in the husk of an empty past.

Oh well.

The beginning isn’t going so well.

But it was something I had expected from the moment I found out that this was Hartman’s castle.

If you’ve read a 95-episode novel over the course of a year, you should expect that.

I looked back at Leandros.

“I have one question.”

“Yes.”

“Are you good at hunting?”

“Pardon?”

“I’m asking if you’re skilled at it.”

Leandros faltered. I chuckled at his bewildered expression.

If there’s no food, we just have to make some.

* * *

This is not the sound of an arrow flying.

Of course, all the family property was taken away, and there was no way there were arrows or bows.

It was the sound of a stone flying through the air from Leandros’ slingshot.

That was the sound of the stone striking its target with great force.

He had temporarily made a sling because it seemed impossible to kill running prey with a sword.

It worked better than expected.

“You’re very good at catching it, Sir Leandros.”

“I said I had never tried it before. But it’s a little different when you actually do it.”

“Sir Leandros is good at everything he does with his body.”

“I must be good at fighting too.”

Arndt dumped a bundle of dry branches he was carrying next to me.

The idea of procuring food from outside had started as a joke, stemming from Hartman’s downfall.

The manor near where Hartman Castle is located was empty because people had long ago fled, but the land was not completely empty.

To be more precise, things other than people made the land rich.

The hunting ground attached to the manor was such a case.

A hunting ground teeming with herbivores that are delicious and easy to catch.

Of course, no matter how many prey there are, it would be difficult without a hunter, but seeing Leandros do it, I don’t think I’ll have to worry about that.

“Have you caught enough?”

“If I catch more, it will be difficult to store them. I’ll be back with a message, Your Grace.”

Arndt jumped out as if he were a new employee who had been with the company for a month.

The two people could be seen meeting from quite a distance away.

Hartman’s first hunting ground was small and modest.

It was a far cry from a proper hunting ground, but perhaps that’s why it had an abundance of safe animals like rabbits and birds rather than hoofed animals.

Although it was my idea for us to go out together to survey the hunting ground’s terrain, for some reason, I felt a tiredness seeping into my body.

“Your Grace, Leandros, will join us after finishing the preparations at the distant location.”

“Cleaning? Can he do that as well?”

“There is a small stream nearby, so it won’t be difficult to get rid of the smell of blood.”

It was just a question about whether he could handle the butchering.

Still, I didn’t want to criticize Arndt, who was explaining triumphantly.

While I watched Arndt light a fire and build a small oven, it didn’t take long for Leandros to approach.

“Is everything finished?”

“Yes, but we’ll do it because I think it’s going to get your hands dirty.”

Leandros and Arndt worked together to cut the meat into pieces and then thread it through a sharp twig.

The pieces of meat roasted on the small fire turned out to be surprisingly flavorful, although not exceptional.

This is probably because my body has been starving for a long time.

Even after the three of us ate to our hearts’ content, there was still some uncooked meat left.

How many did he catch?

“Would it be okay if we precooked and dried some of these?”

“That’s a good idea. I’ll store them in the castle.”

Arndt answered faithfully and finished cooking.

Judging by the number of skewers piled up in front of their feet, it seemed that Arndt and Leandros were both big eaters.

Seeing that, a sigh escaped my lips.

How will we feed these guys in the future?

【I still like it best when I eat with my brother.】

I remembered something my younger brother once said.

I think I’ve been working hard to have a meal together since I liked that word.

Now that I no longer need to do that, I am truly lucky to have fallen into this novel.

<And There Was No One>.

A failed novel that had been abandoned five years ago.

This novel I entered was the first and only web novel authored by my missing younger brother.

Is this an opportunity my younger brother gave me?

Or, on the contrary, is it a criticism directed at me?

Considering the genre of the novel, it could be a criticism or a threat.

Like saying, “Now that I’ve written them, it’s up to you to feed and support the characters.”

Of course, this is just my guess.

“Are you alright? Your Grace?”

“Oh, I was lost in thought for a moment. What did you say just now?”

“We should start heading back soon. It gets colder here faster than down there.”

Hartman Castle was located near the mountains, taking advantage of its geographical position to defend against external threats and gain a strategic advantage.

The temperature difference would be significant, so I got up and brushed off my seat.

Arndt and Leandros tidied up and picked up some stones used as a fireplace.

“Why are you taking those? Are you going to take it with you?”

“I saw earlier that the area near the kitchen stove had collapsed, so I’m going to try to repair it.”

“Well, then, I’ll carry them for you.”

“Yes?”

“Aren’t your hands injured?”

“What are you saying, Duke?”

Arndt was horrified and stopped me from picking up the stone.

“Even if we’re in this situation, Hartman is still Hartman! Your Grace, you’re not someone who should dirty your hands with stones!”

“It’s just a few stones.”

“I and Sir Leandros can do it all. I hope the duke will not strain himself by doing chores.”

Anyone who sees it will probably think that you are risking your life to give advice.

But all I’ve done so far is eat, and it’s embarrassing.

Even though they call me the Duke, it doesn’t really feel real.

“Just give me three stones. I feel like I can’t digest it, so I need to exercise.”

“Are you feeling uncomfortable? Is it because of what you just ate? Maybe it wasn’t cooked enough or it was overcooked.”

“Ah, forget it! Just give them to me! Why do you talk so much?”

I snatched a couple of heavy stones from Arndt’s hand.

They weren’t particularly large, and they weren’t very dirty, so I didn’t understand why he was making such a fuss.

As I started walking, Arndt immediately stuck close to me and started whining nonstop.

He was worried about me, saying that my body was still weak and that, as a loyal servant of Hartman, he couldn’t overlook such things.

Of course, I ignored all his nagging that went in one ear and out the other.

“Don’t worry, I won’t die from carrying these rocks.”

“That’s not the issue! It’s a matter of your constitution!”

“What’s the matter with the constitution when there are only three of us?”

“Duke!”

I had no idea Arndt had such a loud voice.

Indeed, this is a character with three exclamation marks after the text lines.

The three of us walked back to the castle, making friendly chit-chat for over 40 minutes.

When we arrived, the sun had almost set, and instead, two moons and unknown stars were hanging above the castle.

Seeing that, my footsteps halted as we entered the courtyard.

“Ah.”

Really, this isn’t Korea.

I’ve been completely transported to a different world.

As I stared at the chilly evening sky for a while, my head started to feel dizzy.

“Young master?”

“Yeah?”

When I lowered my head, something dripped down onto my chin.

I quickly wiped it away for fear of being seen, but my hands turned strangely red.

As I looked ahead with a puzzled look on my face, I saw Arndt and Leandros, who were ahead of me, had become contemplated.

“Wait, why is this…”

What’s wrong with this?

My legs suddenly grew heavy, and my eyes closed as I swayed, before I could finish my sentence.

In the last moments, I vividly heard Arndt’s urgent scream pass through my ears.