The Terrified Return of Grandy

“Miss Grandy? Why have you returned at this hour? Isn’t it class time?”

The butler opened the grand door, only to discover that the one ringing the doorbell was his young mistress. Her appearance was somewhat distressed, her eyes wide with panic, and her breathing ragged, clearly indicating she had run all the way from school.

The butler knew Miss Grandy wasn’t usually diligent about her studies, often requiring a tutor for last-minute cramming just to barely pass her exams. However, skipping class was something she practically never did, and her father, the master, was very strict on that point.

Thus, the butler’s expression grew stern. He blocked Grandy from entering the house, stating, “Young mistress, if you are skipping class, according to the rules of this household, I must send you back to school.”

Grandy, however, clutched her pallid face and whispered, “There are monsters at school… I don’t want to go back… Let me in!”

Naturally, the butler didn’t believe such a fanciful, absurd excuse from a child. He continued to block Grandy, but she forcefully pushed past his obstruction, stumbling into the house and racing back to her room. The wooden floorboards thudded rhythmically under her frantic steps.

Fearing that a forceful obstruction might injure Grandy, the butler did not persist. He merely sighed, then dialed the master’s number.

“Grandy skipped school and came home? Sigh, she’s truly spoiled. She must have picked up bad habits from Sera. Don’t bother with her. I’ll personally teach her a lesson when I return tonight.”

“Very well, Master. The young mistress also claimed there were monsters at school. I believe it’s merely an excuse.”

“What? She said there are monsters at school?”

“Yes, Master.”

“Could it be… No, forget it. I will return home early tonight. Ensure the main gate is securely locked this evening, and do not allow any suspicious individuals to approach the house.”

“As you command.”

‘That was terrifying!’

‘That thing, it couldn’t possibly have been a bear! Although it bore a strong resemblance, its colossal size and the eerie aura emanating from its body clearly marked it as no ordinary animal.’

‘And Night Moon, she actually sent that monster, as tall as a building story, flying with a single punch… Such a person must be a monster too, right!’

‘…It was fortunate I hadn’t provoked her then, otherwise, with my delicate and weak physique, I would surely have puked out my internal organs from a single punch!’

‘No wonder Sera dared not antagonize her. She must have known something to act that way.’

In any case, Grandy dared not return to school. She decided to remain at home for a while, until it was safe.

Upon returning to her room, she immediately locked the door and began to change her clothes. That cursed monster had frightened the urine right out of her, and her underwear still felt cool and damp. Moreover, having run all the way home, she was drenched in sweat. Grandy decided to take a shower, then changed directly into her pajamas and lay on the bed to rest, hoping to alleviate the shock.

Only after opening her phone did she discover several people had sent her a flood of messages, the group chat practically exploding with them.

[Earthquake?]

Most people were discussing the brief, once-in-a-decade earthquake with lingering trepidation, uploading several chaotic videos and photos. One of them particularly caught Grandy’s attention. The video showed a teacher’s private office completely collapsed, seemingly due to the earthquake.

Observing the surrounding landmarks, Grandy realized it was none other than her homeroom teacher Rona’s office. Furthermore, a faint, petite figure was vaguely visible in the video, standing before the entrance of the ruined office. However, the thick dust obscured any clear features. ‘Perhaps they were utterly terrified, too stunned to move?’

Yet, upon closer reflection, Lily City wasn’t situated on any known earthquake fault line. It had never even experienced an earthquake causing actual damage. ‘How could an earthquake suddenly occur now?’

Combining this with the monster she had encountered earlier that day, a terrifying conjecture gradually formed in Grandy’s mind.

‘Perhaps this wasn’t an earthquake, but rather the destruction caused by that monster… Did this mean Night Moon hadn’t successfully defeated the monster?’ Grandy covered her mouth in fear, hearing her own heart pound furiously. The air conditioning was on in the room, yet sweat continuously trickled down her back.

Ultimately, she was merely a young mistress, naive to the ways of the world. While she might occasionally leverage her noble status to bully others for amusement, matters involving human lives were beyond anything she dared to even contemplate. Even though she disliked Night Moon, the thought of her classmates potentially being killed by that monster made Grandy feel an unknown danger looming close, as if she would be next.

Even more terrifying, she recalled, the bear-like monster had seemingly glared fiercely at her at the end, as if engraving her image clearly into its mind.

‘It wouldn’t come looking for me, would it?’

Knock, knock, knock…

“Ah!”

The sudden knocking on her door made Grandy, already terrified by her own imagination, involuntarily shriek. She trembled all over, shrinking deep into her quilt.

“Young mistress? Are you alright…? Remember to come out for dinner later. The Master said he would be returning early tonight.”

Upon hearing the butler’s voice, Grandy tentatively poked her head out from beneath the covers. Swallowing hard, she replied, “I’m not eating dinner!”

“But…” The butler had intended to persuade her further, but recalling that the Master would likely be home before dinner, he decided against it.

‘Let the Master educate the young mistress himself. I am merely a butler; I cannot manage everything.’

The sound of footsteps gradually faded away. Inside, seeing the dim, yellowish sunlight filtering in from outside the window, Grandy suddenly felt a pang of insecurity. She quickly walked to the window and drew the curtains closed, then returned to her bed, her nerves taut, attempting to sleep.

Naturally, sleep eluded her in such a state of tension. Thus, Grandy spent the entire afternoon and evening in a semi-conscious haze, drifting between wakefulness and a shallow slumber.

During this time, she only heard her parents’ knocking, calling her out for dinner after their return, but she offered no reply. Soon after, silence descended once more, until, in the dead of night, a colossal boom, like a clap of thunder, jolted her from her hazy state.

The resounding boom was accompanied by tremors shaking the walls, floor, and ceiling, as if an earthquake had struck. The steel rebar within the concrete seemed to snap, emitting sharp cracking sounds. However, it lasted for only a very brief moment.

She immediately connected it to the so-called “earthquake” at school, her heart instantly leaping into her throat once more.

Mustering her courage, she decided to venture out and assess the situation. As she reached the door and her hand had just touched the doorknob, the butler’s voice suddenly echoed from outside.

It was a sharp, grating cry, like a human expending all their remaining energy at the very end of life. Frankly, it barely sounded human anymore, yet Grandy still recognized the familiar timbre as that of the butler.

Then came her father’s.

And after that, her mother’s.

Grandy’s legs gave out, and she practically crawled to the furthest corner of her room from the door. She curled into a ball, her breathing almost ceasing.

The outside world soon fell silent.

Then, with a dull thud, a black, metallic-looking spike pierced through the wooden door of her room.

“Help!”

She screamed, her voice hoarse.