As usual, he appeared on the school bus and, as usual, entered the Ancient Castle.
The Little Boy's wailing and the Pig Head Monster's rampage played out as they always did, as did the brave girl with the ponytail stepping forward and her head bursting apart.
The monsters each chose their children, and everything that happened—including the tiniest gestures—was unchanged.
The Old Butler was as elegant and gentlemanly as ever. With a stiff, fake smile on his face, he moved his hands over the children's heads as if conducting an orchestra.
He easily pointed out five children, but after choosing them, his hands suddenly stopped in midair, as though he were having trouble deciding. "Is it because Meilan is missing?"
Han Su snapped out of his daze, realizing what was important.
Meilan—or rather, the "Wei Lan" Assistant Xu had mentioned—had been rescued by him. She had escaped the fate of being kidnapped for good.
Something had changed inside the Ancient Castle, too.
Normally, after the seven monsters chose their children, the Old Butler personally selected six more and sent them upstairs. Meilan had been one of those six.
But now that she was gone, someone else had to take her place.
And yet the Old Butler seemed to be having trouble deciding.
His pale blue eyes held not a trace of life as they swept, little by little, across the children before him.
None of them dared meet his gaze. They hurriedly lowered their eyes.
Even Han Su felt his body tense with nerves. The Old Butler was the most terrifying monster of all.
He had once tried to escape before the school bus entered the Ancient Castle, either by crawling out the window or by going to the petrified bus driver and trying to take control of the steering