"Shun, as a butler of the Nagazomo family, your duty is to protect Lady Siesta at all costs," the old man said with stern authority.
"Yes, Chief!"
"Now then... 100 swings!"
"Yes, Chief!"
I took the wooden sword and began swinging, counting each one aloud.
After 100 swings, I stopped, catching my breath and wiping sweat from my brow.
"Good... Next is 200 swings!" The old man's command took me by surprise, but I gritted my teeth, tightened my grip on the sword, and resumed swinging.
My arms were burning, and I felt like I was going to collapse.
"Shuun~" a young girl's voice called out, running toward us. "Oh? Are you two training?"
"Good morning, Milady." The chief butler bowed, "Yes, Milady... I am currently training Shun for your safety."
"I see!~ Protect me from now on, okay?~" Siesta looked at me with a smile.
I hesitated for a moment, "Yes, Milady." But then, a wooden sword smacked me on the head.
"Ouch! That hurts old man!!"
"Who told you to stop? Keep going... now!"
"Y-Yes!!" I continued swinging, counting from one all over again.
"No, restart it! Back to 1 now!"
"Yes, Chief!!"
You can't be serious!!
I swung the wooden sword 200 times, my arms screaming with exhaustion. As I completed the last swing, I dropped the sword and collapsed to the ground.
Lady Siesta, showing kindness, handed me a water bottle.
"Here," she said.
I gratefully accepted it, quickly chugging down the water. "Thank you... Milady," I said between sips.
"Now then..." The Chief butler swung his wooden sword in the air, taking a stance. "Shall we?"
I stammered, "E-Eh?! A-Are you serious?! I'm gonna die!"
Siesta whispered encouragingly, "You can do it~"
Eh... I feel a sudden buff all of the sudden.
With newfound determination, I rose from the ground and took a stance.
"I'm ready!"
My Chief butler looked momentarily confused, but then he nodded and got into his stance. "Here we go!"
We charged at each other, swinging our wooden swords.
"Haa!"
His swings were faster, but I kept up my guard. We repeated the cycle for almost five minutes, each of us narrowly missing our strikes.
I blocked, parried, and dodged his blows, and he did the same to mine.
Then, in a sudden move, he grabbed a handful of dirt from the ground and threw it in my face.
I instinctively raised my hands to shield my eyes, leaving myself vulnerable. He capitalized on this and executed an upward slash, knocking my wooden sword from my hand.
He pointed the wooden blade at me, saying, "Good job," while catching his breath. I panted in return and nodded, acknowledging the training.
As I rose from the ground, I dusted off my butler suit with a sense of accomplishment.
"You were so cool, Shun!~" Siesta exclaimed, her eyes sparkling with excitement.
"R-really? Thank you, Milady. It was an honor," I replied, trying to remain formal.
"Aww, don't be too formal!" Siesta pouted.
I chuckled, "I'm afraid I can't do that."
Siesta playfully protested, "Booo~"
"Fufu~ You're going to be the head of the family soon," I reminded her.
Siesta sighed, "Meanie..."
"It's almost time for her birthday, after all, I need to treat her as my mistress from now on," I thought to myself.
She took my hand, and I met her gaze.
"Then... From now on! Protect me!" she declared.
I paused for a moment, considering my response. Finally, I knelt down in a formal manner and gently kissed her hand, "Yes... I will."
But then disaster struck on her birthday. I was out buying the cake as the chief butler had ordered, and when I returned, a gloomy atmosphere filled the house.
"Erm... Everyone? What's with all the long faces? Weren't we preparing for Milady's birthday?" I asked, confusion lacing my words.
The maids only exchanged sorrowful glances, refusing to meet my eyes.
"Erm... Everyone? Where's Milady? I thought she was supposed to be home by now?"
"...Shun." Rita, one of the maids, walked up to me and took my hand, leading me away from the mansion toward the garden maze.
"Rita? What's wrong? Shouldn't we be preparing for Lady Siesta's birthday?" I inquired, my concern growing.
"Sies- No, Lady Siesta had an accident," she finally uttered, her voice barely above a whisper.
"Huh? Ahahaha, that's a pretty bad joke," I chuckled nervously, hoping this was some sort of bizarre prank.
"Listen!" Rita's voice turned stern, but she couldn't hold her gaze steady. "When the chief butler went to pick her up... she was hit by a car."
My heart dropped as her words registered.
No..." I muttered, my world crumbling around me.
"So that's why... Shun," Rita said in a low voice, her hand trembling as she retrieved a small handgun from her maid's uniform. "Please surrender yourself."
My eyes widened, and I took a step back, utterly bewildered. "Huh? What do you mean..."
"It was all your plan all along, right? You were planning on killing her."
"No!" I protested, panic rising within me. "I swear, it wasn't me!"
"Shut up! We've got you, Shun... Please," Rita pleaded.
What the hell was happening? I was being framed for something I hadn't done. Just then, I noticed the chief butler's face peering out from behind a nearby wall. He was wearing a sly smile.
I couldn't believe it. Why would the chief butler, the person who had trained me, frame me for such a heinous act? Questions swirled in my mind, but there was no time to answer them.
Rita's voice was shaky as she held the gun, her finger twitching near the trigger. "Shun, please... Just come with me. We can sort this out later."
As I weighed my options, my eyes flicked to the chief butler again, his sinister smile sending shivers down my spine.
It was you...!!
In that tense moment, I made a decision that would change everything. With my heart pounding, My hands trembled as I wrested the gun from Rita's grasp, quickly turning the tables
Tears welled in Rita's eyes. "Why, Shun... Why?"
"Quiet. Take me to the car, and don't make a sound."
A sense of urgency surged through me as I detected the presence of a hidden sniper. I shielded myself with Rita's body, using her as a shield to obscure my own.
"Now!" we made a swift, stealthy escape, vanishing into the shadows. But even as I fled, I knew my troubles were only just beginning.
"Shun..."
"Shun...?"
Wake up.
My eyelids fluttered open to Lady Patchouli's concerned face. "You were unconscious for a while. Are you feeling alright?"
I tried to push myself up, nodding. "I'm okay... But, can I leave now?"
Patchouli's lips curved into a reassuring smile. "Yes, for the moment. Your vampiric magic is there, a potential future, but for now, nothing to be overly concerned about."
I stood and stretched, feeling my strength return. "Thank you, Patchouli."
"By the way, Shun? Who is Siesta?"
met her gaze and grinned. "Someone from my past."
With those enigmatic words, I left the library behind.
...For now, I want to know what actually happened in the past.