Evan D. Sherden at the Party (2)
The dungeon city of Sherden was relatively close to the Duchy of Leonine, so Evan was able to arrive on time, but the other nobles did not. Matthew L. Leonine had invited many nobles to the party and had sent the invitations at relatively short notice. Enough guests had been delayed, and the party was pushed back by two days.
"Making me waste my precious time… Matthew, I can see the buds of your rebellion already."
"At your age, there are probably no other nobles who value their time as much as you do."
Shine shook his head as he watched Evan practice slime training with gritted teeth. Although he claimed his time was wasted, Evan hadn't spent a second they're not devoting himself to poison resistance, alchemy, or slime training. He had even trained his curse resistance.
"… The tea has run out, Shine." After pouring the remaining tea into Evan's teacup, Belois stopped brewing more and handed an empty water bottle to Shine.
"So what?"
"Go."
"Ah…"
Belois, despite being extremely devoted to Evan, wasn't polite to others. Especially to Shine. Clenching his jaw, he accepted the bottle.
"Then, I'll be back in a minute, master."
"Uh, you're going alone?"
"Then, would you prefer if the guard escorted me?"
"No."
Shine smiled as he saw Evan grow worried. He shouldn't have to worry about him. He was grateful for his concern, but his master was always too fearful. It was a little embarrassing.
"Don't worry, I'll be quiet." Shine headed out toward the well with the bottle in hand. He would have Raihan purify it first.
"Actually, at the master's level, he can safely drink any poisoned water…"
"Oh!"
While walking down the hall and muttering himself, he crossed the path of two maids who were cleaning the windows. The maids approached him with a fuss.
"You're from Sherden!"
"We finally meet! Hello!"
"Yes, hello."
Evan and Arisha were stuck in the room adhering to their strategy, and Belois was sticking to Evan, so only Shine was seen going outside. Thanks to that, his face was well known among the servants inside the annexe of the duke's house where they were staying.
"Do you also work out in the evening? If you're bothered coming to the guest kitchen, we can take it directly to your room…oh, water? I can pick it up!"
"How old are you? Are all the people of the dungeon city so well built?" Shine was only thirteen, but he was over 170 centimetres tall due to his efforts in levelling up and training. He was the age of a middle school student, so he was a child rather than an adult. People in the dungeon city knew it and were restrained, but that wouldn't work as these people didn't know and probably wouldn't believe it). In other words, she was actively trying to flirt with Shine.
"It's a waste to cover them up. Look at these arm muscles."
"Do those with this type of talent become butlers?"
"Hahaha…" Shine answered with an ambiguous smile at these older ladies' excessive interest in him.
"We were about to head back after cleaning, but let's take a break. There are refreshments only served to the master, but I think we can spare a little."
"Yes, is just a bit okay?
It seems that the master from Sherden won't come out, anyway."
"Uh…huh?" The maids were clinging to him and trying to pull him away.
"It will only be a little while!"
"Wow, your arms are more solid than even the guards."
"No, I'm following my master's instructions right now…"
"Just a moment!"
"We won't hurt you."
Shine, who had never been approached so aggressively before, was being dragged off somewhere he didn't know. However, just before they could pull him into their room, a translucent distortion appeared in the middle of the darkened corridor, and they all heard a high-pitched ringing in their ears.
[That man is my love!]
"Ahhhhhh!"
"A ghost?!"
"Wha-!"
The maids screamed and fled. Shine was also frightened and fell with a shout. However, the distortion moved through the air soundlessly and stopped right before him.
"Huh…?" Even in the midst of his fear, he felt some sense of familiarity. It disappeared right after, revealing a beautiful girl. It was the ghost of the noblewoman in his bracelet.
[No, you shouldn't be surprised!]
"It's you!"
[Of course, it is!]
"I was scared it was a different ghost." Shine stood up and complained at the ghost before him. Looking down, he was glad to see that the bottle hadn't broken in the encounter. He was even a little proud of it.
[I was saving you from that crisis.]
"Ah, right. Thank you. I was so scared I had forgotten."
[Really, that face is a waste…]
The ghost shook her head and reached out. The dust on his clothes vanished in an instant. It was a type of telekinesis that was much more powerful than what even Belois could do. Shine was a bit surprised, but he quietly thanked her with his arms crossed.
"Thank you for saving me. Those two were really aggressive…I don't know how to deal with people like that."
[What do you mean? What they mean is, like this…)
"You've been burning with passion since childhood, so you know what it is, but I don't." Shine bluntly responded to the ghost, who was making odd motions with their hands.
He didn't even know where he had ended up in confusion, but it had to be somewhere in the annexe.
[You're looking for a well? I can guide you.]
"…Do you know this place?"
[Hm, yeah? Wait, how do I know this place?]
The ghost seemed surprised at herself. At Shine's incredulous expression, she awkwardly coughed.
[You know that the memories of my previous life are incomplete, right?! didn't realize it until now, but I feel like I've been here when I was alive."]
"In the duke's mansion? Did this place even exist when you were alive? So suspicious…"
[Don't worry! Trust and follow me!]
"It can't be helped." Well, he had no other choice. If he met another servant, then he could ask for directions.
"Where are we?"
[We shouldn't be far.]
The ghost led him down obscure corridors without running into any other servants.
"…Are you trying to drag me into something weird?"
[No, I swear, if you walk a little more, we'll get there.]
The ghost led him, growing angry at his doubts. He felt like he was being deceived, but he had no confidence to find his own way.
[Tada!)
"…" Shine was stunned by the lush green garden suddenly before him. It was a flower garden in full bloom. It wasn't clear to him where the well was, but it was a very beautiful sight.
[Look, a well!
"No, that's a fountain."
[Ah, is that so? Still, clean water! You can drink it!]
There was a large and colourful fountain in the centre of the flower garden with clean water springing up, just as the ghost said.
'It seems like the kind of place where outsiders shouldn't be. If Evan were here, he'd have run away.
Not that Evan would've ended up in this situation in the first place. He would've been surprised, though. The flower garden resembled the one inside the Silk Line castle.
[Then, let's go once we get the water.]
"How are you so calm? If someone finds us here, not just me, but the master will…"
"… Who's there?" At that very moment, the voice of a delicate woman rang out from somewhere in the garden. Shine let out a deep sigh and glared at the ghost who led him here…who had already hidden in the bracelet!
"Who's there?"
"Ah…that…" Shine wanted to hide in the bracelet himself, but it was impossible. If so, the only option left was to run. But if he were caught at that point, it would only be worse.
'Okay, let's be honest and say we're lost.' Shine decided confessing would be the best option.
"I am a servant to the second son of Sherden's Marquis, Evan D. Sherden. At his command, I tried to find a well to gather water. I deeply apologize for disturbing your rest, and if you allow me, I will withdraw right away so that I don't discomfort you any longer."
"… Water?"
A bunch of flowers began to shake, and a woman's face popped out. She had long-growing, wavy pitch-black hair, and purple eyes.
"Ah…"
"…" Shine was speechless. It wasn't just her beauty that caused him to flinch away.
'Dark hair…no, I can't confirm…but her eyes are the same colour as the master's. Is this a coincidence? What happened?'
"Did you come here to get water?" As Shine remained confused, she spoke up in a delicate voice. Her purple eyes twinkled dreamily as she stared at Shine. It was a voice so faint that it might disappear at any moment. Shine stiffened again as he recalled Evan's teaching that the more beautiful a woman was, the more dangerous they were. Thanks to his training, he was able to speak calmly, at the very least.
"Yes, sorry. I will go back immediately."
"This fountain water…you can take some."
She seemed to have no intention of rebuking him, but he couldn't be relieved yet. As Shine swallowed back saliva, she hid in the grass once more.
"Instead, let me know who you are…this isn't a place people can enter."
"I was lost…"
"I heard that already."
Shine flinched again, but she didn't sound angry.
"So tell me something else…something I haven't heard of yet."
She seemed to have judged him to be safe and soon stood up. She was more than five centimetres shorter than Shine, but she was quite tall for a woman. Seeing her, a bolt of intuition struck Shine.
"Anastasia L. Leonine?"
"… Yes?"
"Anastasia L. Leonine."
Shine was no fool. He realized that she was the daughter of the duke and Matthew's half-sister.
"Your name is…?"
The purple eyes that resembled Evan's looked straight at Shine. Cold sweat began to form on his back. He thought he should've run away, but it was too late. He slumped over.
"It is Shine… I'm a butler of the Sherden family.