"That's... I'm leaving now, I don't think this is the place for me. Thanks for everything...."
"I'll ask again."
I asked again, correcting her rambling.
"Where the hell are you, my maid, going without covering for me?"
"To ... already."
At my words, she gave me a complicated look.
She looked like she might burst into tears at any moment.
She finally let her head fall back in her hands, letting her emotions out.
Then, forgetting to act, she spoke.
"Young Master… you already knew that I was spying on you at the behest of Master Theo. That I deceived you…everything...…."
An exasperated voice bursts out.
No, it was like a confession.
It's like she's confessing all her faults.
It could only mean one thing.
Complete trust in me.
She realized it was starting to build, and she stammered out the words. Tears pool on Zitri's pure white face, and they begin to fall.
Slowly down.
Zitri brushes at the hem of her skirt as she watches the tears soak the floor.
"But… why are you still letting me stay? I… I cheated you! I could be kicked out right now and I wouldn't have anything to say. Why...."
Zitri de Robilia.
No, now Zitri. Only now did I realize that her bare face was revealed.
The real her, not the bright one she'd been playing all along, fooling herself.
The one who struggles to keep going, even if it's dark and hard at times.
At that moment, for some reason, a smirk escaped my lips.
Yes. That's Zitri's bare face, I thought to myself. I looked her in the eye and said.
"People are meant to deceive and manipulate each other."
"I'm a sinner."
"So be it."
I shrugged and crossed my arms, exaggerating my expression.
"You sinned against me, and you were going to leave without paying me back, and who said you were going to leave?"
"…What?"
Zitri's good eyes go wide, slowly widening.
I speak in a declarative tone.
"'Zitri. You will stay here. I don't know about your father. I don't need your Robilia surname, I just… I need you."
"Young Master."
"In other words, you will pay for your sins. You will stand by my side until you have repaid me for deceiving you. As my maid."
Two amber eyes.
Skin shimmering in the pure white moonlight.
Tears that seeped down, then overflowed.
I could see every part of her clearly.
Her weakest parts, the ones she had to lie to herself to hold on to. All the way down to her most painful inner self.
And then, finally, after all that effort.
Zitri's ghostly lips parted.
"…I understand, Young Master Nox. I will be by your side… to see you through."
"Indeed."
I said, and turned to leave. Zitri's subsequent words begin to echo in my ears.
I stop in my tracks.
Her voice echoes clearly down the hallway.
"…You asked me originally, who I serve."
"I did."
"And now you know who it is?"
I turn around at the words and lock eyes with Zitri.
Her light green hair blew in the breeze from the cracked windows. She was beautiful, but I don't mean just in appearance.
I smirked, having forgotten to play the villainous asshole, at least for that part.
"Right. I see."
* * *
The next day, Zitri and Rona.
My struggle for survival with the two of them continued.
[Hidden stats are awarded].
[Agility (Uncivilized) stat generated].
[Agility stat increased by 2].
The reward for clearing the hidden boss was a hidden stat, Agility.
It will then bloom at 10, which is a very important stat. It directly affects the duration of [Time of Genius].
'I still have a long way to go.
The good news is that my sword is now big enough to carry me.
I could now handle a character with the [Genius] trait, Zitri, as a unit.
In fact, anyone else might still not trust her.
After all, she did try to trick me once.
Father.
That is, by order of Theo von Reinhaber, and while that can be wrapped up in saying it was unavoidable, it's not something I can be confident won't happen again.
But I was confident that it wouldn't happen again, at least not with Zitri.
And that human trust is sadly lacking.
It stems from one in-game trait she possesses.
[single-mindedness].
Hee hee!
It's the same trait that Carl possesses: single-mindedness.
Loyal only to her master, and never to betray him.
One who serves no one else.
Because that's what Zitri had.
"Yeah. Carl, you must have missed me."
He's big enough now and the first to offer me his back, urging me to climb on.
He's a cute little guy. And he's many times more helpful than Rona.
At least, I think so.
Meanwhile,
I can hear Rona's horrified exclamation from the other side.
"So… 'that' Dr. Knox helped you...?"
"Yes, he did…!"
Rona is stunned by Zitri's words.
I helped her; what can she do? I'm going to go back and cancel.
And who the hell is 'that' Dr. Nox?
It's ridiculous, really.
But it's no big deal. For the time being, I'm stuck with this shitty life, for a lot of reasons. ….
For skimping on doctors and using expensive drugs at will.
For insisting on using a maid who was excommunicated from her family.
He even dared to say something that sounded like a threat in front of the patriarch…
These are all things that a bastard would do.
…Now that I've listed them out like this, even I can't help but wonder, was I always like this?
It's almost like I'm thinking.
Well, I've changed, but not much.
The only thing that's changed is that I've gone from 'weak subject matter, no fear, and a terrible installer' to 'pretty good, but clumsy'. It can be said that it has been corrected.
Anyway, it's not a bad thing that the consciousness is changing.
'But we still need to balance it out. Nox is a villain, anyway. He needs to remain a villain so that the main character can stand out.'
I'm not the protagonist.
I'm possessed, but I'm not the one in this life.
Nox von Reinhafer.
A villain who is possessed by the demon Baal and dies because he can't control his greed.
That was the life of Nox, the character I was supposed to play.
Hence.
"'Rona, you shouldn't call me names right in front of me. If you want to keep your paycheck."
"…Oops, were you listening?"
"I guess you've given up on lying about not swearing now, huh?"
"...."
Rona gulped and covered her mouth, but it was no use.
Carl, sensing my cursing like a ghost, kicked her in the shin with his hind leg.
"Thump!"
Even though she's approaching 4.5 health, she can't seem to handle Carl's fast-growing hind kick, and she rubs her leg in agony.
It stung.
"Ouch… I'll go take care of the rest of the stuff then… ...."
Rona walks away and goes about her household duties.
Now it's just Carl and I. Zitri.
I watched Carl work on his tureen, and then I looked at Zitri.
"'Zitri. In two months, you're coming with me to Eldain. Do you understand?"
"Yes. I know. And I've already made some preparations."
"Preparations?"
"Basic tools, books, medicines, emergency supplies, eight outfits, a cadet uniform for outings, and...."
...You're better at keeping things together than I thought.
A trait of genius. Even as I thought about it, I realized how destructive it could be.
Granted, I'm more of a monster with two of those things.
…and a dying one at that.
Anyway, enough ranting.
Zitri no longer smiled forcibly in my presence.
Just a flat, somehow impassive, cold face. That was her natural expression.
When it was all over, Zitri said.
[I'm tired of acting, I'm not good at it].
I was more comfortable this way.
No need to give each other unnecessary compliments, no need to share meaningless platitudes.
But the most crowded situation. That's when Zitri and I will rely on each other.
We wouldn't turn our backs, we wouldn't betray each other.
We will. That's it.
That's how it is with her and me.
But apart from that, in front of others, I still wore a salesman's smile rather than an expressionless one. I guess that's better than suddenly being a different person.
"By the way..., are you sure you're okay? There have been some bad rumors about you lately...."
"Bad rumors?"
I can't believe Zitri would say that. Apparently, there are some bad rumors.
But I have my doubts.
Nox was always an asshole, so how could he be worse here?
I can feel that question bubbling up from the depths of my chest.
When curiosity reaches its peak.
Zitri blurted out, looking slightly reminded for some reason.
"That… that… that… rumor… that… that's why you still employ me as a maid, that you like me and want to use me as a spy… that… that rumor… ...."
"...."
…I genuinely felt self-conscious for the first time about playing Nox.
That is, if you interpret her words.
I was mesmerized by Zitri's looks, and I coveted her. I whined that I was going to go against my father's wishes and keep her as my maid, even though she had no family name… something like that.
I hesitated for a while, but there was no other way.
"...I'm sorry about that. For you and me."
"Oh, no! I didn't mean it like that; I just… I thought you might be uncomfortable…."
"It's me, don't worry. I'm an asshole. You've heard the rumors about me, and you know I am a bratty, stupid, unskilled youngest son."
"So far...."
Zitri rambled on, and I cut her off with a serious look.
"If you lie to me, I'll fire you."
"I've heard that, and there's a rumor going around that you're also a horny guy."
"... I didn't know that; thanks for the refresher."
"You're welcome… I mean, is that… true?"
I wiped my forehead without answering.
There it is again.
Nox, that asshole… what the hell did you think you were doing running around...!
"Okay, okay, let's move on from this. Getting back to the point, if you're going to survive in Eldain, you're going to have to be prepared, and so am I."
"What kind of preparation?"
Zitri asked, her eyes shining. Does it help that I have a throne genius attached to me after all?
She looked eager to help me.
I nodded slowly.
"If you'll be quiet, I'm actually thinking of studying magic before entering the Academy. I need your help."
Zitri looked shocked at my words, and then a little fed up.
"You do realize that ... is illegal in the Ackheim Empire, right?"
"Of course."
"…You're quite proud of yourself."
"I'm an asshole, and a horny one at that."
"And a dick."
"Thanks for the compliment."
"Haa…."
It wasn't technically illegal. Fifteen. I'd already passed the age of majority here, so I shouldn't have any trouble with magic.
There is one question, however.
When you enter the Eldain Academy, you'll be trained by leading mages.
Why would they want you to learn a lowly grimoire?
Because that would be foolish.
That's why it's common for incoming cadets to not even think about practicing magic.
Not me, of course.
I know of magic that would be useful to learn from the dead.
Anyway.
We joked about it in moderation, and eventually Zitri sighed and decided to support my opinion.
"Alright, well, I'm sure the Master had his reasons for making that decision, and I'll see what I can do to find you a quiet place to practice and some books to help you out."
How does she know what I need so quickly?
I asked with a look of pure curiosity.
"Zitri… are you, by any chance, a mind reader?"
"No."
Zitri said, as firmly as she could.
The knife pooh-poohed and scurried across the dirt floor.
He had no doubt tripped over it in his excitement.
It was then that I heard a sudden, deafening shout.
"Kyaaaaa, my baby, what's going on!"
Rona came running out of her work and picked up the knife from the floor.
No matter how I look at it, I think she's more affectionate toward him than she is toward me.
Live and let live. I'm taking all my jealousy out on the horse. I said.
"Carl… is he bothering you?"
"Shut up and go do your job."
I finally give in and punch her in the head.
Tears welled up in her eyes.
"Young Master… I've felt it before… your hands are getting stronger and stronger...."
"I see your training has paid off."
I nodded with a satisfied expression.
While we were chatting leisurely.
Suddenly, I heard a commotion.
The sound of pounding hooves and the swinging of horseshoes. Then came the clatter of the front door opening.
As I got closer, I realized what was happening.
"What? Young Master Grine has returned?! You know how the Second Master is, if we don't prepare properly, we're going to lose everything!"
"Hurry up and get moving!"
I nodded nonchalantly as I listened to their urgent voices.
"'Grine… yeah. It's about time he arrived.
Grine von Reinhafer.
He was Theo's second son, and one of Nox's older brothers.
Snobbish and womanizing. And an opportunist.
He was an envious fellow, overshadowed by Nox's relative assholery.
Even if he's a moderate asshole, he'll do it because Nox is worse. He's also pretty good at politics and a tricky opponent.
But it won't be a problem for me.
This is the news I've been waiting for.
Zitri asked with concern.
"It seems that the Second Master has arrived, and from what I hear, there's a dinner to be had. How will you be attending, Young Master?"
"I might as well go, after all, Second Brother is here."
I answered Zitri's question appropriately, then grabbed some random clothes and put them on. I'm a scantily clad ninja in front of the patriarch, so why bother looking good for my brother?
He should be grateful for the hassle and the welcome.
Apart from the whole "women" thing.
Besides, Grine von Reinhafer.
That fool has a niche to exploit.
"Finally, a chance to extend my life!
I said with a small smile of delight.
Grine's arrival at the Reinhafer family was a sub-episode of Inner Lunatic. It means that the Chasers' War has begun.
"When the Chasers' War of attrition begins, powerful demons will pour into the Chasers' area in the form of monster waves. I'll be able to fight enough of them to extend my life!
There are quite a few people I can bring with me.
I do some quick math, calculating what I'll gain, and turn to Zitri in front of me.
"'Zitri. I may have to travel quite a bit for a while."
"…Master, what else do you have up your sleeve?"
I smile, completely ignoring her narrowed eyes.
That's right.
I'll be joining Grine in the extermination of the Chasers.