Set Les Baskervilles. He had been speaking to Vikir in a gentle, friendly manner since earlier.
"How is it to be home after a long time? Is it hard to adjust? Does your brother help you?"
"My father and brother are a bit cold, aren't they, but they're being incredibly gentle with you, because you're young and talented, and for someone like me who has no talent, they're like icy...."
"Try this, too. It's specially prepared by my favorite chef. It's delicious, isn't it? Sturgeon roe baked with cream~"
"I'll come to your room later, so tell me about your experience in the depht. I'm weak, so I'm always in the medical or pulmonary training hall. Oh, my training hall is also very close to Underdog City, where you were the deputy chief!"
"Come to think of it, thanks to you, the city of Underdog became much more peaceful, right? It's a good thing. Originally, I should have been there as an deputy… … I have a weak body and little talent, so it is a burden to sit in an important seat."
"It would be nice to have a brother as capable as you to help me run things, haha-"
Seth talks to Vikir constantly for the sake of not making him feel awkward.
He even greets the servants who bring him food one by one.
A normal half-breed hound would be overwhelmed by this kindness and friendliness from Set.
So would Vikir before the regression.
But.
The post-Regression Vikir is different.
"...."
Vikir stared into Set's face as he spoke softly to him.
For a long time, Set had been unusually good-hearted and caring for the people around him.
Because of this, he was not well-liked by Hugo or Osiris, and because of this, he was always sad and sullen.
The younger Vikir, before his regression, had a liking for him.
... but.
Now, as a seasoned veteran of the Age of Destruction and an iron-blooded hound, Vikir saw Set in a different light.
'Set Les Baskervilles' was presumably not human.
Vikir recalled the information Sindiwendi had sent him last night.
In truth, he didn't need to recall it.
The stench from Set's mouth had been making him sick to his stomach.
The kind of odor that would make even the most squeamish Vikir struggle to keep a straight face.
But no one else in the vicinity could smell the stench emanating from Set.
Vikir knew exactly what it was.
"It's the smell of a demon."
This intense stench, a mixture of soaking intestines and rotting corpses, could only be smelled by hounds from the Age of Destruction.
Before my return, I was numb to the smell of the world because it was so omnipresent, but when I smelled it in the peaceful world after my return, I knew it at once.
Fahrr...
It was an unholy scent, so foul that even Beelzebub, who lurked in the veins of his arteries, and even the wraith of Madame, who was imprisoned in Beelzebub's orb, were frightened.
'Why does Set's body emit such a foul odor?'
Vikir quickly regained his composure.
Next, Vikir sipped from his goblet.
The red glistening surface reflected the images of Hugo, Osiris, and Set.
But.
To Vikir's surprise, there were only two reflections in the glass.
Hugo and Osiris. There was no reflection of Set in the glass.
'See?'
Vikir wondered to himself.
Demons. Beings of the demonic realm.
They are generally divided into demons and beasts.
The difference between the two is that demons refer to higher demons with spirituality, while demonic beasts refer to monsters.
This is similar to the distinction between humans and animals.
While a typical demonic beast can be seen in a mirror and reflected in water..., this was not the case with demons.
They cannot be seen in mirrors or water unless they use special magic to deliberately conceal their appearance.
It's something that everyone will learn (and pay for expensive lessons) in the Age of Destruction, but for now, no one knows.
...Except for Vikir, that is.
'You let your guard down, Set.'
Vikir thought as he drained his glass.
Set had become too arrogant to even bother watching his glass.
He might be wearing the shell of the second son, but underneath, he was likely a completely different person.
Vikir recalled the testimonies of those around him about Set.
'Master Set, he's a good man. When he was younger, he was blunt and cold, like most of the other Baskervillians, but since... 'that unfortunate incident,' he's changed a lot. I'd say he's become softer.'
'What? The unfortunate incident? Oh, by the way, I'm only telling you this for Master Vikir's sake... In fact, Master Set once attempted suicide, the night he was severely scolded by his master for his lack of talent....'
'Luckily, we caught him early enough to save his life, but he was so traumatized by it that he's been completely gentle and affectionate ever since, probably because of that near-death experience....'
Once upon a time, Vikir had started a small fire in Baskerville's great library.
He had covered it up for the servants when they became restless, and they had been friendly to him ever since.
Based on the information he'd gotten from the servants, Vikir reasoned.
'The real Set probably died that day, and the ... demon took over the empty shell.'
Suddenly, another thought occurred to him.
Generally speaking, for demons, the blood of human children is treated as a medicine.
As Sindiwendi's investigation revealed, the large-scale abduction in Underdog was not just focused on abduction.
Orphans have disappeared from numerous orphanages and childcare foundations.
They were adopted here and there through formal or informal channels, and then all were lost.
They only existed on paper.
Sindiwendi used money and informants to track down the missing children.
The last place they had in common was the training center where Set Les Baskervilles was practicing.
It's a neighborhood not far from the city of Underdog.
"After I took over a childcare foundation, I investigated the adoption route of the children in the name of donations, and I finally found out about this illegally.
I can see Sindiwendi's face in my head.
Vikir listened very carefully, for this was also the reason why he had been executed before his regression.
Demons suck the blood of children.
Vikir, who was serving Set at the time, was accused of being in league with the demons because a large number of bones with the blood of young children were found in the cellar near his room.
And executed. He regressed.
'Maybe... really maybe, Hugo is not guilty.'
It was unlikely, but not impossible.
Hugo, who knew nothing, might have executed Vikir out of sheer selfishness.
He might have been fooled by the conspiracy of his second son, Set.
Vikir thought grimly.
"The question is, how far has Set's soul eroded?"
A stench this strong means it's almost 100% consumed.
Set must have harbored a lot of resentment, hatred, inferiority complexes, lack of affection, and self-destructive feelings towards his father and brother before he died, and that's how you open the door to your soul and invite demons in.
Vikir stroked his chin once.
The realization that the only master he had ever followed before his regression was actually the mastermind of the Dead Dog Cooking does not shake him.
Instead, I felt my blood run cold.
But Set, unaware of Vikir's secret, continued to speak to him in a friendly manner.
"So, little brother, which of the Knights do you like best? I like the Wolfhounds the best. Well, pit bulls and mastiffs are good, too. Oh, and personally, I used to like the Doberman Knights best when I was a kid, they have the coolest uniforms!"
"...."
"So, now that you're back home, what are you going to do, get into the academy after all? Well, that's what your brother Osiris did. Or are you going to stay on at Underdog as a Deputy Magistrate, I heard your favorite citizens were protesting for a permanent position? Maybe we can work together when I return to the Magistrate's office!"
Set rambled on while Vikir stabbed a piece of meat with his fork.
Vikir was just about to frown at the foul odor from Set's mouth.
"Moderation."
Osiris interrupted Set.
When Set shut up, Osiris spoke in a cold tone.
"How chatty you are, even though you haven't finished your meal."
"...."
"Finish your meal and don't interrupt your brother's meal with your chatter."
With that, Set shut up and bowed his head.
Vikir was finally freed from the stench of demons on Set's breath.
'It's different seeing you like this.'
Vikir pulled back slightly and watched the relationship between Osiris and Set.
The younger Vikir, before the regression, would have understood what had just happened as Osiris persecuting Set.
What had just happened would have been seen as the cold and arrogant firstborn driving a wedge between the other middle children.
In fact, the servants around him were making eye contact, indicating that Osiris had gone too far.
They pitied Set, who shook his head in disbelief.
But only then did Vikir see the relationship between Osiris and Set.
Osiris felt an indescribable discomfort and distance from Set, which was why he was trying to keep his other siblings away from him.
This is why he frowned at Set whenever he opened his mouth, as if he smelled a bad odor.
In other words, Osiris's genius instincts and senses are subconsciously disliking Set's demonic nature.
It was the same with Hugo.
'...So perhaps I, who served under Set before my regression, had a chin to look good on.'
Vikir turned and looked at Osiris.
Though cold and distant, there was a glimmer of humanity beneath.
So much more human than Hugo.
Besides, Osiris had been looking out for Vikir, a newcomer to the Great Banquet, in his own way.
Even if it was in his own way.
"Vikir. Knife #3 should not be held in your hand."
"Tilt the plate to the other side. Don't make a scraping sound with your utensils."
"You need to brush up on your aristocratic dining etiquette. Napkins are not folded in that direction."
It may seem like a high-pressure lecture, but it's really just a way to keep an eye on your younger brother to make sure he doesn't make a mistake in front of your father or other adults in the house.
And there was no reason to be offended because he was only pointing out the things that were wrong, and he only chose the right words.
If there's something wrong, you just fix it, and Osiris doesn't say much about the improvement.
Of course, if it were a normal child, they would have been scared and cowered.
'He's a bit of a jerk, but... doesn't seem as bad as I thought he was.'
Not so with Vikir.
After three scoldings, Vikir demonstrated such good table manners that he didn't need to be scolded anymore.
Only then did Osiris' lips curl into a slight smile of satisfaction.
"I see. Now there's a bit of nobility."
The clumsy warmth grows a little stronger.
* * *
With that, the long meal came to an end.
The Baskerville family's Great Banquet takes two hours for the appetizers alone and about five hours for the entire meal.
By the time it was over, it was nearly midnight.
Vikir was about to leave the banquet hall.
"... wait."
Hugo stopped him.
"There's something I need to talk to you about, son."
"Yes, Father."
Vikir stood upright in front of Hugo.
Hugo stared at him for a moment, then spoke.
"No, no. It's late today, so come back tomorrow morning."
"Do you have any further engagements after midnight?"
"No, I don't. I just thought you might be tired."
Vikir was surprised again.
Even though he had no plans afterward, Hugo was willing to wait until tomorrow morning because he was afraid he'd be tired?
This Hugo who only knew his own time?
He was the kind of man who would turn on the lights of the entire castle and rouse all the humans from their slumber at midnight or dawn if he had to.
He would put off speaking to his son until the morning for dread of his tiredness.
The servants drew the curtains of the western windows early, instead of the eastern ones, for the sun might rise in the west tomorrow.
Vikir's tongue was still in his cheek.
"...."
Vikir bowed his head, his expression nonchalant.
Then, as Hugo left the banquet hall, Vikir and Butler Barrymore were alone.
Butler Barrymore turned to Vikir with a smirk on his face.
"Perhaps the Lord is calling to discuss your admission to the Academy. Congratulations in advance, Master."
"How do you know that?"
Vikir asked, and Butler Barrymore spoke in a tone of certainty, as if he had known it would happen.
"Because I received a letter from the Academy last night announcing the new class."