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When I entered the mansion, David came rushing to me. David , wiping his forehead with his handkerchief, bows his head with his hands clasped respectfully.
"Master, are you back? Has your work been finished?
"Yes."
"I'm sorry I couldn't meet you earlier. I have things to take care of, so I've been busy like this."
He seems so embarrassed because he is late to meet me.
I like that his work ethic is faithful, but sometimes I feel burdened because he seems to be treating me too hard.
I gently grabbed David's shoulder to say that it was okay.
"Don't worry. It's something I've known since long ago that you're working hard for the family."
"My lord...."
A feeble moisture flickers in the eyes that are filled with emotion.
'Isn't the reaction too strong?'
After a moment of embarrassment, I cleared my throat and moved on.
David follows me beside me. I continued to speak with a sidelong glance at David.
"Is there anything more to deal with? Is there something wrong with the mansion?"
"Ah. It's not something you should be worried about. It was because I was on my way to tell the church to send a heresy judge to the cathedral of the nearby parish."
"The Heretic Judge?"
Why Heretic Judge?
I looked at him with a puzzled look, and Harvey smiled confidently.
"Didn't the head of the family say to take responsibility for finding the person who urinated on the stone statue of the previous head of the family? You said I could use some of the family powers."
"Yes?"
"So I gave the name of the family and delivered the message to the priest of the cathedral, saying there is a person in our mansion who has violated the precepts given by the God of Light to the human world, and the family head wants to invite a heresy judge."
'Are you crazy? The culprit is right in front of you, David!'
I wanted to scream, but I couldn't let it out. I tried to calm down and clear my voice.
"So, what did the priest say?"
"The bishop said he would deliver the message when the mass was over. Coincidentally, the bishop also added that he had an idea of repaying Viscount Deharm's generosity."
"Then, there is a high probability that the heretic judge will visit my mansion?"
"It is. It is truly auspicious."
"It's an auspicious thing."
That's not wrong. The problem is that it looks like a crime, not an event.
I thought I had lived faithfully without violating the doctrine of God, but I was in danger of being punished for being accused of heresy.
Moreover, isn't the heretic judging a maniac being who only follows the god of light regardless of rank?
'If my lies are exposed to the heretic judge...'
It is not enough to make a slave urinate on my father's stone statue, but I will be branded as a heretic who lies to cover up the truth.
Afterwards, the moment the heretic judge returns to the diocese and tells the bishop about my sins, I will stand on the judgment seat of the church.
In that case, there was a high possibility that the family's property would be confiscated, as well as that the family itself would be put in crisis.
Even if the saintess gave a favor, the family's status would fall endlessly. The eyes of the young people who were looking at me with envy will turn into disgust in an instant.
'Scary....'
A cold sweat flows as the disastrous end of the fallen aristocracy shimmers in front of my eyes.
Of course, this was always part of the family. There are quite a few ways to get past it without any problems.
Among them, the surest way is to personally subdue the elf and remove its stigma. If I make the incapacitated elf spit out the truth, I will become clear and innocent.
Having regained my confidence, I turned to David.
"You are right. I would welcome the heretic judge to come to my mansion on behalf of the god of light. So, how about we have an hour of worship time?"
"Yes? You mean prayer?"
"Okay. There will be servants and slaves who are resting first after the workday is over, but you, the chief chamberlain, will lead them to the church on the mansion grounds and hold a brief service. Shouldn't our faith in the god of light be firm so that the heretic judge can proceed with the task more easily?"
"Hoo. Indeed...!"
David nodded his head earnestly.
"All right. Then, we will call the servants and slaves who have finished their work early and have a time of worship. Will the head of the household go with us?"
"I will have a separate prayer in the office. I have things to take care of."
"All right. Since we have to leave before the sun completely sets, let's go to the service from now on."
"Good idea. Oh, and."
I added words as if I just remembered.
"Don't take the chef. Since I'm hungry, I have to eat right after I finish my work. Tell them to cook from now on."
"Yes. I will do that."
It was nice not to have any doubts. David bowed his head respectfully at me, then turned and walked away. Looking at the back of his, I secretly smirked.
'This is the completion of an alibi.'
Witnesses are eliminated by kicking servants out of the mansion after their daily routine. As a bonus, the elf will also be led to the church by the chief chamberlain's hand (I couldn't refuse the chief chamberlain's words because I was playing a lowly slave), so I had plenty of time to prepare the trap.
Even if the 'elf hunt' fails, the elves will not be able to point me out as the culprit because I made a proposition to the chief chamberlain that 'Theorad ate while praying in the office'.
Wasn't it a perfect operation? I refrained from laughing and walked slowly towards the courtyard of the mansion.
Giving a generous smile to the servants I met along the way, I spent about 10 minutes in the courtyard corridor. I waited until all the servants and elves left the mansion after finishing their day.
'I'm sure it's done now.'
Estimating the time, I picked up a shovel placed in a corner of the corridor and walked to the center of the courtyard. No matter how much the 'weapons for hunting monsters' were assimilated into the surroundings and transformed, there was no guarantee that the clever elves would not suspect the sudden landmarks.
'If I'm going to do it, I'll definitely do it.'
It was unfortunate that the courtyard was destroyed, but it was a cheap sacrifice if the elves could be condemned.
With a shovel in hand, I dug the ground at a low depth, then took out the 'weapon for hunting large monsters' from my pocket and placed it on the ground. When I lifted the slab and pressed the button above, the square box transformed into a wide slab.
I covered it with soil and leveled it evenly. So meticulous that a normal person wouldn't even know I had dug the ground if he didn't look carefully.
'A cheeky elf girl. It seems that she only knew that I would suffer, didn't she?'
I can't stop laughing when I imagine the elf shedding tears after stepping on this.
Giggling, I put the shovel back in its original place and went up to the office. If you've made it this far, you're halfway there.
Sitting on a chair in the office, I calmly waited for the time of judgment to come.
*
An hour later.
I heard the sound of servants returning from the service and entering my room.
The same goes for elves. I must have heard from the chief chamberlain that I was eating, so it was obvious that he would come to me with a bowl of dog food in my room to be sold.
The shortest route to the restaurant is to cross the courtyard.
If so, the elf would surely pass over the 'weapon for hunting monsters' I had buried without any doubt, and I would have to take advantage of that moment and explode the weapon.
"Whoa."
Taking a deep breath, I got up and hid myself behind a curtain. When I peeked out the window, I saw an elf entering the courtyard, as I expected. She was holding a bowl of dog food in both hands.
Gulp.
I lifted the slate with sweaty hands and put my thumb over the lower button. I suddenly felt apologetic towards the elf who hummed without thinking, but when I think of what I've been through, the apologetic feeling disappears.
I made up my mind and waited for the timing while staring at the elf. When the elf finally put her foot on top of the weapon I had buried, I pressed the button without hesitation.
Kwaaang-!
An explosion, accompanied by a roar, shook the heavens. The dust explodes, and the flames soar high, briefly turning the mansion into daylight. Then thick smoke rose.
'Did I get rid of her?'
As I watched with a nervous heart, the smoke slowly dissipated. One step too late, the bowl of dog food fell on the floor and rolled, revealing the figure of an elf in the smoke that scattered in all directions.
"Uh...?"
As a result, it was a failure. While the elf's jacket was burning up to her upper chest, the elf's hair as well as her skin, like white jade, were clean.
There was not even a hint of distress. She was just expressing strange annoyance and bewilderment, wanting to know what had happened to her.
'Fuck!!!'
I had the possibility of failure in mind, but I didn't expect it to be this fine. Like a person who has made a mistake, my heart beats loudly and my pupils dilate.
Against my will, I calmed down my trembling hands, opened the drawer of my desk, threw the stone slate away, and hurried out to the door.
I've been taught that nobles shouldn't run for the sake of chess, but in this case, it's invalid! I sprinted down the stairs, slammed open the dining room door, and sat down at the table.
'Mmm, I have to pretend I'm eating!'
The dishes I had asked the chef to prepare in advance were on the table, so I hurriedly picked up my fork and put the salad and meat into my mouth.
By the time I got choked up in the middle, I poured wine and ate half of the food.
Smart-
The knocking sound was more chilling.
As calmly as I could, I swallowed all the food in my mouth and then opened my mouth.
"Come in."
As soon as I finish my words, the door opens, and the elf enters.
An elf in a burnt-out suit was staring blankly at me, holding a bowl of dog food in each hand.
Eyes dyed an achromatic color approach creepily. I tried my best to suppress the fear that engulfed the room and performed a desperate performance.
"Why are your clothes like that? Did something happen?"
No answer. I took a handkerchief out of my pocket and wiped it over my mouth to cover up the slight spasm at the corners of my mouth. However, my legs, covered by the table, had been shaking helplessly earlier.
"...."
The elf didn't say anything for a while, then pursed her lips as if chewing.
"Someone seems to have played a prank on the master's courtyard."
It feels like digging into my heart with dry words that don't contain emotions.
"Who the hell is playing this prank?"
The elf's eyes widened to the extreme, like a disk. Is this how the frog felt when it was driven in front of the snake? I was able to face only one truth in extreme fear.
'Maybe I....'
'May be I will die today'