My mother, Duchess Keraxis, was the absolute ruler of this duchy.
Of course, if she called, I have to go.
I was in no position to refuse.
—Swoosh.
There was a simple note behind the map. It just said how to get to where I was being summoned, that was all. Other things included things like washing up and dressing properly before meeting the highest authority of the duchy.
The directions stated the way there was by taking a wyvern from the fortress airfield. If you showed the included pass, it seemed you could travel quickly.
It turned out that the name of the pass was the 'Special Pass.' I was not sure, but it seemed like a really important matter. I felt uneasy since it appeared to be important.
"The deadline is next week."
Then I guess I should depart either today or tomorrow.
There were a total of four fortresses in the Bellacruel Duchy that stood in all cardinal directions. There was also a capital palace in the center of the territory. I had to go to that palace, so I needed to depart early.
"But why?"
It was unlikely for my mother, Duchess Keraxis, who had countless children, to especially summon me, who was stuck in this southern fortress. I thought it might be related to my lineage, but I was not sure.
"My heart is pounding so hard from anxiety."
First, to calm my uneasy heart, I entered the shower room.
After washing, I should call the maids to dress me. Then I should get directions and head to the airfield. If I had to go, I should just go. That was the position I was in.
"Regarding the clothes…"
Normally, as the representative idiot of this southern fortress, no one would have listened to me. But if the command came from Duchess Keraxis, the absolute ruler of the duchy, it was a different story.
Thus…
After washing up, I changed into decent clothes and went out of the room.
—Creak.
The corridor came into view immediately.
My room was number 445. Identical doors lined up on both sides, and demon maids lingered in the corridor.
"Tsk."
"He's so dumb."
The roaming maids looked at me and frowned. These damned women. Every time I saw this, I wanted to smack them. But objectively, I was weaker than those maids.
So I couldn't act high and mighty.
I didn't act tough around those stronger than me.
But today was different.
"Hey, maid. Look at me for a moment."
I called one of them, who was at the front.
"…?"
The maid, tilting her head, approached with a very puzzled expression.
"What is it?"
I used a commanding voice.
"I need some clean clothes. Can you get them for me?"
"You want me to get clothes?"
—Snap.
The maid's head tilted.
And her vertically dilated pupils locked onto me. Honestly, seeing that was so damn scary I thought I was about to wet myself.
Though called a maid, she was genuinely a demon born and raised in the demon world. Definitely not someone a loser Korean like me could handle.
"Fetching them yourself would be hard?"
The maid seemed to know that and came at me really aggressively.
"Do I have a reason to fetch clothes for a mute fool like you?"
"…"
She was damn intimidating.
I was observant, so I roughly knew how things played out. Everyone living in this zone of the fortress was around my age.
We were served by these maids and received teachings from demon teachers.
Of course.
Naturally, I was excluded from most of the education, and the maids did not even care for me.
But if the situation had been as it originally was, I would have lived receiving the same treatment as my demon peers here. I was just being ostracized because I was extremely lacking.
In other words, the original me was a kid deserving of better treatment. Naturally, I was born from a high-grade egg. So, the probability was high.
Common sense dictated that these demons wouldn't raise someone as incompetent as me. Nowadays, there were even guys who work like slaves. More than just simply existing, there was a damn lot of them who worked hard labor.
All of them were also hatched from eggs laid by Mother Duchess… Roughly, this was what I thought, but I was not 100% sure about my current situation.
"Not answering? Has your mute disease come back?"
The maid was on the verge of exploding in anger, her fists clenching and unclenching at her side. Seriously, she was showing real murderous intent. I, a pathetic demon, felt that I probably wouldn't be able to withstand it.
"Forget other things. Here. Bring me some clean clothes."
Then, I immediately showed her the special pass.
"Because I've received a summons from Lady Duchess."
"What?"
"I said I was summoned by Lady Duchess."
The maid, after seeing the special pass I presented,
"Gasp…!"
She opened her eyes wide and sat down, covering her mouth with her hand. Wow. Did it work this well?
I didn't expect such a reaction.
I wanted to make the most of my current authority and beat the crap out of her. Still, I didn't know where I was going. There might be retaliation when this authority disappeared, so I decided to hold back.
"Hurry up."
"Yes, yes! Understood!"
With that, the maid sprang up and started sprinting down the hallway.
"Bring it to my room!"
So, the clothing issue was settled. I walked down the hallway to check the location of the airfield. The main hall on the first floor had a layout map, so I should go there.
As soon as I arrived at the main hall on the first floor…
"Huh?"
I made eye contact with my peers.
"Hey! Look! It's the mute, Kyuse!"
"Where? Ah! Hey! Let's get him! Beat him!"
"Disgrace to our bloodline!"
Sturdy-bodied demons with frames that looked unbelievable for 10-year-olds.
I was screwed.
—Swish!
They started charging towards me!
"Oh damn, this is bad!"
I immediately turned around and darted away! If I got caught by those jerks, it wouldn't end easily! They used to scream at me, the mute, and beat me up every time!
"Save me! It was my mistake!"
"Catch him!"
"No, not like this! Stop!"
I quickly took out the special pass!
"What?"
"What did that bastard just say?"
"How dare he command us?"
When I shouted back at them, they stopped with a baffled expression and then approached me mockingly.
"Looking for a beating?"
"Hey, look at this."
"What's that?"
What did you think?
A special pass.
"I've been summoned by Lady Duchess. I'm on my way to the airfield. Don't get in my way."
I explained quickly why as I showed them the pass.
"What? What? Lady Duchess?"
"Where did this brat pick up such lies?"
"How dare you use the Lady Duchess's name?"
Yet these brats, far from stopping, seemed to suddenly become more animated. Well, these guys also came from eggs laid by the Lady Duchess. They probably wouldn't appreciate it if an insignificant mute like Kyuse were using their mother's name as an excuse.
"It's not a lie. Look at this. This is a VIP pass."
"A pass?"
Upon mention of the pass, the guys leaned in to look at the pass in my hand.
Their expressions soon changed.
"…Why do you have it?"
"Why were you summoned?"
Anger. Jealousy.
And faces filled with curiosity.
"Why would someone like Kyuse…"
Honestly, I didn't know the reason either.
"I don't know either. But don't mess with it. I was summoned, and if any problem arises, you guys will be responsible."
The authority of the Lady Duchess was absolute.
"…"
"…"
"…"
With their tails between their legs, the guys clenched their teeth and turned away.
"Good."
Damn, I really wished my mother actually had my back.
Although I was not quite sure, focusing only on the Lady Duchess's orders seemed to come naturally. It felt like my thoughts were being subtly controlled. Instinct maybe? It seemed so.
For that reason, after preparing, I quickly headed to the capital palace. Riding a wyvern for the first time was really painful and scary. But halfway through, it became fun.
And then.
I arrived in front of the grand Bellacruel capital palace.
It was indeed where the Lady Duchess resided. There were many powerful demons, and both the population and cultural level were much higher than the southern fortress where I was.
Among them, the most magnificent was this capital palace. In front of the palace, there were guards, all of whom had large horns and looked very strong.
"They look damn intimidating."
Though my legs felt shaky, I had to go on.
I took an unwilling step forward.
"Halt. Who are you?"
Immediately, a guard pointed his weapon at me and asked in an imposing voice. I promptly showed my special pass and replied.
"Hello. I am Kyuse, summoned by the Lady Duchess."
"What? Summoned by the Lady Duchess?"
"Here's my special pass."
"We'll verify this."
"Yes."
The guard took my pass and entered a small room nearby. After a while, he returned and handed back the pass.
"You've been summoned by the Lady Duchess, Lord. Please enter."
"Oh… Thank you."
Such a sudden change in demeanor.
Having been summoned by the Duchess meant that she had business with the person, and every entity in the Duchy must help fulfill the Duchess's tasks.
This was the basic mindset of our clan.
"But being called 'Lord'…"
Apparently, this guard, too, was born from the egg laid by the Lady Duchess. As I walked through the palace grounds, a guide appeared.
And so, I entered the palace.
"Sigh."
Ever since I entered the palace, it was a series of tense moments.
Having arrived a bit earlier than the scheduled audience, I was settled in the guest room of the palace. During that time, I received etiquette training from the palace servants.
But damn it.
The palace servants weren't just ordinary servants. Every single one of them looked like powerful demons. They were probably beings specially cultivated by the Lady Duchess.
Because of the strict training from these formidable-looking brothers, the palace etiquette had deeply embedded itself in my mind.
"It's time."
"Ah. Yes."
And finally, the time for the audience arrived.
Thump thump.
My heart felt like it was going to burst. I was finally going to see the Lady Duchess. Mom, why have you called me?
Damn it, was she planning to eat me? And I didn't mean in any weird sense. Perhaps she literally wanted to consume me. Didn't Lady Bathory bathe in the blood of virgins? If humans could do such things, why won't demons?
Gulp.
Lost in these thoughts, I soon arrived in front of the audience room. Soon, I was left alone, waiting for the command to enter as per the protocol.
How much time had passed?
-Come in.
A melodious and enchanting voice rang in my ears.
Squeak.
As if being enchanted, I opened the door to the audience room and stepped inside.