In the city of Yate, within the Hedley Empire, stands an earl's mansion.
Layne stood in front of a room within the mansion, still somewhat in a daze.
Just a short while ago, he was on the frontier, leading a knight's order against the invading demonic army.
In the blink of an eye, however, he found himself in this earl's mansion, about to take on the role of a personal butler to take care of the earl's daughter.
The dramatic switch in roles left Layne struggling to adapt.
Taking a deep breath, Layne lifted his head and knocked on the door.
"Knock, knock, knock…"
Soon after the knocking, the door slowly opened.
As the door to the chamber opened slightly, a faint scent of flowers wafted out.
Then, a little girl peeked her small head out from behind the door, looking up at Layne.
She was Nanali Ashi, the nine-year-old sole daughter of Earl Horace Ashi of the Hedley Empire.
Looking down, Layne noticed that Nanali resembled her beautiful mother in many ways, from her delicately sculpted facial features to her gemstone-like azure eyes.
Nanali's hair was golden, falling just right to her back, fluffy and soft, making her look incredibly adorable in her pristine princess dress and her clean little white socks touching the ground.
As the two met gaze, it marked the beginning of a destined connection.
This is the story of a knight butler wearing a mask of smiles, and a lonely and fragile noble young miss.
The story actually takes us back two days earlier.
Outside the borders of the Hedley Empire, in a realm controlled by demons, the year 1404 of the Human Calendar, September, autumn.
Within a space created by demonic magicians, a man clad in black armor sat atop a mountain of corpses, wielding a sword.
An invisible pressure was released, making it difficult for the hordes of demonic warriors below to advance even a half step.
The man's dark-colored armor was stained with indelible blood, making him appear like a dark knight of the demon race at first glance.
However, the golden emblem of the Hedley Empire on the left side of his breastplate indicated that this man was, in fact, a knight of the Hedley Empire.
Behind this man stood a group of knights in similar dark armor, although their breastplates bore no golden emblem.
The demonic warriors were puzzled, unable to comprehend why the Hedley Empire, known for its sanctity and nobility, would create such a group of monstrous dark knights.
The dark red sky, designed to suppress the fighting spirit of human knights, seemed to merely serve as a backdrop for this man, chilling the hearts of demonic generals and soldiers alike.
At that moment, the man slowly lifted his head, the friction between his helmet and armor producing a piercing sound, causing the demonic warriors to take a step back in unison.
"It's time to end this…"
A voice tinged with emotion emanated from the helmet.
Though the man's face was hidden by the helmet, his voice betrayed a sense of harmlessness.
He seemed very young, lacking any sense of majesty — if one could disregard the fact that he was seated upon a mountain of corpses.
Just as the demonic warriors were trying to decipher the man's intentions, a long horn sounded from behind them, within their city.
Retreat!
Hearing the horn, the demonic forces scrambled away like they had been granted amnesty.
Watching the retreating demons, the man chose not to pursue, but instead, slowly stood up and descended from the mountain of corpses.
Turning to the group of upright knights before him, the man simply said, "Let's return to the city."
"Yes!"
♤ ♡ ♢ ♧
At the border of the Hedley Empire, within the fortress.
"Commander Layne!"
The man who had just been sitting atop the mountain of corpses found a place to rest when a messenger rushed to him:
"A message from the council, the demons have signed a peace treaty; we won't have to fight anymore!"
"We won't have to fight anymore?"
As these words fell, the knights around him turned their heads in unison towards the messenger.
"Yes, we won't have to fight anymore!"
The atmosphere turned silent for a moment, followed by an unprecedented outbreak of cheers from the knights.
"Oh?"
Hearing this, Layne slowly removed his helmet, revealing the scholarly yet resolute face underneath.
Layne, the commander of the "Dark Erosion" knight order, was remarkably young for his rank at twenty-four years of age.
Unlike those around him, Layne had black hair, a rare sight in the Hedley Empire, attracting much attention.
After briefly scanning the message delivered by the messenger, Layne commented:
"The last time, the demon race signed a ceasefire agreement, and there was peace for six hundred years. I wonder how long they will stay honest this time…"
"If you ask me, we should just storm into the Demon King's castle and completely eliminate the demons, once and for all!"
The deputy commander next to him clenched his fists, speaking fiercely.
Layne glanced at the deputy commander: "What if the Demon King shows up? Will you fight him?"
Hearing this, the deputy commander's courage deflated as he chuckled, "Well, we have you for that!"
"Go on with you!"
Layne playfully kicked the deputy commander, causing him to roll several times along with his armor.
Looking at the deputy commander's now almost white beard, Layne shook his head:
"Let's not dwell on it too much. The demons have retreated, and our duty is fulfilled. Let's just go home and... enjoy ourselves. After all, if the demons invade again, it will no longer be our concern."
Just then, another messenger rushed over: "Commander Layne, a letter for you!"
"For me?"
Layne, perplexed, took the envelope and read through the letter, falling silent.
"What is it, Commander?"
A knight nearby couldn't help but ask.
Layne silently put away the envelope, slowly stating, "My foster father is gravely ill."
"Commander, please… Accept our condolences?"
Seeing Layne's slightly uplifted corners of his mouth, the knights felt that something was amiss.
Reigning in his smile, Layne stood up: "Help me remove my armor."
The deputy commander stepped forward to help Layne out of his armor, while another knight brought a horse over.
As Layne prepared to mount, the deputy commander solemnly said, "Commander, have a safe journey!"
"As for the king, I'll leave it to you to explain. I need to head back…"
After giving this brief instruction to the deputy commander, Layne waved goodbye to the knights and spurred his horse into motion—
"Snap!"
"Off to the feast!"
Watching Layne disappear into the distance, the deputy commander stood in a daze for a long while before coming back to his senses:
"A feast... What does that mean?"
♤ ♡ ♢ ♧
Yate City, situated beside the capital of the Hedley Empire, boasts a prosperity that even surpasses the capital itself.
After a two-day journey, Layne arrived at this bustling city on his lean horse.
Slowly navigating through the busy streets, Layne felt as if he had stepped into another world.
The empire was developing at an unprecedented pace, and Layne, with his ten years of knightly experience, felt somewhat out of place in this modern world.
Unfortunately, the bustling metropolis, with its skyscrapers and endless stream of vehicles, was still a far cry from his memory.
Layne was not a traveler from another world, or to put it more accurately, he almost became one.
This is because, when Layne was still in the orphanage during his childhood, an inexplicable consciousness surged into his mind, attempting to take over his body.
However... the consciousness failed and was instead devoured by him, granting him a plethora of bizarre memories.
Although his body was still under the control of the dominant consciousness, Layne's everyday actions were often influenced by those strange memories.
For instance, he would frequently utter peculiar words and phrases…