“Hmph. For a vassal, why do you keep rejecting me…”
As Bathory walked down the hallway, she took out her frustrations on the innocent floor.
Normally, her kicks, imbued with mana, could have cracked the floor.
But due to the contract, reducing her to no more than a regular girl, her kicks only made weak sounds.
“You know you shouldn’t treat me this way.”
A special connection.
Before the vassal contract, the only two demons on human land.
They were benefactors who had saved each other’s lives.
The ordinary treatment, undermining that specialness, was disheartening.
“Just you wait. In the end, you’ll be the one regretting, holding onto me.”
Muttering to herself, she headed back to her room when a huge shadow blocked her path.
“Hm? So, you were the head servant, right? Yes… What was your name again? Anyway, do you need something from me?”
A familiar face.
The old human who managed the people in this mansion.
But what of it?
No matter how high-ranking among humans he might be, Bathory was unimpressed.
‘To me, except for Frost Mane, they’re just passersby.’
Those with whom she would not continue relations upon returning to the Evildon Empire.
Why bother conversing?
“If you have no business, move aside. I’m returning to my room to rest.”
“Driving me mad. This incredibly arrogant demon needs to be made into a useful maid.”
“Useful maid? I believe I’m already fulfilling that role.”
Yet, the human’s statement was extremely displeasing.
She had been faithfully performing her duties without mistake, hiding in the shadow of Frost Mane, serving as a guard and gathering information.
Following Luciana’s example to the letter, what was the issue?
“Every one of you is problematic. You lack the basics of a maid!”
‘How noisy.’
According to Frost Mane, once he starts, there’s no end to his nagging.
Proving his discernment was not wrong, the old man’s mouth was non-stop with criticism directed at her.
“What’s the use of holding a broom if you don’t sweep? Even if we skip the cooking part, I’ve never seen you do dishes. Moreover, your attitude towards your superiors lacks even a speck of politeness…!”
While tuning him out, Bathory caught something she couldn’t ignore.
“Tsk. I’ve wasted my time. You won’t listen anyway. With this attitude, canceling the plan to send you to the academy. It’s goodbye to Hans, then.”
“Hmph. You’re the one dreaming in vain.”
She sneered, twisting her lips at the old man.
Combining the information gathered from Hans’s shadow and what Elizabeth had told her,
The academy was at best an educational institution for insignificant humans.
Why should a noble demon like Frost Mane bother attending such a place?
‘Being by my side, the contractor, is infinitely more beneficial.’
The relationship between Bathory and Frost Mane was inseparable, bound by vassal and contractor.
She had been planning to enlighten him soon anyway.
But goodbye?
Such nonsense.
“Hans will always be with me.”
“Sigh.”
Bathory’s eyebrows twitched.
A sigh laden with disdain.
It irritated her temper significantly.
But then,
“Really, acting like a maid who doesn’t even get the basics right. You’re planning to send a servant who cares for you straight to the guillotine.”
Something was wrong.
The guillotine? Was Hans’s life in danger?
“…What do you mean by that?”
As if questioning something odd, the head servant’s whitened eyebrows furrowed.
“It’s obvious, isn’t it? Hans Byron is a noble of the Manhett Empire. It’s his duty to enroll in the academy.”
“How would I know? Human culture is alien to me! Explain further!”
The head servant, after a moment of displeasure, explained.
“All nobles in each region are obliged to enroll in the academy located in the central part of the Manhett Empire. It’s a tradition and law from the time of the empire’s foundation. Violation could lead to severe consequences for the family, including execution in the worst cases.”
“That means…”
“Neither Lady Luciana nor Hans are exceptions.”
Cold sweat unknowingly dripped down her chin.
‘I was shortsighted! As long as Frost Mane plays a human, he’s entangled in human culture.’
His bizarre obsession with his ‘prey’ was only growing stronger by the day.
He would undoubtedly not give up on the academy.
“Me, too! As a servant of that warrior’s descendant, can’t I enter the academy?”
“What an interesting piece of nonsense.”
Contempt.
The scorn from the elderly man was evident.
“You can’t even fulfill your duties properly, and you want to follow to the academy? A woman like you who’d tarnish the reputation of the Speda family? Even if the sky falls, I will never allow it!”
His professional consciousness as a lifelong servant struck her with a massive shock.
That spirit was enough to crumble the mind of a high-ranking demon.
“That’s…!”
“I heard Hans could at least make a decent cup of tea, but his recommendation is quite disappointing.”
Turning his head, the head servant left.
Bathory’s face twisted horribly.
‘Frost Mane was looking out for me even then?’
Contrasted with her previous resentments, a feeling of shame washed over her.
Despite being stuck like glue in his shadow, how did she not notice?
This was a failure as a contractor.
“…Teach me.”
“What?”
“Me, I’ll learn how to be a maid. I’ll do as told. Please, teach me so I can accompany him to this academy.”
“Well, since he asked… Teaching you and making a judgment isn’t too late.”
Bathory’s eyelashes fluttered.
Was the chilling shiver a figment of her imagination?
“Brace yourself. I’ll engrave in you the manners and etiquette a maid must observe.”
Somehow, his smile seemed to contain a malicious intent, as if everything was going according to plan.
***
“Why aren’t you visible today?”
An unfamiliar feeling struck in an awkwardly empty morning.
-Haha, why are you preparing so late? I’ve been waiting for a while. Then, excuse me in the shadow.
As soon as I opened the door, Bathory, dressed as a maid, hiding into the shadows, was initially surprising.
Now, it’s become a part of daily life, making her absence feel even more strange.
“I’m in a hurry, but… Maybe I should wait a bit longer.”
Thinking such days are bound to happen, I leaned against the wall for a moment.
Then, a familiar figure in maid attire caught my eye from around the corner.
“Oh, Lady Bathory! What brings you here? You were always waiting as soon as I opened my door. Today, it seems I’ve waited for you, haven’t I?”
“…haven’t I.”
“Sorry? Your voice was too soft, I couldn’t catch that. Could you speak up?”
“It’s all because of you!”
She yelled, swinging the broom she held towards me.
Of course, I’m not about to get hit by a broom.
But Bathory? Holding a broom?
She who always despised even pretending to clean?
“Did the sun rise from the west today? Why are you holding that?”
“Why? Ugh… If you hadn’t gone to that academy or whatever, I wouldn’t be suffering like this.”
Aha.
It seems Yegor’s maid training has begun.
He’s good at handling people, even managing to involve Bathory in his teachings.
‘Well, being a high-ranking demon but naïve, it wouldn’t have been too difficult…’
“This is hell! An endless cycle of lectures!”
“Well, yes. The head servant is quite strict.”
Even the smallest mistake under a boss who readily criticizes is tough.
As someone who’s been there, I fully understand her current troubles.
-You just don’t get better at brewing tea, do you? How many times must I say to add the right amount of water? This can hardly be called tea; it’s just water with a hint of tea leaves.
Yegor, eventually sending me away with a “Some are just born with certain talents, aren’t they?”
“Still, his teachings will surely be of great help. It’s a bit harsh on the ears, though.”
But now, this isn’t about me.
There’s nothing I can say but to encourage her.
‘If Bathory can perform the perfect role of a maid, that’d be good for me too.’
Of course.
Whether she will actually do maid work after going to the academy…
Or if Luciana, her arch-enemy, would ever let her serve, was questionable.
But the important thing was just one.
A reason to accompany her to the academy.
If Bathory could break free from her contract in the North and use her powers more freely in the Central,
And if I could bring her into the academy,
‘The hidden pieces there are as good as mine.’
The president’s badge, the breath of a higher spirit, the holy sword, just to name a few I can think of off the top of my head.
‘Under the Chandelier,’ with the academy as its main stage, hid relics and elixirs incomparable to other places.
“Though it may be hard, please endure a little longer. We have to go to the academy together. After all, we’re bound by our vassal contract. We can’t be separated, can we?”
Barely managing to swallow the words that almost slipped out, I wrapped them in a formal tone instead.
“You too…! So, you felt the same! Hahaha, excellent. What’s there to fear from the teachings of a cranky old man? I’ll gladly overcome it. Just you wait.”
Bathory’s footsteps lightened as she left.
“Bathory! I told you to sweep and clean the second corridor! Are you planning to neglect your duties again?”
“I’m going! Don’t rush me!”
Bathory’s steps quickened at the booming scolding echoing through the corridor. The sight of her scrambling to find her tasks reminded me strangely of myself when I first reincarnated here, eliciting an involuntary chuckle.
“Come to think of it, we’re not so different.” For her, the customs and rules of human society must feel foreign. She’s likely to struggle with adapting.
“Now, I should also get to my own duties.” Given the precious time I should be spending by Luciana’s side before academy admission, and the fact I took leave for this, another demon thrust into a foreign human land without warning must be looked after—Oparn.
***
“You’ve arrived.” Oparn, elbows on his knees and chin resting on clasped hands, had shed yesterday’s oblivious demeanor, replaced by a thoughtful, mature presence. “…I’ve been reflecting on your words.”
“Oh? And have you reached a conclusion?”
“Yes. Despite my inadequacies, I’ve decided to pursue becoming the owner of this royal seal.”
As expected of a main male protagonist candidate in the game, his red eyes shone with a resolve to confront and overcome challenges.
“Excellent. Future diamond, follow me, then. First, I’ll help you live in the human realm.” While the original plan involved placing him in Georg’s mercenary band, currently, he’s a demon without any legitimate identity. A suspiciously handsome boy without a background isn’t exactly welcomed by mercenary guilds.
Of course, there’s a way around that. ‘Identity laundering is best done through the thief guilds.’ I’ve had my dealings with them, and thanks to my notoriety, our relations aren’t too bad. A little backhander should easily procure Oparn a plausible identity.
“Ah, thank you. And please, speak informally to me, brother Frost Mane.” My steps halted at his address. “…Brother?”
I’ve been called a brother by juniors before. Friendly jokes about being called “brother” weren’t new to me either. But the solemn respect imbued in his “brother,” coupled with a bow, carried a different weight.
“Haha, a future diamond calling a mere doppelganger ‘brother’ is quite unusual.”
“Race doesn’t matter. You’ve given me meaningful lessons and even paved a way for me to live. How could I not respect you as my brother?”
Hmm. A close brother to the male lead candidate, and he seems quite serious about it.
‘This could be exploitable..’
“Well, as per your suggestion, let’s keep it informal.”
He’s destined to become a member of the disaster eradication squad, including the Demon Lord, and a stepping stone for the original protagonist. If I could secure my place as Oparn’s respected brother, it’d make my integration into the original storyline much smoother.
“And be careful with your words. Frost Mane isn’t a name to be tossed around lightly. I also go by Hans Byron, so call me by that.”
Placing a finger to his lips, he nodded solemnly. “Understood, brother Hans.”
“Good. Now that we’ve sorted the formalities, let’s hurry along.” The destination was set. Where Oparn was supposed to be according to the original storyline. The first step towards his academy admission.
“Let’s head to the mercenary guild. Oh, are you good at causing a bit of a ruckus?”
“……Excuse me?”
Cliche Novel 