“Master, then I’ll go take a look around the territory’s knight garrison.”
“If I don’t have anything else to command, I’ll return to the back alley now. Since the surveillance has become tighter after the academy incident, the back alley is the safest place.”
Just as I had almost finished reading Alfred’s letter handed to me by Bergen, Runiel and Bergen, who had gotten up from their seats, spoke to me at the same time.
“Well, go ahead and do that.”
Of course, I gladly accepted their request.
Even though they were technically subordinates or servants, with my knowledge of 21st-century modern society mixed into my memories from my past life, I always treated the executives as equals, as comrades.
“Master. Then I’ll also take a moment….”
“No, Parsha, please stay for a bit.”
But just this once, I had to make an exception.
“Huh?”
“There’s something I urgently want to discuss with you.”
Since I had finished reading the entire letter Alfred sent, it couldn’t be helped.
“Tsk. Whatever it is, it looks like we’ve annoyed the master.”
“Hey, boss. I don’t know what it’s about, but… she’s just a kid, so go easy on her, yeah?”
However, Runiel and Bergen, who had stopped as they were about to leave, reacted in a strange way.
These people—are they treating me like some kind of evil employer?
Though I was a little flustered after reading the letter, I was planning to resolve things with Parsha through conversation.
Just what kind of image do the executives have of me since the preliminary battle?
“Parsha, those two seem to be misunderstanding some—”
“Master. I’m fine no matter what you do to me…!”
Anyway, as I was about to explain myself while watching the two leave the office holding their breath, Parsha timidly raised her hand and spoke to me in a trembling voice.
“Still… I want to preserve my own dignity…!”
“No, that’s not what I—”
Her determined words only seemed to deepen the misunderstanding, and I quickly turned my eyes away in panic.
That’s when I finally understood what she meant.
“…I just wanted to go to the bathroom.”
“Oh.”
Parsha, who had been twisting her legs while trying to maintain a smile, mumbled as she glanced at me nervously.
“You don’t have to ask for permission to use the bathroom next time.”
“Ha, thank you!”
As soon as I gave my permission, Parsha’s face lit up and she dashed out of the office in short, quick steps.
And then came the silence.
“Haa….”
In that silence, I quietly let out a sigh and opened the first drawer of my desk.
“I left the gift for my granddaughter in the very first drawer of your desk.”
According to Alfred’s letter, which I had read almost to the end, the gift was supposed to be in there.
“…Alfred, honestly.”
And a moment later, I picked up a familiar item with a slightly bittersweet smile and examined it closely.
“What on earth is going on…”
What was in the drawer was a monocle.
Though he rarely wore it these days due to his deteriorating eyesight, a few years ago he never went without it.
I remember asking him out of curiosity in the past, and he said the monocle was the very lifeline of a butler.
For him to decide to pass such a thing on to Parsha… whatever the case, it meant Alfred’s situation must be quite serious.
“Though we aren’t related by blood, I’ve raised Parsha like a real granddaughter ever since I rescued her from the stronghold of the black mages.”
Moreover, the last part of the letter only heightened my growing unease.
“So if this old man is no longer in this world, please consider it my retirement wish and take good care of Parsha.”
At Alfred’s age, leaving a message that was practically a will would make anyone worry whether they wanted to or not.
Of course, I knew his capabilities well, but with things like this, I couldn’t help but be concerned…
P.S.: By the way, given how things turned out, let me just ask. Young Master, you’re not really the Demon King, right? If you weren’t, there’s no way my granddaughter would be that loyal to you…………..”
“…Haha. Yeah, I guess it’s about time I let him go.”
Frowning with concern, I confirmed Alfred’s typically cheeky postscript and let out a helpless chuckle.
Right, if something truly dangerous had happened, he would’ve written down the situation and his location, not nonsense like this in the postscript.
Good grief, what a senile old man…
“Eek.”
“…Ah.”
Just as I was relaxing a little and setting Alfred’s letter down on the desk, I noticed a maid who had probably come in just seconds ago and overheard my muttering.
With a composed smile, I opened my mouth.
“Um, that was a misunderstanding, just so you know…?”
But judging from the pale look on her face, it was already too late.
If it had been Shasha who walked in, I could’ve at least given her a subtle warning to keep quiet.
Now there’s going to be another weird rumor spreading through the mansion.
“I-I don’t know what you were talking about, but, um, you should come with me right now!”
As I was wallowing in that thought, the maid, who had been briefly stunned, suddenly grabbed my arm and said in a hurry.
“P-Parsha… in the bathroom…”
“?”
“S-she’s… holding her own shoulder…”
Only then did I realize that the maid’s pale face wasn’t from overhearing me.
As I silently listened to her, I had no choice but to dash out of the office.
“She’s trying to stab herself with a knife!”
After hearing that, I couldn’t stay still.
***
Clang—!
As soon as I left the office, I sprinted at full speed to the bathroom.
I held my breath as I listened to the clatter of metal falling from inside.
“Huff, huff….”
And what I saw was exactly as the maid had said—Parsha, panting heavily in front of the bathroom mirror.
Her shoulder was a mess, likely from stabbing herself multiple times, and the floor was stained with blood flowing from the wounds.
“…M-Master.”
As I stared at the scene in shock, Parsha flinched and stepped back, sensing my presence and turning to look.
“Why are you suddenly here…”
“I don’t think that’s important right now.”
Finally regaining my composure, I stepped into the bathroom with a slightly stiff expression, and Parsha, flustered, began to ramble—unlike her usual self.
“I-I’m sorry. But I had no choice.”
“… …”
“Whatever it was… that letter. It contained something about my identity, didn’t it? I—I can tell.”
And finally, I could more clearly guess why Parsha had acted this way.
“Was it from Grandpa? Or Lady Meredia? No, it doesn’t matter.”
“……”
“W-whatever the letter said, it’s not true. Haha….”
Gone was her usual smiling expression.
Her face was deathly pale.
Her breathing erratic, her pupils trembling with fear.
It was a look I’d seen often in the ICU in my past life.
‘Classic post-traumatic stress disorder.’
The brighter a person seems on the outside, the more darkness they usually hide within.
And judging from the contents of the letter Alfred left me, Parsha’s darkness must be deeper than I imagined.
“So, more than anything, you need to trust my words…”
“…Parsha.”
Fortunately, thanks to my long experience in the ICU, I had at least some knowledge of how to respond to this kind of situation.
“First, let’s take a deep breath.”
“Haa….”
So I carefully approached her, met her eye level, and whispered gently.
Following my words, Parsha took a deep breath, and her expression seemed to ease a little.
“I’m… sorry.”
“…For what?”
“Regardless of being your subordinate, I just wanted to preserve the last shred of my dignity as a human being.”
But at her next words, I could quickly tell that the situation hadn’t improved at all.
“…Are you disappointed in me? No, I suppose that would be natural.”
“……”
“To entrust something to someone who was once just a test subject… even I think it’s strange.”
Her tone and expression had calmed slightly, but the darkness laced in her words remained thick and heavy.
“Honestly, as you might have noticed, I’m not particularly smart.”
“Haha….”
“I just forcibly string together predictions based on these artificially implanted visions of flows and futures.”
For a girl who can finish in a day what would take others a week of paperwork to belittle herself like this—her suffering must be far greater than I imagined.
“So… So…………….”
“Parsha.”
Of course, I’ve gone through similar things myself, but even so, I didn’t want to say that I understood her pain.
Because pain, no matter how similar it seems, is always different for each person.
Still, the fortunate thing is that sincere comfort is a powerful medicine for all types of pain—especially emotional pain.
“You don’t need to pour everything out all at once.”
“Ah.”
Knowing that well, I gently embraced Parsha, who had been trembling, and whispered in a soft voice.
“Just… when enough time has passed and you’re ready, please tell me everything.”
Then, Parsha’s trembling gradually began to subside.
“…You’re not disappointed in me?”
“Haha. You know what, Parsha?”
As I heard her small voice from within my arms, I smiled and gently whispered again.
“A true leader’s greatest talent is knowing not to let good people go.”
Maybe it wasn’t the perfect answer, but it was certainly the best one I could give her right now.
“I don’t want to lose the world’s best butler over a past that’s no big deal.”
“…!”
“…This is a gift, Parsha.”
Just then, remembering that I had absentmindedly brought along the gift Alfred left, I gently placed the monocle in her hand.
“I thought it was about time you officially took your position as head butler, so I prepared something special.”
I felt a slight pang of guilt, but still, this would be a great source of strength for Parsha—Alfred would surely forgive me.
“…This is a first for me.”
As I tried to erase the image of Alfred’s disappointed face from my mind, Parsha quietly fiddled with the monocle I’d given her and murmured softly.
“Usually… just looking at you makes my heart clench painfully.”
“But…. this is the first time it’s felt… warm and tingly like this.”
Parsha’s murmuring expression, for the first time, looked like that of a typical girl her age.
“My, how adorable.”
“Eep…”
Without realizing it, I gave her cheek a playful little pinch.
Then, noticing that Parsha’s shoulder was still bleeding, I reached out my hand.
“By the way, your shoulder wound is pretty deep.”
“…….”
“I’ll do a quick treatment for now.”
I worried she might be uncomfortable, so I kept an eye on her reaction, but thankfully, she said nothing and entrusted herself to my healing magic.
“…Thank you.”
Whether from the magic’s side effect or lingering pain, Parsha nestled her head into my chest—and today, she looked especially adorable.
Crackle…
But something about the healing magic felt off compared to usual.
Crackle-crackle-crackle…!
Why did it feel like Parsha’s shoulder was burning with a grayish light, not being healed?
“If this is Master’s will… I’ll endure it willingly…”
“W-wait, what?”
***
“Guh…!”
Meanwhile, at that same moment—at the Shadow Union’s stronghold.
“…Shadow?”
“W-what’s wrong, my lady?”
The woman seated on a throne made of unknown bones and tissues suddenly clutched her right eye and staggered.
The monsters watching her from the side immediately began to ask questions.
“No, it’s fine.”
But just for a moment.
As the woman raised her hand and spoke in a cold voice, silence fell over the hall in an instant.
“To think someone already has enough power to resist me….”
Muttering quietly in that tense atmosphere, the woman soon stood up with a curious smile.
“At this rate… I might lose my place as the Demon King.”
In her hand was a crystal orb, and reflected inside it was the serious face of Whitney, closely observing Parsha’s shoulder.
“Yes… I must make him mine for sure, while I still have the chance.”
And the face that faintly appeared in the crystal orb— was shockingly similar to Parsha’s.
Cliche Novel 