Ch#136
Meanwhile, Tie swallowed hard.
It was because at that moment, something was visible only in her field of vision.
Right before her eyes, the wave of mana extending from her body had turned into threads, binding the souls of the two servants.
‘Wow, what is this?’
It had all happened just moments ago.
The instant the servants brought plates to Tie and Selina.
That was when Tie finally realized.
‘Selina... is being mistreated!’
Of course, at first it was just a small suspicion.
She had seen a woman speak sharply toward Selina upon entering the mansion.
But she soon thought it couldn't be.
‘Mistreatment is something only powerful and rich bad guys do, right...?’
In Hungbu and Nolbu, Nolbu did it.
In Kongjwi and Patjwi, the stepmother and Patjwi mistreated the protagonist.
But unlike them, the servants in this mansion were just hired workers.
People paid a monthly wage by Selina's parents to do housework.
Selina, on the other hand?
‘Selina is super rich, pretty, has mom and dad, and is a noble kid.’
So Tie could only think that way.
‘Yeah, Selina couldn't possibly be mistreated.’
But when the servants brought food that reeked of staleness, her thoughts changed.
Only then did Tie realize she had overlooked one very important fact.
‘Selina... is still a little kid like Tie?’
She was smart, pretty, and rich, but Selina was young.
And some adults treat children carelessly.
They think kids don't know anything and bully them.
Of course, Tie had experienced it too.
At Room 205, where she was sometimes left when no one could watch her.
‘Eating again? You ate so much just now and want more? You sure have a good appetite. Sigh...’
Auntie from 205 disliked Tie.
She would smile and promise Dad she'd take good care of Tie when he begged, but her face would harden the moment the door closed.
That auntie never gave Tie the milk Dad sent for her to drink.
Instead, she gave stale bread that smelled musty, just like the food before her now.
‘Selina...’
Having grasped the situation, Tie felt unbearably upset.
Did Selina's parents know that the people in this house were giving her bad food and saying nasty things?
Probably not.
Tie herself had never told Dad about getting a stomachache from the bread at 205.
She couldn't bear to tell him the truth, afraid it would hurt him.
Tie drooped her eyebrows as she looked at the plate.
‘If only Tie could tell Selina's mom and dad instead...’
It was right then.
Thud-
Suddenly, a wave of mana flowed from Tie's body.
The wave quickly turned into dozens of thin threads that stuck tightly to the two servants' bodies.
Then Tie began examining the two people's souls, now vividly visible before her eyes.
Small cracks were forming on the surfaces of the servants' souls where the threads touched.
As the cracks deepened, something began oozing out from the gaps like clouds.
“Helga! Are you crazy? Why would you say that?”
“I didn't say it because I wanted to! My mouth moved on its own...!”
“No matter how easy and dumb the young lady is, don't you know you'll get fired for saying that right in front of her?! Ugh, a job where you slack off and get paid well... Why, wh-what is this?!”
Lucarion, watching, grabbed Tie's arm with an amused look.
“You created cracks in their souls.”
Tie stared at Lucarion in bewilderment.
“Cracks...?”
“Yeah. Cracked souls can't properly contain the true feelings or emotions inside. That's why it's leaking out like that.”
Tie swallowed hard and looked back at the servants.
Apparently, Lucarion could see the exact same scene as Tie.
That was when.
“Lea, can't you just shut up?! You always act so superior, but you can't tell what to say and what not to at important moments? That's why, ugh!”
“What? How dare you talk to me like that...! I turned a blind eye when you snuck the baroness's earrings last time!”
“What nonsense in front of the tin can?! If you keep this up, I'll tell the baron couple everything! How you deliberately tie the tin can's hair to give her headaches every morning! Ugh!”
Seeing them confess their wrongs so fluently, Tie anxiously turned to Selina.
Selina was staring blankly at the two servants. However,
‘She's not shocked...?’
Selina showed no sign of being shocked or hurt by the servants' words.
As if she had been receiving such treatment from them for quite a while.
“I never directly bullied the tin can like you?! You'd go to jail if it got out, but not me!”
“You think so? What if I tell them all your misdeeds so far?! And when have you not directly bullied the tin can? Every time you bathed her...”
“Hey, hey. Enough, why don't you both just shut up now?”
At that moment, someone spoke in a dry voice from behind.
Turning around, the threads connected to the servants' souls snapped, and the dining room fell silent.
Veil stood there.
“Money really is great, huh? Who knew Communication Orbs could record these days. I wonder if they can transmit too?”
The Communication Orb from upstairs was placed on his palm.
Th-that's...!
One servant's face turned pale.
The other servant gaped in shock too.
“Kiddo, I did good, right?”
Meanwhile, Veil walked over slowly and stood in front of Tie.
“I saw you stirring things up, so I went right up and got it. How about it, feels like we're perfectly in sync. I'm better than Basto, right? Huh?”
As Veil manipulated the buttons on the Communication Orb's surface, clear voices flowed from within.
-My mouth moved on its own...!
-No matter how easy and dumb the young lady is, don't you know you'll get fired for saying that right in front of her?! Ugh, a job where you slack off and get paid well...
Tie looked up at Veil with eyes full of admiration as she listened to the recording.
He had definitely been right beside her just moments ago.
Yet Veil had gone to the second floor and back in the blink of an eye.
It was a moment when she understood why Raoul always praised Veil's agility.
The recording continued playing.
-I never directly bullied the tin can like you?!
-You think so? What if I tell them all your misdeeds so far?!
“Give that here!”
At that moment, one servant lunged at Veil.
But Veil easily sidestepped and smirked with amusement.
“Oh, coming at me like that? If you want the kids to see you in a bad light, I won't stop you... but you sure? It won't end lightly.”
The startled Tie rushed to Veil.
“Don't, Veil bro! We promised to wash hands together!”
“......”
Silence followed.
Veil smacked his lips and stared at the Communication Orb.
“Fine, whatever. No point meddling in someone else's family affairs.”
Then he manipulated the Communication Orb,
“In times like these, it's best to let them handle it themselves.”
and transmitted the recorded voices to the coordinates Selina had preset.
“Wh-what did you just do?!”
Selina, coming to her senses, hopped down from her chair.
She struggled to snatch the Communication Orb from Veil's hand.
“Where did you send that, huh?!”
Veil raised the Communication Orb high and answered calmly.
“There was only one saved coordinate. Your parents, right?”
Tears welled up in Selina's eyes.
“Y-yes, but I never permitted sending something like that! Give it here!”
It was then that Veil furrowed his brow.
“Selina, don't do that...!”
Tie hugged Selina tightly, her voice choked with sobs.
Then, in a grieved tone, she said.
“I get not wanting to hurt Mom and Dad. But if you don't speak up now, they'll be a hundred, a thousand times sadder later!”
Back in Korea.
Dad had only learned much later that Auntie from 205 had mistreated Tie.
It was after the neighbors sensed something off and confronted her.
Dad had looked the saddest Tie had ever seen.
“Selina did nothing wrong!”
Selina's lips parted slightly.
Just as she was about to reply, on the verge of bursting into tears.
“Kyaaaaah-!”
This time, a sharp scream came from the entrance.
Veil, as if waiting, tossed the Communication Orb into the air and caught it, muttering.
“Right on time. Looks like a reaction from over there too.”
He grinned at Tie.
“Kiddo. Want to see the effect of your Poison Needle Bomb?”
