Chapter 14
14
To be honest, my first impression of him was scary. But now, his image is a bit different. A mastermind who is obsessed with housework, and when you get to know him, he has patience and a kind side. As long as you don't press his anger button.
I vehemently shook my head in denial.
"Just don't do that to me. If you hit me even once, I'll die instantly."
"Yes, I'm already being careful because you look like you'll break if I touch you even a little."
"If, by any chance, you have someone you want to kill, let's try to resolve it through the law. Promise."
They say that one act of murder can save you from three instances of patience, but I hope he can endure it at least three times. If he kills one person, another will come seeking revenge, and the police will come too, which would be such a hassle.
He pretended not to see the pinky finger I held out for a pledge and replied,
"I understand. I don't particularly want to do that either. I don't want to become desensitized to death."
So, his amoral treatment of the dead bald man as if he were an object must be a result of the war.
For reference, the war in this world is on a different level from the wars in the world I lived in. It's a combination of superpowers and modern civilization.
He must have seen countless comrades dying every day and mountains of corpses. I held Dante's hand tightly and gave him the gentle smile of a healing counselor.
"I've never been to a battlefield, so I don't know much, but I think you must have had a hard time. You're only given a binary choice of whether to kill others to survive or be killed by others."
The contradictory situation where the law prohibits murder, but the state orders legal murder in the form of war.
In the original story, he participated in the war under the orders of the Imperial Family. As a child soldier at the young age of twelve.
"Yes. Now, I plan to do things I like."
His calm gaze was directed at my hand, which was holding his. It was a bit embarrassing to even say I was holding it because of the difference in hand size.
I put strength into my voice.
"Forget all the bad thoughts while working hard on the housework. I'll make more messes so you have more work to do."
Dante, don't do things like rebelling in the future and live happily with your master~!
I smiled with my eyes, reciting an ending narration like in an animal program in my mind.
The firmly closed line of his mouth loosened slightly.
* * *
"I did it."
The culprit of the locked-room murder was very close by.
The culprit was none other than Mathias, sitting on the sofa in my room.
He confessed willingly and added with an arrogant face.
"So what?"
"You suspected Dante. You didn't help when I was about to be done for, and you only came to deliver the final blow, you despicable..."
Mathias raised a finger and elegantly drew in the air, and my mouth closed as if zipping it shut.
"Mmph, mmph.(Hey, open it.)"
"I let the redhead live to avoid you being suspected, and I put jewels in the hands of the dead men. I think I've been quite considerate."
"Mmmph?(Are you crazy?)"
"The rumor that I'm still alive will spread because of the redhead, so fewer small fries will come looking. I'm disappointed that you didn't realize my plan."
Does that mean those guys will come again? You can't even handle things properly!
Mathias, who was staring at me as I cursed with my eyes, chuckled.
"However, from now on, there will be those who target you, the manager of the mansion."
Is the mansion manager like a mountain that martial arts masters have to overcome? Or am I being treated like a boss monster? Why do I have to be a target for subjugation?
"Why me, you crazy bastard!"
I spat out the curse without realizing the seal had been released. A sense of crisis similar to sending a curse about your boss in the company group chat washes over me.
Seeing Mathias's eyebrow arching disapprovingly, I flinched and took a step back.
"This is curse practice for the challengers who will come in the future."
"Shall I shut you up forever?"
"No. I just want to know why my life is in danger."
Mathias, holding a teacup, closed his eyes and savored the tea.
"It's because you made a contract with me. I can only exist here through a contract, so they will try to kill you to forcibly terminate the contract or try to use you."
"So, you're saying that because of your power, they're bullying weak me? If I die, it's 200% your fault, right?"
He lightly ignored my words and continued.
"Before coming here, didn't you look around the other mansions?"
Is he talking about the underground prison and the tilted house? I nodded.
"Yes, that's right. They were terrible houses."
"Those places also have owners of the mansions. They are much lower in rank than me, but they were once friends."
You should have told me earlier that they were acquaintances! I quickly changed my words.
"I mean, they're such wonderful houses that they make me look like a beggar."
"You chose this mansion and made a contract with me, so you were probably led by fate."
I just moved in because this place was the best and they said they would pay me, what fate? I chose the lesser of two evils.
But I thought I wouldn't get anything out of saying that, so I subtly changed the subject.
"Ah... I couldn't go inside the tilted house because the slope was too steep. I did see the skeleton teacher in the underground prison. I only saw him for a moment, but I grew fond of him."
Mathias, not listening to my words, stroked his chin as if lost in thought and stared at somewhere in the air. He looked like someone reminiscing about the past.
"The last time I saw them was at the steam locomotive demonstration event. We used to bet on things sometimes."
Suddenly, I felt uneasy. Could it be that I've been caught up in a friendship game between friendly local gods?
"Is it something like pitting the residents against each other with the condition that the losing side destroys their house?"
"Anyway, as my contractor, you just need to manage this mansion well."
Look at that socialite's way of changing the subject! As expected of a nobleman! I shook my head from side to side and covered my face.
"I can't fight. I can't even beat a squirrel throwing acorns."
"Those with power are drawn to the strong. Perhaps, those who will help you will also come. Depending on what you do, they may become benefactors or demons."
What is he saying, like a training camp instructor.
He listed only things he knew and disappeared.
Oh, right. I should have asked about the Philosopher's Stone. I'll ask later.
* * *
It was past midnight, a night with a drizzling late spring rain.
Before going to bed, Dante visited my room, saying he would check my bedding. I'm so tired and tormented by this man who comes to clean several times a day.
Maybe it's because he's from the military, but it feels like evening roll call. I'm going to be lectured about cleanliness again tonight.
His keen gaze, which had been silently looking around the room, brushed over my face.
"Did you eat snacks in bed again?"
"How did you know?"
I definitely ate and cleaned up. Did he find even the slightest crumbs that I didn't even know about?
Dante narrowed his eyes and strode towards me. The corners of his lips lifted slightly as he bent down to match my eye level.
"I know everything."
With a low voice as if whispering, his slender fingers touched my cheek. His thumb gently pressed against my mouth and then rubbed it lightly. It was a beautiful hand, but it felt firm, as if calluses had formed.
"Because it all shows on your face."
"Oh..."
I wonder if it's not that it showed, but that I had snacks on my mouth. I thought it was a perfect cover-up, but I let my guard down.
My embarrassed expression is reflected in his lake-like eyes. I felt a strange feeling and slowly backed away.
"But! Why are you only focusing on my room?"
I rubbed my flushed cheeks and spat out my dissatisfaction. Then Dante tilted his head with a blank face.
"Your room is the most fun."
My room is the most fun. I don't know if he feels joy because it's the dirtiest, or if my reaction is funny.
He handed me the pajamas he had washed and said,
"It would be good to throw away clothes you don't wear."
"I don't have any clothes I don't wear. What am I going to wear if I throw them all away?"
"Your pajamas are too old, how about throwing these away? Are they perhaps your favorite pajamas?"
Isn't the word 'favorite' used for items that you can't throw away even when they're about to rot? Are they that tattered?
"I only have one pair of pajamas. Actually, they used to be everyday clothes, but they're so worn out that I use them as pajamas."
I put on a sad expression. Dante's blue eyes widened slightly, and he asked in a more cautious tone.
"Are you having a hard time?"
"No? I have savings, and I get 4 million Give every month."
"With that much income, you should be well-off. Why are you saving?"
"I'm going to buy another house. I plan to rent out this house and earn passive income."
Those who want to kill me may come, so I'm planning to buy a new house to escape and preserve my life. I can just come and go occasionally and not transfer the ownership, right?
Meanwhile, Dante, who doesn't know my precarious situation, looked surprised.
"I was wondering since you didn't seem to be doing anything else, but it seems you were earning money."
"I do have the job of managing the mansion... but I'm practically unemployed."
"You're a real estate investor."
I didn't bother to correct his grand interpretation. In fact, I couldn't think of any other way to explain it.
"Please sleep well. It's late."
The moment he walked to the window and closed the blackout curtains.
Rumble-
The floor and walls vibrated and shook wildly.
Could it be? Mathias's ominous warning came to mind.
I Hired a Mastermind as a Housekeeper
