Chapter 22
Episode 22
"F-First time meeting you! I'm the new maid assigned to your meals."
For some inexplicable reason, Rihart felt irritated upon hearing the shy voice of the new maid serving his meals.
Why?
He posed the question to himself, but the answer eluded him, refusing to come easily.
"You've just arrived."
"Y-Yes!"
He should have greeted the maid warmly, but he couldn't.
The emotions he had always easily controlled now betrayed their master. He tried to suppress the feelings surging despite his reason.
"Rosie was the one serving your meals before, right?"
"……."
"She has a bit of a personality, so she might have made you uncomfortable. I won't be like that……."
In the end, he couldn't hold back the boiling emotions.
He hadn't seen Rosie in quite a while already, and his body was suffering from Mana Pain once more.
That pain burned away his fragile reason.
When he came to his senses, the new maid was staring at him in terror.
Ah, I must have unintentionally released my killing intent.
A Transcendent's killing intent was something ordinary people couldn't withstand, leaving her trembling like that.
"Eek!"
Soon, the maid let out a strange scream and fled the room.
Even seeing that, he felt no dismay. He simply thought the noisy chatter had vanished, bringing quiet peace.
Then the maid who came before…… Rosie, was it? She's not coming anymore?
This was the first time such a thought had crossed his mind.
Many meal attendants had been replaced before, but Rihart hadn't attached any significance to it then.
This time was different.
Was it because of her scent?
Why hadn't that woman told him today was her last day?
Rihart inwardly scolded Rosie, but it was pointless.
He composed his emotions again and lay still, doing nothing.
The Mana Pain he had forgotten began to creep up slowly. If this continued, he'd be devoured by that damned agony again.
It was while he was thus passing the time.
Knock knock.
The meal maid had come.
Perhaps because he had scared her, her face was pale unlike that morning.
But strangely…… she was holding an armful of potatoes in her arms.
What?
Noticing his gaze, the maid stammered open her mouth.
"Rosie…… said Sir Rihart likes potatoes……."
"……."
What situation was this now?
She had peeled potatoes on Rosie's instruction—did Rosie think he had taken a liking to them?
It was absurd. Even more ridiculous was that he accepted the potatoes from the maid.
Because she mentioned Rosie.
He gripped the potato tightly the moment he took it. It squished powerlessly in his hand.
The maid, witnessing the scene, hiccupped in fear, but he paid no mind.
He vented all his stress on the potato. Thus began the 'potato abuse.'
The new maid, unaware, kept bringing them, thinking he liked potatoes.
Rihart's nerves grew sharper day by day.
Quite some time had passed since Rosie stopped coming, and the horrific Mana Pain enveloped his body once more.
But strangely, the Mana Pain he hadn't felt for a while assaulted him all at once, delivering cruel torment.
His thick pillar of reason was on the verge of being gnawed away by a swarm of insects.
When a hazy sliver of reason remained.
A familiar sweet scent wafted to his nose.
He lifted his head.
Was he hallucinating now? Otherwise, Rosie couldn't possibly come.
As he thought that, the door burst open.
A woman drenched in sweat stepped into his domain. Her face looked as if she were being chased.
Did she know she had entered a wolf's den?
* * *
"You're not asleep."
I had thought this was crazy even before entering, but only after stepping inside did I realize it was utterly insane.
Should I leave again?
Why did I come here?
"Maid, over here."
"……I don't want to."
"This is my room. So you should obey me."
When in Rome, do as the Romans do, huh?
I scowled but, to avoid meeting Yurta outside, reluctantly stepped toward him.
But could I really avoid Yurta forever by hiding like this?
It felt like mere stalling.
"Maid, come……."
His voice, thick with evident thirst, made me hesitate to approach closely.
As I neared him, Rihart could no longer hold back and grabbed my arm, pulling me in.
"Ha……."
He exhaled lazily as he drew my body close. His heightened mood pressed against my skin.
"This feels good, maid."
"Why didn't you do this to Ella?"
"……What do you mean by that?"
Rihart furrowed his brow, unable to comprehend my out-of-left-field remark.
"The new maid assigned to your meals."
"……So you're scolding me for not embracing her?"
"Not scolding, just curious why you didn't."
"I'm the one who doesn't understand what you're saying."
Our words seemed oddly mismatched.
"What did you do to make Ella run out scared?"
"Nothing much……."
Nothing much, my foot.
She wouldn't have fled like that if you did nothing, you idiot.
"I thought you'd do the same to her as you did to me. You've been like that with all the maids so far, right?"
"What misunderstanding are you having right now?"
"No?"
"You see me as a lecherous man."
"Oops, caught."
Rihart looked at me with exasperation.
"I never acted this way with anyone else—only with you, maid."
Is this guy determined to stick a death flag on me?
"Don't make such a disgusted face. It hurts."
"Better to get hurt and back off……."
At my cold reply, Rihart began chuckling lowly.
Why the hell is this guy laughing here?
"Maid, as I said before, we need to get closer."
"Ah, yes……."
"Because I think I'll be seeing you for a long time."
"……Pardon?"
What was this now?
"Can you help me escape, by any chance?"
"I must have hearing problems; I didn't catch that."
Who the hell is he trying to death-flag?
I was flustered by Rihart, who spoke without hiding his true intentions.
But as if he had anticipated it, Rihart smiled.
"Don't you want anything, maid?"
His sudden change of topic left me hesitating for a few seconds, unable to keep up.
"Anything you like, just say it."
"Money."
"So decisive. I like that."
What kind of scheme was this?
I narrowed my eyes, trying to read his intentions.
"Let's make a deal, maid."
"A deal……?"
"Help me escape."
My mind went blank in that instant. What the hell did this guy just say……?
"And I'll put wealth and glory in your hands."
"……."
"I promise."
My head buzzed.
Rihart, who had always toed the line without crossing it, was now blatantly trying to death-flag me.
But something felt off.
In the original story, Rihart never spoke of escape to anyone and broke out on his own.
Why was he asking me for help?
Did I look like someone who could help him?
"Pretend I didn't hear that."
I pushed him away and stood up.
One must find their own path to survival.
"I won't tell the Marquis, so don't bring this up again. To anyone."
This was advice for him and a feeble warning.
I felt sorry for Rihart, but those who would die because of him were pitiable too.
What crime had they committed? Of course, Rihart was innocent as well.
He had been dragged here against his will.
But one thing was certain.
Most people, when faced with one death or many, would choose one.
The sacrifice of the few for the many.
How hypocritical.
But considering the value of life, there was no choice. Or so I wanted to believe.
Wouldn't one sacrifice be better than the lives of dedicated maids vanishing?
But that wouldn't happen.
In this novel, the protagonist doesn't die.
"I don't want to die over some nonsense."
I left the room without waiting for Rihart's reply.
I was certain now.
Pack my things and leave this place immediately.
I went straight to my room.
Rosie hadn't brought much when entering as a maid of the Marquis's household, so there wasn't much to pack.
Thus, I slipped out of the mansion in the middle of the night.
I planned to find an inn and decide to leave the capital within the week.
But.
Footsteps sounded from behind. Not mine.
I instinctively realized.
Yurta was right behind me.
