Ch.00. Becoming an Exclusive Servant

It had been quite some time since I fell into this world without knowing anything.

I had somewhat adjusted to being a cursed slave and servant at my master’s side.

I was standing by, waiting as ordered by Ainel Sianella, the head of the County of Sianella.

Knock, knock, knock.

Someone knocked on the office door.

The gaze of Ainel Sianella, head of the County of Sianella who had been processing various documents, shifted to the door.

Her glossy silver hair rippled, and her indifferent blue eyes seemed to see through the person beyond the wall.

“…You arrive rather quickly.”

I flinched.

I trembled upon hearing Ainel Sianella’s whispered words.

Whatever I was before, now I’m just a pathetically weak male slave.

Even if her words weren’t directed at me, the words of someone who was the head of a county were enough to chip away at my mental strength.

…I think I might get an ulcer.

For now, I’ll just keep my mouth shut.

“Enter.”

As soon as Ainel gave permission, a woman carefully opened the door and entered.

“…You called for me, Mother.”

“Yes. However, Sione Sianella, your footsteps were slower than I expected.”

“I apologize.”

Her head, already tilted downward, now buried itself to the ground.

I looked at Sione Sianella, the second daughter of the head Ainel.

Unlike Ainel, she was in a pitiful state.

While Ainel, who bordered on the realm of Sword Master, excelled in both martial prowess and beauty enough to dominate any space.

Sione was the complete opposite of her mother.

Despite being the daughter of a martial house, she had an obese figure that made one wonder if she even ate and moved properly. Buried in fat, the only resemblance to her parents were her blue eyes and silver hair.

Moreover, her blue eyes were cloudy, and her silver hair was dry and lifeless, making it impossible to imagine she was the daughter of Ainel Sianella.

Of course, I didn’t openly criticize her appearance.

It’s best not to make mistakes that could get my head chopped off for blasphemy from the start.

I am no longer the proud top Hunter of South Korea, but a male slave in a gender-reversed world.

I need to avoid forgetting my status as much as possible to survive.

I withdrew my gaze from Sione and silently listened to the conversation.

“May I ask why you called for me…?”

“You should know the reason better than anyone.”

“……”

“It’s been a long time since there’s not a single person left in the county willing to serve you because of your petty tantrums and behavior.”

“…Yes.”

“And even when servants are forcibly assigned to you, they soon run away because of your verbal abuse.”

Just stating facts.

Sione’s shoulders hunched at those words.

“I’ve been thinking about what to do with you. While pondering, I realized you’ll soon be celebrating your nineteenth birthday.”

Tap. Tap.

The sound of Ainel tapping the armrest with her index finger echoed in the quiet office.

“Gifting you a sword from a renowned craftsman in the domain would be inappropriate since you neither match the first child’s meager swordsmanship nor show any enthusiasm for swords.”

“Giving you a gift related to Divine Power would be unsuitable as you don’t match the third child, and perhaps due to the bloodline gifted with sword talent, you don’t possess even a speck of magical aptitude.”

Under Ainel’s scathing criticism, Sione’s shoulders now seemed so crumpled they might never straighten again.

Damn, she might not even be her daughter…

Despite being her daughter, Ainel’s words scraped at Sione’s pride without any leniency, giving me a clearer picture of who Sione was.

A half-wit lacking both the family’s inherent sword talent and magical ability.

An incompetent person with nothing but her inherited status.

Perhaps that’s why. A noble who doesn’t strive or work hard for anything, lazily passing each day in comfort.

Sione was clearly that kind of person.

“So I’ve prepared a personal servant as your gift.”

“A personal servant…you say?”

“Yes. Being a slave, he will work diligently without causing any more gossip. Though male, he can handle a bit of Mana, making him more capable than other servants.”

“Is that personal servant the man standing beside you, Mother?”

Sione looked at me.

I lacked the courage to exchange glances with her, so I immediately lowered my eyes.

“Yes. Why else would I keep him by my side?”

Ainel nodded.

…So that’s why she taught me so much since I was sold to the county. It was all for this.

“His training as a servant is already complete, so he will begin working under you from the moment you leave this place.”

She rested her chin on her hand and looked at her daughter with those blue eyes.

“He will be the one to support you from now on, so it would be wise not to treat him carelessly just because of his lowly birth. You wouldn’t mishandle your mother’s gift, would you, Sione?”

“…Yes, I will be careful.”

It was an answer suppressed by the intimidating gaze and aura that seemed to pierce through people.

As long as Sione fears Ainel, I probably won’t face much unjust harassment.

I felt relieved inside.

Even as a slave, being beaten without reason is naturally unpleasant as a human being.

If possible, I hope for a relationship where I do my job and Sione does hers.

After the main conversation ended, there was little exchange between the mother and daughter.

In the awkward silence, Sione was the first to speak.

“Then I’ll take my leave now.”

“Very well.”

Ainel nodded quietly and gave me a look.

It was a look telling me to follow.

“I look forward to your service.”

“…Yes.”

I bowed my head and followed behind Sione.

I followed Sione out of Ainel’s office.

After walking further and getting sufficiently away from the office, we stopped.

“Huff… huff…”

Despite walking quite quickly, she was clearly out of breath.

With her obese figure that couldn’t be called slim by any stretch, walking so fast was bound to leave her breathless.

Judging by the sweat pouring down, it seemed she didn’t even walk properly, let alone practice swordsmanship.

I watched her back from a distance.

After regulating her breathing a bit, she turned around and stared at me intently.

Receiving that exhaustion-laden gaze with my own eyes, my lack of social finesse left me with no choice but to bow my head.

If I started an eye contest out of wounded pride and things escalated, I’d be the only one to suffer.

“…You.”

Sione’s cloudy voice was laced with sharp thorns. There seemed to be a hint of hostility mixed in as well.

Seriously, what did I do wrong?

Her very first words to me were coated with unpleasantness, which was quite annoying.

“Don’t say unnecessary things. Don’t repeat that you don’t want to do something. Don’t talk back to me.”

“Excuse me?”

“You shouldn’t bother me like the other servants did.”

“……”

Being told not to bother her in such an irritating voice was more annoying than I expected.

It was a kind of rebellious feeling.

I felt like teasing her a bit just to see her reaction.

While Ainel’s voice was always charismatic, Sione’s vocal resonance had the power to grate on one’s nerves.

“Yes, I understand.”

However, contrary to my inner thoughts, my response was nothing but respectful.

“Hmph, I trust you understood.”

After even snorting, she turned her back again and began walking.

Unlike before, her walking speed had decreased significantly.

Unlike her previous quick pace, this speed was excruciatingly slow.

This must be her normal walking speed.

At this pace, she probably wouldn’t be gasping for breath like before.

As she waddled through the air taking one meaningful step, I maintained my distance and took light steps.

This walk in a strange atmosphere continued for a while.

Then—

Flash!

I began to see something I used to see every day when I was active as a Hunter on Earth, before falling into this cursed world.

[You have become Sione Sianella’s personal servant.]

[A main quest begins, aligned with your master, Sione Sianella.]

[Reform her and save the world.]

[Success: World salvation, Return to Earth (optional)]

[Failure: World destruction]

I paused my steps for a moment and looked at Sione Sianella’s back.

Despite just being told not to bother her.

A reason had emerged that would force me to do exactly that.