Chapter 23: Alice (1)

When the wicked die, the world becomes peaceful.

‘Oh my, Carlson was a demon…….’

‘I knew it when he beat his wife like she was a rat.’

‘They say he sacrificed all the servants who followed him as offerings to demons? They were children of local dignitaries, how could he be so cruel?’

‘Do you know what he told us last time? He offered his wife and asked for money? That’s when I knew that bastard Carlson wasn’t right!’

‘I knew the master was a bad person, but I never thought he’d actually joined hands with a demon.’

‘For a human who received demonic power to shamelessly demand a purification ritual from a priest – if Priest Lumia hadn’t noticed early on, he would have been toyed with even more by the demon.’

Carlson’s corpse, transformed into a demon, lay in the town square. His head and body were separated, surrounded by a special sealing array set up by Lumia, and people relieved their stress by spitting on or urinating on Carlson’s corpse whenever they felt bad. His body, already beaten with stones, was horribly mangled, and his face was smashed like a rotten tomato, apparently from someone hitting it with a club overnight. According to rumors, they were planning to cremate him soon, which was a shame.

‘Should’ve had a kinder heart, you fucking bastard.’

I sat by the window, drinking coffee. With Carlson gone and the three servants who used to torment me also gone, I was literally enjoying freedom. This was because as soon as Carlson died, Isabel had my slave contract destroyed. We were living a life of leisure, spending the Isabel family’s fortune day by day.

‘Evan. Want another cup of coffee?’

‘Huh? No. I’m good.’

I wished for this life to continue. Days of the three of us sitting together cozily, drinking coffee, reading the newspaper or playing simple games, and then at night, getting into one bed to whisper lewd love. Days of occasionally making love with a lustful Lumia, and exchanging furtive glances at the temple.

‘Isabel. What are you reading so intently?’

‘Hmm? Our daughter. She heard Carlson died, so she said she’d come down for a visit this time.’

But sometimes, daily life encounters changes due to unexpected events.

[Mom, I heard about that person dying. To think he was a demon, I’m so glad he died before he could lay a hand on you.

Are you okay? I’m doing well. Sylvia apparently failed the magic tower exam again. She wants to take the written exam, but keeps getting rejected at the application stage. Sylvia is the smartest and most skilled magic user I know, I don’t understand why the magic tower won’t accept her.

Mom. Since that person is dead too. I’ll come down for a visit. There’s so much I want to talk about with you. Mom. I’m sorry that your daughter is powerless. Once I graduate, I’ll make sure you never have to suffer again.]

The daughter’s letter overflowed with love for Isabel. Isabel’s daughter. I vaguely knew of her existence, but she was a woman I had never met. Because when I came to this mansion, she had already enrolled in the academy and was enjoying her school days.

‘Who is Sylvia?’

I asked about the woman named Sylvia, who was constantly mentioned in the letter. It sounded familiar, as if I had sometimes heard her name when I slept in the attic. Isabel said.

‘Alice’s friend from the academy. You know how she always talks about Sylvia whenever she sends a letter? They seem really close.’

‘Is she pretty?’

‘Yes. They say she’s a great beauty?’

Isabel said that and smiled brightly. Hearing she was pretty automatically made me feel better. Elena, who was clearing the coffee cups, pinched my cheek and said.

‘Pervert. Wake up. She has a boyfriend, you know.’

‘What? She has a boyfriend?’

My fantasy about Sylvia was shattered, and I felt annoyed. Isabel said with a laugh.

‘Elena. You remembered the contents of the last letter? It was about Sylvia dating a knight, and how his character seemed really bad, causing her worry?’

‘That’s right. His attitude was bad, his personality was terrible, and there were rumors he hit on other women too. She went on and on with all sorts of gossip. It was the first time I saw Lady Alice write such a long letter to you, Ma’am.’

‘Because she’s a friend she likes, she wants her to meet a good man, that’s all.’

A knight with improper conduct – I couldn’t even imagine what kind of person he was. Because the knights I met during my slave life were greedy for money, but outwardly polite, or strict with commoners and flexible with the wealthy. They were knights whose social skills were good even if their humanity was at rock bottom, so what kind of things must he be doing to be openly called ill-behaved? Isabel carefully folded the letter and looked at me.

‘It would be good to let Alice know about our relationship too, right? That you’re her new stepfather now.’

Isabel seemed to feel strange even as she said it herself. I roughly imagined the situation, shook my head back and forth, and laughed. No matter how much I thought about it, I couldn’t properly imagine being introduced as someone’s stepfather.

‘I wonder if Lady Alice won’t be surprised. To get a new stepfather right after Carlson died.’

‘Evan saved her when Carlson was tormenting her. What greater motivation is needed to fall in love?’

‘What if she opposes it? I’m from a slave background, and Alice is from a noble family, after all. She seems to have immense pride.’

‘Well……. Still, I believe my daughter won’t oppose it.’

Isabel said that and looked out the window. I followed her gaze to the sky. The sun was shining in the clear sky. As if hinting at our bright future.

Alice descended into the town for the first time in a while. The old carriage she rode from the academy was rattling and causing trouble. Alice adjusted her clothes and massaged her waist. The road to town was so rough that her whole body screamed every time she rode the carriage.

Several priests were wandering around in front of the town. When a demon appeared once, they said they conducted strict checks on outsiders, which seemed to be the reason. At the town entrance, a short-haired priestess was shining holy power to scan the bodies of those entering and exiting.

‘Seriously, this is such a nuisance.’

Alice shuddered at the complicated procedure. Because after the story of Carlson being possessed by a demon and dying reached the academy, she was dragged to the temple and underwent intensive examination. Seeing the same procedure she went through there repeated from the town entrance onwards naturally made her feel stressed.

Carlson was always like that. He acted arrogantly when alive, and even in death, he was a person who caused harm to others. Alice always prayed that she would never become a person like Carlson.

‘What brings you here?’

The priestess asked Alice with a blunt expression. It was the first time Alice had seen this priestess. It seemed she had been demoted to this region while Alice was at the academy. Judging by her use of holy power and the dignity emanating from her body, she seemed to be from the capital, so Alice couldn’t understand why she was in such a rural area.

‘Uh, this young lady is from the academy. She probably already underwent all the checks there.’

‘Is that so?’

The priestess, called Lumia, stopped emitting holy power and stepped back. Alice gave her a light greeting and entered the town.

‘It’s been a while, sir.’

‘Oh, yes. Alice. Have you been well?’

‘So-so.’

‘I’m truly sorry about what happened at home. It’s a regrettable incident. If only we had been a little faster…….’

‘Sir. I apologize. I have urgent business at home.’

‘Oh, oh, alright.’

The priest said that while scanning Alice’s chest and thighs. Even though they were covered by a tightly buttoned uniform and white stockings, his lust was undeniable. Alice shook her head back and forth and distanced herself from him.

The priest, who seemed to want to say more, smacked his lips and headed back towards the town entrance.

Alice hated this entire town. The people who couldn’t say a word when Carlson beat his mother, changed their tune as soon as a priest came and vanquished the demon, offering sympathy to the family. Alice knew very well how proudly Carlson used to brag about beating his wife at drinking sessions. She also knew well that Carlson had looked at her with lewd eyes and had constantly tried to assault Elena. And she knew exactly how much the dirty hypocrites of this town had turned a blind eye.

‘Filthy bastards.’

Someone else’s problem.

In the end, wasn’t all misfortune someone else’s problem? Isabel almost dying, and 8-year-old Alice almost starving to death locked in a small room – it was all someone else’s problem. People only pretended to be sorry or sad when misfortune struck right before their eyes.

Carlson’s corpse hung in the square. A corpse with horns on its head and a horribly mangled body. Ironically, Alice felt the corpulent Carlson who ruled the mansion seemed more demonic than Carlson’s current corpse.

‘Suits him well.’

After spitting on the ground, Alice walked towards the mansion.

The old, elegant mansion. People pitied Isabel and Elena, who lived in this mansion. The people who had pretended not to notice during the nightmares only spoke up after the nightmares ended. Alice detested those hypocrites.

She didn’t want to leave Isabel in a place like this any longer.

Once she graduated from the academy, she would get a good job. Using her abilities, she would prepare a pretty and modest house in the capital, invite Isabel and Elena, and the three of them would live together harmoniously. She would find a wonderful man for Isabel and strive to ensure she never had to lift a finger again. Isn’t there a saying that salvation always comes to those who have suffered? Alice could do anything for her mother who had sacrificed so much for her.

‘Ah, what should I say…….’

In front of the main gate, Alice fidgeted with her fingers, thinking about what to say to Isabel. How should I greet her, exactly?

‘Hello? I’m home?’

After pondering for a moment, Alice decided to greet her with ‘I’m home.’ Her mother must be mentally and physically weakened by the shock, so it would be good to put on the brightest face possible and cheer her up. Alice nodded, threw open the door, and shouted.

‘I’m home!’

‘Ugh…! Mmph…!’

‘Whoa.’

There was a sofa in the first-floor lobby. A man Alice had never seen before was sitting on the sofa, and Isabel was sucking his cock. The man, who had been stroking Isabel’s hair with an ecstatic expression, froze, and Isabel stopped sucking his cock, got up, and quickly adjusted her clothes.

Drip, drip.

The man’s cock was glistening.

‘Oh, oh…… you’re here?’

Alice lost for words.