episode_0018

Siron distanced himself from Lucia and arrived at Dawn Castle.

I thought he was going to chase after me because he was very drugged, but it seems like he was quite shocked. Even when I looked back, there was no redhead chasing me. Shiron left behind a somewhat uneasy feeling and approached the door.

The heavy door, the end of which was barely visible when I lifted my head, did not look like I could easily open it even if I tried.

In other words, if anyone can easily open it, it will be treated as an inferior product that does not function as a gate and will be replaced shortly after receiving it.

If you can’t open it and get in, just call someone. Siron knocked hard on the metal iron door.

Kang- Kang- Kang-

At Dawnseong Fortress, there are no guards guarding the gate. however. There were a lot of people who heard and recognized the sound coming from the castle gate, which was quite far away from the mansion.

-Who dares to come in!

It’s only been a few seconds since I knocked on the door, but I’m already reacting like this. Siron figured out who the owner of the lively and energetic voice was.

“Ensiani?”

-I don’t know anyone like that. If that phrase refers to this body, it is wrong. This body is the third-highest-ranking guardian of the Dawn Castle, the one who hates natural law the most, and the one with the aura of speed that fires angry lightning at those who are wronged!

He revealed that he knew his identity, but what came back was an exaggerated denial. Why is he like this?

“Then who are in first and second place?”

-Descendants of the great Prien, cute master and young lady, and… Ah! I forgot the head maid. I will fix it to 4th in line.

Kuuuung-kuuuung-

The huge door opened with a heavy sound.

The maid who opened the door with all her might with both hands was, of course, Encia.

The door opened just enough for three people to pass through, and Encia smiled brightly at Siron, wiping the sweat from her forehead.

“It’s very difficult to open it alone. Phew.”

“Why did you come alone? There are strong kids.”

Siron asked while looking at Encia who was panting. The maids at Dawn Castle are over twenty, so it’s strange why she was the only one who came. I don’t think about the possibility that I couldn’t hear Siron’s voice.

“… … Well, I lost the bet. Hehe.”

“Bet?”

Encia scratches the back of her head shyly. Siron narrowed his eyes and looked at her. What kind of bet did you make that resulted in it being cancelled?

Seeing Siron’s suspicious look, Encia quickly changed the topic.

“More than that! Why do you bother entering through the gate? You can just climb the castle wall like you did when exiting.”

Encia crossed her arms and complained as if she was very upset.

As expected, she as well as the other maids knew that Siron had left without saying a word.

Is it because of that? Normally, Encia would have opened the door without saying anything, but for some reason, today, despite the nonsense from earlier, her attitude was harsh.

But Siron didn’t care about that. Thanks to that mess, I was able to properly pull Lucia out.

Siron massaged her sore shoulders and answered Encia.

“After working hard all night, I didn’t even have the strength to go up and down the castle wall.”

“Is it too much?”

“Yes, I ran out of lemonade you made in the middle.”

Siron took out empty bottles from his leather bag and handed them all to Encia.

Encia looked at Siron quietly and received the bag with both hands. The bag that I had prepared with more than a dozen bottles was filled with empty bottles.

‘Oh my god, there are so many…’

Encia began to worry that Siron might soon be drawing maps at night.

*

Siron trudged down the hallway, weighed down by the fatigue of walking around all night. He wanted to collapse on the bed and sleep right away, but the place his steps were heading towards was the bathhouse.

She was covered in sweat, dust, and even blood on purpose to draw Berta’s attention, so it didn’t look like anything.

“Young Master?!”

Just when I was in the mood to wash away the mess, a maid I happened to run into came up to me, looking startled.

“Were you seriously injured? There are blood scabs on my body…what should I do…”

It was Ophelia.

“No, I wasn’t really hurt… It’s not my blood, so don’t worry too much.”

It looks like he was genuinely surprised as he covered his mouth with his pretty hand and even had tears in his eyes. I wonder if the reaction from Encia can be so different.

However, Ophelia is special, not Encia. I met many maids on the way here, but most of them simply bowed. Encia’s attitude of not reacting in any way to such a miserable sight was normal here.

However, regardless of their reactions that were out of line with common sense, Encia was not at all sorry for sneaking out in the middle of the night without saying anything, but she was sorry to Ofelia.

‘by the way.’

Suddenly, I wondered if Berta, whom I had sent first, had arrived safely.

“than. Ophelia. I have something to ask.”

“Yes?”

“Didn’t that slightly arrogant-looking woman with black hair come to the castle?”

Ophelia blinked at Siron’s question.

“Ah! Now that I think about it, an outsider woman knocked on the gate a little while ago.”

“Didn’t she give my name?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

Ophelia said and smiled brightly.

“Are you talking about a woman who smells more like human blood than a demonic beast, and on top of that, she smells like vomit? When I called the master’s name, Yuma took him with him.”

“… … .”

“You must have felt really bad. I can’t believe your name is coming out of the mouth of such a dirty woman.”

“… … Uh, um.”

Siron scratched the back of his head.

It’s a bit embarrassing to hear such harsh words coming from the mouth of Ophelia, who is the most tender-hearted.

Moreover, the way she speaks makes it seem like she’s being treated like garbage rather than a guest… If those words had come out of Encia’s mouth, I would have passed it over.

Shiron massaged the back of his neck, feeling embarrassed.

“… … That’s what I ordered.”

“Yes?”

“I told you to name it. I was afraid it would be like this, so I ordered it, but I feel sorry for no reason.”

“Sorry, sorry! I told bullshit to your guest!”

Ophelia closed her eyes tightly and bent her back repeatedly. The laundry she was hugging so much that it almost didn’t touch the floor swept across the hallway.

“That’s it. I have to believe that Yuma would have treated him well.”

The Yuma that Siron knew clearly showed his personality in the game.

At least as long as the safety of Siron, whom Yuma fanatically worships, is not harmed, there is no possibility that anything could have happened to Bertha… probably none.

Siron cleared his throat a few times, patted Ophelia on the shoulder, and laughed.

“… … Now I think of it as his karma.”

‘Well, who doesn’t listen?’

*

The devil’s castle was clearly a word written in the mission statement given to Berta.

In this world, the word devil does not have a very positive connotation.

There’s no way a world that was once almost destroyed by demons would look favorably on demons, right?

However, it was unclear why the imperial authorities openly referred to Prien’s Dawn Castle, which was in charge of one axis of the empire, as the devil’s castle.

Until a little while ago.

Bertha remained tense as she soaked herself in the warm bathtub.

“Is the temperature correct?”

The reason is because of the presence of a woman who waits by her side. Berta answered slowly, calming her anxious heart.

“… … yes. The water temperature is amazing.”

I wonder if my voice might turn upside down by mistake. Or, whether it was to not make a unnecessary misjudgment like last time, Berta was careful again and again.

However, Yuma, the general manager of the Dawn Castle and Prien’s faithful user, could not stand by and watch her look uncomfortable.

Yuma thought of Bertha as the first friend his son brought with him. Doesn’t that sense of pride automatically fill the treasure trove in your heart?

For some reason, Siron’s smiling face came to mind every time I saw Bertha.

Moreover, Berta is an outsider invited to Dawn Castle for the first time in several decades, a truly rare relationship.

Yuma said in a whisper as he massaged Bertha’s tense shoulders with perfumed oil on his hands.

“Speak comfortably. Since Berta is the person our master will invite, she must have a great reputation. There is no need to use honorifics to mere users.”

“… … no. no. It’s fame. They are just salaried workers earning their salary from the government.”

Bertha received her words with a bitter smile.

Every time Yuma let her go, the memory of her behaving in an extremely indecent manner in front of Siron and Lucia came to me.

“Hehe. How can you be so humble? It is rare to find someone who works so hard for the empire that the scent of life emanates from their entire body. It is truly the treasure of the empire.”

“… … Well, thank you for your words of encouragement.”

Berta felt ecstatic at her touch, even though she was helpless with the discomfort coming from deep within her heart.

This is my first time receiving a bath service while on a mission. Moreover, the person who served her was so beautiful that even the woman herself was entranced.

Although Bertha was born and raised in a noble family with a prominent position in the empire, she had never been served by such a beautiful woman even in a mansion in the capital.

If I had to compare him, he could have had a good match with the peerless bard I once saw in the square of Academic City.

However, unlike the bard who was an elf, the user had a horn growing on his head that gave off a fearsome presence.

If it weren’t for the presence of that horn, I would have been able to receive her service with peace of mind.

Bertha felt a little regret,

Why is this place called the devil’s castle?

I pondered the reason.