episode_0003

Inside Maid A’s room.

Asher was curled up on the bed, pulling her knees up. The small room that had been noisy just a moment ago was now filled with silence.

“Ugh…”

Sniff, sniff.

Swallow your snot.

Memories that were too hard to bear came flooding back like a tidal wave, and he couldn’t bear it. Asher lamented as if he wanted someone to listen to his worries.

“I’ve shown you everything… Now I’m done with the wedding…”

Seriously, I never thought I’d experience the humiliation of bathing practice at this age.

Obviously, teaching bathing remotely is impossible, so Asher had to do it under the supervision of the arrogant butler.

[Do you know? The armpits and groin area of humans, regardless of gender, must be washed cleanly…]

[Soak this towel in soap and scrub every nook and cranny. For hard-to-reach areas like your back, stretch it out in a straight line… Yes, like that. Good job.]

[When you leave the bathroom after taking a bath, be sure to watch your step. You could slip and die without anyone knowing.]

That alone was embarrassing enough, but that wasn’t the only thing that was bothering Asher.

“But I… I guess I’m not really pretty…”

It was just as the damn butler had boasted. The author taught Asher with a dry gaze that had lost even a shred of selfishness.

Don’t make me laugh. That’s ridiculous.

Even though Asher had grown up as a very beautiful girl, she was a girl who knew everything. She had clearly learned the meaning of a man and a woman being naked together.

“Why are you so proud? I would think that butler’s naked body was dirty, too. Huh.”

A man who would lock the princess of the empire in the maid’s room and then meticulously comb her hair after changing her clothes is something we have no desire for here.

I told you to serve me! You’re a butler.

After venting his complaints to his heart’s content, Asher finally began to turn his thoughts in a productive direction.

“By the way, you want me to find out the secret of the mansion? It’s obvious that it’s a haunted house… In fact, there’s nothing they can do about it other than locking it up.”

… Surprisingly, the idiot butler listens to the market without any inconvenience.

I guess he is the only occupant of this mansion. Otherwise, such a large mansion wouldn’t be this quiet.

“Should I search the room first? Now that I think about it, it’s suspicious. She’s just a maid, but she’s wearing a dress decorated with jewels…”

With her resolve firm, Asher stopped shaking and got out of bed. Then she began searching every nook and cranny, from the closet to under the bed.

But contrary to expectations, no clues emerged.

“That’s weird… Isn’t this usually a pattern where there’s a hidden room or secret space? In fact, it wasn’t the maid’s room, but a disguised space…”

The harvest was surprisingly poor. When his motivation was about to wane, Asher fixed his gaze on the table he had left behind, hoping that it would not happen.

Isn’t the pattern of hiding clues in a conspiracy too typical? Since ancient times, secrets have been kept in a maze of passages that open when you take out a particularly clean book.

However, Asher had to admit that he had overestimated Maid A.

“… Oh man, all maids are like that.”

To my surprise, there were some belongings in the box.

A diary with that written on the first page was in Asher’s hands.

“Let’s see…”

Asher turned the pages of the diary he had found with a heavy heart.

[Oh my gosh, I can’t believe it. I’m going to be a maid in the Arkaden family! My life is going to be bright. I’m going to work hard until my bones wear out!]

‘Hmm… Why are you making a fuss over a mere maid? It would be different if it were the palace.’

Asher’s narrowed eyes once again read Maid A’s diary.

[Oh my gosh… I’m so surprised. The girl who’s in the room next door is so incredibly beautiful! I think her name was B? She was so beautiful that the phrase “beautiful as a country” made sense.]

Maid A had a huge crush on Maid B. She liked her so much that B was mentioned in most of her diary entries, and there were many eulogies praising B.

[B really likes dogs. Today, he spent his own money on accessories for the hunting dog that he keeps in the mansion. But I hate that guy. Because he growls at me whenever he sees me…]

It seems that Maid A continued to have a peaceful daily life. However, the contents of the diary take a turn in the next chapter.

[A new maid came in. Her name is C. She speaks particularly harshly to B. It would have been better if I had stepped forward and fought for her, but it must have hurt the good B. What can I do? As her friend, I have to take care of her.]

Asher was quite interested in the contents of the diary. However, as he was about to turn the next page, Asher’s hand grabbed something that was not there.

“Oh, is this the end?”

There are no more pages left. The diary was originally thin, so it seemed to have broken.

It was when Asher put in a leather pouch.

thud!

Coincidentally, at that moment, a loud noise was heard from somewhere in the mansion.

It feels like something is hitting something or falling.

“Ugh…!”

Asher’s shoulders shook.

What could possibly cause such a loud noise in a mansion where there was no sign of life other than the butler?

Maybe the butler caused an accident that was not done properly…

Asher opened the door carefully and stuck his head out. The dark hallway filled with empty space stimulated Asher’s weak temperament.

“Hey, butler…?”

It was quiet. The owner of that stuffy personality seemed to have evaporated like steam.

“Hey… What did I just hear…!!! Did you do it? Huh…?!”

The eerie mansion answered Asher’s questions with emptiness.

It gives me goosebumps.

An unpleasant sensation spreads through my body, the cold air taking the shape of fingers and caressing my bare skin.

“Come on, stop kidding! I’m really getting scared!”

Now, her words were almost in a sob. But that didn’t mean that the nonexistent being suddenly welcomed Ashe.

Swish…

The wind and rain still raged fiercely. The constant pounding on the window, like a storm, disturbed Asher’s ears.

Damp air. Cool temperature. Dark hallway.

Everything was terrible.

Asher took one foot out the door, enduring the disgusting feeling of unease.

Flash! Kwarrrr…

In an instant, lightning struck the garden. The intense light was followed by a loud thunder that stabbed Asher’s tear ducts.

“Ugh…!”

Just as Asher was about to quickly put her outstretched foot into Maid A’s room.

Thud!

A large hand grabbed Asher’s shoulder.

◇

Somewhere in the first floor hallway of the Arkaden Mansion.

I was walking around the mansion, conducting some experiments.

‘So it was Asher’s appearance that triggered this.’

Over the years, I have periodically taken on the housework of the mansion. I have even taken on the maid’s duties, such as sweeping the hallways and washing the windows.

It was a kind of obligation imposed by the mansion, not of my own free will.

Even so, the living space I am allowed is only the first floor.

If you climb the stairs to the upper floor, you will return to the first floor as if you were circling a Möbius strip.

And that’s not all.

Most of the rooms were off-limits, making it impossible to even find clues.

The same goes for the room of maid A that I guided you through today. It could only be opened by Ashe’s will.

‘I still can’t open the door by myself.’

It would be a fitting treatment.

If I could, I would have gone around the mansion without caring about death.

If you succeed, you escape, if not, you die.

Either way, it was the ending I wanted.

At that time, I was chewing over the reality that my strength was gradually draining away.

thud!

A loud noise echoed throughout the mansion.

It was so brief that I couldn’t tell where it came from.

Has something already happened in ?

With a sense of unease creeping up to the top of my head, I took a rare quick walk through the interior of the mansion.

“Sigh…”

After running hurriedly, I saw Maid A’s room, which was open diagonally.

There, Asher was just sticking his head out the door, just like when he called me in his underwear.

I feel relieved.

It doesn’t seem like anything much has happened yet.

I walked over to him and grabbed Ashe’s shoulder, who was staring at the lobby on the other side.

“Gyaaah…!!!”

The reaction was explosive.

“Get out, get out! Kkiyaaah!”

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Ashe swings her fist with all her might.

[This is an indestructible object.]

[This is an indestructible object.]

[This is an indestructible object.]

Of course, that boldness was not rewarded.

Asher soon remembered the familiar feeling and slowly opened his eyes to look at me.

“Ugh… Ugh… What the heck, you were a butler…”

It’s just a moment to catch your breath.

“Make some noise! Where did you disappear to? Do you know how anxious I was?!”

“Do you think you’re the only one who’s anxious?”

“What?”

“I was also worried. I thought something big might have happened to Asher.”

“That, that…what does that mean…?”

It was Asher who was speaking without answering.

But what kind of meaning is it that I am looking for? This girl is my last bastion. It is only natural that I feel anxious.

“… So, did you do something?”

“What, you didn’t do that? I just finished reading the diary and then suddenly there was a loud noise… I thought maybe you accidentally flipped over the page.”

“I also came running without knowing English. By the way, you had a diary. Could you show it to me?”

“Yeah, here.”

Ashe skillfully took out from her leather pouch. It seemed like she had completely mastered how to use it.

I took the diary and flipped through the pages.

‘Did the mansion lead Maid A to her room to show her this diary to Ashe?’

The instructions in the status window. And Maid A’s diary. Above all, the loud noise that rang out as soon as the diary was closed…

Doesn’t it seem too artificial to be a coincidence?

‘ is… in progress.’

Whether you wanted it or not.

Asher has already left clear footprints.

To the mansion where monsters writhe.