episode_0008

The world is cloudy.

The shapes of objects were infinitely blurred, as if the space itself was filled with noise.

In that opaque world, the howling of a beast was suddenly heard.

“Wow!”

A shaggy, grayish-haired dog barked. Its shape was unclear, so I mistook it for a yellow ball of fur.

The size of the animal was such that it could lightly touch the thighs above the knees. If it stood on two feet, it would lightly lick the collarbone.

“Right, right… Shall we sit down?”

The next voice heard was a woman’s.

The woman with light brown hair skillfully calmed down a large dog that was barking at her belly. Then she handed something to the dog, who was sitting upright and wagging his tail.

“Would you like to decorate it?”

The woman asks. The person she was invited to is not visible.

“… Are you shy around dogs? What can I do, this kid likes me the best.”

Hmm, hmm, hmm. The woman hums awkwardly.

While savoring the terrible rhythm, something bluish was suddenly tied around the dog’s neck.

“Yeah, it’s pretty!”

“Wow!”

They leave pleasant impressions and bark pleasantly. They seem to be a pair whose conversation seems to be intertwined with each other.

…Somehow my heart fluttered at that scene.

Disgustingly.

And, my heart pounding incessantly made me feel so sad that it brought me back to reality.

The opaque world is collapsing.

Like history being completely wiped out without a trace.

My eyes opened.

It was a dawn with a drizzle falling under a cloudy sky.

The dark hallways of the mansion were riddled with bruises and scratches.

Looking up at the ceiling, I saw raised letters scrawled in an angry manner.

[Give it back!]

A single word that seemed to be a request, and yet still a mystery.

“… Did you fall asleep without answering?”

It’s been quite a while since I’ve experienced sleep. Naturally, it’s also been quite a while since I’ve had a dream.

As I was mocking myself for my inhumane past, a soft breathing sound came from inside Maid A’s room.

“How much ending will be needed…”

I hope Asher gets over her trauma and gets back on her feet soon.

Even if it’s for the sake of each other’s resentment.

◇

The time Asher woke up was around 10 AM.

“Butler…”

Ashe called in a half-asleep voice. She sat up as if she was struggling and rubbed her eyes.

“Here it is.”

“Yeah…”

“…”

“…”

The conversation ended awkwardly.

I looked through the crack in the door to see what was going on, and saw Asher nodding and lifting his head repeatedly. His eyes were almost squinted and swollen.

“Ashe.”

“… Oh, yeah.”

“You are such a ridiculous sight that even maid C would laugh at you.”

“…… Huh…!”

Asher came to his senses only after hearing the outrageous verbal abuse. Then, he threw a pillow at me with all his might as I stared at him through the crack in the door.

“Look, don’t look! You’re like a lewd butler peeping into a lady’s room…!”

Pfft!

As expected, Asher’s brute force was worthy of royalty, and the pillow flew at him with a fierce momentum. Of course, there was no way a thick and fluffy pillow could slip through the narrow gap in the door.

‘I don’t know why I feel this much shame when I’ve already seen everything…’

Starting yesterday, I’ve been looking into every part of my body.

He is truly a unique person.

Should I say that I haven’t lost my sense of style?

I expected him to still be shivering after spending the night, but surprisingly, he seemed to have regained his composure.

It’s a happy miscalculation.

“Pervert butler. Are you there?”

“Here it is.”

“Prepare some wash water. And change my torn clothes. Also… Do you have any pants?”

“He’s probably in the servant’s room.”

“Yeah, that’s fine too. Bring it so I can change.”

“Unfortunately, I am not allowed to open the door. Asher will have to come himself.”

“Ugh.”

Her shoulders trembled greatly. The words that she had to go out brought back the trauma from the night before.

Asher, who had been conflicted, finally made a decision.

“Come here, butler.”

◇

Peep, peep.

Asher peers around the hallway with his neck stretched out through the crack in the door. Then, as if he still feels uneasy, he calls me in a thin voice.

“Is this there?”

“None.”

“Yeah…”

At that moment, Ashe, who had stepped into Maid A’s room, hurriedly revealed her new appearance.

Hurry up!

It seemed like I was running so fast that I couldn’t see my feet. Asher, who was sticking close behind me with a determined look on his face, was keeping a close watch on me with a nervous heart.

“Haa… Haa… Where is the servant’s room?”

“It’s across the lobby.”

“If it’s across the lobby… No way?”

“Yes, that’s where the beast came from.”

Stand tall!

Asher’s steps stopped.

When I looked back, there was fear in those trembling ruby-like eyes.

“Should I just wear a dress?”

“I wouldn’t recommend it. If Asher isn’t going to grow old and die here, he’ll inevitably have to face that beast.”

The dress was woefully inadequate for this ordeal. It would be better to throw away the corset soon and wear something like a compression bandage.

“Ugh… Let’s go. If we use the butler shield, we’ll buy some time. ”

“You are making the idea of using people as meat shields too easily.”

“Hey, what do you want me to do! You’re not going to die, are you!”

“If you are afraid, lower your voice. There is a risk that they will hear you and come looking for you.”

“Ugh…!”

The threat, which wasn’t a threat, worked. Asher stopped whining and remained silent, and safely arrived at the servant’s room.

I chose a suitable maid’s outfit and showed it to Asher. Then, while she was putting on her trousers, I buttoned up her shirt one by one.

Ashe is slowly regaining her sense of stability.

To her, I gave her the hint that was printed in the status window.

=====

Every moment, I chase the echoes of the two people.

She who gave me something precious and she who stole something precious.

Tracing those footsteps, I reminisce about the happiest memories of my life.

Give it back.

Give it back!

Give me back the happiness you took away from me!

-Reward: Gift Box

-Special Reward: Memories of a Hunting Dog

=====

…

……

Asher was shocked when he heard the contents.

“A hunting dog…? That’s a hunting dog?! That’s ridiculous…!”

She took an object out of her leather pouch. It was a photograph of Maid B’s face, burnt to a hideous ugliness.

However, the hunting dog, presumed to be a Labrador Retriever, was captured in a very lively manner.

“… This kid is ‘that’? Even his weight class is so different? ”

“I agree with that, but… it would be shameless to discuss rationality in this mansion.”

“Tch, you’re right.”

Thud!

Asher sat on the bed and continued to ponder the riddle.

“Then what does it mean to ask for happiness back? Like asking for the ugly appearance to return to its original state…”

“… I don’t think so.”

I recalled the text on the status window.

This is the title of the hint given to us. It is certainly not an abstract answer, especially since it deals with a gift that has been robbed of its contents.

“You mean to find it in this mansion? The stuff he stole…”

In other words, a life-threatening treasure hunt was the first game the mansion offered to Ashe.

“This… Sssss… I don’t know who took what, but I really won’t let that go. I’ll pay you back a hundred, a thousand times what you took from me!”

“I’m glad you got your motivation back.”

“I can’t help it… I can’t grow old and die in a junk mansion like this, like that arrogant butler said.”

She was the one who showed even a feeble sense of determination.

I believed in that weak determination and proposed a policy.

“Ashe.”

“Huh?”

“Wouldn’t you like to go away separately?”

◇

In the middle of a deserted hallway.

Asher was walking cautiously, his nerves tense.

There is no butler nearby.

I never knew that the absence of human presence could create such anxiety. I already wanted to open any room and hide.

Every time that happened, Asher recalled the conversation he had with the butler.

[The ‘thing’ I saw was quite slow to react. If it hadn’t been a surprise attack, I could have easily avoided it with Ash’s movements.]

[How can you be confident…?]

[I was convinced when I tried it myself.]

The hound acted as if he didn’t even know he was there. After biting Ashe, some time passed and the butler didn’t even pay attention to him.

I didn’t even notice him when I wet my hands with the spittle dripping from his half-open mouth.

Only after directly touching the giant did he roar and reveal his killing intent.

[There’s probably something wrong with the sensory organs. In fact, there are no eyes, and the ears are torn off. So what sense do you mainly use for perception?]

[It’s the sense of smell!]

[That’s correct.]

It’s in the realm of hypothesis, but I thought it was valid.

That’s why I agreed to the butler’s suggestion.

If the butler encounters the hound first, he can provoke it to buy time. This is a plan that is possible with the unique immortality.

On the other hand, if Ashe encounters him first, she uses her unique physical abilities to desperately escape to Maid A’s room.

Their strategy was to repeat this in order to find the ‘happiness’ that had been stolen from them.

‘Still, I can’t help but feel anxious.’

This time there are no coins.

It is an absurd game that wastes a fleeting opportunity for revival.

…Yeah, it’s an absurd game.

I can’t help but disparage it like that.

Well, isn’t that so?

If there was even a shred of equality in this game, I wouldn’t have encountered him so quickly.

Boom, boom!

The floor is shaking.

It was a sound of footsteps that contained considerable mass.

Immediately afterwards, a hideous beast emerged from around the corner in front.

“… What the heck.”

Finally, Asher’s beautiful lips spat out curses.