episode_0035

Ashe’s expression was filled with betrayal. It felt like all the time we had spent together had gone down the drain.

Still, there must have been some reason. If he was the butler, he might have blocked my path to remind me of something I had missed. Such vague speculations lingered in my head.

“Foot, ahahahahahaha!”

Arsent, who was watching a farce, burst into laughter. She naturally placed a hand on the butler’s shoulder, as if she was showing off to Ashe.

“What should I do? The butler seems to be following me… Well, that’s obvious. I can tell you the identity of the interest without having to explore the mansion.”

“That, that can’t be…”

“If you don’t believe me, why don’t you just sit down and think about it? In the meantime, I should have a secret meeting with this guy.”

“…”

A cloud of suspicion grew inside Asher. At the same time, despair weighed heavily on her shoulders.

The one who selects the humans is the one the lady loves the most. And the person who is particularly favored in this mansion is the butler. Considering these two things, it is highly likely that the one who selects the humans is the butler.

This butler suddenly protects Arsent. Furthermore, from the time he went up to the third floor, he secretly pushed Ashe away and showed behavior that seemed to be cutting off their relationship.

‘Could it be that I’m a devil…?’

The circumstances that led to Arsent being selected as a human were clear. The justification for murder was lost, and the justification for death was granted.

I was speechless because I couldn’t understand the sudden change in positions.

“Follow me, butler.”

Arsent gave a concise order. The butler followed her orders obediently and moved further and further away from Ashe.

As the distance widened, a loud shout was heard from behind.

“Can’t you stand there?! Butler!!!”

“…”

The butler’s footsteps suddenly stopped, but that only lasted for a moment. The butler followed Arsent without looking back.

I was overcome with emotion and a surge of emotion.

It’s been a long time since I cried.

It was hard to accept that the only butler I trusted and relied on had betrayed me.

Hot tears fell down my cheeks and onto the back of my hands.

◇

Unlike Ashe, who was shocked by the unexpected betrayal, Arsent maintained a relaxed smile.

She walked around the halls of the mansion, humming a tune. However, she wasn’t in the best mood. If we were to blame it on the butler who was following Arsent, it would have to be her.

“Did you see Arcela’s face? It’s so funny…”

“…”

“I guess you had unexpectedly high trust in that kid? You’d be used to betrayal if you were a member of the royal family… There’s no such thing as a smart-aleck.”

“…”

“Well, I guess I’m resenting you because you’re so smart?”

Arsent told Ashe the truth he had deliberately kept hidden.

“How dare you say that without even knowing that you saved that child.”

“It’s a misunderstanding.”

“Misunderstanding? You think I’m a fool?”

Arsent knew what had happened the moment Ashe swung her sword.

At the time, Arsent had the means to kill Ashe for sure, and he used that means without hesitation.

However, the means was suddenly blocked and the text was printed.

[This is an indestructible object.]

That was the scene just before Asher’s sword touched the butler. Of course, since it was only a split second in time, Asher must have mistakenly thought that the butler’s body was bouncing her sword away.

“Whatever, it’s fine. You can avoid it. The fact that you followed me means that what happened just now was the last mercy or something, right?”

“You can interpret it however you want.”

“It’s okay if that’s not true. At least on this floor, it seems like you can’t help him… If Arcela disappears, you have no replacement, so you’ll have to follow me. Don’t you?”

“I won’t deny it.”

“Yeah, that’s the answer I wanted.”

Arsent stopped walking and leaned toward the butler. They kept a distance that was inappropriate for the wide hallway.

“For the sake of the future, let me tell you one truth so that you can follow me with all your heart.”

“Truth… are you telling the truth?”

“Yeah, that’s true. To put it bluntly, is that your true identity?”

“…”

The butler closed his lips for a long time. Arsent, perhaps tired of waiting, took a step closer to the butler.

“When Arcela dies, follow me. I’ve changed my mind. I will truly love you and treat you well. I can even marry you outside and make you my queen. So… In exchange for telling me your true identity, obey me.”

It was an arrogant suggestion. But considering Arsent’s position of calling foreigners dirty, it was also a groundbreaking change.

The butler remained silent as if he was thinking hard, but eventually gave Arsent the answer he wanted.

“If you become a survivor, I will gladly do so.”

“Okay, that’s enough.”

Now it was time to reveal the secret she had kept so tightly hidden. Arsent deliberately overlapped his body and brought his lips to the butler’s ear. Then she began to seductively whisper the secret between the two of them.

“Your identity is…”

…

……

After finishing his short whisper, Arsent took a few steps back. Then, he watched the butler’s expression with excitement.

But the butler’s reaction was very different from what Arsent had expected. He didn’t show any surprise on the outside. If he was deliberately hiding his agitated emotions, the butler’s acting skills were truly that of a great actor.

While Arsent was questioning the butler with a suspicious look, the butler confessed plainly.

“I had a guess.”

“… What?”

“Of course, it was only to the extent of being a candidate… I see. There are many parts that match. I believe you did not tell a lie. ”

“Ha…!”

Arsent put his hand on his waist. The butler’s thick nerves were astonishing. He was so indifferent even after hearing a secret that would make an ordinary person faint.

“Don’t you have any thoughts? If you’re with me outside, you can do anything. If my bloodline and your bloodline are mixed, then anything is possible!”

“Well, I hope you don’t find it strange since we each have different goals.”

“… Yeah, that’s right.”

Arsent sighed heavily, as if he had given up. He decided to stop trying to convince him with logic. After all, the most important thing was the promise they had made.

“I don’t care what your position is. As long as you obey me, that’s all that matters.”

“I keep my promises.”

“That’s fine.”

Arsent took his eyes off the butler only after receiving the answer. Then he looked at the task given to him again.

=====

You who were born as a devil.

Curse humans, hate humans, kill humans.

It will give you the face of a human being.

The devils will help you.

-Reward: Old Key

=====

Arsent twisted his lips sinisterly.

“How convenient. A task that can be solved without lifting a finger.”

She took a quick look around.

Strange shapes, hazy like fog, hovered beside Arsent.

They were all devils helping Arsent.

The butler assumed that they were all the dead who met their end in the mansion. However, the Arkaden mansion’s family members were all trapped in the portraits on the second floor. Therefore, it would be reasonable to assume that the demons guarding Arsent were not servants, but something else.

‘Ashe must have rushed at Arsent because she was convinced that he was incompetent.’

Asher’s judgment was not wrong. It was the right choice at least until he reached the third floor.

But the mansion gave Arsent power, which Ashe could easily think of as unreasonable.

Of course, the butler’s perspective, who knew the truth, was different.

[… Perhaps, fate was decided from the moment Ashe chose to paint the portrait of Mirelda Neterto. That is why Ashe was chosen.]

The butler’s choice was Ashe. From the beginning, Ashe was selected as a ‘human’.

In other words, Arsent was chosen as the ordeal that Ashe had to overcome as a human being.

Also, I don’t know if it was a coincidence or fate, but… Ashe already had everything. It could be seen as a trial that depended on how quickly she realized this.

‘It’s a problem that can be solved without lifting a finger… That’s not wrong.’

Perhaps Arsent felt that the mansion was taking her side, but the butler judged this task to be the most fair to both parties.

That makes sense…

‘Your brother is also one who can sit still and solve his homework, Arsent.’

The butler hoped that Ashe would find a solution sooner rather than later. Even if Arsent won, there was nothing he could do…

“…”

While Arsent pondered what to do with Ashe, the butler glanced at the penalty that had to be fulfilled.

It was a punishment for interfering excessively with Asher’s homework on the first floor.

=====

[Isn’t it unfair to help only one side? This time, let’s help the other side wholeheartedly.]

=====

Originally, the penalty would have been carried out in a different direction, but this was a factor that changed when Arsent visited the mansion.

This massacre will probably be similar. It will probably be an impromptu ordeal that was changed in the mansion.

The butler just hoped that Asher would come to his senses quickly.