Chapter 41
oFHBefore my brain could process what was happening, my body moved first.4TYn
Z0ZIt was by the narrowest of margins.7XI
zWEkjMy hand knocked the Rabbit Butler’s wrist aside.Cjn
0ZSQVyWPart of Mo Haein’s hair vanished without a trace.ajDYK88
EroeDRmThe beam barely grazed her cheek, leaving behind a thin red line.Ht6Sdi
vbGtIt was a burn caused by the intense heat.eY2hdf
8bVocl4But she hadn’t died.xmuHsK
SCnrwZMo Haein was still alive.shcA
v4GLAfter confirming that she had survived, I let out a huge sigh of relief.Ddyp
9YOx56jBut an instant later, a chill ran down my spine.0SqWzY
pwzKtThe instinctive terror emanating from the being standing right behind me weighed down my entire body.0xVOrf
eJimqm“Gunbam.”Zor4
6XXThe Rabbit Butler remained behind me as he asked,69vcOJ
oLvv8D“Why?”l1rxdsM
VeijFyNThat brief question conveyed nothing but genuine confusion.AIcr0U
dfzlThe Butlers hated the cleaners.4nw
FJR2XXUEven the Footmen, who had once been cleaners themselves before being hired by the mansion, looked down on them with contempt.blk3qlA
9EQ8hgKTo them, cleaners were nothing more than fuel used to maintain the mansion.TEa
vdED2They had no value beyond that.ntR
PYUeoOf the two, the Cat Butler was relatively more tolerant because of his refined tastes.InWOd6
USqJJMore precisely, he simply couldn’t be bothered to pay attention to something he considered little more than trash.JoqYnF
P6R5AThe Rabbit Butler, on the other hand, openly expressed his disgust.xYPY
Pjl0lpIf a cleaner irritated him even slightly, he eliminated them without the slightest hesitation.TRa
BMRuU4From his point of view, what I had just done made absolutely no sense.IKim
MRSThe only reason I was still alive was because my Affinity with him was extremely high.naGh
etLSs0nOtherwise, the moment I had touched his wrist.qLxx
Kn2h‘I would have already been absorbed by the mansion with a hole through my forehead.’F8N
E03DNIf I answered badly here, my Affinity would plummet.p5O
3WIAnd losing Affinity would be the least of my problems.uQ1ja
H6EzThis time, Mo Haein really could become fuel for the mansion.fg8l4Gz
YVYDIGI carefully searched for an answer.LI9m74a
IZIck0One that wouldn’t come too late.rwcDK
1TxA8pThe Rabbit Butler turned me to face him.ammjN
DchVc“Gunbam. It’s okay.”yBVj
baCSLooking directly at me, he spoke slowly.yr0WVsN
pJLpMH“A Butler. Makes mistakes. I won’t be angry.”Lu6
0Q2RlNUAs he spoke, he gently patted my shoulder.iRr
EbaXnIt was as though he were telling me to calm down and explain myself.D8TG
Y3jkZA4He looked exactly like an excellent mentor reassuring a rookie after making a mistake.0rZ
No8lLBQThanks to that, I managed to buy myself a little more time.uggqw
XAKDse6I answered as calmly as I could.JHOL7Vt
U6O“She seemed quite capable. I thought she might deserve one more chance. I also thought it might not be a bad idea for the mansion to have a maid.”GWR
U4zjLooking at the Rabbit Butler, I continued.F15U
kwpnwkY“I thought that perhaps someday the Master might receive a mistress in the—”xMIU5
lR14uBut I couldn’t finish.5AWPzA2
OsTST“Hahaha!”n0C
APqPd3eThe Rabbit Butler burst into loud laughter.9jdY
AahHis long ears swayed back and forth as he laughed.w7kiS2
U2OfF9bEveryone else remained silent.2VeLR
JkfAlJAs a result, his laughter echoed throughout the entire mansion.nPSYL
hhJAfter laughing for quite a while, he suddenly stopped.XA0z6
J09qvWith one hand, he adjusted one of his metallic ears.dTfiaWe
Tt9VThe ear bent gently beneath the movement of his fingers.mEN7
zckpf“Gunbam. You were human.”xLfrKP
2R7RI couldn’t understand what he meant.3gj
j7YrrThe Rabbit Butler watched me for a moment before looking away.sTnG
hihs9GTThen he gestured toward Mo Haein.hRhubs
oxi“You. Go to the basement.”bM2
zcl8“…Thank you.”Iz5pHr
JSCMo Haein replied in a trembling voice while biting her lip.Qzien11
EX0She struggled to her feet.e9M
fpy8KHShe staggered a little, but managed to walk away.RDV
WZzELBKwak Hanmuk watched her leave before reluctantly heading off in the opposite direction.EbHln9
Oa6I could feel the Rabbit Butler’s gaze fixed on me.VBd4Dlp
9k96W“Let’s get back to work.”YdblxVR
gvI“Yes.”yv2hSp
w0091WI didn’t look back at Mo Haein.guf1
FvTxEO“■■, ■■■■, and ■… head to the basement.”jiWHQl
BB2eEPAs though the interest I had shown earlier had never existed, I calmly assigned work areas to the next group of cleaners.b03
qlx***eyEJjrP
7Q483uI had no idea how much time had passed.96G
Lm0wbUnder the Rabbit Butler’s supervision, I finished assigning work areas to every cleaner.8Pq
61FAdBy the time I was done, it was already dinner time.LSC
wVV7lo4If I could have chosen, I would have preferred not to eat.ebr
6AEBut that wasn’t an option.ZYH
SWTWzTwo Footmen attended to me throughout the entire meal.1f4habQ
OvmcZ7Following the Rabbit Butler’s and Cat Butler’s orders, they kept piling more food onto my plate.JZ7pWOA
qh1XbJEven though I only took a single bite of everything they served me, I ended up eating until I felt like I was about to burst.IXF1
rqUGs5And to make matters worse.ooZETF
k3EdEThe food was genuinely delicious.6H1G
WOGLFq5The Cat Butler asked me what I thought of my first day as a Butler.HMX
VAJRq“It’s your first time serving as a Butler, Gunbam. What did you think?”fzvyL
raTxGA“It was a little difficult.”zYz
A3RrIf I admitted that I’d enjoyed it, they might ask me to continue working as a Butler.vsMI
GRqDSSo I pretended it had been exhausting.6pryI
FUD23Of course, I didn’t forget to flatter them either.VQFt
YRLEWls“It made me realize just how extraordinary the Butlers who manage this great mansion truly are.”8kp8
kp1FFB“Gunbam, you always know exactly how to brighten our day!”FoUPH
D4gDv6The Cat Butler was delighted.Owk3
kra9okCI began to feel better as well.QCQk
CeJThe more I ate,Hjnar
ogKthe better I felt.oOWw
riQAfter that, we talked about many things.buDb9x7
SqwDLyiMost of it was light conversation about the mansion.5ii
shXAp2lJust as I had expected, neither of them mentioned the new cleaners even once.K24kP
N9kmI gave up any hope of hearing anything about Lieutenant Colonel Je Hyuno.5lWM3WP
PcsInstead, I discovered that the mansion currently had twelve Footmen.b447ZL
K3rmRuAlthough there were many of them, none possessed the qualities necessary to become a Butler.DydM6
I6WSCtjI also learned that when the Master returned, they were planning to renovate the mansion with a more modern style.QbJi
wlWXUyG“After all, trends have changed tremendously since the last time the Master lived here!”IKg
QrSSIt sounded as though the Master had been gone for at least a hundred years.EQVsRP
wBA‘I wonder when he’ll finally come back.’GJwaP0Z
6SJ0Even if I was only a temporary employee.R9WH1r
17NNow that I had become a Butler, I wanted to meet the Master before leaving CCC.bB6E
1V6erceHe had always been one of the characters who intrigued me the most.WUG
7paThe Cat Butler had a Footman refill my glass with red wine.Dhb
69O079kOut of courtesy, I took a sip.QuBl
Qhwz1sA little more, and I would have felt like my stomach was about to burst.CuT
ULxhFortunately, the Rabbit Butler came to my rescue.DGwPTh
coJPLiE“Gunbam is human. He can’t eat any more.”KGiex9W
NTWCjThe Cat Butler looked at me as if asking whether that was true.eI8l
jWXySrpI answered honestly.BYbtPU
KmM“I’m full…”TuTOmpH
s3jl6d“My apologies! I wasn’t considerate enough.”wZyH8Mq
pZ3gj3The Butlers, who had been enjoying the banquet alongside me, set down their utensils at the same time.21XD
LnvMHAs I glanced at their plates, I noticed something.imB
CP8D70jThe Butlers had eaten exactly the same amount that I had.wI2nw
3OcJ94It was almost as if…8ea
TGoFyYDThey didn’t actually need to eat.IXa
1y9J‘Did they do it just to keep me company?’5RxU1a
X9PQOl5Although, come to think of it.lEnw
a0g3mIt was a little strange that beings with metal heads would eat in the first place.PNgos
LPhYXiuWhen the banquet ended, the Butlers escorted me to my room.QUF5J90
CGH“It was a very pleasant evening.”N7R4T
kQFsFz“Gunbam. Go to bed early tonight.”Owq
yvUocr“Yes. Have a good night.”xweEeTn
W8wAfter politely saying goodbye and watching them leave, I closed the door.fThnZ3
qVviDClick.fgQSzv
1mWcmfY“……”aYuc
vS3pFinally.D6ZEH
ZdhYiJI was alone.J1MY
Jra3l4tI leaned my back against the closed door and squeezed my eyes shut.PwcS1o
NDKKe8XThe Butlers could still be nearby.XMp
KCWvOBI didn’t even dare let out a real sigh.X7R
JeKF‘Everything has turned out completely differently than I expected.’S06xv
AOGNormally, cleaners weren’t given accommodations inside the mansion.WLkwy1q
jUwThey had to find a way to spend the night in whatever area had been assigned to them.XmAPf
2EENighttime was when the Creatures truly began to move.MGafzG
6QDMZAs darkness fell, screams echoed throughout the mansion.sRF08c
CxIxThe basement, where Mo Haein had been assigned, was the most dangerous area in the entire mansion.YYfrlbH
6jXOf all the types of Creatures inhabiting the mansion, the fiercest and most difficult ones constantly appeared there.MhBEO
MxIiaEOf course, considering Mo Haein’s ability and the Ray Gun I had managed to get into her hands, dealing with the Creatures wouldn’t be a problem.AVK
dm8XgEven so.7cso5
HJ4Surviving the night alone would already be difficult.Xe8v
K6KRxA cleaner couldn’t leave their assigned area until every Creature there had been eliminated.Zh2
aM2lThat meant searching for other people was practically impossible.4QR0w
8bAjp‘In the end, Captain Kwak and I will have to figure out Lieutenant Colonel Je Hyuno’s location on our own.’JZ9G
IBs0vThe last time I had seen Mo Haein, she hadn’t been in good condition, so I also wanted to check whether she was all right.FQr
EhdCH4But the other areas were also infested with Creatures, so it wouldn’t be easy for just the two of us to move around quickly.k0Z0M
NecfMore importantly, I wasn’t even sure whether I was allowed to leave the guest room.0vpyL5
aziYwwuI had already attracted far too much attention today by saving Mo Haein.2QZYPMF
x7JIAnd if they caught me outside the guest room.cPUBPA
FAisN8Even if I came up with a convincing excuse, they might connect it to what had happened earlier and it could cause me trouble.jJ2dho
ve9e7xvThe best outcome would be for Lieutenant Colonel Je Hyuno to come find me in the guest room himself.JwPa
S8a5’…Wait.’h8Q
u6gsPF5Suddenly, I remembered something I hadn’t considered until now.XN2DKZy
He4OEven though the system windows had disappeared, perhaps my abilities were still intact.WpQ2hX
jxXBjVOAs a test, I tried using the ability I needed the most right now.96CZOWq
LkO0‘Message.’TPJK
sxzNo system window appeared.MRw
aU73xzHHowever, for some reason, I was certain that I could send a Message to Lieutenant Colonel Je Hyuno.LC4lb
GIx2So I sent it immediately.Ethy
8xfATF‘Lieutenant Colonel Je Hyuno. Please come to the guest room on the third floor of the East Wing.’nEIHMd
DQDcmINow all that was left was to wait and see whether it had actually reached him.eq9x
nXirXf0Meanwhile, I began pacing around the room, trying to organize my thoughts. The situation had become complicated from every angle, and my mind was a complete mess.4fizG
vabRlrxAfter walking back and forth for a while.7Oay
aPuII heard an extremely faint sound.ZZMZ
1QbClack.18q2R
DkZjClack.mKQV0g0
BYVClack.l0bHd7p
Zl0A2OJIt was so faint that it could easily have been mistaken for the wind.oFDe
PZsM4UMost people would have ignored it.3EmOdnm
HFEKFbBut the person I had called wasn’t someone who traveled in ordinary ways.BjIsjY
LlzfI ran to the window and opened it.qmc
xXIvgThen I looked down.8w8P
sgL2g“…Ah!”Aa9IDo
aqH5sQA gasp escaped me.jQBVl
wlvajsmLieutenant Colonel Je Hyuno was climbing the wall.0RU
14x9^ ^♬ddZ
TfpThe moment our eyes met, a smiling face appeared on his glasses.5VU
W8nJ1He even added a musical note to one side before reaching the third floor in the blink of an eye.7pkdIV
mroDApparently, he had climbed the wall because spreading his wings would have been too conspicuous and risked exposing himself.J7kwCnA
Aih4His metal hand rested gently on the windowsill.Pa8R
BlVAlthough the frame looked like it was made of wood, it somehow supported the weight of his metal hand without suffering the slightest damage.gTqKDH
Ln4FQLieutenant Colonel Je Hyuno sat on the windowsill and simply stared at me.FRj9ZO
SdfHe had arrived silently, but staying by the window wasn’t a good idea.h3Z1Ogg
iZNTWP5He could be spotted by a Creature or, if we were unlucky, by the Rabbit Butler or the Cat Butler.tgpSXki
SoSor“Lieutenant Colonel Je Hyuno. Please come inside, quickly.”96Yby
ZNnBut he had no intention of entering.xIn9Jr
duHInstead, he asked,Rw7
0pWX“What are you?”Bte
NhfsIEThat sudden question made me realize I was still wearing the Butler uniform.jKN8lv
BuOBefore his metal hand could tear me apart, I hurriedly explained the situation.Kv1ht
kAAM“For various reasons, they hired me as a Butler instead of a cleaner.”7Ph
WsDZ8“Goyo.”wV6gl
9QTt“Yes?”H28P
GtN“I received a quest.”nLynj
BkwFBtClack.s8a
UylBlLieutenant Colonel Je Hyuno raised his glasses onto the top of his head.jZjgMfZ
HfwHis golden irises were revealed.GKZLzVO
NjL5“It says to rescue you.”gBY
ex7eX“…”VlMVdg
tWGYb1cI was speechless.vxMDuRF
byqRescue me?x82jF
gnD4oKI had no idea why a quest that had absolutely nothing to do with the Trial had appeared.jNS5lL
xuNAQmAfter all, I wasn’t even getting any system windows myself.lpTYqWw
37WLuyf“I don’t know why that quest appeared, but it doesn’t make any sense anyway.”6PFaY
t6263“Why?”we2JbUh
zirlMz“Even though I’m a Butler now, it’s really no different from being hired as a cleaner. We agreed that I’d only work here for seven days.”2Gje9C
orcB27aAfter listening to me, Lieutenant Colonel Je Hyuno tilted his head slightly to one side.H7SiBHO
veszkT6“Who told you that?”epxHL
eRtRXe4“It was an agreement I reached after talking with the Butlers.”AZZ
xcUCThe moment I finished answering, Lieutenant Colonel Je Hyuno’s golden eyes slowly curved.64nH
9sXbQkThen he asked,80JKd8
Z9U“And you believed them?”cgyU
qJ0fI hesitated for a moment before answering.L47y0
8a2“…I don’t understand what you mean.”ut0u
8hpLieutenant Colonel Je Hyuno slowly raised one hand.4kR
pVUZ7P“An NPC from a Trial tells you something…”d79yw
9Mi6wfHis metal hand lightly tapped my chest.vLY4
zq6nLUp“And you believe every word without questioning it.”x6TRV
SIbuP“You’re so naïve, Goyo.”OpH
What did you think of this chapter?
Report comment
Please select the reason for reporting this comment. False reports may result in account suspension.
0 Comments
There are no comments yet. Be the first!