Chapter 115
Butler
“Come closer. Hurry.”
Mapheltan crooked a finger as he looked into the cell.
Verdan, bound in chains, showed no reaction.
His expression remained composed, albeit somewhat stiff.
Mapheltan raised the corners of his mouth in fascination.
Verdan was Johan himself.
Beyond his appearance, even his reaction to shock perfectly matched Johan’s.
Johan had always worked to conceal his emotions. Even in a crisis, he rarely allowed his agitation to show.
The fake Johan before him was the same.
Despite suddenly finding himself face-to-face with a demon, Verdan was doing his utmost to remain calm.
It was because the Authority, Impostor, had absorbed even his target’s personality.
The fake Johan slowly opened his mouth.
“...Now I understand why you ordered the estate to be emptied at night, Baron.”
Mapheltan chuckled.
“Go on, then. Let’s hear your theory.”
The fake Johan spoke calmly.
“You, the Watcher of Narak, are a demon disguised as a human. When a certain condition is met, you revert to your demonic form. I believe that condition is sunset.”
Johan had always ordered everyone to vacate the estate once the sun went down.
Until now, Verdan had not known why.
But things were different now.
Before Verdan’s very eyes, Johan had transformed into a demon.
He had revealed his true form at sunset.
Verdan did not know the exact time, but he could make a rough estimate.
It had been early evening when the knight arrested him, so the sun must have set by now.
If his conjecture was correct, there could be only one answer.
Johan transformed into a demon at night.
To prevent anyone from discovering that fact, he drove the servants from the estate every evening.
Mapheltan nodded.
“Well, you got most of it right.”
The one thing Verdan had gotten wrong was that he had failed to realize Johan was a half-demon.
Of course, that was not something he could have deduced through reasoning alone.
A hybrid who changed species depending on whether it was day or night did not exist anywhere else in this world.
The fake Johan spoke with a composed expression.
“Which means there was a part I got wrong.”
“I am a half-demon.”
The fake Johan looked puzzled.
“A half-demon...?”
Mapheltan abruptly cut him off.
“We can discuss that later. More importantly, I have several questions for you.”
The fake Johan studied Mapheltan’s expression before speaking in a somber voice, as though he had resolved himself.
“I will answer honestly, but I have one request. Please allow me to serve you from this moment onward.”
Mapheltan let out a dry chuckle.
The fake Johan had begun scheming.
There was no way Mapheltan could fail to notice it.
The current Verdan possessed exactly the same disposition as Mapheltan.
Mapheltan felt as though he were looking at himself in a mirror.
‘Would you look at this bastard?’
The fake Johan had clearly realized that Mapheltan was interested in the abilities of the Authority, Impostor.
That meant Mapheltan would not kill him.
Instead, Mapheltan would probably take Verdan as his servant.
The fake Johan had already calculated that much.
Now that his survival was assured, what came afterward became important.
Verdan did not want to live as Mapheltan’s slave.
He wanted better treatment.
If he volunteered to become a loyal retainer, Mapheltan would surely treat him as a subordinate rather than a slave.
He might even grant Verdan a certain degree of freedom.
After securing at least a minimal position for himself, Verdan intended to wait for an opportunity in the future.
‘What an insufferable bastard.’
He desperately struggled to profit from every situation, hid behind a mask while scheming, and constantly played games of calculation with others.
Mapheltan could hardly imagine anyone more unpleasant.
‘It’s like spitting in my own face.’
Mapheltan clicked his tongue.
“Deactivate your Authority.”
He no longer wanted to speak with “Johan.”
The fake Johan thought briefly before replying,
“I apologize if I have offended you.”
Mapheltan’s expression twisted.
“This is your last chance. Deactivate your Authority.”
The voice that escaped him was chillingly sinister.
His red eyes flashed dangerously.
The fake Johan swallowed a groan.
“...Understood.”
He grabbed the skin of his face and tore it away.
Impostor was immediately deactivated.
The bald young man with the sinister appearance revealed himself.
Verdan prostrated himself on the floor.
Mapheltan’s hardened expression relaxed slightly.
His displeasure faded.
Mapheltan spoke.
“Now we can finally have a proper conversation. I have several questions.”
Verdan could not even bring himself to meet Mapheltan’s eyes.
His voice trembled.
“I-I’ll answer with complete honesty, sir.”
“Is House Leonar truly behind you?”
House Leonar was the oldest knightly family in the kingdom.
“Yes, sir. They approached me first and offered me the job. They said they would pay for any information concerning House Myatro, sir.”
Mapheltan fell into thought.
The House Leonar he knew despised covert schemes.
They valued nobility and justice above all else and rarely involved themselves in political machinations.
The kingdom’s shield, steadfast as a rock.
That was both House Leonar’s epithet and the public’s assessment of them.
Yet that very shield of the kingdom had employed underhanded means against Johan.
Mapheltan could not understand why.
He spoke.
“Was Marquis Leonar personally involved?”
Still prostrate on the floor, Verdan replied,
“I don’t know, sir. The noble Marquis would never meet with someone like me... To be honest, I’ve never even seen his face.”
Marquis Leonar thoroughly despised those who dwelled in the shadows.
He would not even spare a glance toward the back alleys.
“Who gave you the job directly?”
“I don’t know his name or identity, sir. He was merely a masked man.”
Mapheltan frowned.
“You fool. Then he might have been someone impersonating a representative of the marquis’s family.”
Verdan quickly shook his head.
“H-He showed me House Leonar’s Aura as proof, sir. As you know, only the knights of the marquis’s family can wield that distinctive silver Aura.”
The Aura wielded by House Leonar’s knights was unique even in color.
Silver waves.
They were undeniable proof that the man belonged to House Leonar.
Mapheltan clicked his tongue.
“Whatever the truth may be, it seems you know nothing of importance about this affair.”
Verdan lowered his head deeply, trembling.
“I-I apologize, sir. Please, just spare my life.”
He possessed no useful information whatsoever.
Aside from his ability, Impostor, there was no reason to keep him alive.
Mapheltan regarded Verdan with an irritated expression.
“One last question. Why did you send those thugs into the estate?”
Not long ago, a group of novice thieves had infiltrated the estate under the cover of darkness.
“I wanted to find out what happened inside the estate at night, so I sent some expendable rabble in first as a test, sir.”
Verdan had intended to observe the situation and infiltrate the estate himself once he determined it was safe.
However, the thugs he had sent ahead never returned.
They had completely vanished from the world.
The estate had swallowed them.
Something was unquestionably happening there.
Only now had the secret been revealed.
A demon lived in the estate.
Mapheltan sighed.
“None of your answers have deviated from my expectations. Other than your Authority, there is nothing remarkable about you.”
Verdan shrank back.
“I-I can be useful, sir. If you spare me, I’ll serve you in any—”
Mapheltan cut him off.
“Silence. Remain here quietly for the time being. I will decide what to do with you later.”
Because of Verdan, every piece of information about the estate had been exposed.
More preposterous rabble might target the estate, just as they had the previous night.
Mapheltan found the prospect immensely irritating.
Verdan would have to pay the price for it.
One way or another.
Mapheltan turned away.
Now that night had fallen, he needed to defend the estate.
‘What a damned existence.’
“...”
Mapheltan left the underground dungeon.
Verdan continued trembling, his gaze fixed on the floor.
Haman awoke to the sound of rustling.
“Urgh...”
The instant he regained consciousness, excruciating pain assaulted him.
His entire body ached as though it were being torn apart.
Every muscle screamed, and he could barely open his eyes.
His side throbbed as well, suggesting that one of his ribs might have cracked.
It was all because of Verdan’s beating.
The moment Haman recalled Verdan’s face, he screamed.
“N-No! No! Don’t!”
Severe trauma consumed his mind.
He began thrashing desperately.
His screams and struggles echoed loudly throughout the estate.
A group of people heard the commotion.
“What was that?! You said no one was here!”
“Let’s get the hell out of here! Hurry!”
“Grab everything! Move!”
“You there! What are you dawdling for?!”
Numerous voices erupted simultaneously.
The urgent pounding of footsteps rang out.
An unexpected commotion swept through the previously silent estate.
Only after hearing all the noise did Haman regain his senses.
He emerged from his traumatic stupor.
His eyes snapped open.
The ceiling was unfamiliar...
No, it wasn’t.
He had visited this place several times before.
After the count employed him, it was Haman who had spent over a month repairing and cleaning this old estate.
Even the guest room in which he now lay was familiar to him.
His memories of the previous day slowly returned.
—Baron Myatro sent me here. You are the butler, Haman. Is that correct?
A knight had appeared, arrested Verdan, and rescued Haman.
Haman had then been immediately transferred to Baron Myatro’s estate.
Afterward, he had lost consciousness.
Haman groaned.
“I-I survived...”
His words abruptly stopped.
“What are you dawdling for?!”
“If you’ve taken everything, let’s get out of here! Hurry!”
“You idiots! Move faster!”
Urgent voices overlapped with the sound of running footsteps.
Haman’s eyes widened.
“Don’t tell me!”
Thieves had broken into the estate.
A group of them was robbing the place.
There were countless protocols for a situation like this.
As the top graduate of the Preparatory Academy, Haman had always memorized them word for word.
Yet he could not remember a single one now.
His mind went completely blank.
Only one sentence remained engraved in his mind.
—A butler’s duty is to safeguard his master’s property with his life and uphold his authority without fail.
Haman sprang out of bed.
Dragging his battered body along, he left the guest room.
Then he began to run.
Dark silhouettes entered his view.
Haman shouted at the top of his lungs.
“Stop! Stop right now!”
The running figures immediately turned around.
They exchanged glances.
“Just one little runt?”
“Looks like it.”
“Should we get rid of him and search the place some more?”
The thieves had not yet searched the entire estate.
Several of them stopped.
Haman charged toward them, shouting,
“Do you have any idea whose home this is?! Put down what you stole and get the hell out!”
Sinister smiles appeared on the thieves’ faces.
One of them pulled a dagger from inside his clothes.
“Come here, then. I’ll make it quick and clean.”
He swiftly seized Haman and wrapped an arm around him from behind.
He intended to stab Haman in the stomach several times while holding him in place.
Haman struggled.
“Let go of me! Put it down and get out!”
The thief raised his arm.
The vicious blade descended toward Haman’s stomach.
Just before it touched his skin, an explosive noise erupted.
The arm restraining Haman fell limply away.
Haman looked behind him.
The thief no longer had a head.
A fountain of blood surged from the spot where it had been.
The remaining thieves stumbled backward.
“W-What the...?!”
“What was that?! What the hell was that?!”
Another explosion rang out.
Someone’s head burst apart in an instant.
Blood bubbled from the exposed stump of his severed neck.
The same phenomenon continued.
All six thieves lost their heads.
Haman stared blankly at the scene.
He collapsed onto the floor.
His pupils were dilated wide.
“W-What in the world...?”
An eerie voice reached him.
“You’re quite an interesting fellow.”
Haman snapped his head toward the voice.
He could see nothing.
Overwhelming terror began surging through him.
“U-Ugh...”
Something struck him on the back with a smack.
“This is your first assignment. Hang every one of those corpses from the main gate.”