Chapter 116
Butler (2)
The normally quiet and deserted streets of the royal capital’s mansion district were unusually noisy today.
A large crowd had gathered, murmuring among themselves.
“They certainly made an example of them.”
“But are they really allowed to do that?”
“It’s rather gruesome.”
“What could they possibly have done to deserve that...?”
Everyone’s attention was fixed on one place.
Six corpses had been prominently displayed at the front gate of Baron Myatro’s estate.
All six hung limply without their heads.
They had been decapitated during the night.
What crime could they have committed to meet such an end?
The onlookers could easily guess.
“They must’ve been caught trying to rob the place.”
“I suppose the rumor that the estate is empty at night was false.”
“Of course it was nonsense. Think about it. Does it make any sense that everyone would leave the estate and abandon the young head of the family by himself?”
“Now that you mention it, it does sound ridiculous.”
High-ranking nobles were accompanied by guards wherever they went.
Even when they merely stepped outside, a knight would follow them.
A noble belonging to the Council, in particular, would surely receive constant close protection.
There was no possibility of such a noble being left alone at night.
“They believed such a ridiculous rumor and tried to rob the place. Idiots. They got what they deserved.”
“Isn’t this still a little excessive? Even if the intent was to send a warning, the method is far too extreme. Who displays corpses like that these days? I suppose his provincial origins show. He has quite the barbaric streak.”
“That’s precisely what I like about him. The Watcher of Narak ought to possess at least that much spirit. I heard he was young, but he’s certainly a decisive fellow.”
Countless other conversations passed through the crowd.
The street grew increasingly noisy.
Even though it was still dawn, the place was packed with spectators.
“E-Excuse us! Please let us through!”
“Good sirs, please clear the way!”
A group of commoners struggled through the crowd.
There was a woman dressed as a maid, a lightly armed soldier, a cook, a gardener, and several others.
They were all servants of Baron Myatro’s estate.
After forcing their way through the crowd, they stopped in front of the mansion.
Their faces filled with horror.
One of them was so startled that she fell onto her backside.
“Aah!”
“W-What is this?!”
“Something terrible happened last night!”
“Open the gate! We must ensure the Baron’s safety first!”
A soldier hurriedly opened the front gate.
The remaining guards immediately rushed inside.
The crowd watching them was dumbfounded.
“So the estate really was empty?”
“Then who killed those men...?”
“Th-There must have been at least one knight left behind. Even if he is the Watcher of Narak, there’s no way a young baron dealt with six grown men by himself.”
“I heard somewhere that the Watcher of Narak hasn’t hired any knights yet.”
Had a child barely ten years old truly slaughtered six grown men and hung their corpses from the gate?
It was almost impossible to believe.
Everyone stared at the estate in confusion.
As though refusing to provide them with an answer, the front gate immediately slammed shut.
Even so, the crowd did not disperse.
They remained there for a long time.
The royal capital would be abuzz with stories about the Watcher of Narak for quite some time.
***
The butler Haman cautiously looked out the window.
A vast crowd of spectators had gathered outside.
They had all come because of Haman’s handiwork.
Decapitated corpses were prominently displayed in the royal capital’s most prestigious district. It was hardly surprising that they had attracted attention.
Haman sighed deeply.
“Should I bring them back inside, even now?”
He had experienced something truly strange the previous night.
The thieves’ heads had suddenly exploded before his eyes, and then an eerie voice had whispered into his ear.
—This is your first assignment. Hang every one of those corpses from the main gate.
As though bewitched, Haman had obeyed the command.
For some reason, he had felt compelled to comply.
He had not even attempted to guess the voice’s identity.
Only now that the sun had risen did confusion engulf him.
What exactly had happened during the night?
Who had spoken to him?
Nothing was clear.
Haman felt as though he had been possessed by a ghost.
He clutched his head.
“What in the world is going on?”
While he was still overwhelmed with confusion, an unfamiliar voice came from behind him.
“You did exactly as you were told.”
Haman immediately turned around.
A boy with black hair and a cold expression was entering the guest room.
It was Johan Myatro.
The moment Haman saw his face, he searched his memories.
The boy’s appearance was extremely familiar.
A portrait immediately came to mind.
It was a painting of his employer.
Startled, Haman bowed at a perfect ninety-degree angle.
“I-It is an honor to meet you. I am Haman, your butler.”
Johan chuckled.
“This shouldn’t be our first meeting.”
Haman raised his head slightly. Guilt appeared alongside the confusion on his face.
“The truth is... I wasn’t the one serving you until now, Baron.”
Verdan the Impostor had been imitating Haman.
Johan shook his head.
“That isn’t what I meant. We clearly spoke last night, did we not?”
Haman swallowed dryly.
“By last night, do you mean...?”
“Yes. I gave you your first assignment.”
Haman inadvertently raised his voice.
“Th-That really was your voice, Baron?!”
He immediately covered his mouth.
Johan shrugged.
“Something like that.”
“M-My apologies. I was so surprised that I shouted without thinking.”
Haman lowered his head deeply. He wanted to hide his expression out of embarrassment and confusion.
Johan silently observed him.
‘He’s quite an interesting fellow.’
Haman was poor at controlling his emotions.
He was an exceedingly transparent young man.
Johan did not dislike people like him.
In fact, he rather liked them.
“You seem surprised by everything. Was seeing blood really that shocking?”
Haman cautiously glanced at Johan.
“N-No. It’s merely that you seem so different from last night.”
To anyone who saw him, Johan was clearly a young boy.
His voice had not even begun to change, and his physique was small.
The figure hidden within the darkness and the Johan standing before him now were unmistakably different beings.
Johan spoke in a low voice.
“Did you see anything last night?”
Mapheltan had remained hidden within the darkness.
Haman probably had not seen him. However, if there was even the slightest chance that Haman had witnessed Mapheltan’s true nature, Johan would need to ensure his silence somehow.
Haman sensed something inexplicably chilling in Johan’s expression and tone.
He quickly shook his head.
“I truly didn’t see anything! I-I was simply overwhelmed because everything happened so suddenly last night...”
Johan abruptly cut him off.
“Thieves have broken into the estate several times recently, so I was somewhat on edge yesterday. Don’t concern yourself with it.”
How could mere agitation cause such an aura to emanate from a human?
And what of that unfathomable power?
Haman found everything about him mysterious.
The young boy before him, Baron Myatro, was truly shrouded in the unknown.
From now on, Haman would have to serve him.
“...This all happened because of my incompetence. Please dismiss someone as useless as me.”
He did not mean it.
Haman did not want to be abandoned again.
Johan gave a quiet laugh.
“Before that, let me ask you one thing. Why did you step forward last night?”
Haman was weak.
Despite knowing he would die, he had still charged at the thieves.
Johan wanted to know exactly why.
Haman answered in a barely audible voice.
“I was taught that protecting one’s master’s property with one’s life is the most basic virtue a butler must possess.”
He was inept, but upright.
He might lack practical sense, but he possessed conviction.
Johan found himself rather pleased with Haman.
“I see. Do not forget that resolve from now on.”
Haman’s expression gradually brightened.
“A-Are you allowing me to continue working as your butler?”
Johan nodded.
“Let us work well together from now on, Haman Legersh.”
He offered his hand.
Haman repeatedly wiped his palm against his trousers before clasping Johan’s hand with both of his.
“I shall serve you with unwavering loyalty!”
Johan patted Haman’s shoulder.
“Let’s go eat. I’ll explain what you need to know over breakfast.”
Haman needed to be trained all over again.
The two headed straight for the dining room.
The servants preparing breakfast could not bring themselves to meet Johan’s eyes.
Over the course of a single night, he had become somewhat frightening to them.
***
Johan remained shut inside his office all day without once stepping outside.
He had a fair amount to consider.
His greatest concern was House Leonar.
‘...Why in the world are they doing this?’
House Leonar never engaged in covert political schemes.
Confronting every problem head-on was the family’s creed.
Yet they had planted a spy within House Myatro.
Of course, viewed purely in terms of political allegiances, it was not particularly strange.
House Leonar belonged to the Royalist faction serving the Crown, while House Myatro was tied to Count Staviana’s Noble faction.
The problem was that House Leonar was the family behind the scheme.
Having read the original novel, Johan could not help questioning the present situation.
He sank into thought.
Since possessing this body, he had encountered countless unexpected variables.
At times, events had diverged completely from the original story.
There had always been one reason.
Johan’s unpredictable actions.
Every time he caused an incident, a variable that had never existed in the original novel emerged into reality.
The same was probably true this time.
One of Johan’s actions must have triggered House Leonar’s divergence from its behavior in the original story.
What action could it have been?
After thinking about it all day, Johan arrived at a single conclusion.
The attack on the royal capital.
Not long ago, Mapheltan had led an elven army in an assault on the capital.
At the time, the sacred barrier surrounding the entire city had briefly collapsed.
Consequently, the royal capital was no longer a zone impenetrable to demons.
Several demons who had nothing to do with Mapheltan’s plan had taken advantage of the opportunity and slipped into the city that day.
Reports of demonic sightings were now emerging throughout the capital.
Presumably, House Leonar’s unusual behavior had been caused by some demonic phenomenon.
That was Johan’s theory.
There was certainly a possibility that Marquis Leonar had been possessed by a demon.
‘Hmm. Am I taking this theory too far?’
Following one thought after another had eventually led him to this conclusion.
He could no longer think of any other hypothesis.
Johan leaned his chair backward and let out a contemplative groan.
He felt considerably frustrated.
‘Should I meet the Marquis?’
As he pondered the matter, someone knocked on the door.
“It’s Haman. May I enter?”
“Come in.”
The door opened.
Haman entered and spoke.
“Baron, a guest has arrived. H-He was sent by House Leonar.”
The corners of Johan’s mouth rose.
The timing could not have been more appropriate.
“Show him in immediately.”
Haman took a notebook from inside his clothes.
Scratching his head, he spoke with his usual bumbling expression.
“B-But the sun is about to set.”
He had recorded everything Johan told him in the notebook without leaving out a single detail.
One of those instructions stated that everyone must vacate the estate at night.
Johan chuckled.
“You’re better than Verdan.”
“Pardon? What do you mean...?”
“It’s nothing. More importantly...”
Johan trailed off and slowly tapped the armrest of his chair.
‘Visiting someone else’s home at sunset?’
It was highly discourteous.
Marquis Leonar must have had a particular reason for acting this way.
After thinking for a moment, Johan slowly opened his mouth.