by Geli Cake
The guest vanished as suddenly as he had arrived. Someone thoughtlessly inquired about his whereabouts, and the servants simultaneously held their breath, glancing at Haylan. He answered with an impassive face,
"I sent him away."
"...."
Why?
From everyone's perspective, Chahyun and Haylan had been getting along well. Everyone could sense that Haylan had changed. It was true that his outward appearance had changed, but even those who had known Haylan for over a decade could feel that he was particularly lenient towards Chahyun.
However, Haylan was the master, and they were merely his servants. Questioning the master's decisions was unthinkable.
Traces of Chahyun's presence remained only in his room. The cozily arranged bedroom, and the remnants of his magic studies with Haylan were left untouched and scattered on the desk.
On the day Chahyun left, Haylan shut himself in that room left by its owner and didn't come out. The air felt cold. It felt like they'd returned to those months a while back when no trace of warmth could be found in their lives.
"Pack your things."
"Head Butler, what does that…"
A few days later, the head butler gathered everyone and told them to pack their personal belongings from the servants' quarters.
Were they returning to Jenette? As they murmured amongst themselves, exchanging glances, Haylan spoke directly,
"We're going to Asileth."
The city located at the southernmost tip of the empire was certainly warm. According to Chahyun, it was a place where it didn't snow. Despite being midwinter, the air was balmy, and stray cats were napping on the steps. A relaxed atmosphere permeated the entire city.
Despite the sudden move, everyone followed Haylan without a single deserter. This was because everyone liked Haylan, though they hadn't expressed it directly.
There were many reasons for this, but the biggest one was that the salary Haylan paid was significantly higher than other jobs.
"Is it really alright to live in such a busy area?"
Yur murmured worriedly.
Neither Haylan's family home in Jenette nor the infamous haunted mansion in Peristene were located in frequently trafficked areas. But the new building they were moving into was too close to the bustling streets.
The building wasn't originally intended for residential use in the first place. It seemed they had bought an entire building, paying extra to relocate the existing merchants to better locations.
'Honestly, Young Master…'
Haylan couldn't work, nor was he expected to. However, he invested in other people's businesses and grew his wealth. The businesses he invested in thrived miraculously, and the business owners were grateful to the anonymous investor whose name and identity they didn't know.
I hear that person has an excellent eye for business. I wonder who they are? No one has ever seen them in person, have they?
Despite using an alias, rumors about Haylan had spread here and there.
"You're free to go out whenever you want here. But you must never remove the rings I've given you."
The servants were all given the same artifact. When wearing the ring, their reflection in the mirror transformed into a completely different person. Until now, all they had was magic to change hair and eye color, but it seemed magic had advanced significantly.
Not even a day after moving in, most of the servants were satisfied with their new home. Although the interior seemed to require a lot of work, being in a busy area meant there were many things to see nearby, and above all, the fact that sunlight filled the house for half the day was the best part.
There were no longer any rules about opening windows or rooms they weren't allowed to enter. They no longer had to fight mold either. Everything was perfect, except…
"It's nice and all, but why here of all places?"
"...How would I know?"
Yur shrugged.
After a few days of excitedly exploring the unfamiliar city, they overheard a conversation at a newly opened shop in the plaza.
"Everyone left on good terms, smiling! And why wouldn't they? Their daily sales have more than doubled."
"So you bought this place too?"
"Aye, why not!"
"Why did you suddenly decide to move?"
"Well, someone offered to pay six months' worth of rent."
They overheard the boastful conversation about how there was no reason not to move, with someone offering to pay half a years rent for the best location in Asileth.
Meilin, upon hearing the news, spread it among the servants, and the reason why they had to pay such an exorbitant price for this particular building was revealed the next day.
Yur, returning from grocery shopping, closed the door and asked,
"Head Butler, don't tell me the building across the street is…"
"...."
"It's not, is it?"
Mr. Joe just smiled silently.
'Did he really follow the guest here?'
Yur watched as burly men loitered in front of the building, asking Albert if a new bakery had opened.
Those men were mercenaries, and they belonged to the very group Chahyun was a part of…
'The Red Lion?'
Now that she looked, there was a picture of a cross-eyed lion on the entrance of the building across the street.
And Haylan had shut himself away in his room on the top floor of this building for two days straight. They had tried everything to lure him out – making jam with sweet sugar, baking bread… Passersby were tempted, but they failed to draw Haylan out.
'But he sent the guest away, didn't he?'
Chahyun wasn't someone who would leave that house of his own volition. The Young Master had forced him out. The atmosphere in the house after Chahyun's departure was proof enough. For several days, they had walked on eggshells, constantly watching each other's expressions.
But to kick Chahyun out, and then buy a building in Asileth just a few days later, evicting the merchants, and even moving in… what kind of thought process was that?
'Young Master…'
She had never understood Haylan in her life, but she had never felt so clueless about what was going on in his head as she did now.
─── ⋆⋅☼⋅⋆ ───
Anyway, I was back to my normal routine. Ogre No. 3 had gone through its second prototype and was now in mass production.
"Chahyun, how did you get connected with such a large trading company?"
Mei asked. I vaguely explained that I met them through work and diligently accepted the snacks she offered.
On my way back to the mercenary group after our secret side hustle discussion, a strange status window popped up again.
[You feel a gaze watching you from somewhere.]
"...?"
This wasn't the first time. Sometimes, the same status window would appear in the plaza, in front of the train station, and other times while I was just sitting in front of the building.
I immediately turned around and scanned my surroundings, but all I saw were strangers glancing at me curiously as they passed by.
Then, as I opened the door and entered, the guys shoved a basket into my hands, saying,
"You know all the shops across the street moved out, right?"
"Yeah… they're all by the station now."
I had been disappointed, thinking I wouldn't be able to eat Mrs. Anna's scones anymore, but I had gone to check after hearing the shops had relocated to the busier area by the station.They all looked incredibly busy, but they were all smiling.
'It's a good thing, but not so good.'
Now I had to wait in line for 20 minutes to buy scones that I could have just walked in and bought before. That was my secret shop. I smacked my lips and asked, "Why?"
"I saw a stunningly beautiful young lady in the building across the street while I was helping move some luggage! Ah, if only I were 20 years younger, I would have talked to her."
"What does that have to do with me?"
"She was asking about you."
"Me? How does she even know me?"
"How would I know? Maybe it was love at first sight? So go talk to her."
So that's why they were all snickering at me. These guys were more obsessed with romance than the girls in my middle school class.
"Please. You guys are so cheesy."
I chuckled and tried to return the basket, but…
"After all the effort we put into raising you, you can at least get the lady's name."
"Seduce her in one shot!"
"Go for it!"
"...."
Damn these barbaric men who think brute force solves everything! I was manhandled and kicked out, looking like I had been through a war.
I couldn't just leave the basket at the door and return…
'Are they watching? What are they staring at…?'
The faces clustered at the window pointed at their eyes, then at me, indicating they were watching me.
So I'm their plaything again. I sighed deeply and walked a few steps before knocking on the door.
"Hello?"
Knock, knock. I knocked on the yellow door and waited for a moment. A middle-aged woman with her hair pulled up in a bun answered the door.
She just stared at me without asking who I was. My clothes were a bit stretched out from the earlier scuffle.
"Hello, I'm the youngest member from the mercenary group across the street."
As I pointed behind me, I saw the faces at the window disappear in a flash.
Ugh, those punks.
"I came to say hello since you seem to have just moved in."
"…Oh my, oh my! How could I be so forgetful!"
I forgot to turn off the oven! She gasped and disappeared inside. I stood there awkwardly, wondering if I should just leave the basket by the slightly open door…
"Come in for a moment."
"…Yes? No, it's…"
A man, wiping the floor, accepted the basket and opened the door wide, and I stepped inside before I knew it.