The chief maid stopped her movements.
Right then and there she had just finished administering two potions in a fragrant tea. She especially selected one with a strong aroma to mask any signs of foreign smell.
"… Why do you ask Miri?" With a smile, she questioned the innocent maid. She had been as discreet as possible. Long before the young miss, Moris, or even the special butler had arrived, she had already been in possession of these potions.
As the chief maid, all matters within the estate were handled under her supervision. There was no direct authority from the duke's household residing here. The estate had been purchased simply because many noble houses had begun acquiring land around the academy.
Thus, most of the authority fell into her hands.
"N-nothing. Its just… it smells quite fragrant."
"It's because I especially chose leaves that will rouse you up. Here, don't wait for it to get cold now."
"O-okay. Can I bring this with me?"
"… No, drink it here, Miri. Let me take care of the cup afterward." She had to see her take the tea. Once that's done, she only needed for the potion to take effect and complete the required gesture in order to fully realize the potions effect.
"U-uh…" But instead, the maid hesitated, holding the cup of tea in her hands.
By this point, the chief maid had grown suspicious. Why did the innocent and obedient maid suddenly hesitate? Why is she asking if the content's of the cup is medicine?
'There's no way she knows.' No one had seen those potions. She brought them directly from outside, hidden in her body at all times. For the past years she had worked here.
That included the needles laced with poison. Those were spacial crafts of her and her alone.
"What's wrong? Could it be, you don't like the smell?"
"I-Im really sorry! But I can't accept this!" Unable to take it anymore, Miri couldn't come up with a lie and straight up refused.
"… Why?"
"I cant tell you why…"
The chief maid stayed silent. For a while that was the only thing between them. Miri could hear her own nervous heart as she avoided the chief maids eyes like a plague.
'I messed up…' She knew that her question and her action just now were enough to make the chief maid suspicious. There was a reason why she applied to be a maid and not anything else.
All she's capable of is following orders and chores, the combat and healing were only subpar abilities of hers. Sometimes she even messes up, like right now. That's the way she learned to live her life and now she's defying that very nature of hers for someone else.
But Xian wasn't just someone to her by this point. After all, he recognized her too…
"Alright, I can't force you." The chief maid finally sighed in apparent defeat, which made Miri feel a wave of relief. With this, perhaps no plan would proceed. Perhaps no suspicion would fall upon the chief maid.
That was the best outcome she could hope for.
"… Then, I'll take my leave."
"Okay. Make sure to work hard."
She nodded and turned around as a blurred figure went past by.
Clang!
A familiar sound rang loud behind her. She recognized it as the sound of metal hitting another metal.
At some point, Xian was already by her side. And upon looking back, she saw a needle falling on the ground. Xian had adeptly parried it with a metal bowl he got from who knows where.
As comical as that appearance is, she couldn't help but feel cold in her heart.
'She… attacked me?'
She knew the needles used by the maids were dangerous. Carrying one herself for emergency. The poison laced in their needles were specially made to react upon contact. The amount of needles represented effects.
One, caused weakening. Two, caused paralysis. Three, caused lethal poisoning. Even touching three of them at once could cause the poison to seep into the skin of the holder. That was why they were meant to be thrown immediately and were not suitable for prolonged handling unless one wore gloves.
"Tsk." Xian couldn't help but click his tongue. He sacrificed his sleep for the sake of witnessing what will happen between the chief maid and Miri.
Miri's inability to control her conscience backfired.
'This is the problem with good natured people.' They make mistakes and trouble that could've been avoided. Using them is convenient but sometimes things can get out of control just like right now.
"Hm?" Without even a hint of hesitation, the chief maid flicked two more sets of needles toward Xian. Now she had two targets to administer the potion to. She didn't feel any overwhelming pressure from Xian despite his title and appearance, which only boosted her confidence.
Playing defensively, Xian refused to take unnecessary risks and trigger another regression. He had no desire to die in agony.
The metal bowl he had grabbed proved effective in deflecting the needles, diverting their trajectory and nullifying their piercing force.
With her projectiles swatted aside, the chief maid switched to close-quarters combat and engaged Xian directly. This time, she moved with greater composure and determination.
She fought as if performing a peculiar dance, spinning gracefully while delivering kicks from shoes fitted with protruding blades. Xian continued to evade while pulling Miri away from her, certain those blades were coated with the same poison that had afflicted him before.
'As I thought, I prefer a disturbed opponent rather than a composed one.' It's a shame that the chief maid is a bad match up to him. If all it took was a beatdown, Xian would unhesitatingly plunge himself against the enemy and come out on top.
But poison makes it hard for him to fight back. One mistake and he's dead. Regression is always there to save him should his attempt fail, but Xian felt impatience. Repeating the same days over and over again was taking a toll in his mood.
The impact was small, but he didn't want to let it be.
The chief maid continued her pursuit through the corridor, stepping with elegant footwork that allowed her to run and even spring off the walls. Xian dodged recklessly whenever she launched more hidden weapons toward him.
As the chase dragged on, the chief maid decided to just straight up kill them and hide the evidence in a panic.
"Hey! Haven't you seen enough!" Xian shouted as if calling for someone behind the scenes, making the chief maid halt in her tracks. When she did that, Xian stopped too.
'An accomplice? But who? Could it be Moris?' She had heard through Xian that Moris himself had dispatched an assassin the other day. Fearing for her life, she began to consider escaping immediately.
Too much commotion had already been made, and she had just assaulted two people. But would she survive the coming days if the dukedom pursued her in retaliation?
'Wait no. How could it be Moris? Isn't he busy outside with cleanup?' The chief maid was stuck in her place, unable to make a decision. A lapse in judgement, but even if she had chosen immediately, the result would have been the same.
From behind her, dark light shot up and made a disturbing buzz. The chief maid fell to the ground face first. Her glasses that had been with her for years broke and scattered on the ground.
Her neatly tied bun came partially undone from the sudden fall. As locks of black hair mixed with gray ones scattered.
'My legs gave out?' She couldn't feel either of her feet. If that had been the only problem, she might have considered herself fortunate.
"AAAAGH!" A shock of pain shot up from her legs as she realized in horror what happened.
"M-my legs! No!"She writhed on the ground, staring at her mutilated limbs in disbelief. Her gaze slowly rose toward the person standing before her.
She stood over the fallen maid, glaring coldly with a bloodied blade resting on her shoulder.
"… But why?" The chief maid was confused. There had never been any leak. She had told no one about the potion and had always kept it hidden on her person. Impeccably, for the past few years.
But now, what's with these three annoying people trying to bring her down without even accomplishing what she sought to do?
'Just like that? She was sure that I'm the enemy?'
"M-miss Serika! Th-they're the enemies! Not me!" In a desperate attempt, she tried to lie her way through.
"They have a plan to poison the young miss! Please apprehend them! You'll apprehend them right?" In the face of death, the calm and collected chief maid was no different than a crying animal. Her dignity, image and revenge mattered the least at this moment.
"I didn't ask." Serika cut her off, clearly annoyed by the shouting. The chief maid was someone they had been told to trust. Yet it turned out she harbored ill intentions, even dragging another maid and Xian into the scheme.
Serika swung her sword twice in the blink of an eye without even stepping forward. Dark light followed the path of her blade. A moment later, the chief maid's hands slid off from her shoulders.
"Special butler, do what you need to do." Swatting her blade in the air, the blood splattered on the ground.
'She didn't have to do that.' Xian grimaced, knowing that in the end, it was up to him and Miri to clean up all this mess. Xian searched the corpse. He found the two vials that he told Serika about. Already, a quarter was missing and her expression darkened.
…
Last night.
Xian had an errand.
It was an errand to give a heads up to Serika. Not knowing where her room was, he spent quite some time asking around. Bright blonde hair swayed behind the slowly opening door, revealing a rather tall and mature figure in… sleeping pajamas.
At first, he was flustered to find Lucinelle greeting him.
"… Hello there?" He couldn't help but touch his neck. This is the woman who had beheaded him two times in cold blood.
Lucinelle tilted her head silently. Xian figured she was asking why he was there.
"Is Serika still awake? I have something to give her."
She nodded as a response and closed the door. After a while, Serika came with somewhat languid eyes with matching pajamas.
"What?" Serika, in a matching pajamas groggily spoke.
"Here, just read it when you wake up. Make sure to hurry up." He handed a simply folded paper.
"What's this?"
"… it's a love letter." Xian didn't think much when he said that, but he thought that would rouse Serika up from her stupor. Behind her, Lucinelle suddenly perked up as if invisible animal ears had grown from her head and twitched.
"Hm… Okaayy… Hah!?"
Xian didn't wait and closed the door on her.
"W-wait, Xian! What do you mea—Ack! Sis! No!" He quickly walked away to save himself from the mess he just created.
The content of the love letter was the following:
'Come to the maid's quarters half an hour before dawn. Something will happen that proves my suspicions. Make sure to witness it yourself.'
What Xian really meant when he said team up and overpower the maid together… was Serika overpowering the maid by herself.
After that, he simply waited for Miri to return from the maid's quarters. Her downcast expression already told him everything that had transpired, but he still asked for confirmation anyway.
…
Things might have turned against Xian if she had only acted with more patience and refrained from assaulting Miri. There had been a few mishaps along the way, but in the end it was done. The chief maid lay on the ground, bloody and writhing.
Xian had felt something similar when he stabbed the coachman before. That same indifference.
Now he realized that the true owner of this body… had been accustomed to such things. The realization was based largely on his own reaction.
All of the disturbance he felt within himself came from the inside. It came internally and was never exhibited by this body. Xian was aware of what he's like back then.
He knew that he lived a worthless life, like a leech sucking what he could from his family without ever making his days meaningful. A dead cat would make him grimace. What more if its a mutilated and half alive person?
'Why am I different now?' It crossed his mind that it must be the effect of being transmigrated in a game world that fascinated him. His outlook of being inside the game must've helped.
But… If that's how it is, he's willing to accept it. To play the game of life in this way.
He glanced down at the maid in his arms, still trembling. She clung tightly to his neck and shook unlike him. Miri was… as innocent as she can be and too kind for the cruel world of this dating sim game.
"Are you alright?"
"Sir Xian…" Tears welled in her eyes as she buried her face against his chest. He could hear her weak sobs threatening to spill out.
"It's over now." He said, fully intending to comfort Miri and raise her affection.
'It increased by ten. Still substantial.'
[BLUE HEART: 30]
"Ugh. Can you two do that later? This mess isn't going to clean itself up!" Serika snarled when she saw the two daring to have a moment with her around.
The teary eyed maid, went down reluctantly as she wiped her eyes. They started cleaning up the mess and specialized dispatchers came to burn the body.
Meanwhile, Xian took what remained of the potion, telling Serika it might prove useful in the future. She eyed him suspiciously, but a simple oath sworn from the heart was enough to convince her to let it go.
A murder of a servant in the Duke's household. Unfortunately, the incident only demonstrated how bleakly servants were treated. No one would even bother investigating the death of a chief maid who had dedicated years of her life to serving the estate and the household.
All that it will be once time passes, is a justly delivered execution.
There had been a brief questioning from Carmillia after the incident. But Serika vouched for Xian and took the reprimand herself.
"I'd appreciate it, if you wouldn't arbitrarily use my servants for your own schemes." Said Carmillia. Her affection level neither went up or down. There was no quest reward either.
But it didn't phase Xian. Since, from now on, he could go all out and finally meet the requirements she had set. He ignored her warning and prepared for the day his trait would awaken.
In truth, the incident itself had been resolved rather easily. What truly proved difficult were the training sessions with Serika.
[Shackled One (Sealed Trait's: ??? Lvl 18, ??? Lvl 28, 97/100, ??? Lvl 38)]
He tried to control his grinning expression upon seeing it.
The next day…
"Are you ready?" Serika asked no longer carrying disdain in her expression.
"Yes. Today will be different."
'Watch me Carmillia. After this, finally…' He can experience her route. AShe was a character he had desperately wanted to romance. Of course, many regressions would likely follow because of the numerous death flags tied to her story.
Xian had played through several heroine routes before. He had even accidentally triggered a few harem bad endings. Within those routes, certain characters existed as hidden sub-heroines. If the player interacted with them frequently enough, the story would deviate and a sub-route would unlock.
Now, ever since discovering Carmillia's route and becoming her butler, new characters had begun appearing and revealing themselves.
He could consider Lucinelle and Serika as sub-heroines that had appeared. And Miri… Xian didn't even know if she would be included in the canon version if this were still the game.
Xian and Serika clashed again. He was still behind in agility and strength, but his movements could keep up. Since he failed to kill the chief maid, he didn't receive an additional level up. But that was fine. Ludicrous amounts of exp could be earned once the hunt function opened at the academy.
Of course, if he decided to leave, it would probably appear anyway the moment he attempted it.
They exchanged several more moves, Serika's blade clashing against Xian's longsword. Throughout his training, he had grown accustomed to wielding it despite not knowing any proper technique.
Until it finally happened.
Xian felt the 'restraints' leave his body.
Upon contact with Serika's weapon, there was an obvious difference.
'It feels lighter.'
[Lvl 28 Trait Unsealed! Passive Partially in Effect]
[Defiance 20/100 Stage I]
[Your madness and delight for slaughter prevails over any form of oppression]
[Negates skill-based suppression, mental domination, and fear effects. Reduces the stat penalty of Level Gap]
[Penalty: Upon receiving lethal blow, madness overcomes you and fail to differentiate between foe and allies]
['What stands in the way becomes the way.']
Xian's eyes widened when he saw the description.
'Isn't this… A boss trait?'
Almost. More specifically, traits that bosses obtained when players backtracked through the game with a stronger party. While they could still overpower the boss, players needed to be at least twenty-five levels above to raid them comfortably.
Otherwise, a multitude of buffs and skills would be added, as if mocking the players and turning their intentions back against them.
In a dating sim game, players could backtrack and kill weaker bosses again. Why was that?
New characters obtained much later might have lower levels compared to the protagonist's party. Because of that, players often returned to earlier bosses that were easier to kill for a proper amount of exp.
As if it were taboo for the developers to make things easy for players, they added a trait that allowed early bosses to partially nullify the level advantage.
Some dating sim purists complained about why a dating sim game would even add such a function. But as usual, no feedback was given, cementing the developers as some of the worst to ever exist despite delivering a game many still liked.
"Just now, you…" Serika noticed the difference immediately.
This included Lucinelle, who had already reached a certain degree of mastery in combat. Through her visor, her eyes narrowed slightly.
Xian slashed at Serika as she jumped back, looking at him strangely.
In the end, he would grow tired before Serika did. But one careless mistake could lethally wound her if she didn't keep her guard up.
Serika's blade traced a downward arc, aimed at his stomach. Xian chose to take the hit head-on and advanced fearlessly. Pain coursed through his side, but it was something he had endured through the past two regressions.
Serika stepped back a fraction too late. The tip of Xian's blade reached the arms she raised to shield her stomach, leaving a slight bruise.
The surroundings fell silent as the two faced each other.
Serika turned toward Carmillia and shrugged, doing her best to hide a smirk.
"…"
Xian turned toward the silent villainess.
"Young miss, with this much… do you finally trust my qualifications?"
There was no applause or congratulations.
Only the nod Xian had waited so long to receive.
***
Xian closed the case containing multiple sets of butler uniforms, gloves, and stiletto daggers. The case clicked crisply as the lids shut, leaving him with a quiet sense of satisfaction.
Today was their day of departure. It was late into the night, and they would leave discreetly due to the possibility of enemy attacks.
Moris would be escorting them for safety and to deter any significant interlopers.
Once he felt that he had everything he needed, he left the room and headed to his destination.
An unassuming series of average-looking carriages awaited him at the estate's back door.
Serika and Lucinelle wore robes that concealed them instead of their usual dark armor. Even Carmillia wore a robe over her beautiful dress.
While Moris… wore a straw hat and the attire of a lowly servant. His gait was slouched and his gaze far less intimidating than usual.
"Is something strange, Butler Xian?"
"No, it's nothing." The academy city, with its vast grounds, would take about an hour to reach by carriage. From there, a special warp point device would transport them directly into the academy grounds.
Things in Rozenfall were convenient and advanced for the sake of the player's quality of life, a kind gesture from the game developers. Only that, as a player, there was always a toll fee. It wouldn't be until the mid-game that players could afford such wanton use.
Xian entered a carriage with Moris, while Serika and Carmillia sat together in another.
Thus, the short but uneventful journey toward the academy began.
"Butler Xian."
Xian had been watching the passing scenery when Moris suddenly spoke.
"The duke has a letter for you."