'It seems like Deon values that...'[1]
Should she tell him? No, maybe he already knew? Was this useless meddling?
Since he's human, there's a good chance he didn't know.
The level of heartache had crossed the line and the image of Deon Hardt dying was stuck in her mind like a trauma.
Lirinel, who did not want to see Deon heartbroken ever again, cautiously opened her mouth.
"Um... Master Deon."
"Huh?"
"That wooden box."
"... What about that?"
"Almost all of the magic over there is gone. Would you like me to cast it again?"
The slightly cold eyes widened in shock.
He didn't know either. Lirinel added hastily.
"It looks like it's a preservation spell... It's a spell that steadily draws out the caster's magic power. I think the caster died or the burden was too great so he stopped doing magic. Fortunately, it hasn't completely disappeared yet, so if I cast it again, it won't be a problem..."
Before Lirinel could finish speaking, Deon stood up and approached the wooden box with impatient steps. His slightly trembling hands touched the lid.
Lirinel was watching with worried eyes from behind, but there was no time to pay attention.
Just take a short, deep breath, close and open your eyes once, and open the box. He couldn't smell the scent of blood.
'...'
Yes, now it was no longer possible to check whether there was decay by the smell of blood.
He nervously looked at the slimy liquid under his hand and stretched out his trembling hand. However, just before he reached it, a thought popped into his head and he had to stop quickly.
'... If decomposition has progressed...'
He must not touch it carelessly. The more you touch it, the more it gets damaged.
Instead, he called out to the owner of the anxious gaze he could feel behind him.
"... Lirinel."
"Yes, Deon...!"
"The preservation magic hasn't all disappeared, right?"
"Yes, the magic effect still remains."
"... Okay."
He put the lid on.
Why didn't he think of this? He personally killed the magic caster, the Duke. Now that he was dead, he should have considered the possibility of his magic disappearing.
'You stupid bastard.'
Lirinel, who was fiddling with her teacup and looking around as if the silence made her nervous, spoke carefully.
"I'll cast it back..."
"No, it's okay."
Reason took center stage again.
She said it's a magic that constantly eats up magical power, so he can't do that to Lirinel. He held the box in his arms and smiled, pretending to be okay.
"I think we should end tea time here. I suddenly had a place to go."
"Oh, yes!"
Deon patted her back as she hurriedly got up and left the room. The destination was obvious.
Let's go to the Demon King.
***
"It's been a while since we've seen each other, but do you think you've started to want to see me again?"
As always, the Demon King calmly accepted the unannounced visit.
He put down his pen, looked up and grins. It was a playful laugh that lightened the mood, but Deon approached the Demon King with a stern expression, as if he had no time.
A wooden box was placed on the desk.
"Do you see the magic here?"
"You mean preservation magic? It's almost gone."
"Please cast it again."
"..."
"Please cast it."
"..."
"Please cast it."
It was a shameless statement.
The last sentence was almost argumentative. The Demon King opened and closed his mouth without meaning, as if speechless due to his extremely confident attitude. Soon, a small laugh broke out, like a cough.
"Isn't it okay for Lirinel to do that much?"
"I thought the Demon King's magic is more reliable. As you said, it's not 'that much' magic, so can't you just do it?"
"You're trying hard."
His eyes were bent with a smile on his face.
Casting the spell itself was not difficult. However, he just didn't like the idea of having to cast a spell that consistently consumes a small amount of magical power in a situation where it was better to conserve magical power.
Before, when he was overflowing with magic, he would do things he didn't want, but now it was different.
'So, Deon.'
The tightly closed lips rose in a meaningful arc.
'Suggest the conditions first.'
He didn't want to directly ask, 'What will you do for me if I do that?'
He just closed his mouth and smiled quietly. He didn't need to ask verbally for him to know, right? Since he was perceptive, he would quickly understand the meaning of silence.
As expected, Deon sighed as he looked at the Demon King who did not respond.
"If you cast the spell, I will move right away."
Originally, he was going to rest for a few more days... but what followed was a sigh that was almost like a lament.
However, for the Demon King, that would not be perceived as an advantage. So he spoke further.
"You said the Empire received mercenary support from Esperanes."
"It did."
"I will make the mercenaries of Esperanes withdraw from the Empire."
Only then did a change occur in the Demon King's expression.
Not an iron-clad smile, but a genuinely interesting smile.
"I don't like blank checks. What is the deadline?"
"I will move right now. I'm going to the human world. I'll bring you the results when I get back. If the results are positive, visible results will come out within a month at the latest."
"Okay, then I'll give you one month."
This means that he should return quickly with the results without staying in the human world for too long.
The Demon King stretched out his hand and tapped the wooden box.
It was an insignificant action, but Deon, a warrior, could feel it even if only for a moment. Something had changed. It must have been magic.
"If you fail, I will stop the magic."
"..."
"Then, have a nice trip."
Deon turned around without saying a word, holding the box in his arms. He was about to leave the room without any hesitation when he heard a soft voice behind him.
"Deon."
"..."
"I'm here."
... Yes, the Demon King was here. The person he needed to kill was here.
He knew better than that. So there was no need to say that.
Even if he didn't do that, he will come back here again without running away to the human world.
He stopped walking and looked back. When their eyes met, the Demon King grinned and waved his hand.
"When you get back, I'll teach you how to play the piano as a hobby."
"..."
"Try it once and if it doesn't work out, let's try something else."
***
I put on my hood and headed to what used to be my mansion, holding the enchanted wooden box in my arms.
I lifted the hood slightly, looked at the sky, and played with the front edge of the hood. It's been a while since I have worn a hood, so it was a little more stuffy than before, but I can't take it off. Sunlight was not the problem anymore.
Apart from becoming a warrior and becoming healthy, I revealed my face to the entire continent and became a person who was openly attached to the demon world and would be killed. It was obvious that I would be stoned the moment I was caught.
The Count's house, no, the Marquis's... The road to the now abandoned mansion was quite unfamiliar, perhaps because it had been a long time. Maybe that's why, even though there was nothing to see, my head kept turning to other places and the time it took to arrive was longer than I had calculated.
I took a quick look at the white wild roses I found along the way, and looked up at the blue sky and sun I hadn't seen in a long time...
As I walked leisurely, I arrived at the mansion, and as expected, there was no one guarding the front gate. It was a little surprising that it was in a clean condition, contrary to the expectation that it would have been ruined by angry people.
'The door is also locked...'
I pushed the locked iron door softly enough to keep it from breaking, then took a step back.
If the door was locked, it probably meant that there was someone inside. It seems like you would know it without even looking at it.
"Hup."
Clutching the box tightly to my side, I jumped over the front door with a simple leap and was inside.
As I walked a little further, I could feel it clearly. Originally, it was quiet because there weren't many people around, but the atmosphere was definitely different when there were no people at all. Feeling a sense of incongruity between the familiar place and the unfamiliar atmosphere, I slowly walked through the interior, looking around. It was when I was almost in the backyard that I heard a faint singing sound.
"Once upon a time, in a world, Death spoke."
It's a familiar song. It's a familiar voice.
My steps became faster. Finding the source was not difficult because all I had to do was head to the place where the song was heard.
"'Do not sin.'"
An old man in a tailcoat was trimming a tree in a sunny spot in the backyard.
A low singing voice, almost like humming, rang softly.
"After death, your soul begins to break under the weight of your sins."
It's been a long time since I heard that song.
It's a refreshing feeling to hear this. It was a commonly heard song until the Eight Year War broke out.
It was a folk song that parents sung to their children and street children also sung when they were bored. Did the content roughly contain a warning not to commit crimes?
As the era of war began with the Eight Year War, it became an environment where one could not survive unless one committed crimes, so it naturally disappeared.
"Disappearing without paying the penalty is a very convenient avoidance."
"..."
"Ah, are you here?"
Remember, who found me standing still as if possessed, smiled kindly and approached me. His attitude was so calm that you would never even think of him facing the Commander of the Demon King's Army.
"It's been a while since you sang that song. I completely forgot it."
"It is the privilege of an old man who is alone in a war."
For an old man living a peaceful life, ten years ago seems like just yesterday.
How far away was this? I tried to argue, but Remember was faster. He smiled and gave a belated greeting.
"It's been a while, Master."
"... Remember is still the same."
"Master, you have changed a lot."
"It's an environment that has no choice but to be like that. More than that..."
I looked around at the empty grounds, and then looked at Remember again.
"Where are the other people going and why are you doing this alone?"
"Everyone went on vacation. It was my first time using the authority of a deacon."
"... It's beyond your authority to send everyone away, leaving you alone."
"Thanks to you, I realized the sweetness of power."
A light, dreamlike conversation filled with laughter.
As if to balance the situation, Remember stopped joking and spoke the truth.
"We let those who wanted to go out and gave leave to those who didn't."
The tone of voice was light, but there was a strange sense of discomfort.
For a moment, I realized that he was tilting his head.
This was his final report as a butler.
With this report, the master-servant relationship between master and butler will disappear. Well, there's no need to be here anymore. Even if I do, I will only suffer losses.
'This is my first time feeling this way.'
Until now, I have personally broken off many relationships and seen them break up as well. Nevertheless, this was the first time a relationship has ended in this way. The only end to a relationship that I know of is something extreme, like death.
Perhaps that was why I felt so strange that I could not put it into words, so I kept my mouth shut for a moment and then calmly answered as if nothing had happened.
"There is no need to repeat it. Everyone must have left."
"No, there were those who truly wanted to stay. Three people in particular were very motivated. They were passionately shouting that everything would be forgiven with just one face..."
"... Were they maids by any chance?"
"You know very well. It looks like you have an idea who it is."
"... It must be a joke."
"Ho ho. If you want to believe that."
Remember took a step back.
Now it was time to wake up from the dream. The calm atmosphere changed.
I took off my hood. Remember also lost his mischievous expression and bowed his head politely. A business-like voice continued, different from before.
"I guess you're here for a chat. I'll take you to the parlor."
"...Yes."
[1] The title "Noli Metuere" is Latin for "do not fear" or "do not be afraid."