“Aah! Lady Luciana, blood!”
“What are you all doing? Carry her inside at once!”
“Bring a doctor and a priest!”
Luciana watched maids and servants rush about.
It was no wonder.
The duke’s daughter, whose social standing was incomparably higher than theirs, had suddenly appeared out of thin air, seriously wounded and coughing up blood.
Through her dazed mind, an excruciating pain washed over her. Her throat was so full of blood that even breathing was difficult.
“Ugh.... Cough!”
She had lost.
She had lost far too helplessly.
If she wanted to make excuses, she could name countless reasons.
Her hunting clothes, chosen for convenience, could not compare to the defense of full plate mail.
She had only carried a bow, which was no more than a hobby, rather than her primary weapon—a sword.
She had not expected demonkind to be hiding in the domain of House Speda, ruled by the Sword Saint.
But Luciana herself knew better than anyone that all of those were nothing but excuses.
She was weaker than her opponent. There had been a difference in skill that she could not bridge.
That was a fact that would not change, no matter what excuses she made.
“Cough.”
“Bring a potion! Treat her abdomen first!”
“Use healing magic immediately afterward!”
As befitted those who served one of the Empire’s only four ducal houses, their treatment was precise and swift.
Gradually, the pain in the abdomen where she had taken that blow receded.
At the same time, her throat—where blood had kept flooding up no matter how much she coughed out—finally had room to breathe.
Luciana gestured and moved her lips.
“Mmph....”
“My Lady, you must not strain yourself trying to speak. You need to rest a little longer.”
She could not do that.
Her resolve was firmer than the pain.
She was a member of House Speda.
She had to report the identity of the demon that posed more than enough danger to the territory.
But just as she tried to open her mouth.
-Go take care of yourself.
Something welled up inside her heart.
Hans had used the Return Stone on her, so she had survived even after losing the battle against the demon.
He could have abandoned her and escaped alone.
Yet she could not stop thinking about her loyal attendant, who was likely still there, keeping the demon occupied.
“Help him. Hans is still to the southwest....”
‘I have to tell them that there is demonkind there.’
She no longer had the strength to say any more. Perhaps because she truly needed to rest as the doctor had said, a powerful drowsiness overtook her.
“Hans? The attendant who went hunting with the young lady?”
“First, send the Rangers to search that area.”
Still, the conversation she heard just as she closed her eyes reassured her.
All she could do was hope that he was safe.
***
“Ugh, my head.”
Like the vicious hangover that came the day after a college retreat, the throbbing in my head drew a groan from me.
Still, it was a relief.
“Looks like I got rescued somehow.”
I clearly remembered passing out in the cave. Yet the fact that I was now in a soft, cozy bed told me as much.
Ding.
And as soon as I woke up, an enormous number of messages from the Status Window greeted me.
[You saved ‘Luciana Speda,’ the master you must serve as an attendant, from danger. Your loyal and courageous actions have made your name known among the people of House Speda.]
[Hans Byron’s Reputation has increased.]
[House Speda’s Perception Shift]
[Neutral -> Trust]
They were the messages about changes related to Reputation that I had often seen in the game.
“That’s a little stingy for something that nearly got me killed.”
Reputation was influence.
It also meant that my standing within House Speda would grow.
My authority as an attendant would increase as well.
Still, it was a slightly disappointing reward for a difficulty level comparable to an emergency mission.
“...Still, I saved Luciana, so I suppose it is fine.”
Having been stabbed in the back by a sweet dungeon still stung a little, but I breathed a sigh of relief at having kept my favorite character safe.
What was more, I had made the powerful enemy I encountered into a potential ally. I had put out the urgent fire, at least.
“Are you awake?”
While I had been lost in thought, the door flew open.
A middle-aged man wore neat clothes entirely devoid of flamboyance.
Even so, the dignity he could not conceal only made his stately presence more pronounced.
And because I knew who he was, I had no choice but to hastily rise from the bed.
He was someone to whom I, an attendant, had to show the utmost respect.
“Greetings, Duke Speda.”
“Enough. You are a patient, so do not overexert yourself. Lie down.”
But with that easygoing answer, he stopped me with a gesture and continued.
“Rather than that trifling outward etiquette, you have shown true loyalty far more admirably.”
Duke Speda pulled over a nearby chair.
“Let us talk for a moment.”
“It is an honor.”
Ordinarily, he would give orders through the Head Attendant. He was someone I would not dare even speak to directly.
“First, let me thank you. I heard that you saved my daughter’s life.”
There was a reason he had come here to speak with me.
The sight of him offering thanks to someone as insignificant as an attendant from a baronial house showed that he was also a father.
“It was what I ought to have done as her personal attendant.”
“You underestimate your actions.”
As though dissatisfied with my answer, Duke Speda frowned and stroked his bushy beard.
“It is not easy to use one’s only Return Stone for another person when demonkind stands before you. Even when a personal attendant and master are bound by loyalty.”
That was only because if your daughter died, I would die too, so I had no choice.
It was certainly far removed from the noble loyalty and self-sacrifice he spoke of.
If anything, it was closer to a personal desire.
“Let us leave this matter here. I have other business.”
“Please say whatever you wish.”
His expression sharpened. It was a face closer to that of a cold, clear-eyed Sword Saint than to a kind high-ranking noble or a warm father.
“I heard roughly from Luci after she recovered. I heard that demonkind was hiding in our territory.”
Only after hearing his voice grow infinitely serious did I realize that his earlier thanks had been no more than an aside.
“After you sent Luci away, do you know anything about the vampire’s whereabouts?”
He stood at the very forefront of the conflict between the human-centered Manhet Empire and the demon-centered Evildun Empire.
Naturally, the primary purpose of this question concerned the security of the territory and, beyond that, the safety of the North.
“Even a vague direction will do. Any small lead is fine. Speak.”
My gaze drifted to Duke Speda’s sword at his waist.
What would happen if Batory, whom I had seen, fought Duke Speda?
‘...There is no need to say it.’
Even if she claimed to have faced the Demon King, how could a vampire noble who had not even recovered her strength be compared to the Grand Duke of the North?
One of that man’s epithets is Nightmare of Demonkind.
If I told him the truth, Batory would almost certainly be as good as dead.
“Before I lost consciousness, the last thing I saw was demonkind fighting each other. I escaped in the midst of that and survived.”
Of course, now that I had decided to make use of her, I could not do that.
To throw the search into confusion as well, I fed him false information.
“Demonkind fought each other? There is another demon besides that vampire living in the North?”
Was it because a vampire alone was enough of a headache, and a new problem had suddenly been added to his concerns?
The duke’s brow creased deeply.
“Yes. So I do not know what happened to them after that either.”
“Hm. Then who was the demon that confronted the vampire?”
Duke Speda pressed his temple and asked once more.
“Was it another vampire? Or perhaps a Levain or a gargoyle?”
“No. It was none of those three. I could not even tell what race it was.”
“A minor race.”
A deep sigh filled my sickroom.
“Tell me even its physical characteristics. They will help identify its race.”
“I only saw its back faintly, and I was fleeing in a hurry, so I do not remember it exactly. My apologies.”
I lowered my eyes with a gloomy expression.
I was the one who fought the vampire.
Did he think I was insane enough to tell him that? I needed to muddle the matter and sow confusion as much as I could.
Otherwise, I might be mistaken for demonkind and get carved up by the Sword Saint.
“Very well. If anything comes back to you, report it to Yegor.”
He said that, but he did not seem to expect much.
That suited me just fine. The excessive attention of a chairman-level superior was poison to a rookie employee.
‘He must be busy with all manner of affairs, so I hope he leaves soon and lets this patient get some rest...?’
[Quest Issued!]
Unlike the duke, who seemed ready to finally let me rest, the Status Window gave me no chance to relax as it rang with an insistent alarm.
What was it this time?
Grumbling internally, I checked the Status Window, which was invisible to the Sword Saint.
***
‘There was no real gain.’
In truth, thanking the attendant and granting him a reward for saving his daughter could all have been handled through the Head Attendant.
But there was only one reason he had met Hans directly.
He could not bear to leave demonkind like cockroaches settled in the North he ruled.
Yet Hans Byron’s testimony, from the only person who could be called an eyewitness, could not pinpoint the whereabouts of that loathsome mosquito.
Of course, it was not entirely useless.
There was the existence of another demon.
He had thought there was only a mosquito, but there were not one but two pests in the North.
“I will repay you handsomely for saving Luci. Our House Speda does not forget favors or grudges. Receive it from Yegor later. That will be all.”
He had much to do. It was obvious that their current system could not filter out demonkind.
The Rangers would become even busier, but he had no choice but to work them hard.
“Your Grace, please wait! Now that I think about it, I may not know the race, but I remember its name clearly.”
It was none other than the attendant’s voice that stopped him.
“Its name?”
“Yes. Before they fought, the demonkind revealed their names to each other.”
It was a small clue that would not help identify their location at all.
Still, something was better than nothing. With a faint sense of expectation, he spoke.
“Is that so? What were their names?”
“The vampire was called Batory, and the unknown demon was called Frost Mane!”
Frost Mane?
Was that not the Phantom Thief who had robbed House Valtrion’s vault?
“That is difficult to believe. Why would the name of a thief who has been the talk of the town lately come up there?”
“But I definitely heard it!”
Hans had sacrificed himself to send Luci away first, proving his loyalty to House Speda.
There was no reason for him to lie while reporting an enemy of humanity.
Hans’s gaze was steadfast as well.
Assuming Hans’s words were true, there were two possibilities.
Either the demon had borrowed the name of a recently famous Phantom Thief, or the Phantom Thief’s true identity was demonkind.
“Thank you for the valuable information. We will have to catch that Phantom Thief to learn the truth.”
“R-Right. Haha.”
Leaving Hans, whose expression had stiffened slightly, behind, the duke called for his trusted aide.
“Yegor.”
“Yes. What did you summon me for?”
Since they did not know where either one had gone, they had to use every means available.
“Notify the men of House Speda, especially the Rangers. Double the time they spend searching from now on.”
“Your order will be carried out.”
That was a measure to find the vampire named Batory.
And he also had to take action based on Hans Byron’s testimony.
“And contact the Thieves’ Guild in secret. Bring me every piece of information on Frost Mane.”
“Understood.”
.
.
.
The lie spilled by the shepherd boy was steadily growing into a huge snowball.