"What do you think you're doing, bastard?"
Zeldryn slapped Henry's hand away and glared sharply at him.
The atmosphere inside the hall changed instantly. Hera, who had been standing with her body trembling and her gaze fixed on the floor, slowly raised her head. Her eyes widened slightly, and the fear that had filled her expression gave way to confusion as though she could not believe what she had just heard.
The guard who had escorted Zeldryn and Hera showed much the same reaction. Ever since witnessing Henry and Aeglo's behavior, his jaw had remained tense, and the hand covered by his iron gauntlet had been clenched tightly into a fist. After hearing Zeldryn's words, however, that fist slowly relaxed.
On the other side of the hall, several female servants who had previously been harassed by Henry and Aeglo exchanged uncertain glances. One covered her mouth, while another stood rigidly with her eyes wide open. No one seemed to understand what was happening.
Zeldryn knew his actions would only make everyone even more suspicious of him. Ever since waking up, he had already done far too many things the previous Zeldryn would never have done. He had returned a servant's greeting, asked about the condition of the mansion, and now he was insulting two people everyone knew as his closest friends.
This time, however, he did not care. Ever since seeing Henry touch that servant and hearing Aeglo use his name to threaten another, his anger had become increasingly difficult to suppress.
"L-Lord Zeldr..."
Henry had only just opened his mouth when Zeldryn immediately shouted over him.
"Do not say my name with that disgusting mouth of yours, bastard."
Zeldryn's voice echoed throughout the hall. His expression remained serious, without the slightest indication that he was joking, and Henry immediately fell silent.
Aeglo, who was standing beside him, quickly examined the situation. Unlike Henry, who seemed more accustomed to following others, Aeglo was clever enough to recognize when circumstances had changed. He immediately stepped forward and put on an expression filled with regret.
"Please forgive us, Lord Zeldryn. Are you angry because we were not there to protect you last night?" Aeglo asked sorrowfully.
Zeldryn could clearly see that it was all an act.
Henry glanced at Aeglo, and as though he had suddenly realized what the other man was attempting, he quickly nodded several times.
"Y-yes! Is that why you are angry, Lord Zeldryn?"
"If that is the reason, then we sincerely apologize," Aeglo continued as he lowered his head. "From this moment onward, we promise to remain by your side at all times. We will never leave you alone again."
Aeglo clasped both hands in front of himself while staring hopefully at Zeldryn.
Zeldryn felt even more disgusted.
'So this is what it feels like to have someone lick your boots?' Zeldryn thought.
In his previous life, Reka had never been anyone's superior. He had never held an important position at his office either. He had only been an ordinary employee who constantly received orders from every direction.
He had seen people flatter their superiors for promotions, raises, or special treatment, but this was the first time he had personally become the target of such shameless bootlicking.
'How can anyone enjoy something like this?' Zeldryn wondered.
Instead of feeling pleased, he only felt sick. Perhaps it was because he already knew the true nature of the two men standing before him, or perhaps their flattery was so obviously fake that listening to them felt like hearing rats scratching inside the walls.
Whatever the reason, Zeldryn had already made up his mind.
There was something he needed to do about the situation inside this mansion. He needed to improve the way people saw him, but he could not suddenly transform into a kind and obedient child. A change that drastic would only attract even more suspicion.
Because of that, Henry and Aeglo were the perfect targets.
He could punish them without abandoning the previous Zeldryn's violent personality.
"Enough."
Zeldryn stared at them coldly.
"You two are absolutely disgusting."
Henry and Aeglo fell silent.
Zeldryn then turned his gaze toward the armored guard standing nearby.
"Guard."
The man immediately straightened his posture.
"Cripple both of them where they stand."
Silence descended upon the hall once again, but this time the atmosphere felt even heavier.
Everyone stared at Zeldryn in disbelief, including the guard who had just received the order. The man did not move immediately. He merely stood rigidly in place, staring at Zeldryn from behind his helmet.
'Is he serious?' the guard wondered. 'Or is this a trap?'
He knew Zeldryn as a child who frequently gave orders according to his whims. Zeldryn would often deliberately lure someone into making a mistake, only to punish them afterward for his own amusement. Because of that, the guard could not dismiss the possibility that Zeldryn was baiting him into attacking his friends so that he could later punish him for daring to touch them.
"L-Lord Zeldryn, you are joking, aren't you?"
Henry raised both hands in front of his chest. The smile that had remained plastered across his face finally began to disappear.
"Y-yes, Lord Zeldryn. Perhaps you should calm yourself first," Aeglo added.
Although he tried to remain composed, Aeglo's face had already begun turning pale.
Zeldryn ignored both of them and continued staring at the guard who had yet to move.
"You don't want to do it?"
Zeldryn narrowed his eyes.
"Or do I need to call another guard?"
Those words finally snapped the man out of his thoughts.
"N-no need, my lord. I alone will be enough."
The guard stepped forward, the sound of metal echoing through the hall each time his armored boots struck the floor. Behind his helmet, his lips slowly formed a smile.
Whether this was a trap or not, he no longer cared. He had been suppressing his anger toward Henry and Aeglo for far too long.
Those two bastards constantly came to the mansion, ate the finest food, ordered the servants around, and treated the entire estate as though it belonged to them. There had been several occasions when the guard wanted to beat them senseless, and even moments when he had genuinely wanted to kill them.
However, the previous Zeldryn had always protected Henry and Aeglo. Anyone who tried to oppose them would be punished.
Now, for the first time, Zeldryn himself had ordered the guard to attack them.
Henry and Aeglo stepped backward at the same time, their faces growing even paler. They genuinely could not understand what was happening.
Until now, Zeldryn had only been an easily manipulated child. With a few compliments and a small amount of encouragement, they could convince him to do almost anything they wanted.
"L-Lord Zeldr..."
Henry attempted to call his name once more, but before he could finish speaking, the guard had already reached him.
A fist covered by an iron gauntlet slammed directly into Henry's face.
BAM!
"Do not say the lord's name with that filthy mouth of yours, bastard!"
Henry's head snapped to the side. His large body remained upright for another moment as he staggered unsteadily in place.
The guard felt an intense sense of satisfaction when his fist connected with Henry's face. It was as though every problem that had accumulated throughout his life had vanished with that single punch.
THUD!
Henry's massive body collapsed onto the floor.
Aeglo stared at his fallen companion with a pale expression, and he immediately realized that something had truly changed within Zeldryn. Without wasting another second, Aeglo threw himself onto the floor and prostrated before him.
"Please forgive all of my mistakes, my lord!"
His forehead touched the floor.
"Whatever I have done wrong, I sincerely apologize! I swear I will never do it again!"
The guard, who had been about to attack Aeglo, briefly stopped and turned toward Zeldryn, seemingly asking whether the punishment should continue.
Zeldryn did not answer. He simply stood there with a serious expression, staring at Aeglo as he prostrated himself on the floor.
The guard interpreted his silence as an order to continue.
He approached Aeglo and planted his boot against the back of his neck.
"Agh!"
Before Aeglo could raise his head, a powerful kick struck the side of his body.
BAM!
"Cough!"
The air was violently forced from Aeglo's lungs as his thin body was thrown several meters across the hall.
THUD!
He struck the floor and rolled several times before finally coming to a stop. Several servants flinched at the sight.
The guard did not give either man an opportunity to fight back. He grabbed Henry, who was still barely conscious, and dragged Aeglo back toward Zeldryn. With quick movements, he took out a rope and bound their hands.
Henry and Aeglo were forced to kneel side by side in the middle of the hall, directly in front of Zeldryn. They now looked like two prisoners awaiting interrogation.
Henry groaned as his swollen face throbbed, a thin stream of blood flowing from his nose. Beside him, Aeglo breathed heavily with his body still bent forward from the kick he had just received. The bootlicking smiles had completely vanished from both of their faces.
The entire hall fell silent once more. Everyone was still trying to understand the scene they had just witnessed, especially Hera.
She stood several steps in front of Zeldryn, staring at Henry and Aeglo as they knelt on the floor with their hands bound. Shock remained plainly visible on her face.
Deep within her heart, however, another feeling began to emerge.
A feeling she had never dared to acknowledge.
Satisfaction.
For the first time, the people who had freely used Zeldryn's name to hurt the servants were finally receiving their punishment.
And the person who had ordered that punishment was Zeldryn himself.