Chapter 22

-Buzz buzz.

The post office located in the outskirts of Herta Shi. Every single day, countless people flock there, and today was no exception, with numerous people and parcels coming and going, making the surrounding streets bustling.

It’s only natural, as they handle mail not only from the entire city but also from outside the city.

In such a noisy place, a man wearing a black hood entered, and the gazes of those around began to turn toward him one by one.

He appeared to be middle-aged. However, a faint sense of skepticism could be felt in his eyes, visible beneath the hood.

At first glance, he seemed like someone with a story. The counter employee, who had seen many such people while working at the post office, greeted him as he approached.

“Welcome to the Eastern Branch of Herta Shi Post Office. What brings you here today?”

“…I came to send a letter.”

“Alright, may I have your name and address?”

The employee, trying to handle the matter professionally.

The visitor paused for a moment before replying.

“Gale Havoc. The recipient is the Andersen family.”

“Ah, yes. The name is Gale, and the recipient is… the Andersen family, you said?”

“That’s right.”

Andersen.

Sending a letter to the Andersen family, a renowned swordsmanship family in the empire, meant that this was no ordinary person.

The employee, staring at him with tense eyes, Gale asked in a weak voice.

“I haven’t written the letter yet. Could you recommend a suitable place?”

“Yes, yes. There’s a space prepared over there. Please feel free to use it.”

Guided by the employee, Gale arrived at a small private room.

Sitting at the cramped desk in the room, Gale pressed the tip of the pen he held in his hand against the paper.

And for a while, he was lost in thought.

Until the ink from the pen began to spread across the paper.

‘Ah, demon…’

What came to mind was last night’s struggle… no, it wasn’t even a struggle.

The only reason he was still alive was because the demon had shown him mercy.

That’s why Gale couldn’t easily dismiss the words the demon had spoken to him.

‘Where are you planning to take the young lady?’

At first, he thought he shouldn’t hand Jeremiah over to him.

Because demons are evil and greedy beings.

Even if they grant wishes to those who make contracts, the way those wishes are fulfilled always leads to the destruction of the summoner and those around them.

‘Why are you curious about that?’

‘How can you even ask that…’

‘After trying to sell her to a criminal organization, do you suddenly feel a sense of loyalty? Or are you afraid of being reprimanded by your master for failing your original plan?’

But Gale knew he had no right to stop him.

Knowing that better than anyone, Gale finally lowered the sword he had pointed at him and knelt on the ground.

‘Why…’

Because he knew.

He knew better than anyone the terrible things he had tried to do as a knight.

‘Why aren’t you killing me and leaving?’

That’s why he couldn’t bring himself to understand why the demon, who had every reason to kill him for trying to harm Jeremiah, chose to spare him and leave.

From the perspective of a demon serving her, someone like him should have been eliminated without a second thought.

‘…Killing isn’t part of a butler’s duty.’

Yet, the demon replied as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

A response that felt unexpectedly human, something one wouldn’t expect from a demon.

‘Yes, I am a butler. Before being a demon, I am the butler who serves the young lady. If there’s ever a time I must dirty my hands, it would only be to eliminate those who harm my master.’

‘…So you judged that I wouldn’t harm the young lady anymore?’

‘I sensed that you were having doubts about this mission. Moreover, you must have realized firsthand that continuing to follow the family’s will isn’t the wisest choice.’

Every word was true.

If he could, he would have quit this mission long ago. Having felt the demon’s strength firsthand, he had no desire to cross him again.

‘…What if I were to reveal your existence to the outside world?’

‘Feel free to try. You’ll see what happens.’

Yes, provoking him would be like poking a live hornet’s nest.

Even if the entire world turned against him and he faced destruction, the world would still bear scars that would never heal.

So, exposing him was something he could never do, even for the sake of the family…

‘And personally, I think it’s better to have as many allies as possible.’

To Gale, who was coming to that conclusion, the demon added one last unexpected reason.

‘The family’s malice will continue to target the young lady. Having at least one person on the family’s side who can mitigate that would make her future life a bit easier, don’t you think?’

‘…Are you asking me to betray the family?’

‘I won’t force you, but I do have some expectations. You are a knight serving the Andersens, and the one I serve is also an Andersen.’

So, please keep this conversation close to your heart.

With those final words, the demon left, and Gale could only watch his retreating figure.

Powerlessly, and skeptically.

Even if he had the strength, pursuing him would go against the knight’s code.

“…Lady Jeremiah, and the Andersens.”

So, Gale decided to compromise.

As a knight, he couldn’t betray the family or stand by her side, but at least for now…

He would try to avoid conflict with the demon as much as possible.

[The criminal organization we collaborated with betrayed us, causing complications. For now, I will stay in Herta Shi and look for another way. Please give me some time.]

Yes, the letter he was writing was to buy that time.

Hoping that during the time this letter would buy, a better future might unfold, Gale handed the letter to the post office employee.

****

Meanwhile, inside a dark, abandoned mansion in the back alleys.

“Kyaaaaaaah!!”

Unable to bear the excruciating pain of his skin being peeled off, Yozak let out a horrific scream, thrashing in his seat.

Blood splattered in all directions from his convulsing body.

Yet, the pink-haired woman watching the scene remained unfazed, her gaze cold as she gestured to her followers.

“P-please, have mercy…”

The sound of flesh being torn, revealing bone beneath.

“Please, show me mercy! Bloodstained Artist!!”

As Yozak’s plea escaped his lips, the artist known by that name finally reacted.

“Mercy, you say? From me?”

A scoff escaped her lips.

It was both a mockery and a dismissal of his pitiful state.

The failure of the deal she had hoped for meant that he had essentially deceived her.

“Mr. Yozak. I had placed a great deal of trust in you as a long-time business partner.”

She rose from her chair and approached Yozak, who was bound and weeping.

As she reached him, she gently stroked his neck, causing his body to stiffen as if a blade had been pressed against it.

“The young lady from the empire’s most prestigious family, discarded like trash… That story ignited my artistic desire like nothing else in recent memory. Ah, yes. A woman fallen to the most miserable state would surely satisfy the conditions for a masterpiece.”

“I-I’m sorry. But there was interference… That man in the butler’s outfit, he just wouldn’t die!!”

With a swift motion, her mana-infused hand sliced through the air, cleanly peeling off half the skin on his face.

A movement so precise it was hard to believe it was done with a mere flick of the wrist.

Before Yozak could scream from the pain, her henchmen forced his head back, holding him in place.

“A butler who wouldn’t die?”

The Bloodstained Artist, now forcing Yozak to meet her gaze, continued.

“If that’s true, then you should have been more careful in your preparations, shouldn’t you?”

“W-what do you mean…?”

“Think about it. If someone with such an absurd ability was guarding the merchandise, you should have investigated and planned how to deal with him before making your move. How to overcome an immortal man to get what you wanted.”

The failure of the deal, in her eyes, was due to a lack of preparation.

No matter how absurd the events that unfolded, the one who overlooked the risks was to blame.

“But you were reckless. Blinded by the greedy desire to simply kidnap the merchandise and hand it over to me, you ignored the risks.”

A fraudster who, despite being unqualified, aimed for something beyond his reach and failed.

Yozak, hearing this condemnation, cried out in desperation.

“P-please, just one more chance. I’ll make a proper plan this time, I swear…!!”

“Sorry, but I don’t have the luxury of giving second chances to those who’ve betrayed my trust.”

With that, she turned her back on him.

A gesture from her, and her henchmen gagged Yozak and began bringing out their tools.

Razor-sharp carving knives, brushes soaked in blood for coloring—tools of her artistic trade.

“Mmmpf! Mmmph!”

Yes, soon, this space would witness a massacre in the name of art.

As if anticipating this, the Bloodstained Artist hummed a tune, ignoring the muffled screams of the criminal as she walked to another room in the mansion.

The scene of the previous night’s battle over the merchandise.

The walls and floor bore the marks of a fierce struggle, with weapons having been fired, yet not a single corpse remained.

This meant that the ‘attacker’ had left without killing anyone, taking only the merchandise he had come for.

“Hmm~ Is that so?”

As she observed the scene with interest, one of her henchmen approached and asked.

“Artist. What will you do now? If you want us to capture Jeremiah Andersen, we can.”

“No, leave her be for now.”

“Leave her? Weren’t you quite excited when you heard about her?”

“The narrative of a subject must develop naturally. If the creator’s will interferes, the narrative becomes artificial.”

Art must feel natural.

For the Bloodstained Artist, who held this philosophy, directly intervening in the growth or capture of her subject was taboo.

Artificially constructed creations force the creator’s ideology onto the audience, distancing it from naturalness.

“So, we must wait for the right moment.”

Her gaze returned to the chaotic scene in the room.

With eyes filled with more interest than any artwork she had encountered before.

“The knight protecting her will make her narrative even more captivating.”

Yes, by her side was a spice that would enhance her flavor.

Imagining the taste such a combination would create, the Bloodstained Artist licked her lips, while her henchman cautiously expressed concern.

“Aren’t you hungry after all this time?”

“Hungry? What a pointless question~”

The Bloodstained Artist smiled.

Then, turning to her henchman with a nonchalant air, she said.

“Masterpieces have always been born from hungry artists, haven’t they?”

Patience is an essential virtue in art.

So, she decided to wait.

For the near future, when the woman with an even more captivating narrative would fall into her hands.

****

And so, time passed, and early morning arrived.

“…Sebastian?”

As her drowsy mind began to wake.

Before opening her eyes, the first name that came to Jeremiah’s mind slipped from her lips.

“Yes, my lady.”

And as if waiting, the butler Sebastian approached her.

“I am here.”

Jeremiah, with half-opened eyes, stared at his face for a while, her mind still foggy as she tried to recall the fragments of her dreams.

“…A dream.”

It felt like she had gone through many things, but nothing clear came to mind.

No matter how much she tried to remember, her mind remained clouded.

“I had a dream… but I can’t remember it well.”

“…Is that so?”

Sebastian’s face, as he looked at her, felt strangely unfamiliar today.

Not that he seemed like a different person, but the smile he always wore for her felt… different.

“Sebastian?”

“I’ve brought tea. Please have a cup.”

Despite her doubts, he handed her a cup of tea as if nothing was wrong.

Though she felt something was off, Jeremiah decided not to dwell on it and accepted the cup.

She wanted to preserve this moment, which had become part of her daily life.

“…Thank you.”

Even if this morning felt different from usual.

She didn’t want to disappoint the expectations of the one who wished to maintain this routine.

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