The Obsessive Maniac Is Trying To Confine Me - Chapter 71

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Episode 71

“These are Count’s sons.”

Eric and the gatekeepers from the punishment room knelt before Arzen.

They couldn’t even lift their heads and trembled violently. They could only hope for mercy and leniency.

As long as it wasn’t related to monsters, Arzen was a gentle master among the servants.

Because he would let most things slide.

But this time was different.

When it came to monsters, Arzen acted as if his nerves had snapped.

“I let you be since you did your job well enough, but you dare to overstep your bounds. Did I give you a difficult task?”

“C-Count…”

“I’m speaking. I just told you to watch the monster and bring it out when the door opens. But instead of bringing it out, you put it back in…”

“No! That’s not true! That maid is lying— Ugh!”

One of the gatekeepers who tried to protest his innocence to Arzen was kicked in the stomach by a knight.

Arzen looked down at them with fierce eyes.

Arzen felt a bit of regret. It would have been convenient if he had replaced them when he heard Roji’s words.

‘Come to think of it…’

Roji had never said anything wrong in front of him, not even once.

While she couldn’t be called absolutely loyal, it meant she had never disappointed him.

“Handle it yourselves.”

Arzen left their treatment to the knights and departed from the underground prison.

“Bring Roji.”

Arzen commanded the knight beside him. The knight’s expression darkened.

“What’s wrong?”

“Well…”

“If you have something to say, say it.”

The knight glanced around nervously before carefully opening his mouth.

“That maid has no fault in this matter…”

“I know that too.”

“But if you’re going to punish the maid…”

“…What are you talking about?”

“…Aren’t you going to punish Maid Roji?”

Arzen frowned at the knight’s words.

The knight was also puzzled.

Calling for Roji with such a murderous expression in this situation—wasn’t that an intention to punish her?

“Bring her.”

The knight, judging that he shouldn’t displease Arzen any further, was about to move immediately.

“No. Don’t bring her.”

Suddenly his words changed.

When Arzen reversed his statement, the knight just stood there dumbfounded beside him.

“No, bring her.”

“…?”

“No, no. Just don’t bring her…”

“…”

Is he joking right now? The knight seriously wondered if he should play along.

This was unlike his master.

Arzen kept reversing his words for a while before finally saying not to bring her.

“You may go now.”

Then he sent the knight away before his mind could change.

The knight left the room, bewildered by his strange master’s behavior.

Left alone, Arzen fell into thought.

Come to think of it, Roji always watched his mood.

Of course, it wasn’t strange for a maid to read her master’s mood.

But she seemed to worry that her master might harm her if she acted a certain way.

Arzen let out a hollow laugh.

He wasn’t the type to punish innocent people.

But it seemed Roji had interpreted his sensitive behavior regarding monsters differently.

Arzen tried to clear up his maid’s misunderstanding, then decided against it.

It was true that being near her strangely made him feel at ease and reduced the pain from his mark, but as her master, he didn’t need to go that far.

Arzen touched the mark on his neck, then called for someone.

“What is it, Count?”

“Look into Roji.”

* * *

With incidents and accidents happening constantly these days, the inside of the manor was chaotic.

The servants were busy gossiping among themselves about what had happened in the annex and what became of Eric and the gatekeepers.

But that was only temporary.

Soon hot news heated up the conversations among the servants.

It was the summer festival.

I couldn’t believe how much time had passed for the summer festival to be approaching already.

After the incident, Dillen had been quiet for a while. He no longer searched for me. It made me anxious for no reason.

And the demon worshippers hadn’t approached me either. They should have approached me again some time ago.

It was strange, but during this time I was able to comfortably explain my escape plan to Rihardt.

Time passed in an atmosphere where slight anxiety, anticipation, and impatience coexisted.

“I took time off this time. I even bought clothes to go out during the festival, you know?”

During a brief break, as the maids sat around together, talk about the festival inevitably came up.

“That’s too bad. I used my vacation before, so I can’t go out.”

“No. Even if you had used vacation, it might not have worked anyway. So many people took time off this time…”

“That’s also luck. I’m jealous. I won’t be able to go out during this festival.”

While the maids were making disappointed sounds, someone delivered good news.

“That might not be the case? If we’re lucky, we might all be able to go out this time.”

“What? What do you mean?”

“…I happened to overhear that Count is personally organizing this festival.”

“Count is? Is that really true? Hasn’t he always left such things to other people until now?”

“Yes, but for some reason Count is organizing this festival himself.”

The maids murmured in puzzlement at this unusual occurrence.

Then another maid spoke up as if she had an idea.

“Could it be because of that?”

“Because of what?”

“The capital is relatively peaceful, but right now the overall atmosphere isn’t very good.”

“Ah…”

The excited atmosphere settled down.

As the maid said, the Empire’s situation wasn’t good.

It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say this Empire’s emperor was obsessed with territorial expansion.

The Empire’s prestige grew day by day due to its superiority in weapon development, and there was much talk that what had remained a dud until now might finally explode this winter.

This war would probably break out soon.

It was an undeniable fact since Rihardt would participate in this war, achieve merit, and return.

Whether territorial expansion or continental unification, for people busy trying to make a living, it was just unsettling news.

Anyway, due to such problems, the interior of the Empire was slightly chaotic.

So it seems like they’re saying this festival is being held grandly as if to show off.

“I think I heard that Count Evantes will be giving a speech. I believe he’ll be taking several servants with him then…”

“Maybe one of us might get to go!”

The maids’ eyes lit up with interest. However, they looked at me with an “oh no” expression.

Huh? Suddenly… why?

“…Roji is a personal maid, so she probably can’t go, right?”

“…Still, she might be able to go to the next festival, don’t you think?”

It seems like they’re being considerate since no opportunity would come my way at all.

“I don’t really like going around places, so I don’t mind.”

“Roji, you don’t like going out?”

“Maybe she doesn’t like that kind of atmosphere because festivals are so noisy and bustling?”

They nodded with awkward expressions.

I smiled at them and looked at Emily, who was sitting alone in quiet silence.

I heard that Emily also took time off this time.

Emily seems like she’d be the most disappointed if I couldn’t go, but she was being too quiet.

…She looks like she’s in a bad mood. Is something wrong?

She was always bright and energetic, so seeing Emily like this felt both unfamiliar and strangely odd.

“Um, Emily…”

“How long are you all going to chat around? Start working now!”

Just then, the housekeeper shouted at the maids.

The maids glanced at the housekeeper and hurriedly got up from their seats.

Emily, who seemed not to have heard me calling her, went to her position and started working.

…Am I just being oversensitive?

* * *

It seems like demon worshippers, or their spy, are hiding in this place.

After gaining conviction, Lucas tried to figure out who it might be.

Currently, the suspects had been narrowed down to three people.

Two of the suspects were people he had felt had strange auras for a long time.

…And the remaining one.

Lucas looked at Roji, who was smiling brightly and waving at the maids.

Her pure white face glowed softly under the sunlight. Her shimmering pink hair reminded him of cherry blossoms.

She was the maid his master had called suspicious when he sent her a note.

Around her, he could see a faint aura reviving and disappearing.

What on earth is that?

The aura with its enchanting color would sometimes grow strong, then diminish in an instant.

Lucas observed that aura.

Mainly when the maid smiled genuinely, the aura would explosively increase, then become faint during normal states.

When she was in a bad mood or harbored hostility, the aura would change to a murky color as if it possessed killing intent.

…It was a strange aura.

Lucas had been different since childhood.

His eyes were special.

From a young age, he could detect special auras and keenly notice sorcery or curses.

Recognized for this ability, Rihardt took Lucas in and used him like his right hand.

‘She doesn’t seem to be a demon worshipper though…’

It was quite a different aura from theirs.

The demon worshipper was probably one of the two people Lucas suspected.

Still, it would be good to check.

That night, Lucas took advantage of Roji’s absence and entered her room through the window.

He planned to investigate whether there were any suspicious items.

And when Lucas opened the drawer, he detected an ominous aura.

Lucas slowly moved his hand inside the drawer and grasped the source of the ominousness.

A pendant came out from inside the drawer.

Lucas’s expression changed.

It was an item belonging to demon worshippers.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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