Chapter 270
Chapter 270
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: EP.60 – How a Knight Deals with Beasts (5)
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"...Hey, do you know where the head maid is?"
A servant asked his fellow staff members while looking for the head maid, but they just shrugged.
"Now that you mention it, I haven't seen her."
"Where the heck did she go? I need her approval for something."
"Hmm, ah, isn't she with the young lady again?"
"Ah, yeah, that makes sense."
As if proving that many heads are better than one, they quickly guessed where the head maid might be and nodded in agreement.
"The head maid has such a nasty personality—no, she doesn't have to be so hard on the young lady..."
"Hey!"
"Eep!"
A coworker sharply scolded the grumbling maid who had complained about the head maid, and she hurriedly covered her mouth.
The maid who had grumbled realized she had made a mistake.
"Watch your mouth. It's fine if you get in trouble, but don't drag others down with you."
"S-Sorry..."
The maid apologized.
The day before—no, about two years ago—a servant had voiced complaints about the head maid, leading to the entire staff being punished as a group.
Can you believe grown adults getting caned until their shins were bruised black and blue?
Yet no one dared complain about it, and the servant who had spoken out was chased away before his wounds even healed.
And rightly so, since the head maid was backed by the Ordo family, the largest faction among Modred's collateral branches.
Rumors even swirled that she was the lover of the current head of the Ordo family.
'The head maid is too much.'
The maid who had grumbled cursed the head maid inwardly.
Though she was too scared to voice her complaints, she truly despised the head maid.
'She's already so pitiful, and yet she torments her like that. Adults shouldn't do that to a child...'
No one working in the castle was unaware of the young lady Louise's situation.
The collateral and vassal families had decided there would be no issue if she vanished without a trace, simply because she was born without Modred's unique [Mystery]. They were waiting for the direct bloodline, Louise, to meet an accidental death or go missing without adult care.
They wanted the child gone from the world by any means...
And yet, the head maid—who clearly knew all this—was not only aware but actively tormenting Louise even more.
She had heard that the head maid, from commoner origins, bullied the young lady out of an inferiority complex toward nobles.
It was downright vicious.
'Sigh...'
The maid sighed inwardly and resolved to sneak some cherries to the young lady tomorrow, who would surely be downhearted.
Louise...
'...likes cherries.'
It was the only sympathy a powerless maid who pitied the child could offer.
"Mira. Do you know where Santa is?"
"Pardon?"
"Santa. You know, Santa. I need to work with him, but I can't find him anywhere."
"Ah, Mr. Santa... Uh, well? I don't really..."
"Tch! Where the hell is that guy...!"
"......"
One servant scowled while searching for Santa.
'He's at it again.'
The servant named Tony was fairly senior among the staff.
However, his violent and bullying tendencies made him unpopular even among the servants, and it was well-known that this prevented him from advancing despite his years of service.
Not that he realized it himself.
Perhaps because his peers had all been promoted while he remained a lowly servant?
Out of some inferiority complex, he tormented new hires, and he especially disliked the handsome ones.
'Is it because he's ugly himself?'
That was why, even though most of the castle staff were fond of the new servant Santa Ri Han, Tony hated him.
'Mr. Santa got mixed up with a weirdo. What a mess...'
She made a mental note to warn him later to avoid running into Tony.
That's when...
"Hey, you bastard!"
"...Ah."
Of all timings, the man in question had already appeared before she could even give the advice.
Santa Ri Han had shown his face, and Mira unwittingly slapped her forehead.
What terrible timing...!
'Mr. Santa, run!'
Mira frantically gestured and signaled him with her eyes.
As if saying he'd be in danger if he didn't flee now.
But he either didn't notice or...
"......"
He just stood there motionless.
Mira wanted to slap her forehead again, but before she could, Tony strode forward.
"You punk! Where the hell have you been slacking off until now? A newbie with no intention of working, just screwing around!"
Tony's rant sounded like he was introducing himself, drawing incredulous looks from the others. But facing that fierce glare, he...
"......"
Responded with the same blank expression, which only poured oil on Tony's fiery temper.
"What an insolent little shit!"
Grab!
"To-Tony! Calm down...!"
"Mr. Santa's just scared stiff."
"Senior Tony, don't do this. The head maid will find out and it'll be bad!"
"Let go!"
With eyes seeing nothing but red, Tony rampaged like a wild boar and raised his fist.
True to his hot-headed nature where fists flew before words, he swung before anyone could stop him.
Thwack!
"!!"
As expected, something burst with a sound, and the servants squeezed their eyes shut, imagining Santa's perfect face mangled.
Just thinking of that artwork turned to bloody pulp filled them with regret.
"Aaaagh!!!"
Look at that—Tony was the one screaming in pain.
...Huh?
"What? Why's that guy screaming?"
"Tony?"
Those who had turned away or covered their eyes looked back to an unexpected scene.
For some reason, the one in agony was...
"To-Tony?"
"??"
Not Santa, but Tony.
"Gaaah..."
Clutching his hand, Tony rolled on the floor howling.
In contrast...
"Pathetic..."
The one who was hit stared at Tony with disgust, unchanged, leaving the onlookers grappling with cognitive dissonance.
He looked nothing like the kind, innocent, polite, hardworking Santa they knew.
But whether they understood or not, Santa had no interest in their comprehension.
"That might leave you disabled for a while—or life. You hit my 'Pulse Acupoint,' after all. Not just your fist; your entire arm's muscles are torn. You'll probably never use your left arm properly again."
"You, you...!"
"Hm, that defiant glare to the end is nice. You've got backbone. Way better than that Richard or whatever. ...But you know."
Crack!
His foot stomped the leg of the fallen Tony, and in an instant, the servants learned something about human legs they never wanted to know—that they could bend that way.
Tony let out a horrific scream, as expected, but Santa remained expressionless, as if it wasn't worth pitying.
Or rather, cold?
"Tony, right? You're the one who said you'd vouch for harassing the young lady?"
"S-Spare... me..."
"Don't worry, I won't kill you. That'd be 'too easy,' wouldn't it?"
"!!?"
Chill!
A shiver ran through everyone.
Goosebumps prickled their spines, chills rising so intensely their jaws chattered involuntarily.
It wasn't even that cold, yet it felt like standing naked in the dead of winter. They stared at Santa with terrified eyes.
'Killing intent?'
Mira, who felt the chill less than most, objectively assessed what was happening.
Long ago, as a child following her hunter grandfather, she had seen a tiger in the mountains.
Her grandfather had hidden her on his back and told her not to move, but even without that, she couldn't have.
Just the tiger's presence froze her body solid.
Luckily, it ignored them and vanished into the woods, but Mira never forgot.
And now, Santa looked exactly like that tiger from her childhood.
Or in some ways...
'Even bigger... scarier...'
As everyone froze, unable even to swallow dryly, Santa finally spoke.
"From now on, those I call out, go outside. Take care of Louise and treat her with respect. Got it? With respect."
"......"
"Calling names. Mira, Violette, Anna, Erwin, Marks, Elvin, Dona. That's seven. Out."
"??"
"Counting to five. One, two, three..."
"?!!"
Without time for doubt, the seven named bolted outside.
Like Mira, those less affected by his presence—or rather, those he was 'sparing'—moved freely.
But the rest...
"M-Me too, p-please..."
"Ugh, ugh, uh..."
"W-Wait... plea...se..."
Remained pale and rigid as ice, arms outstretched in vain pleas but unable even to voice screams properly.
As Mira glanced back while exiting, she heard it.
Santa Ri Han's.
"-Pathetic that these are the only ones worth saving."
His chilling murmur.
......Ten minutes later, when he reappeared, his body was splattered with bloodstains—not his own, she could tell.
─One week later.
Half of Modred's collateral and vassal families were annihilated, and the remaining half knelt before Modred's new master.
"The cherries are delicious!"
"Eat as many as you like, young lady."
"Santa, you eat too!"
"Sure."
Louise Ipped de Modred, Marchioness of the Borderlands.
At age eight, she was the youngest lord of Wales.