Fallen
For a long while, Ian simply savored the sensation of Lumiela’s touch. Then, at some point, a memory from right before he lost consciousness surfaced.
The golden-haired female knight who had dueled him. Sera.
Her swordsmanship, which had pushed the limits of human effort, still burned vividly in his mind.
‘…Is that woman still alive?’
Right before he blacked out, Lumiela had looked ready to kill Sera on the spot. It made him a little worried.
“Um, Noona? By any chance…”
“Hmm? What is it?”
She answered his question with a bright, dopey smile. Her swaying body and chest came as a bonus.
‘…Is it just my imagination?’
Lumiela seemed even more clingy than before. It was as if they had moved past a simple older sister and younger brother relationship into something… deeper.
‘Hah, stop thinking weird things.’
Ian shook his head to clear his thoughts and asked carefully.
“That… Noona. Is the female knight who was with me earlier… still alive?”
“…Ah, her?”
For a split second, Lumiela’s expression hardened. But the moment she looked at Ian’s face, it melted away like snow.
“Yeah. You told me absolutely not to ‘kill’ her, remember? Just like you asked, I didn’t kill her or torture her.”
“Really…?”
Ian stared into her eyes, unable to believe it.
‘What’s going on?’
Lumiela wasn’t the kind of person who granted requests so obediently.
Just as she had read him, he had also come to understand her personality to some degree.
Once Lumiela made up her mind, she rarely changed it.
‘She really looked like she was going to kill her back then…’
When Ian looked puzzled, Lumiela stroked his forehead and reassured him.
“Yeah, I’m being completely serious. I’m your Noona, so of course I listen to what my little brother says, right?”
“Is that how it works…?”
‘I thought siblings usually fought first.’
When Ian tilted his head in confusion, Lumiela suddenly leaned in until her face was inches from his.
Her face stopped right in front of him, so close their noses nearly touched.
“Then you’ll listen to Noona’s words too, won’t you?”
Ian subtly avoided her gaze and gave a tiny nod.
“…Of course.”
“Hmm… Good. I’ll trust you.”
A thought seemed to cross Lumiela’s mind. One corner of her mouth slowly curled upward.
It was closer to contempt. A sneer.
“It’s about time she arrived.”
“Pardon…? Who?”
When Ian looked flustered, Lumiela leisurely crossed her legs and said,
“I told you earlier. I didn’t kill her. But since she hurt you, she obviously needs to be ‘punished,’ right?”
“Punished…?”
‘Didn’t she say she wasn’t going to torture her?’
While Ian was still confused, a knock sounded from outside.
— M-may I enter?
“Come in.”
Creak—
The moment Lumiela spoke, the door opened and a figure stepped inside.
Ian flinched.
He couldn’t help but be shocked by the person who had just entered.
Because she was none other than… the female knight he had fought.
Sera entered the room with a deeply ashamed expression.
Ian’s eyes widened as he took in her outfit.
“So that ‘punishment’ you mentioned…?”
“Yeah. You need a ‘servant’ soon anyway, right? She’s a knight, so her combat ability should be more than enough.”
“I understand that part, but… the outfit is a bit…”
Ian stared at Sera in a daze.
Sera averted her eyes, clearly embarrassed by his gaze.
Lumiela muttered coldly at Sera’s reaction.
“What are you doing? Introduce yourself.”
“Ugh… Y-yes…”
Sera jumped at Lumiela’s command and quickly opened her mouth.
“I-I am Sera, the maid who will be serving Master Ian from now on… P-please take good care of me… Hic.”
A once-proud knight of the Twilight Order, now reduced to a trembling maid.
Her honor lies in ruins. Her pride has been shattered.
Yet her mind remains intact—forced to feel every ounce of shame.
The expression of someone who genuinely wanted to die from embarrassment.
Sera Lexion.
A member of the Knights of Twilight and once an honorable knight of the imperial palace, she had now become Ian’s personal maid.
***
Watching Sera wear the face of someone who wanted to die right then and there, Ian grew flustered.
How had a perfectly fine knight suddenly become a maid?
“Uh… Noona, is this really okay?”
Ian had realized what Lumiela meant by ‘punishment,’ but he still wondered if this was truly fine.
“Hmm? Oh, she did try to take your life, but her skills are useful, so I decided to make her your maid instead. Isn’t that right, Sera? You begged me so desperately.”
“Y-yes… Yes, I did… Hic.”
The way Sera nodded while sniffling looked, to anyone watching, like she was being forced to say it.
‘…Is this really okay?’
Ian felt sorry for Sera, but his biggest concern was still his own safety.
Logically speaking, who would willingly guard the person they had tried to kill?
When he made a worried face, Lumiela patted his shoulder as if to reassure him.
“I’ve already taken care of everything you’re worried about, Ian… So don’t be too scared. I placed restrictions on revealing your secret, of course, and I also implanted a suggestion that she must prioritize ‘you’ above even her own life. There’s no chance she’ll betray you.”
“I see.”
Ian knew how powerful her abilities were, but he hadn’t expected them to be this terrifying.
Wasn’t this basically turning someone into a half-slave?
Lumiela continued explaining the multiple layers of suggestions she had placed, showing her meticulous nature as a big sister.
Of course, since all of this was being said in front of Sera, the knight looked like she wanted to slam her head into the nearest wall and die.
Sera stared blankly into space, recalling the past.
‘How… How on earth did I fall this far…?’
She had been called a genius, yet she never let herself slack off.
She had worked desperately to barely enter the knight order, and even after that, she never once let go of her sword.
But what she received in return was the duty of guarding an intruder.
‘No, guarding would have been better. A maid…!’
It felt like her honor and pride had both been hurled straight into the dirt.
She had even hoped Lumiela would just ‘kill her,’ but the woman had smiled brightly and declared she would never let her die.
While Ian was unconscious.
Lumiela had combined the things Sera hated most—her personality and behavior—and engraved suggestions into her.
—You have quite the rebellious personality. Stubborn, with strong convictions, aren’t you?
Like pulling out a wild beast’s claws one by one and taming it into a pet.
Lumiela gently stroked Sera’s face as she slowly implanted the suggestions.
Obedient speech and gaze.
The concept of never refusing her master’s orders.
Every single suggestion filled Sera with misery, but what horrified her most was that Lumiela left her ‘ego’ completely intact.
In other words, she would have to fully experience the shame of every word and action.
Sera felt an overwhelming fear toward her future ‘daily life’ as she waited for her sentence.
After finishing her long explanation, Lumiela reassured Ian.
“Roughly that much for the suggestions? I also used several magic tools thoroughly on top of that. You won’t have to worry about getting hurt.”
“I-is that so…?”
Ian understood, but still.
Seeing Sera’s teary, sniffling face made him feel a pang of sympathy.
Lumiela knew exactly what Ian’s gaze meant, but she felt no pity for Sera.
No matter what orders Evangeline had given, the fact remained that Sera had tried to kill Ian.
Looking slightly regretful, Lumiela stroked his hair and said,
“Noona has to go take care of some administrative work for a while.”
“Huh…? Will you be okay without a guard?”
Ian had received so much from Lumiela that he genuinely wanted to help her. Seeing this, Lumiela smiled sweetly and gently laid him back down.
“…Ian, you’re still injured. What guard? Just rest comfortably for now.”
“Yes.”
Right before Lumiela left the room, she glanced at Sera and spoke to Ian.
“Oh, right. You can kill her if you want. Just tell Noona anytime and I’ll get you a new one. Use her however you like. Don’t hold back.”
A chill ran down Sera’s spine.
Ian silently waved goodbye to Lumiela, and she left.
Now only Ian and Sera remained in the room.
Tremble—
Sera’s body shook with fear.
What would Ian do to her from now on?
Would he force her to say humiliating things?
Or would he torment her with all kinds of degrading acts?
Tears began to fall from Sera’s eyes without her realizing.
Ian looked at her and let out a long sigh.
“Whew, Noona really…”
Flinch—
At his words, Sera’s body reflexively dropped to its knees.
It was one of Lumiela’s implanted suggestions.
Ian slowly approached the kneeling Sera and reached out his hand.
Thinking he was about to touch her body, she instinctively squeezed her eyes shut.
“……?”
But no matter how long she waited, nothing happened. Sera carefully opened her eyes again.
Ian had come close and was simply holding his hand out to her.
“Are you okay? It must have been really hard, right?”
Ian bowed his head to her.
“I’m truly sorry.”
“…Pardon?”
Sera’s pupils trembled violently.
***
The woman sitting on the man’s lap sniffed at him.
“You smell very familiar.”
“…Smell?”
“Yes. An extremely old scent. Like perfume from a distant origin?”
“What are you talking about? And get off.”
The man tried to push the woman away, but she didn’t budge.
She, who already manipulated localized laws, had created a new rule that prevented her and Ian from being separated.
“Hmph. You always play around with women. Why am I not allowed?”
“Well, you’re…”
‘A monster.’
A peerless beauty with snow-white tails that swayed gently, capable of seducing anyone.
But in reality, she was Chunja—no, Talian, the companion he was already familiar with.
The man, still unable to get used to Talian’s human form, scratched his head.