Here to Collect What's Owed

"....."

Kyle, fairy to Princess Prisia Lily, stood watch before the tightly shut door of the mansion basement. His handsome face was ice-cold, and a savage aura rolled off him as if he would cut down anyone who dared draw near. And yet, at the same time, his eyes looked terribly lonely and sad.

A few days ago, Kyle had nearly lost his grip on reason when he saw the state his master was in after returning from the dungeon she had been secretly managing.

Master... she needs rest, but it's already been days...

His master had gone to clear that dungeon with Ivan, the newly sworn vassal named Alan Han, and three soldiers. She had not come back until the following day — and she had come back alone.

Her clothes were torn and scorched in patches, and through the rips the marks of torture showed through. The instant Kyle saw her, he knew instinctively who had done this to his one and only master, the most beautiful and precious person in the world.

There was only one person in Indigo who could reduce Prisia Lily — a woman chosen by Divine Selection — to that state.

The ruler of Indigo. A powerful fire mage. A man who bore the title of king.

It had been his doing.

Having lost all reason, Kyle had tried to storm Hwaryongwang's palace then and there. But Prisia Lily had caught his arm with what little strength she had left and shaken her head. Thanks to that, Kyle had come back to his senses — and avoided dying a dog's death.

After they returned to the mansion, Prisia Lily entrusted everything to Kyle and shut herself away in the basement.

Fairies were immortal beings. So long as the master they were bound to by soul remained unharmed, they could be brought back at any time. That was why Ivan had willingly taken Ryona's fire arrow and died for his master, believing Prisia Lily would summon him again. She had ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠already re-summoned him once. His faith that she would do it again was unshakable.

In truth, this was not the first time Ivan had died for Prisia Lily. Something similar had happened last year, and by a cruel coincidence he had lost his life to Ryona's fire arrow then as well.

But the chance of summoning the same fairy was only fifty percent. If luck ran against her, someone other than Ivan could appear. And it was not as if a master could simply summon a fairy whenever they pleased.

Unlike our protagonist Alan, who could summon as many fairies as he wanted so long as he had enough gems, the masters of this world operated differently. It came like a flash of inspiration — a sudden, unmistakable feeling that now was the moment a fairy could be called. Masters named that window the Summoning Day. Miss it, and you had no choice but to wait for the next one, with no idea when it might come.

"Master..."

Kyle, standing watch at the basement door, looked at it with worried eyes.

Prisia Lily's seclusion in the basement was ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠a punishment she had imposed on herself. A punishment for repeating the same mistake and getting her fairy killed. She had no intention of coming out until the Summoning Day arrived.

"I hope her body is holding up..."

They had called the family physician in a hurry and given her emergency treatment, but the brutal torture had left her badly weakened. What Prisia Lily needed now was rest, not punishment. She had refused rest. The moment the emergency treatment was finished, she had shut herself in the basement.

"...Please don't worry. I will protect everything you have built until now. So please, Master — come back to us in good health. I will be waiting for you here. Always."

Having poured his heart out toward the master on the other side of the door, Kyle's face went blank once more as he resumed his post at the basement entrance. He would stand guard here until Prisia Lily emerged.

"Haaah~ I really cannot get used to this smell."

"Hehe. You should go wash up at once, Master."

"Yeah. Let's hurry."

"Yes."

I came out of the sewers and grimaced at the stench rising off my own body. Aquaril was right — I wanted hot water and soap, and I wanted them now, before the reek vibrating off my skin drove me insane.

I paid a hundred and fifty thousand gold from the dungeon's treasure chest to rent an inn room for the night. The innkeeper had memorized our faces by now; he grumbled that we'd been down in the sewers again. Fair enough. Walk in reeking like that every time and a man will remember you whether he wants to or not.

"...Let's get some sleep. Once it gets dark, we're heading to Prisia Lily's mansion."

"Yes, Master."

Aquaril's gold hair was damp and clinging, and lust surged up hard enough to choke on — but I crushed it with superhuman patience. If I slept with Aquaril now, I wouldn't have the stamina left to hit Prisia Lily's mansion. So wipe that disappointed look off your face, you wicked little fairy. I'm the one who wants it more.

We napped through the afternoon to recover our strength, then moved under cover, keeping out of people's sight as we made for Prisia Lily's mansion. Aquaril took point as our guide again. I had lived in that mansion for a week, but I still hadn't memorized the geography of Indigo.

"Get ready."

"Yes, Master."

Once we were close, we covered our noses and mouths with black cloth the same way we had in the sewers. That alone was enough to keep our identities from leaking. Aquaril had dyed her hair gold, and my clothes were nothing like what I had worn while staying at the mansion. My hair had grown out quite a bit, too.

Disguises in place, we vaulted the three-meter wall. With Strength stats north of twenty, a barrier like that was not an obstacle. We slipped into the mansion, dodging the eyes of soldiers still standing watch and walking their patrols even at this late hour. It was sleeping time for most of the household; the corridor lamps had been turned down to dim night-lights.

Never thought I'd be coming back here like this.

In the week I had stayed, there was not a corner of this place I hadn't walked except my own private room. I had gone over every inch of it to get the layout down.

I was absolutely not casing the joint for a future robbery.

I had absolutely not been wandering around thinking I would have to loot this house someday. I had been mapping the place out of pure, innocent curiosity. That was all.

I swear to heaven... well. Maybe not that far.

Anyway.

We slipped past the maids still moving through the halls at this hour and finally reached Prisia Lily's chambers.

Soldiers?

Men with spears were standing sentry in front of her door. The sight was deeply wrong.

They weren't here before.

The whole time I had lived in this mansion, no soldiers had guarded Prisia Lily's room. She spent her nights with her fairies; there had been no reason to post weak ordinary troops at her door.

"Aquaril."

"Yes, Master."

"Can you put them down without a sound?"

"Yes. I can."

"Good. You take the one on the left. I'll drop the one on the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠right."

"Yes, Master."

I held up three fingers and folded them one by one. The instant the last finger went down, Aquaril and I lunged at the soldiers together.

"...Huh? Ghk—?!"

Aquaril chopped the left-hand soldier across the nape of the neck with the edge of her hand and dropped him cold. Clean. Precise.

And I...

"Who— khurk?!"

I drove a fist into the soldier's solar plexus and put him out, clapping a hand over his mouth before he could scream. Ordinary soldiers did not have the bodies to stop the two of us.

We sat the unconscious men against the wall beside the door. I eased the door open and checked the room beyond.

Please be fucking. Please be in the middle of it.

Prisia Lily had a pure, innocent face and a thoroughly filthy habit. Roughly every other night she treated herself to a sticky threesome with her fairies. I prayed she was at it again tonight. Ah — right. Ivan was dead, so no threesome.

Creeeak—

Huh? Empty.

I cracked the door a little wider and cocked my head. The lights were out. Nobody home. Where the hell had she gone? Fine by me. Aquaril and I dragged the unconscious soldiers inside and shut the door.

"Now we ransack the place."

"Yes, Master!"

There was no telling when Prisia Lily might come back, so we tore through the room at speed.

Hm?

Rifling the desk drawers, I found one that was locked.

Crunch—!

I forced it. Inside sat a small, expensive-looking box.

Oh, hell yes.

Three Lower Growth Stones nestled in the box, all of them the kind that raised Wisdom. Wisdom was not a priority stat for a melee class. Its effects were a one-percent bump to skill growth rate per ten points, plus better resistance to mental attacks like hypnosis and sleep — useful later, maybe, but not much of a difference this early on.

We're taking them anyway.

Having a high Wisdom stat never hurt anyone, and a Growth Stone was precious no matter which number it raised.

Not that this is what I came for. Gold. Hand over the gold.

Aside from the three Lower Growth Stones, there was nothing worth taking. Just documents covered in writing I could barely make out.

What's in there?

Next I hit the big dresser beside the bed.

"....."

The drawers were packed with bras big enough to fit my fist, panties, and stockings, sorted by color and by fabric. The material was expensive; they felt good under my fingers. I flicked a sidelong glance at Aquaril, who was knocking along the walls. She would probably hit me for this. I pictured her wearing them.

Yeah... that would be obscenely sexy.

I did not take the underwear. No matter how nice it was, someone else had worn it, and I was not putting another woman's leftovers on my precious Aquaril.

I'll make money and buy her new ones.

Even if I was dressing her in filthy lingerie, I was buying it new. That was a master's pride. Allegedly.

"Master."

"Hm?"

Aquaril called me over from the wall she had been examining. The moment I reached her, she rapped on it.

Thud-thud—!

A dull, solid sound. She knocked on the next section.

Tok-tok—!

"Huh?"

The sound was different. Hollow, as if there was empty space behind it.

Don't tell me.

In the movies, rich people always built secret rooms into their houses. I looked at Aquaril, and she nodded as if to say I had guessed right.

We searched the wall and the area around it, but nothing that looked like a switch presented itself.

Usually in these situations...

My eyes went to the bookshelf standing near the suspect stretch of wall. Usually, if you pulled the right book, the hidden door opened.

I pulled every volume off the shelf and checked the back. Sure enough, something jutted out from the inner panel.

Nice.

Slot a book onto that and the secret room would open.

Click— rummmble—!

The book went in, and the wall slid aside to reveal a hidden space. I smiled like a man who had just won. There had to be a safe in there. We needed to grab it and run before Prisia Lily came back.

"Yes! Now we just—"

"Master!"

"Huh? Wha—?"

Aquaril shoved me aside, drew her sword, and swung.

Clang—!

"You thieves! Do you have any idea where you are?!"

The blade Aquaril had thrown was stopped by the man's hand. An iron gauntlet sheathed his fist.

"Shit!"

I got a look at his face and scowled. Kyle. One of Prisia Lily's fairies. This bastard was not going to be easy.

While Aquaril locked blades with Kyle, I pulled up his status window.

He was only one-star, but he had taken the Warrior class all the way to its level cap of ten, and his primary stats were maxed at twenty. On top of that, he carried the rare trait Dark Champion, which raised every stat by one point after nightfall.

And that bitch...?

I glanced toward the door. I had expected the two of them to arrive together, but there was no sign of Prisia Lily.

Which meant...

"Kyle, you son of a bitch!"

I pulled a shield from my inventory, put it out in front of me, and charged him.

Prisia Lily had stabbed me in the back. Kyle had punched me in the solar plexus and put me out cold. Master and fairy, a matched set, had fucked me over. Time to collect.