Please Make Me Your Servant
The night was so dark that even the moonlight was swallowed whole, blanketing the world in shadow. A secret meeting unfolded in the gloom.
Knock, knock.
At the quiet rap against the door, Daeho answered.
“Come in.”
With a creak, the door swung open to reveal a demon. It was Endelion, whose horns were so tiny they were hidden beneath her hair—unlike most of her kind.
The moment she spotted Daeho seated in the chair, Endelion dropped to her knees and bowed her head low.
“I-it has been a while.”
“Yes.”
“I hope you have been well today as well?”
“I have not.”
“I… I suppose that makes sense? Haha.”
Endelion broke into a cold sweat. The woman seemed to grow sharper with every passing day. At their first meeting she had thought Daeho was simply demonic, but lately her opinion had changed. This wasn’t a demon. This was a cold-blooded, tearless, merciless psycho of a hound. She would choose any path that brought profit, no matter how many sacrifices it demanded. If it were beneficial, this woman would not hesitate to annihilate the entire Seolha Empire. She was a ruthless wolf.
“I have carried out your orders exactly. With this, I believe the Demon King’s Army… will no longer be able to exert any real power within the Seolha Empire.”
“Good.”
“If we press the advantage now, weakening the Demon King’s Army as you desired should only be a matter of time. It seems even Lady Lucifer has yet to fully grasp how this situation is unfolding.”
The nobles the Demon King’s Army—including Lucifer—had spent a decade carefully cultivating were losing their influence one by one. A grand scheme that had taken ten years of preparation had been dismantled in mere weeks. And that wasn’t all. They were now on the verge of carving away the Demon King’s forces from the inside out.
Daeho’s true goal had never been merely to stop the invasion of the Seolha Empire. She also aimed to cripple the Demon King’s Army itself. And that objective was now right before her eyes.
An incredible achievement…!
Even Endelion, who had helped from the shadows, felt chills at how swiftly it had all happened. It should have been cause for celebration, yet Daeho showed not a single trace of joy. She simply looked bored, as if it were only natural.
At this point, even Endelion was curious. Why did the woman act so differently here than when she was back in the capital?
“Could it be… because of Lord Sieg?”
“What?”
“It may be presumptuous, but you have seemed rather melancholy lately…”
“If you know it’s presumptuous, you should keep quiet… don’t you think? Isn’t that the correct choice?”
“Ah…! Y-yes, ma’am.”
Had she struck a nerve? For the first time, real emotion leaked into Daeho’s icy voice.
It really was because of Sieg Barbary.
‘He really is handsome…’ Endelion had to agree. Sieg was more beautiful than any man she had ever seen. His features were so perfectly sculpted they looked as if a royal artisan had poured his heart and soul into every line. The unique aura he gave off was every bit as captivating as an incubus.
It made sense that being separated from such a man and forced to work busily in a distant land would cause this kind of reaction.
“Then I shall continue handling matters as you instructed.”
With those words, Endelion rose from her spot. The best way to deal with someone this sensitive was simply not to engage.
‘Damn it… I was going to ask about my heart today…’
Daeho had promised to return her heart if she followed orders faithfully. She had wanted to confirm that promise once more, but it seemed the chance was lost.
“Sigh…”
The moment Endelion let out a small sigh—
Beep—!
A signal tone rang out. Daeho casually reached into her chest and pulled out a magical device. It was a family heirloom of the Baekya clan, a communication tool. There were only two in existence; the other was held by Daeho’s younger sister, Soho.
—Sister, can you hear me?
“What happened?”
Daeho asked, a note of unease in her voice. The magical tool was normally used for casual conversation as well as emergencies, but Soho’s trembling tone made her worry.
—W-well…
Soho struggled to speak. That alone told Daeho everything.
“Don’t tell me something happened to Lord Sieg?”
—…
The silence stretched. The bad premonition had been correct.
—He’s been kidnapped. Probably by the beastmen…
Crack—!
The armrest of Daeho’s chair splintered.
“Understood. I’m heading there immediately. Send the location and wait for me.”
—I’m sorry, Sister.
The moment the information arrived, the communication cut off. Daeho stood at once, ready to rush straight to the Goshura Great Forest where Sieg had gone missing.
“M-Mistress, aren’t you moving a little too hastily?”
Endelion asked, concern thick in her voice. She understood that Sieg had disappeared, but this seemed far too impulsive. Normally, even if her family were in mortal danger, Daeho remained cool-headed and weighed every gain and loss. To see her act so emotionally now… And of all times, when they finally held the momentum to swallow the Seolha Empire whole.
Endelion had offered the advice with good intentions, but—
“Shut up.”
The oppressive glare that ordered silence made her bow her head at once. For a split second, she had felt it—killing intent so fierce it threatened to burst her heart.
And with that, Daeho departed for the Goshura Great Forest.
*
“These are strangely shaped.”
I had recently gained the freedom to wander outside the cave. Thanks to that, whenever I had time I would take walks like this and explore the surroundings.
That was how I found the stone.
“It looks like a crescent moon?”
There was a large river beside the cave, and I had picked this up along its banks. The stone had a smooth, curved shape exactly like a crescent moon. It even caught the light and sparkled, reminding me of the moon hanging in the night sky. Even though it was broad daylight now, if I had found it at night I might have mistaken it for the moon lying on the ground.
“There’s one here too! Is it edible?”
Reina, who had followed to guard me, shouted. Stones were lined up all along the riverbank. She picked one up, sniffed it cautiously, then—
“Idiot. You can’t eat that.”
“I know I can’t eat it! It’s a rock. Can’t you even take a single joke?”
“Pfft.”
Reina flew into a rage at Ria’s mocking laugh. I studied the stone in her hand carefully.
‘It’s identical.’
It was a perfect replica of the one I held.
“Are these stones normally common in the Great Forest?”
“No. This is the first time I’ve seen them in my entire life.”
They clearly weren’t formed naturally, yet they had appeared so suddenly. An ominous feeling settled over me.
“Would Yuho know what they are?”
“What is it, my God?”
Speak of the fox and she appears. A familiar voice came from behind. Sure enough, it was Yuho. She looked slightly exhausted, and there were wounds visible here and there.
‘Did she get into a fight?’
I immediately cast healing on her, erasing the injuries. After thanking me, Yuho explained what had happened. She had encountered Blood, a Corps Commander of the Demon King’s Army, and a battle had broken out.
“A Corps Commander…?”
“They were targeting you, my God. Those filthy bastards…!”
Yuho spat out harsh words.
“Any attack aimed at Lord Sieg must be regarded as an attack on the entire beastmen race. I can never forgive it.”
“Exactly. The Demon King’s Army is the enemy.”
“I will lead the charge and wipe them out!”
Yuho, Ria, and Reina expressed their fury in turn. They looked ready to start a war at any moment.
“Very reassuring.”
The Demon King’s Army was absolute evil that needed to be erased from this world. If the battle-loving beastmen stood with me, the future would be much easier.
The only remaining problem was how to deal with the One God Church… but that was something we could figure out gradually.
“Do you know what this is?”
I showed the stone to Yuho. She stared at it intently, and I watched her expression harden in real time.
“Moonstone…?”
“What’s a moonstone?”
“It’s a stone that greatly amplifies lunar energy. Simply having them nearby creates an effect.”
“Is it dangerous?”
That was the question that came to mind after her explanation. It felt like nothing more than an unusual rock, but Yuho’s face had turned extremely serious.
“It is harmless to ordinary humans, but extremely dangerous to beastmen. Our heat cycles occur on the night of the full moon when the moon is largest. If we are also affected by these moonstones…!”
There was no telling what uncontrollable beastmen in heat might do.
The truly shocking part was that someone had deliberately placed these moonstones around the beastmen’s hiding place.
“The Demon King’s Army…? Or the Church…?”
Yuho began deducing possibilities, but both sides seemed equally plausible, making it hard to guess. One thing was certain: whichever it was, they were hostile toward the beastmen.
“The full moon is approaching soon. We must remove these moonstones before then.”
It was fortunate we had discovered them now. If the full moon had arrived while they were still in place?
‘I would have been in serious danger too.’
Surrounded by beastmen in heat… I didn’t even want to imagine what might have happened.
At that exact moment—
“What the—?!”
Reina’s startled cry was followed by a sudden attack.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Sword qi flew toward us. Reina instantly activated her demonic beast transformation to block it, but the surprise attack prevented her from stopping it completely.
“Grrrr…”
At her pained groan, I activated healing right away.
“Are you okay?”
“Krrng!”
It sounded like a yes.
“My God, leave this to me. Please protect Lady Ria.”
Yuho dashed into the forest where the attack had come from. A fierce exchange of blows began.
‘Who is it? The Demon King’s Army? Or… the Church?’
Until they showed themselves, we couldn’t know.
“Whose god do you serve?!”
A haughty voice full of spirit rang out as the enemy appeared—a female knight with long green hair.
“Is it that man…?”
She leaped forward and appeared before me in an instant. Her movement was so fast that neither Ria nor Reina could react. The knight met my eyes and grinned.
In that moment, I had a premonition. Was I going to die like this?
But instead—
“I am the young lady of the Shiba Ducal Family of the Seolha Empire. Rin Shiba.”
Contrary to my expectations, the knight knelt before me.
“Please, I beg you—make this maiden your servant…!”
I was so stunned I froze. How was I supposed to respond to this?
Seeing my confusion, Rin rummaged in her pocket, pulled something out, and spoke again.
“Would offering money suffice? If I present wealth, will you accept this maiden as your servant?”
She pulled out yet another money pouch.