Weekend at the Mansion (1)

Eirin stared fixedly at that strand of hair. Golden, brilliant yellow hair. It was obvious who it belonged to.

She'd spent the night and early morning entangled with Lilia, after all. But looking at the coat again, something felt off.

'There's no way that much hair could be stuck to it.'

Lilia had certainly clung to him tightly when they left the treasure vault. Even accounting for that, though, the amount was excessive. It was like a cat shedding fur all over it. The coat was covered in yellow strands.

A moment's thought revealed the reason.

'Lilia must have done it on purpose.'

Yes, it was surely her way of marking her territory. Lilia knew full well that Eirin was always by his side.

Eirin was even more beautiful than the famed young ladies of the imperial capital. Lilia never showed it openly when they were together, but she must have been quietly bothered. This was Lilia's subtle countermeasure.

Yet he feigned nonchalance.

"Eirin. Why are you standing there so blankly?"

Eirin clamped her mouth shut upon seeing the hair. She halted the greeting she'd been about to offer and fixed it ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠with a chilling gaze. The sharp-minded Eirin couldn't possibly miss the implication.

Soon, she replied to his words.

"It's nothing, Young Master. It's late—no, early—so I lost myself in thought for a moment."

Eirin looked more fatigued than usual. Probably because... he'd stayed out all night again, and she'd likely pulled an all-nighter waiting.

'I specifically ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠told her to go to bed early since I'd be late.'

Ever since the incident at Chloe's mansion, he'd made a point of instructing her as such. But even the perfect maid Eirin struggled to obey that one order.

It was like separation anxiety; she couldn't sleep well if her young master wasn't back.

He already knew how she felt about him from that previous dream encounter. Chastising her carelessly felt wrong.

"Then everyone, get back to your duties. And since I'll be coming home late like this more often, you don't need to all come out to greet me every time. Focus on your own work instead."

His words startled Roberto and all the servants.

Every time he returned, the mansion's entire staff would line up rigidly to welcome him. It had been a strict order from the original owner of this body, Yulian. Just another pointless military drill imitation.

He continued.

"I told you before, didn't I? And yet here you all are again. From now on, really—no need. I'm not some family head or Captain Michael. Dismissed."

He'd said as much several times already. But the servants seemed unaccustomed to his changed demeanor. According to Eirin, some had even faced physical punishment in the past.

"You were serious. Understood. We'll follow your orders to the letter from now on, Young Master."

But the capable butler Roberto wasted no time arguing further. He promptly directed the servants to their morning tasks.

Watching the scene, he said to Eirin,

"Then come with me, Eirin."

At his words, she clutched the coat tightly and fell into step beside him. Eirin was a touch shorter than average for a woman.

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

But he towered over 180cm. The coat in her arms looked comically large. Normally, her perfect proportions made her height unnoticeable.

Walking silently beside him, she glanced at the coat again and spoke.

"There must be a lot of stray cats near Medica Hall, Young Master. No matter how cute they seem, it's best not to touch strays. And cats with yellow fur are especially sly."

A faint, uncharacteristic expression flickered across her impassive face. He was momentarily taken aback. It didn't suit Eirin at all.

'Is she sulking?'

He wasn't a fool; he knew exactly what "stray cat" she meant. She'd even kindly specified "yellow fur." It was Lilia, of course.

She reverted to her usual blank expression, making him wonder if he'd imagined it. But no, it was definitely jealousy.

'She's especially like this with Lilia.'

Eirin had badmouthed Lilia even in that previous dream. Unlike the others, Lilia was his fiancée, so it made sense she'd be more sensitive.

Suddenly, Lucia's case came to mind. Just to check, he opened the title notification window to confirm Eirin's fate rank.

Fortunately, still a steady A+. In Demon King Slayer, fate ranks rarely fluctuated wildly. Lucia's case had been the exception, as another protagonist.

And in that instant, seeing "Gloria" in the notification—Eirin's family name—he found himself lost in brief thought.

***

A short time after entering his room, Eirin stood before him, visibly flustered.

"Young Master... won't you let me go now? I have much to do."

"No, it's fine. This is more important, so just stay like that."

"Even so, how could someone ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠like me be on your bed like this..."

"It's an order. And that position looks uncomfortable. Lean back against the bed more comfortably."

"Yes... Understood."

Reluctantly, Eirin lay back down on the bed at his command. Yes, she was on his bed—the one she tidied meticulously every day for him.

He'd instructed her to lie there comfortably.

He pulled a small table and chair beside the bed and reviewed the documents she'd left out yesterday.

"Eirin. You've read these documents already, right?"

"Yes, Young Master. Harsen shows no particular irregularities... Yawn... Excuse me..."

Eirin stifled an involuntary yawn. Perfect reaction. He'd brought her to his room specifically to put her to sleep first.

She'd stayed up all night waiting for him. But if he fell asleep first, she'd resume her duties as if nothing happened—without a wink of sleep.

'What a high-maintenance maid.'

So he'd laid her on the bed and lit a relaxing incense to induce sleep.

He was tired too, but the effects of the civilian potion and his new 3rd tier realm let him push through the drowsiness.

Eirin, meanwhile, was fighting drooping eyelids. She shook her head desperately, but it was futile. Her words to him slurred heavily; she was on the verge of drifting off.

"Harsen's February taxes are... as usual... Monster and beast appearances in the territory are... typical... Incidents... accidents..."

Harsen was the territory he'd inherited early as the margrave's heir. Of course, a loyal viscount from the Reinhardt family's generations of retainers managed it as regent in his stead.

Regular reports from that viscount, summarized neatly by Eirin. The documents he was reading were those.

No mere maid could handle it, but Eirin could. She'd been recognized as an assistant head maid even in the margrave's mansion.

Her summaries made the territory's affairs crystal clear, even for an outsider like him. Incredibly easy to read.

The previous Yulian had ignored them entirely, of course.

Instead, knowing key quests tied to the area, he pored over them intently.

Meanwhile, the room fell silent. No more words from Eirin. She'd fallen asleep on his bed, still in her maid uniform, eyes closed.

Her steady breathing confirmed it. To be sure she was deeply asleep, he finished the remaining pages.

And shortly after.

'Time to move. No—better sleep myself.'

He lay beside her, pulling the covers over them both. He'd planted the suggestion deeply enough.

With a slight stir of his lust, he activated the dream demon trait and slipped into Eirin's dream.

***

The conditions were tricky, but the dream demon trait was useful. He could leave his body asleep and roam freely in another's dream.

He could even absorb the dream owner's essence through lewd acts within it.

But for now, he set aside his baser urges. Like last time, in Eirin's vast, complex dreamscape, he borrowed the form of the shadow spirit Teneb to seek her out.

Mid-flight as a crow, he checked the system for quests.

To resolve this, he'd activated the dream demon trait. As the window stated, lack of proficiency prevented quest completion.

'Dream demon has finicky activation conditions. Hard to build proficiency.'

It required prior suggestion and close proximity to the target's bedroom. For now, Eirin was the only viable option.

Especially now, with her composure shaken—dream effects doubled.

Her rattled mind influenced the dream itself. Prime time to grind proficiency.

'And there's something to confirm with Eirin.'

That was the bigger reason for entering her dream.

Just before entering his room, he'd checked her A+ fate rank. For a mere maid, it was suspiciously high.

Yet Eirin was an ordinary person without mana awakening. That clear A+ rank was a crucial hint.

'All the A+ ranks I've met so far were prime candidates for the nest raid party.'

Lilia, Chloe, Lucia. Top talents from each order, with growth potential. He'd personally verified Lilia and Chloe's skills.

Including such powerhouses in the party naturally boosted nest raid success.

But in Demon King Slayer, assembling an all-A+ party was near impossible.

'Capturing every A+ heroine was out of the question.'

Take Lucia or Chloe. Lucia's abuse trait and random personality gacha made her too volatile; her rank swung wildly. Chloe's prickly villainess trait was no easier.

He'd avoided Chloe partly because she was impossible to recruit. Failed attempts even led to bad ends.

And Demon King Slayer was just a game to him then. He'd optimized parties without desperation.

If Lucia broke, swap in another combat order DPS. Same for Chloe—pick an alchemy order alternate. Fill the slots that way.

'Nest raid parties in Demon King Slayer could only have one from each of Pantheon's six orders.'

Those makeshift parties always ended in bad ends. Gaps from non-A+ picks doomed them.

But now was different. Reality, not a game. Nest failure meant no future for him. He'd prepare thoroughly.

Thus, no way he'd overlook Eirin with her A+ fate rank.

Yet she was just his personal maid. Not even a Pantheon cadet.

So in Demon King Slayer, he'd never considered her for the raid party.

'Time to check that potential in the dream.'

He arrived at the scene of Eirin's unfolding dream.