Chapter 93: The Disciple
Even after Frey had left, a long time passed, but the room where the girls were gathered was still shrouded in a cold silence.
"Girls... I have something to say."
In the midst of that icy atmosphere, the girl who had stood up to Frey earlier opened her mouth with a resolute expression.
"When Frey comes back, I'm going to attack him."
At that, every girl in the room froze in an instant.
"W-Wait! What do you mean by that?!"
As everyone stared in horror, Lulu rushed over to her desperately and spoke up.
"I-If you do that... Master Frey... he'll...!"
"...kill me, right? Frey's hot-tempered, and he's the biggest scum in that group. He'll definitely snap and kill me."
The girl gave a sad smile as she said that, and Lulu, who had been about to say something, began muttering with a pale face.
"You... don't tell me..."
"Yes, I want to die now."
The girl continued in a trembling voice.
"Because of the compulsion on me, I can't even commit suicide or self-harm. And no matter what wrong I commit, my master will keep me alive."
"Ah..."
"Instead, pain worse than death covers me every single day."
Hearing that, Lulu was deeply shocked.
I can't even kill or hurt myself freely...
Lulu, whose Demon Eyes and Mark of Misfortune made other curses or brainwashing ineffective, felt a chill run through her body at the realization that even the freedom to end her own life could be taken away.
"S-So, Master Frey..."
"I just want to be at peace now... I'm sorry, Lulu."
As the girl apologized, Lulu grabbed her desperately.
"W-Why are you apologizing! No, more than that, don't do something like—"
"Because if Frey gets mad about this, he'll take it out on you."
Hearing that, Lulu looked around at the other girls quietly nodding and fell silent.
Unlike her, they had already come to see being vented on by their master as completely natural.
"I'm sorry... really sorry... But the other nobles... no matter how much I resisted or attacked them, they just laughed and toyed with me..."
"Wait, just hear my story for a moment..."
"Anyone else might be different, but if I hurt Frey, I'll definitely be killed or executed. So, if I want to die, this moment when I'm temporarily free is my only chance..."
-Creak...
Despite Lulu's efforts to stop her somehow, when the door opened and Frey appeared, she began to look pale.
"What's this? Why are you all looking at me like that?"
Frey, whose face was flushed perhaps from drinking, frowned as he spoke. The girl next to Lulu slowly began walking toward him.
"What? You?"
"W-Wait!!"
Frey tilted his head in confusion, and Lulu shouted desperately with a pale face. At that moment—
"Uwaaaaaah!!!"
The girl pulled out a knife hidden in her bosom and lunged at Frey.
"...Hup."
"Huh?"
But Frey easily caught the knife. He kicked the dazed girl who had lost her weapon, sending her rolling limply across the floor.
"Jeez, is this what you call rebellion?"
Frey looked at the knife he had taken, then turned to the girls with an incredulous expression.
"P-Please... kill me..."
"What?"
"I wasn't in my right mind and did something I absolutely shouldn't have. I'll pay for this sin with my life, so please..."
Frey realized roughly what was going on as the failed girl begged him palely to kill her. He quietly walked toward her.
"Ahh..."
Seeing that, the girl closed her eyes, feeling the end approaching.
"...Lulu, what should we do with this one?"
"Y-Yes?!"
But Frey merely looked down at her quietly and asked Lulu.
"W-Why ask me..."
"Because all the girls here are yours now."
"Yes?!"
Lulu asked in shock at Frey's words, and he glanced around at the girls before answering.
"I just bought all of them."
"W-What..."
"I realized it felt off that my pet was being treated the same level as them."
Frey frowned as he said that, then raised the corner of his mouth and added,
"And... a pet without exclusive maids of her own wouldn't have any spirit, right?"
As Frey stroked Lulu's head while saying that, the watching girls began to look dazed.
"You all heard that, right? Your new master is Lulu now. In other words, you're pets of my pet."
"F-Frey...?"
"Lulu, you can manage them well, right?"
Lulu tried to say something, but as Frey smiled and petted her head, she could only nod blankly.
"Good. From now on, you give the orders. Including punishment for the one who attacked me earlier."
"Ah..."
"Of course, I won't interfere at all. This is a gift for you."
With a gentle smile at her, Frey finished speaking and left the room before anyone could say a word.
"Ah......."
Then all the girls' gazes turned to Lulu. The dazed Lulu quietly opened her mouth.
"........Hello?"
It was the moment the girls, who had been treated worse than dogs for years and whose only wish was a peaceful death, received salvation in a very unexpected way.
......
"Master Frey, so about that... lately, those..."
"...I'll contact you by letter later."
After getting thoroughly drunk with his trash friends, and then being dragged around here and there to receive fake birthday congratulations and bribes disguised as gifts, evening had arrived before I knew it.
Of course, people fawning over me like this wasn't new, nor were the bribes, but lately a new pattern had emerged.
"Yes! Thank you, Master Frey!"
Namely, people coming to ask me about the Demon King's army.
Only about five had come so far, so it wasn't a huge number, but the fact that all five were key figures in the empire and high nobles was what mattered.
Being in such positions, they didn't fall for it as easily as my idiot friends earlier—they showed shrewdness by being suspicious or asking in veiled terms—but since they were all people who would betray the empire in the future anyway, I could clearly see what decisions they'd make.
"The sun's setting..."
Thinking that, I looked out the window. The sun was dipping below the horizon, and darkness was falling.
Of course, my birthday officially started when the stars symbolizing the Starlight family appeared, so I should have a little time to rest.
"Master Frey! Master Frey!!"
No.
Seeing an imperial maid running toward me from afar with a pale face, it looked like there was no time to rest.
What had happened this time? At this point, worry had given way to anticipation.
"B-Big trouble..."
"I know it's big trouble, so get to the point."
"W-Well... Lady Serena..."
I looked at the troubled imperial maid, but froze when Serena's name came out of her mouth.
Serena... already arrived?
Serena had already arrived at the ball but hadn't come to find me until now. And for some reason, the imperial maid was looking at me with eyes that said I was their only hope.
"No way..."
Those facts pointed to one possibility I absolutely didn't want to think about, so my face paled too. The maid finished in a trembling voice.
"...Lady Serena is drunk."
"My god."
I squeezed my eyes shut at those words, then asked with clear irritation.
"What were the imperial maids and servants doing, not stopping her?"
"She was so unstoppable that..."
"Her current state?"
"She's rampaging so much that no one but you, Master Frey, can stop her."
"Haa..."
Serena's one weakness was alcohol. She was extremely weak to it, and her drunken antics were severe.
The imperial maids, who hated me to death, were looking at me—the only one who could control her—with desperate eyes. That said it all.
"...Let's go."
I sighed and stood up, and the maid let out a relieved breath with a now-I'll-live expression.
"Hoo..."
I sighed too as I followed her, but mine was out of worry, not relief.
"Is Serena in here?"
"Y-Yes... um..."
"Just go."
With heavy steps, I arrived at the place the maid guided me to. Exhausted-looking maids and servants stood in front of the door.
"Thank you, Master Frey."
As I headed to the door with a stiff expression, the maids and servants bowed deeply in thanks and hurriedly stepped back.
Receiving such sincere gratitude from them—normally I'd be pleased, but right now I felt none of it.
"Ughhh..."
As I entered the room with those thoughts, I saw Serena with her head bowed, mumbling.
"Serena?"
I called her name cautiously, tense. She slowly lifted her head and looked at me.
"Who're youuu...?"
"Haa..."
I sighed as she asked with glazed, unfocused eyes and approached her.
"Hic..."
"...Gasp."
Then I heard a sound from behind her, so I peeked around. I involuntarily sucked in a breath.
".........."
There was Rosewin, completely out of it.
"...Serena? Why is she here?"
I stared blankly at Rosewin, then carefully asked Serena. Her eyes widened.
"Honey..."
"Yeah?"
"Do you hate me? Is it me you hate?"
Resentful words poured from her mouth, and I grew even paler, deep in thought.
...Her memories haven't returned yet?
Come to think of it, I only knew Serena's memories returned at night—I didn't know how she regained them.
So if she was blackout drunk right now without her memories...
"Why do you keep cheating... What's so bad about me compared to that fox bitch..."
"...Hic."
I might have to listen to Serena's drunken ramblings all birthday party long.
"Hey, what are you doing?"
"Y-Yes?!"
As I broke into a cold sweat thinking that, Serena suddenly turned cold eyes on Rosewin.
"Why are you here?"
"Y-You told me to kneel here quietly..."
"Then why are you staring at Frey?"
"W-Well... he just came in..."
"Get out."
Serena spoke coldly to the terrified Rosewin. When she hesitated, Serena quietly picked up a liquor bottle from the desk.
"I-I'm going!"
Rosewin jumped up and fled out the exit.
"Hehe... Frey..."
Serena, who had glared coldly at Rosewin, turned to me with a silly grin and spread her arms.
"...Pathetic. That's why I don't like you."
Thinking her memories still hadn't returned, I looked at her coldly and spoke.
"My memories are back."
"Ah."
The next moment, Serena pouted and spoke, leaving my mouth agape.
"Hearing that from you is enough during the daytime."
"H-How... did you do it?"
I asked the sulking Serena, and she smiled as she answered.
"At first, I asked my assistant to come every day, but she said it was too hard and threatened to strike."
"Assistant...?"
"Yes. So I changed it to regaining and losing memories exactly at sunset and sunrise. It's a bit unstable, but no choice."
"Then, the alcohol?"
"An act. If I really drank, this room would be in ruins, right?"
Looking around at her words, the room was spotless, just as she said. If she were truly drunk, no furniture or people would be intact.
"So... why go to all this trouble?"
"First, there was a fox who needed a scolding..."
Asking the triumphant Serena the reason, she tapped the desk with her finger and replied.
"...Second, I needed a space no one would approach."
I blushed and swallowed at her second answer. Serena chuckled.
"What are you thinking? I told you last time, not yet."
"Th-Then?"
"It's about the Prophecy Book."
I blinked blankly, and Serena lowered her voice to a whisper. I quickly put on a serious face and listened.
"The Prophecy Book you had my owl deliver yesterday—I found something interesting in it."
"Interesting?"
I tilted my head at her words, and Serena's eyes sparkled.
"There's a different part."
"What?"
"My Prophecy Book and yours have different parts."
"Wh-Which part!?"
I jumped in shock and pressed her. Serena hugged me and whispered softly in my ear.
"The last part of the Prophecy Book."
......
"Hoo..."
Meanwhile, at the Magic Tower.
"...Finally free from that cunning girl."
The Magic Tower Lord was quietly sipping wine, celebrating her escape from the grueling daily task of teleporting to Serena every night to restore her memories.
"Tower Lord, a guest has arrived."
"Tell them to leave."
As she savored her first peaceful night in ages, an apprentice mage knocked and spoke. She scowled and replied.
"We tried to chase them away, but the visitor is so insistent..."
"Subdue them, subdue."
"We tried, but failed."
"Failed?"
The Tower Lord hardened her expression as the sweating apprentice spoke.
"The tower mages are currently engaging, but the visitor seems highly skilled too..."
"What did they say?"
"W-Well..."
The hesitating apprentice glanced at her nervously before answering. The Tower Lord burst into incredulous laughter.
"Your disciple has returned..."
"Ha...!"
After wearing that expression for a while, the Tower Lord quietly left her room, descending the stairs. She pulled out a faded photo from her bosom and muttered.
"That cunning one left, and now this one I want to beat to death is the problem."
In the photo was a young Irina, scowling fiercely.