Helius (1) - I'm Your Night Attendant
Helius (1) - I'm Your Night Attendant
After the vampire extermination and an unexpected wild orgy party (...).
"...I'm sorry."
It was because she had fallen victim to the vampire's Mental Domination against her will—
Sherin apologized with her head deeply bowed for losing her reason and trying to harm Rose.
"...I'm... sorry."
Though it was a desperate measure to escape the crisis—
For making Sherin go into heat and pounce on her (?),
Rose also apologized with a flushed face.
After awkwardly concluding the commotion in Caldera.
Rose and Sherin's journey towards Helius continued relatively smoothly.
Of course—
"It's dangerous, Rose-nim!"
[ Chwaaaak-! ]
Like decapitating monsters that suddenly appeared.
"Thank you... I will never forget this kindness for the rest of my life!"
Or saving people in crisis for various reasons.
[ Jjigeok, Jjigeok- ]
"Ah, Sherin... there, not too deep...!!"
And sometimes, sharing each other's body heat and spending lewd nights together.
On the fourth day since leaving Deluna.
The two finally arrived at Helius, the heart of the Lumen Kingdom's eastern region.
It was a large city of similar scale, but
The atmosphere was different from the lively and bustling Deluna.
A heavy and desolate atmosphere seemed to weigh down the people coming and going, no, the entire city.
What was most noticeable were the armed soldiers patrolling the streets.
Perhaps because of the standoff with the Royal Faction centered in the capital, or because they were preparing for an all-out war.
The entire city was heavily permeated with the smell of blood and war.
Naturally, the searches of people entering the castle gates were extremely strict—
"I am Lord Theodore's attendant."
At Sherin's confident declaration of her identity, the soldiers flinched and cleared the way.
"And... who is the lady accompanying you behind...?"
One soldier, who seemed to have a strong sense of responsibility, hesitated and raised a question—
"She is a girl to be offered to the Lord-nim for night service."
"Ah..."
Her voluptuous appearance, overflowing with allure for anyone to see.
Seeing Rose, who was sweeping back her red hair behind Sherin and giving a seductive eye-smile, the soldiers merely coughed awkwardly and quickly turned their heads away.
'Hey, Sherin. Is it okay to reveal our identities like this?'
'It's fine. There's already so much to worry about with war preparations. Those soldiers will have completely forgotten about me by now.'
Thus, the two were able to confidently pass through Helius's castle gates.
< Illustration - It's Night Service >
***
A shabby, old inn room on the outskirts of the city.
Rose, who had been looking down at the panoramic view of Helius through a gap in the window, pointed to a towering giant spire in the distance.
"That must be Helius's Lord's castle, right?"
"......"
Complex emotions swirled in Sherin's eyes as she gazed at the same scene beside her.
The mastermind who framed and ruined her family, and bestowed her as Theodore's plaything.
If Theodore was the trash who violated her body, then Taleman, the Lord of Helius, was evil itself, who utterly destroyed her life.
Now that the terrible curse that had broken even her will to resist was gone.
Upon facing the Lord's castle, which was a symbol of that evil, after returning to Helius.
Unbearable rage and
Worry for her younger sibling, who must still be suffering alone, were tangled within Sherin's heart.
"Sherin...?"
When Rose, with a worried expression, placed a hand on her shoulder, Sherin snapped back to attention and nodded.
"Ah... Yes, that's right. As you said, that's the castle of Taleman, the Lord of Helius. And...."
To the north of the Lord's castle, where Sherin's finger pointed.
A black mansion surrounded by a dense forest.
"That place is the mansion of Malus, the Guardian of Helius. Where my younger brother Ailan is..."
"A Guardian's mansion, huh.... Are there no other soldiers or employees besides Ailan?"
"Probably not. Malus is a very secretive person... On the grounds that he conducts all sorts of secret and cruel experiments, even the Lord cannot enter that mansion without his permission.
When there was business, he would come out himself, or all errands that needed to be done outside the mansion were Ailan's responsibility."
Rose leaned against the windowsill, taking in the black mansion that exuded an ominous aura.
Along with the dense forest surrounding it.
"Uh... then... if we hide in that forest and watch, then snatch Ailan when he comes out for an errand... or if the Guardian goes out, we could infiltrate the mansion...?"
"Those are good ideas, but it's not very often that either of them comes out of the house. I don't know what they're doing in there, but there have been times when they didn't come out for an entire month."
A homebody Guardian who conducts dangerous experiments—
Rose rested her chin in her hand, falling into deep thought.
If Sherin's words were true, simply waiting wouldn't solve anything.
- The forest is dense, should I set the mansion on fire to make them come out?
Rejected.
If things escalate, it wouldn't just be the Guardian who's a problem, but the entire Knights of Helius might swarm them.
- Should I secretly infiltrate when the lights go out at night?
Also rejected.
He might have set up some traps, and if things go wrong, he could take Sherin's sibling hostage and threaten them.
"Hmm...."
Rose tapped the windowsill with her fingertips, racking her brain.
Soon, her red eyes sparkled, and a mischievous smile spread across her lips.
"As expected, I'll have to make that Guardian, holed up in his room, come out on his own two feet."
"Huh? How... how would that be possible?"
Instead of answering, Rose took out an old wooden box that she had carefully kept in her Expansion Pouch.
Carefully brought all the way from Deluna,
A gruesome gift box containing Balthazar's letter and Theodore's severed wrist.
"If the Lord sees this... wouldn't he immediately call for that Guardian, if only to ask about Sherin's whereabouts, whose Mark is carved?"
"Huh? But just because there's that Mark doesn't mean the Guardian could know my location or condition. Burning the Mark to take my life would have been possible, though."
"Well, what's important isn't whether the Guardian can actually know that or not."
"Eh??"
"Upon seeing Lord Balthazar-nim's letter, which he supposedly wrote so terrifyingly that it would make one wet their pants even in their sleep, the terrified Lord will call his Guardian, clutching at straws."
The top surface of the tightly closed box.
The name 'Balthazar' was clearly carved there in rough, imposing handwriting.
- Lord-nim! I hope this time you truly wrote a chilling letter, as you boasted, without being frivolous!
The next day, in front of Helius Lord's castle's main gate.
Rose, who had used her Cloak of Transformation to create a shabby, dull robe and pulled it down deeply over her head, was bowing at the waist in front of the stern-faced guard standing watch at the gate.
"...So, what exactly is this?"
The guard looked down at the wooden box Rose held out, his eyes full of suspicion.
What a bother, first thing in the morning—
His face was gruff, as if saying exactly that.
"I don't know the details myself... A very scary-looking black-haired woman told me that this absolutely had to be delivered to the Lord-nim of Helius...."
In a voice as terrified as possible,
She subtly hinted that this was a very important and urgent item, though she didn't know what it was.
"Tsk. Does she think the Lord-nim has that much free time? If I deliver something I know nothing about and something nasty pops out, my head will roll."
Whether he was clueless or just didn't want to take on a troublesome task.
The guard in front of her didn't show much interest.
"Hmm... but that's quite something..."
Instead, he was subtly craning his neck to get a closer look at Rose's face, which was peeking out from under her robe.
She didn't want to draw attention, so all that was visible beneath her deeply pulled-down robe were her red lips.
Whether he guessed her hidden beauty just from that,
Or if, like a soldier who rarely gets to see women, he was simply moved by the gentle voice of a young woman.
'You idiot! Look at the box more closely, not my lips!'
A sturdy seal preventing anyone from opening the handle.
And Balthazar's name, written large on the top surface.
She hadn't anticipated that the soldier would show so little interest.
'No way... can he not read? Or does he not know who Balthazar is??'
Given this situation, should she use even a weak Lust Skill?
But how?
Should she instruct him not to hand this wooden box to anyone, but to run directly to the Lord and deliver it himself?
'No. That's too unnatural. It'll just draw attention and make the knights wary.'
Whether he knew or not of Rose's burning frustration, unable to do anything.
The soldier stared intently at Rose's face from a distance so close she could feel his breath.
'Haa, this won't do. I'll have to go back for now and come again later.'
Just as she made up her mind and was about to subtly step back.
"What's going on?"
A low, heavy voice.
A middle-aged man, wearing splendid armor and appearing to be of quite high status at first glance, approached.
"Sir... Sir Lloyd!"
'A knight...?'
The man, while saluting, gestured with his chin at the frozen soldier, as if telling him to explain the situation.
"Ah... it's nothing! This young lady is insisting that she received a request from someone else and must deliver that box to the Lord-nim..."
"...A box, you say. What is it?"
"I don't know anything, my lord. A black-haired swordswoman with sharp eyes told me that this must be delivered to the Lord-nim..."
Lloyd silently took the box from Rose's hand.
As his gaze, which had been indifferently examining the box, landed on the name carved on its top surface.
"......!"
His wrinkled eyes sharpened, and
She felt his grip on the box tighten.
"This... I will deliver to the Lord-nim myself."
"Yes, yes! Understood!"
'Phew, thank goodness. Someone with sense showed up.'
Just as Rose, having achieved her goal, let out a sigh of relief and was about to naturally turn away.
"Stop."
A voice pierced her from behind.
"Take off your robe."
"...Huh?"
"I told you to lower your robe and show your face."
Is he suspicious? Suddenly?
Cold sweat ran down her back, but she couldn't run away or refuse here.
Rose slowly pushed back the hood of her robe.
Chal-lang-
Her red hair cascaded down, and
As her captivating features were revealed.
"Huk...."
The soldier gasped at her beauty, his face flushing.
Lloyd, however, merely stared sharply at Rose with an expressionless face.
"Where did you meet that black-haired woman who gave you this box?"
Cold sweat ran down her spine.
Because she hadn't thought he would ask this.
If she said anything that didn't quite add up,
The atmosphere was so chilling, it felt like he would draw his sword at any moment.
Rather than making a mistake by trying to clumsily deceive him, she had no choice but to tell the truth.
Rose slightly hunched her shoulders and opened her mouth in a sorrowful yet alluring voice.
"I am... a prostitute who sells her body in the back alleys..."
"A prostitute?"
"Yes.... I don't usually take female clients, but she gave me such a large sum of money... and her aura was so terrifying that I couldn't refuse, so I gave her my body...."
Rose deliberately lowered her gaze, and as if embarrassed, slightly pulled her collar tighter.
"She treated me roughly all night, and then in the morning, she handed me this box and told me to go to the Lord's castle. She said if I didn't, I'd face dire consequences...."
Prostitute, check.
Embraced by Risolde, check.
'It's not a big lie, right?'
Moreover, acting as a pitiful prostitute, sold for money and treated roughly, was practically Rose's specialty before she became a Guardian.
"......"
Lloyd silently scanned Rose's slender figure and flushed cheeks.
Soon, the sharp wariness in his eyes turned into faint contempt.
"...Understood. Your errand is done, so get out now."
"...Thank you, my lord."
Rose pulled her robe back over her head, turned, and exited the castle.
Feeling the regretful gaze of the soldier on the back of her head, and
Hearing Lloyd's footsteps heading into the castle.