Volume 1 Chapter 5: Stop. I Don’t Want to See My (Wasted) Blood

“Stop. I don’t want to see my (wasted) blood.”

I extend my palm, trying to help him regain his composure.

“Calm down, you’re just a guard who’s likely to get knocked around by a kid.”

Do you really want to see me collapse here, all bloodied and beaten?

Stop it.

There’s no benefit to either of us.

“Tch! That condescending tone is so irritating!!”

A small sword is drawn with a sleek motion.

“Eeeee!”

What the hell is this guy!?

How can someone—a lord and a noble—think to point a sword at me?

Could it be that he believes Marcel will somehow fix this?

No way—even if he were the lord’s own brother, he can’t just erase the sin of hurting the lord, can he!?

Do you really think I’ll just keep quiet while I’m injured?

I’ll make a huge fuss about it.

Then, execution.

“Honestly, serving under Marcel-sama is way more fun than you being the lord. It’s so much easier for us to live that way.”

He grins cheekily.

Is this guy seriously as dumb as a goblin?

“Besides, your maids are supposed to be pretty stunning. If we kill you, they’ll be ours.”

The men cast lecherous glances at Nanashi and Ashvin.

No way.

Even without doing something like that, I’ll give them to you.

Here, Nanashi.

Your new master.

“I cannot serve a master who has no money, My Sweet Master.”

Stop it.

“Alright, let’s go. Aren’t you going to get ready?!”

He’s already raring to go.

Oh no!

Nanashi, get the meat shield ready!

“We have no such preparations.”

Wha—betrayed!

The shield I need in a pinch isn’t here.

And I don’t even have a weapon.

This is not looking good at all…

“Gueeeeeee!!”

Facing the advancing men, I’m about to let out a scream when…

“――――――No more than that.”

◆

His name was Yorda.

He was a thug hired as Marcel’s guard.

And he was fully aware that he was nothing but a thug. After all, he wasn’t exactly raised in a refined manner.

Everything he had done in life involved taking something from someone. Because of that, he was used to brawls.

He was also insensitive to fear. Fear stiffens the body and prevents it from moving as one wishes.

By numbing that fear, Yorda’s body reacted on its own to help him live more easily. That is why he was able to point his blade at Balor, the lord.

An ordinary person would never do such a thing. No matter how much kinder Balor might be compared to other lords, pointing a sword at a noble naturally invites death.

And it wouldn’t be just him. It wouldn’t be surprising if his entire clan were massacred.

In short, Yorda underestimated Balor. He assumed that even if he pointed his blade, Balor wouldn’t do much.

In other words, he was taking advantage of Balor’s softness. Even after causing such a ruckus, he believed he would never be killed.

After all, Balor was such a softie—it was unthinkable. So, why not have a little fun by threatening someone important?

That way, he would become a minor celebrity. Even among Marcel’s gang of thugs, he would be recognized.

For that reason, Yorda pointed his blade at Balor.

“You mustn’t do something so reckless.”

And Yorda would come to deeply regret that decision. Until then, he had never looked back or felt regret, no matter what he did in his life.

And the reason was none other than the maid standing before him with a smile—Ashvin. Her long silver hair, her blue eyes.

And her brown skin—a symbol of a different ethnicity. Although in the territory of Apophis there is prejudice and discrimination against foreigners, it’s beside the point that Ashvin, as Balor’s maid, isn’t looked down upon.

Yorda wasn’t entirely free of prejudice either, but once he saw her voluptuous figure even under her Epron dress, her ethnicity ceased to matter. It was precisely because of her—and because Nanashi, who remained uninvolved—that he boldly defied the lord.

“Who do you think this person is? Balor Apophis. There is no one else in this world like him—the epitome of nobility.”

But what about this woman?
A maid. And a woman.

Naturally, she was less powerful than him, meant only as an outlet for his desires. And yet, her gaze toward him was utterly void of emotion.

It was as if she saw him but completely ignored him. She did not regard him as an equal human being.

【Object】.

Not a human, but nothing more than an unpleasant object.

How terrifying that is. To be seen by others not as a human but as something else is something no human being can tolerate.

“You’re on a completely different level from the rabble you see everywhere. Therefore…”

Ashvin leaned in close and whispered coldly in Yorda’s ear,
――――――“Please discard that immediately.”

“Ah, hi…!?”

He wasn’t being threatened. Judging solely by her words, it could even be taken as a plea.

In other words, it was clear that Yorda occupied a higher position than Ashvin. In fact, the onlookers who hadn’t caught every word still remained convinced of Yorda’s superiority.

They watched with concern. But no—the one truly afraid now wasn’t the coldly smiling Ashvin. It was Yorda.

“Hiiiiiiiiii!!”

Without any shame or regard, Yorda turned and ran. He pushed aside the onlookers surrounding him, running solely to get away from Ashvin.

“Oh! As expected of Balor-sama’s maid!”
“To think she’d drive those guys away!”
“Thank you very much!”

The onlookers erupted in cheers. Had they not caught every word of Ashvin and Yorda’s conversation, it would have seemed that she had resolved everything without resorting to force.

And even Balor, who hadn’t heard a word, was glaring furiously…

“As expected of Balor-sama. With his majestic authority, he drives away the ruffians and saves the subjects—truly the model of nobility.”
“Cut it out. I didn’t do anything. (Heh, well, when it comes to me, a little intimidation works.)”

Balor, hoisted up by Ashvin, instantly brightened. There is no lord easier to handle than him.

Well, no lord is as difficult to handle as him, either. He’s troublesome.

“…………”
“……Hehe”

But Nanashi was different. As she stared at him intently, Ashvin smiled seductively.