Volume 2 Chapter 38: Heh, You’re Fired【The Aristocratic Council Arc】

Izun, who had been taken to an inn, was treated with a warmth she had never experienced before.

First, there was a warm bath.

Few inns were equipped with the luxury of a bath, which demonstrated that Balor was no ordinary man.

Her dirty body was thoroughly cleansed in the warm water.

Of course, even the estate of Kelphine—one of the four great nobles—had a bath, but since Izun, the cursed child, was not allowed to use it, this was her very first bath.

As an aid, Balor’s maid Nanashi joined her in the bath.

She, too, showed no concern about being a cursed child.

The stickiness on her body was gone, and she basked in the bliss of soaking in warm water.

It was so relaxing that she almost dozed off.

Afterward, her body was dried with a soft, clean towel.

It was the first time she had ever used a towel that didn’t chafe her skin.

And since it smelled wonderful, she felt as if she were in a dreamy, fluffy daze.

“Come on, let’s go. The master is waiting for you”

“Uh, isn’t Izun scary?”

Izun, trembling, asked Nanashi—who was standing calmly nearby.

Even though she would be utterly shocked if anyone called her “scary,” she couldn’t help but ask.

However, contrary to Izun’s expectation, Nanashi simply shook her head.

“No. For me, what’s frightening is the possibility of not being able to obtain the wealth of the Apophis Domain.”

“Eh…?”

Izun recoiled at the sheer audacity of a servant openly declaring her aim for her master’s fortune.

Somehow, she suspected that Nanashi, too, was a bit dangerous.

“Come on, let’s go”

“Ah, wait!”

Nanashi pulled Izun along forcefully.

While nearly stumbling, she hurriedly shuffled her feet… and suddenly realized:

It was the first time anyone had ever taken her hand like that.

A meal awaited them as they emerged from the bath.

The tantalizing aroma made Izun gulp involuntarily.

For her—who had only ever rummaged through trash cans and devoured decaying scraps—when had she last had a properly prepared meal?

Could it be that she was actually allowed to eat this?

Hesitantly, she slowly looked up at Balor’s face as if to ask, and he wore a gentle smile.

“Ah, don’t hesitate. All of this has been arranged for you (by the way, if you eat, you must obey everything I say).”

“I-I’ll eat it!”

Unaware that Balor was secretly suggesting an utterly nefarious contract, Izun ate her meal with abandon.

　It vanished quickly, yet it brought her immense happiness.

“Was it delicious?”

“Yeah, really awesome!”

With a beaming smile on her face, Izun met Balor’s equally beaming smile. There was no intention whatsoever of letting her go.

Not as scheming as Nanashi, nor as rebellious as Ashvin—an ideal meat shield, secured.

“But why are you being so kind to me?”
“(It’s because I need you to be my meat shield.)”

Of course, Balor would never openly say that, so he began to speak.

“That’s because there’s something I want you to do for me.”
“…Wha—what is that?”

She is to serve as my meat shield until I can secure a woman who can skillfully manage the Apophis Domain and support me.

“I want you to be my servant.”
“Servant?”

Izun’s eyes widened. She wondered what sort of inhumane task he might be asking of her, yet thought that if someone treated her so kindly, it might not be so bad.

That was what she assumed—but his answer was far different than she had imagined.

“There are many servants who serve my father, but as for my personal servants, there’s only Nanashi and one other. That’s why I need you to lend me your strength.”

Balor grinned. He truly meant it when he said he needed her help; he wasn’t lying—he simply hadn’t told her everything.

“Izun’s strength…? Really, is it really you, Izun?”
“I need you. (You seem so obedient.)”

At those strong words, Izun’s heart raced.

“I… need Izun.”

Izun, who had been deemed unnecessary and even abandoned by her parents, was deeply moved by the force of those words, which shook her very core.

After all, she couldn’t survive on her own. Thus, the answer was clear.

“Got it. Izun, I’ll do my best for you!”
“Ah, I count on you. (That’s the spirit. Work hard for me—and die for me.)”

◆

“Oh ho. White hair and red eyes—cursed child. Cursed children are said to spread an inexplicable curse to everyone around them.”
“Ha, you’re fired.”
“You’ve strangled your own neck, master.”

At Nanashi’s report, Balor, with a defiant smile, declared the dismissal. Yet, that was impossible.

Balor had already been cultivating a favorable image within his domain—earning the recognition of the subjects even over his younger brother. To bolster his reputation, he had secretly been touting that he accepted a cursed child.

The subjects admired him for his magnanimity in embracing a cursed child, and he could not now cast that aside. Even if he could, his standing with the people would surely plummet.

As Nanashi had noted, he was essentially strangling his own neck.

“Noooo! Nanashi, unleash all your curses on me!”
“What are you saying, you damn master!”