I shuddered at the sight of her.

She was running at breakneck speed, and yet she remained expressionless, not breaking a sweat.

To be honest, it was a terrifying sight.

Before I knew it, I was reflexively turning my back and running away from her.

“Why, why are you doing this!”

I shouted, glancing back every now and then, terrified. But she kept her mouth shut and was busy running towards me.

“I, I’m scared!

What is she, why is she doing that!

My thoughts didn’t last long. Maybe I was too slow, or maybe she was too fast.

The reason was that the moment I turned around, I saw her lighting two matches and sticking close behind me..

It was then that she raised the broom in her hand even higher. Startled, I quickly crouched down and covered my head.

But I wasn’t the target of her broomstick.

Clack! Clack! Clack! Clack! Clack!

As I squeezed my eyes shut, bracing myself for the pain to come, I heard a dull thud.

Slowly, I lowered the arm covering my head and turned my head toward the source.

Before I knew it, I saw her hitting a large tree with a broom, one after the other. I watched her in disbelief.

Suddenly, the birds that had been hiding in the trees took to the skies, chirping louder than ever.

“Come on, birds. I can’t understand you even if you tell me to shut up.”

The woman muttered in a hollow voice.

“I’m the one who gets yelled at if you’re being loud.”

Still, there was a hint of irritation in her voice.

After a moment, she turned toward me as if she’d finished her task and asked,

“Are you a guest?”

It was as if she had just noticed my presence. There was still no emotion in the woman’s voice as she asked me the question.

I hesitantly answered.

“Oh, yes. I’m here to see Liel. Do you happen to work here?”

She probably was, but I still asked, just in case.

“Uh, yes. I’m a maid who started working here a few days ago…….”

The woman who introduced herself as a maid stuttered. Then, with a face that didn’t look embarrassed at all, she opened her mouth in confusion.

“Um…… would it be rude if I didn’t give my name?”

The expression on her face was unbelievable. I couldn’t believe she could say that herself so emotionlessly.

She even had time to think about whether or not she should give her name.

She almost scared me to death.

I glared at the maid, whose expression was as monotonous as a doll’s, in frustration, but she must have misunderstood my gaze because she sighed heavily and replied.

“Please call me Mamon.”

Mamon, who finally revealed his name, walked over to me and asked.

“Let me help you up.”

Mamon, dressed head to toe in black, had a strange aura about her.

I was already embarrassed, but I knew I’d be even more embarrassed if she helped me up.

Mamon was quite tall for a woman, so when I stood up, I had to look up at her.

Then she asked again.

“Are you here to see my employer?”

“Employer……?”

“Sir Liel.”

“Oh, yes.”

What’s with the title……?

I was starting to get scared again of Mamon, who made me question her every move and word. I slowly put distance between me and her, not knowing when to run away.

Mamon didn’t seem to mind my movements.

“So, are you going inside the mansion?”

Mamon’s black pupils were lifeless as she stared at me.

“I left a message saying I was coming, but I haven’t heard anything……?”

I asked, just in case, and Mamon replied without hesitation.

“No, I haven’t heard anything.”

Then I can’t get in……?

Why didn’t he tell her beforehand, putting me on the spot?

I glanced back and forth between Mamon and the entrance with an embarrassed look on my face.

“I won’t stop you if you want to go in, but my employer’s room is up the stairs, third floor, first room on the right.”

Am I allowed to go in……?

The conversation had taken a strange turn. Or, more accurately, it was a miscommunication because I wasn’t quite sure what she meant.

I was about to ask if it was okay to do things so casually when Mamon started swinging the broom again.

“Do it in moderation and get the f*ck out of here.”

Kkak! Kkak!

The birds flapped their wings and floated through the air, avoiding her broom. Mamon was working like it was her job to swat them away.

“What’s wrong, do you want me to take you there?”

She must have noticed me looking at her curiously because she tried to do me an inappropriate favor.

But when Mamon didn’t smile, even out of politeness, I shook my head, indicating that I wanted to go alone.

Mamon nodded in understanding and started kicking, this time at a tree.

“Shh! Shh! Shh! Get out of here!”

No matter how I looked at it, it was better to go alone.

* * *

Once inside the mansion, the cold air stung my lungs. I shivered at the unseasonable temperature of the room.

“Go up the stairs, third floor, far right room…….”

The stairs were right in front of the doorway, so it wasn’t too hard to find.

I glanced back and forth between the first and second-floor hallways as I made my way up the stairs.

Somehow, I didn’t see any other occupants except for a maid named Mamon.

If I hadn’t run into Mamon at the entrance, I would have seriously wondered if Liel hadn’t hired anyone at all.

For some reason, it felt even creepier inside the mansion than outside, where the crows were cawing. There was a chill in the air, and if I stayed there, I would get sick.

As I continued to climb the stairs, I reached the third floor.

One floor was longer than the other, so it took quite a while to get to the third floor.

“End of the hallway on the right…….”

I looked to the left and right and walked straight down the hallway to the right where Mamon said. I saw it when I came up the stairs, but there wasn’t a speck of dust in sight, indicating that the place had been cleaned.

Liel must be in this mansion, but the silence around me made me feel like I was the only one in the mansion.

Even though I muffled my footsteps as much as possible, they still sounded loud because it was so quiet around me.

‘Is it really so scary to visit a friend’s house?’

I had come because I was worried, but after today, I didn’t want to come again.

Before I knew it, I was at the door of what I assumed was Liel’s room. I took a deep breath and let it out slowly.

“Liel…….”

Creak—-

I was about to knock.

Before I could knock, the door, which wasn’t fully closed, creaked open. It left a small gap.

“…….”

I wondered if Liel had realized I was there and opened the door for me from the inside, but the gap was too narrow for that.

Naturally, my gaze went to the gap.

Through the slight opening, I could see a white bed and a broad back sitting on it. I blinked slowly and reached for the doorknob.

And then.

“…….”

The man who had been hanging his head as if he was going to drop to the floor slowly raised his head. At the same time, I caught a glimpse of his white hair, which covered his broad shoulders.

I must be in the wrong room.

I quickly removed my hand from the doorknob, feeling like I was peeking into a stranger’s room with an unfamiliar appearance.

As if he’d been waiting for it, the man’s eyes moved to look at me from the other side of the door.

Our eyes met.

The same golden eyes with a long vertical slit, just like the demon’s I’d seen in the palace.

A chill ran down my spine. Reason screamed at me to get the hell out of there.

But I couldn’t. When my eyes met the glowing golden eyes, my legs went limp and I fell to the ground.

I hadn’t been this scared when I saw the demon in the palace.

My arms trembled on the floor.

I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to steady myself. But I shouldn’t have done that, because my stomach immediately started churning.

I gasped, dropped my gaze to the floor, and covered my mouth. I struggled to breathe, just as I had the day I passed out.

My breathing became irregular and my head throbbed. I grabbed my head with the same hand that covered my mouth to try to escape the pain.

But the pain didn’t go away. Just as my fingertips were beginning to feel stronger, I heard footsteps ahead.

I didn’t need to look to know. A monster, a demon, was approaching me.

“Ugh……!”

I gagged as I tried to rise to my feet, hoping to escape. I clamped my hand over my mouth once more and spat out colorful breath.

“…….”

The sound of mysterious footsteps cut off.

At the same time, I sensed a presence right in front of me. My heart pounded as I recognized the monster’s presence.

I was afraid to look up. I was afraid to confirm the existence of the monster in front of me.

But regardless of my mind’s wishes, my head dutifully moved to confirm the monster’s presence.

I’m sure that an unoiled gear would move more fluidly than this.

Eventually, the monster’s jaws caught my vision. I thought it might be better to close my eyes.

But this time, against my will, my eyes slowly moved upward.

When I finally took in the monster’s face in full, I felt lightheaded, like someone with anemia.

My head hit the floor with a thud and the world went black.