“10,000,000.”
One... ten...
...Huh?
Why are there so many zeros?
Is this thing broken?
"Eil, think this through. The contract pays ten million gold coins. With that kind of money, you could wipe out all your debts in one go!"
The tiny calculator's screen displayed a string of numbers so long it almost looked unreal.
Eil's blue eyes slowly began to tremble.
"...Ha. You've got to be kidding me." She frowned in obvious annoyance. "Captain, do you seriously think I'm the kind of person who's obsessed with money?"
She paused for a beat before lowering her voice.
"I'm only asking just in case..."
She looked up expectantly.
"...Cash?"
"Every last coin."
"My lifelong dream has always been to become a duke's maid."
Watching Eil's resolute expression instantly harden with newfound determination, Death nodded as if he'd expected nothing less.
He reached into his coat again and pulled out another item.
"What's that?"
"A portrait of the target. It'll make things easier if you at least know what they look like. Though I suppose you'll see them in person once you're working there as a maid."
At Death's suggestion that she memorize the face beforehand, Eil accepted the paper with curious eyes.
Then...
"...People aren't supposed to look like this, are they?"
You want me to identify someone from this?
Seriously?
The so-called portrait looked as though someone had lazily sketched the rough outline of a human with a few careless strokes before calling it a day.
It was almost insulting.
"As you know, information about House Casio is practically nonexistent," Death explained with a helpless shrug. "To be honest, we don't even know if that's an accurate portrait. Still, it's better than having nothing."
I think having nothing would actually be better...
The thought rose to Eil's lips but never escaped.
Instead, she reluctantly folded the useless portrait and tucked it away.
If she was going to infiltrate the infamous House Casio as a maid, there was an overwhelming amount of preparation to do.
"Young Master, this is the report you requested regarding Black Rose."
Bathed in streams of sunlight pouring through the tall windows, the young master sat on the broad windowsill while his aide, Demon, quietly approached from behind and began his report.
"After investigating, we've confirmed they're a renowned assassination organization operating in the underworld. They're an elite group with very few members, and because they conduct all of their activities in complete secrecy, almost nothing about them is publicly known."
He continued in his calm, measured tone.
"They wear robes embroidered with a black rose emblem. Aside from that insignia, there is no reliable way to identify one of their members."
The report itself contained little of substance.
After taking a steady breath, Demon continued.
"There is, however, one fact that everyone agrees on."
His expression turned solemn.
"They have never failed a contract. No matter the circumstances, they always complete the mission they accept. That reputation has made them infamous even within the underworld, to the point that many avoid crossing paths with them."
Silence settled over the room.
After a long pause, the boy finally spoke.
"That's all?"
His indifferent voice made it clear he wasn't impressed.
Demon lowered his head apologetically.
"My apologies, Young Master. That is all we could uncover."
"'Infamous,' hm..."
The boy rested his chin lightly on one hand.
"They didn't seem particularly dangerous."
Though his tone was calm, the meaning behind those words was anything but.
Young Master... just what exactly did you witness that day...?
Demon recalled the young master returning from the Black Forest several days earlier, drenched in blood that clearly wasn't his own.
Yet instead of his usual emotionless expression, he had worn a strangely pleased smile—a rare sight indeed.
The very first order he had given afterward had been:
"Find everything there is to know about Black Rose."
"Young Master..."
Demon hesitated before speaking again.
"May I ask... did you happen to meet someone in the Black Forest that day?"
The young master returning from a hunting trip covered in blood wasn't unusual.
But meeting another person there...
That was impossible.
The Black Forest wasn't a place where people crossed paths.
And even if someone had wandered into it, there was no chance the young master would have allowed them to leave alive.
After all, no ordinary person ever entered that forest.
"...An angel."
The answer came almost immediately.
"...Pardon?"
An... angel?
The response caught Demon completely off guard.
Still, he knew better than anyone that the young master wasn't the type to make pointless jokes.
"They were... rather violent."
The boy added the brief explanation as though that settled everything.
A violent angel?
What in the world was that supposed to mean?
"I... see."
Demon nodded stiffly.
"Well... monsters exist in this world. I suppose there's no reason violent angels couldn't exist as well..."
He's obviously just saying whatever comes to mind because he doesn't want to answer.
As a loyal aide, knowing when to stop asking questions was just as important as knowing when to ask them.
Just as Demon silently gave up on discovering the truth—
"It isn't time for new maids to arrive."
The boy's gaze shifted toward the window.
Following it, Demon looked outside as well.
Near the entrance to the ducal estate, a tiny girl with dazzling silver hair cautiously pushed open the gates before hurrying after one of the senior maids.
Seeing her, something suddenly came back to him.
"Oh..."
"The head maid did mention recently that she'd accepted a new servant."
He quickly pieced everything together.
"She was strongly recommended by an outside party. Apparently she has extensive experience, and after much consideration, the head maid decided to hire her."
The boy gave a small nod after hearing the explanation.
Recognizing the silent dismissal, Demon bowed respectfully before leaving the room.
"...She certainly has plenty of experience."
Left alone, the boy rested his chin in one hand and tilted his head slightly.
A familiar voice echoed vividly through his mind.
"You really were raised like some sheltered young master if your judgment is this poor. I've been doing this job since the day I was born. Don't compare me to those idiots."
The girl's bright, confident voice refused to fade.
Like heat shimmering over the earth in midsummer, her vivid blue eyes lingered before him.
"...Just in a rather dangerous profession."
Outside the window, the little silver-haired girl diligently chased after a maid nearly three times her size.
She grew smaller and smaller in the distance...
Until she finally disappeared from view.
Watching her leave, Lis slowly curved his violet eyes into an amused smile.
"Eil, since today's your first day, instead of assigning you work, why don't you spend the day familiarizing yourself with the estate? It'll make everything much easier once you know your way around."
"Yes. Thank you very much."
Offering a bright smile and a polite bow, I left the annex behind while the other maids watched their youngest newcomer with warm, affectionate smiles.
Free time on my very first day at work? This is heaven!
Considering how secretive House Casio was, I had fully expected the veteran servants to haze the newcomer.
I'd prepared myself for it.
But after arriving, not only was there no bullying...
The atmosphere was surprisingly warm and friendly.
Thanks to that, despite this technically being my first time working as a maid, I'd adapted far faster than expected.
At this rate, carrying out my mission shouldn't be too difficult.
"...There's no way I can explore this place in a single day."
If I had to summarize my first impression of the legendary House Casio in one word, it would be:
Huge.
No—
Enormous.
The estate was so vast that walking through every corner would probably take three full days.
"I should focus on learning the important locations first."
While wandering through the grounds and memorizing the layout of the main buildings, something suddenly caught my eye.
Off to one side of the ducal estate stretched a dense forest of lush emerald trees.
...That forest looks awfully familiar.
For some reason, I couldn't just walk past it.
My feet stopped on their own.
"...Wait."
"Don't tell me..."
"Is that the section connected to the Black Forest?"
I'd always known that part of House Casio's territory bordered the Black Forest.
But seeing it with my own eyes was an entirely different matter.
No one who had ever approached the estate from the Black Forest had survived to tell the tale.
Just thinking about it was unsettling enough that I'd never even considered getting close.
But...
Approaching it from this side didn't seem nearly as dangerous.
"...It should be fine, right?"
"No one actually said I wasn't allowed to go into the forest."
Somewhere in the back of my mind, I could practically hear Death sighing.
"Not walking into mysterious death forests is supposed to be common sense, you know."
Mmm...
Eil had absolutely no idea what he was talking about.
