Home/How That Extra Maid Survives/ch37

Chapter 37

"Look at the state of you."

Rahan's consideration was brief, so I had to finish my business before that.

I poured on the sarcasm, but there was no response.

I was still unsure of his condition.

To be certain, I decided to press Keor's trigger button.

Tap.

I lightly kicked the bars I'd been told not to approach, then stepped back.

His eyes, reacting to the sound, slowly turned to me.

"What's wrong? Why not pray to the Lord Sehem you so revere? Who knows? Maybe He'll save you?"

I kept a suitable distance, crouched down, propped my chin on my hand, and met his gaze.

At the mention of Sehem, a light began to stir in his hollow eyes.

"Uggh… you…! You…!"

With his teeth all but shattered, he could barely speak—a truly pitiful sight.

"Ah! Can't talk, can you? Well, you can always pray earnestly in your heart. Right? Not that your voice would reach Him anyway."

Judging by his condition, the torture must have been severe; appearances aside, he was in a bad state.

Clang!

Keor, now boiling with rage, threw himself against the bars.

Startled, I glanced at the firmly shut door.

'Did he hear?'

I'd heard that someone of Rahan's level could clearly hear sounds from a distance. Fortunately, it seemed this much noise didn't escape.

I nearly had my visit cut short, so I patted my chest and glared at Keor.

"Ha, I almost got caught because of you."

"Yuoou…!"

The itching in my ears told me he was cursing me fervently.

Bringing him to his senses seemed to have made him lose his reason, but I didn't mind and continued.

"Let me ask you one thing. You killed three pitiful victims, so why did you suddenly change your story?"

My work.

Mine alone.

Keor, with his exceptional pride and twisted attachment, only continued to spew curses.

The torture had drained his mental energy, leaving him too exhausted to speak, but he was still rational.

Except for one thing—his pride in his work had vanished.

'No, it's more accurate to say he can't even recognize it.'

At that, I was certain.

'Ha, so they did get to him.'

They'd already brainwashed him.

I nearly grabbed my hair in frustration.

Brainwashing was a forbidden magic that had been outlawed for a long time.

Marquis Selfios, who had restored it, used it whenever necessary through his subordinates.

Each time, his subordinates died, but since they were created to handle dirty work anyway, he used them like disposable tools.

'Until the later half, no one even noticed its existence, I think.'

It's true—no one could even imagine a banned magic still existed.

Since the outward reactions remained normal, most just assumed they'd gone mad or were being silenced.

Later, Marr Elr would dispel the spell and reveal the forbidden magic's existence to the world.

Of course, it was still quite some time before Marquis Selfios was caught, so meticulous was he.

'Ah, this is such a waste.'

I fiddled with Marr Elr's ring that Thalia had given me.

Brainwashing was a powerful curse that left Marr Elr suffering aftereffects for a week after she dispelled it.

Even if Marr Elr now, two years earlier, was a bit inexperienced, this ring, imbued with her earnest wish, would be enough to restore Keor to his original state.

'Is it worth using this precious item, capable of saving my life, here?'

Weighing the terror I'd experienced against my uncertain future life, the answer came quickly.

'…Alright, I'll use it!'

I needed to strike at Marquis Selfios, who was probably sighing in relief, unaware.

If I placed restrictions on using forbidden magic from now on, future damage would be minimized.

'I'll show you what it's like to get a taste of your own medicine.'

I was very curious to see how they'd react when their cherished trump card was shattered.

I approached Keor and held out the ring.

The brilliant light, said to save anyone still breathing, instantly enveloped Keor's entire body.

New flesh grew, and twisted bones realigned.

As the light faded, Keor looked down at his palm, which had been tattered just moments before.

"Wh… why… did you help me…?"

Keor, now in his right mind, asked with an incomprehensible look.

"Because… I'm pissed off?"

I answered, smacking my lips at the ring that had crumbled to dust.

"Wh… what are you saying…?"

Keor's bewildered questions continued.

"If there had been no copycat crimes, would you have moved? Then I wouldn't have been in danger either. But now, having you cower in fear is pathetic. It pisses me off."

Kindness with kindness.

Revenge with twice the force.

Keor is being punished, but someone from the Second Prince's faction who orchestrated and executed this is walking around smugly—that's infuriating.

"You're going to be punished for something you didn't even do? Are you just going to die like this? Aren't you frustrated? I am. Oops!"

Rahan had warned me not to get too close, but I deliberately stood up and walked closer.

I bowed my head, and Keor looked up, meeting my eyes.

I smiled warmly, as if to reassure his confusion-filled gaze.

"If it weren't for those people, you wouldn't have been caught like this, right? You planned to do it just once and stop. See? Aren't you frustrated too?"

This wasn't enough.

Keor had something more important than his own will.

"Like this, you won't have the face to meet Lord Sehem, will you? Your wrongdoing will remain as a small stain on Lord Sehem, you know? Your noble spirit of sacrifice? Who knows. You're already branded a criminal, and Lord Sehem is tangled up in it."

"……."

The moment Sehem was mentioned, his eyes, freed from the brainwashing, were stained with madness.

"Looks like you're finally motivated?"

Grind. Keor gritted his teeth.

"Try your best. Who knows? Maybe Lord Sehem will forgive you."

I waved my hand, from which the ring had vanished, and tossed out the meaningful words.

The ring that could restore Keor's ragged body to normal was a valuable item for a mere lady-in-waiting like me to possess.

Perhaps, just maybe.

Could it be an opportunity given by Lord Sehem?

Keor's mad eyes, interpreting it as he wished, blazed with clarity.

'At this rate, he'll cooperate on his own.'

He must have seen the one who visited him.

Since it also burdens the caster's body, traces would inevitably remain.

One concern was Keor's life—since brainwashing can only be used once, he might die under suspicious circumstances.

'Heald will manage that part well.'

I prodded his madness appropriately and stood up.

Leaving Keor, who was absorbed in prayer, behind, I turned around and tore the fabric of my dress where I'd roughly sewn the pocket.

Then, I gently rolled the empty bottle I'd received from Rikael onto the floor.

It was just an empty bottle, but it bore Rikael's manufacturing signature.

'Idiot.'

I couldn't bring myself to recklessly consume Rikael's weak divine power, so I used Marr Elr's precious ring instead, but I had no regrets.

It might seem like I only cared about revenge, but I wasn't about to leave him in such good condition if he needed to be useful later.

Revenge is never enough.

'Human greed knows no bounds.'

Bang!

I hurriedly opened the door and stepped out, clutching my chest and sighing in relief.

Rahan was standing there, looking down at me.

"I'm… I'm sorry! You told me not to get too close, but…!"

I deliberately twisted my body slightly to show the torn dress. Rahan's eyes narrowed, then he abruptly turned his gaze away.

"Wear this."

He handed me his outer coat, then passed me and walked inside to where the now-healthy Keor was.

---

"After the interrogation, he shouldn't be able to harm you. Still, try not to get too close to the bars."

"Yes, I'll keep that in mind!"

Though the prison was utterly safe, Rahan's feet didn't move easily.

Even so, he granted her request because he couldn't avoid her earnest eyes.

Rahan leaned against the door outside, focusing all his attention on what was inside.

'I'm only doing this because it might be dangerous. It's not eavesdropping.'

People often vaguely imagine that 'masters of the sword have heightened physical abilities and can hear even small whispers.' To some extent, that's true.

In addition, if he concentrated, he could clearly hear sounds from quite a distance, but he didn't usually focus on listening like that.

Being tormented by various noises would also give him a headache.

Rahan usually tried not to pay attention, but this time all his senses were focused on Lexi.

Just in case.

In case she got hurt.

He tried to focus on movements rather than conversation, knowing she had her reasons for wanting to be alone, but his efforts were shattered by Lexi's first words.

"Look at the state of you."

It was still Lexi's voice, but her tone was dripping with sarcasm.

"What's wrong? Why not pray to the Lord Sehem you so revere? Who knows? Maybe He'll save you?"

At the mocking tone, he could feel Keor reacting.

"Uggh… you…! You…!"

His voice, which had been like a living corpse, exhausted from torture, was truly a long time coming.

"Ah! Can't talk, can you? Well, you can always pray earnestly in your heart. Right? Not that your voice would reach Him anyway."

Clang!

At the sound of impact against the bars, Rahan's hand grabbed the doorknob.

He desperately wanted to rush in, but the next words from inside stopped him cold.

"Ha, I almost got caught because of you."

"Lexi's heart must be made of steel. That girl really has no fear, does she?"

It must have been not long after she came to the residence.

Why was he remembering Vinet's suddenly serious question now?

While Rahan was dazed, Lexi's next question struck his ears.

"Let me ask you one thing. You killed three pitiful victims, so why did you suddenly change your story?"

Rahan had already confirmed with Lexi that the number of women Keor killed was three.

Keor himself, under torture, had confessed to three.

Focusing on the fact that there were additional culprits, Rahan had been troubled when Keor changed his story the very next day.

"It seems Marquis Selfios made a move."

There was no physical evidence, but circumstantial evidence abounded.

He was the only person with the power and motive to secretly access the imperial prison and manipulate the situation—to shake Heald by targeting Rahan's sister.

Marquis Selfios was the brother of Pionia, the mother of Second Prince Damian.

After Pionia's death, he had been supporting Damian, and he was an ambitious man.

Heald roughly ran his hand through his hair and frowned.

"How naive."

His self-reproach then turned to Lexi, who had been kidnapped in this incident.

"If we could put her up as a witness… ha, no. Sorry. I misspoke."

He could put her up as a witness and bolster her words, but Marquis Selfios wasn't the type to sit idly by.

Heald had apologized then, but he struggled until the very last moment.

One person's risk, or the crisis that would befall the deceased and many more in the future?

Today, Heald had appeared unannounced, rudely, to find his answer.

In the end, Heald was Heald.

Even if it was frustrating, he chose to take the long way, rather than subject the powerless woman before him to such a dirty deed.

At first, Rahan was worried about Lexi, but he was relieved by Heald's reaction. However, Lexi's following words made him think again.

"Because… I'm pissed off?"

There was a hint of pleasure in her voice.

'…She would have made a fine witness.'

Was she frustrated that the culprit's actions weren't clear enough?

Was she frustrated that she'd become a liar?

Or was she frustrated about the time she'd spent captive?

Either way, the current Lexi would have readily accepted Heald's offer with both hands.

"If there had been no copycat crimes, would you have moved? Then I wouldn't have been in danger either. But now, having you cower in fear is pathetic. It pisses me off."

Rahan let out a wry laugh at Lexi's display of yet another side, different from what he'd seen before.

It was a side that could be called two-faced—calculated and frightening. Had it been the usual Rahan, he would have distanced himself with suspicion.

'I've been thoroughly caught.'

Even so, all that remained was the thought that she must have been mentally exhausted but had overcome it, and he was glad.

He had fallen so deeply he couldn't help it.

The fact that it was both troubling and pleasing showed how serious it was.

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