ITSM 08

Chapter 08

The next day, a small newspaper ran an article about Baron Walker.

“Last night, Baron Walker was murdered.
An investigation was launched, but his residence was completely burned down, and it is expected that no traces will be found.
Unfortunately, he has no family and will be buried in a communal cemetery.”

In front of the completely burned-down Walker estate, someone stood, staring at the ruins.

In one of his hands, he held a newspaper. At the tip of his sleeve, a small scorch mark remained.

After snapping his fingers a few times and clicking his tongue once, he turned and left.

Where he had walked, a faint white trace appeared, as if by divine power, but it disappeared soon after.

Despite everything, my day went on as usual.

I didn’t fall ill from clashes with Baron Walker, nor did I catch a fever from a few drops of rain.

“Being too healthy can be a problem too,” I muttered, shrugging my shoulders a couple of times as I got out of bed.

The room that Winsphere had provided was far better than I could have imagined.

And the bed inside—oh, the bed. It was the most comfortable bed I had ever slept in.

It didn’t match my worn-out pajamas at all, but who cared? No one would be coming to this room anyway…

“Liliana, have you woken up?”

A strange voice, with a strange form of address, reached my ears.

I flinched and shivered. It had been less than a minute since I woke up, and yet I reacted immediately.

Forgetting all my earlier composure, I finally realized where I was.

‘I’m in the devil’s den right now.’

The cheerful conversation I had yesterday with Roan felt like a distant memory.

Nervously, I walked toward the door and answered.

“Yes. What is it?”
“Nothing in particular! I’ll be serving you from today, Liliana!”

Huh? What’s that supposed to mean?

“Serving… me? Why?”
“Well, the king—ick! No, Roan… brought you here especially!”

She had said “king” in the middle of that sentence.

In a situation where I could never let my guard down, I pressed my forehead.

I wondered whether these devils even had any intention of revealing their true identities.

“Liliana-nim?”

When I didn’t answer properly, a voice urged me from outside.

“Can I open the door?”
“Yes, um…”

Despite my hesitant response, the devil opened the door.

Beyond it stood a woman with long, crimson hair. She was a head taller than me, so I had to tilt my head back.

When our eyes met, I forgot that I needed to stay cautious and just stared at her.

Her silver-gray eyes curved gently in response to my reaction.

“We haven’t met before, right? You can call me Gremory!”

Her lively voice snapped me back to reality.

Devil Gremory.

A character I had seen in novels, ranked around 50th among the devils.

Even with a low rank, she appeared frequently for a reason.

The reason… I couldn’t remember.

‘Maybe it wasn’t important enough to remember?’

I was lost in thought, failing to respond to Gremory’s words.

She didn’t seem to care much about my answer. Gremory straightened her shoulders and said confidently,

“From now on, I’ll always stay by your side, Liliana!”
“……”
“Kyaa! I’m so happy! I’m the only woman in this castle!”

I had frowned at her earlier claim of serving me.

Which advisor would ever keep someone to personally serve them?

Even among devils, who organize power by hierarchy, there was no reason at all for them to serve a weakling like me.

“In Winsphere, it seems even advisors have someone attached to them.”

I tried probing a little, thinking they might be monitoring me in case I discovered something, but Gremory’s reaction deflated that idea.

“Huh? Doesn’t everyone have someone like that?”

So she wasn’t spying. Then why…

‘Ah, there are only devils here.’

I couldn’t expect human logic from devils.

Where should I even start explaining? Could human logic even enter their heads?

‘Alright, I’ll change myself. That’ll be easier.’

It seemed best to empty my mind and go with the flow in all matters.

With my thoughts in order, I smiled faintly at Gremory and firmly rejected her offer.

“Well… I don’t know about that. But I don’t need your help, Gremory.”
“You think I’m incompetent…!”
“It’s not that.”
“How about trying to follow me for just a week?”
“I can handle things just fine on my own…”
“I can work my body to pieces for you, Liliana!”

Where had everything gone wrong…?

I didn’t even know anymore.

“…Do as you please. But what about the way I’m addressed?”
“Kyaa! Thank you! But… how should I address you…?”
“Call me Liliana, or Lia.”
“Uh, but… well…”

For the first time, Gremory looked flustered.

Not that I intended to obey them quietly.

In a place where I was the only human, a little defiance was acceptable, right?

“Roan also calls me that, so it shouldn’t matter, right?”

I invoked Roan’s name, the devil king, under the guise of “I don’t know anything.”

Gremory flinched.

“Th-the Roaaan…?”
“If I call him that alone, others might get upset. Especially Roan.”

Emphasizing Roan’s name again, she shivered once more but then smiled and called me,

“Lil… Liliana…”

I decided to pretend not to notice the slight glimmer of tears in her eyes.

After a brief pause, Gremory hummed as if nothing had happened and rummaged through my clothes, clearly delighted to be at my side.

But I didn’t need the kind of help one would give to a noblewoman in a prestigious household.

So there wasn’t much to prepare, and Gremory seemed to know that, yet acted as if she didn’t.

The tall woman stared seriously at a white dress and a pale yellow dress, deep in thought.

“Which one would suit me better?”

Neither dress was spectacular by outside standards, but among what I owned, they were the brightest.

The white dress had probably been the last one I bought, around last fall.

Still, I had already decided what I would wear, and I felt a little guilty at Gremory’s earnest deliberation.

“Gremory, I’ll wear the black dress.”

The color drained from her face instantly.

Her eyes widened like saucers, and after pondering the meaning of my words, she pouted.

“Whaaat? But this one’s at least bright and cute!”
“……”
“Why would you wear something so dull?”
“Now, calm down. First, why am I even here?”

Gremory tried to answer without hesitation.

“Well, the king—!”

She realized her mistake mid-sentence and shut her mouth tight.

“Waaah?”

I squinted at her as she rolled her eyes, and Gremory avoided my gaze while answering.

“Y-yes, as your advisor.”
“Exactly. I’m here to work. What good is it if I’m flashy?”
“But everyone at Winsphere dresses brightly!”

I had to admit, at least partially, that she had a point.

Even in simple trousers, Gremory adorned herself with accessories made from fine materials that looked expensive.

“Then I’ll wear something a little unique here.”

Her eyes sank instantly.

The way Gremory’s eyelids fluttered pitifully looked almost… endearing.

“Huh?”

Good heavens, Liliana. Get a grip.

I shook my head firmly and answered decisively.

“Comfortable clothes are best for work. The less conspicuous, the better.”

Pouting, she muttered,

“No, but still… how could you…”

Ignoring her, I rummaged through my belongings and pulled out my glasses and a pen.

Her gaze grew even more serious, and she asked me…