CDMGS 23🌻

CHAPTER23

“Yes, I was planning to prepare a teatime for the Duke.”

The moment I finished speaking, he spun around, opened several drawers at once, and began grinding different kinds of tea leaves.

And then… he said nothing.

“……”
“……”

Honestly, I wasn’t good at breaking awkward silences.
This was a stranger I’d just met, and since he had stopped talking, I could only stare at the leaves turning slowly into powder.

But the silence didn’t last long.

Tap!

The man packed the ground tea into fancy brown pouches, then handed them to me.

His long finger pointed to the labels stuck on each pouch.

“If you brew tea number 1 together with tea number 2, you’ll get the scent you want.”

“Th-thank you.”

All I had said was that I wanted to prepare a teatime for Duke Vermanion.
Yet the man explained everything on his own.

Maybe those monster servants had hinted something to him?
But the faint fragrance seeping from the pouch was exactly to my liking.

Who is this man, really?

“And also…”

It wasn’t over. He bent under the counter and pulled out another pouch.

“Those at the mansion will like this.”

“…Thank you!”

But this pouch gave off a horrible stench.
The kind that made the hair on my arms stand straight.

A smell I remembered too well—

It was from the leaves of the flower that tried to eat me earlier!

“Then, take care on your way.”

He waved his hand casually, like he was shooing me away.

In the blink of an eye, the purchase was done.

How much does this man know? And how does he know it?

But my instincts told me: if I stayed longer, something bad would happen.
So I turned to leave, feeling a little regretful.

“Thank you. Goodbye.”

If the shop owner wanted me out, then out I went.
Besides, if I asked questions now, my curiosity would never end.

The old wooden door creaked shut behind me.

“See you next time.”

…Wait. Did he just say something?

Creak—

But the door was already closed.
I must’ve imagined it. I walked away.

The man left alone stared at the closed door for a long time.

The polite posture he showed Shasha was gone. Now he leaned lazily against the desk.

Resting his chin in his hand, he grinned wide, baring his teeth. A deep dimple sank into his right cheek.

“See you soon.”

The faint ripples in his eyes turned dark and deep like the sea.

His eyes were not smiling at all.

Arms full of bundles, I headed toward the rear gate of Vermanion Manor.

Honestly, far too much had happened today.
But at least, I now had a fun story to tell Eki and Myron later.

I stepped onto the circle I had drawn earlier.
If I was even slightly off, I might not be able to enter the manor.

Magic always requires exact positions.

So far, the only magic I’d seen here was the Duke’s teleportation, the moving key, and the cave transport.

But from stories in my previous life, magic always demanded precise control.

If I failed here, I’d have to circle around to the front and admit the back gate was locked. Too embarrassing.

So I prepared carefully, even checking that no one was around.

“Open, sesame!”

I shouted confidently.

But nothing happened.

Why… not?

I set my luggage down and quickly dug out an old piece of paper.

[To return, stand in the same spot and say ‘Open Sesame.’]

‘I did say it, didn’t I?’

The spot was right. The words were right.

So why wasn’t it working?

“Open sesame. Open sesame!”

I shouted again and again, moving little by little.
Still, nothing.

Did those three monsters give me false instructions?
Even now, they had to mess with me?

Cold wind blew through my sleeves, making me feel even more awkward.

I glared.

Fine. Let’s see who wins this.

It was now about pride.

I rolled up my sleeves, took a deep breath—

“Open sesameeeeeee—huh?”

Suddenly, my surroundings changed.

I was standing in a messy garden.

The rear gate of Vermanion Manor.

Finally, I’m back—!

But before I could celebrate—

Splat!

Something smacked against my face.

“What the—what is this?!”

I shook my head wildly, but it stuck tightly.

Both hands were full of luggage, so I couldn’t pull it off.

It covered my entire face, and I couldn’t even tell what it was.

Another prank from those monsters?

Did they wait for me to come back just to play tricks?

Annoyed, I set down my things and pulled it off.

“…A fur ball?”

It was a clump of tangled white fur.

“Pfft—!” Some had even gotten into my mouth. I spat it out—an enormous tuft of fur flew out.

So this was really animal fur?

That meant the animal must be huge.

Flap—

Brown fur drifted slowly onto my arms.

I looked up.

From the sky, colored fur floated down like feathers.

“…What is going on?”

“Kyaaaaaah!”

Before I could figure it out, a distant scream rang out.
Then shouting—loud and chaotic.

It sounded like it came from the front garden of the mansion.

What happened there, for me to hear it from here?

I was at the rear gate, far away.

I grabbed my things, clutched the furball too, and ran.
If I threw it away, it would only make the dirty back gate messier.

I ran until I was breathless, sweat dripping down.
Finally, I reached the front garden.

And it was a disaster.

“In times like this, what kind of servant strolls through the garden?!”

“My job is to use the flowers here for arrangements. Of course I have to come here. Are you ignoring the orders of the head maid?”

“That’s not the point! Thanks to you, the mansion looks like this!”

A huge fight had broken out.
Not between two—but many servants.

Normally, I would’ve stepped in to stop them.
But this time, I froze.

Because the fur that had fallen lightly at the rear gate—

Here, it poured down like snow.

The angry servants’ heads were covered in piles of fur, like they were wearing fluffy white hats.

What on earth is happening? Why is the mansion in ruins?

“…Head Maid!”

“Head Maid?”

Someone spotted me.

The moment they called out, all heads turned my way.

“Head Maid, you’re here!”

Faces that had been full of anger now brightened like they’d seen a savior.

Wow. This is hilarious.

One of the servants who met my eyes had a body like solid rock—huge and intimidating.
Yet on his head was a mountain of fur. The sight nearly made me laugh.

But I quickly regained focus. This was no time to laugh.

From far away, it looked like comedy.
But up close, it was pure tragedy.

Already, fur was piling up on my shoes.

Which meant—

We’ll have to clean all of this up.

Holding back tears, I walked toward the servants.

“What exactly happened here?”

As I stepped closer, the group stiffened, then glared at the others they’d been fighting.

Before I came, both sides had been shouting equally.

But now, under my gaze, one side shrank back timidly.

“Head Maid, look at them!”

One group pointed at the others with triumph.

“It’s molting season, and they came into the garden without a thought!”

“…Sorry? What did you say?”

“They walked into the garden on their own!”

“No, wait—that’s not it—”

Molting season?