DBOFS 39

Chapter 39

My beloved web novel The Demon Who Seeks Heaven (시천귀) was categorized under fantasy without romance.

Maybe that’s why, despite how amazing Harris was, there were no romantic developments for him aside from his love-hate relationship with Adrian.

“Tsk, he has such top-tier potential to be a romance fantasy male lead.”

And honestly… even though I claim the two of them are soulmates and accuse them of misusing the word “sacred friendship” as a cover for romance, there really never was any actual BL-ish energy between them.

“Unfortunately.”

Adrian was the strongest guide in the world, and just a little skinship from him was enough to completely heal, soothe, and purify espers.

“Of course, the fact that there’s no romance but still amazing chemistry is what drives fangirls like me crazy…”

Every time they even accidentally touched fingers, I went nuts. Heh heh…

That made the contact even more thrilling—because it only happened during guiding, and Harris hated it so much he endured it with obvious discomfort. That kind of resistance only made fans like me burn hotter.

“But still! For a guy as amazing as Harris to live his whole life as a kissless virgin?!”

A true loss for the nation. A waste on a world-building level. Was it because the setting was a dystopia?

“Well, maybe Harris just really hated physical contact.”

He especially despised other guides. Even with Adrian, he only allowed minimal contact.

The bitter tension of that dynamic was just… chef’s kiss. I used to cry from how tragic and touching it was.

But then I froze.

“Wait a minute, is that why he stormed out?”

When Harris briefly lost his mind due to going berserk, he had asked me for guiding and initiated skinship…

“W-Was it because he felt uncomfortable?”

Physically? Emotionally?

I was too stunned to close my mouth.

“Wait, was I the only one who enjoyed it?”

No way.

I firmly denied it.

“There’s no way.”

Because that kiss? There was no way he didn’t enjoy that. You can’t fake that kind of kiss.

“Even if it was his first time, you could tell—he was into it!”

I was sure. Even if it was his first time—no, because it was, I’m even more sure! I was right. I had to be!

“Then why did he leave so suddenly?”

Before I died, one of my bucket list items was to see a hot guy in real life—and maybe kiss a drop-dead gorgeous one.

“Even if I only managed it after dying.”

Anyway, I had completed my wish list, guided him successfully, and even had my first kiss… but the joy and shyness vanished in a heartbeat.

“What went wrong…?”

I rewound Harris’s reaction from the moment I woke up and started analyzing.

And then I realized.

The moment he saw me, he shot up—and whether it was on purpose or by accident, he kicked the footboard of the bed.

“No way. Harris doesn’t make mistakes.”

An S-rank esper with insane physical abilities didn’t know where his own foot was going?

“Yeah, right.”

And what was with that slight limp? Was he trying to make his displeasure painfully obvious?

Even in The Demon Who Seeks Heaven, Harris would destroy things or leave injuries untreated when he was mad.

I loved him, but he had a terrible personality. The problem was, everything he did now matched that pattern perfectly.

“…You bastard!”

I literally ran through a deadly dungeon to save your life! You were the one who asked for guiding!

“What the hell could you possibly be upset about, Harris?!”

And then I remembered—just one thing. My fingers, which had been tracing my lips absentmindedly, froze.

“…Wait, was it because I didn’t brush my teeth?”

* * *

“Phew…”

Amea Reddian, granddaughter of Count Reddian, stopped in front of the door.

She had come fully prepared, but her heart was still pounding.

“This can’t go on.”

The Reddian family had served the Duke of Godwin for generations. Assisting the duke and his heir up close was both their mission and honor.

So it made sense that her father, the Viscount Reddian, had chosen to serve the newly revealed young Lord Harris Godwin.

“His Grace must’ve given the order.”

And even her only sister, Judith, had sworn loyalty to him—that was understandable too.

“Because he saved her from the Unknown Dungeon.”

But even so! That didn’t mean the entire Reddian family should bet their future on Harris Godwin!

“Father said Judith told him we should follow Harris now.”

“Yes, I get a good feeling from him too,” he said.

Feeling?! Feeling?!

“Fine, Father and Judith I can excuse. But what is Grandfather thinking?!”

Was this a joke?

With Judith joining the knight order, Amea had become the next heir of House Reddian.

As such, she couldn’t allow the future of her house to be decided so recklessly!

She had made up her mind.

Knock knock. Resolving herself, Amea knocked on the door.

“Young lady, I’ve come to help you bathe.”

Her maid uniform—unbefitting of a count’s granddaughter—was reflected off the clean marble floor.

That’s right. Amea Reddian, the de facto princess of the former Godwin faction, had disguised herself as a maid.

“They say if you want to understand someone, you need to learn their weaknesses first.”

And Harris Godwin’s weakness was that guide girl, Jade. The one whose past was so murky, some suspected she was a former slave.

A slave, seriously?

Surely not.

Even if Harris Godwin had grown up lonely and troubled, he couldn’t be so foolish as to give his heart to a mere slave.

She told herself that rationally—but in truth, Amea wasn’t so sure. What if it was true?

“I’ve heard she’s extremely pretty.”

Long, flowing pink hair. Deep blue eyes.

Delicate features and a dainty, fairy-like body—people said she looked like something out of a fairytale.

But even that only made Amea dislike her more.

A low-born girl charming her way into the noble Godwin line just because of her looks?

“No true noble would allow that.”

If that unthinkable thing turned out to be true, Amea would never allow her house to be tied to Harris Godwin.

That meant Jade had to be considered a potential threat.

“Even the old Duke and Grandfather praised her looks highly…”

How seductive could she be? Amea’s eyes narrowed coldly.

“Come in.”

Even the girl’s clear voice sounded suspicious. Amea opened the door with a determined face.

“Alright, here we go!”

And then she saw… sheep horns?

No—just Jade’s wet hair twisted up in two towels like horns. But still.

“Hi!”

The “sheep girl” greeted her.

Big round eyes, curly pink hair, a stunningly beautiful face—it was overwhelming for a moment.

And then, with a toothbrush in one hand and a book in the other…

“….”

Amea was momentarily speechless.

She’d imagined many scenarios when preparing herself to assist with the bath. But this? This wasn’t one of them.

“What… are you doing?”

Why was she washing herself?

Then again, maybe she was used to doing things alone due to her low status. That might actually be convenient.

“But what’s with the book?”

As Amea stood dumbfounded, Jade spit out her foam and gargled.

Glug glug—!

“….”

Then Jade blew warm air into her palm, sniffed it, and gave a satisfied nod.

“Phew, all good today.”

…What was?

By the time Amea regained her senses, she was already being dragged out of the bathroom by Jade.

“I’m done washing, so you don’t need to worry.”

“Ah, y-yes…”

This isn’t how it was supposed to go.

Things were already off from the start, and Amea was left uneasy.

And then the next scene made her forget her entire plan.

“…Ah, Amea.”

“You’re here?”

“Come sit!”

What are you all doing?!

In the eastern wing, where the heir of the Godwin family resided…

In the second-best room…

Maids were sprawled on chairs and the floor, all holding books.

She focused on one of the covers.

“The Fallen Knight’s Midnight Escapades Vol. 3”

“Him, Her, and the Other”

“Why Did the Countess Give Steak to the Stablehand Vol. 1”

“There’s No Way My Slave Grew Up Like This! (Complete)”

“….”

Her vision blurred again. What is all this?!

Amea had told the maids ahead of time that she’d be infiltrating.

And while they were loyal to Jade, the guide, they had once been part of the loyal Godwin faction. So she wasn’t worried about being exposed.

But then—

“Where’s Volume 4 of Fallen Knight?!”

“I’m not done—wait!”

“Mae, give it here—!”

“I said wait! I have 20 pages left!”

“Who has the My Slave Grew Up side story?”

“Me~”

What was this chaos?

Jade tapped Amea’s dazed shoulder.

“Just sit and relax. Read if you want.”

“B-But…”

She trailed off when she saw Jade hand over the My Slave Grew Up side story to Joanna.

“Wait… THAT’S what she was reading while brushing her teeth?”

Harris Godwin, acknowledged heir of the previous Duke, was currently receiving his inheritance.

And his one and only guide was… joking around with maids like this?

“What is this…?”

It was absurd. Absolutely absurd. And yet Amea’s eyes kept drifting toward My Slave Grew Up Vol. 1.

“Hah! Wow! This is ridiculous…!”

Not that she wanted to read it, of course. She was just appalled that such trash was being circulated in the Duke’s household!

She only opened the book to see how offensive it really was.

“…Whoa.”

Amea’s eyes went wide. How did he grow up like that…?