CHGD 38

Chapter 38

“Lately, it seems you’ve been meeting with Deliana.”

That was what Haster said to him while Louis was organizing books in the study.

Louis stopped his hand mid-reach, placing a book on the shelf, and looked at Haster.

He was working with his usual stiff expression.

“So you knew.”

Knowing that Haster wasn’t the type to make casual probes, Louis didn’t deny it.

“Is it because of a request?”

“Yes, I asked her for help.”

“The circumstances?”

“I happened to meet Milady while she was taking a morning walk.”

It was obvious he’d be caught if he told a clumsy lie. Louis mixed in appropriate facts and fabricated his first meeting with Deliana.

It was an explanation full of holes, but surprisingly, Haster accepted it without much comment.

*’I was prepared for at least some punishment.’*

Before Deliana came to the castle, he had demanded that those contracted with him hide their true nature. It was a demand, but everyone knew that disobeying his words would result in severe punishment.

So Louis had thought Haster wouldn’t approve of his meeting with Deliana, but…

*’Has his attitude changed? Or…’*

Perhaps it had reached a point where being discovered no longer mattered.

“What did you request?”

“I asked for advice on how to get along better with my father.”

“…I see. So that’s why Deus’s work efficiency has improved lately.”

He had only acted according to the contract, but hearing that Deus was pleased gave him a strange feeling.

Just then, Haster asked an unexpected question.

“Louis. Do you know why beings want to live in this world as humans?”

“Well… isn’t it for reproduction?”

Louis tilted his head.

The reasons beings wanted to descend to the human world were generally simple.

Typically, it was because they couldn’t reproduce on their own and needed the seeds of lower beings—humans. While beings did reproduce among themselves, they sometimes used other life forms to create new evolutionary forms.

One of those was humans, who had high reproductive capabilities.

There were exceptions, of course—beings whose goal was simply to become human, or those who chose this world as their stage to interfere with or kill other beings—but such cases were rare.

“I suppose that’s how it’s often expressed on the surface, but ancient beings often invade the human world for different reasons.”

“Different reasons being…”

“Amusement.”

Having apparently finished his work, Haster put down his fountain pen and leaned back in his chair. He looked at Louis with eyes full of complex emotions.

“Most beings have no interest in humans. Their worship, hatred, fear—none of it has much effect on us. However… the taste of emotions felt while being human oneself is a different story.”

“…Is that your own story, Count?”

Haster neither confirmed nor denied it.

“The human body is sensitive to various stimuli. Not just the five senses, but passionate emotions are sensations that even beings can’t easily experience. Those who taste it usually fall into two categories.”

Those who, repelled by the uncertainty of emotions, become even more indifferent to humans—and those who become addicted and increase their incarnations further.

The latter meant that beings who treat humans as a form of amusement would emerge.

Even if the being who encountered human emotions was young and inexperienced…

“Occasionally, they become intoxicated. They start acting as if they themselves have become human.”

“Do you mean… we beings become corrupted?”

“It would be more accurate to say they become assimilated. By getting too close to humans, even their own identity begins to waver.”

It was an incomprehensible explanation. It was a characteristic of beings that their mind and body would remain immutable once they returned to their main body.

It was hard to imagine one’s identity being blurred by intoxication with emotions.

“This is your first activity. I ordered you to act as Louis, but I never told you to become Louis.”

“Are you warning me that I might become intoxicated with humanity?”

“For the one-in-a-million chance. The closer you get to Louis, the more Deus’s wish—which composed your body—will encroach upon your soul.”

Haster quietly stared at Louis. His gaze was dry, devoid of any emotion that could be called concern. He seemed to think of it merely as a warning he had to give as a contracted partner.

After organizing all the books, Louis spoke briefly.

“There’s no need to worry.”

“…I see.”

At his words, filled with firm confidence, Haster nodded shortly.

*’This is just a contract. My existence will not change.’*

Then, seeing Louis’s confident expression, Haster spoke quietly.

“My final piece of advice: don’t trust humans too much.”

“What do you mean…”

“Because humans cannot love perfection.”

It was advice whose meaning he couldn’t grasp until the very end.

Haster closed his mouth, as if he had no intention of interfering further.

—

* * *

About a week or so after I’d accepted the request, Louis came to find me while I was taking a walk in the garden.

I thought he’d come to ask more about filial piety, but instead I heard something unexpected—a conversation between the Count and Louis.

“The Count said something like that?”

“Yes. I found it difficult to understand, so I wondered if you might know, Milady…”

I shook my head, meaning I wasn’t sure either.

To summarize, the Count had advised Louis not to become intoxicated with humanity, and not to strive for perfection.

The former was understandable given the circumstances of monsters, but the latter was hard for even me, a human, to comprehend.

*’Isn’t perfection what makes something valuable?’*

A perfect gem, perfect food, perfect status… I’d never heard that humans couldn’t love perfection.

*’Besides, it was Deus Rozelan who wanted Louis. What’s wrong with acting perfectly?’*

No matter how much I thought about it, I couldn’t find an answer.

In the end, Louis’s consultation concluded with focusing on Deus’s satisfaction rather than the Count’s incomprehensible advice.

“By the way, I’ve been curious about something. What benefit does the Count get from us granting your requests and commissions?”

I’d received a rough explanation from Loaz and my mother-in-law before, but I’d never fully understood it. At my question, Louis nodded slowly.

“Except for the Count’s direct retainers, all the beings gathered in this castle have the purpose of appearing in the human world. But the only passage connecting to the universe in this world is right here, Achaim Castle.”

Achaim Castle—the passage connecting the universe and the human world. To head to the human world, one must have the Count’s permission.

The Count, as the owner of the passage, used that right to propose contracts to the monsters.

He would grant them the right to use the passage, but in exchange, they would become his vassals while in this world.

“The more vassals there are, and the stronger they are, the more powerful the barrier surrounding the passage becomes. To use a human analogy… it’s like stacking stones on a castle wall. The bigger and stronger the stones, the more solid the wall becomes. And as the wall strengthens, the passage also widens.”

“Then what role do the requests play?”

“The more debt one owes to the Count, the stronger the contract’s effect becomes. In short, the leash gets thicker.”

The more indebted they felt, the more tightly the Count could bind them, and the stronger the barrier would become, Louis explained.

*’Now I understand why my mother-in-law said what she did. It was to keep this castle more secure.’*

And not only the importance of the requests—I could also understand the hierarchy among the monsters through this opportunity.

I’d wondered why each monster had a different attitude toward the Count, but if there were contracts involved, it made sense.

The loyal Icabel was the Count’s direct retainer, while Louis and the villagers were closer to business partners.

*’Wait, then what I’m doing has no benefit for humans at all.’*

After hearing all the explanations, I arrived at the conclusion that I might be causing even more monsters to enter the world. Just as I was about to ask Louis about this concern—

“Louis? What are you doing here?”

A man’s voice came from somewhere.

“Father.”

From the garden entrance, an elderly man carrying a bundle approached us. Except for his slightly gaunt and tense expression, he looked so much like Louis that it was obvious he was his father.

He looked back and forth between Louis and me, then, apparently realizing my identity, hurriedly bowed.

“It’s an honor to meet you, Milady. I am Administrator Deus Rozelan.”

“Nice to meet you, Sir Rozelan.”

“Sir—that’s far too generous… Louis, what business do you have with Milady?”

“Well…”

Louis glanced at me, then briefly explained the situation—that he was receiving various advice about his work. Deus wore a complicated expression, as if he’d realized something.

His gaze was strange—I couldn’t tell if he was grateful or sad.

“So that’s how it is. Thank you, Milady. Thanks to you, I’ve been able to get along better with Louis.”

“Think nothing of it.”

He seemed about to bow to me, so I cut off his gratitude shortly. As if unsatisfied with that, Deus pulled something out of his bundle.

“It’s nothing much, but please accept this as a token of my gratitude. It’s an external treasure I just received from the Count. Since I don’t need a salary, he occasionally gives me treasures like this.”

“No, you don’t have to…”

As I was about to refuse firmly, one of the jewels he was offering caught my eye.

It was a peridot emitting a green glow. Inside, three oval-shaped rings were crafted into a pattern. Before I knew it, my hand reached out and grasped the gem.

*’I want it.’*

The moment it touched my hand, a fierce desire to possess it surged up. The cold green gem radiated warmth as it contacted my skin.

I felt a small pulse. A pulse that seemed to proclaim it was beautiful, that it was precious. It felt like holding a heart in my hand.

“Shall I give it to you?”

It was the first time I’d ever felt such a strong desire for a jewel, but since the desire overwhelmed any sense of unease, I simply nodded silently.