Chapter 10: Chapter 6.1

"Good. This should be enough to keep anyone from noticing, right?"

Sneaking back to my quarters, I looked down at my haul with satisfaction. Using Seer’s Eye, I’d identified several malicious objects and discreetly taken just enough to avoid suspicion.

What I managed to bring were a featherless quill, two fountain pens, a pair of black leather gloves, a headless statue of a goddess, a clunky mechanical clock, a thick history book, and a small jackknife. I wanted to take more, but the history book was as heavy and bulky as a college textbook, leaving me no choice. If not for the book, I could’ve carried more of the smaller items. But the overwhelming malice radiating from the book made it impossible to leave behind.

"Why does this history book have such strong malice attached to it?"

Was the history teacher so infuriating that they inspired murderous intent? Maybe the lessons were so dull that someone wanted to kill the teacher? Or did someone get so frustrated reading it that they wanted to murder the author?

I couldn’t wrap my head around it. The thought of someone burning with malice and homicidal rage while reading a book this thick made me shudder at Adrian’s diligence. Me? Books like this just put me to sleep.@@novelbin@@

I made a mental note to never approach Adrian while he’s reading. Who knows which passage might trigger his homicidal instincts? A single ill-timed comment could spell disaster.

"And these gloves…?"

Apart from the history book, there was another item steeped in just as much malice: an ordinary-looking pair of black leather gloves. But why were they so deeply soaked in malice? The thick, crimson aura surrounding them formed a red mist, blurring their very shape.

Ugh, they’re creepy. Ominous. Menacing. Were they used to strangle someone to death?

As I examined them, a white notification appeared before my eyes.

「You’ve acquired a special pair of gloves. Would you like to view the item description?」

Apparently, I could check the description of the items I obtained. When I clicked "Yes," a smaller text box appeared next to the gloves, detailing their properties.

**「Special Gloves (Ancient Magical Artifact)

Designed to leave no trace of use.」**

"No trace of use, huh?"

That was an important clue. If no trace of use remained, it meant someone could commit murder without leaving any evidence. And the fact that it was an ancient magical artifact only heightened the surrealism of being in a world where demons and magic were real.

"These gloves might be incredibly important to Adrian."

I decided to hide them separately in a drawer. Unlike the other items I had stashed deep inside my wardrobe, I placed the gloves in a drawer, handling them delicately with just my thumb and forefinger. Even though the skill’s active duration hadn’t ended, the malice emanating from the gloves felt so intense I worried the crimson aura might infect me.

The statue, gloves, and fountain pens… If not for Seer’s Eye, these malicious items would’ve gone unnoticed. From playing the game, I already knew Adrian killed people using mundane, everyday tools. Knowing this made me terrified of him wielding even a simple knife, and my reactions earned me constant ridicule for being overly cautious.

Bringing these malicious items back was, technically, a righteous act. The problem was the "technically" part. From the outside, it just looked like petty theft. In a world like this, where a servant caught stealing from their master could face severe punishment, leniency was out of the question. In historical dramas, thieves were often rolled up in straw mats and beaten to a pulp…

"No, Adrian wouldn’t punish me publicly for taking these items."

Since they didn’t look expensive or rare, people might start wondering, "Why would someone bother stealing these things?" And that could pose a problem for Adrian. He’d likely confront me in private, one-on-one. Just imagining that scenario was terrifying.

But if doing this could increase my chances of survival—no, everyone’s chances—it was worth the risk. Besides, I was also banking on the hope that the game wasn’t designed with such precise details in mind.

My gaze drifted to the newly added icon in the top-right corner of my vision, representing Seer’s Eye. The eye-shaped icon displayed the remaining cooldown time in seconds. In games, skills like this always seemed to be on cooldown just when you needed them most. I desperately hoped Seer’s Eye wouldn’t let me down because needing it frequently would mean dealing with malice all the time.

Honestly, everyone in this mansion should be bowing their heads in gratitude to me. I just significantly improved their chances of survival! Not that I expected any thanks, of course.

"Hilda, Hilda! Where are you hiding now? Ugh, this girl only has one job: delivering the young master’s medicine in the morning. Where is she always running off to?"

The reality, however, was that I was the mansion’s favorite scapegoat. It was infuriating. Delivering Adrian’s medicine every morning was a life-threatening task! My nerves were so frayed that my heart had shriveled to the size of a bean. Every time I locked eyes with Adrian, I felt like I was being roasted over hellfire.

"I’m in here!"

The sound of footsteps stomping around the mansion finally stopped outside my door.

"Come out immediately! Did you forget we’re cleaning all the windows this morning? You’re late, and it’s just you holding everyone up!"

"I’m sorry! I’ll be right out!"

I quickly shut the drawer and called out to Leticia. I could hear her sighing heavily as her footsteps retreated from my door.

This mansion had so many servants that tasks were divided by schedule and department. Since I hadn’t been in this game for long, I hadn’t memorized my schedule yet. Hilda wasn’t the type to leave notes or reminders, and I had more pressing matters to deal with. If I focused entirely on being a dutiful servant, I’d probably spend the rest of my life trembling in fear and working until I died—assuming I didn’t get murdered first.

When I hurried to the kitchen, I was handed a sponge and a bucket of soapy water to clean the windows on the first floor. As I started scrubbing, the grime on the glass became glaringly obvious. There’s no fine dust in this world, so why are the windows so filthy?

"Hilda, late again? You’re hopeless."

Emily didn’t even look surprised at my tardiness anymore. I sighed heavily. Who knew doing good deeds in secret could be this exhausting? If the right hand shouldn’t know what the left hand is doing, I was the type to shout it to the whole world.

"Emily, cleaning windows isn’t the issue here. Do you know what I did this morning?"

"What? Slept in?"

"Listen carefully, Emily. Don’t freak out when you hear this. It’s a huge deal, so you have to act like you don’t know anything. Promise me, okay?"

"Why, what happened?"

"This morning… I saved everyone in this mansion. That’s what I did."

"…"

“Keep this to yourself. You can’t tell anyone, got it?”

I had just shared what I thought was a major secret, but Emily paused mid-scrub, staring at me blankly. She didn’t seem fazed by the revelation that her life had unknowingly been saved.

“Hilda, seriously, what kind of joke is that? You’re hilarious,” she said, bursting into laughter as if I’d told a ridiculous story. Her serious expression softened completely, and she resumed scrubbing the window with a smile.

Yeah, I guess I should stop expecting anyone to acknowledge me. I’ll just run around like my feet are on fire on my own.

「You’ve earned 1 experience point for cleaning the window.」

Even now, the experience points kept trickling in. Not long ago, I was frustrated at how slow my progress was, but now that I’d hit double-digit levels, I could see the cumulative effect of my effort. Ironically, Adrian had been the biggest contributor to my level-ups, and now I was using my new skill against him.

「You’ve reached Level 10 and can now add a new Favor Target.」

**「Would you like to add Emily as a Favor Target? (3/3)

Classification: Diligent and Kind Servant」**

As I scrubbed the grime off the window, a notification I’d never seen before popped up. Emily hadn’t been a Favor Target by default, but now I could choose her as one. Apparently, leveling up gave me the ability to add characters manually. Leveling really was king in this game.

「As your level increases, the number of Favor Targets you can add will grow.」

「By maxing out Favor Levels, you’ll be able to make special requests depending on the target.」

It would’ve been nice if the game told me exactly what kinds of requests I could make once Emily’s favor was maxed, but no further explanation was given. I hesitated, debating whether this was worth it. Choosing the wrong skill path could ruin any class, no matter how much money you spent. Was there any real point in building favor with a fellow servant? Still, I figured I had nothing to lose in my current situation.

After a brief deliberation, I hit “Yes.” A notification appeared above Emily’s head.

「Emily has been added as a Favor Target.」

「Current Favor Level: Emily lv.1 (0/10)」

For context, Adrian required 400 points to level up to Favor Level 2, while Countess Priscilla needed 50. Meanwhile, Emily only required 10 points. This was practically a freebie. Of course, the significance and utility of favor depended on the character, so maxing out Emily’s favor wouldn’t compare to Adrian’s, but even so, Adrian’s favor efficiency was atrocious. I’d spent so much effort and money on him, and he still wasn’t even Level 2. At this rate, he’d drain my entire wallet before I ever maxed him out.

What kind of system rewards does Adrian unlock that make him so slow? Unlike Emily, whose preferences were obvious, Adrian’s required guesswork and constant trial and error. If he dared to give me something worthless after all this effort, demon or not, I’d drag him to hell with me.

“Emily, aren’t you thirsty? Should I make some coffee for you today?”

“Yes, please!”

Emily, who had been crouched down scrubbing a particularly grimy patch, immediately brightened. She must’ve secretly wanted a break but hadn’t dared to ask. With her visibly lighter mood, we headed toward the kitchen. On the way, I noticed a small building hidden behind dense trees that I’d never seen before.

I stopped in my tracks before entering the mansion. The structure, made of white bricks, looked old and unkempt, as though it hadn’t been used in years. Buried among the trees, it felt eerie and desolate.

“Emily, what’s that place?”

“Huh? What… Oh, you mean the charity clinic?”

“Charity clinic?”

“Yes. It’s the clinic that Hubert used to run. He brought in terminally ill patients with no money or family and cared for them until they passed peacefully. He’s really an amazing person.”

“Oh, so like hospice care. Have you ever been inside?”

“No, only Hubert goes in there. I once offered to help, thinking it must be hard to care for the patients alone, but he refused, saying it was too dangerous because some of the patients had infectious diseases.”

Emily, now eager for coffee, kept glancing toward the mansion, clearly wanting to move along. I turned back to the clinic, staring at its quiet, tomb-like atmosphere. This family had a reputation for philanthropy, but something about this setup felt off.

People dying within the grounds of this mansion… doesn’t that feel unsettling? What if something happens in that sealed space? For all I know, Hubert could be killing people deliberately, or Adrian might sneak in and finish them off…

“What about now? Are there any patients left?”

“No, I haven’t seen anyone go in or out in years. Hubert’s been so busy taking care of the young master and the lady of the house.”

Emily tugged at my sleeve, her patience wearing thin. She looked like a kindergartener begging for a toy. I decided to leave the clinic for another day and followed her to the kitchen.

Today’s menu for Emily was a condensed milk latte, one of my personal favorites. It wasn’t difficult to make, but its sweet and bitter flavors were addictive. As I prepared the ingredients, Emily watched curiously, her eyes wide with wonder.

“Watch closely, Emily. You’ll need one and a half cups of milk, and a little over half a cup of condensed milk. Pour coffee on top and stir. Easy, right?”

“You’re so kind, Hilda, teaching me how to make something delicious and even making it for me.”

Emily’s eyes filled with genuine gratitude as I demonstrated each step. While she seemed to take my gesture as pure goodwill, my real motive was far more self-serving.

I wasn’t just being nice; I was preparing her to make her own coffee when I couldn’t. With all the grinding I had to do for levels, I couldn’t afford to waste time constantly making favor items.

“This is amazing, Hilda. I’ve never tasted anything like it,” Emily said, her voice trembling with excitement.

Hearing her sincere praise made me feel a twinge of guilt. I avoided her gaze and set aside a portion of coffee for the Countess. I couldn’t shake the feeling that the system was silently judging me for exploiting it.

「You’ve gifted Emily a ‘Sweetly Made Coffee.’」

「Emily is overjoyed.」

「Emily’s favor increased by 50.」

「Current Favor Level: Emily lv.3 (20/30)」

“Hilda, I’m so grateful. Is there anything I can do for you in return?”

**「Emily has reached Favor Level 3. You can now make requests. Please choose one:

Pull weeds

Clean windows

Make coffee

Run errands in the village」**

So this is how requests work. When her favor level is maxed, I’ll be able to make more substantial requests. While these options seemed trivial at first glance, they were tasks I did every day, so the help would definitely make a difference.

After weighing my options, I finally made a choice.

“Emily, could you clean the windows for me?”

**「How hard would you like her to work?

Barely work

Take it slow and easy

Work steadily with regular breaks

Work hard without breaks

Work to the bone」**

Wow, this system is ruthless. “Work to the bone”? That’s a labor violation waiting to happen. Still, I was tempted to try it just to see. No, I couldn’t let my curiosity lead to Emily’s downfall. She’s been too kind and helpful to deserve that.

“Work steadily with regular breaks.”

“Got it! Leave the window cleaning to me!”

「Your request has been accepted.」

「For the next 24 hours, any experience points or gold Emily earns from ‘Window Cleaning with Regular Breaks’ will be attributed to you.」