Just then, the butler approached, murmuring softly beside his ear, “My lord, everyone has arrived.”
Joiy nodded, stepping forward. His expression, though calm, commanded immediate respect.
The servants, without exception, lowered their heads, none daring to meet his gaze.
The white-haired man who had previously stopped Lilith was no different. He stood at the very front, holding a position higher than the average servant, yet before Joiy, he could only cower in deference.
He also noticed the silver-haired woman standing behind Viscount Joiy. If his memory served him right, she was the woman Lilith had brought into the mansion earlier that morning.
Failing to stop them had been his oversight. Given Viscount Joiy’s temperament, he would likely face severe punishment. Why else would he have gathered everyone here?
At this thought, an uncontrollable shiver ran through his body.
After exchanging a few brief pleasantries with everyone, Joiy noticed the man’s unease.
“What’s wrong?”
“N-nothing, my lord…”
Joiy cast a fleeting glance at him before withdrawing his gaze. He then gestured for Lena to stand beside him, and with a sweep of his hand, he bid everyone to look up.
“This is an elder of my family. You may address her as Lady Lena. From this day forward, she is also one of the masters of this estate. You are to treat her with the same respect and etiquette you would show me, without exception.”
“If I discover anyone showing disrespect towards her, then my estate will have no place for you.”
Though his tone was calm, every servant could feel the weight of his authority. They knew he was not joking; any disrespect towards Lady Lena would result in immediate dismissal.
However, that was secondary. What truly astonished them was Lady Lena’s identity.
Viscount Joiy’s elder?
This was the first time they had learned of Lord Joiy having an elder, just as it was the first time they had learned of his distant relative, Lilith.
Unlike Miss Lilith, however, if Lena was an elder, did that mean Lord Joiy sometimes had to obey her? Had the highest-ranking person in the mansion become this lady?
Many of them exchanged glances, a thought forming in their minds: to curry favor with Lena. Some of the maids, in particular, felt they had a natural advantage in approaching her.
If they earned her favor, even Lord Joiy wouldn’t be able to do anything to them, would he?
Yet, many servants secretly rejoiced, while only the white-haired man who had previously stopped Lilith felt cold sweat break out on his forehead, his heart growing increasingly anxious.
Now, his fear had shifted from being punished by Joiy to being punished by Lena.
He knew that nobles who had been served for a long time by other nobles often harbored a certain arrogance. Even if one’s status was lowly, they would hold a grudge and seek every opportunity for revenge.
Moreover, newly appointed nobles, in their bid to assert authority, often resorted to making an example of someone.
The more he overthought, the more terrified he became, even starting to contemplate what kind of work he would pursue to make a living after leaving the mansion.
Lena, in his horrified gaze, walked before them, offering a gentle greeting, before following the butler and departing.
As she left, he distinctly felt Lena’s gaze upon him. However, it was entirely different from the harshness he had imagined; it was a look filled with softness and kindness.
A faint floral scent permeated the air, and his previously tense heart unwittingly settled down.
Everyone resumed their work after Joiy left, save for him. He stood rooted, letting out a soft laugh and wiping the sweat from his brow.
He had been overthinking. The new lady had not only refrained from punishing him but hadn’t even mentioned the incident. Moreover, she didn’t seem as aloof as Lord Joiy; instead, she appeared approachable.
Such nobles were rare, and he believed this lady would quickly win the affection of all the servants.
****
Night quietly descended, filled with the ceaseless chirping of insects. The brilliant moonlight spilled onto a sycamore tree beside Joiy’s mansion, illuminating three figures.
“Betty, it’s time to act. We’ll be outside to back you up.”
“Mm.”
One of the girls, with long brown hair and magical runes etched between her brows, crouched down and cast a soundproofing spell at her feet.
They were heroes from the Hero Guild. Upon learning of Joiy’s collusion with demons, they had accepted the Guild Master’s commission, preparing to infiltrate Joiy’s mansion under the cover of night to search for evidence.
Their investigation revealed that only Joiy possessed Sixth-tier strength within the mansion; the others were Fourth or Fifth-tier, with many servants having no magical power at all.
For them, infiltration and search would be exceedingly simple. Even if discovered, their Fifth-tier strength would make escape effortless.
“Mm.”
Responding, the girl named Betty cast a concealment spell on herself, stepping onto the sycamore tree, ready to vault into the mansion.
She wore a black, somewhat tight-fitting outfit. Without a careful look, she would be easy to miss in the darkness of night.
However, just as she was about to depart, the girl who had spoken earlier grabbed her arm, cautioning, “Be alert for anything amiss. Don’t hesitate; escape immediately. After all, if he truly has ties to demons, the consequences of being caught would be terrifying.”
Humans and demons were mortal enemies, and falling into their hands would naturally lead to a miserable end. She was particularly afraid of Betty being caught by Joiy, as even if they returned to the Hero Guild for reinforcements, it might already be too late.
The three of them formed a hero squad, having lived together for so long that their bond was naturally profound.
“Don’t worry. The previous few times, they couldn’t even detect me. How could they catch me this time? Besides, I’m already very familiar with this villa; hiding will be easy.”
“You must not be careless.”
“Understood.”
With that, Betty vaulted into the mansion, using the nearby flowers and plants to obscure her figure.
This wasn’t her first time infiltrating Joiy’s mansion, so the routes were etched in her memory. After easily avoiding the night-patrolling servants, she slipped into the villa and headed towards the study on the second floor.
As expected, Joiy had retired early at this hour. The lights in the corridor were still on, and the villa was utterly silent.
Following the remembered route to the study, she silently cast a spell to peer at the scene inside the door. Finding it empty, she cautiously pushed the door open, then closed it behind her.
Upon reaching this point, she let out a soft breath, knowing she had succeeded halfway.
Now was the time to search for evidence of Joiy’s crimes.
Approaching the desk, she saw many documents and files laid out. Flipping through them casually, she found they were all related to Joiy’s businesses, with not a single word mentioning demons.
It made sense, of course; such things would never be placed in such an obvious location.
She was about to pull open a desk drawer to investigate further, but just as her hand touched the drawer handle, footsteps echoed from outside the study.
From the rhythm and sound, the person was most likely a woman.
Her tension eased slightly. As long as it wasn’t Joiy, it wouldn’t be particularly troublesome.
She immediately hid, using a bookshelf to conceal herself.
The unfolding events, however, filled her with a sense of foreboding. The footsteps stopped at the study door, the doorknob rattled, and then clear footsteps resounded within the study.
The person had not merely passed by the study by chance.
Swallowing hard, Betty could only pray that the woman hadn’t noticed her presence.
Mercifully, the woman indeed didn’t discover her. Holding a lantern, she entered the study and began to organize the documents on the desk, appearing to be one of Joiy’s maids.
Quietly shifting her body, Betty peeked out from behind the bookshelf, discerning the woman’s appearance.
The lantern’s flame flickered, casting a dim, yellow light that illuminated the woman’s exquisite profile. Silver hair cascaded down one side, and her gentle, dignified demeanor momentarily captivated Betty.
‘Who is she?’
Betty searched her memories of the servants in Joiy’s mansion but found no trace of this woman. ‘Could she be a new maid?’
Just as this question flashed through her mind, she heard clear footsteps approaching her location, causing a flicker of panic. She hadn’t detected any magic from the woman. This method seemed viable, but doing so would alert Joiy to an intruder in his mansion.
This would only make him conceal his evidence even more secretly. ‘What about magic? What magic could resolve this immediate crisis?’
While she was still racking her brain, the woman came behind the bookshelf, unexpectedly encountering her.
“Ah!”
The woman shrieked in alarm, stumbling backward. The books she clutched tumbled to the floor with dull thuds. Betty’s heart skipped a beat. Just as she moved to cover the woman’s mouth, the voices of other servants echoed from outside the door.
“What happened? Is someone in the study?”
Betty cursed under her breath. She pushed the woman against the wall, pulled out her dagger, and held it to her throat, urgently whispering, “Quick! Don’t let him in!”
Her threat seemed effective. The woman looked at her fearfully and called out to the door, “Ah, it was just me. I accidentally knocked over some books.”
“Do you need help?”
“No, I can manage it myself.”
“Alright then.”
After this exchange, the footsteps outside gradually receded. Betty released the woman, sheathing her dagger and letting out a heavy sigh of relief.
Then, looking at the trembling woman before her, a hint of apology flashed in her heart.
“I apologize. The situation was special just now, which is why I acted that way. I actually wouldn’t harm you.”
Her explanation did not reassure the woman, whose expression still held a hint of wariness and fear. Betty could only give up on further explanation, refocusing her attention on searching for evidence.
However, she still casually inquired about the woman’s identity.
“Who are you? I’ve never seen you here before.”
“My name is Lena. I’m new.”
“You’re new? No wonder.”
Betty pulled open the desk drawer, sifting through the files and documents inside. She hoped to find some useful clues, some trace of Joiy’s betrayal of humanity, while Lena watched her silently, her expression gradually returning to calm.
‘Forget everything that just happened. Tonight, pretend you never saw me,’ she said, still examining the documents in the drawer. ‘Until I leave, you must stay in the study and not go anywhere.’
“Are you afraid I’ll inform on you?”
“You understand then.”
After a cursory search of the drawer’s contents, Betty scoffed, still finding no evidence. She then turned her gaze to the bookshelves in the room.
Meanwhile, Lena approached her, asking curiously, “What are you looking for?”
“Evidence of Joiy’s secret collusion with demons.”
“What? Demons?!”
Lena clapped her hands over her mouth, appearing exceptionally shocked. Betty, however, chuckled. She took a book from the shelf and casually flipped through it.
“Surprised, are you? I advise you to leave Joiy’s side as soon as possible. Otherwise, if evidence is truly found, you won’t be able to escape either.”
She looked at Lena, a hint of pity in her eyes. “Proving one’s innocence is no simple matter, especially for women like you who lack power and influence.”
“Colluding with demons is a capital crime. Once Joiy is discovered, his servants will also be arrested. At that time, even if they had no knowledge of the matter, it would be extremely difficult to prove their innocence.”
“How could Lord Joiy possibly collude with demons? You must have made some mistake, surely?”
Lena still seemed to disbelieve it, prompting Betty to snort coldly. “When the profit is great enough, what isn’t possible? Not to mention, Joiy’s reputation is already quite poor; it wouldn’t be surprising for him to betray humanity.”
Her words were tinged with prejudice. Joiy’s reputation in Saint Ciel was generally average, not exceptionally bad, but in the eyes of heroes, he was particularly disliked.
After all, he controlled vast quantities of weapons and potions. Didn’t this equate to holding the lifeline of heroes? How could heroes possibly give such a powerful figure a good impression?
“But you are merely suspicious, aren’t you? And to secretly infiltrate Lord Joiy’s study to search for evidence based solely on suspicion—isn’t that going too far?”
“Too far? When it involves demons, nothing is too far!”
Putting down the documents, Betty expressed her displeasure at Lena’s words.
“Although demons have been much more peaceful for the past two or three decades, the oppression they brought us in the past was very real. Being kind to them is being cruel to ourselves. You haven’t been a hero or fought on the battlefield, so naturally, you wouldn’t understand this.”
“Moreover, our suspicions are not unfounded. After all, all of this was told to us by a reliable senior. Her words are never wrong; Joiy must have some connection with demons.”
Speaking of that senior, under the dim, yellow light, an expression of yearning and adoration, even a faint fanaticism, appeared on Betty’s face.
“A reliable senior? Who is it?” Lena’s brow subtly arched as she seemingly nonchalantly pressed on.
“I cannot reveal that. You only need to know that she is beyond the reach of ordinary heroes. Even a Seventh-tier sage would find it incredibly difficult to meet her.”