I stared at Somerset pointedly, then waved my arms wide to relax my muscles before giving him a proper lesson.
“This guy is afraid of ghosts just like Axel.”
Whenever something strange happens, he runs away without looking back.
“I'll make good use of it and make him receive a harsher lesson than usual.”
After all, monsters exist to instill terror in humans. If it's bad enough, it may leave him with an unforgettable trauma.
And that's exactly what I intended to do with Somerset this time.
“It looks like Joanna has left.”
Once I was sure she was gone, I coldly reached for the key near the front door.
Click.
The bright corridors were instantly immersed in darkness.
“W-What's going on?!”
Somerset's confused voice echoed, but I quickly turned the lights back on. He tried to hide his fear by shouting in vain at the invisible servants.
“Who's in charge of the lights?!”
He growled angrily and ran up the stairs grumbling.
“It's all because of him! Ever since that bastard started wandering around here, everything has been going from bad to worse!”
He was talking about Daedric, no doubt. As I expected, he did not hesitate to shift the blame onto others.
As soon as Somerset entered the corridor, I turned off the lights again.
Whoooosh.
Darkness swallowed the corridor again.
“Did the light go out? What nonsense?!”
(Translated comment: How is there electricity in your era?)
His angry voice echoed in the empty corridor, where there were no servants around.
I waited quietly in the dark, anticipating the moment Somerset would become nervous.
Indeed, when the light was late in returning, his voice began to tremble as he muttered:
“Why…why don’t the lights come back on?”
Then, I turned on a light away from him, at the other end of the corridor.
Click.
"Huh? What is this?"
Somerset was startled by the sudden light and took a step back, staring at it suspiciously.
While he watched the light warily, I picked up a nearby vase and threw it forcefully.
crash!
“Ahhhhhh!!!”
I turned off the light again, then turned on one closer to him.
Click.
I slowly approached him, and he froze in place, stunned, unable to move.
This time, I started by shaking a shelf with some crockery on it.
“T-Shit, what's going on?!”
crash!
I pushed the shelf hard, smashing the pots, and then plunged the place into darkness again.
Somerset was on the verge of collapse now, and his trembling voice filled the corridor:
“Turn the lights back on! What are you doing?! Isn’t there anyone here?!”
Surely, the servants would rush to the place after hearing his screams.
But I was ready for the decisive moment.
Finally, I turned on the light directly above his head.
Somerset gasped violently, his whole body trembling.
“Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!!”
This time, I shook a picture frame hanging on the wall until it landed directly in front of him.
“M-Mom…!”
Somerset collapsed to the ground in terror.
“Look at you, calling out to Delaney in a situation like this.”
I muttered sarcastically, then took a quick look around before delivering the final blow to him.
Servants were rushing to the place after hearing his screams.
Excellent, perfect timing.
I gave him a scary smile.
“One last hit.”
Since he had hurt Daedric before, it was his turn now.
I clenched my hand tightly, then hit his forehead with a decisive punch.
“Takh!”
“Aghh…!”
With a satisfying crash sound, Somerset instantly lost consciousness.
But it seemed that terror overcame him more than pain, because as he fell unconscious...
He lost control of something else, too.
“Shh…”
A dark stain spread on his pants.
“Oh, gross!”
I plugged my nose with my finger and turned all the lights back on.
The servants arrived at the right moment, looking around in confusion.
“What…what is that smell?”
“Isn't that Somerset over there?”
One of the maids put her hand over her mouth as she stared at the passed out...and completely wet Somerset.
“H-Did...the young man urinate on himself?”
"Shh! Keep your voice down! If this gets out, we'll all be involved!"
“But…but he really did it. Isn’t the young man supposed to be—”
“I told you, shut up!”
Quickly, they carried Somerset away, trying to avoid further embarrassment.
I wiped the sweat from my forehead, then proudly announced:
“Another achievement to add to my record!”
Honestly, I was probably more talented at pretending to be a ghost than an actual monster.
As I turned to leave, my eyes met those of Deedric, who was staring at me with his mouth open and eyes wide.
"Yes!"
I screamed in fright, making him jump, but I quickly made a random excuse.
“I-I was… protecting the monsters’ honor!”
"What?"
Deedric looked at me in confusion, but as I started talking, I couldn't stop.
“Um, you see, monsters need to inflict shocks on humans every now and then... It's, hmmm, a tradition!”
"…truly?"
"no."
“…”
For some reason, I couldn't lie to Deedric. Maybe because I knew how much he trusted me, it made me feel guilty even thinking about deceiving him.
“He must have been shocked to see me like that for the first time.”
What if he thinks I'm just a scary, violent monster?
As I was sweating and looking for a way out of this situation, Deidrick glanced behind me.
I turned to find the servants dragging Somerset's limp body away.
Instinctively, I stood on my tiptoes, trying to block the view from Deedrick.
But instead of expressing surprise or fear, a slight smile appeared on his lips, then he leaned towards me and whispered:
“Let's go back to the room, this place is dangerous.”
Fortunately, he wasn't angry or terrified. His voice, as always, was warm and calm.
I let out a small sigh of relief, then answered him enthusiastically:
“Okay!”
I followed him closely, my eyes watching his faltering steps. Seeing his slight limp made my heart clench, but I resisted the urge to cry.
It didn't take long for us to get to the room. Deidrick opened the door, then stepped aside, motioning for me to enter first.
As soon as I entered, Deidrick locked the door, then gave me a hesitant smile.
“We better be careful and make sure to close the door from now on.”
As if Somerset wouldn't kick the door in anyway...
Deidrick led me towards the sofa, and gently sat me down.
His blue eyes held a mixture of emotions—hope mixed with hidden concern.
“Why does he look so nervous?”
Did he think that I might repeat that terrifying scene in front of him?
impossible. I would never do anything like that to Deidrick. It's not like Somerset.
“I would never do that to you!” I shouted without thinking.
At my sudden confession, his eyes widened in surprise, but he quickly let out a soft laugh.
“You are good at observing others, but sometimes you are unexpectedly impulsive.”
“This is my biggest strength...and my biggest flaw as well.”
“No, you are flawless. Even your recklessness... I like you.”
This boy...became bolder in expressing his feelings.
Honesty suits him—it's a good change.
“So, you noticed my anxiety, right?”
"Yes."
“It's not because I'm afraid you'll hurt me… Even if you stab me with a sword, I won't care.”
“This is something that should concern you...”
Deedric, in his non-dark state, was exactly as gentle as he was described in the novels.
No matter how nice someone is to him, if he is betrayed, it is natural for him to get angry and seek revenge. But instead, he says he'll be okay?
Looks like he needs a little lesson.
"I would never do that, but if I ever hit you, you have to hit me back twice. I told you before, you have to hit twice as hard. That's right."
He didn't agree or disagree—just smiled softly. After a moment of hesitation, he spoke cautiously.
“What worries me is... you didn’t do this to my brother for me, but for someone else.”
"Someone else? Who else would I do this for?"
I tilted my head in amazement. There was no one else I cared about but Deedrick.
When he saw how sincere I was, the worry in his blue eyes slowly began to fade.
Then he took my hand, and his cheeks turned a little red.
“Joanna Primrose... I feel like you pity her.”
“Pity is just pity. She has a lot of people to care about her, whether I care or not. However, I only care about you.”
I've always been like this, single-minded.
“So… you did it for me, right?”
“Um, uh…”
I hesitated.
It was true, but how could I say it plainly: “Yes, I have turned Somerset into a fit mess for your sake!”
I felt like he was a little embarrassed.
“…isn’t it?”
His shoulders slumped, showing obvious disappointment.
Ah, okay! I sighed and decided to be honest.
"Yes, it was for you. It's annoying if he's the only one who escapes unharmed while you're hurting like that. I'd hate for you to be the only one who suffers."
I spoke softly, a feeling of sadness filling my heart as I looked at him, covered in wounds.
Finally, some life returned to his face.
Deidrick gently pinched my cheek, careful not to hurt me, and then began to play with it.
"What do you do?"
“It's… soft.”
“I'm a monster in the closet, remember?”
“Haha…”
Didric laughed a little and said:
“So, the monsters in the closet are soft, have horns, and are warm, right?”
"exactly!"
Then I gently grabbed his finger.
"You're confused, aren't you? Even if you are, it doesn't matter. I'm just like that, a monster."
Deedric stared at me for a moment, as if he didn't understand.
“Why would I be disappointed in you?”
"But I took someone down. I'm not the good monster you think I am."
“But everything she did was for me.”
I nodded enthusiastically.
exactly. Everything I do is for Dedric.
“I'm happy.” He said it smiling.
Only then did I feel comfortable and smiled. While Deidrick was petting my head, he asked me softly:
“Are you nervous?”
"So much! I didn't want you to see it, but you found me…"
My heart was beating hard.
"I'm not disappointed with you, and I'm not angry either. So don't be too hard on yourself."
“How do you always say such kind words?”
At my sincere words, Deidrick burst out laughing.
Now I can take my revenge legally.
Hahaha.
I let out a very evil laugh, sure that Deidrick didn't notice.