Surviving As An Obsessive Servant

The young master, his sharp, deep-set eyes slightly narrowed in pain, blinked uneasily.It seemed that, despite his own discomfort, he was more worried about me. And perhaps… he wanted me by his side.But right now, I couldn’t escort him.I had to wrap things up here and take care of a few things first.“I’ll come to the room as soon as I finish handling this.”“…You promise?”“Yes. You came here because you were worried about me, didn’t you? Of course, I’ll go. Let’s head back together.”Only then did the young master exhale softly, his expression relaxing as he closed his eyes.I watched as he was led away, but before I could turn back, someone came running toward us alongside a group of Black Market officials.At the front of the group was a well-dressed gentleman, who addressed us in a firm voice.“Rather than discussing this out here, let’s move inside.”Strangely, Evo’s expression stiffened. He looked almost… surprised.Who was this man?I felt Evo’s worried gaze on me, but I gave him a reassuring nod.Without another word, the man led us briskly toward the middle deck’s guest area.Unlike the other floors, which had multiple staircases, this level could only be accessed via a central staircase.Additionally, the entire floor was a single, open space—no separate rooms, no hallways.It felt less like a gathering area and more like a chamber meant for one person alone.Soon enough, I learned his identity.“I am Antonio Lenderburg, the chief administrator of the Black Market. I regret that our first meeting has to be under such circumstances.”“Pleased to meet you, Antonio Lenderburg. I am Evo Martin of Hornet.”…Did I have to state my affiliation too?For some reason, the thought of saying Hornet didn’t sit well with me.But calling myself Denkart outright also felt a little too revealing.In the end, I hesitated for a moment before simply saying,“I’m Lobel.”“A pleasure.”Antonio didn’t seem to care much about my vague introduction. Either that, or—true to his role as the head of merchants—he was simply good at hiding any displeasure.After exchanging handshakes with each of us, Antonio sincerely apologized for the incident.He assured us that the fraudulent goods would be confiscated and undergo a thorough investigation.And, as gratitude for our efforts, he offered us a substantial reward.

*****

Holding the check worth billions in reward money, Evo immediately went looking for Lobel.He had said he was going to get some fresh air on the deck.But when Evo arrived, he found Lobel still standing there, lost in deep thought.Evo stopped in his tracks.The sunlight glinted off Lobel’s silver hair, so bright it stung his eyes.Yet he didn’t look away.No—he couldn’t look away.For as long as he could remember, he had never been able to take his eyes off Lobel.After a long moment, Lobel must have sensed his gaze because he turned his head.His violet eyes—Evo’s favorite color—widened in surprise.“Oh? When did you get here?”“…Just now.”Evo slowly approached, debating what to say.There were so many things he wanted to say.But in the end, he only mentioned splitting the reward money evenly, just as he had promised earlier.Since the amount was more than enough, he assumed Lobel would be pleased. After all, Lobel had always been careful about saving money in the bank.But to his surprise, Lobel shook his head.“I’ll need more than that money can cover anyway, so you should hold on to it instead.”What did that mean?When Evo gave him a questioning look, Lobel took a breath and spoke with firm resolve.“…I’m sorry to ask, but could you use that reward money to acquire as many magical rock tablets as possible?”Lobel’s expression was more serious than ever.So Evo responded just as seriously.“I’ll find them for you. No matter what.”When they docked back in the city where the journey had started, the young master put on an utterly unconvincing performance.Feigning an absurd level of illness, he desperately tried to drag Lobel into his carriage.“Ugh… I feel so dizzy… Just a little longer… If we can just make it back to the estate…”And yet, in this ridiculous little charade, Lobel was the only one genuinely worried about him.Evo clenched his teeth in frustration.He despised this man.He wanted to grab him by the collar and demand—Do you have any idea how much Lobel has suffered because of you? And now you’re causing him even more trouble?But he couldn’t interfere.Lobel himself wasn’t saying anything, so Evo had no right to step in.He wouldn’t do anything that might put Lobel in a difficult position.That said… he also couldn’t just let Lobel go entirely.“Lobel. I need to talk to you.”Using the excuse of discussing supplies for Denkart and the magical tablets, Evo boarded the same carriage as Lobel.The young master, still stubbornly pretending to be unwell, kept trying to keep Lobel to himself, but in the end, Lobel got into Evo’s carriage.Evo didn’t let it show, but internally, he was laughing.He hoped Lobel would continue making such wise decisions in the future.When they arrived at the Denkart estate, Lobel neatly folded the servant’s uniform and returned it.“Thank you for everything today.”Evo had hoped to continue their conversation, to talk a little longer since it had been a while.But Lobel acted as if that was all he had come to do and then disappeared.Even after Lobel left, Evo remained still, holding the uniform.His gaze was fixed on the fabric in his hands.‘…….’The image of Lobel wearing this uniform, walking beside him, was still fresh in his mind.Evo stood there, unmoving, savoring the lingering feeling of it all.But he didn’t stay there for long.There was something else he needed to do.Descending from the familiar structure of the second floor, Evo made his way to a room on the first floor.He hadn’t arranged a meeting in advance, but there was someone who had told him—If you ever discover anything, come find me.As if he had been expecting him, the duke was already waiting in his office.Evo approached him and held something out.“I found a lead.”It was the fragments of a broken stone tablet—pieces he had quietly retrieved while no one was watching.
*****

As it turned out, the young master’s outing had been for a formal blessing at the Grand Temple.It was a ceremony that nobles typically underwent at birth, but he had never received it—even after coming of age.As an illegitimate child, no one had bothered to arrange it for him.Now that he was about to inherit his title, it seemed he was making sure to complete even the smallest formalities.The young master gazed at the countless candles within the temple and murmured,“It’s been a long time since I last came here. Being here makes me feel a little more at ease. When I received the blessing earlier… it almost felt like I was atoning for my past.”“Come on, young master. What past do you even have to atone for?”As someone who had read the original story and witnessed his actions firsthand, I couldn’t agree with that statement.Even Arif stayed by his side without issue—proof that our young master was far kinder than he realized.Not to mention, he had been the one overseeing Rimson’s entire wedding preparations recently. Seriously, where else in the world would you find a noble like him?As I silently basked in pride, the young master gave me a warm, radiant smile and nodded.After that, the priests sprinkled holy water over him, and we proceeded to the final step—the Covenant Chamber.The young master insisted on taking me with him.I wasn’t sure if that was allowed, but the hallway leading to the chamber was dimly lit, with only flickering candle shadows dancing along the walls. There were no priests in sight, so I figured it would be fine.Inside the small but solemn chamber, the young master knelt on one knee and finished his prayer.Then, he turned to me—who had been silently watching from behind—and took my hand.“Lobel, you only need to stay by my side. I’ll take care of everything else, so from now on, I’ll do my best to make sure you can live comfortably in Denkart for the rest of your life.”…Was this a sudden declaration of filial duty?Still, it wasn’t a bad thing to hear.Even if it was just words, I could feel how much he cared about me—how much he wanted to protect me.He didn’t even know I had been deciphering stone tablets in secret, yet he was already thinking of ways to look after me.That day, I was so moved by his kindness that I ended up doing things I normally wouldn’t.When we returned to Denkart, I accompanied him on a walk around the newly renovated areas of the estate.And—something I had never done before—I even let him into my room.He had seemed curious about various parts of the mansion, so I figured I might as well show him.The young master examined my room a little more carefully than the others.It was neat, organized, and—if I were being honest—almost bleak, as I had kept it prepared for departure at any time.Still, since I had thoroughly cleaned it, the young master praised my diligence.“Ah, as expected, Lobel is fast. You’ve already tidied everything up in advance.”“Of course. You have to stay ahead when it comes to cleaning.”“…Yeah. You’re doing well.”His bright, beaming smile seemed to make the whole room glow.

*****

Edric admitted to himself that he had been overconfident.No matter how much Lobel was treating him with the same kindness as before, it was only temporary.In her mind, she was surely already counting down the days until she could leave.If he kept doing things the way he always had… he would end up losing her forever.He desperately needed a new approach—something that could keep her by his side.So, he called upon someone who knew Lobel just as well as he did, if not better.“Rimson.”“Yes, young master!”Having recently completed all his wedding preparations, Rimson carried an air of pure happiness wherever he went.It was a stark contrast to Edric’s grim expression.Edric found his cheerfulness irritating, but he pushed that aside and got straight to the point.“How do I get closer to Lobel?”“…You mean you, young master?”Would he really be asking about someone else?When Edric shot him an icy glare, Rimson barely flinched. He was far too used to this look. Instead, he blinked in confusion and asked again,“Why would you need to get closer to Lobel?”Having been absent for some time, Rimson was completely unaware of the current situation.In the past, he had paid some attention to the two of them, but lately, he had been busy preparing for his new life with his wife.So now, Edric’s question sounded absurd—almost like a joke.Of course, Edric wasn’t the type to joke around, but the relationship between him and Lobel had always been intense.Even just thinking about Lobel right now, carefully brewing herbal medicine for a master who wasn’t even sick, was enough to make Rimson roll his eyes.In his view, the only way for them to become closer at this point was to get married.Unless they were planning to secretly buy illegal foreign identities and elope, what else could they do?As he was mulling over that thought, Edric spoke again.“Just answer the question. How do I get closer to Lobel?”There was an edge of impatience in his voice.Rimson was momentarily surprised.Edric had grown into a remarkable man—his skills sharp, his confidence well-earned.Even as a fellow man, Rimson could admit that.The insecure boy from years ago had seemingly disappeared, erased from memory.But right now…Right now, Edric looked like that same boy again.Like the young master who used to be at a complete loss over Lobel’s reactions.Like the child who used to panic at the mere thought of Lobel being sent off to another noble family—despite the fact that such a thing would never happen.It was a pointless worry, truly.Still, Rimson had no choice but to give him an answer.“…Alcohol.”