Chapter Three: Let’s Blow Up the Maid’s Room!

Three days after the dismantling of the criminal organization «Crimson».

I’d been bedridden from the shock of back-to-back popularity surges, but I finally recovered and was walking through the mansion with Oliver, the butler.

Sighing, I grumbled, “Why do I have to fetch my own luggage…”

“Only those with Renford blood can open and close the room ahead. You have three days’ worth of administrative work to catch up on, so please work briskly.”

“Ugh…”

I couldn’t argue back strongly against Oliver’s reprimand.

For the past three days, he’d taken on most of my administrative duties.

Even beyond this instance, much of the daily governance is handled by him.

Despite having been reincarnated as Klaus for less than a month, I’ve managed to function as a lord largely thanks to Oliver.

In fact, even before my reincarnation, after Klaus’s parents died and he became lord, Oliver acted as a proxy, keeping things running smoothly…

Given these circumstances, unless I’m in the midst of an evil-deed adrenaline rush, I often find myself persuaded by him like this.

But this won’t do.

As someone aiming to be the charisma of evil, I need to make him realize my overwhelming presence soon!

While pondering this, something happened—

“Eek!”

A girl’s scream came from around the corner.

“What was that?”

“Klaus-sama, that’s—”

Ignoring Oliver’s attempt to stop me, I headed toward the sound.

There, I found a maid with jet-black hair like the night sky, looking distressed.

She held a mop, staring at a water-soaked floor, with an overturned bucket nearby—likely a spill during cleaning.

As I observed her, our eyes met.

She froze for a moment, then began trembling.

“Lord-sama?! I-I’m so sorry!”

The maid bowed deeply.

She’s probably terrified of being punished for her mistake.

Yes, yes, what a great reaction! I’m thrilled by anyone who fears me!

But…

(Hm, her fear seems a bit excessive… Wait a second!)

A thought struck me—the treatment of “black hair” in this kingdom.

In the Solstia Kingdom, those with black hair are said to carry demon blood and were once heavily discriminated against.

Though that belief is now considered wrong, prejudice still lingers strongly.

The reason I know this so well is that one of the heroines in «Altena Fantasia» also had black hair and faced similar circumstances.

Her story of fighting discrimination and prejudice brought me to tears multiple times.

“Lord-sama…?”

As I was lost in thought, the maid looked up, gauging my reaction.

Normally, I’d punish her here, but I have administrative duties to attend to first.

“Get back to work.”

“Huh? Y-Yes, sir!”

Though confused, the maid promptly resumed cleaning as ordered.

Watching her, I realized something.

Including memories from before my reincarnation, I’d never once seen this girl.

With such striking black hair in this world, I wouldn’t have missed her.

That question lingered in my mind.

“Her name is Marie. She’s a legitimate maid who’s served the Renford House since your parents’ time.”

When I asked Oliver about her back in the study, that was his response.

When I mentioned I had no memory of her, he slightly furrowed his brow.

But he quickly reverted to his usual stoic expression.

“…She’s typically assigned minimal tasks, handling only certain cleaning or odd jobs, and doesn’t come near the mansion’s core. That’s likely why you haven’t encountered her, Klaus-sama.”

Minimal tasks, huh?

Could it be…

“So, Marie’s a maid who slacks off?”

“Slacks…? No, that’s not what I meant—”

Oliver started to explain, but I wasn’t listening.

I was reminded of a hated colleague from my past life who dumped their work on me while sucking up to the boss for promotions.

If Marie is anything like that, I can’t forgive her.

I let her off earlier, but she needs to be punished.

Still, I need more information to condemn her. I tuned back into Oliver’s words.

“—And so, unlike other servants, she lives alone in the detached residence. Do you understand?”

Unfortunately, his explanation ended quickly.

Still, I learned something new: Marie lives alone.

“Oliver, bring me the mansion’s floor plan.”

“The floor plan, sir?”

“Hurry up.”

Spreading the floor plan Oliver brought on the desk, I checked the servants’ assigned rooms. Sure enough, Marie alone used the detached residence.

This raised a question.

I’d assumed Marie was a slacker, but given Klaus’s parents’ harsh reputation, I doubt they’d tolerate such laziness from a maid.

Yet, Marie is living alone in the detached residence.

There’s only one conclusion these facts point to:

—Marie was favored by Klaus’s parents and received special treatment!

Reaching this truth, I was struck with immense shock.

“I see… To think such a truth was hidden. Their reputation was awful, and I thought they’d be the type to embrace discrimination, but it seems they had some humanity after all.”

The problem, though, is that this special treatment continues.

Marie’s current master is me, not my parents. If word spreads that I’m showing mercy to a girl shunned nationwide for her black hair, it could become a negative campaign against my goal of being the charisma of evil!

I immediately decided on my next course of action.

“Oliver, inform Marie to take only the bare essentials from the detached residence and stand by.”

“Klaus-sama?! Could you mean…?!”

“What are you dawdling for? Move!”

“—Yes, sir!”

For some reason, Oliver’s eyes sparkled as he left enthusiastically.

I prepared myself and headed to the detached residence.

“This is…”

Upon arriving, I was utterly shocked.

—What the hell?! This is way fancier than the cheap apartment I lived in during my corporate slave days!

For a maid to live alone in such luxury—what arrogance!

This solidified my conviction that what I was about to do was right.

I glanced at Marie, standing frozen with a pile of belongings.

“L-Lord-sama? As ordered, I’ve taken out the essentials, but what are you planning?”

“Isn’t it obvious? Watch closely—this is my answer.”

Responding to Marie’s question, I pointed my right hand at the detached residence.

“«Tempest of Destruction»”

The moment I cast the spell, a raging tempest shot from my hand, hitting the building directly.

Caught in the swirling winds, what was once the detached residence was reduced to rubble.

“…”

Marie could only stare, dumbfounded.

And no wonder—her home had just been utterly destroyed by her master.

After the demolition finished and some time passed, Marie finally snapped back to reality.

“Wha—?! L-Lord-sama?! Why so suddenly?!”

“As you can see, you’ll no longer live in this residence.”

“—!”

Marie’s eyes widened in shock.

She must be reeling from the loss of her special treatment.

Her voice trembling with anger, she said, “Then… where am I supposed to live now…?”

“What are you talking about? Obviously, you’ll share a room with the other maids. And from now on, you’ll take part in all mansion duties. (No slacking, ever!)”

“! You mean…”

“I’ve said all I need to. Oliver, handle the rest.”

Giving those instructions to Oliver, who’d been standing off to the side, I turned and left.

Yes, yes, the hateful glare from Marie piercing my back feels great.

This should spread my reputation as a coldhearted noble who shows no mercy, even to those with black hair.

After putting enough distance from the residence, I laughed—“Hahaha!”—and skipped back to the study.

◇◆◇

The maid Marie had lived amidst prejudice since childhood.

The sole reason was her black hair, reminiscent of demons.

Marie’s mother, also black-haired, raised her single-handedly.

But for those with black hair, life in this kingdom was harsh, and they wandered from place to place to survive.

When Marie turned twelve, her mother was hired by the Renford Viscount House.

It wasn’t because the Renford family was some noble exception free of prejudice—far from it.

At the time, the notion that hair color had no connection to demons was slowly gaining traction in the Solstia Kingdom. To combat prejudice against black-haired individuals, the royal family instructed nobles to actively employ them.

Though the Renford Viscount harbored prejudice, he hired Marie’s mother to curry favor with the royal family. As a result, the two began living in the Renford household, but the detached residence they were given was hardly livable.

Neglected for years, it was dilapidated, on the verge of collapse.

Thus began their new life in such a place.

However, Marie’s mother, already frail, succumbed to a plague after being overworked far beyond the other servants. She passed away abruptly.

Marie had just turned fourteen.

Afterward, Marie was hired by the viscount in her mother’s place. Unwilling to lose another black-haired servant, the viscount assigned her minimal, almost meaningless tasks.

Since then, Marie continued working without understanding why she remained in this place.

She lacked the courage to leave. To her, the detached residence where her mother died was a curse binding her to this place.

A year passed in this manner.

Then, a tragic accident—being attacked by monsters—led to a change in lordship.

But this didn’t alter Marie’s circumstances.

In fact, the new lord seemed unaware of her existence entirely.

However, one day, some time after the change in lordship—

“Have you heard? Lord-sama caught an evil merchant!”

“He showed such leniency to a subordinate who made a mistake!”

“And the recent dismantling of that crime syndicate was thanks to Lord-sama’s brilliant orders!”

Suddenly, the mansion buzzed with nothing but praise for the lord.

Hearing this, Marie felt a pang of unease but shook her head vigorously.

(No, either way, it has nothing to do with me…)

With that conclusion, she prepared to start her second cleaning task of the day.

“Eek!”

Her hand slipped, spilling a bucket of water onto the corridor floor.

Hurrying to mop it up, she heard footsteps approaching from behind.

The head maid, perhaps? She needed to apologize for her mistake. Turning around, she was shocked to see none other than Lord Klaus himself.

(—Why?! He never comes to a place like this!)

Despite her confusion, Marie hurriedly bowed.

“Lord-sama?! I-I’m so sorry!”

Trembling, she awaited his response.

Based on his old reputation, she had no idea what he might do.

But then, she recalled something.

Recent rumors claimed Klaus had become a compassionate, kindhearted lord.

Clinging to that hope, Marie looked up at him pleadingly.

“Lord-sama…?”

(—Could you, perhaps, save me?)

She voiced an impossible wish in her heart.

The proof of its impossibility came swiftly as Klaus responded:

“Get back to work.”

“Huh? Y-Yes, sir!”

Looking behind her, all she saw was the puddle from her mistake.

Marie gave a self-deprecating smile.

(Of course… All I’m good for is wiping up spilled water in a corner where no lord or guest would ever come.)

She’d known this from the start.

Yet—or perhaps because of it—she was surprised by how much his response stung.

—But it was only a few hours later that Marie would learn Klaus’s true intentions.

Suddenly, Oliver, the butler, instructed her to take only essentials from the detached residence and stand by.

Oliver was one of the few who’d shown kindness to Marie and her mother since the previous lord’s time.

He told her only, “Don’t forget to take the mementos of your mother.”

Confused about what this meant, Marie was further shocked when Klaus himself arrived.

“L-Lord-sama? As ordered, I’ve taken out all the essentials, but what are you planning?”

With a resolute expression, Klaus answered:

“Isn’t it obvious? Watch closely—this is my answer.”

Immediately after, the magic he cast reduced the detached residence to rubble.

Marie could only stare, dumbfounded.

When the magic ceased and some time passed, she finally regained her senses.

“Wha—?! L-Lord-sama?! Why so suddenly?!”

“As you can see, you’ll no longer live in this residence.”

“—!”

The moment she heard Klaus’s words, a conversation with her mother flashed through her mind.

It was just before her mother’s death.

“Marie, my final promise. Someday, you’ll leave this place and see so much more of the world.”

“…I can’t, Mom. I’m bound to live in this place forever…”

“That’s not true. Someone will come to take you away from here, I’m sure of it. You’ll be fine, Marie.”

Back then, she couldn’t believe her mother’s words. But now, she felt she could trust them wholeheartedly.

Marie finally understood.

Klaus’s words—“This is my answer”—were a response to the question she’d asked in her heart earlier: Could you, perhaps, save me?

Feeling shock, confusion, and a new warmth budding within her, Marie asked in a trembling voice, careful not to betray her emotions:

“Then… where am I supposed to live now…?”

“What are you talking about? Obviously, you’ll share a room with the other maids. And from now on, you’ll take part in all mansion duties.”

“! You mean…”

“I’ve said all I need to. Oliver, handle the rest.”

He wasn’t just freeing her from the detached residence.

He was promising to treat her like the other maids, free of prejudice.

Klaus had sworn as much.

Still overwhelmed with emotion and unable to move, Marie stood frozen as Oliver adjusted his monocle with a click and said:

“Wonderful, isn’t it, Marie?”

“…Is it really okay? To think I can live like everyone else from now on—it’s hard to believe. Could it be a misunderstanding? Maybe Lord-sama meant to punish me for my shortcomings, and I’m just failing to grasp his intent—”

“Your imagination is vivid, but don’t be so self-deprecating, Marie. I understand your circumstances make you wary, but Klaus-sama is a remarkable person. Please trust him, for he is your master.”

“Master…”

Having had little interaction with Klaus before, Marie had only thought of him as “Lord-sama,” never truly as her master.

But in this moment, a new conviction took root within her.

Klaus-sama was not only a great lord but also—her ideal master, worthy of lifelong service.

Overcome with heartfelt emotion, Marie broke into a radiant smile.

“Thank you so much—Master-sama.”

Seconds later, a hearty “Hahaha!” echoed from somewhere.

It sounded vaguely like Klaus-sama’s grand voice, but Marie convinced herself it was just her imagination.

◇◆◇