Chapter 61
*No Thanks, I’ll Pass on the Express Train to Hell*
Lund delivered the shocking news with an impassive expression.
“While activating her heart, I implanted my own magic. Now she can’t disobey my commands. It’s not a coercive spell, just a slight adjustment to her mana flow to prioritize my words.”
My head spun. Had I made a mistake by coming here? What if Lund suddenly ordered me to attack the young master?
Perhaps it was best to escape. I discreetly started to back away when the young master called my name.
“Estella.”
Was he worried about me? I was so touched I almost cried. I really needed tear ducts! I would have to ask him to install them during my next repair.
“Estella. Estella.”
Perhaps because he was so emotionally expressive, he kept calling my name. As if telling me to come out of hiding…
“Don’t make me call you again. Estella. Come out.”
Huh?
He even turned his head towards me. There was no denying it. He was calling for me.
“D-did you call for me?”
I stepped forward, trembling. I was afraid of many things. First, I was afraid that Lund would order me to attack the young master. Second, I was afraid that the young master would be angry that I had followed him.
I should have planned an escape route!
“I told you I could always find you.”
He extended his hand towards me. I cautiously took it and approached him. He avoided Lund’s gaze and whispered,
“Do you like acting?”
“…”
What did he mean? Just as I was trying to understand, I felt a warmth spreading through my body. His magic, flowing from his hand, resonated with my heart, making it pound.
So this was a heartbeat!
My eyes widened, but I maintained a calm facade. I think I understood what he meant.
He had said he had imbued my heart with his magic. We were connected by magic. That was so romantic! Anyway…
It meant we could sense each other’s location through magic. If that much of his magic was inside me, my heart could probably resist Lund’s interference.
The reason he asked if I liked acting was probably because…
“Estella. Come here.”
…He wanted me to pretend to obey Lund.
I released the young master’s hand and walked towards Lund. He instinctively grabbed my shoulder. I continued walking without looking back. The young master’s acting was excellent.
“Estella, Estella, wait, I… Estella!”
He was clearly telling me not to stop! I walked over to Lund, who gently took my hand and escorted me, making me feel like a true noble lady. It was my first time being treated so gently by a high-ranking, handsome man.
The young master was also a high-ranking, handsome man, but being with him felt more like being restrained than being comforted.
“You should stop playing dolls too.”
“What are you planning to do with Estella?”
I stared blankly at the young master, who was still acting. He blinked and glared at me with a troubled expression. Did he have aspirations of becoming an actor? His detailed portrayal of emotions almost fooled me.
Lund kissed the back of my hand. I felt neither surprised nor particularly pleased or displeased, so I just stood there, impassively. Watching the young master’s changing expressions was much more entertaining. In that sense, I loved acting.
“Estella will accompany me to hell.”
Lund tilted his head, as if expecting confirmation, and asked,
“Right?”
Since I was acting anyway, I should do it properly. The young master would fix me if I broke!
“Sure, let’s go to hell.”
Lund started walking, taking me and his knights with him. The young master didn’t try to stop me, just watched us leave, then shouted, “Damn it!”
He would be in trouble if Head Butler Godora heard him using such crude language.
The next morning, Lund stood outside the fortress walls with even more knights than the night before. I was with him, of course. My maid uniform had been confiscated(?), and I was now dressed in hunting attire. It was made of high-quality fabric and leather, with embroidered dragons, giving it an exotic look.
I liked the outfit so much that I wanted to keep it as a souvenir, even after the young master’s charade was over. Would it get stained during the battle? Would it come clean? Bloodstains were difficult to remove…
As I admired my new outfit, Lund spoke to me.
“Estella, do you dislike Crown Prince Umbram?”
“I’m not particularly interested in him.”
I answered honestly. I wasn’t interested in the Crown Prince. He didn’t seem close to the young master…
“Then does Count Lupin Zepetto dislike Crown Prince Umbram?”
“He doesn’t like him.”
Well, only the young master knew his true feelings, so I couldn’t be certain.
As the knights waited in silence for orders, Lund looked completely at ease. He didn’t seem like someone about to storm a fortress. He looked at me with a strange expression.
“Last night, the Count didn’t try very hard to stop you. I considered several possibilities. One of them was that he dislikes Crown Prince Umbram.”
“Why do you think so?”
“You’ll find out soon.”
Lund raised his arm. The trumpeters blew their horns, signaling the start of the battle. The knights charged towards the fortress walls.
“Will you fight alongside me?”
Lund offered me his hand, and I took it. I had to play my part.
Several wyverns flew overhead in formation. Dragon people were riding them, casting spells. Lund immediately erected a barrier around us. Fireballs rained down, and screams and shouts echoed from all directions.
We had to fight those things? I hesitated, holding Lund’s hand. This didn’t seem like a good idea. I looked too weak.
I decided to be honest.
“I have a few limitations.”
“Please tell me.”
“I can’t kill. Dolls are created to love humans.”
That part was a lie. This was all an act, but I didn’t want to hurt anyone. The next part was important.
“I can’t attack from a distance. I have neither the weapons nor the skills.”
I said it stiffly, trying to hide my embarrassment. Lund smiled gently.
“Don’t worry. I’ll help you attack from a distance.”
He handed me a bow, similar to the one Lady Irang used. It was a magic tool that could be used without arrows.
“This way.”
I followed his instructions and aimed the bow at a wyvern. I couldn’t shoot a person! My arm, holding the bow, froze. I had hit zombies before, but never a human. I didn’t want to either. Had anyone ever heard of a maid killing people? It was against professional ethics!
Maids were supposed to help people!
Unable to aim at a specific target, my aim wavered. Would I get points for hitting anything? If it were the young master, he would have said, “Just staying still is helping,” and let me rest nearby. I suddenly missed him.
Lund, who was beside me, didn’t seem to have any intention of letting me rest. Instead, he calmly supported my arm, holding it steady in the middle of the battlefield.
“You don’t have to shoot people. It’s better that way. I love them all.”
Then why were we fighting? Was he the type who felt loved by fighting?
Guided by Lund, I aimed at the wing of a wyvern that was attacking us. He said I just had to make it fall. I didn’t have to do anything more.
As I pulled the bowstring, an arrow materialized, created by Lund’s magic. It looked exciting, but I tried to maintain a neutral expression.
“I’ll cast a spell on you. Your bow will become stronger and more beautiful.”
His magic made the bow larger and more vibrant. I suddenly locked onto a wyvern’s wing. The bowstring felt like it was about to snap. Now!
Twang!
The arrow flew with a sharp whistle. And missed.
It fluttered pathetically in the wind, like laundry on a clothesline. Lund and I followed its trajectory with our eyes.
“I’m sorry…”
“It’s alright for your first time. I’ll cast a spell to improve your accuracy.”
Even after the spell, my aim was atrocious. How bad was it before the spell? I didn’t want to hurt any living creature that wasn’t a zombie, but now I wanted to hit something.
“Cast more spells.”
“It’s technically difficult to enhance it any further…”
Just as my specialization in close-range combat was revealed, some soldiers approached Lund. It was time to deploy their secret weapon. Lund’s usually serene expression darkened.
“It’s time.”
He walked towards the fortress wall, which was still firmly closed. A dense network of magic circles appeared on the wall, spreading like vines.
“[Summon.]”
With a slightly melancholic voice, the magic circles glowed. And from within them, magical beasts emerged.
“Those are…”
Were they really magical beasts? The creatures that were spreading out and attacking the village looked familiar. They weren’t ordinary magical beasts, they were zombified.
“What’s going on?”
Lund smiled serenely.
“This is why we’re going to hell.”
Ah, please count me out.