Nobilitas Lapsorum: Servant of the Abyss

Since that day, Celica had started visiting him frequently.

She always came when her father wasn't home, almost always.

At first, Arkhiel thought it was just a coincidence. But he eventually realized that Harriet allowed it. Even if Celica believed she was sneaking around in secret.

Maybe because, like Arkhiel, Harriet understood that Celica needed more than etiquette and lessons, she needed to interact with other children her age.

To Celica, Arkhiel wasn't a servant, nor a friend.

He was entertainment. Someone curious who said strange things.

Arkhiel would often sit beneath the same tree to rest after draining his mana.

"I found you again!" Celica exclaimed with a triumphant smile.

"I wasn't hiding. I'm in the same place as yesterday. And the day before."

"Tell me another story!"

Arkhiel would usually sigh, though deep down he didn't mind as much as he let on.

Talking about his old world helped him keep his sanity. It was his therapy.

And so, the routine began again.

He told her stories of metal dragons, towers so tall they touched the sky, and invisible monsters called debts.

"So, this is the famous 'villain' you talk so much about," said a childlike voice.

Arkhiel turned around.

There stood a perfectly groomed blonde girl, four years older than Celica. Unlike her sister, her dress was pristine.

"And who might you be?" Arkhiel asked politely, though he already knew the answer.

"Isolde Vallenwood. Her older sister," she replied, as if introductions were beneath her. "I found it curious that a mere boy managed to hold Celica's attention for more than five minutes."

"Isolde! What are you doing here? Don't interfere!"

"I'm just observing, little sister."

"You can't take him!"

"Take him?" Isolde repeated with a soft, amused laugh. "I'm only interested in the stories he tells."

In the original game, Isolde could become an ally to the protagonist.

In the original game, Isolde could become an ally to the protagonist,

But only if you chose the right dialogue options and completed specific tasks.

She wasn't helpful out of kindness; she was cunning, unpredictable, and powerful.

"Leave him alone! He's not your servant, he's mine!"

"Oh?" Isolde raised a brow, clearly entertained. "So, he's yours?"

"Yes! The stories he tells… You wouldn't understand them."

"And do you understand them?"

Celica opened her mouth but couldn't think of a response.

"The servants say you're smart," Isolde said suddenly.

"Define smart," Arkhiel replied, disinterested.

Isolde pulled out a small notebook she'd been carrying.

"What's that?" Celica asked.

"My notebook," Isolde said without emotion.

She flipped it to a specific section.

"Answer this," she said, handing it to Arkhiel.

He took it without rushing, his eyes scanning the pages with growing interest.

The math problems were more advanced than he expected from someone her age.

"Is this how you make friends?" Arkhiel asked.

"Is it too difficult for you?" she replied, unfazed.

"Yes. I'm like four years younger than you," Arkhiel said with irony.

Still, he began solving the problems. He didn't rush.

Isolde pretended to be disinterested, gazing at the sky.

Celica was already bored and watching aimlessly.

"Done," Arkhiel said at last, handing the notebook back.

Isolde took it. She read the answers with interest.

He had solved everything. Even used mathematical tools she'd never seen before.

She didn't fully understand what he'd done, which bothered her.

"You finished faster than I thought."

"Speed isn't always the important part," Arkhiel replied. "Also, intelligence isn't just logic."

"For a strategist and a mage, logic is the most important."

"I suppose you're right," Arkhiel said, not wanting to continue the conversation.

"I'll keep watching you," she said at last, turning away.

Celica puffed out her cheeks. Her annoying older sister had stolen too much of her time.

What Arkhiel had just done wouldn't go unnoticed.

It had been a risky gamble.

He knew that if Cedric found out, things might change.

Maybe they'd start treating him as a valuable resource instead of just another servant.

He might get access to books and training.

But drawing attention was also dangerous.

His apparent intelligence was just an illusion. A temporary advantage. One with an expiration date.

He looked at Celica for a moment, and she was now clumsily trying to climb the tree.

Then he looked up at the sky.

He knew that one day, he'd have to escape.

When he was strong enough and had enough knowledge.

This was just the first step, but he had to move carefully.

"This is impossible!" Celica shouted, frustrated that she couldn't climb any higher.

Then, without much thought, she let herself fall backward, landing right on top of Arkhiel.

"Ha! This is fun! I got you! Now you can't leave!" she laughed, sprawled across him.

An adult trapped in a child's body, bearing both the literal and metaphorical weight of a spoiled noble girl in her early years.

Celica laughed louder.

"I'm gonna do this every day! You're my servant forever!"

Arkhiel silently wept.

-----

There were several oddities in Arkhiel's physiology, and one of them was that he only needed to sleep between one and two hours. That allowed him to fulfill his duties as a butler during the day.

At night, he used the time to improve his magic or grow stronger by killing monsters, the latter being the activity he pursued the most.

Recently, he had hit a bottleneck. His strength no longer seemed to increase as it once did.

But that night, he had a different task: he had to eliminate or alter any residual traces of Celica's presence in Percival's mansion.

He had to move quickly. With some luck, Harriet wouldn't notice his absence.

Using the spell Shade Walk, he moved swiftly through the city, unseen.

As he reached the vicinity of the Somerset mansion, the atmosphere was just as he had predicted.

Royal guards surrounded the perimeter. A banner bearing the Kingdom's crest waved at the entrance, signaling an official investigation.

Using Shade Walk again, he slipped inside without being noticed.

Upon entering the main office, he confirmed what was already obvious.

The documents were gone.

But Percival wasn't an idiot.

He would never leave incriminating evidence in plain sight. That could only mean one thing: the important material had to be well hidden. Hopefully, the documents haven't been found yet.

Arkhiel began searching every corner.

He conjured a low-voltage electric current at his fingertips and ran it along the walls. Any change in the material's electrical resistance would hint at an architectural alteration.

He also tapped the walls gently, listening for acoustic differences.

A few hours passed until he finally discovered a concealed compartment sealed behind a false wall in the secondary study.

Inside, he found a small wooden box. Carefully rolled documents lay within.

Names, dates, and payment evidence tied to illegal activities: slave trafficking, smuggling, theft of magic stones, and bribery.

Then he found a letter. The sender remained unnamed, but the handwriting was neat and deliberate.

"Keep constant surveillance on the Vallenwoods. They've become a problem. Cedric has been investigating far too much. If necessary, use his younger daughter to gain the upper hand."

Arkhiel stored the letter and the documents. He ensured the compartment looked undisturbed before sealing the wall again and covering his tracks.

He had what he came for. Now he just had to disappear without leaving a trace.

Then he heard voices.

"No one gets in without direct orders from Captain Lucien," said one of the royal guards.

A moment later, there was a dull squelch, the unmistakable sound of torn flesh, followed by a gurgled moan.

"We're under attack!" another guard tried to shout, but his voice was abruptly cut off.

Within seconds, chaos erupted.

There was no real fight. The guards were butchered without mercy.

Arkhiel moved swiftly, keeping to the shadows to observe.

And then he saw them.

Four hooded figures entered and began searching the area.

They communicated through hand signals, making as little noise as possible.

They weren't thieves or common mercenaries.

In the game, it was always said that Celica Vallenwood was responsible for the Somerset Massacre.

Rumors claimed she and an assassin had broken into the mansion and killed everyone.

But if that had been true, then the assassins hired by Percival would've retaliated. They would've killed Celica, or at the very least, tried to capture her.

Lina couldn't have been the assassin who accompanied Celica. While both were strong, they wouldn't have stood a chance against the professionals Percival was known to hire.

He thought perhaps Harriet had helped, but based on the timeline, she should have still been with Isolde.

In the original event, Celica came out unharmed.

No one pursued her afterward. No reprisals were taken.

Cedric likely played a part in keeping the rumors from escalating into official accusations.

Celica wasn't the one truly responsible. She had been framed.

Someone needed a convenient scapegoat.

Celica's bad reputation, coupled with her illicit dealings with Percival, made her the perfect target.

Most likely, these figures were the true perpetrators of the Somerset Massacre in the game. Perhaps they worked for a noble with wealth and power to employ such experts.

What if the sender of the letter was the same one who ordered Percival's elimination?

Or were they two different individuals?

Percival must have made a mistake. Maybe he talked too much, became a liability, or simply stopped being useful. And now, those hooded figures were here for the same reasons as Arkhiel.