"Good morning, sir."
"Morning."
"Morning, sire."
"Morning."
"Good morning, Head Butler Garf."
"Morning, Selene. How's our guest, Morvanyth, doing today?"
"It seems she's just awoken."
"That's good. I'll go see her, then. After all, the young lady has taught us the Divine Tongue for the past ten months, so I'm confident I can communicate with her."
"But sir, she seems to be on high alert right now. Wouldn't it be better to approach her cautiously?"
"Selene, for someone who trusts no one, a cautious approach will backfire. With people like her, being straightforward and transparent is the best way. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have an attack to receive."
"Yes, sir. I'll inform the others to come once she's done. I hope you have a good time, Head Butler Garf."
"I hope she entertains me well. Now, off we go."
Selene departed from the guest room's entrance, leaving the Head Butler to stand alone.
"Calm down, Garf, she's still just a child." Garf tried to calm his nerves. Ever since Garret and his siblings had left, the whole of Marselt Castle had been sinking into boredom. Now, with the constantly alert girl around, some needed entertainment has returned to the castle, even if it's just a single child.
"First of all, I guess I'll have to make my presence known," Garf slightly pushed the door open. The creak from the door immediately snapped Morvanyth out of her daze. She immediately prepared herself to attack whatever came through.
"I see she's alert now." A smile tugged at his lips. "Show me what you've got, angel."
He swung the door wide open. Morvanyth attacked in an instant, blowing up everything in the room and destroying the roof. She leapt back against the wall, waiting to see what happened after the smoke and dust had cleared.
'Oh, that's some power,' Garf thought. 'She even managed to destroy the roof; well, it wasn't built to handle such power. But to be able to do that, that's quite impressive. But it's just that. Show me, angel, show me the power of the angel.'
The dust and smoke began to clear, but to Morvanyth's shock, the creature still stood there, utterly unharmed.
'How is it still alive? I hit it with everything I had,' she thought, clenching her fists before lunging forward. 'I can't let it strike first. I have to end this quickly and escape.'
Her feet crashed squarely against Garf's jaw with a sickening thud. The air rippled with the impact, yet he didn't move an inch. Morvanyth launched into a relentless assault, striking from every angle, her voice rising as she chanted and cast spell after spell. But Garf stood there, calm as stone, casually brushing aside stray blasts with nothing more than a flick of his pinky to keep them from hitting the forest or Bayport.
'Good battle IQ,' Garf mused. 'She's using her surroundings to her advantage. Her strikes and spells carry power, but she lacks refinement.' A smirk pulled at his lips, lifting the ends of his curled mustache, giving him the air of a theatrical villain. 'She's making me excited.'
'How is this possible? What kind of creature is this?'
Morvanyth continued her relentless assault, but the unnerving smirk on Garf's face immediately drew all of her attention.
'What's with that expression?' A cold sweat trickled down her back as the very air grew heavy. 'Something's not right. I need to escape, now.' Her inner panic began to manifest outwardly; her strikes and spells lost their precision and impact.
'Morvanyth, calm down and analyze the situation,' she told herself, taking a sharp breath and forcing her mind to focus. 'From the moment that creature entered and I attacked, it hasn't moved from that exact spot. That means it can't move as long as it's being attacked.' Raising her head, she realized something else. 'Also, my first strike destroyed parts of this covering.'
'All I need now is to find a way to distract this creature and use the opportunity to fly out and escape. What could I use?' Her mind raced through her memories for an idea, and then it hit her. 'A Star.'
She immediately cast a blinding spell, its light as brilliant as a supernova, engulfing the entire room and the castle itself. Hidden by the illusion barrier surrounding the estate, the spectacle went unnoticed by all. Spreading her wings, Morvanyth propelled herself with full force off the ground and straight into the sky.
'Interesting. She was able to sense the tiny leak of my aura. But it's disappointing to see her lose her composure. She is just a child, after all,' Garf mused, a wide grin spreading across his face. 'To think she was able to calm herself down so quickly and devise a plan to escape. But flight is a non-starter. I guess I'll have to ask for help.'
"Lady Azure, will you grant this humble one a request?"
"Oh, ****, what do you ask of me?"
"Please don't call me that; my name is Garf now," he said, squinting his eyes. "I wish to acquire the Marselt Castle, from the ground beneath it to the direct sky above it."
"And what is the specific purpose of this request?"
"Within that vicinity, flight will be forbidden. Whether by magic or natural means, the very moment they enter that area, they'll lose all and any form of flight."
"I see. What's the duration of this Law?"
"As long as this scuffle goes on. So, what is my prize?"
"That will be thirty years for the buyout, and for every second the law is in effect, one month would be taken as the continuing fee."
"Are you sure? That's far too cheap for a law of this nature to be enforced."
"HE's watching, that's why it's cheap. Are you ready to enforce it?"
"Yes, my lady."
"Then from this moment henceforth, until this scuffle ends, the Marselt Castle, from the ground beneath it to the direct sky above it, belongs to Garf. Within its immediate vicinity, flight is forbidden. Whether by magic or natural means, any and all forms of flight are null. This is THE LAW."
"Thank you, my lady." Garf bowed deeply.
The entire exchange, from the request to the establishment of the law, took less than a second.
"HE's watching, huh," Garf said, a wide grin spreading across his face. "Now things are getting interesting."
'But for HE to be interested in this angel, that's going to be a problem,' he thought, running a hand through his gray hair. 'Gaining HE's attention usually brings disaster. I'll have to tell the mayor about this later. Now then, what are you going to do, angel?'
"What's going on? Why aren't my wings working?" Morvanyth cried out, desperately trying to flap her hands as she plummeted. "No, no, nooooo!" She hit the ground with a resounding thud that echoed across the grounds.
'What's going on? Why am I back here?' she panicked, trying to get to her feet. Her body was worn out and drained of mana. 'No, no, no! I don't want to die here! I need to escape! I need to leave!'
"Calm down, child," Garf's voice called out as he walked toward her.
'I guess that's all for now,' he thought.
'This thing can talk!' Morvanyth's mind raced. 'And it's speaking the Divine Tongue! What's happening? Where am I?'
"I know you're confused, child, but I am not here to hurt you."
"Who are you, and why can you speak the Divine Tongue? And what did you do to me?" Morvanyth demanded, her guard still up and her wings bare and useless behind her.
"Morvanyth, child, please calm down. I know this is difficult for you to take in, and you can't trust us, but I am not here to hurt you." He knelt where she lay and spoke in a calm voice. "I am Garf, a Lion beastman of the Lionkin tribe, and I serve as the Head Butler of Marselt Castle. Now, I'd like to make myself clear before you get any funny ideas." His voice dropped to a stern, serious tone.
'How does that creature know that word?'
"From the day you were brought here to our little throwdown just now, if I or anyone in this castle had wanted you dead, you'd be rotten by now."
After putting the Fear of the Beast in her, Garf's voice switched back to his smooth, pleasant tone. "I hope you'll calm down now, child." Then, swiftly and precisely, he hit the back of her neck, causing her to fall unconscious.
The resounding smash of glass echoed across the castle.
'I guess,' Garf mused, watching the phantom shards fall, 'the Law is no longer in effect.'
"Clean this up and repair the roof," he commanded. Three maids and a handful of servants hurried in to tidy the area.
"Selene," Garf called.
"Yes, Sir Garf?"
"Take her to the West Hall guest room."
"Yes, sir." As Selene moved to lift Morvanyth's unconscious body, Garf's voice stopped her.
"Selene, I owe you an apology."
"For what, Sir Garf?"
"Ten months ago, when she was brought in, I insisted she be placed in the East Hall civilian guest rooms." He twirled his mustache. "You had suggested the West Hall, but I dismissed your recommendation." He offered a slight bow. "For that, I wish to apologize."
"There's no need for that, Head Butler." Selene gestured with a wide sweep of her arms. "The room is trashed, yes. But aside from the destroyed roof and a few cracks on these walls," she pointed to the fissures in the stone, "no other part of the East Hall was damaged."
She tilted her head. "But if you insist on apologizing, may I ask a question instead?"
"Please do, Selene. I will do my best to give you an answer if it is within my power and authority."
"Thank you." She bowed deeply.
"Now then. Head Butler Garf, Who. Is. HE!?"