The second floor of the Sorcerer Mansion was huge, with three different pathways: a North Wing, East Wing, and a West Wing. Apparently, according to the butler, the North Wing was for the staff, with three rooms available.
This included the maid, the butler, and the chauffeur. Unfortunately for the chauffeur, he kinda lost his life during the bandit attack. She wasn't sure if she should even bring that up to the Sorcerer King's attention.
If he finds out that his chauffeur died, he might get emotional about it, making it harder for me to get any answers. I think I'll stick to keeping my mouth shut about that… at least till I get answers.
Yuki followed the butler as they turned into the West Wing, this was supposed to be the guest section of the mansion, with Sasaki and Sayuri also behind them. That's when Sasaki tapped on the butler's shoulder.
"Nicholas, it's been some time. You've aged quite horribly over the years. Have you tried any skincare routine?"
Yuki's eyes turned to Sasaki in shock, and then back to the butler.
Is he trying to get a reaction from him? I mean, I know he's an asshole, but this was uncalled for.
The butler turned to face him and surprisingly, smiled at him.
"I shall be sure to keep that in mind, Sir Death. Though I must ask whatever possessed you to adopt the guise of a shady businessman? If I may offer some advice as well, perhaps consider reverting to your true form. You're beginning to behave just like them."
Sasaki grinned as he slapped his back a little.
"Wow, never thought you'd have a comeback ready. I remember In the past, you seemed pretty serious and kinda lacked a sarcastic tone. At least, that was back when Lady Fuyumi was still around… I guess after her death, you loosened up a little. Is that right?"
The butler's smile immediately faltered the moment Sasaki spoke. His posture seemed to have twitched a little.
Without a word, he reached into his coat and pulled out two keys, handing one to Sasaki and the other to the silent Sayuri.
"Take it and go to your rooms."
Yuki looked confused.
The butler seems different now…
Sasaki and Sayuri walked past the butler. But as they were leaving to their rooms. Sasaki turned his head back.
"By the way, no need for that reaction Nicholas. I feel just as bad for Lady Fuyumi's death as anyone else. And to be honest if I could bring her back I would but sadly, I have laws placed on me by a powerful entity that I can't break. I pray she is in a better place," Sasaki said as he opened and entered their guest rooms.
Then, as the butler was about to leave, Sasaki yelled from his room.
"Hey! Do you have a spare black suit? I only see white ones in the closet. You know I don't wear white. Thanks!"
The butler seemed visibly annoyed at his request as he sighed.
"Of course. Will bring it as soon as possible."
The butler then gestured to Yuki to follow him as they kept moving through the West Wing.
***
While walking, she couldn't help but think of how odd Sasaki and the butler's relationship truly was. But the strangest thing was how did he figure out he was Death in the first place? She just had to ask him.
"Sir, Butler, I have a question for you. If you don't mind answering."
Nicholas turned his head as he met Yuki's gaze.
"But of course, Miss…?
"Call me Ayano."
"Alright Miss Ayano and please, do feel free to simply call me Nicholas from now on."
"Sure, Nicholas, now how did you know he was Death?"
Nicholas' eyes widened and then instantly fell back to normal as he smiled.
"Well now… the truth is, I wasn't entirely certain at first,"
"What!? Then what was your thought process?" Yuki asked, almost stumbling over her own feet.
Nicholas adjusted his black gloves as he spoke.
"There was something rather off about him. Simply put, he didn't give off the presence of anything I've come across before. He wasn't human. Nor a demon. Not even a cursed spirit either. He just… didn't fit into any of those categories."
Yuki, at this point, wanted to split her own head open. She didn't know how to categorize these entities. It all just sounded confusing.
"Can you just explain really quickly the differences between all of these entities, please?"
"Of course. Let's start with humans. If you can read the way mana behaves around someone, it gives you a sense of how much mana they can afford to expend before they can no longer fight at full capacity."
Well, that's out of the question. I can't even read a room let alone how mana behaves....
The butler's tone remained calm.
"Every living being carries mana, whether human, sorcerer, demon, or even a Horseman. Most humans possess only a trace, barely worth noting. What separates a sorcerer from an ordinary person is the density of that mana. A cursed spirit, however, carries none at all, since it isn't truly alive."
He raised a fist to his mouth and cleared his throat before continuing.
"To the trained eye, even the smallest trace of mana can be seen by the aura surrounding a person's body. That alone reveals whether someone is already running low, and gives a rough sense of how many more usage of their technique or relic ability they can manage before it gives out. It also mean that the denser and more stable their aura is, the finer their control over their reserves."
Yuki frowned slightly.
"So you're not actually seeing how strong they are but how close they are to burning out. Right?"
"Precisely," the butler said.
"However, if their aura begins to overflow, it means they possess a large amount of mana they can draw upon, though it does carry the risk of rapid burnout. For most humans, their aura is thin and shallow, nothing extraordinary, so little that they cannot even power a relic item."
The butler glanced toward the window, then back to Yuki, who couldn't keep still.
"Are you all right? You seem restless."
Her eyes widened as she snapped out of her thoughts.
"Oh, sorry. I was just trying to keep up with everything you said," Yuki said, rubbing the back of her neck.
"Please, keep going."
Nicholas narrowed his eyes for a moment, as if unsure whether to be offended, before letting it pass.
"Now then, as for demons, you must understand they are mimickers by nature. Creatures of deception, if you will. They imitate their prey to lower their guard and then devour them.
Yuki nodded slowly, trying to keep up.
"So they are basically like shapeshifters. Okay, scary but fair enough…"
"Exactly, and as for the weaker demons they tend to fail at mimicking humans almost entirely. They are quite easy to spot. However, the powerful ones… Well, they can mimic a human almost perfectly. But, there's always a flaw: a missing finger or maybe eyes that are unnaturally shaped. Just something that doesn't seem right."
Yuki thought back to that tentacle demon that had attacked her a while ago, the one with no face, only a long trench coat that hid those gross, twitching limbs.
So he must've been a weak demon since he had to hide all his demonic features. uhm..interesting.
But then it clicked. Sayuri is a confirmed demon at least according to the Sorcerer King. And to her at least, she looked pretty much like a regular person minus of course the hidden red eye.
A sharp ring cut through the air, making Yuki flinch. Nicholas reached into his black jacket and pulled out his phone.
"Yes, yes… Of course, Sorcerer King Daigo." Then he hung up the call.
"Miss Ayano, unfortunately, I must attend to setting up the breakfast table. Here is the key to your room. Once you've changed your clothes, you'll meet the Sorcerer King downstairs in the dining hall."
Yuki looked flabbergasted.
"But…but i want to know how you knew Sasak-"
Nicholas then jogged off, leaving her standing in the hall all by herself.