"Did you get everything you need?" Luke, the driver asked as he watched Arthur walk out of his house with a heavy-looking backpack. "Honestly, you don't need to bring anything. Young Master will just tell us if you need anything, including new clothing or whatever else you need."
"I don't want to bother him too much…" Arthur replied weakly.
"What are you saying? You're THE first friend that he invited for a sleepover! This is a huge milestone for him! Groundbreaking! It's monumental!" Luke looked genuinely happy with the progress that Young Master Lancelot and Arthur had. It was the first time the heir of the Fairmont family had made a genuine friend.
"I-I see…" Arthur felt nervous. He didn't expect Lancelot to send a separate car just to drive him home, so he could pick up his belongings for the sleepover.
Arthur asked if he could do a sleepover because he thought he could assassinate that inner demon. Instead, all it did was a huge fuss at Lancelot's mansion, causing problems for everyone.
Arthur wasn't used to being given this amount of attention, and it quickly got uncomfortable.
"It's alright, boy. One of your personal missions is to make genuine friends along the way," Dullahan said.
Arthur knew that and he was glad that Lancelot didn't hate him like the rest of the townsfolk.
He was just a little overwhelmed by such attention.
Nevertheless, he sat at the backseat as Luke drove, feeling the excitement.
"I wonder what Lancelot is doing right now," Arthur asked. "He looked too serious when I asked him if we could have a sleepover."
"He is doing a lot, yes. But you need to understand that he is not living a normal life. He has always been lonely, with only Albert behind him. Honestly, I'm not sure if I can say this, but Albert seems to be the only one he is close to. He doesn't even talk much with anybody else, not even his father," Luke replied. "Sometimes, as his driver for the past five months, I've noticed that oftentimes Albert would talk with Young Master in private, and once he was done, Young Master would be in a terrible mood for the entire day, or even for the week. I hope that he'll be happy now that he finally has someone else to talk to besides Albert."
"You heard that, kid? The grip that old man has for Lancelot is astonishing!" Dullahan commented, and Arthur had to agree.
Lancelot was only a year older than Arthur, but he seemed to mature very early, due to his upbringing and the way he talked.
It wasn't wrong, of course, knowing Lancelot's family.
But wouldn't it be painful to have no one else to talk to?
Arthur knew that feeling, for sure. He often got frustrated because he had no one to talk to except his grandma, and he surely didn't want to stress grandma out.
To de-stress, the young man would usually take a long walk around the quiet Rusko to calm down after a bad day.
Since Lancelot was cooped up inside his mansion as long as Arthur remembers, what would be his way to de-stress?
*
The car stopped in front of the mansion's main hall. Arthur saw Lancelot standing proud at the entrance with three butlers and maids on each side.
Arthur had a bad feeling about this, but he stepped out of the car nevertheless.
Lancelot looked calm as always, but Arthur noticed the edge of his lips twitching, "You're here. Give your backpack to the maid, and let's have dinner first before our sleepover."
"T-thanks, but I'm good. I'll just carry my backpack to your room," Arthur said.
He clenched the backpack strap even tighter, hiding the demon dagger inside. It would be a disaster if the maid did a quick check and saw it.
They might think he was here to assassinate the heir of the Fairmont family.
"You're going to sleep in my room?" Lancelot asked in bewilderment.
"Yes? I'm here for a sleepover, remember?" Arthur asked in doubt. "Or do you not want to…"
"I never said no," Lancelot replied quickly, catching Arthur off guard. "Then, let's just have dinner first."
Arthur followed Lancelot as they headed to the dining hall. He noticed the kind smiles of the servants.
It seemed the servants were genuinely happy for their Young Master for making his very first friend, just like Luke was excited for them.
However, one person didn't look happy, and it became more obvious as Arthur's eyes met with his.
Albert, the old butler, was standing next to the dining table full of expensive food that Arthur never tried before.
The old man didn't even try to hide his dislike and only greeted Lancelot.
"Young Master, the cooks have prepared everything you requested."
"Good," Lancelot said. He looked over his shoulder. "I don't know what you like for dinner, so I simply told them to cook everything they are good at."
Arthur forced a smile and thanked him.
Honestly, he was not used to such kindness and service. It would be better if Lancelot simply gave him microwaved food so he wouldn't feel too burdened.
Arthur and Lancelot sat facing each other at the dining table, and the old man Albert was standing behind Lancelot's table, watching Arthur like a hawk.
A dark aura was visible around Albert's body, and the shadow of the inner demon with red eyes began to take shape as well.
The inner demon slowly got bigger until it was the same size as Dullahan's true size. But Arthur still couldn't see its real appearance.
"He is getting increasingly irritated by your presence, boy," Dullahan commented.
Arthur nodded lightly. It was obvious that the old man never wanted Lancelot to get close to anyone. He wanted to keep the scion of the Fairmont family under tight lease.
So, Arthur knew exactly how to anger him even more.
Arthur finished his dinner, and ate the dessert prepared for him. After he was done, he said, "You don't have to prepare so much only for the two of us. But thank you for the dinner, Dean. It was awesome!"
Lancelot was surprised by how casual Arthur sounded. His lips curled, "You should come more often. It's been a while since I've got a non-business guest."
"But I'm a friend, not just a guest, right?"
"Yes, you are a friend," Lancelot nodded firmly, making a statement that made the servants overjoyed, except for the old man behind him.
Arthur could see a glint of silver—whether it was fur, armor, or skin. But it was silver coming from the inner demon.
"That's great!" Arthur was happy knowing that taunting the old man was the best way to bring that inner demon out. It was easy, as long as he could act all buddy-buddy with Lancelot, that demon would eventually show its true form.
Thus, Arthur took a deep breath. He decided to throw away all his shame and dignity, so he could get this mission over with.
"It's still very early. What do we do next?" Arthur asked excitedly. "How about we play some games?"
"I've prepared everything, yes," Lancelot said as he wiped his mouth. He got up readily and said, "Come with me. I have a surprise for you."
Arthur followed Lancelot through the long corridor, but that old man was still following closely and was currently walking side by side with Arthur.
The huge shadow was certainly intimidating, but Arthur wasn't scared at all this time. Because he knew that demon wouldn't dare to do anything when Lancelot was around, just like how that old man dared not to say anything and simply gave Arthur a stern look of disgust.
Lancelot stopped in front of a door, and opened it.
"Come in, let me show you."
Arthur walked in, and was astonished seeing the room which was filled with games.
No, it wasn't just a small TV with a switch or xbox. It was literally a big room full of games. From a full rack of board games, various arcade machines, and various consoles.
There was a long sofa in the middle, facing a television that was as wide as the wall behind it.
It was magnificent and also overwhelming.
"Damn…" Arthur muttered in awe.
Lancelot smiled seeing Arthur's reaction.
"I do not know what kind of games people play during sleepovers. So I simply tell the butlers to put everything here," Lancelot said. "You can pick anything, and we can just spend our time with that."
Arthur noticed this would be the best time to anger the old man even more. So he asked, "What kind of games do you play then?"
"I do not play games. I mean, I play golf for business reasons, but not board or video games," Lancelot admitted. "So, I'll just follow your lead."
Lancelot was too focused on talking with his new friend that he didn't notice Albert was clenching his fists. His jaw tightened, which made it even more obvious for Arthur that the head butler was holding his rage.
Thus, he tiptoed and drooped his arm around Lancelot's shoulder as if they had been best friends for a long time, "How about we play some fighting games? I think you'll like it."
Lancelot froze and was confused with Arthur's behavior. But the smile on his lips made it too obvious that he liked such kind treatment, because Lancelot never had a good friend in his life.
A kind of friend who wouldn't think of his status.
Thus, he didn't try to fight it, and sat next to Arthur as they booted up the game.
Arthur thought that he had to teach Lancelot on how to play the game.
But he was in for a harsh realization, because Lancelot was absolutely crushing it. He destroyed Arthur in every match with perfect 100% HP left.
"A-are you sure this is your first time playing this game?"
"It's my first time playing video games. I just learned through that first tutorial, and everything is not hard," Lancelot replied while his eyes were glued to the screen. He finally gave Arthur a quick glance, and snickered. "I see that you couldn't land a hit. Want me to teach you?"
Arthur knew that Lancelot was definitely gifted. But it still hurt his pride knowing that he was beaten by someone who never touched video games!
Arthur had tons of experience playing fighting games, mostly because he couldn't afford new games, nor a new console.
But he should've been better!
Thus, his competitive spirit was ignited, and Arthur said in a loud and brash voice, "We're not done yet! I'm going all out this time!"
"Heh. That's a big talk from someone who lost ten times in a row."
Arthur and Lancelot were playing for hours until the old butler couldn't handle it anymore.
He cleared his throat, but Lancelot didn't listen as he was engrossed with the game.
Thus, the old man opened his mouth, "Young Master, this gross waste of time is not wise. Drop this and go to the library now."
…
Again, no answer.
"Young Master, you have to maintain discipline—"
Lancelot clicked his tongue. He paused the game and looked over his shoulder, staring at Albert with obvious displeasure in his eyes.
"Get out, Albert."
Albert was astonished. He clenched his fists even tighter, and by the time Arthur looked over his shoulder, he saw the inner demon silhouette was already wearing a silver armor.