For the next few days, Xian was beaten up in much the same way as before. But not without a few close shaves against Serika, who almost got hit several times due to her own carelessness and Xian's constant provocations.
In return, Serika attacked even more viciously. But that was fine, since he had plenty of time to rest during the night with a maid attending to him.
He spent the following nights awake, conversing with Miri.
The wounds healed by potions left his muscles sore and streaks of dried blood stuck to his skin. Even if the potions closed most of the wounds, the sheer amount he needed diluted their effect, leaving shallow cuts and bruises behind.
He took it as an opportunity to know her better.
"I'm the eldest daughter of a baron. He had three wives, and I was born from the fourth woman he had an affair with. A commoner."
"My siblings never really treated me as one of them. Instead, I worked there like the other servants so that my mother and I could eat. They never bothered me much apart from the occasional frown. Maybe because they knew I had no rights in the line of succession."
"I didn't receive wages there, so once I reached adulthood, I left the barony and eventually found myself here."
"The Montagnes are famous among servants. Their salary almost rivals the royal court maids. But not just anyone can get in. I tried my luck at one of their newly acquired properties, and somehow… I ended up here."
Miri squeezed the cloth she used to wipe Xian's body and carefully cleaned him again.
She talked about her life before becoming a maid, about the rigorous training, the mean co-workers, and how he was the only one who noticed how hard she worked. The way she stared at him grew more affectionate with each passing day.
On the fourth day, a certain stickiness appeared in Miri's gaze the moment her affection broke through the [Pink Heart] level. Based on Xian's knowledge, no player had ever achieved it this quickly before.
'There must be something at play here…'
Since the game now reflected reality, Xian suspected there had to be something special about Miri herself. Perhaps a trait that made her excessively easy to conquer when she encountered someone who matched her type.
That was the only logical conclusion he could reach to explain the absurd surge in affection.
He had a feeling that romancing Miri and raising her affection to the [Red Heart] level would be extremely easy if he tried.
Of course, he didn't give in.
It was better to keep her affection hovering at that level. Others might have jumped at the opportunity, but it was far too early for that.
On the fifth day, Xian finally found evidence that Miri was the cause of Carmillia's death. It was quite funny, really. A villainess meeting her end at the hands of her unassuming maid.
As for how she did it? It was unfolding right before his eyes. What remained after talking to Miri was to stalk her, and Xian found that he excelled at it.
"Do you think he can stay here?" An aged yet dignified voice spoke with both concern and a questioning tone. Miri, who was facing this person, kept her gaze lowered to the floor with a disturbed and downcast expression.
"If what you said is true, then in the end, the young miss will chase him away."
"At… at this rate… Sir Xian will be gone…" Stuttering, Miri spoke those words as if it were the end of the world.
While Xian could keep up with Serika through stat dumping, his endurance and stamina would be exhausted long before she even broke a sweat. His attacks would become sluggish, his vision would blur, and his breathing would grow rough until he finally collapsed.
Even if he managed to get back up, Serika, who was still lively would simply crush him again. The good thing was that he was no longer as helpless as before and could properly exchange blows now.
"No! I can't let it happen!" It sounded like she was trying to shout, but her naturally soft and meek voice made it sound more like a cry.
"Please! W-what should I do!"
Panicked, Miri grabbed the other person's hands. Xian leaned slightly closer to get a clearer view.
'She's the chief maid, isn't she?'
The chief maid dressed differently from the regular maids, making her easier to recognize. She wore a purple uniform with puffed sleeves and a wider skirt, her hair tied neatly into a bun.
What he had said to Moris back then turned out to be true after all. A mole still roamed the estate unnoticed.
And it was the chief maid.
He observed the chief maid, who appeared to be in her late forties, and realized that she was not as impeccable as Moris. The fact that he was still able to eavesdrop without being detected proved it.
The Montagne household required a certain degree of capability in self-defense, but the chief maid assigned here was lacking. After all, this estate had only been purchased near the academy city and was hardly one of the Montagnes' main residences.
Xian bet that he could crush her with his current strength, since he had dumped most of his stat points into agility and strength.
"Calm down. There is still a way for him to stay."
The chief maid spoke in a flat tone, yet carried herself with quiet elegance. She neither raised her voice nor lowered it too much. Her straight gait and composed posture revealed long experience in this line of work.
"But if you are going to do this, make sure to steel yourself."
She handed a small vial into Miri's trembling hands.
"W-what is this, Chief Maid…? I…"
"Tonight, you are in charge of brewing the young miss's tea. I will make sure nobody checks its contents, so decide carefully whether you will do it or not."
Miri's trembling eyes slowly lifted to meet the chief maid's gaze, while the hand clutching the vial continued to shake.
"But if something happens to the young miss… Sir Xian will lose his purpose. H-he really seemed determined to serve her."
"Then you simply have to make it so he no longer needs to."
The chief maid gently caressed Miri's cheek as she spoke.
"You will be there once he loses his purpose. You will save him from his loneliness, won't you, Miri?"
Xian found those words strange.
'Is Miri really this gullible?'
"Yes… You're right. I'm the only one Sir Xian needs. He doesn't need anyone else…"
Instead of regaining composure, she seemed to fall into a daze, as if half awake.
"Good. Now go on and fulfill your mission."
"Yes…"
'I think I get it. She's been placed under a trance, hasn't she?'
The chief maid must have used some method to make Miri obey. It wasn't that she was easily conquered. She was simply under the chief maid's influence through an unknown means.
Xian followed Miri closely. Although his body still ached, he had grown used to the pain by now. In the dark corridors, her footsteps echoed through the silent halls, while Xian, moving barefoot, stepped lightly with barely a sound.
"Miri." After making sure that the two of them were alone, Xian called her name.
"Huh? Sir Xian?" She turned to him, clearly puzzled and only just recovering from her trance-like state.
"Yes, it's me. I couldn't sleep and saw you while taking a walk."
"You can't do that! Sir Xian needs to recover for tomorrow's spar! There are only two days left, you know?"
"It doesn't matter. I can't make it anyway."
Miri's mouth hung open, unable to say anything. Her pupils trembled as she bit her lip and stared down at the floor.
"D-don't worry about that, Sir Xian. Tomorrow… you don't need to…"
He took advantage of her distraction and slowly stepped closer. Xian met her eyes with his. Even the color of her pupils was a common shade of brown, but behind them lingered a cloud of darkness that was hard to see, a small detail clearly visible on mind controlled charaacters in the game.
'The signs of mind control.'
Before she could step back, he held her waist and gently touched her cheek. The moment he did, she stopped resisting and obediently allowed herself to be held in his arms. Her gaze locked onto Xian as if waiting for instructions.
'So this is how it feels?'
Today was his first time taking advantage of someone under hypnosis. It was an eerie and unsettling feeling, like looking at a puppet instead of a human.
The chief maid's actions earlier were familiar to Xian. They were gestures used to trigger a victim's trance in order to plant suggestions in their mind. For a dating sim game, there were many dark aspects hidden within its mechanics and gameplay.
The abuse of spreading reputation. The manipulation of misunderstandings to gain greater affection returns. And this.
Hypnotizing a heroine to romance them. He was never fond of the method because it felt pointless. Its convenience was undeniable, though.
Also, instead of achieving a [Red Heart] at the end, the heroine will instead achieve the [White Heart] as a consequence.
Why?
Because once a player started using it on a heroine, they could never stop. If the heroine broke free, she would immediately hunt them down with a [Crimson Heart] upon realizing what happened.
Still, the method was popular among speedrunners who only cared about killing bosses and collecting items.
'I'm never going to be like those lunatics.'
In Miri's case, she wasn't being conquered. She was simply being used to carry out the culprit's orders.
In that sense, the chief maid resembled those speedrunners.
"Now then, tell me, what were you about to do, Miri?" He made sure to ask and end his sentences in her name just like how the chief maid did.
"Sir Xian… I was about to brew and deliver tea to the young miss…"
"And?"
"And?…" Miri tilted her head, confused.
"What were you about to put in her tea, Miri?"
"I was about to put her favorite tea leaves, jasmine and hibiscus—"
"Not that. You know there's something else given by the chief maid, Miri."
"Oh… that… It's in order to… save you Sir Xian." There was some hesitation but with her muddled mind, she answered honestly.
He smiled. He could've just ended all of this in one order, but Xian wanted to try more things.
"Hm. Very well. If it's for me, could you instead put it two days later Miri?"
"But…"
"No buts. That's your new order, Miri."
"Mhm. Okay, if you say so."
"Good. You can go now."
"… If you'll excuse me." She bowed obediently and went on her way like nothing suspicious happened.
"Haah." Xian let out a sigh with a smile. He couldn't believe how unlucky Carmillia is to get two death events in the tutorial period.
'Is there going to be a third?'
Carmillia was truly a magnet for trouble. It was a miracle just to reach the academy at all. At this point, he wondered if the true "special butler" was the one who thwarted the poisoning and somehow survived the coachman's attack.
He checked his character sheet to review the current progress of a trait being unlocked.
[Shackled One (Sealed Traits: ??? Lvl 18, ??? Lvl 28 — 69/100, ??? Lvl 38)]
It was the level 28 trait that was currently progressing. He predicted that, just like equipment, the trait would only provide a portion of its effects at first. Sometimes those effects were even divided into stages.
'But I don't think that's the case for this one.'
He could feel the gap between him and Serika closing. Of course, if she fought seriously, he would die instantly, but for training and a basic spar, he already qualified.
It must have been the work of this trait.
The next day passed peacefully, with Xian still losing. Then came the day of the deadline Carmillia had set.
Still harboring [Black Heart: 70] toward him, the number had climbed even higher.
"So, you didn't make it, little butler." They were speaking inside an office prepared especially for Carmillia. It was decorated with jars of dried flower heads, shelves lined with books, and a seat reserved for honored guests.
"Indeed, young miss. It's unfortunate," Xian replied plainly.
"Then, as I said before, leave the estate and return to wherever you came from."