Chapter 3

Chapter 3 (3/223)

"Why are you pretending not to know? Between us? I know you've raised me since I was born, but in a way, that's why I'm bound, isn't it?"

To Aliod, Krasu was both the father who raised him and someone precious.

However, there was one worst rule for the butler of Balheim.

This rule determined their success based on how much influence their served direct line had within the family.

They had to follow their served direct line for life.

Even if that direct line was sent to the Chungsong Pavilion, they had to follow.

There was only one way to escape this cursed structure.

When the direct line they served died.

Of course, when the direct line they served died, they usually retired as well.

But in Aliod's case, the story was different.

Because Krasu's third elder brother had made him one proposal.

The one condition was none other than the poisoning of Krasu.

He said that if Krasu was poisoned, he would provide a new place for him to live and a large sum of money.

'The third elder brother hated me intensely.'

The fundamental reason the third elder brother hated him was due to the fourth elder sister.

The direct line of the Balheim family consisted of five members.

Among them, two were actually half-blooded compared to the others.

The first to the third were the children of the former wife.

The fourth and the youngest, Krasu, were the children of the current wife of the Balheim head.

And among them, the fourth, Krasu's elder sister Charlotte Balheim, was the biggest problem.

'The greatest genius born in Balheim.'

Charlotte, who possessed a talent that might appear once in a thousand years, even in Balheim.

Based on this talent, Charlotte Balheim overturned the direct line position within Balheim in an instant.

As a result, not only the third elder brother but also the second elder sister had their direct line positions taken by Charlotte.

This led the third elder brother to harbor unexpressed anger.

The family openly favored Charlotte, making the third elder brother a mere side dish.

'That third elder brother's angry gaze was directed at none other than me.'

A half-blooded youngest with poor skills.

Even the newly married mother of Krasu hated the third elder brother.

He poured all his anger on the helpless Krasu as Charlotte grew, pushing him down in the direct line.

To the point where he really wanted to kill Krasu.

'Since he couldn't oppose Charlotte, he must have vented his anger on me, who somewhat resembled her.'

For Krasu, it was a shocking situation, but he had no power to resist.

Even the butler who was supposed to serve him eventually agreed to the third elder brother's offer.

"Whatever. If you're going to pretend not to know, I won't bother."

Krasu didn't particularly scold Aliod.

In the end, the butler's betrayal to the third elder brother was because Krasu was a half-blood.

Krasu was still alive because the poisoning had failed.

Of course, it was natural.

On the day Aliod decided to carry out the assassination.

'That guy committed suicide right in front of me.'

Aliod took the poison from the stew just before Krasu was about to eat it and drank it himself.

"I am sorry, young master. I have committed a sin worthy of death. You are as precious to me as my own child, how could I..."

The image of Aliod apologizing as he died from the poison that day was still vividly imprinted in his mind.

"In return, follow me a bit."

But that aside, he had something to ask.

"......Yes."

Had there been some change in his mindset?

Aliod answered quite readily.

Krasu, not paying attention to such Aliod, moved his steps.

'At this time, it should definitely be there.'

Krasu hoped his memory was correct as he headed for the library of the Chungsong Pavilion.

The library, filled with numerous books, was actually just for show.

Krasu, who had actually read books here, knew that there weren't many useful ones.

The Chungsong Pavilion wasn't a place where the abandoned of Balheim were sent for no reason.

There was nothing useful in the Chungsong Pavilion.

Except for one thing.

"Master Krasu, are you looking for a specific book?"

Aliod, seeing Krasu suddenly enter the library, asked in confusion.

Krasu, without answering, moved to the bookshelf.

"Aliod."

"Yes."

"Clear this away."

Aliod showed confusion.

However, Krasu's command felt impossible to refuse.

'Where have I felt this before?'

The head of the family.

The head of the Balheim family.

But he quickly dismissed the thought.

Comparing the head of the family to Krasu was premature.

Aliod removed all the books from the bookshelf and then cleared the bookshelf itself.

What appeared was an ordinary wall of the library.

"This wall, Vera."

"Yes?"

Clear the bookshelf, and now cut the wall?

It was a completely incomprehensible story.

But Aliod was Krasu's butler.

Unable to refuse his command, Aliod immediately drew his sword.

A bluish aura began to surround his sword.

As a butler of Balheim, one must possess the skills of a high-level knight.

Only then could they assist the direct line of Balheim.

"I will cut it."

With a rising sword aura, Aliod cut the wall.

Krasu, who faithfully followed his command, completed the clean cut, and a loud sound echoed.

Shortly after, the outer wall of the library fell backward in a square shape.

At that moment, Aliod realized.

There was a space beyond the outer wall of the library.

A place even Aliod, assigned to the Chungsong Pavilion, did not know.

As Aliod stared at the place in a daze, Krasu crossed the cut outer wall.

"Good job."

Krasu briefly praised Aliod and walked inside.

Aliod, as if entranced, followed Krasu inside.

Shortly after, they faced a massive lock.

A lock larger than a human hand was firmly placed in front of the door.

Krasu stood in front of the lock, which was covered in dust.

"Should I cut the lock as well?"

"No, that's enough."

The wall beyond the library.

When he came here before, it was already burned to ashes and meaningless.

But now it was different.

It was a matter of a distant future.

'The Chungsong Pavilion is definitely a place where the abandoned of Balheim are sent.'

That's why Krasu, a half-blood, was sent here.

Krasu spent his time here idly.

But the original purpose of the Chungsong Pavilion was not for such malicious reasons.

Although the meaning of the Chungsong Pavilion had faded over time since the establishment of Balheim.

The original purpose of the Chungsong Pavilion was to help those born without ability in Balheim to shine again.

But the Chungsong Pavilion's original meaning changed due to one incident.

The worst disgrace and demon of the Balheim family, who grew up in the Chungsong Pavilion and tried to destroy the Balheim family.

By Demaris Balheim.

'Thanks to him, this place was hidden.'

Another person like Demaris must not be born.

That's why this place was hidden.

The secret archive of the Chungsong Pavilion.

A place for the half-bloods of Balheim.

A place unknown even to the direct line of Balheim, unless one was the head of the family.

Krasu, who arrived at this place, placed his hand on the massive lock.

A lock that even a high-level knight like Aliod couldn't cut.

But Krasu was different.

What was the first thing to do to steal?

It was to pick the lock.

For Krasu, who had picked countless locks, the secret archive lock of the Chungsong Pavilion was an easy task.

'Should I show you my current skills?'

Krasu immediately activated the Black Hood.

The Black Hood, which steals what the target possesses.

It applies equally to objects.

The only difference is that value judgment is not necessary for objects.

Especially for objects that have had no owner for a long time.

Clunk!

At that moment, the ring of the lock was gripped in Krasu's hand.

Thud!

The large lock, having lost its ring, fell to the ground.

Seeing the situation unfold in an instant, Aliod's eyes widened.

Meanwhile, Krasu casually threw the ring to the ground.

"......Master Krasu, have you made a contract with a god?"

Aliod, surprised, asked if Krasu had made a contract with a god.

The ability Krasu just showed was clearly a skill.

Skills are unpredictable and exert a force of compulsion.

So when Aliod asked, Krasu glanced at him.

Apparently, at this point, he had not yet made a contract with a god.

"Whatever, just a mediocre god. You can report to my father. The archive is also fine."

The butler's work is reported to the head of the family, his father.

Knowing this, Aliod, after a moment of silence, bowed and said,

"I will remain silent until at least Master Krasu's work is completed."

The response was quite unexpected.

In Krasu's memory, Aliod was a person with a strong desire for success.

And the reason for his desire for success was his daughter's incurable disease.

The salary he received from Balheim was all used for his daughter's treatment.

But even then, the money was insufficient.

So he needed more money.

That's why he accepted the assassination proposal from Krasu's third elder brother.

Ultimately, he put poison in the stew.

And the reason he ate the stew himself was also for his daughter.

That day, seeing his daughter in a critical condition, he lost his mind.

On the day he was to carry out the assassination in exchange for better treatment from the third elder brother, his daughter died of the incurable disease.

Aliod, after his daughter's death, regained his senses and, instead of Krasu, ate the stew and died.

His last apology also contained guilt for not helping Krasu grow as a butler.

Just for being born as a half-blood.

Now he was showing such an attitude.

'Has he seen some vision in me during this time?'

Krasu, who changed overnight.

It was a situation that was hard to understand.

But if he had made a contract with a god, it was a different story.

Even a half-blood could change overnight depending on which god he made a contract with.

The skill given by a contract with a god was valuable.

So Aliod changed his mind.

If Krasu could see the light again, it might be possible.

'At this point, Aliod has only received a proposal from the third elder brother but hasn't acted on it yet.'

Technically, he hadn't betrayed Krasu yet.

If Krasu didn't focus on right and wrong, it was a situation that could be overlooked.

'So this is the drawback of regression.'

Krasu vaguely understood why Arthur hated regression.

The Aliod who drank the poisoned stew and the Aliod he saw now were different people.

And they would definitely take different paths.

Because Krasu had changed.

Arthur, unable to bear this discrepancy, must have ultimately had his regression stolen.

'The