TMKCBL 08

Chapter 08

A few days later, in the morning.

The first thing I noticed when I opened my eyes was the rope tightly binding my body.

‘No wonder my dream was weird.’

I had dreamed I was being crushed to death under a huge blanket.

Letting out a sigh, I looked around.

“Where is this…?”

And the moment I realized where I was, sleep completely vanished.

“This is the master’s room!”

I jolted upright as if someone had poured cold water over my head.

Well—tried to sit up.

At that moment, a familiar voice came from beyond the back of the sofa I was lying on.

“Master’s room…?”

It was a low morning voice, but unmistakable.

Eden Croiden.

“N-no, Master! Master! You must have misheard!”

I shouted instinctively. Pure survival instinct.

I almost teared up at the pathetic sight of myself squirming on the sofa, but—

Footsteps approached.

Then Eden Croiden’s face came into view as he leaned over the back of the sofa to look at me.

“M-Master…”

“Yes?”

Time to act pitiful.

“Could you please untie this?”

But instead of answering, he stared at me and suddenly asked:

“Master’s room?”

“Master.”

“Master’s room?”

“Master.”

“Master’s room…?”

“Mas…ter.”

He snorted and crossed his arms.

“No.”

“Why…?! Why not?! What could possibly be the reason?!”

I almost shouted, but barely held it in.

Eden Croiden answered shamelessly:

“If I untie you, you’ll run away.”

“I won’t run away.”

“Nomilton says he’s aged ten years chasing you around this past week.”

“He’ll be perfectly fine even if he ages ten years.”

“Should I relay that to him?”

I shook my head frantically.

Seeing that, his smile widened.

“People will be arriving soon, so get some sleep until then.”

“What people?”

Slave traders coming to sell me off?

But his answer was even worse.

“If we’re going to a party, you need to get dressed up.”

‘Oh, God.’

If You really sent me here to help destroy the world… then please just end it now.

I closed my eyes and prayed desperately to a God I didn’t even believe in.

I stared at Eden Croiden’s handsome profile and asked—for the twenty-fifth time today:

“So… when are you planning to destroy the world? Couldn’t you just do it today?”

“Nope. Even if the world ends, I have to see Arthur Camelon get pissed off first.”

‘What a personality.’

Eden Croiden absolutely hated Arthur Camelon.

Simply because Arthur was kind—and had a lot of mana.

Born a commoner, Arthur rose to fame as a hero during the first monster outbreak by saving countless people, and was later adopted into the Camelon ducal family.

Arthur Camelon was the perfect example of a righteous hero.

And the charity party today was hosted by the Camelon family.

And Eden Croiden was taking me there.

Just to provoke him.

‘Is he a child?’

Calling him a mastermind villain would be a waste. At this level, he felt like a minor character who’d get beaten in a single episode.

Surprisingly, though, Eden Croiden was incredibly persistent.

Despite hating the world, he survived until the very end—even as monsters increased and the world fell apart.

‘He survived long enough to watch all the people he hated die.’

Maybe it was his absurd stubbornness that kept him alive.

That mindset of “Even if I die, I’ll watch that bastard die first.”

Bringing me to the party was part of that too.

Right. The party.

Currently, I was sitting across from Eden Croiden in a carriage.

The dress I was wearing had been chosen by him—simple but elegant. The shoes matched the dress—also chosen by him. The hair accessory was a jewel he had found somewhere in the mansion.

And our destination was Arthur Camelon’s charity party.

“Don’t you feel uncomfortable riding in a carriage with a maid?”

So… can I just get off now?

Even when I asked, he simply shook his head.

“Didn’t you know? My father raised me like a commoner when I was young. I’m used to it.”

“I’m not…”

Eden Croiden turned from the window and looked at me.

“Being with you makes me very uncomfortable, Master. I mean, how could someone as insignificant as me sit with someone as amazing as you… I know my place, so please just—”

“Not ‘Master.’ Call me Eden. Darling.”

“…What?”

What did I just hear?

I must’ve misheard, right?

But no.

The bastard repeated it kindly.

“Not Master—Eden. Not ‘master’s room’—Eden.”

“I-I….”

“Yes. Eden.”

You insane bastard…!

My face flushed red, then pale, over and over in anger. The air inside the carriage heated up—purely because of my rage.

Without realizing it, my hand moved to my thigh.

Where my mana gun was.

Should I kill him?

Just as I was about to lift my skirt and draw it—

Eden Croiden gently grabbed my arm.

“You shouldn’t be showing what’s under your skirt already, darling.”

“Darling.”

“Yes, darling?”

“Are you… insane?”

At that, Eden Croiden burst into laughter.

It was so loud the coachman in front even turned around in surprise.

I just stared at him, my face going stiff.

After laughing for a long time, he even wiped tears from his eyes.

Still smiling, he looked genuinely amused.

“You’re the first person to call me insane since my parents died.”

‘That makes sense.’

“Where did something like you come from? Are all of God’s messengers like this?”

“I doubt it.”

“Then are you just crazy?”

“Cr… crazy?”

“Figures. The world’s about to end, so even God’s messenger is crazy.”

He chuckled again.

I stared at him, utterly fed up.

And of course—he kept laughing all the way until we arrived at the party.

“But isn’t it bad for you to be in places with a lot of mana?”

I suddenly asked, remembering something.

Leaning against the window frame, he turned his sharp profile slightly and gave an unpleasant smile.

“That’s why I hate Arthur Camelon. Just being near him makes me feel awful.”

“I see.”

Then what about the venue?

Glancing at him, I saw him smile as if he had expected the question.

“Unless someone’s deliberately trying to kill me, no one would artificially gather that much mana in one place.”

“If they were trying to kill you…”

“Do you think the great hero Arthur Camelon would be stupid enough to kill me in front of everyone? Though… that would be entertaining too. Haha!”

‘He’s definitely insane.’

He suddenly stopped laughing and looked at me seriously.

“What? Scared? Worried I might die?”

“…Not at all.”

“You said you have mana, right? Then you don’t need to worry about dying.”

I pretended not to hear his muttering.

We had arrived at the party venue.

Before getting off the carriage, Eden Croiden grabbed me and explained the story he had prepared for us.

“You are my business partner.”

“In the ‘destroy the world’ business, yes.”

“We are perfectly in sync—two bodies with one mind.”

“That means we’re both desperate to destroy the world together, yes.”

He grinned.

“What did I say? The world is?”

“Rotten.”

“And humans?”

“Trash.”

“Very good.”