8 CHAPTER VII: TRUST




 A light blinks, and a scream that seems to tear the silk echoes through the house.
 Ru hovered in the air, engulfing the bodies on the stone platform. It was the first time I'd ever seen someone blow up. It's probably some kind of offensive magic that Lord has rarely used before.

 Lord's expression is the same as always. His eyebrows didn't move or his cheeks didn't twitch, but there was definitely a fire of anger behind his cunning eyes.

"Luu, did you-- did you plot against me? I told you. I told you to tell me if anything happened to the wound.

"What?

 Luu can't answer due to the shock of his fall. You can't answer.

I never told you to lie to me.

 Luu reported. But it seems the Lord chose to believe me and Lou.
 So be it. He's confident in his necromancy. The word of a slave - a slave who doesn't see much value in it - is not worth considering. Especially if it's ridiculous.

 I knew that. That's why I missed it.
 I watched. I've seen Lord treat Lou disrespectfully many times.

 Maybe he dreamed that by giving an honest report he could win Lord over and get better treatment.
 If I were Lu, I certainly wouldn't take such an action. I guess she wasn't desperate enough to gamble on such a slim hope.
 Slaves aren't even allowed to argue.

 The Lord kicked Luu several times, then grabbed him by the neck and brought him to my side, where he didn't even twitch.
 A small drop of blood fell from Lou's dark lips, as if he had cut himself in the mouth. For a moment, the drop emitted a wonderful fragrance, and I almost lost my expression, but I hurriedly kept my face expressionless. Fortunately, the Lord seems to be concentrating on the chastisement of his slave and doesn't notice.

"Hey, trash. What's changed? Tell me again.

"Oh, ......, .......

 Lord's gaze, and Lu's blank stare, falls on my scar. There was a scar that looked no different from the one Lord had given me when he scarred me. To be precise, it may have changed a little, but Lord didn't look at it that closely.

End. Arms up. Let me and him get a good look at that scar.

 I followed his orders and raised my arm. The scar is exposed in the dim darkness with only a few candles lit.
 The scar, which should have been healed by a werewolf, is still clearly visible.

"Hey, Lu. I'm going to ask you one more time. "Hey, Lu, I'm going to ask you again.

Reference ...... Master ......, this thing--itself--

 I'm not sure if it's fear or the fact that I've been beaten up so much. I'm not sure if it's because I'm a bit of an idiot or because I've been beaten up too much.

"End, come on. He's saying that you ...... gouged out your own scar. d*mn, man, is that-- is that true?

 Yes. The answer is yes. But I'm not answering.

 Orders have to be precise. If you wanted me to answer, you would have had to order me to answer. It doesn't. So I'm not obligated to answer.

 It was a loophole in the absolute control that wisdom allowed.

 The Lord looked at me for a few seconds, but I guess he had already come to his own conclusion. He immediately returned his gaze to Ru.
 Luu's shoulders shook with fear. He spat back at me with a pale face.

"Sir, sir--this is--this is a lie--

"Yuck yuck. I've never told you, Luu, that you're a slave. ...... The undead are in absolute obedience to the sorcerer who created them!

 I'm sure you're not the only one.
 I watched him do it with my arms raised. Because I hadn't been ordered to lower it. That's natural for a loyal carnivore who can only follow orders.

"Hmm? Did you think you'd get better treatment if you reported an anomaly? You think you can fool me with your uneducated, useless brain?

 Alas, the faithful slave who reported the anomaly to his master, however, was not trusted by his master. I guess it's what you do every day that counts. Or perhaps it depended on the master's character.
 If he had kept quiet, he would not have been chastised, but I do not pity him for that. Maybe Lou was the reason I had my freedom tied up.
 Is it because I'm a ...... cruel person that I can't have an ounce of mercy?



"Oh, ......, ......, this guy's done books before.

Shut up! You're no better than a corpse!

 It seems that they knew he was reading a book. I don't know when he found out about it ......, but since Lu's job includes organizing the library, it's not surprising that he found out about it.
 But it would be wrong to bring it up now. Lord is right - Luu seems to have a useless brain.

 For a few minutes, the only sounds were the sounds of people being beaten and moans mixed with screams. Eventually, the Lord had had enough of the beating, and said to Lu, who remained motionless on the ground.

The next time you report a falsehood, I will tear your flesh apart alive and eternally inflict pain on your soul.

 There was power in his voice. It had the ring of truth.
 A necromancer. The words of the Necromancer, the master of the art of desecrating souls that everyone abhors, caused Lu's body, lying on the ground like a corpse, to convulse.

 Finally, the Lord looks at me.

"End, you can put your arm down.

 You can put it down. It wasn't an order and I wasn't obligated to obey, but I was a loyal carnivore, so I put my arm down.
 The Lord sniffed somewhat disapprovingly at that and healed the wound on my arm. Perhaps he thought it was pointless since there was no change after a day. I'm relieved that he didn't show it on his face, because I was tired of the pain, even though I could endure it. Thanks to Luu.

"Lu, clean up this room as you found it. The bodies in this room are worth more than you. You bought it for a single gold coin.

 A gold coin. I wonder what my price was.
 I've never heard of a dead body being bought, but it was probably more than a single gold coin. After all, I was chosen from among so many corpses to protect Lord.

 The Lord leaves the room. Only Luu remains in the morgue.

 Luu has fallen flat on his face and shows no signs of getting up. Maybe Lord took it easy on him, but he's not dead. I could clearly hear her breathing.

 But I'm worried. She's one of us. Like a colleague in a different capacity. If a colleague is down, you help.

 I wasn't under orders not to move, so I stretched and slumped down beside Luu.
 I had to be careful that the Lord didn't reconsider and come back. This time it was my lack of attention that caused it. I won't make the same mistake.

 Lou looks up. His unfocused eyes trace my face.
 He wipes a drop of blood from the floor with his finger, picks it up, puts it in his mouth and licks it.

 And I learned for the first time that people can look like demons when they are really surprised.
 But to no avail. The Lord - who didn't seem to believe in you much to begin with - ...... will never believe a word you say.