Surviving As An Obsessive Servant Chapter 159

A deep, searing humiliation burned in Heaz Rezendar’s crimson eyes.

He had known that Difs possessed purification abilities passed down through generations—

But he had never realized they had such a capacity for destruction.

And he certainly had not expected her to wield it like this.

Forcing his expression into careful neutrality, Heaz made an excuse to the nobles about checking on the situation outside.

Still smiling, he descended the stairs—

But his eyes were blazing.

When he finally handed the parchment to Lobelia Flor, his fury only deepened.

“…Is this everything?”

The information had been carefully selected—

A summary of what the Duchess had said, as well as details of the enchanted stone tablets he had withheld from Edric Denkart.

Yet, despite receiving it, she still didn’t trust him.

She scrutinized both the parchment and Heaz with evident suspicion.

The sight of it made his anger boil over.

Unable to bear her distrust, he reached out to snatch the parchment back—

But she swiftly pulled it behind her and spoke coldly.

“If this turns out to be a lie, today will be the least of your worries.”

“……”

“All of Rezendar’s lands might just find themselves in the grip of a devastating drought.”

With that final threat, she turned and left.

Alone, Heaz glared out the window, his fists clenched.

As time passed, the frost outside—previously growing heavier by the second—suddenly vanished as if it had never been there.

The nobles who had witnessed it gasped in awe.

But Heaz barely spared them a thought.

It didn’t matter.

There had been weather anomalies in the southeastern territories recently—he could spin this as another strange occurrence.

If he offered the nobles enough valuable gifts, their silence would be easily bought.

His family’s honor would remain intact.

And if I kill that woman…

Running a hand through his hair, Heaz narrowed his eyes murderously and moved toward the door.

As the host, he couldn’t disappear for too long.

He reached for the handle—

And then—

The moment he opened the door—

He locked eyes with an arrogant golden gaze.

Manellano Stell bared his teeth in a grin.

“Well, fancy seeing you again, Duke.”

“……!”

Heaz barely had a second to react.

Manellano didn’t wait for an answer.

He slammed his fist into Heaz’s stomach.

Pain exploded through his gut.

Heaz collapsed to his knees on the carpet, gasping for air.

Clutching his abdomen, he struggled for breath—

But Manellano didn’t even look at him.

“……”

His sharp gaze swept the empty room before him.

Then, as if following a pre-planned script, he shut the door, locked it—

And pulled the curtains closed, casting the room in dim light.

Still gasping, Heaz barely had time to process before Manellano grabbed him by the collar and dragged him to a chair.

Then, forcefully shoved him into it.

Settling into the seat directly across from him, Manellano leaned in, his fingers interlaced.

“…Now it’s my turn to talk.”

“……The Stell family acts like common thugs, I see.”

“Oh, come on. Do common thugs go hunting for enchanted stone tablets? Half of them don’t even know such things exist.”

…So that’s what he’s after.

Annoying.

Utterly annoying.

Heaz clenched his teeth, refusing to lower his gaze.

A sharp, metallic taste spread in his mouth—he must have bitten his tongue when he was hit.

The dull pain in his jaw, the stinging in his gut, everything about this situation was infuriating.

But he swallowed his anger and forced himself to speak.

“How much is Denkart paying you? Whatever the amount, I’ll triple it. Walk away.”

Despite his best efforts—

Manellano only scoffed.

“You really don’t get it, huh? And to think that brain managed to become Duke.”

“Don’t be a fool. You’re willing to risk your entire family for a handful of coins?”

Heaz knew of the long-standing connection between Edric Denkart and Manellano Stell.

So, he made an educated guess.

Cornered, Denkart must have sought his help—

Perhaps offering the steward girl as well, dragging her into the mess.

But—

That assumption was wrong.

“You should worry about your own safety before you start worrying about my family,” Manellano said.

“I’m not as nice as Lobel.”

“…Is this because of that woman?”

Manellano didn’t answer.

But the way his brow twitched ever so slightly was enough.

The fact that Heaz Rezendar had even spoken her name—

Disgusted him.

…That lowly commoner—

Heaz’s fury burned.

More than the idea of Denkart sending someone to attack him—

It was the insult of it.

A mere commoner had caused him, a noble Duke, to be humiliated like this.

Grinding his teeth, Heaz forced himself to think.

…Manellano Stell can’t actually do anything serious to me.

Even if the estate was emptied of attendants, the walls were still guarded.

No matter how skilled Manellano was, there was no way he could kill him and smuggle his body past the castle’s defenses.

This was nothing more than petty revenge.

A pointless beating.

Heaz almost laughed.

But the moment he figured it out—

Manellano spoke.

“You’re wasting your breath. I know you have more hidden. That wasn’t everything.”

Heaz stayed silent.

Manellano merely shrugged.

“Yeah. Didn’t think you’d answer.”

Then—

He flexed his fingers—pushing down on his knuckles until they cracked.

Pop. Pop.

A slow, deliberate sound echoed in the dimly lit room.

Realizing what was coming, Heaz snapped.

“You bastard—”

“Hey, watch your mouth,” Manellano smirked. “Where else are you gonna find a dog as handsome as me?”

The small bottle of holy water beside him had once belonged to his grandfather.

His grandmother had treasured it, using it only in her final days.

Before passing away, his grandfather had left strict instructions—

That it should only be used for the one he loved.

That it should never be spoken of to those who sought immortality.

And now,

here he was,

about to use it on some bastard he couldn’t care less about.

Manellano let out a wry chuckle at the irony.

But in the end,

This was for Lobel.

And that made it worth it.

 

 

****

 

 

 

With Elkatan’s sponsorship, a certain guild leader had been in high spirits lately.

The rare herbs discovered in the northern strongholds had finally led to the development of a new medicine—

And each day, his mood only improved.

But that all shattered when the master of Elkatan personally visited the development site.

“…A relapse?”

The guild leader was stunned.

Even with the limited records on this rare disease, there had never been a case of relapse in history.

There was no precedent.

No guidelines for dosage, frequency, or effectiveness.

And worst of all—

Ferus was a disease that only grew more agonizing over time.

If the medicine failed, the aftermath would be catastrophic.

A chill ran down his spine, but—

Edric remained completely unfazed.

“Administer the medicine.”

“…It’s too dangerous. We should monitor the situation first—”

The guild leader hesitated.

Defying him could mean losing Elkatan’s funding.

Or worse, facing a far graver fate.

Still, even in this impossible situation, the physician clung to his duty.

Even if this was the heir of Denkart, he could not recklessly authorize the use of an unstable drug.

The patient’s safety came first.

But that didn’t matter.

Edric’s next words made all resistance meaningless.

“I need to look healthy for at least a week.”

“……”

“…Did you not hear me?”

Despite the faint sheen of sweat on his skin, Edric Denkart hardly looked like a patient.

And with that haunting look in his eyes—

He seemed more likely to tear someone apart than to succumb to illness.

“Administer the medicine.”

 

 

 

****

 

 

Every nerve in my body felt like it was burning.

I rushed back to the Denkart estate.

But when I arrived at Edric’s door—

I froze.

I couldn’t knock.

I couldn’t even reach for the doorknob.

…What if just being near him affects him again?

For all I knew, even standing outside this door was putting him at risk.

Paralyzed by indecision, I hesitated.

That was when Limson found me.

“You’re finally back? The young master just stepped out—”

“Where did he go?”

I didn’t even have the presence of mind to greet him properly.

I had to know.

Limson frowned, clearly displeased by my abruptness, but he answered.

“Why do you keep cutting me off? He’s been busy with—what was it—his succession.”

I nearly groaned out loud.

At a time when he should be focusing solely on treatment—he was dealing with this?

I was so frustrated that I couldn’t even speak.

Sensing something was wrong, Limson gave an awkward nod toward the door.

“…Go on inside.”

I pushed it open.

The dim room was filled with the sound of rain and my own unsteady breathing.

“……”

I instinctively scanned the space—more familiar than even my own room.

Finally, I sat down on the edge of the bed.

That was when something across the room caught my eye.

Something familiar.

On his desk—

A book.

One that belonged in our family’s storage.

“…Why is that here?”

I stood, moving toward it.

Limson, who had followed me inside, turned on the desk lamp.

In the flickering light, I stared at the book’s shadowed cover.

It was definitely one from our home.

One of the volumes containing both the first merchant lord’s journal and other gathered records about Difs.

“……”

For years, some city folk had whispered behind our backs.

That our merchant lords embellished the truth about Difs.

That because the species was so rare, we fabricated stories to profit off their legend.

And honestly—

They weren’t entirely wrong.

The first merchant lord had been a great explorer—

But also a failed one.

In the end, he had given up on exploration and settled in the trade city to build the guild.

…That’s why I never told him.

I had refrained from speaking about Difs in front of Edric because—

I wasn’t sure if our records were reliable.

And I didn’t want him to think that our ancestors had treated his heritage so lightly.

But of course—

My father, who loved boasting about our lineage, must have gotten involved.

“…I’ll leave you be.”

Sensing the heaviness in the air, Limson quietly excused himself.

I could only offer him a brief, guilty glance in return.

To distract myself, I decided to read while I waited for Edric.

But the moment my fingers brushed the cover—

A sharp, tingling sensation ran up my arm.

“…?”

Startled, I pressed my palm against it again—

But this time, nothing.

Frowning, I flipped it open.

Even in the dim light, the words stood out clearly.

…Wait a second.

This wasn’t here before.

It was as if missing entries had suddenly appeared.

A child found in a cabin deep in the woods.

A week spent inside the heart of the Dif settlement.

Leaving the journal behind, then returning to the coast with the child…

With every page I turned, my expression hardened.

Then—

As dawn broke, I reached a page smeared with black ash.

…This page was blank when I was a kid.

That much, I knew.

I had touched it before, wondering why it was empty.

Carefully, I ran my fingers across it.

It was rough.

Like there was—

Tree bark.

And suddenly, I remembered.

I had told my father about the bark hidden between the pages.