Surviving As An Obsessive Servant Chapter 162

“By now… he should have arrived.”

Alexis stared at the setting sun, thinking of his son—who looked nothing like him.

He had helped him prepare a ship to reach Dif’s base and even provided a special compass that worked only there. Yet, the boy had shown no gratitude, acting insolent to the end.

Even in their final conversation, he had been suspicious.

[ …Then why did you help me? ]

[ I didn’t help you. I helped him. ]

[ …? ]

[ Lobel did a good job. ]

Edric had furrowed his brows as if he couldn’t understand.

Alexis had agreed with his reaction—it was a strange thing for him to say, even to himself.

Among the Duke of Denkart’s retainers, capable individuals were as common as stones on the road.

There were elite subordinates who silently handled the dirtiest tasks. The two standing by his side now, Denian and Benjamin, were among them.

And yet, Lobel was neither loyal nor sycophantic. He didn’t even look at Alexis with admiration.

But there was one thing Alexis was sure of.

…There had never been anyone as reckless as him.

Even when he rubbed his tired eyes, even when he curled up for brief moments of rest, Lobel had continued preparing to break Denkart’s ancient curse.

And when he had finished his preparations, he didn’t press Alexis, demanding when the curse would be lifted.

Instead, it was the duke who had been left waiting.

Waiting for that brazen voice to say, “So, our young master doesn’t have a curse anymore, right?”

Alexis had planned to give him a great reward. He had already refused previous offers, so it was only right to compensate him even more.

But rather than taking anything for himself, Lobel had thrown himself completely into looking after Edric.

Thinking back, he had always been that way.

For seven years, he had survived in the underground quarters with nothing but a thin blanket. Yet, when Edric returned to the mansion, he would prepare his bedding as if it were the most important task in the world.

[ Wain, swap it for the best one. I’m counting on you. Got it? ]

Alexis had once witnessed that scene by chance, and it had left a deep impression on him.

Perhaps, in the end, even Alexis had been affected by Lobel’s relentless devotion.

“Denian, Benjamin.”

“Yes, Your Grace.”

And in that moment, Alexis realized something else.

There wasn’t much time left for him to be called duke.

Rather than feeling regret or emptiness, he felt relieved.

“You informed them that the succession ceremony has been postponed, right?”

“Of course!”

It was against Edric’s wishes, but his aides responded with unwavering confidence.

The young master, who had been unable to walk as a child, had grown into a strong man. That fact alone was a source of pride for them.

They, too, had long dreamed of seeing Edric ascend to his rightful place.

Edric, once he found out, would no doubt raise his voice in protest. But Alexis remained firm.

This was not just anyone’s will—it was the current duke’s decree. The wishes of the future duke could only be honored once he actually inherited the title.

Besides, Alexis had something to look forward to.

He wanted to see that guy smirking and saying, “See? I told you our young master would grow up and become the duke.”

Then, he would finally feel like he had fulfilled his duty completely.

It had been unsettling when Lobel wasn’t there to witness the moment the Denkart curse was broken.

Even now, he felt the same.

He hadn’t known he had this sentimental side to him.

“He’ll be back soon. Prepare everything so that we can hold the succession and wedding ceremonies the moment he returns—make it grand.”

According to the records of the magical kingdom, Edric’s attempt was dangerous.

The World Tree could drain his strength and life force, killing him. If that happened, he would never return.

But Alexis didn’t even consider the possibility.

Without hesitation, he turned his gaze back to the sunset.

 

 

***

 

 

 

Edric had set out for Dif’s stronghold, but the journey was not as easy as he had hoped.

The location was on the exact opposite side of the Terua Sea—a terrifying place where even massive ships were said to be swallowed by the waves.

Bracing himself, he boarded the ship and used the faint remnants of his spirit power to navigate.

…?

Yet, strangely enough, nothing happened.

The sea’s weather was calmer than he had expected. There weren’t even waves to speak of—it felt more like drifting across a still lake.

Because of this, their speed increased significantly. While it was fortunate, the sense of unease only grew.

He realized why the moment the ship arrived.

On the shore, he spotted Lobel wandering around, holding something like a compass.

“This is strange. Why isn’t this working?”

“……”

Staring at her in disbelief, he hesitated before calling her name.

“…Lobel?”

“….”

At the sound of his voice, Lobel let out a startled “Huh?” and turned her head.

Their eyes met.

Just as Edric lost his words in shock, Lobel, too, stood there, dumbfounded.

He was supposed to be at the guild headquarters working on the new elixir—so why was he here?

No, there was no guarantee that Edric wouldn’t have the same knowledge she did.

If he had found a clue to transferring the remnants of the Dif tribe’s power, he would have come here as well.

“You’re not even well—why are you here…?”

That meant she had to send him back.

Snapping out of her daze, Lobel shoved the compass into her pocket and hurried toward him.

“I’ll take care of this, so go back.”

Her stern expression made it clear that she was genuinely furious.

Rather than explaining, Edric decided to show her directly.

“I can still do it.”

He held out his hand.

The back of his hand, where blue veins protruded, had a long scratch from lowering the sail.

It wasn’t a fatal wound, but the blood hadn’t even dried yet.

“Why… a wound…”

Lobel’s eyes widened in concern.

The remnants of his purification power worked slowly, but the wound gradually closed before disappearing entirely.

Lobel had watched in distress the entire time, but the moment the healing was complete, she scolded him.

Why didn’t you use it before?!

“If you had that much energy left, you should’ve saved it to heal yourself first!”

“……”

Having only thought about getting through the moment, Edric hadn’t anticipated this reaction. He shut his mouth in surprise.

Biting her lip in frustration, Lobel reached out to run her hand over his hand, trying to heal him again.

But nothing happened.

In her house, it had seemed like she could use at least a portion of her abilities, but this entire time, nothing had worked.

Edric pulled Lobel into his arms and reassured her.

“I was born a Dif, so I’ll be safer. Stay here until I check things out. When I come back, we can go togeth—”

“Okay, let’s go.”

Lobel’s immediate agreement took Edric aback.

She flashed a bright smile, though there was a tinge of irritation behind it.

“But when we get back, I’m going to see Manell first.”

…Manell?

The name was irritating whenever he heard it, but this time, it felt especially unbearable.

“You know what? We decided to talk casually with each other. Turns out, he’s younger than me.”

“……”

That ridiculous title and her nonsensical excuse were clearly meant to provoke him.

Even knowing this, Edric’s lips tightened into a firm line.

He knew exactly how many times Manellano had demanded to enter the Denkart estate just to see Lobel.

That persistent, annoying bastard acted as if he would haunt Lobel even in the afterlife. It had been a constant irritation.

And if that wasn’t bad enough, there was someone even more infuriating.

“Oh, and there’s Ivo orabeoni, too.”

“……”

“Actually, the last person I saw before coming here was Ivo orabeoni.”

…The last person she saw before coming here wasn’t her parents, but Ivo Martin?

Edric wanted to ask if she had lost her mind.

Before heading to a dangerous place like this, shouldn’t she have at least asked for permission from her mother and father?

If she was going to say goodbye to someone, it should’ve been them—not Ivo Martin, who might put on a kind face but was more cunning than anyone.

Even Robere Flor would’ve been a better choice.

Whether she was aware of his frustration or not, Lobel continued, her tone playful.

“Do you want to know what we talked about…?”

“……”

She deliberately paused before glancing at a charred tree.

The gesture was clear—I’ll tell you over there, not here.

When Edric hesitated to respond, Lobel immediately picked up on his conflict.

“Come on. We’re on the same page, aren’t we? That’s why we met here again.”

“……”

“We’re fated to be together, after all.”

That was true, but…

As he hesitated, unwilling to put her in danger, she spoke in a teasing tone.

“Sweetheart, how about we go on a forest date? We’ve never kissed somewhere secluded before.”

…I can’t win.

But knowing what must have driven her to come this far, he could no longer argue.

As he sighed in surrender, Lobel beamed. That meant yes.

Before she could celebrate completely, Edric added in a firm voice.

“If there’s even the slightest danger, you need to return immediately and wait for me.”

“I will.”

Only after making her promise several times did Edric take Lobel’s hand, ignoring the way she clung to him with exaggerated affection.

Using Lobel’s journal and Edric’s compass, they entered the forest.

Lobel was relieved that Edric’s compass was still working. Hers had been fine until she arrived, but here, it had completely stopped.

As they walked through the woods, she kept the conversation going.

“The parts of this journal I couldn’t read when I was younger… Do you think the Dif tribe tampered with it?”

“Yeah. They must have used their power to conceal parts of it, preventing information about their existence from spreading. That way, they could protect themselves.”

Edric’s calm explanation cast shadows over Lobel’s face beneath the trees.

It reminded her of the smile he had worn in front of her family’s portrait.

Rather than resenting her for having a family he didn’t, he had seemed relieved for her.

To shake off the lingering sorrow, Lobel deliberately brightened her tone.

“Do you think there are tree monsters or root creatures here?”

“…Are you hoping there are?”

Edric let out a helpless laugh but remained on high alert, tightening his grip on his sword’s hilt.

If something dangerous appeared, he would protect her.

But the path remained eerily peaceful.

Aside from the blackened, withered plants and cracked soil, there were no signs of immediate danger.

The abandoned village of the Dif tribe was just as empty.

Edric searched each hut for any signs of life, but there wasn’t even a single insect.

“…Is this really the place?”

Standing beside him, Lobel let out a soft sigh.

She had expected as much, but still, it was disheartening.

This place, supposedly once blessed by gods and embraced by nature, now looked nothing like the sanctuary of a noble and honorable people.

At the village’s center stood the towering World Tree. Its trunk was so massive that its full width couldn’t be measured, and its leaves were enormous.

But it was rotting, blackened—more akin to a grave marker than a sacred tree.

Lobel set her sights on it.

“So… this is what we need to fix, right?”

“Yeah. But it could be dangerous, so let me check—Lobelia!”

Before he could finish his sentence, she had already moved.

Threads of white light spread like cobwebs beneath her boots, multiplying into hundreds and thousands of strands that raced toward the World Tree.

As soon as the purification magic touched it, the tree began to glow white.