< 1.The circumstances of those demons >
“Master, you really don’t know what ‘moderate’ means.”
Hubert muttered as he looked out the window on a morning when heavy rain and lightning were pouring down.
“But the people who suffered through the drought must be cheering right now.”
Elaine smiled softly as she thought of all the people running around in the rain, rejoicing.
After Malek was destroyed, an unbroken streak of clear skies followed, leading to what became one of the worst droughts in history.
If they had left it as it was, this year’s crops would have been completely ruined, and many people would have starved to death by the end of the year.
As the situation worsened, the new emperor, Anais, pleaded with Elaine, and Elaine, in turn, desperately appealed to Sergey. In the end, Sergey set out to bring the rain.
“By the way, that damn dragon is still annoying even after it’s gone.”
“It’s just speculation that the drought was caused by Malek.”
“Master seemed quite convinced, though.”
Sergey had been suspicious of Malek, saying the drought was unnaturally severe.
Fortunately, there was still one dragon stronger than Malek left on the land, and the drought that may have lasted for several years ended.
And Elaine, the only human who could ask the dragon to ward off the disaster that had befallen the human world, stretched out her body with a calm expression even after doing such a tremendous thing.
“I guess it’s because it’s raining, my body feels sluggish.”
“Since we all have nothing to do, why don’t we gather in a dining room and enjoy some delicious refreshments?”
“Sounds great!”
Elaine welcomed Hubert’s suggestion and called everyone to the dining room.
Thanks to Courbet, who quickly prepared tea and madeleines despite the sudden order, the Lindell family’s servants were able to have a warm and fragrant time today as well.
Louisa used magic to make soft music flow, and the sound of rain and music blended together, making everyone smile happily.
As they all sat there, somewhat drowsy, Emily, sipping her tea, suddenly brought up a hot topic.
“But how did these people who are so good at using magic end up as Master Sergey’s servants?”
Everyone’s eyes lit up at that short question.
“…Shall I go first?”
With Sergey absent, Hubert seized the chance to finally air his grievances in front of Elaine.
“It was about 530 years ago. Back then, I was still young and rebelled against my kind, who sought to absorb Ether to become stronger demons. I questioned whether it was really necessary to grow stronger even at the cost of losing all reason.”
“So… what happened next?”
“I was called a coward, a traitor—I was beaten half to death and abandoned in the middle of the wastelands. I nearly died.”
It was dangerous when he was hit by Malek, but if it had been just a little bit later that he was discovered by Rabes, Hubert would have certainly died.
“Just then, Master Rabes, who was passing by, tapped me and woke me up. Actually, I thought I was going to be eaten.”
When Hubert saw the dragon, the natural enemy of demons and beasts and a terrible predator, right before his eyes, he thought it was fortunate.
He had already been dying in agony; if the dragon killed him instantly, at least it would be a quick death.
“But then, Master Rabes laughed and made an unexpected suggestion.”
Hubert recalled that moment, realizing it might have been better to refuse and let the dragon consume his magic core.
[How about you become my servant?]
“Servant?”
[Just live as a human and run errands for me. It’s not a difficult job.]
Though he had accepted death, surviving was still preferable. Becoming a dragon’s servant while merely running errands didn’t seem like a bad trade-off—it was certainly better than becoming a mindless servant of a demon.
“I never imagined my master would disappear after that.”
Hubert let out a long sigh and shook his head.
Bound by an unbreakable contract with a dragon—one of the most powerful beings on Earth—Hubert had spent 500 years as the butler of Count Lindell’s family, ensuring its prosperity while waiting for his master to return.
“I’m sorry, because of me….”
“It’s not your fault, Lady Elaine. My master’s fate is twisted and tangled, and I’m caught up in it—it’s my fault.”
Hubert laughed heartily, but enduring 500 years while waiting for a master whose return was uncertain had been no easy feat.
As Elaine was at a loss for words, Louisa intervened.
“Now, let me tell you my story. I was part of the Ga’al tribe—a prosperous group of demons who thrived in underground caves. I lived quite comfortably there.”
“That’s right. Louisa was basically a judge, if we compare it to humans.”
Courbet, who was close to Louisa, added with a chuckle.
“I’m not bragging, but I was a respected judge. At least, until a chieftain tainted by Ether was chosen.”
He hid the fact that his magic power was contaminated with ether and pretended to be a great person, but as soon as he ascended to the position of chieftain, his true colors were revealed.
His first targets were demons like Louisa—those who refused to bow to authority.
“I was sentenced to 50 years of hard labor in the mines for ‘abuse of power’ by the new judge appointed by the chieftain. It was such an insult.”
For Louisa, who had lived her entire life with integrity, the accusation of “abuse of power” was simply unacceptable.
“So I ran away. Hahaha!”
Louisa gritted her teeth as she emerged from the underground cave.
Just as she stepped onto the surface, however, an arrow struck her from behind, and she collapsed.
“I tried to escape even if I had to crawl, but it wasn’t enough since I was critically injured. I was caught by those guys and almost had my throat cut, but then they suddenly threw me aside and ran away.”
And Louisa could see why they were running away. A black dragon was approaching, emitting a pungent smell of soot.
“I thought I would die there too. But Master Rabes came to me and healed my wounds with his magic and told me to repay him for saving my life. I never even asked to be saved.”
Louisa was dragged into Count Lindell’s house by the scruff of the neck.
Of course, Hubert, who had been busy all by himself, was very happy to welcome his new colleague.
Next up was Courbet.
“I’ve told you this before, but I’ve always been curious about human food. I’ve had a keen sense of taste since I was little.”
The magical core of a monster was food that filled its magical power, and the food that enabled physical activity was usually raw meat from a wild animal.
However, Courbet followed human recipes, cooking meat and seasoning it with spices.
“It’s okay to eat fresh meat raw, but for meat that isn’t fresh or meat from animals with a strong gamey smell, it’s better to sprinkle some spices or season it.”
However, his eating habits led to rejection from his own kind.
“They were torturing me by calling me a hybrid of a human and a demon. Ugh, those guys were awful. But I refused to live on unseasoned raw meat for the rest of my life.”
Eventually, Courbet was driven out of his home.
With nowhere to go, he transformed into a human and lived among them, learning their dishes.
His natural curiosity drove him to become even better than most human chefs, and his passion for cooking only grew stronger.
“That’s when I met Master Lancer.”
Elaine also knew how she met Courbet.
While staying in a village to deal with a locust plague, Lancer stopped by a small restaurant for a meal. After tasting Courbet’s food, he casually mentioned something to Rabes.
“At first, he thought I was human and approached me in human form. But the moment he saw me, he realized I was a demon.”
Like a mouse before a cat, Courbet froze in terror as he was dragged into a dark alley and half-threatened.
“You think it’s okay for a demon to cook human food? That’s really funny.”
“P-please, spare me.”
“Hmm… fine. I’ll spare you. But in return, you’ll be my house’s chef. You can cook whatever you want.”
“Yes…? By any chance, does the Black Dragon enjoy human food?”
“No. Not me, but my contractor.”
Courbet had been frustrated, unable to fully explore his culinary passion in a humble village restaurant.
So in the end, Courbet overcame his fear and walked into the jaws of his natural enemy, the dragon.
“So is it my turn now?”
The next to speak was Marka.
“I’m of the fairy race. We’re different from demons, but humans lump us all together as ‘monsters.’.”
“Oh, here we go with that fairy pride again.”
Louisa teased playfully.
But instead of feeling embarrassed, Marka shrugged her shoulders and raised her chin.
“Fairies have a deep understanding of nature—plants, water, fire, wind, earth… we know their true essence.”
“Is that why you became a gardener?”
“Uh, that’s….”
As Marka avoided eye contact and chose her words, Louisa quickly intervened.
“Marka was actually a well-known ‘poison’ dealer in the backstreets. He had extensive knowledge of toxic plants.”
“Oh!”
Looking at the surprised Elaine, Marka scratched her forehead awkwardly and said.
“Where there’s poison, there must be an antidote. But one of the medicines I needed required dragon scales. So, I took my chances and approached Master Rabes…. and, well….”
“You’ve got guts, trying to steal my scales.”
“Hey, I didn’t mean to steal! I’ll make sure I pay the price!”
“Oh? Hmm… fine. Here, take one.”
To Marka’s surprise, Rabes handed over a scale without much resistance. With it, Marka was able to create a rare antidote, selling it for an enormous fortune.
But dragons were cunning.
“Hey! I’ve come to collect my ‘payment’.”
One day, Rabes appeared in the form of Serge, demanding payment.
“Ah, if it’s money—”
“What good would it do to take your little bit of money? More importantly, my garden is a mess.”
“Yes…?”
“The fairies are very knowledgeable about plants, right?”
“Uh….Yes?”
Sergey chuckled.
“You—become my house gardener.”
Just as she was thinking of living a life of luxury, Marka ended up becoming a gardener for Count Lindell’s house.
“Hah….”
With Marka’s sigh, the other demons also let out deep sighs, each carrying their own story.
Elaine could only sip her tea in a trembling manner.
“This time, I’ll tell my story.”
Another person raised their hand.
And so, that entire day was spent listening to the demons’ pasts and grievances.
But no one could deny that, despite having nowhere else to go, they had gathered here and come to see each other as family, living a happy life.
And the undisputed head (?) of the family is Rabes.
This way, even complaints can be aired because they are family.
* * *
