Chapter 6: No trap is impenetrable (as long as it’s one set by your own side).
I wanted some time alone.
A holiday. A vacation. A break. Time off. Whatever you called it, I didn’t have it.
I had daily pleasures, of course. Having Liz, a cute and competent subordinate, was a joy in itself. Perhaps wanting alone time when I had a personal maid was a luxury.
It wasn’t that I had no personal time. I had my own room, and Liz was often busy, so we weren’t together 24/7.
But my permitted range of movement was extremely limited.
I wasn’t allowed to leave the suburban mansion. Even within the mansion, despite the abundance of empty rooms, I wasn’t permitted to enter all of them.
My bedroom.
The dining room.
The bathroom.
The hallways.
The library.
A small section of the garden.
That was it. That was my world.
This place was, in a sense, a luxurious prison. A container for the “Virus King, Lord of Disease,” a ‘convenient tool.’
And yet, this was all what I had asked for.
Even with my freedom restricted, I was undeniably a supreme commander of the Demon King’s army, the Virus King, Lord of Disease, and the master of this mansion.
I understood that His Majesty’s, Liz’s, and my own restrictions were meant to ensure my safety.
Incidentally, the reason the empty rooms were off-limits was because they were filled with traps.
Now, I held a map of the mansion in my hands.
More accurately, it was a trap map. A blueprint of the mansion’s traps, detailing their activation conditions and effects.
Liz had strictly forbidden me from taking it outside the mansion.
The traps were broadly divided into two categories.
The first were “security traps” designed to detect intruders.
On Earth, these would be things like wind chimes and bells in ancient times, or infrared and pressure sensors in modern times. In this world, the high-tech equivalent was an enchantment that detected magical signatures.
The second category was “lethal traps” designed to eliminate intruders. These were Liz’s masterpieces, showcasing her skills as an assassin.
Spike-filled pitfalls.
Tripwires connected to poison darts.
Magic circles imbued with offensive magic, including instant death spells.
And so on. Lethal traps designed to completely eliminate intruders. They covered almost every angle.
Almost. There were a few holes.
The biggest loophole was that I, to Liz, was the Virus King, Lord of Disease, the person she was supposed to protect.
Some traps were triggered by magical signatures. More precisely, by unregistered magical signatures. Meaning there were safe zones where the traps wouldn’t activate for me, the registered protectee.
On the other hand, purely physical traps—like pitfalls where the floor would give way—didn’t discriminate.
To avoid triggering those, I’d been specifically warned about the most dangerous ones and instructed to avoid trap zones entirely. I’d also been given this top-secret map.
Taking all that into account, while the mansion’s security system was a multi-layered network of traps, there were holes.
Holes that required crawling to get through.
So, I crawled across the lawn, keeping my head low. If I raised it any higher, I’d be met with a volley of arrows.
“Come on,” I whispered to one of the Barghests behind me once I’d covered some distance. It was also crawling, presumably. I couldn’t see behind me, so I could only assume.
My destination was the back door. No lock, just a metal gate reaching chest height, secured by a simple latch that could be opened from either side. Leading to a private road, it appeared vulnerable.
But there were traps.
However, there were fewer lethal traps around here. There was always the possibility of an unsuspecting civilian wandering in.
“Go.”
At my command, the Barghest slipped through the gate, gently nudging it open with its snout. The gate was enchanted to trigger an alarm in response to life signs, even through gloves or armor.
But the Barghest was a magical lifeform, close to an undead. Outside the detection range.
The traps were impossible for me to bypass alone. But with the Barghest’s cooperation, they became manageable.
We successfully navigated the trap zone.
“Good job!” Once clear of the gate, I vigorously petted the Barghest’s head and chin. It closed its eyes contentedly.
After a satisfying petting session, we both stood up.
“[Cleansing],” I muttered, brushing off the grass stains and using a basic purification spell to remove any lingering dirt.
I checked the function of a rarely used, rather niche amulet designed to disguise my race as a dark elf.
“Let’s go.” I set off towards town, the Barghest trotting by my side.
At dusk, having enjoyed half a day of freedom in town, I vigorously pulled the rope connected to the bell at the mansion’s main gate.
“Liz, open up!”
“Yes, yes… I’ll open it now, please wait a moment…”
Liz, dressed in her maid uniform, opened the iron gate. She looked utterly exhausted.
“…Um, Master. Could you please explain… how were you able to bypass the trap zone, as an ordinary human, without triggering a single alarm?”
“Hard work and dedication,” I replied.
“I’m worried about security.”
“I can understand your concern.”
“Just so you know, I knew the moment you left the grounds.”
“Huh?”
“…Did you think I wouldn’t notice?”
“I just wanted a day off, alone, for once.”
“…Are you dissatisfied with me?”
Oops.
“Ahem.” I cleared my throat and put on my most serious face.
“Liz. I’m sorry. —That’s not it.” I said emphatically.
“I love you, Liz! I cherish you enough to spend every moment with you!! But sometimes I just want a little break, by myself!”
“What are you talking about, Master?!” She blushed furiously.
“What? But…”
“I was referring to your security detail and treatment! I most certainly wasn’t asking about your personal feelings towards me!”
“Aww… but I was being sincere…”
“Yes, yes… If you want some alone time, I can protect you from a distance…”
“That’s not quite the same.”
“But I was with you today, even if you didn’t realize it?”
“That’s impressive, but…”
“I haven’t confirmed any assassination plots that could account for such an impromptu outing… Please understand, Master, that even leaving the grounds is a high-risk activity for you.”
“I’ll try to refrain from doing it again.”
“Please do…”
“Want to go together next time?”
“That might be preferable… Those ten seconds between you disappearing from the grounds and me locating you are quite dangerous…”
Ten seconds.
The alone time I’d savored had, in reality, only lasted ten seconds.
“I’m constantly on high alert… and you were gallivanting around the market, the general store, the bookstore, the cafe… You seemed to be having quite a lot of fun, Master.” Her gaze was slightly accusatory.
“Being alone was nice, but it would have been even more fun with you, Liz.”
Liz’s lips curved into a small smile.
“I’m honored to hear you say that. …So, how did you get through the trap zone?”
“Not here. Let’s talk about it over dinner.”
“Very well.”
“What’s for dinner?”
“Your favorite, stew.”
“Really? I’m looking forward to it.” Even though it was summer in Japan, once the sun set in this world, it became cool enough to enjoy a stew.
At dinner:
“Wait, you crawled?”
“Yep.”
“And you used a Barghest? Ah… to fool the traps that react to living beings…”
“Uh-huh.”
I spooned some of Liz’s delicious cream stew into my mouth. Liz, who had been silent for a while, wearing a complicated expression, gave a weak smile.
“Master, you’re really human, right…?”
“I’m definitely a normal human.”
I affirmed with conviction. That much I could say with confidence.
“Normal people… don’t crawl through trap-filled areas to sneak out…”
She had a point.
Leave a Reply