After finally waking up, I immediately got thrown into a completely unexpected situation. For one, as soon as I received my new blindfold, I was spoon-fed by my maid and then immediately forced to bathe.
This wouldn't be a bad thing, especially not when I had nothing but the best soaps, scents, and clothing available to me because the Lord of the house commanded it so…
Except for the fact that I wasn't allowed to bathe myself. When I tried making a bit of a fuss about bathing on my own, I was then told that I had the option of letting my maid, Julie bathe me on her own. Or, I could allow the male servants to bathe me.
Basically, allow a perverted maid that I can't even trust to wash me down, or allow a bunch of male strangers to do it.
'There's seriously no winning here. This entire situation is so fucked.'
So, exasperated after seeing that there was no winning in this situation, I decided to simply give in and allowed the maids to wash me.
I would much rather get washed by a bunch of maids that don't care for me and probably feel uncomfortable to touch or be around me than to be left vulnerable in front of my personal maid, temporary or not.
'I know that if given the option, most men would probably pick being bathed by Julie.. However.. I'm not some weirdo who enjoys being oogled or washed.
Especially not by a girl when I'm nearly 2 times her age, and being washed by other people simply isn't something I want to experience as a daily occurrence.'
Exhaling deeply, after being washed and dressed I simply stared at my reflection in the mirror. No one was in the room anymore since I was now perfectly ready to meet the Lord.
I asked for a moment alone and hesitantly, the servants allowed me just 2 minutes. That's more than enough though.
Looking at myself I admired one thing. Despite the hardships and sickness that this body must have endured its whole life, it looked perfect right now.
Smooth, clear skin, neatly styled white hair in a low hanging ponytail and a handsome face with sculpted features despite still retaining a bit of its youthful plumpness.
'Your mother isn't here anymore, but if she were I'm sure she'd shower you in praise you, lucky bastard.'
Shaking my head, I finally decided to do what I had been waiting to do this entire time.
"Status"
Ding!
[ Name: Damian D. Satanel
Age: 16
Sex: Male
Race: Demon
Abilities: ???
Other: The last remaining survivor of the once Great Satanel Household. The sickly youngest son.
As the last to survive, you alone will bear the responsibility and honor of being a Satanel.
However, you will also have to bear the burden of the sins and debts that come with your identity.
You will be hunted and possibly killed by enemies of the household.
Stats:
Strength: 9/70
Agility: 5/70
Charm: 12/70
Intelligence: 10/70
Stamina: 4/70
Magic: 5/70
Luck: 10/70
Pts remaining: 34
More^ ]
Nodding at my new stats I felt a strange sense of satisfaction.
"They're still too low, but this is a good start."
Looking at the remaining points I thought of something.
'It seems that saving my points is possible. How long can I save them though?'
Ding
Responding to my passing thoughts as if they were a genuine question, the small blue status window changed and became even smaller with a different set of words.
[ Saving Limit: Points may be saved until the amount reaches 50.
Expiration: If points aren't used within 14 days after being received they will be automatically allocated into your stats randomly.
More information available^]
'I see, so I still have time. 2 weeks is a pretty good time frame to earn more points. Though I'm sure that'll change once I reach a certain level.'
Pacing slowly and holding my chin while thinking I realised that if I wanted to, I could likely get at least decently strong by saving my points and distributing a lot of them at once into each stat.
Clearing my throat I shook my head and focused on the status again.
'What's the other information that's hidden?'
[Delay: Everytime you surpass the level's threshold you will evolve. You have the ability to temporarily delay the process of awakening new levels and/or skills but at a cost. Delaying can only be done once every awakening.]
"Hm.."
Nodding at the status information I sighed lightly before looking at the status window again to distribute my points. There was no point in saving them right now.
[Name: Damian D. Satanel
Age: 16
Sex: Male
Race: Demon
Abilities: ???
Other: The last remaining survivor of the once Great Satanel Household. The sickly youngest son.
As the last to survive, you alone will bear the responsibility and honor of being a Satanel.
However, you will also have to bear the burden of the sins and debts that come with your identity.
You will be hunted and possibly killed by enemies of the household.
Stats:
Strength: 9/70
Agility: 5/70
Charm: 12/70
Intelligence: 10/70
Stamina: 4/70
Magic: 5/70
Luck: 10/70
Pts remaining: 34]
'Right now, my highest stats are charm, intelligence, luck, and strength. While those are all good stats to build, I currently need to focus on being useful but weak.
If I'm too strong after showing Lucent such a weak and frail looking appearance, who knows what they'd think?'
Thinking back on it I decided that it was better not to immediately appear too strong, since lucent alone seemed like the type to become a problem if I caught his attention. In that aspect at least.
'It's better for me right now if the enemies saw me as weak and unimportant.
However…'
Sighing I couldn't help but shake my head in annoyance.
'I can't completely play the role of a sick and useless orphan.'
'If I'm too pathetic, the Lord of the house would definitely want to get rid of me.
That might not be entirely bad if it's just him kicking me out but I'd rather not deal with the possibility of him deciding to get rid of me permanently for wasting his time and resources.'
Rubbing my chin and looking over the stats I finally came to a decision and nodded. Before I got to finish distributing my points though, Julie knocked on the door and entered.
"Excuse me, I'm coming in."
She said softly as she slowly entered inside of the room as if not to startle me.
I nodded and she wrapped her arms around my arm, hugging it to her chest.
"What are you doing, Julie?"
She froze and tilted her head while looking up at me and I pulled my arm away from her. She pouted and tried to hold onto it again while speaking.
Perhaps being more free with her expression because she believes that I'm blind.
"I'm going to help you get to the Lord's room. It's quite far and you.."
She trailed off while trying to find a way to speak politely not wanting to offend. I shook my head and smiled at her faintly.
"There's no need for you to go that far. I may be like this but I'm a wandering traveller remember? I can at least do this much on my own."
Looking dejected Julie nodded and bowed apologetically.
"I see, I'm sorry. Then please follow me. If you change your mind I will guide you."
Nodding, I followed her closely from behind. Sighing internally as I noticed that she glanced over her shoulder at me a few times while walking.
It was a different look than the ones I received from the other maids and servants at least. Not one of discomfort or pity, or disgust at least.
The scenery on the way to the office was truly breathtaking. About as gorgeous as one could imagine a large manor belonging to a noble in fantasy to be.
It was so beautiful that I don't think anyone would feel bored by the sight even if they lived here for 100 years.
A bit much for a man to enjoy alone though, even if there are servants and maids.
"We're here, please wait a moment."
Tap, tap
Julie knocked on the door to the Lord's room and after a moment there was a response.
"Enter."
The voice sounded firm, authoritative and unwavering.
After being told to enter, Julie opened the door and we entered, Julie waited until I fully entered the room for her to close it.
The room was warm and well ventilated, a soft crackle from a fireplace could be heard and the scent of ink and crisp papers, mixed smoothly with the scent of herbal tea, and wood, slightly refreshing.
As soon as we entered the room, the man sitting at the desk looked up over his glasses and spoke firmly.
"You, leave until you're called."
He spoke while looking at Julie. She didn't even attempt to argue or pout and immediately bowed and left while shaking.
'Right, the classic servants and maids being too afraid of their tyrannical ruler to even look at them without shaking. At least I have an idea of what kind of man he is.'
Sighing inwardly I waited until the man allowed me to sit before sitting in front of him where he had gestured and I observed him as he finished writing something silently.
A large, broad, well sculpted figure. Well maintained and trimmed inky black hair and matching black eyelashes that were long and curled slightly.
His eyes were a striking grey colour and his skin was smooth, slightly tanned, and glassy. Strictly speaking, he looked like a perfect handsome villainous head of a noble family, likely a duke of some kind or an archduke.
Despite his looks, his aura and even the way he held himself felt mature and dignified.
'This kind of character, he's the kind that looks way younger than they are, I wouldn't be surprised even if he was in his hundreds but looked no older than 23'
While I was distracted with useless thoughts and analyzing his appearance, the man finished writing and cleared his throat, breaking the silence.
"Do you know how long you've been asleep?"
"...no, my apologies for taking so long to greet you sir."
Another moment of silence as he stared at me for a few moments. I cursed inwardly at the suffocating atmosphere created by the man whose pressure bore down on me annoyingly.
'Is he testing me? He doesn't seem to actually be offended or anything, seriously these types of characters are the worst because they do as they please without anyone being able to do or say anything no matter how rude or annoying they are.'
A cold sweat trickled down my neck as I slowly controlled my breathing quietly while squeezing my fists into small balls on my lap.
After waiting for what felt like an eternity while only listening to my pounding heart in my ears and my breathing, he finally eased up on his pressure.
Leaning back in his chair slightly and speaking calmly with a slight smirk spread thinly across his lips, he watched me.
"As you know, I've already been made aware of your situation. That's why I called you here."
"I see. So what do you want from me?"
I sat back in my own chair, my hands now a bit more relaxed on my lap as I spoke. However, the Lord's eyebrow twitched slightly at my relaxed expression and he snapped his pen in half.
"Boy, has your lack of sight rendered you a fool?"
His aura seemed to engulf me and the room felt extremely suffocating to the point that I couldn't breathe.
Heuk–
I tried to cough but couldn't, tried to gasp for breath but it was like trying to catch your breath in a room with no oxygen.
I then felt a large palm on my head as he slammed my head down into the desk and spoke again, this time his voice more stern and threatening.
"Tell me, what makes you think that I'd ever want or need anything from you whom I could crush out of existence in my sleep?"
I didn't back down or cower like he had probably expected me to. The moment I was able to catch my breath even just slightly, I uttered a few words in response.
"You do need me. Otherwise you wouldn't have allowed me to rest here or given me this blindfold."
Forcefully, I lifted my head just enough to barely be able to glare up at the Lord who kept my head pressed down without even trying. My gaze burned into his despite the blindfold.
"You wouldn't do something unnecessary, and you wouldn't keep me if I were completely useless to you. So use me."
My entire body trembled as I spoke and I felt like my head was about to be split open, the pain causing me to want to cry out but I grit my teeth and maintained my stance as much as I could.
The room went silent, the tension doubled over multiple times until eventually, he released his grip and let out a satisfied grunt.
Hmph
"You've intrigued me, but let's see if you are bold or just an arrogant fool."
He sat down again. This time he reached into his desk and pulled out a handkerchief, wiping his hands as he spoke.
"Speak, I don't think I have to tell you what will happen to you if you do a poor job of explaining yourself."
Even as I rubbed my chest, taking in multiple breaths while grateful for finally being able to breathe again, I could feel his intense gaze on me.
'Crazy bastard. It was almost over for me.'
"I don't know what you want. I'm not psychic."
Sitting back in my chair and rubbing the back of my neck now, I decided to approach the situation differently.
'If I'm going to try and negotiate then I need to at least seem confident. Even a coward can be ballsy at times.'
Crossing my legs and sitting straight up I decided to rely a bit on my stats.
Earlier, when distributing my points I made sure to plan ahead for any situation. Because in a scenario where being weak is a blessing and a curse, one needs to have at least one thing to help them when nothing else will.
[Stats:
Strength: 9/70
Agility: 5/70
Charm: 14/70
Intelligence: 10/70
Stamina: 4/70
Magic: 5/70
Luck: 40/70
Pts remaining: 2]