2nd Day (5) | The Start of A New Life in "Hell" (4)

The once-shining Gold Shrine Mushrooms—one of the most sought-after culinary ingredients in the world—were now emitting a dark, ominous aura as they rested in the butler's palms.

"S-Sir Butler... w-what are you saying here...?" Martha stuttered, clearly confused but also bewildered by the butler's ominous words.

"Hmm? Did I not make it clear?" He feigned confusion, contrasting with the three ladies' unease.

He even playfully juggled the mushrooms in his hands, which only served to further unsettle them.

"One of these mushrooms is the Gold Shrine Mushroom," he said, his tone casual despite playing with what could be a dangerous delicacy, "a mushroom so delicious, your tongue might fall off from the divine taste..."

However, he didn't specify which one was the supposed divine mushroom, continuing to toss them lightly in his hands.

"... but, the other one... is the Devil's Gold Mushroom...!" His tone... turned dark and foreboding. "A mushroom so deadly, it wouldn't just make your tongue fall off—it would turn your insides to messy mush~."

The chilling description alone had the three women recoiling in disgust. This was especially true for the maid Bella, who immediately ran away from the smiling, juggling butler, hiding behind the bandaged knight for protection.

"S-Sir Butler, cease your foolishness at once...!" Martha growled at him, outraged by his recklessness.

"How dare you bring such dangerous mushrooms so recklessly to Her Grace...?! What would happen if Lady Anastasia or even Bella accidentally consumed them? Shouldn't you be more responsible in your duties as a butler?!"

The butler held his chilling smile for a still moment, the knight's accusation hanging in the air as they waited for a response from the juggling butler...

But eventually, he stopped juggling the mushrooms in his hand... casting a downward gaze that hid his expression from them. This shift in demeanor brought wariness to the ladies as they waited for his next words...

But then, he lifted his head... and let out a hearty laugh.

"Hahaha, sorry, sorry, I was just joking~."

"... what?" The three ladies muttered dumbfoundedly at the same time, blinking at his audacity.

"I wouldn't go around bringing poisonous mushrooms near our food. That would be a bit too much even for me, you know."

The ladies still stood in silence, unable to voice their disbelief. They couldn't believe that this butler of theirs had joked about such a thing. Their reaction, of course, brought a bit of amusement to the quite eccentric butler.

"Don't worry. I've said it before to Lady Ana, but you two are also included: I'm not gonna force you gals to eat something that you don't like—especially not poisonous mushrooms," he reassured them.

"A-are you certain, Sir Sebas...?" Anastasia took a step forward, still wary of her butler's antics.

"I'm certain, my lady," he confirmed, a reassuring smile on his face as he bowed his head. "Forgive me for startling you, Lady Ana."

"A-ah, yes, of course, but please... refrain from this mischief of yours, Sir Sebas," she chided, sighing in exasperation.

"As you wish, my lady."

"U-uhm, I'm sorry to interrupt, but..." the maid spoke up, fidgeting from both nervousness and slight excitement, "... is the mushroom in your hands truly the Gold Shrine Mushroom...?"

"Of course, Miss Maid," he confirmed, presenting the two mushrooms toward the three of them. "These are the real deal: THE Gold Shrine Mushrooms~!"

As soon as he finished, Bella immediately dashed forward, startling Martha, who had been shielding her.

The maid stopped just in front of the mushrooms in his hand, her eyes mesmerized by the sight of them as their previous golden glow returned.

"Such radiance...!" she gasped.

"Haha, I'm glad you are pleased, Miss Maid. Well then..."

The butler then promptly handed the two tufts into the maid's arms, surprising her greatly!

"W-what-?!"

"Happy cooking~," he chimed, leaving the surprised maid frozen in place.

The maid was so overwhelmed from being given such a luxurious ingredient... that she turned into a statue.

"Lady Ana," Sebas greeted the still-dazed noblewoman, "shall we check our newly acquired items?"

"Sigh... alright. Please lead the way," Anastasia relented, rubbing her temples. The noblewoman couldn't really decide whether she should be overjoyed or angry right now...

"As you wish, my lady," Sebas said smoothly, leading the way with Anastasia following him with a tired gait.

"M-my lady, please allow me to help," Martha insisted, quickly following after the two... leaving the petrified Bella on her own.

< | X | >

The mistress, her knight, and her butler now stood before a massive wooden cart, towering over them and packed to the brim with an assortment of supplies.

Both Anastasia and Martha were still astonished by its sheer size, unable to comprehend how their butler had managed to haul such a heavy load all on his own.

The butler in question, however, paid their bewilderment no mind as he effortlessly hopped onto the cart, landing atop the stacked crates with practiced ease.

With a sweep of his gaze, he began inspecting the contents of what he had procured the previous day.

"Let's see here..."

He kneeled beside the cart, effortlessly pulling out a large piece of lumber with one hand and holding it up to present to Anastasia.

"First, we've got lumbers for construction," Sebas listed, tapping the solid piece in his hand. "Can't build a settlement without a solid foundation, after all."

Anastasia stepped forward, examining the piece of lumber with a critical eye. She ran her fingers over the rough texture of the wood, nodding in approval.

"These should be enough to begin infrastructure," she confirmed. "The quality is decent, though we'll need more if we plan to expand further."

"We can always make our own lumber too, my lady~."

"Indeed, but it would take quite the timely process and labor... which we have not yet acquired."

"You got a point there, Lady Ana," Sebas agreed with a chuckle, before moving to another part of the cart.

Just then, Martha, having climbed up to join the butler in his inspection.

"Be careful, Martha," Anastasia cautioned, her brow furrowing slightly as she watched her bandaged-ridden knight climb onto the cart.

"I-I'll be fine, my lady! Don't worry...!" Martha reassured with a bright smile, carefully stepping around the stacked crates. "I've... got this...!"

"Welcome aboard, Miss Knight~." Sebas grinned playfully, his usual cheerful tone a stark contrast to Martha's more serious but also struggling one. She was slightly annoyed by his usual cheer but ignored it for the moment.

The knight, now steady on the cart, began to survey the crates with interest. She ran her hand across a crate marked with symbols that seemed to indicate vegetable crops...

"These look like the farming supplies," she commented as she lifted a sturdy hoe from one of the crates. "I assume we'll be making our own farm, then?"

"Exactly, Miss Knight~. Farming tools, seeds for all range of seasons, and even some soil enhancers," Sebas said with a grin, his voice light and playful. "We're going to grow our own food~!"

Martha nodded, mutually and genuinely excited by the prospect as well.

They then moved on to the next set of crates, leaving Anastasia outside the cart. Their mistress, however, scanned through the crates and items stacked along the sides of the cart.

However, her eyes spotted something of interest, narrowing in curiosity.

"... What is that...?"

She moved closer to one of the crates, which had a faint symbol etched into its side—something she hadn't noticed before... but it was something that was quite familiar to her...!

It was the House of Rosavich's emblem.