Surviving as a Maid in a Horror Game-Chapter 13.2

Would someone, one day, look at my hands and say they couldn’t believe something so ordinary could belong to a murderer?

How did it come to this? Tears welled up in my eyes, but oddly, my heart felt lighter. Even if the demon in front of me wasn’t purely evil, even if I had attacked someone to save him, it was enough that he was no longer writhing in pain. That thought alone seemed sufficient, even if it left me feeling uneasy about myself.

Still, thinking this in front of a corpse… I really must have gone mad.

“I’ll bring the doctor back, but for now, let’s head to my room. We need to treat the wound on your face,” Adrian said firmly.

The moment I took his hand, he pulled me up effortlessly, almost lifting me off the ground. While I managed to stand, my legs wobbled, refusing to support me. Adrian, noticing this, naturally held me steady. Normally, it was the other way around—me supporting him. It seemed killing one person had invigorated him.

“D-Dr. Hubert? He scares me. Can’t we just let this heal on its own? Natural recovery!”

“Hilda, your cheek is so swollen I can’t believe you’re even saying that. Look at yourself in the mirror later—you’ll be begging to have it fixed.”

“Is it that bad? This is your fault, Young Master! If you’d taught me how to use weapons properly, I wouldn’t have had to fight with a shovel and end up like this!”

“How is this my fault? I taught you perfectly well. You’re the one who couldn’t use what I showed you.”

“What do you mean by ‘perfectly well’? All you did was weigh down a small dagger with a bunch of nonsense, then drag me to a village talking about how practice makes perfect, only to handle everything yourself in the end—ow! Ow! Don’t pull my cheek! I’m a patient!”

[Title changed: Demon’s Right Hand.]

“Ow, ow! That hurts!”

“Stop whining and open your mouth wider,” Dr. Hubert muttered impatiently.

“I-it hurts!” I mumbled through tears, my words slurred. Hubert frowned at my broken speech but didn’t say much. It wasn’t annoyance—it was exhaustion. After all, he’d been dragged out twice in the middle of the night. If he wasn’t flipping tables and storming off, he was practically a saint.

I’d suggested calling him in the morning, but Adrian had coldly dismissed the idea and summoned him anyway. Hubert’s polite yet irritated demeanor said it all. Adrian didn’t seem to care.

“We need to see if it needs stitches, but there’s too much blood to tell right now. Let’s stop the bleeding first.”

“Stitches?! You’re going to stitch the inside of my mouth? That’s horrible—ahh, ahhh!”

“Dr. Hubert, I told you to be gentle.”

“Yes, yes. I’ll be more careful,” Hubert replied, his tone dripping with thinly veiled sarcasm.

I understood. Overworked employees often cared little about their bosses when all they wanted was to crawl back into bed. But I also understood Adrian’s behavior. I had been a lifeline for him—a cure for his suffering. No wonder he felt indebted enough to act like this.

“Fortunately, it’s not deep enough to need stitches,” Hubert finally said, wiping the blood from my mouth. “But be careful with hot foods and drinks for a while. I’ll give you an ointment for the swelling and bruises on your cheek. Apply it regularly.”

Relief washed over me as I realized I wouldn’t need stitches. I accepted the ointment with trembling hands as Hubert began packing his medical bag.

“Let’s check the wound again in two days. Thankfully, it’s not serious…”

“Then why is she still shaking?” Adrian interrupted sharply, stopping Hubert in his tracks. “She wasn’t like this before we came here. Did you hurt her?”

Both of their gazes fell on me, and I realized with a start that I was trembling. I hadn’t even noticed.

“Y-Young Master, I think it’s just because I’ve relaxed. Leave me alone for a bit, and I’ll be fine. If you’re worried, let me warm up by the fireplace. My hands and feet are freezing.”

I tugged lightly at Adrian’s sleeve, signaling that Hubert didn’t need to stay. Adrian hesitated but finally nodded, allowing the doctor to leave. Hubert, no doubt grumbling internally, hurried out of the room, probably dreading the additional cleanup waiting for him.

Adrian led me to the fireplace, settling me down in front of its comforting warmth. The crackling flames were strangely soothing, and as the heat seeped into my body, my trembling began to subside. He draped a thin blanket over my shoulders and handed me a mug of warm milk.

This is way better than some mythical magpie bringing seeds. Adrian not only gave me wealth and experience but also this level of comfort. A gold-spoon magpie? A proud octopus like me could only smile.

“Young Master, are you feeling better now?” I asked, looking up at him. There was no notification, but I still wanted to confirm.

Adrian pulled up a chair next to me, his expression unreadable.

“I thought you were going to die,” I said softly. “Seeing you bleed like that…”

“The soul of a demon inhabits the body of a powerful nobleman’s son. Do you think I’d die that easily?” he replied, tilting his head slightly.

Despite his casual tone, I knew better. I had seen the notifications, the blood. He was just pretending to be fine. I nodded firmly.

“You looked like you were about to die.”

“…Fair enough. The human body is fragile.”

He glanced away, perhaps embarrassed. His reaction was… strangely endearing. God, was I losing it? Now I was finding this cute?

“But Hilda,” he continued, his tone serious, “if you’re going to kill someone in the future, you need to prepare yourself better.”

“I thought I was prepared…”

“You were trembling like a leaf and still pushed through to help me?”

The words stung more than I expected. I hadn’t sought praise, but his cold observation drained the energy out of me.

Then, something warm brushed against the back of my hand. I turned to see Adrian’s pale, slender fingers slowly tracing the bones of my hand, as if playing a delicate instrument. His thumb finally settled on top of mine, covering it completely.

His hand wasn’t just resting—it was enveloping mine. I had always thought his hands looked thin and elegant, but I hadn’t realized they were large enough to completely cover mine.

It was strange. The warmth of his hand felt so human, so alive. I had imagined a demon’s touch would be cold, harsh, and cruel. Yet here he was, radiating warmth and steadiness.

“Soft and fragile,” he murmured, almost to himself. “It feels like it could break if I squeezed too hard.”

“….”

“You saved me with this hand.”

It seemed he had reached his own realization.

That I had saved him… I couldn’t help but think of it as the excuse of a murderer. Yet the thought brought me an odd sense of solace, even as it gnawed at me like sandpaper against raw skin. If I could go back in time, knowing what I know now, would I still make the same choice?

Probably. I’d still pick up a weapon to save him.

I wasn’t choosing Adrian, per se. It was just that, with him standing there, I couldn’t bring myself to choose anything else.

Strangely enough, I found that I needed his warmth as much as he needed mine. So I left his hand where it was, hoping he wouldn’t pull it away—at least, not until the trembling stopped.

Still, a part of me felt guilty. Was it really okay for a common maid to hold the hand of a noble heir like this? It wasn’t exactly normal, was it? He didn’t go around holding Emily’s or Katarina’s hands like this.

“Young Master… Should I move my hand? I’m fine now,” I said cautiously.

“Hilda, I’m disappointed. I didn’t think you’d be this selfish. My hand is still trembling, and you’re just going to let go?”

“…Your hand is trembling?”

I glanced down at his hand, steady as a rock.

“I just killed someone, Hilda. Isn’t it natural to be scared?”

When I tried to pull my hand away, Adrian protested fiercely. The problem was that his complaints were complete nonsense. If his hands trembled that much, how did he manage to kill someone earlier? And he did it so expertly, too.

When I narrowed my eyes and stared at him intently, he finally started shaking his hand, as if to prove his point. Is it just me, or is this demon getting increasingly cunning?

"While I was fighting that rapist earlier and coughing up blood, I couldn’t help but think… Is this how you feel when you're in pain, young master?"

"You coughed up blood? Let me see."

"No, no! I’m fine now, so don’t worry. That’s not what I wanted to say… It hurt so much that my vision blurred, and my coughs felt like vomiting. Even though it was brief, I thought I might die. And then I realized… you must have been suffering like this ever since you were a child. Every moment must have been excruciating, and yet you had no one by your side to hold your hand. You must’ve felt so lonely and struggled so much."

"…"

"Because of that, I can’t see your attempts to save yourself as purely selfish or wrong anymore. Funny, isn’t it? I used to be so terrified of you…"

"This time, you saved me."

"…"

"You saved me with these hands."

The warmth in his touch, once comforting, now clung to me damply. Shadows danced in the flickering firelight, weaving between our hands, over and over. It was because I had seen his agony that I resolved to kill. And then, a main quest I didn’t even know existed appeared out of nowhere, only for me to fail it. Since Adrian is the protagonist of this game, my relationship with him is steering the story in unexpected directions.

I don’t know how many main quests there are in total, but if I stay close to Adrian, will the day come when I can complete the final main quest?

Is Adrian, the protagonist of this game, the one keeping me trapped here, or the one who will eventually set me free? My mind spun with questions that had no answers. It felt like standing at the peak of a mountain, surrounded by thick fog, unable to see anything.

"Ha, is it even possible to go back…?"

"Go back where?"

Though it had been a mere whisper, Adrian immediately picked up on it like a knife. I felt a subtle pressure on my hand. It seemed like he was trying not to squeeze too hard, but his fingertips were already white from clutching mine so tightly. Right, he’s a monster who can hear even the faintest breath. Crap, at this rate, he’s going to break the handle.

"I didn’t say anything like that."

"No, you definitely said something just now."

"I really didn’t. Oh… suddenly my head hurts…"

When my denial didn’t work, I resorted to the most unconvincing performance of feigned illness in history, only for him to stop mid-retort and close his half-open mouth. The look in his eyes screamed that he wasn’t buying it.

What, why, what now? You fake being sick and fragile all the time while getting exactly what you want! As I stared at the immovable Adrian and let out a small laugh, I suddenly realized how recently I’d started laughing in front of him. That realization startled me.

I guess this is just how life works. What once felt strange becomes familiar, what was uncomfortable starts feeling natural, and before you know it, you’re sitting next to someone you thought you could never get close to.

The fact that this someone was a demon was odd, to say the least, but surprisingly, it wasn’t all that bad. Actually, it was… nice. I liked this kind of daily life. I closed my eyes, feeling at ease.

The problem arose when I closed my eyes so comfortably. It was late at night, and I was about to drift off as exhaustion caught up with me, only for the system message to pop up, disrupting my sleep: “You cannot lie down because there is no pillow.”

Groggy and annoyed, I muttered something about going to my room, but Adrian, in a move that felt like the fantasy equivalent of asking, “Want to come in for ramen?”, insisted I stay. He was stubborn even when I made every excuse to refuse, so it took quite a while to get out of there. He even argued that we’d held hands and slept together before when we were kids, so why was it an issue now?

That was when we were children! We’re both adults now! The mere fact that I’d stayed so late with him was dangerous enough; I couldn’t risk it getting worse. Adrian looked genuinely disappointed, but this was one line I couldn’t let him cross.

That night, Jed appeared in my dreams, looking horrific. He bled profusely and died right before my eyes, startling me awake. My heart pounded, my hands trembled, and I couldn’t calm myself for quite some time. The Jed my guilt conjured up was even more grotesque than the real one.

Tonight, I’ll definitely use the Sleep Tight skill before I go to bed. It’s a shame it can’t be used in combat, but for everyday life, there’s no better skill.

When I tried to discreetly withdraw my hand, Adrian vehemently objected. The problem was that his protest was such an obvious lie that it wouldn't hold water. How did he manage to kill someone before if his hands supposedly trembled so much? He’d just come back from doing it so skillfully too.

I narrowed my eyes and stared at him, and only then did his hands start shaking. Somehow, it felt like the demon was getting sneakier.

“When I fought that rapist earlier and ended up coughing up blood, I couldn’t help but wonder... Is this how much pain you feel, too, young master?”

“You coughed up blood? Let me see.”

“No, no! It’s fine now, so don’t worry. That’s not what I meant to say. What I was thinking about was... it hurt so much that my vision blurred, and I felt like I was going to die from coughing so violently, even though it only lasted a moment. And then I thought, the young master must’ve been in this kind of pain ever since he was little. Constantly suffering, without anyone by his side to hold his hand. It must have been so lonely and hard.”

“……”

“That’s why... I couldn’t just think of you trying to save yourself as something entirely bad anymore. It’s strange, isn’t it? I was so scared at first, but…”

“This time, you saved me.”

“……”

“With these hands, you saved me.”

The warmth between us, which had been merely comforting, now clung to me with a certain dampness. The shadows cast by the fireplace flickered repeatedly over our hands as they intertwined. I had decided to kill someone after seeing how much pain this demon was in. That triggered a main quest I didn’t even know existed, which I then failed. And because Adrian was the protagonist of this game, my connection with him was driving the game in unexpected directions.

I couldn’t tell how many main quests there were in total, but if I stayed by Adrian’s side, would I eventually receive the final main quest and see it through to completion?

Was Adrian, the protagonist of this game, the one preventing me from escaping it, or would he be the one to let me go? These unanswerable questions spun endlessly in my mind. It felt like standing on the peak of a mountain, surrounded by mist, unable to see anything.

“Ha, can I even go back…?”

“Where are you trying to go back to?”

Although my mumbled words were barely audible, Adrian caught them sharply. I felt a subtle pressure in his grip. It seemed he was trying not to crush my hand, as his fingers had turned pale from gripping the armrest so tightly. Right, I almost forgot—this guy could probably hear even the faintest of whispers. Geez, at this rate, the armrest might break.

“I didn’t say anything like that.”

“No, you definitely did just now.”

“Really, I didn’t. Ah, my head suddenly hurts…”

When my feigned ignorance didn’t work, I resorted to a laughably poor performance, pretending to be in pain. Adrian’s half-parted lips closed again, and his eyes narrowed in suspicion.

What, why? You’re no better—you’re always acting weak and frail while getting everything you want. Watching Adrian, who couldn’t move an inch, I let out a small chuckle. Then I realized how recently I’d started laughing in front of him and was momentarily startled.

I guess that’s how life is. What once felt unfamiliar becomes familiar; things that were uncomfortable start feeling oddly comfortable one day. You end up sitting next to someone you thought you could never get along with.

The fact that this someone was a demon made it all the more bizarre, but surprisingly, it wasn’t bad. No, it was even good. I liked this kind of life. I closed my eyes in contentment.

The problem arose after I closed my eyes. It was late at night, and exhaustion was finally catching up with me, making me drowsy. But just as I was about to drift off, the system message popped up, declaring, “You cannot lie down without a pillow,” rudely disrupting my rest.

When I groggily said I should head back to my room, Adrian tried what could only be described as the in-game equivalent of “Want to come in for some ramen?” No matter what excuse I came up with to refuse, he stubbornly insisted, making it hard to leave. He even argued that we’d held hands and slept together just fine as kids, so what was the problem now?

Well, the problem is that we’re adults now! Just staying late with him was already crossing a dangerous line—I couldn’t let it get any riskier. Adrian looked visibly disappointed, but this was a boundary I absolutely couldn’t compromise on.

That night, Jed appeared in my dreams in a horrific state. He was bleeding and dying, and I woke up with a start, heart pounding and hands trembling so badly that I couldn’t calm down for a while. The Jed in my dream, created by my guilt, was even more gruesome than the real thing.

Tonight, I have to use the “Sleep Tight” skill. It’s a pity that it can’t be used during combat, but there’s no other skill as helpful for daily life as this one.

“Your face is a mess.”

Adrian had told me to check the mirror at dawn, and now I understood why. My face was swollen and bruised, a sickly bluish hue spread across my cheek. Walking around like this would probably make my already infamous reputation even more fearsome. What am I, a gangster?

I carefully applied the ointment Hubert had given me and covered the bruises with a wide bandage. Perfect. If anyone asked, I’d just say it was swelling from a toothache. That should be believable enough, right?

Although, who gets this swollen from a toothache? Maybe I should say it’s related to a wisdom tooth. Mulling it over, I left my room, only to be handed a huge pile of laundry by Retisha, who claimed she’d been looking for me. Thankfully, she didn’t ask about my injuries. In fact, she left before I could even ask her about hers.

What’s with her? Is she doing some kind of pre-summer cleaning? Not that I mind—it keeps me busy, and being busy is better than being idle and letting my thoughts consume me.

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“Better finish this and check on Adrian.”

It looked like every single bedsheet in the mansion had been washed. The tub I carried was full to the brim with white sheets. Struggling under the weight, I made my way to the laundry line, located in a sunny yard next to the garden. It was early morning, the perfect time for quiet, uninterrupted work under the warm sunlight.

“Big sis, big sis! It’s been a while!”

I was hanging a sheet when I heard someone running toward me. It was Rosie.

“I’m here with another pencil delivery! I was worried because I haven’t seen you for days!”

Oh, right. I’d asked her to handle that for me. Between the Joanne incident and my visit to the marquis’ estate, I hadn’t been keeping track. I crouched slightly to meet her eye level as she approached, thinking once again how adorable she was.

“Thanks, Rosie. Where are the pencils?”

“I left them at the ‘Free for Anyone’ signpost! Even while you were gone, I kept bringing them there.”

“Really? Did anyone see you? Security around here is usually strict.”

This was still a count’s estate, after all. Without permission, even acquaintances couldn’t easily come and go. That’s why I used to meet her at the gate to pick up the pencils myself. The fact that she’d continued delivering them on her own, even leaving them at a signpost, made me anxious. Rosie, puzzled by my concern, tilted her head before flashing a bright smile.

“What do you mean, big sis? Compared to assassinations, this is child’s play!”

“Oh, uh… right. I guess so.”

Right, I almost forgot—she’s an incredible hitman. Using someone like her for pencil delivery really is a waste of talent.

“When I asked if you were okay, I meant it—nothing strange has happened to you, has it? Things have been quite unsettling lately, big sis.”

“Huh? Unsettling? What are you talking about?”

“Have you not heard? There’s a rumor going around about someone killing criminals. Three people from our organization have already died, and everyone’s on edge. For some reason, whoever’s doing it cuts off their hands.”

At the words “someone killing criminals,” my heart sank. But as Rosie continued, my anxiety faded. Phew, it’s not about me. I breathed a sigh of relief but couldn’t help worrying about the little girl in front of me, with her chubby cheeks and bright eyes.

Shouldn’t she be careful too? If anyone’s in danger of being labeled a criminal, it’s her.

“You don’t need to worry about me, big sis! If anything, I’d be thrilled if they came after me. Whoever it is, they’ve got an impressive technique for cutting hands cleanly. I’d love to have a duel with them!”

As if she could read my mind, Rosie covered her mouth with her hand and giggled. Honestly, if you ignore what she says, she looks like any other normal, cute kid. But killing only criminals? The concept felt eerily familiar, and I couldn’t help wondering about the killer’s true motives.

Here I am, trembling over having killed just one person. How do they manage it? Are they a righteous vigilante obsessed with justice, or are they just using that as an excuse? I don’t know. I already have enough on my plate.

“Still, Rosie, it wouldn’t hurt to be cautious…”

“Cautious?”

“Yeah. Stay safe, okay? If someone’s going around killing criminals, Kaden and Grover might not be safe either…”

“What are you talking about, big sis? This whole world is kill or be killed. Surely you’ve realized that by now?”

“Kill or be killed?”

I stared at her, feeling as if I’d been struck. She tilted her head, as if wondering why I didn’t already know this.

“This world is made up of criminals and bystanders. Pacifists and victims just get wiped out. Among the bystanders, only the ones ready to grab a sword or a gun when the opportunity arises survive. If you’ve been thrown onto a battlefield like this, you have to fight with them, right? Who’s going to listen to someone calling for peace or telling others to be cautious?”

“But still, killing people…”

“If you don’t want to kill, then you should just die! I doubt you’ll find anyone in the village who thinks like you do, big sis. Honestly, it’s a miracle you’ve survived this long!”

Wait—so killing people here isn’t considered a big deal? Watching Rosie laugh innocently, my head felt like it was spinning.

Is this really how everyone thinks? That killing someone is just part of life? I wanted to deny it, but when I thought about Jed—the serial rapist I’d killed—it seemed to align with the truth. Jed had raped and killed multiple women. The count kept him around despite knowing that. Everyone in the mansion silently obeyed the count’s orders, and even the guards, aware of the deaths, did nothing. I guess in this world, that’s just normal.

I never expected my moral values from my original world to perfectly align with this one, but I didn’t think it would be this different. Maybe it’s like how we don’t kill spiders at home because they’re beneficial insects, but in someone else’s house, they might crush them without a second thought.

Well, it’s a horror game setting, after all. What’s a little murder here and there? Despite the lingering guilt, this realization felt oddly enlightening.

Unlike me, who was lost in thought, Rosie suddenly stopped humming and playing with her feet. She lifted her head, her gaze directed somewhere far beyond where I could see.

“The scary king has arrived.”

“Huh?”

“Someone it’s better not to get involved with. I’m leaving now—I’d rather not get tangled up. Bye, big sis!”

Before I could even respond, Rosie finished speaking and darted off in the opposite direction. A moment later, I figured out who she’d meant by “scary king.” My vision turned crimson, and Adrian appeared.

“…Hilda, where did you meet someone like that?”

Adrian’s eyes were fixed on the direction Rosie had disappeared. Ah, no. I don’t want to revisit the whole Kaden and Grover situation. Rosie getting involved would be a disaster. I hunched my shoulders and muttered a lie that was so flimsy even I didn’t believe it.

“W-Who are you talking about?”

“She’s still young, so I won’t interfere. But there’s nothing good about keeping her close. Stay away from her as much as you can.”

Adrian’s voice carried genuine concern. The two of them were saying the same thing about each other—did they plan this? Do they know each other or something?

I wanted to ask what he meant by “someone like that,” but I didn’t have the courage to hear his answer and decided to let it go. Besides, I couldn’t remove her from my favor targets even if I wanted to—she’s already locked in at maximum favor.

“Hilda, why do you look so shocked?”

“...Young Master, may I ask you something? About where you used to live, I mean. The place where demons resided—did they have any sort of ethical code or moral standards there? I was just wondering…”