Surviving as a Maid in a Horror Game

"The more you are loved by your superior, the more troublesome it is."

I woke up on the riverbank, battered by the harsh cold wind. Where am I? Am I still in the game? My hair flew wildly, blurring my vision. I brushed it back with my hands and looked around. Is there no one here?

"Hilda, I'm really disappointed in you."

His voice reached my ears before I could even spot him. I turned around in shock and Adrian filled my sight—dignified and elegant, yet pale. Splendid, yet fragile. He was a beautiful man with an indescribable chill, a demon only I knew.

"I thought you might be somewhat useful. You couldn't even bring one sacrifice. Why should I keep you alive?"

"Master, why are you coming closer..."

"Knowing my weakness but being useless, you're like a blade pointed at me. Why should I keep you by my side?"

"Wait, stop coming closer..."

"Goodbye, Hilda."

He merely reached out his hand. But I was pushed by an unseen force, my feet magically lifting from the ground. Splash! Cold spray hit me all over. It felt like my ears were slapped by the water current.

Did Adrian just push me into the water? Trusting a devil like him was a mistake!

"Argh!"

As I sank to the bottom of the darkness, my eyes snapped open.

I saw an old, white ceiling and realized I had woken from a dream back to reality. Phew... what a relief.

Wait, is it really a relief? Didn't I witness a murder yesterday? Ugh, that's why I had that nightmare. After returning to the mansion last night, I replayed the scene of Adrian entering a dark alley and emerging covered in blood about a hundred times in my head before falling asleep.

As I washed my face, I let my hands fall onto the bed. The image of Adrian after the murder, the knife he handed me, and the vivid bloodstains on my hands still haunted me.

Why can't I forget that scene? In the game, I killed without any problem. Although I think it's just pixels, unconsciously treating them like real people was frustrating.@@novelbin@@

"Thinking of game characters as real people doesn't benefit survival at all..."

A despairing murmur escaped me. Just yesterday proved that. If I had considered them real, I should have stopped Adrian. At the very least, I could have sought help or taken the clear evidence he handed me to the police. But then I would have become Adrian's next target. I would have died early and not even had the chance to have nightmares.

Thinking of them as real people only complicates things. Living in the game world inevitably leads to cognitive dissonance, but from now on, I need to keep my wits about me. Feeling guilty every step of the way won't help me endure by Adrian's side. It's best to stick to the original plan.

For now, I'll focus solely on survival.

I took a deep breath to clear my mind. The first thing I checked upon waking was the favor targets list. I had to see if the two new favor targets I added yesterday weren't causing any trouble.

『Emily: (´︶`)❀ Feeling refreshed after a deep sleep... lv.4 (0/40)

Caiden: o(｀ㅂ´*)o Running away after stealing a wallet... lv.10 (MAX)

Grover: (*｀д´)σ=σ Stabbing a witness in the eye... lv.10 (MAX)』

Sure enough, Caiden and Grover were collaborating in committing crimes. Stealing wallets, stabbing witnesses in the eyes. This can't be. I have to sweet-talk Adrian and cancel these requests today... I can't let my requests cause victims in this pixel world!

「Caiden has completed your request and earned a bonus salary of 23G.」

Money earned through dark deeds is indeed the best.

I got up briskly then sat back down on the bed, happily watching my total wealth increase to 173 gold. It seemed my rationale might vary with the situation, but this was definitely not rationalization.

After all, aren't they just pixel humans having their pixel wallets picked and pixel balances altered? They probably don't even have physical wallets. When their digital money enters my hands, it becomes real money.

I will use it for meaningful purposes. With the devil, to clean and rectify the world...

"Oh, today's the free draw day."

I forcefully suppressed a conscience-laden voice whispering, 'Is this really okay?' and turned my attention to the free draw. If I had only thought about my conscience, I would have been long dead. I could easily trample over this level of guilt.

What kind of crazy item will the free draw yield today? Everything I've pulled so far has been worthless, so I didn't even expect much anymore. Just pressing the button felt like a hassle... this cursed system has trained me too well to expect anything significant to break through the slim odds.

「Probability Up Event!」

What's this now?

As I pressed the free draw, unfamiliar text suddenly appeared, furrowing my brow. A probability up event? What kind of trick is this?

「For you, the faithful servant of the devil, we hold a probability up event!

During the next 5 draws, receive 2 extra draw tickets each time, and the chance to pull a hero item for the devil will significantly increase! Build your infamy and become a true devil!」

Surrounded by fanfares and fireworks, loud effects dazzled my eyes and ears, but I was frowning. I'd suffered too much to be excited by such things. The button for 3 free draws sparkled in front of me, but I hesitated to press it recklessly.

Is this going to cost me money, or will using the free draw tickets increase my infamy? This system strikes from all angles at the slightest opportunity, making it impossible to let my guard down.

After waiting a while for an explanation window that never appeared, I pressed the free draw. Just like in my dreams, the pachinko spun wildly, its rainbow lights brilliant, but I didn't blink. Again, deceiving me, again. I'm not falling for it anymore. They really don't need to put in such effects.

「Fourth Demon Soul

Grade: Hero

Features: One of the ingredients for 'The Devil's Artwork' that can significantly increase Adrian's favorability. Cannot be used alone.」

「Sixth Demon Soul

Grade: Hero

Features: One of the ingredients for 'The Devil's Artwork' that can significantly increase Adrian's favorability. Cannot be used alone.」

「Wrist Guard

Grade: Advanced

Features: Increases arm strength by 15%. No stacking effects.」

「You have obtained a hero-grade item for the first time and earned 700 experience points.」

「You have leveled up to 16. (Title: Devil's Potential Right-Hand)」

What? A real hero-grade item?

It was unbelievable. This system actually gave me something useful. Aren't the Demon Souls ingredients at the crafting station? I looked at the purple and blue jewels and the wrist guard in my hand, my mouth agape.

「Devil's Artwork: First Demon Soul 0/1 Second Demon Soul 0/1 Third Demon Soul 0/1 Fourth Demon Soul 1/1 Fifth Demon Soul 0/1 Sixth Demon Soul 1/1 Seventh Demon Soul 0/1」

I couldn't believe it, so I clicked on the crafting station and it was true. The ingredients for the fourth and sixth Demon Souls were filled 1/1!

My goodness! I was ecstatic, yet skeptical about what kind of trouble they were setting me up for by giving me such good items. Only five more to collect. Should I expect a significant increase in odds during the move-in event? Ah, my hands are literally shaking.

"Who would have thought such a day would come for me..."

Even a mouse hole gets its share of sunlight, and now the direct sunlight was pouring in very brightly. The jewels containing the Demon Souls looked mysterious. Up close, they darkened deeply and obscurely, but in bright sunlight, they shone very clear and transparent. Although they couldn't be used alone, Adrian might like them quite a bit.

Just in case I lost them, I carefully stored them in my bag and started preparing to go out.

"Ah, Emily. Good morning. Did you sleep well?"

"Yes! I really slept well. Did you sleep well too, Hilda?"

As I changed clothes and stepped out, I ran into Emily coming out of her room. Just as the request list stated, she looked refreshed after a deep sleep. In fact, when I ran into her at the hostel yesterday, she looked very tired, so I used the 'Deep Sleep' skill on her, and it seemed to have helped. Now that 'Detection' and 'Eye of Insight' were useless, I funneled infamy points into 'Deep Sleep,' reducing its cooldown to one hour, allowing me to use it on Emily and one other person.

Emily and Katarina. The duration of the effect when I used 'Deep Sleep' was 3 hours 10 minutes and 2 hours 20 minutes, respectively. This meant Emily was easier to approach than Katarina, according to the difficulty levels. I wrote down the times in the mansion's personnel list and sighed inwardly.

Emily, I recognized from the fluctuating favorability that you might be the lowest difficulty character. It's okay, Emily. Even if the system treats you this way, I'll handle you with care.

"Yes, I slept well. You look really happy today, Emily."

"Maybe because I slept well. Let's go out together, H

ilda."

Emily, now free of signs of illness from a few days ago, walked briskly ahead. The 'Deep Sleep' skill seemed to have an effect similar to when Adrian slept on the stolen pillow, potentially very useful if utilized correctly.

"Hello, Emily! Uh... hello, Hilda."

"Emily, you look happy today! ...Hello, Hilda."

As Emily and I left the lodging, several servants greeted us. Strangely, the tone they used for Emily and me differed, and the reason soon appeared in a friendly message.

「Karolina feels ominous about you.」

「Chloe feels ominous about you.」

「Jed feels a closeness to you.」

Just like good characters avoid me and evil ones like Kaiden and Grover felt a sense of familiarity, my infamous reputation was indeed having its effect in the mansion. Emily, a good character, didn’t seem to feel the ominous vibes from me yet, maybe due to the 'Deep Sleep' effect. It was shameful and unpleasant that a rapist like Zed felt a closeness to me, but on the flip side, it was also a very useful feature.

In dire situations where I had to offer a sacrifice to Adrian, I wouldn't have to hand over an innocent person. Not all evil people deserve to die, but if I had to choose, it would be slightly better for the world to choose from the wicked.

During my walk to the mansion, only a few humans felt a sense of familiarity towards me, but that made them all the more memorable as candidates for Adrian's sacrificial offerings!

"Oh? Butler Alvern is out here. Who are those people with him?"

"Huh? Who?"

Snapping out of my thoughts, Emily pointed, and I shifted my gaze towards the mansion entrance where Alvern and two unfamiliar men in strange attire were talking. The unusual clothing caught my eye, and I naturally stopped in my tracks.

"Hilda, Hilda! Come over here."

Alvern had spotted me from a distance and gestured for me to come over. The two men conversing with him also naturally turned their gaze towards me, one of them looking so sharp it was eerie. Even though I had been conditioned by Adrian over the past few weeks.

I didn't want to go, but...

"Hilda, Mr. Alvern is calling you. Hurry over."

"Uh, uh okay. I guess I have to go."

If it weren't for Emily, I would have run away, but since I was caught, I had no choice...

It felt like I was being dragged on a leash even though I was walking on my own. I dragged my feet as slowly as possible towards the mansion. Upon closer inspection during my walk, the two men's outfits were quite similar: black jackets with black uniforms, white stripes running from the chest pocket to the shoulders, red lines on the sleeves, a cape that was black on the outside and red on the inside, black boots that reached the knees, and a black hat with a large silver eagle embroidered on it. The taller, older man was dressed more comfortably, without a cape or boots, but his gaze was ominously fierce.

Every step I took, his gaze pierced through me... Ugh, why is he looking at me like that? I haven't done anything wrong, but I feel shrunken. An inexplicable tension made even my toes curl inside my shoes. He bowed slightly to Alvern and did not take his eyes off me until he stood beside him.

"Hilda, introduce yourself. This is Inspector Harrison and Sergeant Jeffrey. Inspector, Sergeant, this is Hilda, one of the servants here. She went to the village yesterday with the young master."

I had definitely heard the name Harrison before. He was known for chasing down suspects in missing persons and murder cases in the town. I had heard a merchant who stayed at the town watch mention him, and I had planned to go see him, but I had run into Adrian instead.

Why is Harrison at the mansion?

As soon as I thought that, Adrian flashed through my mind. My heart dropped, and my lips trembled. Could it be because of the murder yesterday? Does he know something?

"It’s nothing serious... You went to the village yesterday, right? They came to ask about that."

"Why? Was there an incident?"

"Hey, why are you shaking like that? You look like someone who's been caught."

His low, grating voice dug into my ears like a dagger. Startled, I lifted my head only to meet his fierce gaze and quickly looked down again. Even if I hadn't done anything wrong, being looked at by the police like that would be frightening enough, but since I was involved, the trembling got worse. Moreover, why was Harrison so ferocious? Despite being an inspector, why did he look like he was about to stab someone?

His gaze slid down to my hands. I flinched as if struck hard. I clenched my trembling hands tightly, turning them white. I couldn't control the shaking any other way. Panic rose, and a faint heat began at the nape of my neck. My legs felt wobbly, and even Sergeant Jeffrey beside Harrison looked at me strangely.

I'm scared, oh, I'm scared. How much does he know? This is a prestigious count's house. They couldn't have come without evidence. Did Adrian leave any evidence after killing someone? Do they have fingerprint analysis here?

Initially, I wanted to see Harrison to give him a tip about Adrian when I was not involved.

But now, things were completely different. Adrian had killed someone on the day I was with him, and I had even moved the weapon and watched like a bystander. Do they have accomplice laws here?

No, now that I think about it, I have the bloody weapon, don’t I? That demon Adrian, he didn’t set me up by leaving evidence and passing off the weapon, did he?

What happens if I'm pinpointed as the murderer? Being practically a serf, they might jail me just based on suspicious circumstances.

I might even be executed. In this era, they’d use something like a guillotine, right? Oh my God, I've imagined many ways to die, but I never thought about being decapitated.

Please let the blade be as sharp as possible, so I don't feel any pain and it’s over in one go...

“Ah... no, it’s not that. Yesterday, I was just...”

“Inspector, please don't press the child too hard. It's her first time talking to someone like you, and she's just nervous. Hilda, calm down. Just relax and speak.”

"Hey, old man. Stop interfering. I think I have a lot to hear from this servant."

"This child is under my protection. If the inspector has something to ask her, I will gladly arrange a meeting, but if you resort to ungentlemanly and violent language, then it’s a different matter. Hilda, if you don't want to listen, you can go. You were on your way to see the young master, weren’t you?"

Alvern’s calm and gentle voice momentarily overwhelmed me. Seeing his kindly shining, wrinkled eyes, my shaking hands gradually stabilized. Harrison, on the other hand, did not seem pleased by Alvern’s words and chuckled hoarsely. He then pulled out a thick cigar, tilting it in his mouth.

"What did you just say, ungentlemanly? Violent? Pfft, damn it. How are we supposed to deal with heinous criminals all our lives if we were as elegant and gentlemanly as you nobles? It doesn’t have to be this trembling servant. Bring me the young count. I’d like to see how expensive his face is."

"Inspector. Please, watch your words. We are here to inquire if the young count has seen anything, not to arrest a suspect. We came for cooperation! I kept telling you that on the way here. Moreover, this is 'the' Pfalzgraf mansion, the Pfalzgraf mansion."

Unable to bear it any longer, Sergeant Jeffrey whispered loudly enough for all to hear. He looked like a typical subordinate suffering because of his rash superior. What? They came for a reference investigation? So there's no evidence? I'm not going to be executed?

Realizing this, the tremor that had been controlling my body suddenly stopped, and my eyes widened. The fear gone, my mind calmed down, and logical thinking resumed.

Now I had to make a choice that could dictate the course of my game life. There were two paths. One was to submit the bloody knife as evidence and denounce Adrian. The other was to conceal Adrian’s crime and join his side.

If it had been earlier, I would have chosen the first without hesitation. As soon as Harrison said he didn't know anything, I would have run to my quarters and brought back the knife. I would have pointed confidently at Adrian’s room and shouted, "He did it!"

But now, I couldn't do that. My instincts screamed not to get marked by Harrison, that he was no ordinary human, but my reason held back my feet.

And after all... How could I let Adrian be caught before even handing over the tea leaves I bought for the lady? He killed people, but if not for that, he was a pitiful devil. He cherished art and plants and suffered several times a day, yet the people in the mansion killed him for every trivial reason. Am I too soft if I think he's actually a decent guy?

Moreover...

"You cried, didn't you? You said it was too hard to carry and cried. If you don't like it, I won't force you to carry it."

He could be subtly kind at times.

"I'm the first subordinate you've taken under your wing here, so shouldn't I treat you well? Someday you'll bring me sacrifices in my place."

He seemed to value his own side, suggesting he might keep me alive for a long time.

"Why are you giving me a handkerchief all of a sudden?"

"You like my scent, don’t you?"

Wait, why am I thinking of this now?

Flushing with embarrassment, I brushed aside the thoughts. After coming this far, I couldn’t make the same decision as before. That devil, just breathing hurts him. If he were jailed without treatment, he might thrash in pain until he truly died.

No matter how much I thought about it, I could only come up with reasons to save Adrian.

I'm really screwed. There’s no chance of

recovery. I’ve completely messed up. Choosing Adrian, I’ll definitely die in this game. Maybe the epic fail of this horror game started when I began to raise Adrian's affection...

"Enough, Jeffrey. When have you ever seen me care about such things? If there’s a criminal hiding somewhere, whether it’s a count's mansion or not, we should turn it upside down."

"Please, Inspector, you were seriously warned by the chief inspector last month. I get scolded for being with you!"

"Inspector, as I mentioned earlier, our young master has been unwell, making it difficult for him to speak with someone for a long time or to be outside."

"So why did the young count, who is so frail, go to the village on the day of the murder? I want to know that. According to rumors, he can hardly take a long walk in the garden. What urgent business did he have in the village that made it necessary for him to go?"

"Really, Inspector, please..."

"It seems the old man doesn’t know, but stop blocking and move aside. Just tell me where the young count's room is. I'll make you spit out everything you know and don't know."

"Inspector..."

"There's no need to meet the young master. I went to pick tea leaves for the lady."

The conversation that had been flowing ceaselessly suddenly stopped as three pairs of eyes turned towards me at once. The servant who had been trembling without presence had suddenly spoken up, and they seemed slightly startled.

I've blurted it out. Now there’s no turning back.

"Hilda, you don’t have to say anything if it’s too hard," Alvern tried to comfort me as I took a step towards Harrison.

"Tea leaves? You dragged yourself to the village just for tea leaves?"

Harrison’s thick eyelids trembled slightly. I firmly pressed my still slightly trembling hands down and nodded.

"Yes, if you're curious, you can check with Mr. Andrew at the tea shop. Our young master personally bought orange-scented rooibos."

"Why would he go there himself? There are so many servants in the mansion to run errands."

This time, even Jeffrey seemed curious as he spoke up. I placed my hands on my hips and sighed as if it were obvious.

"I already told you. He went to buy the tea leaves himself. Our lady has been very unwell, and she went to the distant villa a few days ago. Waiting anxiously for the lady’s return, despite being unwell himself, he personally went to buy the tea leaves. If someone is sick, if someone is frail, is it wrong to buy tea leaves for a beloved mother?"

"No, of course not, but..."

"If you're curious, you can check whether the lady really went to the villa. If you must know, I'm sure Mr. Alvern will show you the location. Of course, I don't know how the count will react to this."

"No, no! Such impertinence! We can't commit such rudeness!"

Jeffrey seemed quite flustered, searching for where to look as I calmly turned my gaze to Harrison. Although his demeanor was still intimidating, knowing there was no evidence, I could be a bit more composed.

"And you know, Inspector Harrison? Perhaps you should watch your words. You look much younger than our butler, yet you keep calling him 'old man, old man'... Even if you are the people's staff, you should maintain basic manners or you'll get cursed. Ah, are you trying to get cursed and live a long life? Do you want to catch many criminals in your long career? What a great sense of duty..."

"…What?"

"And this is a no-smoking area. If our young master smells the smoke and has an asthma attack, will you take responsibility? Of course, you can’t. I’d have to run around like crazy to get his medicine."

"…"

"I trust you understand, so I'll take my leave now."

Politely babbling, I reached out and snatched the cigar from Harrison’s mouth. Ugh, it’s wet at the end. Gross, gross.

I slammed the cigar to the ground and gently stepped on it as I lifted my head with a chuckling face. Jeffrey covered his mouth with both hands, turning pale, while Harrison was frozen, still in the shape he had been holding the cigar.

Then, as if amused, he let out a deflated laugh that gradually sped up into a hearty belly laugh. Later, he seemed to be biting the inside of his mouth to stop the laughter, and a murderous intent glinted in his eyes as he looked down at me through his nose. The chuckling sound was almost maniacal.

Isn’t his reaction a bit extreme? Is this guy really a cop? The way he looks at people... If you took his badge off, I’d believe he was a murderer. While I was thinking this, white text suddenly flashed.

「Harrison has been added as a hostile entity.」

I hadn’t intended to side with the devil like this. Accidentally getting on the same boat wasn’t enough; now it seemed I had even strapped a motor to it. At this rate, I should probably promote him to my right-hand man for his loyalty, shouldn’t I?

I blurted it out in anger, but now my inner coward and timidity were sneakily trying to wake up. Oh, I’m scared. Look at his eyes. How can you call that a cop? It looks like we're done here, but he keeps staring. I stood behind Alvern, hiding like his shadow, avoiding his gaze.

Where is Adrian hiding when I need him? Shouldn’t the strongest characters stick together to balance things out? Everyone's targeting me, interrogating and shooting glares; it's so sad. I’m just a servant, a pawn in chess, a foot soldier in janggi. Forget about becoming a queen by reaching the end of the chessboard; I’m just a piece that’s easily pushed off the board.

"What’s going on, Alvern?"

A heavy voice cut through the awkward silence between us. My eyes snapped open. I had definitely heard that voice before.

"It seems we have guests."

"Count."

"What brings you to the mansion?"