Chapter 33: Pounced Upon by the Little Maid

On a certain morning after the beast tide incident, inside Ian’s room at the Duke’s Manor.

“No, don’t!”

Ian shouted, jolting awake from a dream and sitting bolt upright in bed.

“W-where am I?”

Looking at the familiar scene before him, Ian finally recalled the events leading up to his coma.

“I seem to have encountered an attack from a black figure and was driven into a desperate corner.”

“Fortunately, Father’s reinforcements arrived in time; otherwise, I would have been finished for sure this time.”

But what exactly was that black figure?

Recalling that silhouette, Ian racked his brain but couldn’t figure out what it was.

He was certain he had never seen such a thing in the game before.

He said Veronica was the ‘darling of the gods’…

Did he mean she’s the protagonist?

How did he know that?

Is it possible I’m not the only transmigrator in this world?

And what on earth was that black shadow?

Even though Dir had arrived in time to save him and Veronica, it seemed the shadow had managed to escape.

To be able to flee from a 9th-rank Grand Magister like Dir, that entity was clearly no simple character.

Furthermore, since it escaped, wouldn’t that fellow continue to target Veronica for assassination in the future?

The thought gave Ian a massive headache.

With the information currently at hand, he had no idea who the enemy was.

How was he supposed to take precautions?

Veronica was the protagonist of this world, and her safety was a crucial link in his plan to return home; he had to protect her.

Could it be the Demon Race?

The moment the thought surfaced, Ian dismissed it.

While that creature’s aura shared a slight similarity with the Demons, there were also significant differences.

As for what that black figure truly was, perhaps only the System knew.

With that in mind, Ian hurried to call out to the System in his heart.

“System, get out here and explain. What exactly is going on?”

Remembering how the System had refused to help him earlier, Ian felt a surge of irritation.

In his view, since the System had brought him here, it should be responsible for his safety instead of “playing dead” and abandoning him to his fate.

[Apologies, Host. This System currently cannot reveal any information to you.]

[I must wait until my energy has recovered a bit more before I can disclose more information to the Host.]

Hearing the reply, Ian didn’t get angry.

He had anticipated this kind of response, so it wasn’t a surprise.

Since he couldn’t go back yet and the System was useless, he could only rely on himself.

Ian wasn’t about to sit and wait for death; he wouldn’t allow anyone to interfere with his plan to return home.

Just as he was fueling his ambition to do something big, he let out a sudden sneeze.

“A-choo!”

Only then did Ian realize he was lying in bed wearing nothing but a very thin nightgown.

Did one of the manor’s maids change my clothes?

Ian didn’t dwell on it and quickly reached for the clothes set aside, preparing to change.

Right then, the door to Ian’s room was practically burst open from the outside.

“Young Master, you’re finally awake!”

The newcomer was Iris.

There were traces of tears in the corners of her eyes, suggesting she had been crying recently.

However, at this moment, her face was radiant with a smile, as if she had just received the most wonderful news.

She pounced directly onto Ian’s bed, as if terrified that the Ian before her might vanish.

Just like that, Ian was knocked back onto the bed by the oncoming Iris.

His hands were pinned above his head, gripped tightly in a cross-lock by Iris’s hands.

Iris sat with her legs apart over Ian’s waist, propping herself up on the bed.

Pinned beneath Iris, Ian’s gaze instinctively drifted upward.

Though Iris was young, she was developing remarkably well.

The standard maid uniform of the Duke’s Manor accentuated her beauty perfectly.

The black-and-white outfit faintly revealed hints of snowy white skin at her chest, and her legs were encased in white stockings, making her look as delectable as a piece of vanilla ice cream.

“Young Master, you’re finally awake. I almost thought I’d never see you again,” Iris sobbed to Ian.

When she learned that Ian had been attacked by a mysterious person and fallen into a coma after she left, she had cried a river.

She was terrified that Ian would never open his eyes again and that she would lose her most important person once more.

Consequently, she had spent the last few days staying right outside Ian’s room, waiting for him to wake.

This was why she was able to rush in at the very first moment he regained consciousness—all just to be the first one to see him.

“Alright, alright, am I not awake now?”

Ian exerted force in his arms, trying to break free from Iris’s hold, only to find that no matter how much strength he used, he couldn’t budge her grip.

“Young Master, promise me that you will never leave Iris alone again, okay?”

Iris didn’t resent Ian for risking his life; she knew the Young Master did it to protect the people of Far East City.

But she hated that she hadn’t been by his side at that time to help him share the danger.

If she had known he would encounter such a threat, she would never have left.

She couldn’t imagine how she would live if the Young Master truly met with disaster.

So, she wanted Ian to promise her—at the very least—not to leave her behind again.

Not truly listening to Iris’s words, Ian was putting all his effort into trying to break her restraint.

The reason for Ian’s struggle was, naturally, the rather compromising position Iris had pounced into.

It was essentially the “woman-on-top” position.

He wasn’t some delicate bride; he was a full-blooded man.

Ian was quite dissatisfied with this posture.

No matter how you looked at it, he was a man; how could he be pinned down by his own little maid?

However, despite his best efforts, he couldn’t break her grip.

“Um, Iris… could you let me go first?”

Finally, bowing to reality, Ian made a gentle request.

“No. I won’t let go until the Young Master agrees to my request.”

“Fine, fine. Whatever Iris asks, I’ll agree to it.”

“I won’t leave you behind again, okay?”

Having received a satisfactory answer, Iris finally released her hold on Ian’s hands.

Scrambling off the bed, Ian rubbed his wrists, which had been pinched red by Iris.

Iris has grown surprisingly strong!

Ian thought to himself.

Looking at Iris’s slender figure, Ian couldn’t help but complain internally.

“Young Master, do you want to wear the set you had on before you fainted, or the new set on the bed?”

“Don’t worry, I’ve washed both sets.”

Hearing Iris, Ian gave a casual reply, “The previous set, I guess,” before realizing something was wrong.

Wait, was this nightgown I’m wearing also changed by Iris?

While Ian was dazed, Iris had already climbed back onto the bed, preparing to help him dress.

“Wait, wait! Iris, you go down first. I can dress myself.”

“But Young Master, this is my job!”

“I don’t recall helping me change being part of your job.”

Ian gave Iris a bit of a lecture, telling her to keep some distance in the future.

After all, there should be boundaries between men and women.

Even though he didn’t have “those” thoughts about Iris, what if something actually happened?

After all, he intended to return to Blue Star eventually; he couldn’t afford to get entangled with the women of this world.

Thus, Ian dressed himself and stepped off the bed.

He caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror and sighed.

Still as handsome as ever!

“Oh, by the way, Young Master, the Master is waiting for you in the living room,” Iris said from the side.

“Father? Did he say why he wants to see me?”

“Iris doesn’t know. The Master didn’t say specifically, just that you should go see him as soon as you wake up.”

After hearing Iris out, Ian did some mental calculations.

He hadn’t really done anything bad this time; on the contrary, he had saved Veronica and the citizens of Far East City.

There was no reason for his father to blame him.

Thinking of this, Ian grew bolder.

He led Iris out of the room and headed toward the main hall.