[Nightmare]

"Well, well. If it isn't the famous Helix Hellsworth Margrave." A young man called out.

Two men on either side of him started snickering.

"How much bribe money did it take for you to learn my full name?" Helix asked with a sigh.

"Only 215 gold coins." The young man laughed.

Helix sighed again.

"Did you know that you can buy ten acres of land and a harem of twelve servants in Myriad with that much money?" He asked with a melancholy expression.

"Whoever made you that deal ripped you off something savage."

The four of them were standing in a moonlit corridor around 11 pm.

Due to the lack of lighting, he couldn't see their expressions, but he could tell they were shocked and bitter at the revelation.

"H-How the hell do you know?" The young man asked.

"Hourglass of Knowledge." Helix replied with a slight smile.

"If you spent time bribing people to find out more information about me, why don't you remember the free information?"

"Ethan, it sounds like this guy's threatening us.

Isn't that what you're seeing?" The man asked.

"Yeah, Lucas. That's what I'm seeing too." Ethan confirmed with a wicked grin.

"What about you, Jackson?" Lucas asked while unsheathing his sword.

"I-I… uh… yeah. That's what I see too.

But I think it's best to put away the swords and leave." Jackson replied with terror in his eyes.

"Shut up. It's not like we're going to get in trouble.

This noob doesn't know the first thing about this world or the three of us." Lucas gruffed.

Jackson quivered.

"I don't know. I agree with Jackson.

We don't need to use swords." Ethan said with a worried expression.

"Are you both idiots? We don't know if this guy has weak stats.

Moreover, he has a crazy Nightmare that's been deemed dangerous.

I confirmed it myself.

Do you noobs think we can t-bag this guy if we're not planning to fight?"

Helix sighed and turned around to walk away.

"Hey! Where the fuck do you think you're going, aimbot?

You think I'm playing around?" Lucas growled.

Helix turned back with an exasperated expression.

"This isn't a game, you fucking idiot." Helix said with a mocking tone.

"We're in a hallway with drapes and wool rugs.

If you use your Nightmare, you'll raze this entire wing to the ground.

Then you'll be wanted for arson and murder when your friends get lit on fire and die." He explained with an annoyed expression.

"W-What the hell did you just say?" Lucas barked.

Helix looked at the young man with genuine bewilderment.

"I can't believe I have to explain this to you." Helix muttered with a low voice.

"Your Nightmare, [Fire Bolt], shoots a [bolt of fire]."

The friends looked at one another in confusion.

"Fire burns things. Most notably, drapes and wool rugs.

If you weren't paying attention, fire doesn't disappear when spells end in this world.

It sets things on fire, and it'll burn you to death.

That includes you, moron." Helix said with a sigh.

"Nightmares are forbidden unless there's a reason to use them.

Therefore, you're already guilty of conspiracy to murder.

Do you want to get locked away for attempted murder, Lucas Wheatfield?" Helix asked.

"W-Why do you know my name?

Oh, I get it. You know how much bribes cost because you've already done it!" Lucas stuttered.

—

"Thank you so much for today!

Even if it were only for work, it's impossible to express my gratitude in words.

I'm sure there are many other ways you could have made me more presentable." Emilia said with a bow.

"I'm glad you enjoyed yourself." Helix replied with a gentle smile.

"I had a lot of fun today too. It didn't feel like work."

Emelia looked at Helix with wide eyes and a blushing expression.

After a moment of silence, her eyes lit up.

"That's right! I have what you're looking for." She announced with a smile.

"Wait? What are you doing?" She asked.

"I'm trying out my new chalk." He said with a mysterious smile.

On two pieces of black paper, he was tracing magic circles he was studying from the Myriad Library on two pieces of black paper.

He didn't understand the magic circle but knew how to recreate something.

"Let's hope that I have enough spirit particles to instantiate beginner circles." Helix chuckled bitterly.

"Thank god I have self-correcting chalk similar to what Yakuza Cat was using."

Magic circles weren't hard to make, but they required drawing skills.

If drawn poorly, they would fail to activate or produce unexpected results.

Kylon's chalk corrected the size and shape of the magic circle to perfect proportions.

Since Helix was wealthy beyond belief, he easily purchased the pricey chalk for one silver per piece when shopping.

He read the chant directly from the Myriad Library when he finished the circles.

"Hah. It appears to be working." Helix announced with satisfaction while looking at the dazzling blue and teal glow from the circles.

"Here, put these two pieces of paper on either side of your ears." He requested while handing them to Emelia.

Emelia was baffled at the sudden request, but she quickly complied.

"What do you hear?" He asked.

"What?" She asked.

"Can you hear anything?" He clarified.

"I-I'm sorry, I can't hear you." She said.

Helix's face filled with joy and excitement.

He rushed over and hugged Emelia by the waist, causing her entire body to heat up.

Her face was bright red, and she was confused but not uncomfortable.

Helix smiled at her reaction and took the pieces of paper from her hands.

"Please give me a moment." He requested with a mysterious smile on his face.

Helix rushed over to the room walls and quickly started tracing medium-sized magic circles on each of them.

The circles were small because he didn't feel confident he could activate larger ones.

He figured he could instantiate each in shifts if necessary.

Once he was done, he chanted to each to make them work.

Unfortunately, he could only activate one of them, but it was on the door leading to the hallway, so he was satisfied.

"Okay, where were we?

Were you going to tell me about your task?" He asked with a warm smile.

"Y-Yes!" She said excitedly.

"I never thought that I would actively seek out gossip." He chuckled bitterly under his breath.

"Alright, what have the other servants said about their lords and Mistresses?" He asked.

"Have you heard anyone talking about people venting about someone?"

Emelia's excitement was snuffed out in an instant.

She was grateful that she could provide him with the results of her task.

The young woman was hoping to show how hard she was supporting him.

However, the results themselves were grave and discouraging.

She didn't think he'd jump straight to the bad news immediately.

"Y-Yes, Helix." She whispered.

"Two people called you out by name in a rage.

The first, Lucas Wheatfield, took out his frustrations on his servant, and she warned me of his behavior." She explained.

Helix's eyes glinted with murderous rage at the news.

While he wanted to grit his teeth, he kept a neutral expression on his face.

He couldn't make Emelia worry, especially when she performed her [task] well.

"I'm not sure how I could ever repay you, but I hope to do so in the future." Helix said with a genuine expression and a slight bow.

Emelia's eyes shot open in disbelief.

"W-Wait! I didn't do anything!" She cried hurriedly.

Helix shook his head.

"You know that this information could save my life one day, right?" He asked.

Emelia stared at him with a dumbstruck expression.

"I-I see…." She replied.

The young woman was meticulously taught that she should never contradict her lord.

She was still young and experienced, but she tried to abide by it.

Therefore, she stared at Helix with a complex expression.

"When did she warn you?" He asked.

"M-Mirtha warned me during dinner tonight.

She said that my new dress was triggering his behavior and told me about yesterday." She said.

"I see…." Helix said with a wry smile.

He hoped for Mirtha's safety, but he wasn't responsible for the actions of others.

He shouldn't feel guilty for existing.

However, he couldn't convince himself to feel that way.

"D-Do you think that I shouldn't wear my dresses?" She asked.

Helix shook his head.

"No. You should wear your dresses every day from now on." He replied with a gentle smile.

"I'm certain that Mirtha will be thanking you soon for doing it."

Emelia was puzzled after hearing Helix's words.

"Anyway, let's talk about the other people before I head to the library.

I'd like to know about the people mistreating their servants or having anger problems if possible." He requested.

"Even though you're a gossip magnet, I don't expect you to know much.

But any information on the Knights assigned to people with downtrodden faces will be helpful."

—

Helix's mocking smile illuminated in the moonlight.

"Bribes?" He chuckled.

"You're famous, Lucas."

—

[A/N: At no point in this series will there ever be dialogue with or discussion about a character that is an abuse survivor. All writing stops at implications or rumors for non-characters as well.]

Disclaimer: Grammatical mistakes and minor inconsistencies = more content.