[Nightmare]

"It's my first official day in Myriad." Helix whispered to himself.

It was still dark outside, but Helix could hear birds chirping.

He slowly pulled a woman's arm off his chest carefully.

"Master, are you awake?" The young woman asked with sleepy eyes.

"I just woke up." He whispered with a wry smile.

Suddenly her eyes shot open.

"W-What time is it!?" She asked frantically.

She tried pushing herself off the bed, but Helix gently wrapped her hand around her body and pulled her back down to the bed.

"I think it's before five." Helix chuckled.

"Since it's before your shift, please stay in bed for a few more minutes." He requested.

"I don't have a shift mas… Sir Helix." She replied awkwardly.

"My days start when you wake up."

Helix sighed inwardly.

"I see. Well, in that case, your first task of the day will be to stay in bed for fifteen more minutes, Emilia." He replied while sticking his tongue out at her playfully.

"B-But I need to make sure you're ready for the day." She replied awkwardly.

Helix shook his head.

"Breakfast isn't until 10 am so the people can [bond] with their servants." He chuckled.

"That means that there's more than enough time for this task."

Emilia blushed. She never told him why the breakfast was later.

Her duty was to explain that to [him], not the other way around.

Seeing her complicated expression, Helix decided to attack.

"B-But—Hahahaha haha hahaha!"

The young woman burst into laughter, and tears rolled across the king-sized bed.

"That was an order." Helix declared while tickling the young woman mercilessly.

"S-Sor—Hahahaha." She cried.

"No need for sorries. You've already received your punishment." He announced with a gentle smile.

"So keep me company for a moment."

Emilia nodded and looked into his pitch-black eyes with a genuinely warm expression.

Helix flashed her a charming smile while reaching for a notepad he had requested during the banquet.

He flipped it open to the first page.

[Notes on Our Captors]

—

A man with bright purple clothing, long grey hair, and a charming smile was standing at the end of a massive table.

Before Helix, there was a massive quantity of food he was begrudgingly waiting for.

To his left and right were 47 other [chosen ones] in addition to Lina and David.

"My name is Linon and on behalf of Alzeria, I welcome our heroes!" The man yelled out.

"We have searched far and wide for you, the strongest, most capable, and most powerful warriors in the universe!"

The room burst into applause, and all chosen ones were equally excited as Lina and David.

Helix stared at the spectacle with a wry smile.

—

1) Our captors didn't research the people they summoned.

—

"While we are not yet at war, there are alarming signs of monster and beast activity growing in this world." Linon continued.

"That's why we have chosen you to help combat these foes."

The chosen ones listened with nervous anticipation.

"While Myriad isn't your home yet, you'll soon this world has everything you've dreamed of." Linon declared.

"You will be given magical powers, strength beyond your wildest imaginations, status and prestige, wealth, and your new home will be in the castle walls until you choose to leave."

Excitement and whispers waved through the Earthians.

—

2) The Alzerians put sales departments on Earth to shame.

—

"Using your new power, you will live exciting lives going on quests and defeating the strongest foes." Linon continued.

"Your deeds will spread throughout the lands until your name is a legend!"

Excited clapping rippled throughout the table, leaving a mortified expression on Helix's face.

—

3) They will put us in the maximum amount of danger from now on.

—

"Over the next six months, you will be training with the Kingdom's top trainer!" Linon continued.

"They will help you grow, develop confidence, and prepare for a life of victory."

—

4) We're going back to school… fml.

—

"Hello, Master. My name is Emilia, and I'm your [exclusive] servant." A beautiful young woman announced to Helix.

She was eighteen and had medium-length light brown hair with a fashionable pink hair clip.

Emelia was also wearing a stereotypical anime maid outfit, making almost every person at the table blush when they saw them as a group.

"It's been a long night of ceremonies, speeches, and introductions." She continued.

—

5) They spent many Alzerian decades stalking us and learning about our taste in women and men….

Our exclusive servants' roles are [critical] in stealing our virginities, keeping spirits high, and binding us to Alzeria.

So it has to be taken seriously.

—

"Can I help you relieve some stress?" She asked with a bashful expression.

"Can I ask you something?" Helix requested with a charming smile.

"Of course, Master. Ask me anything." She replied with a sickly sweet smile.

"You're absolutely stunning. Can I kiss you?"

Emilia's face started burning with embarrassment.

"O-Of course." She stuttered.

Helix wrapped his hands around her lower back, causing her entire body to heat up.

She subconsciously closed her eyes and parted her lips.

A moment later, their mouths met, and she experienced her first kiss.

It was a passionate moment that lasted a few seconds.

"Thank you for that." He said while releasing her lips and slipping his hands from her back.

"T-There's no need to thank me." She replied with an impassioned expression.

She stared at the young man with a stupefied expression.

Of the fifty young men and women who arrived in Myriad, he was the most attractive in her eyes.

He wasn't the most [aesthetic] but had a mysterious and slightly dangerous aura that left those that saw him feeling excited.

So being treated with consideration was a shock to her and only fueled her interest.

Seeing Emilia's lustful expression, Helix sighed inwardly.

—

6) Emelia is shockingly okay with that….

—

"Is everything alright, Master?" She asked after feeling a slight shift in his mood.

"Of course." He replied with a gentle smile.

"I was just thinking about how beautiful you look right now."

Emilia blushed furiously.

"How much time do you have tonight?

Can you spare me some of your time?" He asked.

"Absolutely!" She replied with a beautiful smile.

"I'm your property, master. I can stay here until morning if you wish.

My room is next door, so I'm always accessible at any time."

The wry smile in Helix's heart deepened.

—

7) I underestimated how good these people are at manipulating Earthians.

Exclusive servant accessible 24/7 in the room next door?

Who would want to go back to being a sexless nobody after being given a servant who will fulfill any request they desire on demand?

Even in the face of trauma, no one will want to go home...

—

"Wonderful. Then let's have a chat if you don't mind." He replied with a warm smile.

Emilia was confused and let down by the sudden change in his requests.

However, she quickly recovered and sported a bright smile.

"Of course, master." She replied while grabbing the lower part of her maid dress and curtseying.

Helix led her to a seating arrangement in the corner of the room.

There were two leather chairs on either side of a coffee table.

The two sat down, facing each other.

"Can I make another request?" Helix asked with a gentle smile.

"There's no need to ask, master." She replied with a shy expression.

Helix chuckled.

"Can you please call me Helix when we're alone?

If you don't feel comfortable, can you address me as Sir Helix as you do outside this room?" He asked with a slight smile.

"I-I am willing, yes. However, I am your property—"

"Maybe in the eyes of the kingdom." He interjected while shaking his head.

"However, you're a human being that works for me."

Emilia tilted her head in confusion.

"I don't understand. Do you not want me?" She asked with a perplexed expression.

Helix sighed inwardly but chuckled with a charming smile on the outside.

"No. There's no one in this world that I'd like to be my aid other than you." He replied.

"Aid? What does that mean?" She asked with wide eyes.

"It means a person that helps me and fulfills requests." He replied.

"Isn't that what I'm already doing?" She asked with an even greater level of confusion.

"There's [literally] nothing that you cannot ask of me. For example—"

Helix coughed to cut her off.

He didn't think his virgin heart could take hearing a blatant advance.

There's only so much willpower that a young man can exhibit.

—

8) The willpower it's taking me not to take advantage of the situation is… soul-crushing.

It's morally wrong for me to take advantage of a woman that calls herself [my property].

So I'll need to prepare for Lina and the others to call me a simp… fml.

—

"It means that you're someone I plan to work with." He clarified.

"While you'll perform the duties of the other servants, I'd like to give you more fulfilling tasks as well."

"I-I see."

Emilia replied while blushing and moving her shoulders up and down bashfully.

"Let's start with your first task." Helix announced, drawing her attention to him.

"I'd like you to tell me more about this castle, its hierarchy, and the day-to-day activities.

I'm living here, after all. So the faster I learn about life here, the faster I can adapt."

Emilia's eyes widened after hearing his [task].

Her mouth opened and closed multiple times in response to the strange change in pace.

"Is that okay with you?" He asked with a gentle expression.

"Y-Yes. I'll start right away." She replied in a daze.

Helix gave her a thankful expression after a couple of hours of chatting.

"I appreciate all of your help." He said with a satisfied expression.

"You're welcome." She replied brightly.

In a short amount of time, she had become a lot more comfortable with him.

"Now, let's talk about moving forward.

There's a goal that I'd like us to work on together, and I have some tasks for you.

You'll start on them tomorrow morning."

—

9) Emelia will perform unconventional orders.

Notes: The Alzerian hierarchy… customs… economic considerations… history… …

"Mas-Sir Helix. Has it been 15 minutes?" Emelia asked meekly.

Helix smiled and ruffled her hair with a charming smile.

"Sure. Get ready. I'm just jotting one more note down before I get up."

Emelia got up from the bed and walked to the maid outfit on the floor.

She was only wearing daring white lingerie.

Helix summoned all of his willpower to not glance more than once.

Last night, a spy with high stealth skills peaked into the room and left after seeing her dress on the floor.

The moment it happened, he was thankful for suffering the entire night.

However, he wasn't thankful right now. It felt like torture.

Before Emelia went to the next room, she tidied everything already pristine and asked him three times if he needed anything.

Helix chuckled and said no three times before she finally left.

He raised his pen once the door shut.

10) Give Emelia tasks to make her feel like the free, beautiful 18-year-old she deserves to be.

—

Note: [Nightmare] is a dark comedy with minimal action. If you're looking for action with witty dialogue, check out my other novel Nerve Network.