**Chapter Seven: Trust**
A flash of light pierced the air, followed by a scream that tore through the mansion like silk. Ruu was sent soaring through the air, her body colliding with the lifeless forms arranged on the stone platform. It was the first time I had witnessed such a scene of violence; it was likely the result of an offensive spell that Lord had rarely employed until now.
Lord’s expression remained unchanged, as always. His brows did not furrow, nor did his cheeks twitch, but deep within his cunning eyes, a smoldering fire of anger was unmistakably present.
“Ruu, you—did you conspire against me? I told you to inform me if there was anything wrong with your injuries.”
“Ugh—”
Perhaps it was the shock of being thrown, but Ruu could not respond. I watched as Lord trampled her hand, pressing it into the ground.
“I never said you could lie.”
Ruu had reported her condition, yet it seemed Lord had chosen to trust me over her. It was understandable. He had confidence in his own Necromancy. The words of a slave—words from a slave he deemed of little value—were hardly worthy of consideration, especially if they were as absurd as this.
I understood this, which is why I chose to remain silent. I had observed Lord dismiss Ruu’s plight time and again.
Perhaps Ruu had hoped that by reporting to Honesty, she could win Lord’s favor and improve her treatment. If I were in her position, I would never have taken such a gamble. It seemed she lacked the despair necessary to abandon such a faint hope. A slave was not even permitted to voice a rebuttal.
After kicking Ruu a few times, Lord seized her by the neck and dragged her over to my side, where I stood motionless. A small droplet of blood fell from Ruu’s darkened lips, likely from a cut in her mouth. For a brief moment, a wonderful fragrance wafted from it, causing her expression to falter before she hurriedly resumed her blank facade. Fortunately, Lord seemed too engrossed in punishing his slave to notice.
“Hey, trash. What’s changed about End? Say it again.”
“Ah… uh…”
Both Lord’s gaze and Ruu’s vacant stare fell upon my scars. The marks remained unchanged from the moment Lord had inflicted them. They had perhaps faded slightly, but Lord was not observant enough to notice such details.
“End. Raise your arm. Let me and this wretch see those wounds—clearly.”
I complied with the command and lifted my arm. In the dim light, illuminated only by a few flickering candles, my scars were laid bare. The wounds that should have healed under Shiki’s care were still distinctly visible.
“Hey, Ruu. I’ll ask you again. What’s the matter with this guy’s wounds?”
“Ugh… Master… he—he did it to himself—”
Whether it was fear or the result of her earlier torment, her words were slurred and incoherent. Lord looked at me with exaggerated interest.
“End, now. This slave claims you… inflicted those scars upon yourself. Heh heh heh, is that—true?”
Yes. The answer was yes. But I remained silent.
Commands must be executed precisely. If he wanted an answer, he needed to issue the command—”Answer me.” Without it, I had no obligation to respond.
This was a loophole permitted by my own cunning, a way to escape absolute domination.
Lord stared at me for a few seconds, but it seemed he had already reached his conclusion. He quickly returned his gaze to Ruu. She flinched, her shoulders trembling, and spat out a retort with a pale expression.
“M-Master—this is—a lie—”
“Heh heh heh. Ruu, I hadn’t told you, but… the undead are bound to obey the one who created them!!”
With a high-pitched laugh, Lord slammed Ruu to the floor. I watched, arm still raised, for I had not received a command to lower it. For a loyal Corpse Eater like me, that was simply how it was.
“Hmm? Did you think reporting abnormalities would improve your treatment? With that worthless brain of yours, devoid of any real education, did you think you could deceive me?”
How pitiful it was that this loyal slave, who had merely tried to inform her master of an issue, was not trusted by him. Her daily actions spoke volumes, or perhaps it was simply Lord’s nature. If she had remained silent, she might not have faced punishment. But I had no intention of pitying her. Perhaps Ruu was the reason I was—bound in my own freedom.
Was it because I was a cruel person that I could not harbor even a shred of mercy?
“Ah… uh… she was—reading a book—”
“Silence! You worthless trash, inferior even to a corpse!”
It seemed my reading had been discovered. When had I been found out? But considering Ruu’s duties included organizing the library, it was not surprising she had caught me. However, bringing it up now was a mistake. As Lord said—Ruu seemed to possess a brain that was hardly useful.
For several minutes, the only sounds that filled the room were the thuds of blows and the mingled cries of pain. Eventually, Lord, perhaps bored of the beating, cast one last glance at the motionless Ruu and declared:
“The next time you report a falsehood, I will tear your flesh apart while you live, etching eternal pain into your soul.”
His voice carried weight, resonating with truth. The words of a necromancer, a mage who wielded the abominable power to desecrate souls, sent Ruu’s body into spasms as it lay on the ground like a corpse.
Finally, Lord turned to me.
“End, you may lower your arm.”
Though it was not a command, and thus I had no obligation to comply, I lowered my arm as a loyal Corpse Eater would. Lord snorted in apparent dissatisfaction as he healed my wounds. Perhaps he thought it pointless since no change had occurred after a day. Though I could endure it, the pain was unbearable, and I felt a sense of relief wash over me, though I did not show it. I owed it all to Ruu.
“Ruu, clean this room up and restore it to its original state. The corpses in this room hold more value than you do—worth more than the single gold coin I paid for you.”
A single gold coin, huh? I wondered how much I was worth. I had never heard of corpses being bought and sold, but I was likely worth more than a single coin. After all, I had been chosen to protect Lord from among many corpses.
As Lord exited the room, only Ruu remained in the morgue.
Ruu lay face down, showing no signs of getting up. Perhaps Lord had held back; she did not appear to be dead. I could hear her faint breaths clearly.
But I was worried. She was my comrade. Though our positions differed, she was like a colleague. One would help a colleague in need.
Since I had not received a command to remain still, I stretched my limbs and lowered myself beside the prostrate Ruu. I had to be cautious, lest Lord reconsider and return. The incident from earlier had been due to my lack of vigilance. I would not make the same mistake again.
Ruu lifted her face. Her unfocused eyes traced my features.
I wiped the droplets of Ruu’s blood from the floor with my fingers and, for show, placed them in my mouth, licking them clean.
And in that moment, I learned that humans truly take on a monstrous visage when surprised.
But it was futile. Lord had never truly trusted her, and now he would absolutely not believe a word she said.