Lute, age 12.
The Demon Continent was in the exact opposite place from the Fairy Human Continent.
There were no four seasons, the weather was always cloudy.
The soil was so barren it was hard to grow crops.
By necessity, legumes that had high nutritional value and can be grown even in barren soil had become the staple crop.
Unlike the Fairy Human Continent, they only have 2 meals here: breakfast and dinner.
The food was simple, consisting of bean soup, salad, simple meat dishes, and sometimes fish.
For seasoning, its mostly just salt.
Maybe because the Demon Races didnt have any interest in food, even the high nobles had mostly similar menus to the common rabble.
However, they poured their souls into their afternoon tea parties and nightly evening parties.
Demon Race people of all ages just love sweet snacks.
So almost all of the flour, sugar, and fruits they imported were turned into snacks. They also imported scented tea leaves in large quantities.
Rather than baking flour into bread, make cakes! was their national motto.
In exchange for importing flour and sugar from the Fairy Human Continent, the Demon Continent exports minerals like iron ore, coal, gold, silver, copper, magic stones, and gems.
Their soil is barren, but to make up for that, numerous resources were buried within.
This was a land not unlike Arabia in my previous world, that was rich in petroleum.
But there were no such things as countries in the Demon Continent.
Whenever there was an important matter that needed to be settled, representatives from each family would meet together and decide on a course of action.
Even if they wanted to consolidate into a country, the Demon Races themselves were made up of a wider range of clans compared to other races, so it was difficult.
Mermen and birdmen cant possibly be expected to adopt the same way of living. It was also impossible to force them into the same way of thinking and doing things.
For those reasons they could not come together as a country.
In the eyes of the other races, they were uncivilized barbarians.
There are even those who look and act similar to monsters.
Then perhaps it was inevitable that discrimination progressed into war.
About 1000 years ago, a war between the union of the Fairy, Human, and Beast races and the Demon Race broke out.
At the start, the Fairy Human Beast alliance dismissed them as disorderly mobs, but when push came to shove, the Demon Race had a higher sense of unity than they imagined.
The war finally ended in a draw, but considering the Demon Races high individual skill and magic power, it was possible that the Fairy Human Beast alliance could have lost if the war dragged on.
Moreover, the Demon Continent is a country full of resources where minerals like ores, precious metals, magic stones, and gems were buried in great amounts.
They were discriminated against because their appearances were similar to monsters, but the Fairy Human Beast alliance came to know that they were a race that should not be made enemies of.
After the war, it became bad manners to treat the Demon Race with discrimination.
Because there were no countries in the Demon Continent, the title of Count Dan Gate Vlad who bought meCount was given to him by a small Fairy Human Continent country together with a plot of land for his services there.
Right now that land seemed to be under the management of masters acquaintance.
Just what kind of services did he do.
Count Dan Gate Vlad was born as the third son of a vampire family head.
He couldnt hope for an inheritance.
But thanks to the magic talent he was born with, he became an A ranked magician.
Then once he graduated from magic school, master immediately registered with the Adventurers Guild, brimming with frontier spirit, and rushed out to the Demon Continent.
He went around the world, embarking on all sorts of adventureslike slaying monsters, hunting robbers, getting into fights with dragons, destroying Legions that made an enemy of him all by himself, and exploring dangerous dungeons.
At first people around him took their distance because he was a Demon Race.
But because of his sociableness, strength, and gentlemanly conduct, the animosity that was there at the beginning was quickly blown away, and he made many friends and colleagues.
That master was going hunting for pirates when he met madam.
Mrs. Seras Gate Vlad was well known as the former female captain of a pirate-hunting ship.
She was a competent person with a B+ rank in magic.
Those two met, and immediately fell in love at first sight.
On the same day, master delivered a bracelet to madam and married her.
All their friends at the time could not keep up with their speed, and everyone was surprised.
Then the two returned to the Demon Continent, and set up a trading company.
Thanks to madams sailing skills forged in her pirate-hunting days and Masters knowledge of language and also connections and intermediaries built with his sociable attitude, the company soon reaped huge profits.
What earned them a particularly large amount of profit was hiring Dwarves to process raw gemstones, gold, and silver in the Demon Continent and exporting them.
The company handled everything from mining the raw materials, processing, and transportation.
To that extent, it was possible for them to establish a system that can achieve high quality, implement designs the customers like, and respond to orders no matter how small.
Thanks to that they had a good reputation with their customers and orders keep coming in.
The other Demon Race people tried to copy master, but they couldnt do what he did, and caused cultural friction with the Dwarves.
They also didnt have connections to the upper crust of the Fairy Human continent like master did.
Thus they could not sell the goods even if they could make them.
If thats the case, then it doesnt matter how much they could produce.
That way, contrary to other peoples struggles, masters business kept on growing rapidly.
Right now, the two were all but retired.
The business was mostly left to their subordinates, and they only came in to check every now and again.
What do they do on the days theyre not at work
Madam would throw tea parties, assembling noble wives in similar situations for all kinds of gatherings. She was a person with such tastes.
Master would be busy, earnestly training.
Generally speaking, he seemed to like building his muscles.
When I met master while working in the corridor, he would instantly take of his clothes and pose.
Lute! What do you think of my muscles! Strapping, arent they!
Y, yes. They are very strapping. I think they are very well trained.
That so! Hahahahahahaha!
Satisfied with my reply, he vanished behind a corner.
Then from behind the corner, the sound of Merc-san saying they are very strapping, magnificent was heard, and once again masters laughter resounded.
He didnt have to be so loud that everyone can hear
Also, master and madam would go on trips with just the two of them several times a month.
They looked to be intimate, cuddly trips, not unlike newlyweds.
It was everyones ideal slow life.
However, there were those who are jealous of masters success and graceful days, they were the main familys eldest and second sons, in other words, masters older brothers.
The main family was an ancient house, they had land, and generally they were also considered the upper crust of society.
But the sum total of their assets were totally dwarfed by masters.
It seemed that at any rate, they couldnt stand it.
Once upon a time, the eldest and second brothers, coming up with a suitable excuse, started a war with master.
The enemy was from the vampire clans main house, numbering 1000 people. This includes 50 magicians.
On the other hand, the Vlad houses fighting force, including master and madam, comes to under 50 people if you take them together.
But it ended in the Vlad houses complete victory.
The Vlad houses allies were madams former subordinates and masters adventurer colleagues who were indebted to him. They were heads and shoulders above the main vampire houses subordinates in terms of battle experience and loyalty.
And the most critical thing of all is master himself.
Masters A rank magician title was not just for show.
A rank magician is a title that only a handful of talented magicians can reach after much effort.
During the time of the war, master trampled down the main vampire houses subordinates, bathed in all kinds of magic, without even getting a single injury.
Yet despite this, there was not a single casualty.
It was something he can do precisely because he had overwhelming difference in power.
The eldest and second brothers immediately apologized for causing a war out of their own accord.
Master just laughed and forgave them.
Furthermore master did not demand money or anything besides an apology out of them, for one reason.
That reason isIt was fun to have something make my muscles shake again after a long time! But I couldnt give my muscles the joy of exercise unless you had a little more spine! Hahahahaha!
At these remarks of masters, even madam seems to have let out a strange laugh.
Not sure if its their caliber as people, or if this couple was just a pair of huge idiots.
Master was willing to forgive and forget in good faith, but the eldest and second brothers still held a grudge from this war.
It was rumored that they were restrained from asking for a rematch by the people around them.
I ask other maids to aid ojou-sama while I finish my late breakfast in the employee dining room.
When breakfast is finished Merc-san returns to ojou-sama.
I go to head butler Merry-san.
In the morning Merry-san holds a study session for demon continent language apart from butler studies.
Reading and holding ordinary conversations in the demon continent language is no problem but Im not yet used to writing.
Also as a butler Im still too inexperienced.
Merry-san taught me everythingfrom how to bow my head, footwork, speech, posture, how to carry tea, how to deliver letters, to common knowledgeso I can become a butler that wont embarrass the Vlad house.
In the afternoon, I prepared the ojou-samas tea party.
Malcolm-san prepared the [Mille Crepe] that ojou-sama liked in high spirits.
Every once in seven days, ojou-samas childhood friends[Three-eyed Barnie Bloomfield] [Lamia Muir Head] and [Centaur Karen Bishop] came over to play.
On those days Malcolm-san became more psyched making the snacks.
The girls seem to often come over to play with ojou-sama who had become a hikikomori for years.
Not only Malcolm-san, but also Merc-san, Gigi-san, Merry-san, and the other maids, at least as her servants, received them in high spirits as thanks for being ojou-samas friends.
They seem to genuinely want to come see ojou-sama.
They happily started girls talk during the tea parties.
The three-eyed race, Barnie Bloomfield, girlishly talked about things that interest ojou-sama, like cute accessories, interesting books, and snacks she bought from all around town.
The Lamia, Muir Head, was so voluptuous and sexy you wouldnt think she was the same age as ojou-sama.
She usually had the role of listener and being the groups mediator with the standpoint of a big sister.
Ojou-sama, too, when she had something to consult, she would stealthily go talk to Muir.
The Centaur, Karen Bishop, was everyones target of affection. She was hotblooded, a military girl who would rather go with swords than accessories.
She would often get teased by Muir, and ojou-sama and the others would happily laugh at her reaction.
Once the tea party was over, I would have combat training with the head of the guards: Demon Race, Wolf clan, Gigi-san.
He was a former slave, 10 years ago he had saved up and bought himself back from master.
He could do this because he was a strong person, a magician with B+ rank.
Normally, it was all but impossible for slaves to buy themselves back.
After buying himself back from being a slave, he stayed with master and become the head of the guards.
According to himself,
My family died long ago. I dont have a place to come back to so I stayed here.
Currently he was working here as an employee, getting paid proper wages.
I took off my butler clothes and changed into some rough sportswear.
We went to the backyard for training.
The reason I did combat training was in order to protect ojou-sama when she needed it the most.
The training menu consists of running around the castle walls to build up strength, unarmed combat, and swordsmanship training.
For unarmed combat, I sparred with Gigi-san seriously.
For swordsmanship, I practiced swings on a wooden sword and exchanged blows with Gigi-san.
At night, I carried ojou-samas dinner to her room.
After I finished cleaning up her dinner, I switched with the other maids and had my own dinner at the employee messroom with Merc-san.
At the evening party, before she sleeps.
Recently, ojou-sama had taken a liking for pudding in her evening parties.
Malcolm-san put the pudding in the center of the plate, and surrounded it with fruits.
It seems that having cold pudding and warm scented tea had become a habit of hers.
I stood beside ojou-sama as her waiter and told her simple stories.
Ojou-sama delightedly listened to stories I told her from light novels, manga, and anime.
Also, every once in 20~30 days, I did my job as a blood bag.
Just before she went to bed, I would pull up a chair beside ojou-sama, roll up my sleeve and present my arm.
Ojou-sama would bring her rose-red lips to my arm, and lightly nibble my skin with her pearly-white fangs.
I felt her teeth sink into my skinher white throat moving as ojou-sama savored my blood.
There was no pain, it actually felt ticklish.
Miraculously, when ojou-sama parted her mouth, there was no scar left.
There were various theories, but the most prominent one is [is it not not because the vampires magic power unconsciously mixes in with their saliva and produces an effect similar to healing light magic?].
Because the scar was small, it didnt seem to be a problem even for ojou-sama who had no talent in magic.
She drank a small amount of blood.
A shot glass worth, at most.
Once I did my duty as a blood bag, ojou-sama wrapped her small hands around my arm and stroked it to make sure there were no injuries.
Then she smiled with her cheeks red, and wrote her thanks on the mini blackboard.
My heart raced just a little bit.
Then after that, Merc-san attended to ojou-sama and began preparing for bed.
I was dismissed from service at this point.
Have a good night.
[Good night]
I gave my greetings to ojou-sama and retired to my room.
I return to my room in the evening.
When I was bought and taken to the Vlad house I changed into a maid uniform in this room.
Head butler Merry-san.
Chief guard Gigi-san.
Chief cook Malcolm-san.
Head maid Merc-san.
Normally, servants are not given a room, except those mentioned above.
Normally, youd stay in a common room, even if you worked many years youd only get a two-person room at best.
Despite being a newcomer, I, who got my own room, had quite the special treatment.
But the other employees werent jealous and easily accepted that fact.
Thats because Im a human.
In the past, it came to a dispute by the difference in the races lifestyle, customs etc. there were discrimination and as a backlash to it, it developed into a war.
So for that it is impossible for them to force their lifestyle on me the human newcomer.
Through such pride and various circumstances they fussed about it and gave me a room.
Editor note: yeah whatever Winter Blues too strong to help out here
In my room I take off my butler clothes so that they get no wrinkles and hang them on a hanger and close the wardrobe.
After I change into casual clothes I will enjoy my little free time.
Eating the snacks from the tea parties and evening parties Malcolm-san left for me, weight training, and doing image training of making the revolver and AK-47 so I dont forget the intuition of making handguns.
I also made notes using the memo, pen, and inkwell I bought with the money I got from teaching Malcolm-san snack recipes and tips I got from taking odd jobs from the other servants.
I saved up money and sent a letter to Elle-sensei to tell her I was alright. However, I asked her to somehow keep this from Snow.
If she knew about me being a butler in the Demon Continent, shed drop out of magic school and come running.
I dont want her to throw away her talent like that.
So I wrote the letter, asking to somehow deceive her if she ever came and asked because of worry.
*ya~wn* I should go to sleep. Ive worked all day today.
Fatigue caught up to me, so I slipped into bed.
Thus ends one day.
Just like that I fell into a deep sleep.
Thank you for reading thus far!
Impression, mistakes and opinions are very welcome!
Update is scheduled on 21hrs, tomorrow, 17th December.
Im sorry that guns are currently not in the story development!
I really beg your pardon
However, just wait for a little while longer!
Since many guns and Snows re-entry will be added after this, your patience will be much appreciated.
I have yet to finish reading the feedback. As I am busy in real life, reply will be slightly delayed. I intend to reply after finishing, thank you for your feedback.