The guildmaster counted them. “That’s ten. Now you’re free. But you can come back anytime, you know?”
Kuro ignored the remark and turned right around. The receptionist made way for him, watching him leave.
Once they were alone in the room, the receptionist spoke first. “There’s something you’re not telling him, isn’t there, Boss?”
The leader grimaced. “I’m contractually obligated not to.”
Several years prior, a man had brought a boy to the underground guild—a boy who would later be known as Shadow Fang. The man had joined the underground guild to save his son from an illness. The underground guild did more than assassinations and espionage; dangerous and less-than-legal requests that couldn’t be handled by legitimate guilds were all brought to them. These included searching for precious metals in mines long shut down by collapse or poisonous gas, hunting for rare and protected animals that lived deep in the woods, and smuggling illegal drugs into and out of the country. All in all, these jobs were high-risk, high-return. The man had taken one such request, risking his own life to save his son’s. In the end, he couldn’t make enough money in time to prevent his son’s death. The man paid his dues to the guild for leaving it and returned to his life above ground. In addition to the fee that he owed, he left 30 additional gold coins.
“He’s not the kind of person who’ll end his life here. If the time comes when he wants to leave the guild, put these toward his dues.” The man had shoved the gold coins at the leader, not taking no for an answer. He seemed to care for Kuro, since he was close in age to his late son.
Contrary to the man’s expectation, Kuro had spent his days isolated and uninterested in everyone, doing nothing more than his job. In fact, it seemed like he was actively rejecting everything else. Now, Kuro had changed—enough to show a change in his expression. The guildmaster guessed that Kuro was still unaware of that himself.
“I wonder who caused him to change so much?” The guildmaster, who seldom showed interest in anyone else, couldn’t help but wonder about the person who had moved young Kuro so much.
The receptionist watched her boss in contemplation for a while before shrugging her shoulders and leaving the room.
After leaving the underground guild, Kuro skulked through the dark to arrive at Rook’s manor, the Febvre residence in the capital. By the absence of any servants in the manor, as well as the dust covering the statues within it, Kuro could easily see that the manor had laid untouched for a long time. As Kuro sneaked into the castle without a sound, Rook was there to welcome him, albeit saying, “What took you so long?”
Rook showed Kuro to a room in the manor. On their way, Kuro sensed someone else close to them, but Rook noticed and shook his head to indicate that, whatever it was, it wasn’t a problem. Kuro decided not to worry about it, assuming that it must have been another Febvre. In this room, Kuro was first asked for the measurements of his clothes.
“You’re going to officially be introduced to the castle tomorrow—well, today. You have to dress the part.”
Kuro told Rook his measurements out loud. He sensed the figure outside of the door disappear.
After a few hours, Kuro was given a few butler’s uniforms that fit him like a glove as well as some pairs of shoes and a set of accessories. Then, Rook prepared various papers and documents on his desk and gestured for Kuro to sit down.
“First, I’ll have you memorize the duties of a butler. Then, we’ll go through etiquette—”
“No need. I’m familiar with the customs of this country.”
“Fine. Then the family trees of the royal family and other powerful nobles, their relationships to each other, their underground connections...”
Kuro took in everything that Rook taught him. Memorization was a vital skill for espionage. Memorizing all necessary information was practically a prerequisite to the job. Kuro soaked up every single one of Rook’s words, as well as the contents of all of the documents on the desk. By the time they were finished, it was starting to get light outside.
“Last one.” Rook held out something to Kuro.
“What is this?” Kuro frowned. It was a children’s book.
The cover of the book depicted someone wearing a crown, someone beside that figure, a knight with a sword, and a spellcaster wearing a robe and holding a staff.
“It’s a popular book among the children of this country.” Rook explained the obvious. Kuro raised a brow, but Rook ignored him. “Read it carefully. Now, I’m going to go prepare breakfast for Solye and Prince Herscherik. You’ll see His Highness in the afternoon. Be ready by then.”
After watching Rook leave, Kuro looked down to the book and back at the door a few times before sitting down at a chair and opening the book.
The story of the book was a very simple one, clearly intended for children. The king, wearing a crown, defeated villains and monsters with the help of his butler, knight, and spellcaster. While they were met with danger along the way, the four always worked together and conquered every challenge.
My body is a sword that cuts through your enemies, a shield that protects you from harm, and a staff that guides your way.
Although they were merely drawings, the three characters who knelt and pledged these words in the book somehow seemed full of valor to Kuro.
“An Oath of Service...” For some reason, that phrase sank into Kuro’s chest like a heavy stone. Kuro shook his head. “They’re just words.” What he needed to protect the prince was information on his enemies.
Putting down the book at the edge of the desk, Kuro picked up the stack of papers that he had gone through already. There was plenty of time in the morning for him to double check them. He imagined seeing Herscherik, the prince who would soon become his master. Sure that Herscherik would be surprised and happy to see him, a tiny smile formed on Kuro’s face. He still didn’t realize it.
The Seventh Prince of Gracis, Herscherik, would later be known as the Hero of Gracis. His butler Schwarz Zweig was always by his side. According to official records, the butler was a son of the Viscount Zweig, but no account about his upbringing was available. He devoted his entire life to Herscherik. He lived his life as his master’s shadow and turned his fangs against those that opposed his master, like a guard dog. People called him the Shadow-Fanged Butler.
The Shadow-Fanged Butler of the Reincarnated Prince — Fin.