# Chapter 54: My Servant Cedric (20) – Farewell, My Servant.
Recently, the Great Demon Lucidra had been in a good mood.
To describe just how good her mood was—while sitting alone or standing still, she would spontaneously burst into laughter or find her lips quirking upward, unable to suppress her smiles.
Such behavior was unbecoming of a Great Demon who once effortlessly manipulated countless others with merely a gesture or a smile, and Lucidra herself was aware of this. But despite her awareness, she found it hard to stop smiling.
‘This time, it’s my victory!’
It had been a few months since she awakened from her long seal and formed a contract with Crown Prince Alondre.
At first, she had thought it would be easy to toy with such a precious young master, one who had grown up pampered and sheltered from worldly affairs. But Crown Prince Alondre was no ordinary being.
To put it nicely, he was extraordinary. To be blunt, he was no mere human.
His abilities were absurd, and his personality was even stranger, causing her to endure much humiliation and suffering.
However, this time, her days of humiliation had come to an end.
From Lucidra’s perspective, the noble lady Claudia showed no intention of letting go of Cedric, who was, in fact, the Crown Prince’s avatar.
The Crown Prince seemed to think that after doing his duty and with the contract’s term now expired, he could simply leave without a fuss. But could human feelings be so easily cut off?
‘Once someone falls in love, there’s no stopping them from throwing caution to the wind. No matter how capable you are, there’s no way out this time.’
Whether Lady Claudia tries to hold on to Cedric by wielding the power she holds as a noble, or throws a tantrum, arguing that without him, she’ll revert to being reckless again, neither choice aligns with the Crown Prince’s intention for her to become an independent lord after his departure.
And that means Lucidra’s victory in this bet with the Crown Prince.
‘…Huh, hahaha. What should I demand as my reward? What could possibly compensate me for the humiliation I’ve endured these past months?’
Though the contract signed by the meticulous Crown Prince prevented her from exploiting him in ways common to demons, such as stripping him of all his wealth or power.
Overthrowing the empire using the Crown Prince as a puppet would be impossible.
However, it was more than enough to satisfy her personal grievances and frustrations.
As she continued to indulge in these happy thoughts, her consciousness shifted from the Crown Prince’s shadow to Cedric’s.
Alright, then—let’s see what sort of chaos the charming young noble lady has stirred up with Cedric, or rather, the Crown Prince…
“…Alright. I’ll let him go.”
—Huh?
*
Having concluded her conversation with the marquis, Claudia returned to her home.
Perched on her shoulder was a snake, its entire body a vivid red. The marquis, unable to personally join her mission, had lent her part of his bl**d demon creatures.
Despite achieving her goal, Claudia’s expression was somber.
‘Cedric is an imperial duke’s secret operative?’
Although the marquis himself had labeled his claim as merely a “guess,” Claudia had detected a strange certainty in his tone.
If his guess was correct, it would perfectly explain Cedric’s baffling level of competence.
She wanted to deny it, but couldn’t.
This revelation was burning a hole in Claudia’s heart.
“Alice?”
The moment she saw Cedric gazing at her with his round, sincere eyes, Claudia found herself momentarily speechless.
There was so much she wanted to say to him, but now, standing face to face, her mind went blank, unable to utter a single word.
-SSSSHHH
However, the red snake she had brought was different.
Desperate to return to its master, the snake didn’t care whether Claudia was lost in contemplation or not. It flicked its tongue and carefully examined Cedric.
-SSSHHH?
It immediately raised an invisible question mark.
The snake, with its predator’s instincts, sensed two things contradicting each other: Cedric was undoubtedly dying, yet at the same time, he radiated an overwhelming strength and vitality.
Unsure how to reconcile these conflicting sensations, the snake tilted its head, as a human might, and then conveyed its perception to Claudia, as best it could.
One thing to note here: bl**d demons don’t fully understand human language or articulate coherent messages. They simply exchange ‘intentions’ with their master, the one connected to them through bl**d.
Though capable of fairly effective communication with the original owner, the marquis, there was a slight issue exchanging ideas with Claudia, who shared the marquis’ bl**d but remained a separate individual.
The result was subtle distortions, akin to poor translation skills.
The marquis, aware of this, had explained to Claudia, but she had half-heartedly listened, letting the words slip past her.
The marquis had noticed her absent-mindedness but didn’t insist she pay closer attention.
Since describing one’s health—good or bad—could still generally be understood despite the slight distortions.
Thus, the message:
– “He’s nearly dead, though he seems somehow connected to something big that keeps him okay.”
Became distorted into:
– “He’s dead, but something massive is holding him in this pseudo-alive state.”
Naturally, Claudia was shocked.
With a trembling voice, she inadvertently asked Cedric,
“Cedric, are you perhaps tied to someone by magic?”
Cedric’s expression momentarily froze.
It was the most astonished reaction Claudia had ever seen from him.
His gaze flitted between Claudia and the red snake on her shoulder, then a bittersweet smile appeared on his face, one that conveyed understanding.
“So, the reason you suddenly left the estate without a word was to seek the marquis’ help?”
“No, that’s not the important part now. Why exactly did you say you’re fine? Because of this magic?”
There was some great magic keeping Cedric alive, preventing his d*ath.
This wasn’t entirely foreign to Claudia.
Her own bl**d demons, for example, as long as they returned alive, could recover from any wound.
Cedric exhaled a short sigh.
If only the truth could’ve remained hidden, but now that it was already uncovered, it would look worse to deny it outright.
“Yes. As long as this magic (avatar) remains, true d*ath will not find me.”
“To think you’ve been caught in such magic (control)…!”
Claudia was utterly aghast.
To merely send secret agents wasn’t enough; one controlled their very life and d*ath.
How great and how cruel the empire must be.
Speechless, Claudia’s only response was to gape like a fish out of water. To her, Cedric explained further.
“All my actions while I’ve been here were not entirely pure. In fact, one might call them wrongful. Because I deceived and used you.”
“That’s not your fault….”
In Claudia’s mind, Cedric had merely had no choice but to follow orders while his life was being controlled like a leash.
How could she blame him for this?
“No, it is my fault. Because these were things I voluntarily chose to do.”
But Cedric firmly denied this.
To him, it was nothing but the pure truth. But to Claudia, even this truth seemed like a noble refusal to shirk responsibility.
“I may prove to be an unworthy servant for causing my master such deep concerns.”
“Right now, it’s not about me.”
“No, you are the most important.”
Cedric looked directly into Claudia’s teary eyes.
“Do you know, Alice? Stripped down to its core, a servant is just someone who works for their master for money, devoid of warmth or any personal connection.”
“But when the master one serves is truly worthy of one’s loyalty, the servant feels pride. They’re happy when the master is respected and take pride in following the master on the correct path.”
“When we first met, you were someone who locked yourself in a cage, constantly hurting yourself and those around you. You weren’t the kind of master one could respectfully obey without hesitation.”
“But you’ve changed. You treat others with respect. You help those in need with the strength you possess, and despite lacking certain abilities, you work hard to learn and improve. Your servants, once trembling with fear just at the sight of you, now take pride in working under you.”
Cedric paused, as if drawing a breath.
Then confidently, without a trace of hesitation, he declared:
“I am the same.”
Claudia’s eyes widened.
“The name, the identity—it’s all a lie. But I can truthfully say that the joy I feel at your growth is real. I may be like a fleeting wisp of mist here, but if you continue to be a great ruler, the shadow of ‘Servant Cedric’ will remain immortal. Therefore, you, Alice, are the person who matters above all.”
Claudia didn’t answer.
For a long time, she remained silent, her head bowed.
Cedric didn’t rush her.
Finally, Claudia spoke.
“…Alright. I’ll let you go.”
Cedric, though knowing his parting was unseen by her, bowed deeply.
“Thank you for your consideration right to the end, Alice.”
“Consideration? Stop kidding.”
Claudia finally raised her head.
Tears lingered in the corners of her eyes, but her gaze no longer wavered.
The fierce determination of someone who knew the path she must take shone brightly, making her pink eyes glimmer like jewels.
“This is only temporary. Right now, I may lack the ability and the power, but you’ll see. One day, I’ll boldly approach the person behind you and declare that I want my servant back.”
For a moment, Cedric’s face dropped, then he broke into a bitter smile.
‘To reclaim a servant from the one behind him, that’s quite a poetic declaration.’
Even someone of his caliber couldn’t help but be intrigued by such a resolve, despite usually brushing off mere traps with a smirk.
However, he still had to give his warning.
“That will be a dangerous, thorny path, Alice.”
“Talking me out of it won’t work. I will definitely achieve this.”
“It would truly be better to abandon this, Alice.”
“I’m doing this because I want to! You have no right to stop me!”
“Truly.”
Cedric sighed.
What did he feel from that sigh? Claudia, recognizing something in it, tried hard to force an upward curve to the corners of her mouth, attempting a brave smile.
“So, stay healthy and wait for me. I’ll definitely come for you someday.”
“…I won’t affirm that. I still think it’s best to give up.”
“Hah! That’s perfect! You need to experience failure sometimes!”
“Indeed.”
From that point on, the conversation returned to their usual lighthearted chatter.
Though there were occasional moments when Claudia sounded like she was about to cry, she never allowed the tears to fall.
As if to assert that this wasn’t truly their last day.
Thus, the final day of the master and servant passed.
And in the shadows, the Great Demon wept.
