# Evening Returns

[Would you like to view information about Vitality?]

In the darkness of my room, I stared at the blue window.

Sitting in my chair, the blue window seemed frightening. I didn't know what Vitality contained, or what price was being paid as it was consumed.

I'd be lying if I said I wasn't scared.

If Vitality meant lifespan, honestly, I had no alternatives. Even searching through the novel's knowledge, there were only two ways to extend one's lifespan.

One was to reach the realm beyond Sword Master.

And.

The other was to abandon one's humanity.

The former created miracles by perfecting the body, extending the human lifespan of 100 years by 5 to 7 times, or even approaching immortality. The latter involved using black magic to prolong life.

I didn't want to use the latter method if possible. There are things a person should and shouldn't do.

As a possession victim who loves love and justice, going down the path of evil didn't sit right with me.

But reaching the realm beyond Sword Master was practically impossible. The novel only mentioned "such a realm exists," but it was a godly state that not a single person had actually reached.

Just reaching Sword Master should be enough to extend my lifespan significantly.

I nodded slowly, carrying my worries.

"Alright."

Let's give it a try.

I can always think about it after taking the hit. Believing it was better to face it head-on, I answered the blue window's question.

"Yes."

[Viewing information about Vitality.]

And then.

The blue window began revealing information about Vitality in a way I hadn't expected.

-Side Story 102. Beginning to view "The True Meaning of Vitality."

***

Another bright morning at the mansion.

Olivia, who had woken up earlier than usual, was staring at the dawn sky with blinking eyes.

-Tweet! Tweet!

"Ugggh..."

Awakened by the chirping birds at dawn, Olivia covered her ears and punched the air.

The chirping of those birds—whom she'd gladly turn into chicken if she could—sounded especially loud today.

-Tweet tweet tweet tweet!

"Eeeek! You tiny little birds!"

During the time when Ricardo was a vagrant in the slums, Olivia had eaten sparrows. The memory of receiving roasted sparrows as thanks for putting gold coins in a beggar's bowl wasn't a particularly pleasant one.

-What's this?

-Sparrows.

-Can you even eat those?

-Yes.

-I don't think so...

-Then don't eat them.

-I won't.

-Then I'll eat them all myself. Delicious...!

-Eeeek...! Don't eat them all yourself!

Olivia remembered them as the worst ingredients—chicken legs the size of boogers, with little meat to eat and many bones to pick out.

Olivia disliked the sparrows for disturbing her sweet sleep with their tasteless presence.

She wanted to go back to sleep, but they kept interrupting. This was an urgent situation requiring her to express her concern for the Empire.

It's still too early...

[06:12]

Thinking it was too early to wake Ricardo, Olivia tried to hold back the patriotic feelings rising in her throat by keeping her lips tightly shut.

"Air..."

-Tweet tweet tweet!

"Eeeek...!"

I can't stand it.

"Air raid al—!"

Just as the words "air raid alarm" were about to fall from her lips, a strange hand suddenly covered her mouth with a "thump."

"Mmph!"

Olivia rolled her eyes, following the impertinent fingers covering her mouth. Whoever it was, she was annoyed that they were interfering with her patriotic concern for the Empire's safety.

Just as she was about to speak in an irritated voice...

"The Empire is safe, Miss."

"Huh...?"

"And why are you getting angry at sparrows? You enjoyed eating them before."

Ricardo's gentle voice reached Olivia's ears.

Ricardo was looking at Olivia with a small smile. His tired eyes looking down at her seemed exhausted, as if he hadn't slept at all.

Olivia looked at Ricardo while moving her lips.

"Rihardo?" (Ricardo?)

With Ricardo's hand covering her mouth, Olivia couldn't pronounce properly, so she opened her mouth and bit Ricardo's hand with a "chomp." The slightly salty taste of Ricardo's palm wasn't pleasant.

"Why are you biting me!"

"Just because."

"What do you mean 'just because'! I thought I was waking you up sweetly..."

"Hehehe...!"

Olivia showed a mischievous smile as she stared at Ricardo. Ricardo, wiping the saliva off his hand with a handkerchief, frowned and slowly stroked Olivia's head.

"Don't bite. It hurts."

"It tasted bad, so I won't do it again."

"..."

Ricardo muttered "I'll try coating it with chocolate later" and smiled, speaking in a low voice.

"Miss."

"Yes."

"Why are you up so early? You should sleep more."

"Those birds woke me up."

Olivia gestured toward the sparrows with a sulky expression. She demanded justice against the sparrows that had disturbed her sweet sleep.

Ricardo smiled and said "Please be patient" like an animal rights activist, stroking Olivia's head.

Olivia repeated the same question Ricardo had asked. She asked why he was up so early when it wasn't time to be awake yet.

"Why are you up so early, Ricardo? The sun isn't even up yet."

"Ah... I had a nightmare."

"A nightmare?"

"Yes."

Olivia pondered the word "nightmare." Certainly, nightmares were scary. Knowing that dreams about ghosts or having snacks stolen could completely remove any desire to go back to sleep, she asked Ricardo in a concerned voice.

"Did you dream about having your snacks stolen?"

"No."

"Oh."

Olivia sighed with boredom at Ricardo's uninteresting dream story and shook her head.

"That's not a scary dream."

"Is that so? It was terrifying to me."

"Was it really scary?"

"Yes. It was extremely frightening."

Olivia heard Ricardo's sigh as he said "extremely..." The trembling breath of Ricardo, filled with many worries, made Olivia turn her head to look at him and ask.

"Eat something. You're just hungry."

"No. I just can't sleep because my thoughts are complicated."

"Complicated?"

"Yes, there was something I thought was fine, but when I saw it in my dream, it became scary, I guess?"

"Ricardo, you're a coward."

"Not as much as you, Miss."

"Eeeek! What's that supposed to mean!"

"Who was it that begged to sleep together because of a cockroach?"

"That one's dead."

"Pfft...!"

Ricardo didn't explain his nightmare in detail. Saying that the Miss would be shocked if she heard it, Ricardo kept secret what happened in the dream, wearing a somewhat gloomy expression as he shared his impressions.

"It was terribly frightening."

Ricardo stopped stroking Olivia's head and stood still.

Seeing Ricardo looking at her with trembling eyes, Olivia thought she should show her dignity as his master and spoke to Ricardo in a strong voice.

"Don't worry. I'll protect you, Ricardo."

"Oh... that's actually touching."

"Yes. So lie down here."

Olivia patted the bed beside her, telling Ricardo to lie down. Though she knew it was highly improper for a man and woman to lie in the same bed, she could at least offer space to a butler who had a nightmare.

Since she wasn't the kind of master who would coldly turn away a butler who came to her scared, Olivia wriggled to make room on the side of the bed and pulled back the blanket a little.

Ricardo stared blankly.

Awkward gazes crossed in the air.

"Lie down."

"It's a very attractive offer, but if I lie in the same bed as you, Miss, I think my heart won't function properly."

"I don't smell bad."

"That's not the reason..."

Ricardo took a deep breath and covered his flushed face. Olivia stared intently at Ricardo, whose earlobes had turned red as if he had a fever.

"Ricardo, do you have a fever?"

"No."

"I don't think so. Your face is red."

"It's just your imagination."

Knowing that a butler's words couldn't be trusted, Olivia grabbed Ricardo's wrist and pulled him toward the bed.

"Eeeek!"

Ricardo, caught off guard, was pulled onto the bed by Olivia's hand.

Ricardo placed his hand at the head of Olivia's bed. His body, with its center of gravity disrupted, was looking at Olivia in a somewhat strange posture.

Ricardo's face was staring directly at her, like lovers about to kiss.

Olivia made a blank expression and grabbed Ricardo's cheeks with both hands, bringing his face close to hers.

Olivia touched her forehead to Ricardo's with a "tap" and, seeing Ricardo's surprised expression, gave a short and concise answer.

"No fever."

"No..."

"What? Are you sick?"

As Olivia tried to bring her forehead to Ricardo's again, Ricardo hastily pushed her away.

"What are you doing...!"

"Health check."

"Who checks for fever like this...!"

Olivia answered Ricardo with a confident expression. With the attitude that such a person exists right here, so what's the problem?

"What's wrong with it?"

"No, it's not wrong, but you shouldn't check fever like this with other people. Really..."

Olivia answered Ricardo.

"I won't do it with other people. I won't even check my father."

"Why not?"

"Too bothersome."

Olivia smiled brightly and grabbed Ricardo's wrist, coaxing him to lie down beside her.

"Because Ricardo is my butler, I'll check your fever."

Ricardo smiled helplessly and lay down beside Olivia, saying:

"Really... I just can't handle you."

Ricardo, trembling from his nightmare, lay down beside Olivia and closed his eyes, and the two slowly fell asleep.

Five hours later.

"Ricardo... I'm hungry."

Olivia woke Ricardo up.

*

[The final part of the viewing.]

I was trembling as I watched the vision shown by the blue window.

The tragedy unfolding in a familiar space was making me feel "fear" for the first time, after all.

I was feeling a fear I had never experienced even in life-or-death battles, and I was feeling it just in the Miss's room.

-Ricardo...?

-...

-Wake up, Ricardo.

The Miss was holding my cold body and crying. Shedding tears that flowed endlessly, calling my name, the Miss looked like a person alone on a deserted island.

Unable to bear the rising sadness, she beat her chest.

Saying she couldn't believe it, holding me tightly, the Miss kept talking to me.

-Hello?

-...

-Why aren't you answering?

-...

-I can walk now... Look... I'm walking like this. Look, Ricardo...!

At the end of the long sadness, when the Miss's tears stopped.

A cold darkness began to swirl, engulfing the Miss's body.

It was fear.

A fear greater than my own death.

-I'll save you. By any means necessary.

[Vitality...]

[It is consumed using the user's lifespan as a medium.]