There’s No Way My Maid Is a Villain

Blood Flow

No. 168, Shanke Street, was a large ballroom.

Inside one of its rooms, two people were in the midst of a discussion.

"Genode, I have already prepared everything according to your instructions. Now, shouldn't you give me the recipe for Snake-haze herb?"

"Don't be hasty, Mark. I need to verify the goods first. As long as there are no issues, you can go to the gentleman's house for the formula at any time."

"That's not a problem. Come with me."

The two walked over to a carpet, lifted a wooden board, and entered the basement.

Outside the door, a young girl (a maid?) was busy rubbing her nail clipper.

"Who would've thought I'd end up doing such a thankless job, sigh."

Aili let out a sigh as she glanced at the corpse being pecked at by crows on a nearby tree.

Mengqi City was never a city with an overwhelming underworld presence, but now corpses were hanging from trees, rotting human flesh lined the sides of the streets, and severed limbs could be found in rubbish bins.

The once lively city was nowhere to be seen.

Nevertheless, Aili seemed utterly unconcerned by the grim scene, nonchalantly wiping her nail clipper with a cloth nearby.

Once the cloth was torn from excessive rubbing, Aili headed for the entrance to the ballroom.

The attendant at the door saw a girl in a black long dress (battle dress) approaching and did not stop her; he assumed Aili was some nobleman's daughter, so he made a welcoming gesture.

Seeing his courteous pose, Aili smiled, then handed him a vial of liquid.

"Miss, what's this?"

The attendant looked surprised.

"Perfume. Take your time to admire it."

"Thank you, thank you, miss."

The attendant was overjoyed. Perfume used by nobles was on a completely different level compared to ordinary perfumes.

With a gentle smile, Aili walked into the hall. Shortly after, the attendant collapsed face-first on the ground, breathing his last.

"I only told you to look at it, never said you should smell it."

Inside the ballroom, music and dancing continued, oblivious to the fact that someone at the entrance had just met the God of Light; no one sensed that death was drawing near.

Just then, a man bedecked in gold ornaments tripped over a stool, falling flat on the floor.

His expression clearly indicated he'd had too much to drink.

As he climbed back up, just as he was about to get angry, he noticed a girl standing in front of him.

He could swear he'd never seen a girl as beautiful in this lifetime—compared to the shrew he had at home, this was like a phoenix dazzling alongside a sparrow.

"Miss, it's an honor to meet you. May I have this dance?"

Before he could even finish speaking, his hand was already reaching out.

Suddenly, he realized his gaze had dropped to his own lower half, and he found himself unable to move.

Why was this? When it finally dawned on him, he realized he'd been sliced in half at the waist.

As if transcending time and space, his body had been sliced open a moment before, but the blood only gushed out afterward.

"Ahhhhhhh!!"

Screams filled the hall, and chaos erupted. Mark and Genode, down below, also heard the commotion upstairs.

"What happened?"

"Not sure—probably one of those troublemakers again."

"Well, that's your problem. I'm taking the goods first. The recipe for Snake-haze herb is at the gentleman's house. Pick it up whenever you like."

"Of course. Once I settle this, I'll head straight over."

"Then I'll take my leave."

Genode grabbed an iron cage meant for holding beasts and climbed over the rear wall to leave.

Mark returned upstairs. No sooner had he stepped out than he felt something wet underfoot.

He thought it was spilled wine and was about to curse when he realized the liquid by his feet was fresh, warm, human blood.

Looking up toward the ballroom's center, he saw a black-haired girl sitting atop a mound of corpses, emerald eyes fixed on him.

She patted the remains beside her, as if to say: I've saved you a nice spot here.

Mark's breathing quickened instantly at the sight. Growing up amidst the underworld since childhood, he'd gotten used to this world's darkness, but he had never seen carnage so bloody before. His stomach churned.

He struggled to steady his breath, but cold sweat poured down his face as his heart pounded faster and faster.

Drawing a greatsword from his spatial ring, he took a deep breath and charged at the girl.

"Steel Cleave Flash!"

With a bang, the greatsword halted beside the girl.

Mark couldn't understand what force was stopping him, but no matter how hard he tried, he could not push the blade even an inch closer to death.

Upon closer inspection, he saw the girl was holding something like a scalpel, blocking his greatsword.

She then placed her thumb on the back of the scalpel and pressed down. The sword, as thick as a steel bar, snapped in two.

"Pathetic. Have you come to hone my blade? Ah, no, actually—the stone I use for sharpening is harder than your sword."

Aili waved her hand, seemingly very displeased.

Escape. He needed to escape. This monster wasn't someone he could ever hope to defeat.

His survival instinct eclipsed everything else; Mark immediately turned and ran.

"Even if you have no fighting skills, you should never show your back to the enemy."

In the next moment, Aili appeared behind Mark, a combat knife in hand. She swung it, the air splitting with a sharp sound. A deep gash opened on Mark's back, but not a drop of blood spilled out.

Suddenly, Mark's body shrank, transforming into a straw-doll shape.

"A substitute? How disappointing. To swing but not see blood—there's nothing I hate more. Looks like I'll have to dish out some punishment."

Mark made a desperate break for the back-alley shadows, his heart bleeding.

That straw substitute had cost him most of his fortune, bought as a last-resort lifesaver—yet she'd forced him to use it. No matter, though.

As long as he got the Snake-haze herb formula, money was never a concern.

He reached the appointed place—a grand villa. He pounded the door, shouting, "Open up! Genode, it's me, Mark! Hurry!"

No matter how loudly he banged, no one answered the door.

"Need some help?"

Aili hung her legs from a second-floor balcony, bending toward him and asking upside down.

"Ah! Ah, no, please, no...!"

Mark's face filled with sheer terror.

"No? What a shame, for I came bearing a special present for you."

With those words, Aili vanished in place, then reappeared, driving a slender rapier through Mark's leg, pinning it to the ground.

"Aaagh! Aaah!"

Mark screamed in agony, looking up at Aili.

"Please, I beg you, let me go—I have money, a lot of money!"

"Ara, but this isn't something you should be asking me. Why not ask your old friend instead?"

Aili laughed, pointing toward the sky.

Mark looked up and saw his greatsword falling from above—only half of it remained, but it was more than enough to finish him.

With his ability and skill, dodging would have been easy—if both his legs were free. One was pinned to the ground.

His screams grew more desperate as Aili's smile remained undimmed.

"Bang!"

With a thud, the broken blade pinned Mark beneath it, blood flowing out from below. One hand stuck out, struggling in vain, until—bang—the sword's other half crashed down, completely burying him at last.

-------------= Clacky's Corner -------------=
【ദ്ദി(⩌ᴗ⩌)】