Creatures Lurking in the Dark

*Knock* *Knock* 

 

"Hello, Miss Luna. I heard that you are looking for a job that pays well. I brought you a few leaflets so you can take a look." A hooded person with his face covered knocked on the door from inside. He dropped a bundle of leaflets on top of the table.

 

"If you decide to take any of these, you can contact me the usual way. Well then, please take your time to decide. I will excuse myself. See you later." The hooded man left as abruptly as he arrived.

 

"Thank you." Luna said, but the man had long been out of her sight.

 

Luna was sure that she had locked the door, but the man could easily sneak inside without alarming her. However, he bore no ill will as he was decent enough to knock on the door after the fact that he had just trespassed inside.

 

The owner of the hoarse voice left the room without making any noise after putting a stack of paper on the desk. It wasn't empty, however, as the desk had similar papers scattered on top.

 

They were all help-wanted posters. Some were about looking for a cook, some were about looking for a bodyguard, some were about looking for a tutor, some were about looking for a waitress, and some were about looking for construction workers.

 

However, with the new additional papers that the man had just brought, most of the contents were more questionable than the previous ones.

 

Luna picked the stack of paper up and read them.

 

Guarding a carriage of a high-ranking noble, this one was fine, but the next one raised many moral questions. They were about looking for a brothel worker, assassination, and so on.

 

Obviously, the payment for these jobs was much higher than the regular jobs, and the risks accompanying them were, of course, much higher.

 

Luna was what people would call an unfortunate woman. She was born during the midst of the war against corrupted monsters. As the fairy race didn't have the concept of a father, her mother conceived her. But during her last month of pregnancy, she was attacked and captured by the corrupted monsters. After that, she was used as a sex slave to satisfy the monsters' sexual instinct despite being near giving birth. A group of soldiers found and rescued her, but they were too late. The mother was beyond salvation; her mind was broken. And when they were going to give her a burial, she went into labor. It was a miracle when the soldiers saw that. And that was how Luna was brought into this world.

 

Sadly, she became an orphan the moment she was born. She grew up and lived in a settlement for people who suffered a similar fate near Lutenburg's capital.

 

Maybe it was because of the effect of the miasma when her mother was ravaged while carrying her in her stomach. Luna grew up lacking the ability to show emotion. In her eyes, the world was a monochrome canvas. Her face remained neutral whenever she was happy, sad, worried, or anxious. She was incapable of showing any emotion.

 

Despite that, the people of the settlement were all very nice to her. She also grew attached to them and considered every one of them as one big family. When she was fifteen, a pair of twin sisters, around five years old, joined the settlement. And as she was the only one closest age to them, the twins were very fond of her. And by this time, the war was reaching the end, so the frontier was far away from where they lived.

 

She thought that life would be slowly passing peacefully like that. Until tragedy struck. Something serious happened, but not to Luna. It was one of the twin sisters, the older one. She was diagnosed with a rare disease that made her mana veins become brittle. Normally, the disease wouldn't kill people with little mana inside their bodies. But the twins were from the demon race, a race that boasted the highest mana capacity. Right now, the girl didn't have much mana, but when she grew up, so did the amount of mana inside her. And if not treated, it would cause her veins to rupture, killing her with internal bleeding.

 

It was not that there was no way to treat it. But the method was a prolonged and costly one, which neither Luna nor anyone in the settlement could afford to pay.

 

And that brought her to the present. She needed a job, and one that could give her a large amount of money. She had walked around the city looking for a job that could help her with it, but all of them were nowhere enough, and if she was to save up the money, it could easily take her ten years before she could afford the treatment for the girl, and by that time, it would be too late.

 

Luckily, she was referred to the underground guild, where unofficial and questionable requests and demands circulated. And that was when she met with the man who was here minutes ago. She was told that he could be trusted, so she took the risk and contacted him a day ago. Looking through the papers that the man gave her, she took out a single paper.

 

'Looking for a maid to serve as an exclusive maid. Requirements: Young, good-looking, a virgin with no sexual experience, interview required.' It was clearly a fishy job, looking at the requirements. But the rewards were beyond anything else she had seen. On top of being offered three meals a day and a place to live, the money she got from it would make it possible to admit the girl for treatment if she signed up for installed payment.

 

Folding the paper and putting it inside her breast pocket, Luna stood up and walked over to the room next to her. Her room was located inside a building similar to a dormitory. And the twins' room was next to hers, which she was heading to.

 

*Knock* *Knock* 

 

"Mina, Mino, It's Luna." Luna knocked on the door.

 

"Ah! It's sister Luna. I'm coming~" A voice replied from the inside.

 

*Click*

 

"Hello, sister Luna. Please come in." The door opened, revealing a red hair little girl with a beaming smile.

 

"Good morning, Mino. Where is Mina?" Luna patted the younger twin's head.

 

"Sis is resting on the bed." (Mino)

 

"Let's go to her. I have something important to talk to you girls." (Luna)

 

With Luna following, the young girl led her into their bedroom. On the bed there was a frail-looking little red-hair girl sitting on the bed. She had the same facial feature as Mino but with long braided hair. She was the older twin, Mina.

 

"Hello, sister Luna. I'm sorry I can't greet you properly. *cough* *cough*" (Mina)

 

"Sister Luna. Here's the chair." Mino brought over the chair and set it down next to the bed.

 

"Thank you, Mino." Luna patted the little girl again.

 

"You are welcome~ Please give me a moment. I'll get you something to drink." The girl ran to the kitchen with a bright smile after receiving a head pat from Luna.

 

"*Giggle* That girl really loves you so much, sister Luna. How are you today?" (Mina)

 

As the twins became orphans at such a young age. Before meeting Luna, they had no one else to rely on. That was why Mina had taken on the responsibility of caring for her younger twin. So although Mino looked and behaved like a child her age should, Mina was more mature for a girl of her age.

 

And now, having met and interacted with Luna. She was happy that someone else truly cared for Mino. That was especially so when Mina learned of her sickness. She had more or less given up after hearing how much it cost to treat her disease, and while she was sad that she could not be there to witness Mino's growth, having Luna look after her younger sister was enough to let her regret to go the moment she left the younger girl's side.

 

"I'm good. How about you? Are you feeling okay?" Luna took Mina's hand and wrapped it around her own hands.

 

"I'm okay. I'm just a little tired, so I want to stay in bed and rest a little." Mina smiled and squeezed lightly on Luna's hands.

 

As usual, Luna's expressionless face did not show any sign of emotion. But for Mina and Mino, the time they had spent together with Luna made them realize how much Luna actually cared for them. The fact that Luna's hands gently wrapped around hers was more than enough to show Luna's kindness.

 

As for Luna, she was reminded of how soft and delicate Mina's hand used to be when she first held her. But now, it was slightly rugged, and the skin had lost some of its pristine softness. That was how much the disease had made her body's health deteriorate.

 

"Hihi, that's tickle. What were you doing yesterday? Mino said she couldn't find you in your room the whole day." Mina felt ticklish when her palm was caressed by Luna.

 

"Nothing much. I was going around the city looking for a job. So I was out the whole day yesterday." (Luna)

 

"Hihi. Is that so? Mino was sulking the whole day because she couldn't be with her beloved sister Luna." Mina tightened her grip on Luna's hands.

 

As a girl who was more mentally mature than other kids, Mina was very smart. She knew that with how beautiful Luna looked despite her expressionless face, she could easily find a job. So why would Luna keep looking for a job if there were so many options available for her? She knew that Luna's purpose in looking for a job was to save up money to afford her treatment. It was not that Mina did not try to stop her, but her words just entered one ear and exited the other side. Luna would just answer with an indifferent 'Don't worry' and continued to search for a job the next day. She was worried that Luna would be tricked into taking a dangerous kind of business. Although Luna had promised her that she would not agree to accept those kinds of jobs, Mina couldn't feel relieved knowing Luna's beauty might attract unwanted attention. But she just wouldn't listen to Mina's words. So Mina could only pray to the goddess that Luna would be safe.

 

But Mina also knew that no matter what kind of job Luna accepted, she wouldn't be able to save up in time before she succumbed to her illness. However, in the end, Mina thought that it would be fine for Luna to save up money. Since the moment she left Mino's side, with the money Luna had saved up, she could take care of her younger sister until she could stand up by herself.

 

The two held hands in silence for a few minutes before Mino returned, carrying a tray with three glasses of juice.

 

"Sorry for the wait~ Here's a drink for sis and sister Luna." She put the tray down on a small table and moved it between them before grabbing another chair and setting it next to the bed, and sat down.

 

"What were you two talking about? Mu~ I want to hold hands with sister Luna too." Mino sulked when she saw Mina and Luna's hands on top of each other.

 

"Hihihi. Nope~ sister Luna's hands are all mine. It's first come, first serve." Mina made a proud-looking face and teased the sulking Mino.

 

"Don't tease your sister. Here, I'll hold your hand any time you want." Luna lightly slapped Mina's palm before grabbing Mino's hand with her right hand.

 

"Hehe. I love you, sister Luna." Mino immediately grabbed Luna's hand with both of her hands.

 

"*sniffle* sniffle* My little Mino no longer loves her big sister." Mina pretended to cry.

 

Seeing the scene of the twins bickering with each other made Luna reaffirm her goal once again. She also loved and treasured the twins like her own family. Right now, they were also she had, so she would do anything to protect their smiles. If she could not express her feelings through her facial expression, then at least she would show it through her action. And so, she decided to talk to the twins.

 

"Mina, Mino. I want to tell you two something." Luna gripped their hands tightly.

 

Sensing that Luna's tone had turned more serious, the twins refocused on Luna.

 

"The reason I come here today is to tell you something about my job hunting. I actually just found something I think is suitable for me. But I will not be able to continue living with you. However, I will always come and visit you girls on my break." (Luna)

 

"Sister Luna, don't tell me, you accept one of those dangerous jobs!? Didn't you promise not to take any of those jobs!?" Mina, the smarter of the twins, instantly felt something was wrong and inquired her about the details.

 

"Don't worry. I did not break our promise. The job I accept is working as a live-in maid for a high-ranking noble."

 

"B-But, I won't be able to see sister Luna." This time, the younger twin, Mino, said with tears building up in her eyes.

 

"Silly girl, didn't I just say that I would come to visit every time I'm on break?" Luna patted the younger girl.

 

"Really? You will not leave me?" Instead of stopping the tears from overflowing, Mino started to cry.

 

"Really. Now stop crying." (Luna)

 

"Sister Luna, will you be okay? If it's about me, please don't push yourself too hard. I'm fine, really. I'm just a little tired today, but I'll be fine tomorrow, so we can stroll around the city like we used to." (Mina)

 

Instead of replying, Luna patted the older twin.

 

"Well then, it's not like I'm accepted for the position. So I have to go and submit the application. I'll see you girls later." (Luna)

 

"*Hic* See you later, sister Luna." (Mino)

 

"Please take care, and don't push yourself too hard." (Mina)

 

And so Luna went and contacted the hooded man. The man told her to wait in her room until he contacted her again for an appointment to interview. It was still late morning when Luna contacted the man, but the speed of his work proved how professional he was in his job, as Luna was contacted and told that the appointment was on the same day in the afternoon.

 

Standing in front of a luxury mansion, Luna approached the guards that were standing in front of the gate. She was promptly stopped but soon escorted inside when she showed them the entry document. She was guided to a waiting room, and a moment later, an old man dressed in a butler outfit and a woman in her mid-40s dressed in a maid outfit entered the room.

 

"Good afternoon. My name is Seth. I am the butler of the Gremhandlr household. Are you Miss Luna, who is applying for the exclusive maid position?" The man spoke.

 

"Yes, sir." Luna bowed.

 

"Do you have any experience working as a maid? Don't worry; it will not affect the result of the interview. We do train new servants before they are presentable to serve the master of the household." The man asked.

 

"No, sir. I don't have any experience working as a maid. But I know how to do household chores and cooking as I am living alone." (Luna)

 

"Then next is, what is the reason for you to apply for this job?" (Seth)

 

"I am in need of money. I have a sister who is afflicted with a rare disease. It is possible to treat, but the treatment requires a large amount of money." Luna answered truthfully. She had no reason to hide it, and she knew that with how powerful the nobles were, they could easily investigate her. So she decided it was better not to tell lies.

 

"Okay. Miss Flora here is the head maid of the household. She will continue the interview and explanation the details of the position. Please excuse me." The butler left the room and closed the door behind him.

 

"Hello, Miss Luna. As Mister Seth said. My name is Flora. I serve as the head maid of the Gremhandlr household. Before we continue to interview. Do you have any idea of what exactly is the exclusive maid's duty?" (Flora)

 

"I'm sorry, ma'am. I don't know." (Luna)

 

"Then I will explain. The Gremhandlr household has a young master who will be having his coming-of-age ceremony in a few days. And the master wants to hire an exclusive maid to serve the young master's needs. Of course, this includes all of his personal needs. So unlike the chore maids who are in charge of cleaning and keeping the mansion, your duty is to solely devote and provide care to the young master. Now, may I ask you this, Are you willing to offer your body to the young master if he demands to hold you?" Flora put on a heavy tone to address the last question.

 

"Yes, ma'am," Luna answered indifferently without delay.

 

"Noted. So, as stated in the requirements, your look indeed meets the standard. But I have to confirm your sexual experience. As the master of the house wants to teach the young master how to please a woman, and he also requires the exclusive maid to have no experience with men. So Miss Luna, excluding masturbation, do you have any sexual experience?" (Flora)

 

"No, ma'am." (Luna)

 

"I will also need to check your virginity. Please undress and sit down on the couch." (Flora)

 

Without asking anything, Luna followed the head maid's instructions. She took off her pants and sat down on the couch.

 

"Do you require me to take off my shirt and underwear?" Luna asked.

 

"No, it is fine. Please shift the panties to the side and pull your labia apart." (Flora)

 

"Yes, ma'am." Luna spread her lower lips with her index and middle fingers to the side, revealing the beautiful pink folds that were hidden inside her labia.

 

"Light ball." Flora casted magic to create a small light ball. "The inside is pink. And your hymen is still intact. It is proof that you have no sexual experience. Thank you, Miss Luna. You can get dressed." (Flora)

 

While Luna was getting dressed, Flora wrote something down on her note. And a moment later, she spoke again.

 

"Thank you, Miss Luna. This concludes our interview. Please make yourself relax in this room. We will evaluate the results and get back to you in about half an hour." (Flora)

 

"Yes, thank you for this opportunity, ma'am." Luna bowed.

 

Leaving Luna alone in the room, Flora exited and walked toward the second floor, where the master of the Gremhandlr household's office was located.

 

Stopping in front of a well-decorated door, Flora knocked on the door.

 

"Excuse me, this is Flora. I have brought the interview results from the candidate Luna." (Flora)

 

"You may enter." A hoarse voice replied.

 

"Please excuse me." Flora opened the door and entered the room.

 

Inside the room, a man wearing an exquisite coat was looking at some documents on the paper, and beside him was the old butler, Seth.

 

"Master, Here is the evaluation of the candidate. Please take a look at it." Flora put the paper she was carrying down on the table before moving to the side and standing next to the butler.

 

"Hm. I'll look at it later. First of all, tell me your opinions about the girl." The man spoke without looking at the paper.

 

"Yes. From what I can see, she is used to doing house chores. I caught a glimpse of her hands. Even though the skin looked smooth, there were traces of parched skin due to carrying heavy objects. As for her personality, I couldn't figure out what kind of person she was. She showed no expression on her face. And despite being interviewed inside a noble house, she showed no sign of being nervous. And from the information I obtained from looking into her background, she is an orphan currently living in a refugee camp. She is currently taking care of twins who were also orphans. Looking deeper into their relationship, they treated each other like real sisters. And when I asked her the reason for choosing this work, she said that she needs money to cure her sister, which I have also looked into and confirmed that the older of the twins is indeed contracted a disease that makes her mana veins unstable and can potentially lead to death. This concludes my opinion about her." The butler voiced his thoughts.

 

"I also share the same opinion as Mister Seth. The girl did not show any expression throughout the interview, even when she was told to undress and show her private parts. I have also confirmed that she is indeed a virgin with no sexual experience. Her body is in perfect condition, and her skin has no marred. Her body is of a typical proportion that most women have, so the young master can get used and learn about a woman's body with her. Moreover, From Mister Seth's background investigation, she seems to be used to taking care of others. And when I asked her whether she was willing to offer her body to the young master, she did not hesitate and replied with confirmation." The maid presented her opinion.

 

"Is that so? Very well." The man finally picked up the paper.

 

It had similar information that his butler and head maid just said. The paper had Luna's background, her relationships, her body proportions, and her personality. The man had commissioned this hiring request with the underground guild. Normally, he had no reason to lurk in the dark. However, the man refused to take chances and make sure there was no dirt left on him. The reason was because of the requirements for the job. 

 

He needed a good-looking girl for his son; why else would he opt for a regular girl when his son, who was in such a high position after he inherited the man's career, could choose his own women.

 

He needed a girl with no sexual experience; the least he wanted was for his son to be led by a woman on the bed. He had no need for a son who could not even escort a woman on the bed.

 

He needed a virgin girl for his son; if the woman kicked and screamed due to the pain of being deflowered, his son needed to learn how to deal with the situation and not stand there like a retard.

 

Luna fitted the bill perfectly. The man honestly thought that this request would be impossible to fulfill. In fact, he had posted this request for a year already, and he kept increasing the amount of the reward. Not a single woman would even accept such a dubious request with such requirements. They all knew it was better to avoid it. Luckily, Luna had applied right before the man decided to take down the request.

 

But then, something caught the man's attention. His butler and the head maid said that the candidate girl did not show any expression even when told to undress and expose her private parts. And when the man looked at Luna's profile, he broke a small smile. His eyes stopped at the line' Race: Fairy.' As a man with numerous years of experience, he obviously knew about the traits of the fairy race. 'It would do good for Bano to learn how to make this girl moan in pleasure' was what he thought.

 

Meanwhile, Luna was waiting in the room for almost half an hour before she was escorted to the second floor.

 

Standing in front of the door was the head maid, Flora, who interviewed her a moment ago.

 

"Miss Luna. Inside this room is the master of the Gremhandlr household. The master would like to have a word with you. Please show your respect." (Flora)

 

"Yes, ma'am." Luna replied.

 

"Then, please enter." Flora opened the door and entered, with Luna following behind. Inside the room was a man exerting an aura of authority just by sitting, and next to him was the old butler she also had an interview with.

 

"Master, I have brought Miss Luna." Flora bowed and signaled Luna to bow as well.

 

"You can leave, Flora. Raise your head. Let me see your face." The man said.

 

"Yes, sir." Luna raised her head. Now there were only three people inside this room, herself, the old butler, and the master of the house. Normally, anyone would start sweating when facing the man. However, Luna's expressionless face showed not a single change.

 

"Hm. Your face is good. And just like I heard, you really show no expression, just like a doll. Very good. Girl, tell me, have you heard about what entails serving my son as his exclusive maid?" The man stared down at Luna.

 

"Yes, sir. If I am chosen for the position, I would accompany the young master and answer to any needs he demands. Even if it was to offer my body." (Luna)

 

"That is correct. Then let me ask you one last time. I am looking for a girl who can teach my son how to satisfy a woman in bed. Are you willing to accept the position?" The man asked.

 

"Yes, sir. I will answer to any demands the young master has." (Luna)

 

"Good answer! You are hired. Do you have any requests? If it is within my ability, I will try to accommodate you." The man asked.

 

"Sir, if I am allowed to say, then I only have one request." Luna bowed deeply.

 

The old butler next to the man squinted his eyes. He didn't expect Luna to outright speak her demand like that.

 

Perhaps sensing the old butler's stare, the man waved his hand at him.

 

"Speak." The man said.

 

"Sir, I have a sister who is currently ill and needs medical attention. From what I have seen in the job description, my payment should be enough to admit her for treatment if I sign up for install payment. Then, I don't need the money, but instead of paying my wage, can you transfer the money to pay the treatment cost?" (Luna)

 

"HAHAHAHA! You are a good girl. I guess I can rest assured of leaving my son in your care. Of course, your demand is but a trivial matter to me. If you want, I can pay off the treatment cost and have you work to pay off the debt instead."

 

"Thank you very much, master." (Luna)

 

"Well then, you may leave. You have today and tomorrow to prepare. Your work officially starts in two days." The man waved his hand, signaling for Luna to leave.

 

That night, and the night after that, Luna spent the rest of her day together with the twins. She even slept together with them.

 

Luna didn't know; while she was sleeping, tears of happiness dripped down from the corner of her eyes as the twins hugged her from both sides.

 

–––––

 

That was how she met and served as Bano's exclusive maid.

 

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