Early in the afternoon, Etrius sat on one of the many couches in the mansion. Unlike Hilda, who was sleeping with her head on Etrius’ lap, maids were already working, having cleaned up after last night's party. A few of them looked tired, but even with Etrius permission to sleep in, were cleaning away. As for Iris and her kids, they were taking the opportunity to explore the town with Touya guiding them. Etrius wanted to go with them, but Hilda was out cold and it didn’t want to disturb her. Rubbing her belly, Etrius spent it’s time in the quiet, occasionally disturbed by cleaning in nearby rooms.

Having the time to spare, Etrius decided to go check on the students and their surroundings.

 

“That was the Hexian septic tank of all cheesecakes.” Said Allysa Tohana, the current queen of this elvish throne world.

“You can’t just say things like that.” Said Risa Arroyo, sister of Allysa, and the visiting queen of the Arroyo throne world. “Why can’t you be normal?”

“I am normal.” Allysa said. “You’re the weird one.”

“You know, I think your husband’s a bad influence on you.” Risa said.

“He is not!” Allysa said. “Anyway, he is much better than your husband!”

“My husband is dead.” She said.

“Yeah, he was so bad that you killed him!”

“He was literally a rebel.”

“Aren’t we colonizers? Didn’t we colonize them?”

“Well yeah, but we’re bringing so much good stuff to them, like medicine and technology.”

“Yes, but we are the bastards in this situation.”

“We’re helping them.”

“We are helping the survivors, but only some of them.”

“When they want our help, we will be here.”

“If your husband wanted your help, he wouldn’t have rebelled.”

“He was an idiot.”

“An idiot he may be, but he was smart enough to pull the rug out from under you.”

“I’ll never forgive that man for what he did.”

“Where do you think they are?”

“If they’re anything like their father, they’re probably hiding in some hole in the ground.”

 

Well, that got a bit more personal than Etrius expected. What about those students? What are they up to?

 

“Stay away you freak!” Satou said.

“Come on, just show me your toes!” Mary said.

“Control yourself!” Jasmine said.

 

They weren’t being murdered. Good news. Mary was just being a freak. Ignoring them, Etrius focused on Hilda, who was experiencing a pleasant dream. Though she was, it was a lovely day, and it would be a shame to waste it by simply sleeping.

 

“Hilda.” Etrius spoke gently.

“Nnn- huh…?” Hilda slowly opened her eyes.

 

Somewhat confused, she looked at Etrius then to her surroundings. As the gears turned in her head, she suddenly realized what situation she was in.

 

“!” Hilda quickly sat up. “Master, forgive me!”

“Now now, no need to panic.” Etrius said, calming her. “It was just a little nap.”

“As the head maid, I shouldn’t have bothered you.” She said. “Forgive me.”

“All is forgiven. After all, no harm was done.” It said.

“Thank you for your mercy.” She bowed.

 

Standing up, Hilda straightened her dress and fixed her hair. Etrius was tempted to help her, but as an adult she would likely be embarrassed. She already was, having just woken from a lap pillow from her master while having her belly rubbed in the middle of her working hours. Seeing as she composed herself, Etrius stood up with her, its hood still up after all this time.

 

“If you’re up for it, do you mind showing me around town?” Etrius asked.

“Of course, do you have any destination in mind?” Hilda asked.

“Anywhere you think there is magic.” It said. “I’m sort of curious about who created the angry one. Maybe there will be some clues.”

“If that is the case, there are a few places that might interest you.” She said. “Aside from the warehouse, we have some bathrooms that never stink, at night there is a ghost at the graveyard, though only sometimes. As well as the cursed safe.”

“What makes the safe cursed?” It asked.

“Strange noises and music, as well as some flashing lights.” She said. “Though we haven’t seen that in a while.”

“That’s strange. Can you take me there?” It asked.

“Of course.” She nodded.

 

Departing the mansion, they headed towards some sort of stone workshop which appeared to be abandoned. The stone was weathered and faded, with plants growing from the cracks of the walls. There might have been some grass on the roof as well, but they were unable to tell from this angle. The door, though somewhat rotted, was heavy wood, reinforced with strips of iron. The hinges were rusted as well, forcing Etrius to open it for them.

The inside was dusty, though not dark, and at the far end of the building, there was the signature look of stainless steel doors. Hilda looked at it with worry, and Etrius sighed. It wasn’t cursed, it was an elevator. Well, it still might be cursed, but Etrius doubted that. Walking to the doors, Etrius saw a button with a down arrow. Pressing it, Etrius waited. Standing bravely behind it, Hilda waited for anything to happen. Eventually, and with a soft “ding,” the doors opened up. From behind it, Hilda gasped.

 

“It’s… empty?” Hilda asked.

“Yeah, this isn’t a safe.” Etrius said walking inside. “Come on, lets go.”

“What is this thing?” Hilda followed.

“It’s an elevator. To put it simply, its a box that can move people between floors.” It said.

“Truly amazing…” Hilda was astonished. “This would make moving supplies much easier. How does it work?”

“Cables and electricity.” It said.

“No magic?” She asked.

“Not this one at least.”

“And what are those?” She asked, pointing to the control panel. “Buttons?

“Those will take us to the lower floors. Try pressing one of them.” It said.

“T- this one…” She pressed the very bottom one, “-3” and the elevator doors closed. “W- what!?”

“Don’t worry, it’s a safety feature.” Etrius explained. “The doors need to close for it to move to another floor.”

 

As it said that, the elevator started to move. Concerned, Hilda couldn’t help but grab hold of Etrius’ arm. Calming music played as they traveled below ground. A few seconds later, the elevator came to a gentle stop. Hilda held Etrius a bit tighter when it happened. The music stopped and the door opened with a soft ding.

 

“There we go.” Etrius said. “We are perfectly fine.”

“I- I see…” Hilda said, still holding Etrius.

“Come on, lets go.” Etrius said, leading them into the hall.

 

Hilda followed, but looked back as the door closed behind them. Still not exactly sure what that meant, she decided to trust Etrius. Moving down the brightly lit halls, the two noticed the lack of dust. Everything here was so clean. Was this place still in use? Who was using it? Did this person, or persons, control the “Angry One”? Hopefully there will be answers.

Coming across a metal door, this one painted red, Etrius gestured for Hilda to stay put. Opening it very carefully, Etrius peaked inside. Seeing what was there, Etrius immediately closed it.

 

“Okay…” Etrius sighed.

“W- what’s wrong?” Hilda asked worriedly. “Is there something there?”

“I…” Etrius wasn’t sure how to explain it. “You should see for yourself…”

 

Growing more worried, Hilda gathered her courage and stepped towards the door. With caution, she slowly pushed it open and took a peek inside. Upon seeing, she immediately closed the door.

 

“Oaky…” Hilda sighed.

“Yeah.” Etrius nodded exasperated.

“I see the problem.” She nodded.

“I’m very glad we didn’t bring the kids.” Etrius said.

“This isn’t something that they should see.” She agreed.

“I don’t want to but we need to investigate this place.” It said.

“I share your reluctance.” She nodded.

“Let’s just hurry and get this over with.” It said.

 

Nodding solemnly, Hilda pushed open the door. Walking in, Etrius couldn’t help but feel embarrassment for entering a sex dungeon. The room was filled with many tools and instruments, and the walls were covered in pictures depicting acts involving them. Candles, leather, ropes, chains… lots of chains… They found lots of things, but nothing related to the “Angry One” so they left in a hurry before they could count the stains on the walls.

Back in the elevator, the two said nothing as Hidla pressed another button. This time “-2.” The music played for an even shorter time before they arrived at the next floor. Walking out, this hall was visibly similar to the last. This time however, there was a blue door. Opening it carefully, the two were glad to see a bedroom. But it wasn’t just a bed room, there was a kitchen and door in the far end of the room.

 

“Things are very clean.” Hilda said.

“Yeah.” Etrius said. “It almost makes me think that someone still lives here.”

“To think that someone may have been living here right under our noses all this time…” Hilda said.

“Well, let's see who this person may be.” Etrius said.

 

Nodding, Hilda began searching the room with Etrius. The kitchen had preserved foods and other things that belonged in the kitchen, though it was fully stocked. Maybe it was like the warehouse and it restocked itself every day. But maybe it hasn’t been touched at all. There was honestly no way to tell. The bed was soft and seemingly unused, and there were no books, journals, or anything in the way of personal items.

Moving to the dressers, Etrius opened them and saw normal clothes. Pants, shirts, socks, underwear. Wait, underwear? Etrius picked up a green and gold bra and inspected it. Though It didn’t want to sound like a pervert, Etrius recognized this bra.

 

“Master, I think you should put that down.” Hilda said.

“What’s this thing doing here?” Etrius couldn’t help but ask.

“Considering what we found previously, the belongings of a pervert.” Hilda said. “Only perverts wear those.”

“Actually a few people wear them.” Etrius explained, putting them back. “Mostly humans, but there are others.”

“Ah…” She paused and looked at Etrius with suspicion in her eyes.

“Is something wrong?” It asked.

“Master, please forgive me, but there is something that I need to confirm.” Hilda said.

 

Walking up to Etrius, she pulled the collar of its shirt and looked down.

 

“Ah…” Hilda seemed put off.

“Oh…” Etrius realized what she meant.

 

Hilda then next, turned Etrius around, moved aside its cloak, and pulled at it’s pants to spy underwear. Taking a deep breath, she released Etrius who showed an awkward face. Hilda looked at Etrius with disappointment on her face.

 

“I didn’t realize that master was a whore…” Hilda said.

“I- I can explain…” Etrius said.

Walking into the mansion, Etrius and Hilda radiated an awkward mood. Not noticing this, Iris and her kids welcomed them.

 

“Welcome back. Did you two explore the town together?” Iris asked innocently.

“Yeah…” Etrius said. “How about we go have dinner? Are you hungry?”

“Can we have cake?” Lily asked excitedly.

“That's a great idea!” Etrius said. “Let's go see if they have cake!”

 

Etrius moved quickly as if to escape from Hilda, who looked at it judgingly. For the rest of the night, Etrius could feel Hilda’s eyes on it. It could tell that she wasn’t mad, just disappointed. Feeling a bit down as it lay in bed, Etrius realized that hadn’t seen an update to April in some time. It decided that now was as good a time as any. Takin gout it’s helmet, Etrius sent a message.

 

“Hey, Washington here. It’s been awhile. You were probably wondering where I’ve been and yeah, a lot of stuff happened. But before that, I got called a whore today.” It said.

 

In order to avoid any future cultural missteps, Etrius decided to tell them about how elves, from the lowest of peasant to the queens of throne worlds didn’t wear underwear. In fact, they only saw them as something prostitutes used. Etrius tried to explain things gently as it was, after all, sending this message to it’s daughter. Then again, April already knew that it was weird, so her opinion of Etrius shouldn’t change all too much. That knowledge didn’t make this task any easier.