The feeling he got at that moment was something he will never forget.

The heart was beating so strongly that he thought it would come out of his chest as the pain of its beating spread through his nervous system.

Yet no sound got out of his mouth. He was simply too taken back to even make sound.

“Eh? Mr. Housekeeper?”

Koro who jumped at him noticed his dazed face and started to in a clumsy way shake his shoulders with her wings to get some reaction out of him.

“Koro!”

The yell woke him up from his daze. He turned around and noticed that it was Sera.

She was touching her head with both hands and her forehead seemed swollen.

He could guess what happened…

“Oh. Fake Maid! Fame Maid! What?”

“You…!”

It didn’t look like Sera was glad to get such a title from her. He could already guess that this was just a sore spot for the little dullahan.

“You can’t just scare us like that!”

Koro who heard this scolding waved with her wings and flew around him to hide behind him as she put her falcons around his waist.

“Hmph. Fake maid’s words are stupid~ Fake maid can’t order Koro. Koro is benefactor of Mr. Housekeeper. Right, Mr. Housekeeper?”

She put her chin on his shoulder as she looked at him.

His entire face started to twitch when he heard her words. Just the memory of how she threw him in that pond….

He grabbed her felons as hard as possible.

“Hm?”

“Sera…”

“Yes, sir?”

Koro who heard his calm and composed voice felt a chill run down her spine and knew something was wrong. She wanted to fly into safety. However, he held her firmly.

Because she is a Harpy her bones are hollow and her body is extremely petite. The reason for that is so they are as light as possible so they will have easier time flying in the skies.

Unfortunately, that made their strength extremely weak.

“Help me whoop her ass!”

“Yes, sir~”

At that moment a connection appeared between Sera and him as their goals were the same.

To beat this stupid bird.

While Sera didn’t meet her so often as Koro lived outside of the House, everytime she stepped outside of the House she would always suffer with Koro’s mischievous nature.

The worst thing is that Koro isn’t that malicious. Most of her pranks are harmless. The problem is that she is a bird brain who doesn't think too much. That makes her a flying disaster and most of the tenants are avoiding her. That, however, makes her more lonely making her want to bond with someone even more! Thus the cursed cycle began…

“Mr. Housekeeper?! Why?!”

“Because you almost killed me!”

“Ah?!”

……..

In the end, Sera who seemed so timid used her hand and literally whooped Koro’s rear as he held her firmly so she wouldn't escape.

Gods are forgiving but he ain’t no god. No, he is human. A petty one.

If this chicken thinks he will play gentleman after she threw him tens of meters down from the sky then she must mistake him for someone else!

“Ahhh! Stop! Koro doesn’t deserve this…”

“What did you just say?!”

“Ahh!!!”

This situation lasted until both he and Sera weren’t satisfied with their work.

Letting go of Koro who couldn’t even stand properly they glowed in satisfaction and when their eyes got into contact they smiled at each other.

“What a relief!”

“Yeah, I didn’t feel so good for quite a while!”

The feeling of camaraderie between them deepened a bit as they both laughed.

On the other hand, Fel who was watching all of this got closer to the lying Koro.

While she didn’t understand too much of the context, she understood the most important-

This bird did something to her friend! The leader of the pack!

*Smack*

“Aaah!”

So she smacked her too!

“You too doggy?!”

*Smack*

“Not a dog!”

This time, however, he didn’t stop Fel from her rampage and instead relished in the feeling of having a guardian dog who attacks whoever wanted to bully him.

……..

After a while when everything calmed down they decided to go on their way and let Koro do her thing.

They entered the labyrinth made out of the living fence and started to look for the path leading to the fire pit. He didn’t have an idea where to go but fortunately Sera seemed to have good experience in going around this House and knows few things. She didn’t hesitate much and led everyone without slowing down.

However, after they distanced from her she started to follow them despite Fel’s warning growls.

“Why are you following us?”

Looking at the depressed harpy who was slowly floating behind them he asked with a curious face. He expected that she would get farther from them.

“Koro is sad. Why Mr. Housekeeper did this to Koro? Koro helped Mr. Housekeeper!”

Seeing that this girl who was cutely frowning at the pain in her rear was completely clueless as to why he did this he felt extremely exasperated.

He thought that after solving the problem with Fel he won’t have this kind of problem. Unfortunately, Koro was maybe even worse than Fel in this matter.

No self-awareness and no self-reflection condensed into a harpy with silly expression.

He could only sigh internally while trying to find a way how to explain to her.

“You know what a Fire Pit is? If I tied your wings up and threw you inside of it how would you feel?”

“Eh? Why would Mr. Housekeeper do that? That would fry Koro!”

Koro who was acting all gloomy suddenly yelped as she started to fly at high speed around him expressing her disbelief.

“Then why did you throw me inside of the pond without consulting me? In the first place, you took me in the sky without saying anything at all!”

“But Koro took Mr. Housekeeper to the pond Mr. Housekeeper wanted to go! Pond won’t hurt like a Fire Pit!”

“Hah?! How do I know that Harpies won’t get hurt in a Fire Pit? And how do you know that I won’t get hurt in the pond? Just because I needed to get to it doesn’t mean I should jump inside. We are right now going to the Fire Pit. Will you jump in?”

“N-no.”

While still looking clueless she seemed to understand that she did something wrong at least.

“Haah… Next time you want to help then just ask in what way instead of doing whatever you think of at the moment. If you take me in the sky once again without my permission I am going to smack you again.”

After saying this he stopped with Sera for Koro to catch up to them.

He wasn’t really angry anymore and seeing her like this also wasn’t exactly comfortable.

When Koro saw his disgruntled expression when he waited for her she brightened understanding he forgave her.

“Yay! Mr. Housekeeper is so good to Koro!”

After this Koro once again leaned on his back and laughed while he could only roll his eyes.

He didn’t want to douse her excitement but holding both her and the pack full of things was extremely demanding on his body which wasn’t used to such a burden.

The more so when he was quite tired. He did quite a lot on this day in his opinion.

But his hunch is telling him that the real reason is that he didn’t drink the morning coffee he was used to.

He did have one cup every morning when he had to get up early. If he didn’t he was an entire day like a zombie having to get ‘energy’ from another caffeine and sweet drinks.

At this moment he already felt the withdrawal symptoms…

‘Well, I knew for a long time that I should stop this addiction to sugar and caffeine if I don’t want to die in my 40s… This is a good opportunity to stop. After all, there is only water to drink for me… Yes, I can think of this place as baptism. Once I return home it won’t be the loser me but a new better me!’

Thinking positively, he always hoped for some kind of change and now he got it albeit with dangerous traits. This was also one of the reasons why he enjoyed reading web novels.

He was always an avid reader of books yet he started to read novels that usually had much lesser quality than normal books. This was because of the feeling those novels gave them-

Freedom.

Of course, reality is different. If he could he would cry in the corner waiting for someone to save him from this place. Unfortunately, he was the only Earthling here.

“Haah…”

“What’s the matter, sir?”

“Nothing…”

In the end, they passed the labyrinth without any difficulties and got out of it soon after.

But just as they were at the exit of that labyrinth Sere stopped in her tracks.

Because of that, he bumped into her from behind as he didn’t have time to react.

“Whoa?!”

What he saw in front of them took his breath away.

Deep chasm was right there. The bottom couldn’t be seen and darkness permeated it full of malice.

Beyond this abyss laid a gigantic mountain made out of the dark rock. But what took his attention wasn’t the mountain itself. It was the dark and grey fume coming out its peak.

‘The Fire Pit is fucking volcano?!’

Fortunately, they stopped in time before they fell into the abyss. As Sera had great core strength she managed to withstand his bump and only held her head in fear of it falling down.

“Mou~ What would we do if my head fell, sir?”

“S-sorry.”

The embarrassment caused his face to turn a little crimson. Just imagine that happening made him cringe internally.

“Well whatever.. The bridge is there. Let’s go.”

She pointed in the direction and went first again.

But when he noticed the so-called bridge his face paled and his legs almost buckled.

“Mr. Housekeepers are trembling a lot?!”

“What happened Friend?!”

Both Koro and Fel, who were in his vicinity, asked in worry.

“Oh well…”

The bridge wasn’t exactly a thing he would want to cross… It was a suspension bridge. But not the modern one that can bear trucks moving on them.

It was the primitive one. The one that swings every time you step on it.

Just the imagination of him crossing it gave him chills.

“Sera! Maybe I should give this to you? You should be able to do it alone now!”

He offered the back he had on his back to Sera in hopes that he can wait here for her.

“Eh? No can do, sir. As you said we need to do a lot to clean up all the mess in the house! If only I was going here it could be inefficient! There could be times when I can’t get here.”

“But…”

“Don’t worry, I will show you around. Let’s go.”

This time she took his hand and dragged him along.

He wanted to loosen her grip and get away but she was too strong.

It didn’t take her long before she literally jumped at the bridge which made it extremely swing while going consistently without stopping.

“Damn y-you… Aren’t you literally the same as Koro with forcing others into things?!’

Internally crying bloody tears he held onto her as an octopus without looking anywhere else except the sky.

‘How pretty.’

But at this time he didn’t expect another catastrophe to come.

“Woof! Friend! Wait!”

As he was dragged by Sera Fel was left behind. And she obviously disliked this treatment.

With elegance she ran on all of her fours and with a long jump she lunged at him who was already halfway down the bridge.

When he heard her he looked back with bad premonition. And he was right.

“Oh no!”

With force everything started to swing. He closed his eyes and hugged tightly Sera who felt a little awkward as she held her head.

Koro on the other hand, was watching all of this next to them in the air with mirth on her face.

“Much funny!”

……..

After they crossed the bridge he fell on the ground kneeling while vomiting whatever was in his stomach.

*Bleegh*

“Friend?! What’s wrong?!”

‘Y-you damn m-mutt…!’