With a bitter smile, he explained, “You gave me the shock of my life. How did you even come over here so fast?”

“I always stay close to where my lord is. Each of us five servants has been assigned to a 『Hero』. We never stray far from the one we serve.”

“That would’ve been good to know. Your sudden knocking caught me off-guard, and the figurine fell out of my hand. Forgive me.”

“N-No,” Cheryl didn’t dare to accept his apology. Waving her hands in a flurry, she said, “M-My lord does not need to feel apologetic about it.”

“I see,” Issac smiled brightly, “then I thank you. Also, could I trouble you to clean this up?”

“Uh, yes!” Cheryl hastily bowed and left before returning with a broom and dustpan. She brushed the pieces of crystal onto the dustpan meticulously. After she was done, she glanced at Issac, who looked intently at her work.

Stiffly, she bowed and said, “My lord, I’ll throw this away and bring a new one.”

“I would like it if you didn’t bring one,” Issac said without skipping a beat. “I’m just going to break it again, and I’d rather not break more of the Queen’s things.”

Taken aback, Cheryl had no choice but to nod and leave. After she was gone, Issac collapsed on the sofa. Amid labored breaths, he smiled. It wasn’t easy to act natural, nor was he an actor in the first place. So, he could only hope that he had fooled them.

However, he still wasn’t in the clear. He got up and took a deep breath before thoroughly searching around the room. As long as it was made to keep an eye on him, he was sure the same symbol of the eye and ear would appear on top of it. But there was nothing more in the room. Except for the Surveillance Statue(Issac named them) in the bathroom, there wasn’t anything else like it in the room.

“What the fuck are they pulling?” Issac was dumbfounded. ”Do they really have no backup plan, or are they underestimating us?” He was more inclined to believe the latter option since it made the most sense.

He walked to the door and opened it. Looking both ways, he saw nothing. There was nothing neither exposed nor hidden. After confirming that he was truly alone, he closed the door and sat back down on the sofa.

With a whisper, he ordered, “[Status]!” And just like he anticipated, a black translucent screen appeared before him. But the words written on the screen stupefied him.

Undergoing updates.

“What the fuck…?” in all of the mangas Ray made him read, none of them had a situation like this. “‘Undergoing updates’!? My guy, what do you mean by ‘undergoing updates’? Did I download Genshin Impact or something? I just want to know my stats!”

He felt a headache brewing and held his head in frustration. He stopped thinking. A lot had happened in a span of a day, and he felt he’d go insane if he worried too much. But he also knew that worrying was the right choice.

As he leaned on the sofa, he heard knocking on the door. He sighed and ordered, “Come in, Cheryl.”

Cheryl once again opened the door and appeared in the door frame. She bowed again. Issac rolled his eyes, a gesture Cheryl did not see, and informed him that all his friends were done resting and were now called to the dining room to have dinner with her.

With Cheryl acting as the guide, Issac walked through the castle in a leisurely manner. But inwardly, he was anything but. He could see the eye symbol on every light source on the walls.

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“…this is going overboard!” Issac rubbed his eyes.

“My lord?” Cheryl’s timid voice broke him away from his thoughts.

“Yes, what is it?” he glanced at her. Her forest-green hair was tied in twin braids and swayed with her movements. Curiously, she asked, “Uh, my lord, is there something wrong with the clothes the Queen provided?”

Issac paused. With bitterness, he said, “Uh, I’ve suddenly been whisked off into an unknown world. I’m trying to keep the last memory of my old world close to me.”

“I see,” Cheryl nodded and quietly guided him through the halls. Soon, they stood in front of two large white doors with carvings inlaid with gold.

“Royals really like their gold,” he kept his thoughts inside and pushed open the doors. Inside was a long dining table with eight chairs along the length of the table and one chair on each end of the table.

Queen Veronica sat on a chair at the head of the table. Her chair was more exquisitely made than the rest, indicating its importance. On her immediate right was Ray, who was talking to the Queen, unable to hide the deep-seated eagerness and excitement in his eyes. Ray was followed by June, who sat and quietly listened to the conversation they were having.

On the Queen’s left sat Janet, who seemed to comprehend only bits and pieces of what they were talking about, and Ethan, who would chime into the conversation occasionally.

However, his face slightly stiffened upon seeing them. The disgusting aura shrouded them like a fog. They were wearing the clothes that were sent to their room. Perhaps they even used the toiletries inside their respective bathrooms.

Issac kept his mouth shut. If he said anything now, he and his friends might get killed.

Yet this was still less strange than the masked man that stood beside the Queen. He was completely still and silent. And neither the servants in the room nor his friends acknowledged his existence. ”That means he’s not someone I’m supposed to see!” Issac snapped his eyes somewhere else, not daring to look at him.

As Issac walked into the room, the talking stopped, and his friends smiled in relief. The Queen smiled at him and gently gestured for him to take a seat. He nodded before walking over and sitting next to June. He took the napkin and placed it on his lap. After he was done, the doors opened, and servants came in carrying platter after platter of delicious-looking food. June’s eyes shone when the plates were placed in front of her. If one looked closer, one could see some drool leaking from the corner of her lips.

Issac raised his hand and coughed, “Ahem!” With a swift and smooth movement, June wiped the drool off her lips and regained her cold and composed bearing.

Issac felt bitter about her attitude. Perhaps he would also be eager to dig into such a meal if not for the same disgusting miasma-like aura wafting around each and every one of the dishes. And judging by how his friends didn’t seem to have any negative feelings about the aura, looking eager to eat, he concluded that they really couldn’t see it.

“Then that begs the question, why can I see it?” Issac wasn’t too enthusiastic about eating the food. Even after the Queen had asked them to start eating, Issac consumed the only safe thing there was on the table- water.

The Queen looked a bit surprised seeing Ray and the other three eating with cutlery. With a little curiosity, she asked, “Are you born from nobility? Though a bit clumsy, your manners are quite good!” Issac glanced at everyone briefly after that remark. And the difference was clear.

The Queen ate in a calculated manner. Every piece of meat she sliced was the same size, the amount of sauce she slathered was the same, and even the angle she raised and moved her cutleries was the same every time. Her movements felt mechanical yet smooth, as though she had practiced every second of her life to hide the rigidity of her mechanical movements—the result- a bearing full of elegance and majesty.

“Sir Issac, aren’t you eating?” having noticed Issac, the Queen asked. Her lips were pressed together in a smile, but her eyes seemed to contain deep malice ingrained in her soul. It was subtle but, once noticed, made your blood freeze.

Issac replied without much change in expression, “Ah, I ate just a few hours ago, and I don’t think I can stomach food with so many unanswered questions.”

“I see…” The Queen nodded understandingly. “Then what would you like to know?”

He glanced at June, who was eating the tampered food heartily—whatever appetite he had left, shriveled up. Despite his displeasure, he did not let it show on his face.