That voice…
Phaga and Ellen turned around, their gazes locking onto the figure who had suddenly emerged behind them.
He was old—advanced in years—yet brimming with vitality. His broad frame filled a crisply pressed suit, standing tall and straight. A faint smile rested on his face, but deep in his eyes lingered a sorrow that refused to fade. He gave Phaga and Ellen a small nod.
"So, it's you."
Phaga's brows knitted together.
He knew this man—knew him well.
This was the person who had given him his second commission since joining Victoria Housekeeping, and to this day, the only commission that remained unfinished.
The elderly gentleman who had once arranged a business meeting at a maid café with his companions. The man who ultimately issued a fourteen-million-denny commission to Victoria Housekeeping. Or rather—
Khors Belobog.
One of the executives of TOPS. The former president of Belobog Heavy Industries, and the biological father of its current president, Koleda.
"Long time no see, Mr. Khors," Phaga said. "Compared to the photos and footage from your younger days, you still look full of spirit."
Phaga extended his hand, holding it out in front of Khors.
Khors chuckled softly at the gesture and reached out to shake his hand, replying with a hint of self-mockery.
"I'm not what I used to be. Just a shell kept going by technology now. I can feel my energy fading with each passing day… But since you've seen my old photos, I suppose you've met Koleda."
"How is she now?"
At the sound of Koleda's name, Khors's expression wavered. His eyes blurred, as if reflecting years of pain and regret.
"She's doing well. Belobog has also emerged from its old shadows. It's thriving now."
Phaga had barely finished speaking when Khors's eyes filled with tears. A bitter taste slipped past his lips, one he noticed himself.
"Ah… my apologies," Khors said, voice trembling. "At my age, I get sentimental too easily. Thriving is good… very good…"
Realizing his lapse, he hurriedly wiped his face with both hands, smearing the tears without even noticing. He forced himself to straighten up, tugging at the corners of his mouth several times before managing a smile that looked more painful than crying.
"Come with me. There are some things you need to see."
With that, Khors turned and began walking down a corridor lined with several rooms on both sides, his steps heavy.
Suddenly, Phaga stopped.
Through a glass window, he saw walls completely packed with bookshelves. Two mattresses lay on the floor, with two people resting atop them—the Class President and Ruby.
Between them sat the Black-White Doll. Each of its small hands held a white ring, continuously releasing soft, milky-white motes of light.
Under that glow, the Class President and Ruby were slowly recovering, the pain etched on their faces gradually easing.
All at once, a white dress stepped into Phaga's line of sight.
Rina stood before him, hands on her hips. She was usually the picture of a gentle, dependable big sister, but now she looked more like a flustered girl caught doing something wrong. Her cheeks were flushed as she put on a stern, righteous tone.
"Phaga, peeking at people while they're sleeping is not okay!"
"Huh?"
Phaga blinked in confusion.
Judging by their expressions, they hardly looked like they were sleeping.
"Even if it is strange that they haven't gotten up this late, there's no need to look so shocked," Rina continued. "As a butler of Victoria Housekeeping, you should always remain calm and composed."
Seeing the suspicion written all over Phaga's face, Rina's blush deepened. Her delicate hands suddenly clamped onto his shoulders with surprising strength, making his eyebrows shoot up as she shoved him forward.
"And look—Mr. Khors has already gone far ahead. When you're a guest in someone else's home, you must keep up with the host. That's basic etiquette!"
"All right, all right," Phaga replied helplessly.
He didn't bother arguing with Rina's excuse, letting out a bitter smile instead.
Somehow, he had the inexplicable feeling that calling out her little act directly would lead to something very unpleasant.
Fine. For now, he'd just follow Khors.
Phaga quickened his pace, catching up to Ellen in just a few steps and taking his place behind Khors.
As they walked, Ellen tilted her head and asked quietly,
"What just happened back there? It's been a long time since I've heard Rina go on such a long lecture."
"Oh, just now—"
Phaga was about to answer when a sudden chill ran down his spine. A tingling sensation crept up the back of his neck, like an electric current shooting through his entire body.
Moments later, a massive shadow—held up by a hoop skirt—loomed over both Phaga and Ellen. Phaga swallowed and whispered,
"Understand now?"
"Understood… I won't ask," Ellen muttered back, clutching Phaga's hand nervously, as if it helped her feel safer.
At last, Rina's shadow quietly withdrew. The electricity radiating from her body slowly faded as well. She landed lightly on the floor, resuming her restrained, ladylike steps. The crisp sound of her heels was far more pleasant than the earlier hum of current.
"We're here."
Khors's slightly hoarse voice rang out ahead of them.
Everyone stopped, facing a blank white wall.
"Lycaon," Khors said, "please turn the vase on your right ninety degrees clockwise."
Lycaon did as instructed. The base of the vase scraped against the windowsill with a faint, gritty sound, and suddenly, the heavy clanking of mechanical gears echoed from below.
"Huh?" Ellen frowned. "Aren't we on the second floor? How could the gears be underground?"
Her tail swayed back and forth as she pondered.
Phaga lowered his head, thinking briefly.
"I'd guess there's a secret room on the first floor—but it can only be accessed from the second."
"Correct," Khors said with a small nod of approval, then continued, "though it's not the first floor. It's beneath it—a basement that can only be entered from the second floor."
"What you heard just now was the sound of gears turning in the space between the second floor and the first-floor ceiling. They power an elevator that will take us underground."
Ellen tilted her head again, even more puzzled.
"But wouldn't building an entire room just to hide an elevator shaft make it less discreet?"
From the outside, the house looked spacious, yet inside it felt somewhat cramped. Wouldn't that draw even more suspicion?
Unexpectedly, Khors burst into laughter, clearly delighted with himself. He threw his head back, laughing heartily.
"That's why I hid the elevator shaft inside a pillar! If you'd looked closely when you arrived, you would've noticed many large circular pillars beneath the first floor. Our elevator shaft is hidden inside one of them."
"Alright," he added, "enough talking. The elevator's here."
As soon as he finished speaking, the white wall before them split apart. An elevator—just over a meter wide and long—revealed itself.
Led by Khors, everyone stepped inside.
The jagged white walls slowly closed, shutting out the sunlight until none of it could penetrate. Warm yellow lights inside the elevator flicked on.
The grinding of gears echoed once more as the elevator began to descend.
After about thirty seconds, the doors opened again.
A bleak, pale-white light flooded their vision. The members of Victoria Housekeeping instinctively narrowed their eyes, staring blankly at the scene before them.
They were stunned—completely unprepared for what they saw.
Beneath the land of the Outer Ring lay an underground laboratory of staggering scale.
And even more shocking—
Khors himself had been researching Sacrifices.
Khors stepped out first, slowly walking toward the far end of the lab. Along both sides of the passageway stood glass tanks filled with formaldehyde, each containing a Sacrifice. He gestured toward them as he spoke.
"TOPS has been researching Sacrifices for a long time. Every executive knew it. I wasn't one back then, but I was aware of it to some extent."
"But many years ago, I accidentally discovered that the vampire clan had bypassed TOPS and begun developing Sacrifices on their own."
"I knew that knowing too much would never end well for me… but curiosity kept gnawing at me. In the end, I chose to investigate."
"And so, later on…" Khors paused briefly. "Under pressure from the vampire clan, I was forced to leave my homeland. I have no regrets—only pity for little Koleda… and for Belobog."