Life Of A Butler

'...This was not the way I thought I would have survived…'

Alvis was glad. His goal of surviving for a month had been accomplished. Yet…

Another potato was cut and done, yet a whole pile awaited him.

"Hah…"

Although this was not work that a butler-in-training should be doing, he was forced to do so by Jill the Ripper for reasons unknown.

Thankfully, due to his quick wits and cooking skills from living alone, working in the kitchen became manageable with his classes of etiquette and butler duties.

'Though, I still haven't been able to see Jill the Ripper… But isn't that a good thing for me?'

Perhaps it was due to the difference in social status, but Alvis over the course of the month hadn't been able to even see a glimpse of her figure.

'...She did make me sign the contract, so that must mean she has some use for me… correct?'

Alvis questioned himself, unable to come to a conclusion as the enigmatic woman was nowhere to be seen.

But even compared to not being able to see his so-called 'benefactor', living for over a month was already a gift on its own.

'Isn't this what I hoped for…?'

They say when people are content with what they have, they are stagnant. Yet inside his heart, Alvis felt hollow. He understood his life was bound to have adventures due to the nature of his death. But now that he had already completed an objective that was so hard before with such ease, he wanted more.

Was he greedy? Perhaps.

'...I think if I could, I should find out more about mana and the various races. That shouldn't be too hard to find could it? Besides, I am just in-training, as of the moment so that would mean more breaks… Though I don't know if Jill the Ripper would add more work…'

As various thoughts were being thought in his head, Alvis was suddenly called out. 

"Alvis!"

"Yes?"

"Leave the potatoes and follow the head maid."

'...Did I do something wrong?'

Another thought flickered in his mind. 

"...Yes."

The half peeled potato was left on a counter and the knife was as well put down next to it.

Following the head maid who spoke no words, Alvis became increasingly anxious.

'...I didn't do anything wrong… right?'

"...Hah…"

A sigh came out from the older woman who stopped in her tracks before turning around to face him.

"...I truly don't understand what the princess sees in you to be so stubborn. Did you know? She had kicked out all of her maids and butlers who are normally around her in order to request you?"

'...What?'

Alvis' mind blanked.

'...This isn't some fictional story, how could she be so irresponsible?'

"I-I see…"

"Hah…" 

Sighing once more, the head maid spoke no more words until they were finally in front of lavish doors.

"Head in, I suppose you learned at least this far in your etiquette course correct?"

"Yes."

"Good."

With the final response, she left Alvis alone in front of the imposing doors.

Knock knock—

"...Come in."

It was a familiar voice, one of an infamous murderer he hadn't seen for a month.

Upon opening the door, Alvis found himself facing a woman with a blurry face but wearing an expensive violet dress.

"Does it suit me?"

'...How am I supposed to respond to that?'

Her face was after all blurred as if censorship had been taken from a TV and placed right on her face.

"Yes of course it does."

It was there as always, the feeling that the entire conversation was just for show, that she was just patiently waiting for a moment to strike before taking a bite.

It was unsettling for Alvis who was at the mercy of the woman in front of him due to the contract he signed.

'Though I might not be connected to it.'

Everyone within this world was born with 'mana' but he was not a resident of this world. Rather, he was infected with a fatal disease with no cure that allowed access to 'Arts' a science based system and not the unscientific mana. Though, Alvis would still not take chances regarding his safety so lightly.

"Did you miss me?"

'...What are these questions?'

"...O-Of course I did, Princess."

He stuttered, his face was twitching which made it easy to spot that he was lying. But Jill the Ripper showed no signs that she cared.

"Hmm~"

Bang!

Jill the Ripper pounced on Alvis as she pinned Alvis to the ground.

"Can I cut you up?"

"...Excuse me?"

Jill the Ripper had a long knife, almost akin to a machete yet smaller that still fit the description of a 'knife'.

"An arm… No, just a finger will do, so, can I cut you up?"

There must have been a perverted smile on her face, as Jill the Ripper's breath grew more and more restless.

"Umm… I would rather not be cut?"

A nervous smile spread on Alvis' face as he tried to get out of her grasp.

But it was futile, like how a mouse wouldn't be able to escape a lion's paw, Jill the Ripper's inhumane strength made it seem like an impossible weight had been pressed on his body.

"I don't think you have the right to refuse, slave."

"Kuh…"

The contract made before Jill the Ripper took Alvis to Buckingham Palace had a few clauses, one of which stated that Alvis was no longer a free man but rather a property to the individual 'Jill the Ripper'.

'...But am I not already an illegal immigrant?'

Not to the country but to the entire world, in truth he was never 'free'. For he was never a true resident of the world in the first place.

"...I don't think that had any legal effect, Princess?"

Jill the Ripper retorted, "I don't think you understand, I am the princess of Britain. It matters not if the document had legal binding or not, my word as future Queen of the Empire will make it legal."

"But, it does not matter because the document you signed was both a magic contract and a legal document as well, so it is perfectly legal. Give it up Mister Alvis, you're now my property."

Although the magical part of the contract had no effect on Alvis for all he knew. However, the legal portion was more concerning as Jill the Ripper held an almost omnipotent political power within the country.

"So I ask again, will you allow me to cut you up?"

Jill the Ripper asked with a ragged breath.

Left with no other choice, Alvis replied, "...Yes."

A sharp pain pinned down Alvis' left palm. A hot warmth encapsulated the area as blood started to flow out from the wound. 

"Aaahhh…"

An ecstatic cry left Jill the Ripper's mouth.

"Ugh…"

Alvis merely contorted in pain as the long knife repeatedly stabbed his palm and cuts started to appear on his forearm.

By the time Jill the Ripper finished, the immovable weight from before felt light as Alvis pushed aside the euphoric princess as she bathed in ecstasy in silence.

His left arm looked almost mangled like a wild beast tried to eat it to no avail.

"...Ah."

She let out a sound.

"...Are you satisfied, princess?"

Alvis looked bitterly at his 'benefactor', was the benefits provided worth the pain?

Jill the Ripper's hair looked messy as she was laying on the floor as Alvis pushed her aside prior.

"Yes, let's do it again sometime."

The scent of iron and the distinct red color of blood contrasted with the hardwood floor.

Alvis sighed as he held his bloodied arm in silence wondering if dealing with such pain was worth the trouble.

'...But it isn't as painful as dying. It's worth putting up for.'

With 27 deaths, it was a number which amounted to the number of times he died either through murder or suicide.

As Alvis thought more, blood dripped from his arm, his uniform ruined by the blood stains.

A warm feeling encapsulated his arm, looking at the reason he found a colorless liquid like water soothing his pain.

"...What is this?"

It looked to be something similar to the red healing potions from the fantasy worlds he had seen before.

"This? It's something I had acquired from one of the people I had been sponsoring through the royal treasury, I think it works quite well. Modern medicine wouldn't have worked as fast."

'...My Oripathy is slowing down?'

It hadn't regressed, but it certainly was moving at a slower pace than before as the pain within his body slowly lowered.

Alvis' arm after all the liquid was used was still bleeding but not as heavily as before, the large cuts turned into much smaller ones and the gaping hole in the middle of his palm healed almost as if a miracle had occurred.

Jill the Ripper tended his wounds, the two stayed in silence as Alvis watched his newly bandaged arm.

"How is it? I learned from nurses over this past month in haste but it should feel fine."

'...For a deranged murderer she seems to be quite a caring person.'

"It feels fine, thank you. I can move my fingers well and it shouldn't get in the way of my work."

"Hmm, is that so?"

No matter how much 'affection' Jill the Ripper showed, there was always an unsettling feeling that couldn't be hidden.

"After you finish your butler training, you'll be assigned to me. I hope you can please me, my slave."

'...I feel like my title degraded?'

As Alvis left the lavish room, he headed back to the kitchen where he took on the role of 'potato boy' as he peeled the potatoes at a rapid pace.

* * *

Five months had passed. The date was June 10, 1887.

"...The gray fog overhead hasn't gone away?"

Alvis looked outside the glass window in Jill the Ripper's study, the entirety of London was covered overhead by a gray ominous fog which he had previously mistaken for pollution.

"Yes, the royal knights along with the August Detective Academy have looked into it to no avail... At the very leasts, the Academy has reasons to believe that the sleeping problem seems to be tied to the fog."

'...Interesting. Though this seems like an ominous threat that needs to go away.'

"...Though, Princess, why are you telling me this?"

Alvis poured the tea into a fine porcelain cup and added some honey before presenting it to Jill the Ripper.

"Hmm? Were you not interested in cases like this? I've seen you immersed in the various reports of Charlotte Holmes and her strange and inconceivable cases for the past month. Before, you were in the library reading about the various intricacies of the races living in our world."

'So she knew about that?'

Having completed his butler training with rapid succession, Alvis had been living as Jill the Ripper's personal butler for the past two months.

Normally, people would not have been allowed to read in the Royal library but through nepotism, Alvis was allowed to read and study.

"I am, though it does make me wonder who would be behind such madness."

A sharp pain hit Alvis' side, a long knife was cleanly stabbed in his side.

"M-Miss?"

Alvis' face paled as when he looked at Jill the Ripper a look of pure curiosity and pleasure was clearly written on her face.

Except for the new wound, Alvis was still recovering from various other wounds that left small scars from Jill the Ripper's outbursts.

His entire body was covered in bandages, almost no place was untouched by her long knife.

Jill the Ripper sighed out of pleasure, ignoring Alvis' cries for an answer and help.

Alvis already internally knew he would not die but rather cried out of shock. Pain was nothing as his fortitude of 27 deaths was further enforced by Jill the Ripper's tendencies.

'Another wound, can't she just stop for a single day? At this rate, I'm going to be riddled with scars all over my body.'

"U-Ugh…"

The pain was annoying as it got in the way of his work.

Alvis could see her watching keenly at the wound as the blood was spreading around the wound and settled deeply into the clothes of his uniform.

"Princess, shouldn't you at the very least help me? I feel like I am about to pass out from anemia…"

As Alvis had tried to clean the various furniture, blood was dripping from his leg that made a small trail from his path around the room.

Jill the Ripper's still posture slightly startled, seemingly snapping out of her entranced state.

But even after snapping out of entranced state, Jill the Ripper still took another minute to look at Alvis before she finally stood up.

A small pool of blood formed around Alvis as he stood still waiting on her.

'...'

At times, Alvis felt tired. He first thought the reason for Jill the Ripper's erratic and murderous behavior was due to psychological reasons. But upon closer investigation through the royal library he found another reason that he speculated was the actual reason as to her behavior.

Within this erratic and convoluted world exists Curses.

People who are born with Curses gain a trait that others would envy: things such as intelligence, magical aptitude, and even skills such as detective work would all be given. In exchange they give up or restrict something. Emotions, human rejection, psychotic behavior.

Alvis believed that Jill the Ripper's skill as a murderer was given in exchange for her erratic behavior. A symbiotic relationship.

'...It's too much to deal with at times…'

After being relieved of his duty, Alvis found himself resting in a hospital near Buckingham Palace, a place he now frequently visited due to the high amount of injuries he received per week.

'Though the employee benefits do outweigh the problems.'

Access to healthcare, protection of a princess of a country who was also next in line to be future queen, access to the Royal Library, the list went on.

"Are you alright? The wound this time was quite severe but thankfully the knife managed to not puncture or damage any important organs."

A nurse asked and briefed Alvis of his situation.

"Yes, I'm fine, thank you for the report."

He smiled at the nurse who nodded and left.

His reputation was 'a person who is unlucky enough to be injured every week'. He couldn't blame Jill the Ripper as the true cause so he faked the story by telling people that he was mugged or injured while helping inside the Palace.

His Oripathy was reduced to merely as a magical phenomenon, something that the hospital ignored as Oripathy did nothing in the way with medical work.

'...The gray fog…'

Alvis narrowed his eyes as he looked at the fog overhead, as if rain was going to fall at any moment.

Shaking his head from the ominous threat that quite literally loomed over London, Alvis also remembered the 'fictional' character he had met in the hospital.

Rachel Watson.

The war veteran and sidekick to the detective Charlotte Holmes, it seemed that everyone was genderbent within this twisted world.

A nagging feeling suddenly overcame Alvis' mind.

Like pieces to a puzzle, Alvis saw that there was something that all connected the situation that was happening in the current present but couldn't figure out what.

'...If I was a genius, wouldn't I have already figured this out?'

'But it's surprising to hear that Charlotte Holmes still hasn't cracked this case. If my hypothesis is correct that Charlotte has a Curse, then she should have already completed this case by now.'

Frowning at the strangeness of this case that covered London, Alvis quietly lied down and slept for the next day.

* * *

Three weeks passed. Due to the wound that severely impeded Alvis work and the fact that Jill the Ripper no longer had any potions, he could only rely on the advances of magic and modern medicine to hasten his healing process.

'It's already a miracle that such speed was possible in a period of time before World War I.'

Turning his torso, Alvis found that there was no pain anywhere on his body, using this time to heal all the wounds that Jill the Ripper gave.

'Though the gray fog is persistent… Even with the entire governmental body working towards finding who blocked out the sky, they still can't find them.'

As Alvis knocked on Jill's study, he received a reply to come in.

Jill the Ripper was diligently working on papers, the stack was quite high that looked to be impossible for a single day's work even with all twenty-four hours.

"Oh, you're back my assistant? Good, make me some tea."

"Yes, your highness."

Within the study was a tea set along with leaves that Jill the Ripper consistently enjoyed.

Soon, the aroma of freshly brewed tea filled the room. 

"Oh… What the hell?"

Alvis staggered, almost dropping the tea cup onto the floor.

Looking out from the window was a clear sky, no gray fog like thundering clouds. It was simply gone, as if it was never there in the first place.

Curious, Jill the Ripper also turned around and stopped her furious writing.

"How strange…"

It was truly strange as how the gray fog disappeared like a ghost.

Jill the Ripper's face was eerily calm as indescribable emotions went through her eyes.

As the day went by, it was soon in the dead of night when Jill the Ripper finally decided to retire.

"Wait."

She called out to Alvis who was about to leave the study.

"Yes?"

"Tomorrow, we'll be going out."

A psychotic and large smile appeared on Jill the Ripper's face.

From the blur and darkness that the night brought, Alvis could barely make out the smile.

"I-I see…"

"You may leave."

"Y-Yes, good night Miss…"