The Second Son of the Marquis Wants to Laze Around
Chapter 125: Lazy and Hateful Master

Chapter 125: Lazy and Hateful Master

...

"You were the one who called me here."

Eren blinked in surprise, eyes widening slightly. "Oh... right."

He finally remembered that he had asked her to come to his room tonight.

His nonchalant reaction made Seraphina even more furious as she clenched her fists tightly, suppressing her rising irritation.

Deciding to stop teasing her—at least unintentionally—Eren crossed one leg over the other and leaned forward slightly. His expression shifted to something more serious but casual.

"I just wanted to check how you’re doing... with your new identity."

Now that she had adopted the alias "Sera", pretending to be an amnesiac woman rescued from an unknown origin, it was crucial that she tread carefully—especially inside the mansion and anywhere else within the kingdom.

If her true identity as a demon half-fox were revealed, things would get very ugly.

Seraphina scoffed confidently, brushing a lock of hair behind her ear.

"Hmph. I don’t need your concern. When it comes to infiltration and acting, I’m an expert."

Which was true. Back in the demon realm—long before she rose to become a Demon Lord—she’d mastered the art of hiding and surviving. Constantly hunted by her twisted family, she used disguises and deception to stay alive. That skill came from her mother’s bloodline—descendants of the Nine-Tailed Fox, a race known for mischievous and trickery.

Eren, however, just gave her a dull stare.

"You do realize... you’re in human territory now, right?"

The church of the three Goddess, and also the Alliance of Three Races, had specialized individuals who could sense demonic energy—especially ones as thick and dense as Seraphina’s. So the chances of her getting exposed here is much higher than in the demon realm.

Her smug face froze. A twitch formed at the corner of her mouth as she looked away.

"O-of course I know that. I’m not that stupid..."

Eren sighed. Honestly, it was a pain just having to worry about her blending in. He really wished she could really handle this part on her own with his help, as he was too lazy to look after her.

He spoke internally to his system.

’Yo. Show me her current condition status.’

[Right on it.]

A green translucent panel suddenly appeared in front of his eyes, displaying Seraphina’s current state:

---

[Condition Status]

Mood: Annoyed / Uncomfortable / Slightly Insecure

Demonic Energy Level: 92% (Suppressed - Incomplete)

----

Eren frowned.

’Still not at 100% suppression, huh...’

Back during their camping in the Dry Forest, he had ordered Seraphina to learn suppressing her demonic energy completely—to avoid detection. It was a difficult order for any demon, especially one like her who carried an enormous reserve of demonic energy.

Luckily, Seraphina wasn’t new to this. In her past, she often faked her power level to deceive and bait her rivals during the demon lord selection trial. Thanks to those experiences, she managed to perform partial suppression.

Still... it was no walk in the park.

Even now, ever since she arrived at the Valmont estate with Eren, she barely spoke any word through the past 2 days—not because she was trying to be distant, or be mysterious, but because she was using nearly all her concentration to keep the demonic aura contained.

Eren could tell that she is not full safe with her disguise.

"You’re still not used to it," he muttered.

Seraphina frowned, but didn’t deny it. Small beads of sweat were forming at the edge of her forehead. Even now, she was holding back a tidal wave of energy—and a small leak could be enough to alert the sharp senses of others in the mansion who were already suspicious of her.

"I can still hold it," she said with a proud smirk.

But then her face turned serious.

"...Still. I don’t know how long I can keep doing this trick."

Eren raised an eyebrow. "Hm? Why?"

"Because I’m being watched," she said, her tone sharp with irritation. "Every time I’m alone."

Apparently, a few knights and servants around the mansion were assigned to monitor her. Most notably, Oswald, the family’s head butler and a high-level Awakened. His perception was dangerously sharp. Seraphina had to be extra careful whenever she encounters him or passes by him.

"I don’t know what his deal is, but that old human isn’t normal," Seraphina muttered, eyes narrowing. "And worse... I can smell a lot of blood on him."

Eren leaned forward, genuinely intrigued. "...That old man, huh?"

Rubbing his fingers thoughtfully, he recalled how Oswald always responded instantly to his summons. There was also that time he stepped in to block a punch from his furious older brother—a move even the knights failed to react to. It was easy to guess Oswald was a high-level Awakener, perhaps even stronger than his brother or the other knights.

As for Oswald’s class or Job, Eren figured he might be a veteran warrior—maybe a mercenary or even an assassin.

"Well, I think it’s normal for him to be cautious. You’re a complete stranger with no official background," Eren shrugged, not seeing it as a big deal.

"Still, we should work on making sure your true identity doesn’t get exposed," he murmured as he opened his system shop.

Once again, Seraphina narrowed her eyes suspiciously. From her point of view, her human Master was just staring into thin air like he was possessed—an all-too-frequent and annoying sight.

While scrolling through the shop for a useful item, Eren told Useless to find something that could conceal the demonic energy.

Unfortunately, the system had no such item. The only concealment options were for mana, not demonic energy.

Eren frowned, rubbing his chin thoughtfully.

’Useless, what exactly is demonic energy?’

[The demonic energy—also known as "evil energy" by the people of this world—is a corrupted form of energy unique to the demon race. Think of it like a dark miasma.]

Useless explained, pulling from general world informations. It was a type of energy that enhanced a demon’s mana and physical attributes, giving them a major advantage over other races in both magic and physical combat.

[However, while it empowers demons, it is toxic to non-demonic races. Exposure to high amounts can corrode their bodies—even kill them.]

’So, a blessing for demons but a curse to everyone else,’ Eren thought, feeling a weird and familiar about this "evil" power system.

Curious, he asked where exactly the demonic energy manifested in the demon’s body.

[It resides in the same area where mana is produced—the mana core, or "mana pole." Basically, it functions like normal mana, only corrupted.]

In this world, everyone had mana within them. Both Awakeners and non-Awakeners could generate it, though their uses differed. The place where mana was generated in the body varied per person—it could be the head, heart, abdomen, arms, legs... anywhere.

After gathering what he needed from information, Eren found and purchased an item labeled for mana concealment. It materialized in his hand.

"Here," he said casually, tossing it toward Seraphina.

She caught it easily and examined it. It was a golden bracelet engraved with intricate runes, forming a swirling pattern that radiated a mysterious, ancient aura.

Her eyes widened in shock.

"This is... a Third Era artifact," she muttered in disbelief. The design and the runes confirmed it. These relics were treasures far beyond modern gold-tier magic items.

Artifacts, spells, and magic items in this world were color-ranked from White to Gold. Gold was the highest tier in modern times. But relics from the previous Eras? They were on a whole other level.

"That bracelet will help you conceal your demonic energy. Just make sure not to take it off once you’re wearing it," Eren said lazily as he picked up his gaming console again.

Ignoring him, Seraphina carefully slipped the bracelet onto her wrist. Once it made contact, a soft click echoed.

–Click!

The bracelet shimmered with a faint golden glow, shrinking to fit her wrist perfectly.

A gold aura briefly enveloped her body before vanishing into thin air.

She blinked, checking her hands. Nothing felt different—until she focused all her senses.

Her eyes narrowed slightly.

She couldn’t feel it. Her demonic energy was gone. Even her mana... concealed too.

’A mana concealment artifact,’ she concluded.

Eren’s voice floated lazily from the bed, his eyes fixed on his game. "Just a heads-up: you can’t use magic or Aura while wearing that thing. It might deactivate the effect."

Seraphina nodded slightly, already understanding the implication. Her magic and aura were powered by mana—which for her, was inherently fused with demonic energy. If she tried to use any of it, her cover would be blown instantly.

"Unless," Eren added nonchalantly, "you can somehow use mana without the demonic energy."

That line made her freeze.

She turned toward him sharply, brows furrowed with an eyebrow raised.

’What is he even talking about? Using mana without demonic energy?’

Seraphina narrowed her eyes, genuinely confused by her human master’s strange logic. Was he weird... or just plain stupid?

Demons, by nature, could only use mana as it was fused with demonic energy. That was how it worked. The two weren’t separate for them—it was one and the same.

You could say demons had a kind of "demonic mana," a unique blend that couldn’t be used separately like how humans treated pure mana.

Shaking her head at the ridiculousness of the idea, Seraphina exhaled sharply. This human was so baffling sometimes. Still, she quickly moved on to the more important topic—one she hadn’t forgotten.

"By the way, human," she said, placing one hand on her hip with a dramatic half stoic gaze. "When are you going to help me level up?"

Her yellow eyes stared at him expectantly, reminding him of the promise he had made.

Without even sparing her a glance, Eren responded lazily, eyes glued to his game console.

"Later. Just be patient."

Seraphina’s eye twitched. That dismissive tone again.

"...I’m still working on figuring out a way to help you with your problems, so stop worrying," he added casually, still not looking up.

Despite his words, Seraphina couldn’t help but feel doubtful. Ever since she had become his contracted servant, she had started noticing his true nature.

This boy was lazy. Extremely lazy. And unfortunately for her, she was only just beginning to experience it firsthand.

[....]

Meanwhile, the system, Useless—glitched and twitched in pure frustration.

’Working? Working my ass!’

The one actually doing all the work here wasn’t it master, but Useless. The system had been tirelessly analyzing every piece of data on Seraphina’s combat performance and stats, running simulations and calculations non-stop.

It’s Master, on the other hand, was just lying there doing nothing to help but play video games!

[Lazy pieces of shit] Useless cursed while on mute.

...

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