Chapter 45
Chapter 45
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 45
Chapter Title: A Will Dwells in the Sword (4)
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The moment I heard the words of the female soldier with turquoise hair, my mind went blank for an instant.
Because I had no idea how to respond to her bold and brazen declaration.
Of course, I could easily infer why this female soldier was saying such things to me.
Objectively speaking, it was an unbelievable feat.
A mere maid with no proper training or combat experience—not even a noble who could use magic—had subjugated a Hookerni.
Granted, it had been sealed in a monster sealing scroll, so it wasn't at full strength, and strictly speaking, Double Down had been involved, so it wasn't a clean victory.
Even accounting for all those factors, the soldier's claim was perfectly reasonable and correct.
I myself would have been shocked if Isabel had suddenly claimed to have taken down a level 5 goblin one day.
So, it wasn't that I couldn't understand her assertion at all...
'But what am I supposed to do when it's true?'
My past life experience, plus having a usable iron skewer handy as a weapon.
The fact that the monster was sealed, making it relatively weakened.
All those coincidences had led to that day's Hookerni subjugation.
And from that single incident, Lilith had skyrocketed from level 2 to 5—a full three levels.
A feat accomplished entirely by Lilith alone, without anyone's help.
The proof was the full 150 experience points that came to me without any split.
Which meant this turquoise-haired soldier was essentially demanding that I perjure myself.
It was an objective fact that I had subjugated the Hookerni, so correcting the record as she suggested...
'...Huh?'
Wait a second. Does the Hookerni subjugation record really have to be mine?
Sure, at the time, I'd done it so flashy that hiding it was impossible, and by the time I recovered at the church and woke up, everything had already wrapped up.
But objectively, there was no real gain in claiming this achievement as mine.
If anything, since I wanted to stay as out of the spotlight as possible, it was more of a loss.
Of course, the fact that I'd subjugated the Hookerni had already been reported to Harold, and people around me like Isabel and Katarina more or less knew about it.
But if I could downplay the rumors even a little, there was no reason to refuse.
I wasn't planning to serve at the Blackwood estate forever until I died. Someday I'd become a free citizen and find another job, and this kind of bothersome, out-of-place record could unnecessarily draw attention.
"I'll turn a blind eye to you seducing the captain to pocket the Hookerni materials fee. But the disgrace of our captain entrusting a mere maid with the subjugation and standing by idly..."
"Emilia, enough."
"But Captain. This goes in the logbook, so we need to record the facts accurately..."
"...I said enough."
"......Yes."
The woman pressing her suspicions—born of logical deduction—toward me, and Ser calming her down with a slightly annoyed tone.
From the looks of it, her protests were the main reason I'd been dragged here in such an unfavorable position.
"...My introductions were late. This is Emilia Reinhardt. She's an elite soldier in the Blackwood Guard and my aide as well."
"Ah, hello, Emilia..."
"...Yes, Lilith."
"She's my aide, so she helps with the annual logbooks too. And during review, she couldn't let pass the Hookerni subjugation I'd recorded."
"I think it's a perfectly reasonable suspicion. I'd freak out too if one of my maid colleagues claimed to have taken down a Hookerni single-handedly."
"...Thank you for understanding, Miss Lilith."
Emilia still gazing at me with cold eyes, while Ser wore a somewhat troubled expression.
As I cautiously guessed at their relationship, Emilia spoke up again.
"Captain Ser has previously shared his own achievements with other squad members several times."
"Pardon?"
"After joint operations where anyone could see Captain Ser's contribution was over 80%, he'd say everyone fought hard and claim only about 10% for himself, distributing the rest to the lower soldiers. Or he'd cover for other squad members' mistakes by saying he did them."
"...Don't say unnecessary things, Emilia."
"Until now, it was just merit sharing among fellow comrades, boosting the Blackwood Guard's morale overall, so I overlooked it. But this case? I can't just let it slide."
"Emilia..."
"Captain Ser... ah, no, Captain! How can you share your achievement with an ordinary maid who hasn't even had military training? And have it recorded as if you stood by without stopping a commoner maid's fight, even though you were right there! As your aide and record-keeper, I can't allow such a stain!"
"......"
"......"
"......"
Yeah, with a reason like that, it made sense for Ser to summon me here.
I could understand why he hadn't put it in the letter—better not to let such gossip spread.
Evidently, Ser—the security captain of the Blackwood territory guard—had always managed his unit by generously sharing merits or covering subordinates' mistakes with his own body.
And this seemingly rigid woman named Emilia had disliked his seemingly foolish ways all along.
Then, while organizing records, she spotted my Hookerni subjugation.
The pent-up resentment exploded because it was going to some random maid, not even a comrade.
"I understand what Miss Emilia is saying."
Well, in the end, it was just a matter of me yielding the merit, and everything would resolve.
I was already in a tough spot as a debt-bound maid; making enemies in unexpected places wouldn't help.
"I've actually felt a bit burdened carrying the achievement of subjugating a Hookerni with this frail body of mine. And it's only right to yield it to a splendid knight like Sir Ser rather than an ordinary maid like me."
"...Miss Lilith?"
"So, I agree. Last year, the fifteenth day of the fifth month—the Hookerni subjugation merit shall be transferred to Sir Ser..."
Just as things were smoothing over without anyone losing face.
...Out of nowhere, a figure stepped in front of me and took one step forward.
"...Maid, hold on."
"Young Master Ethan?"
Whether from his tireless sword training lately, Ethan's steps—decent for a chubby kid—carried him right up to Emilia.
He met her eyes and asked in a slightly cold voice.
"Emilia... was it?"
"...Yes."
"Can you take full responsibility for what you just said?"
"......Pardon?"
"What you just said sounds like you're claiming my maid is lying."
...What was this ominous atmosphere?
For some reason, the security office suddenly filled with a tense, foreboding air centered on Ethan.
In that ambiguous situation, Ethan continued staring straight into Emilia's eyes.
"Lilith Rosewood is my personal maid. The exclusive maid of Ethan Richard Blackwood, heir to the Blackwood Ducal Family."
"......"
"She's also the servant I trust most. And yet, you're saying you think my maid's claim is a lie?"
"...Young Master?"
"To insult my personal maid so boldly and stand there confidently, you must be some noble lady yourself?"
...No, why was he suddenly acting like this?
It was a situation where me just yielding the merit would end everything smoothly, but Ethan abruptly approached Emilia and turned the mood hostile.
Emilia, who had been glaring calmly at me moments ago, was now cornered and unable to hide her panic.
"...No, Young Master. I merely meant..."
"Did you witness it with your own eyes? Sir Ser subjugating the Hookerni, and the maid stealing the credit?"
"...No, I did not."
"Then I can't understand why you're making such a claim. What you're doing now just looks like you're bullying my maid into yielding her merit because you're an elite soldier."
"......"
"If that's the case, then conversely, I could have you dismissed from the guard just for being the Blackwood heir, with no issue."
"......!"
"......!"
Ethan's sudden vicious remarks startled not just Emilia, but me too.
...Wasn't that overkill for just a slip of the tongue?
Besides, an elite soldier wasn't some low-rank grunt; it was a high position among soldiers.
And if she was Ser's aide—a knight appointed by Blackwood—her skills were undoubtedly solid.
Firing someone of that status just because his maid got insulted a bit?
'...Isn't that too much?'
The thought crossed my mind, but on second thought, it might not be so strange.
Instead of abruptly firing her, giving her a chance to explain was merciful compared to the game's hateable Ethan.
He'd become unusually well-mannered from etiquette training lately, but his core was still the hateable dung from Luminor Academy.
It wouldn't be odd for that side to emerge anytime, anywhere.
...Though honestly, this alone felt a bit middling for calling him hateable.
At least the current Ethan wielded his authority with some justification.
Unlike the game version who tormented Lilith for no reason.
'Maybe he's preparing in advance for when he takes power?'
In any territory—not just Blackwood—regime changes inevitably brought noise.
Especially for Ethan; compared to Harold, his shortcomings were obvious to anyone.
I didn't know how decent he'd be when inheriting the territory, but he'd surely fall short of a current Sword Master's prestige.
If considering that, Ethan's actions now weren't incomprehensible.
By touring Blackwood's facilities like this and asserting dominance, he could minimize future backlash when inheriting.
Whether a kid with just over a year of etiquette training could think of that, I wasn't sure.
High noble etiquette included not just manners, but rhetoric and social skills, so it wasn't impossible.
...And honestly, nothing else came to mind.
Threatening an elite soldier over his maid getting slighted didn't add up rationally.
Our relationship wasn't deep enough for him to risk that much to protect me.
"......"
"......"
The security office brimmed with tension.
In the volatile atmosphere where anything could erupt, Emilia—watching Ethan's face—quietly bowed her head and replied.
"I'm sorry, Young Master Ethan. I was blinded and ended up insulting your personal maid."
"...The one you should apologize to isn't me."
"I sincerely apologize to you as well, Miss Lilith. My narrow perspective has caused you irreparable harm."
"Ah, no... It's a situation anyone could misunderstand..."
I'd planned to just yield and end it smoothly, but receiving an apology instead left me bewildered.
It differed from what I'd expected... but the testimony issue seemed resolved decently enough.
"Emilia."
"......Yes, Young Master."
"There won't be a second time. Don't make the same mistake again."
"...My apologies."
Anyway, it worked out... right?