Hero Eve (On Break)
For three days, Eve worked as a maid and felt as though she had slipped back into the past.
Back to the days before the Holy Sword chose her—before she became the Hero—when she still lived with her parents in the countryside.
Back then there had been no overwhelming power that made her the strongest human alive, no lofty title of Hero, and none of the crushing responsibility that came with it. All she had needed to do was help her parents with their work, eat, wash, and sleep. Ordinary days, nothing more.
Her greatest worry had been something like, François (the sheep they kept) seems a little off lately… maybe I should soak the hay a bit softer for him?
Eve did not regret becoming the Hero. Yet ever since that day, she had spent every free moment longing for the plain, peaceful life she had left behind.
And then, by pure chance, the temporary maid work she had taken on had given her exactly what she had been craving.
She found the life of a maid so satisfying that she even caught herself thinking, Maybe I’m actually better suited to being a maid than a Hero…
“Alright… let’s work hard again today…!”
On the morning of her fourth day as a temporary maid, Eve slipped into the now-familiar maid uniform, settled the frilled headband on her hair, and opened the door to Offen’s study.
Click.
“Ah, Lady Eve. You’ve arrived. Rina has recovered her strength.”
“Thank you for covering my duties while I was bedridden these past three days, Hero.”
Head Maid Rina stood before her, bowing deeply in gratitude.
“Hero, you have worked truly hard until now. You may rest. I have returned, after all.”
“……Eh?”
Eve froze where she stood, blinking at Rina’s gentle dismissal. Then her gaze slid past the head maid to Offen, seeking confirmation that he agreed.
“Ah, Lady Eve. You’ve done splendidly. Our manor isn’t large and there aren’t many of us, but handling all the housework alone must still have been exhausting. Truly, thank you for everything. You may rest as much as you like now.”
The words that came back from Offen were the same: she had worked hard, and she was free to rest.
Rina’s permission had Offen’s full approval.
……Why am I like this? Why does being told to rest feel so unpleasant?
Eve found it strangely difficult to accept the words both of them had spoken in unison.
There’s no reason to dislike it. If I rest, I can enjoy the peace and quiet of this place even more. And now that the head maid is back, of course I should step aside. This was only ever a temporary post to begin with…
Logically, once Rina returned there was no reason for Eve to continue maid work. The manor had always been managed perfectly by Rina alone. Comparing their skill as maids would have been an insult to Rina, who stood on an entirely different level. Offen’s trust in her was overwhelmingly greater as well. He simply had no further need to keep Eve on as a maid.
“Well then, Young Master. I’ll go prepare breakfast.”
“I’ve missed Rina’s breakfast so much. Make it as delicious as always.”
“I was desperate to cook for you again, Young Master—it was hard lying still. I’ll make something wonderful. Hero, please wait just a little; I’ll bring delicious food right away. Excuse me.”
Click.
While Eve was still lost in thought, Rina bowed to Offen and left the study to prepare the morning meal.
“……Hah!”
The soft sound of the door closing snapped Eve out of her reverie. Her head jerked up.
“I-I’ll go too!”
She blurted a hurried farewell to Offen and dashed after Rina.
Even Eve herself did not understand why she was chasing after the head maid so urgently now that her temporary post had ended.
R-right. Both of them told me to rest, but I can’t just rest. My little brother Gid is working hard without a break—how could his big sister look so pathetic? And two pairs of hands are better than one for the head maid, so…!
She rationalized her actions with the excuse that she could not sit idle while Gid worked, and with that slightly lighter heart she followed Rina toward the kitchen.
Just as she reached for the kitchen door—
Click.
“……Eh?”
Rina stepped out carrying three plates of warm food balanced effortlessly on her arms and hands.
I followed the moment I heard the study door close… how has she already finished cooking?
Eve stared up in pure bewilderment at Rina, who stood a full head taller than her. Rina noticed the Hero as well and looked down to meet her eyes.
“Hero? What are you doing here?”
“……Y-yes? Ah, um… er…”
She had come to help, yet there was nothing left to help with. Saying “I came to assist you” would only earn a look that said, Are you joking?
“I-I thought… c-carrying all those plates alone… m-might be hard for you…”
So Eve claimed she had come because she worried Rina might struggle with the dishes. That way she could still claim she had intended to help. I didn’t get to assist with the work, but at least I can score a few points this way, she told herself, holding out her hands for the plates.
“Ah, I’m fine. It’s only three plates. Back when the manor was full of people I used to carry eight on my arms and two more on my head every day. Compared to that, this barely counts as carrying anything.”
The answer was a polite refusal. Rina simply did not need Eve’s help.
“Still, Hero, thank you for the kind thought. Shall we return to the study?”
“……Ah, y-yes.”
On the way back, the plates balanced on Rina’s arms never so much as trembled.
“That was delicious, Rina. As expected of you. This omelet is incredible.”
“I-I… a-also… e-enjoyed it. The omelet… w-was really delicious.”
“Thank you for the praise. Well then, I’ll be off.”
“Sure, Rina. See you later.”
Rina left the study with a faint smile after receiving their compliments. Offen immediately turned to his paperwork, while Eve simply sat there, blankly savoring the lingering taste of the omelet.
Rina’s omelet was the finest Eve had ever eaten. A perfect golden surface without the slightest scorch, a flawlessly balanced sauce, and fillings cooked to ideal evenness. It was, quite simply, perfect.
If she cooks this well too, there’s no room for me to… N-no. Snap out of it, Eve. Do you really want to become Eve (On Break)? Of course not! You should be out there helping the head maid right this second—what are you doing sitting here?! Get up! Go help her!
The perfect omelet had nearly broken her spirit for a moment, but Eve steeled herself like the Hero she was.
“I-I’ll be going too!”
Once again she left a quick greeting for Offen and hurried after Rina to help.
“C-cleaning… I’ll help with the cleaning…!”
“Pardon? Ah, thank you, but it’s already finished.”
“Ehk.”
By the time she stepped outside the study, everything was done. Cleaning, laundry—all of it. Whether cooking or chores, Rina’s working speed was simply absurd.
I was only zoning out for less than five minutes… and she finished everything in that short time? What is this person? Is she just a monster?
Even the Hero—one of the strongest humans alive—found herself thinking Rina might be a monster. The head maid’s skill had reached a realm so far beyond a complete novice like Eve that she could not even comprehend it.
“Well then, Hero. Shall we return to the study?”
“Ah… yes.”
Is this how those old knights felt when they saw me swing the Holy Sword and simply laid down their blades?
Faced with an unbridgeable gap as a maid, Eve’s heart sank a little as she followed Rina back into the study.
Scratch-scratch. Flutter. Chirp-chirp.
The sound of a fountain pen on paper, the turning of pages, the singing of birds outside.
Until yesterday those everyday noises had been deeply comforting. Now Eve could no longer accept them—or the warm sunlight streaming through the window—with the same ease.
I’m the most useless person in this entire manor…
After witnessing Rina’s skill and realizing there was no place left for her to step in, the thought settled heavily over her.
Yesterday she had cleaned and done laundry herself, so she could rest with a clear conscience. Today was different. Today she had done nothing at all. And so she could not rest in peace.
I didn’t do a single thing… I couldn’t even sweep properly once…
Offen had given her permission to rest, so there was no problem if she simply sat still. But Eve was a natural-born good person. She was not the sort who could lounge around while everyone else worked hard. The very reason she had never been able to fully escape the Hero’s burden was because that was simply who she was.
I have to do something… anything… so I can be of use to Baron Offen…
With a book open on her lap, Eve compulsively repeated the thought that she needed to help. Of course, no task was going to drop from the sky just because she wished for it—
Thud-thud-thud-thud!!! Click—bang!
“Offen-hyung! Just like you said, the magical beasts are here! A pack of ice trolls!”
“……R-really?!?”
“Huh? Why’s big sis looking so happy about that?”
Gid stared in bafflement at Eve, who had lit up the instant she heard magical beasts were approaching. Eve, however, paid her brother’s confusion no mind at all.
Finally—something I can do!
At last the moment had come to show Offen her true worth.