The Feeling of Having Done It All
"...So the contract splits the profits seven to three."
"Agreed."
"Holy Fire takes seven, the Council three. Any objections? Or if you'd rather divide the share further..."
"Make it six to four."
"Fine. Let's do that."
At last the two of them managed to draw up the contract. Leyre, who still had fingerprints, smeared pigment over his thumb and pressed a seal, while Marx swiftly sketched out her own unique QR code.
"Whoa, you draw a QR code that fast and that precisely? That's incredible."
Marx was weak to praise. She liked it. For all the force in the way she carried herself, winning her over had been remarkably easy.
"I-it's nothing special..."
"Then I'd better get this news back quickly."
"H-hold on!"
As he rose to leave, Marx caught his arm.
"What? What is it?"
"Th-the road is dangerous, so I'll guide you. Count it an honor."
Ah. She wants to come along so she can keep soaking up praise.
Leyre guessed as much.
"Sure. I'm counting on you."
"Th-then I'll hand things over and be right back. See that you wait a moment."
Once the handover was finished, Karin, Marx, and Leyre stepped out through the arena's main gate.
"...They'll manage without me, won't they."
"They will. It's a council, just like the name says—the members settle matters great and small by agreeing among themselves, right? They've done fine until now, so they'll keep doing fine even if you're gone. Because you built it that well."
He stroked Marx's head as he said it, and she flushed, embarrassed.
"W-wow..."
Karin stared at the scene in awe.
"Master, did you win over the Chairwoman too?"
"Hm? Ah... she was just a kid starving for praise."
"Who are you calling a kid?! I am very much the strong head of an entire—"
"Right. A strong leader. You're amazing, our Marx."
Leyre simply gathered the bristling Marx into his arms and put an end to it that way. She melted against him, face burning, eyes turned aside, and let herself be held.
"Wooow... I've never seen the Chairwoman like this."
"See? I told you she's an easy maid."
"...Hmph."
Marx didn't bother denying it. Still being petted, she found the feeling not half bad.
"Just follow me. It's a long way."
"I'm counting on you, Marx."
"Please take good care of us, Chairwoman!"
Thanks to Marx's swift guidance, the three of them returned to the Holy Fire faction's stronghold.
"Master!"
The moment Lucia saw Leyre, she came pattering over at a run and threw her arms around him. Marx turned her face the other way, looking thoroughly put out.
"You have returned safely! And beside you..."
"...I only came out on assignment. Once it's done, I intend to go back."
"The Chairwoman herself, dispatched in person...?"
"Oh, Marx likes it when I praise her. The moment I said I would, she followed right along."
When Leyre said it so bluntly, Marx, mortified, tried to clap a hand over his mouth—only for Lucia to block her.
"So you had a side like that as well. A maid is a maid, it seems."
"Ugh... Hey, human! Why would you say that out loud?!"
"Why, what's the problem? I'm going to have to praise you openly from now on anyway. If I don't say so, it'll just make things awkward."
"That's... but still..."
Marx could only groan, flushed and frustrated, unable to manage anything more than an ugh.
"In any case, this means you have submitted to Master as well. If so, you are always welcome among us."
"It's not submission, all right? As Chairwoman of the Council, I still have my own independence and autonomy..."
"Right. An amazing maid."
The moment Leyre hugged her, Marx couldn't get another word out. She melted in the warmth, and the two of them simply ended up holding each other.
"...Yeah."
"And that is how it happened!"
Leyre announced it with proud, boastful cheer.
"Hoh."
Lucia watched the scene with keen interest.
"She likes being held by Master. From now on, if she tries to order us about or treats us cynically, we should answer by having Master hold her."
"Good idea."
"Don't you lot decide that on your own!"
Marx flared, snapping it out.
"Hmm. So in the end, this means we may use the farmland in the Council's territory?"
"That's how it turned out, Lucia. The split is six to four. You get six."
With the contract laid out between them, Lucia and Marx exchanged their copies of the settlement.
"Not a bad deal. Well done, Master."
Lucia embraced Leyre once more. Watching the same scene play out again and again, Marx felt a strange prick of jealousy.
"In that case... we should send people to the fields."
Lucia moved with crisp efficiency, and before long several maids, given a brief briefing, set off at once for the farmland.
"What shall we do now, Master?"
The first goal—securing a food supply—was finished. From here on, they could worry a little less about what they would eat. With that objective complete, nothing came to Leyre right away. Soon enough, though, he settled on something he could actually do.
"...I told you my goal was to get along with every maid, didn't I?"
"Yes."
"For now, on the Council side, I've managed to get close to Marx. From here, I think what matters is getting close to the rest of them."
"...Hmph."
Leyre stroked Marx's head. She didn't look as if she minded.
"If we keep sending people back and forth so the two sides can actually mix... hmm. I think we ought to set up something like an embassy."
"An embassy... an excellent choice, Master."
"Marx, that's all right, isn't it?"
"Do what you want..."
"Thanks."
Another pat on the head. It felt a little like handling a cat, and the sensation left Leyre oddly pleased.
"Let's station a resident embassy here, and one over there as well. Make it so we can send letters."
"Understood, Master."
"I have a question, though."
Marx blurted it out.
"I'm already here. Why aren't you thinking you could just absorb the Council and fold it into your faction?"
"Getting along isn't the same as conquering each other. I don't want that kind of war. And we've all lived in our own ways. Force a merger and it'll blow up in our faces."
"Hmm... how should I put it. You're sharp."
"Thanks. All right, then the embassies are settled. Lucia, get ready to send Karin and a few maids over to the Council. And arrange for some of the Council's... people? to come here."
"Understood, Master."
"Then... oh, Marx. There's something I want to try. Will you let me?"
"Wh-what is it?"
Without waiting for an answer, Leyre buried his nose in Marx's chest and seized her with both hands.
"Wh-what the...?!"
"Sorry. I just wanted to try this once. Ah, so this is how Marx smells. Interesting. I thought all that smoking would leave you reeking of cigarettes, but it doesn't..."
Sniff. Hah. Sniff. Hah. He did it over and over.
Marx meant to peel him off at once—and found she didn't want to. Somehow she wanted to leave him be. She wanted to let him do as he pleased. No one had ever done this to her before, and it was embarrassing, but if it was Leyre, she thought it wouldn't be so bad.
So.
"...Do as you like."
She gave up on stopping him and let him have his way for several minutes.
"Ah, that felt good. Soft, and nice. Marx."
"...Feels like I did something I was supposed to do."
"Haha! Thanks for taking it so well, Marx."
Lucia approached Marx, who stood there scarlet and mortified.
"Master is a man. That is why he shows such sides of himself from time to time. If you mean to accompany us, you will have to indulge him now and then."
"...I only wanted to be praised."
"Think of it as the price, Chairwoman Marx."
Lucia came over to Leyre.
"Then let us end today's schedule here, and have you rest well."
"Ah, before that. There's one more thing I need to check."
"Yes? What is it?"
"The library. Where is it?"
Lantern in hand, Lucia, Leyre, and Marx headed underground.
"Marx, there is no need for you to follow, is there?"
"Wh-what's it to you! Whether I follow or not..."
"She's following because she likes me, so don't scold her, Lucia."
"Th-that's not...!"
Marx started to deny it, then swallowed the words and looked away.
"So that is how it is. Master, congratulations on completely conquering the head of an entire faction."
"Hahaha."
"..."
Marx did not deny it.
"This is the library. The maid who manages it should be in residence as well."
"I heard her name was... Toria."
"Yes. A rather intellectual maid... and a very talkative one."
Lucia opened the door, and beyond it—
"Who is it? I didn't hear that anyone was coming today. It's nearly night, so everyone ought to be getting ready for bed—is a maid coming? If so, could you bring me a late snack? I'm trying to reorganize the books, and there's so much to keep track of that..."
The maid with glasses and circular ornaments in her hair broke off mid-sentence and looked at the three of them. She was holding a large book.
"Oh! The new Master! Your name is Leyre, isn't it? And beside you... gasp, Marx, Chairwoman of the Autonomous Independent Council?! Since when did you become the new Master's maid?! Are you a maid? A collaborator? A puppy? I have to record this immediately!"
And with that, Toria set straight to writing on the paper with her ink pen.
"...Toria, greet Master properly."
"Ah, aigoo, really. I forgot basic courtesy. I'm sorry! I've been organizing books so long my head's a mess, and maybe my social skills are thinning out too—I can't even manage basic manners... aaaah! Anyway, anyway!"
"...She really does talk a lot."
"My ears hurt."
Marx covered her ears.
"I'm Toria! I manage the library! Please take care of me!"
