Chapter 143: Isn’t at Least One Maid Essential for an Academy?
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 143: Isn’t at Least One Maid Essential for an Academy?
Many things had happened, but the weekend never waits for anyone, and eventually, the weekdays arrived.
It meant the day to head back to the Academy had come.
And my hope that they might go easy on me since I had classes was thoroughly and utterly crushed.
Thus began the third day of training.
Just as I felt I was finally getting used to Professor Cathy’s movements, she would shift gears, her strikes becoming even more precise and razor-sharp.
Shit, is she not just close to S-rank, but already there?
I feel like she wouldn’t even lose in a fight against the War Demon.
Yet, the Professor herself seemed surprised, telling me that I was getting stronger by the day.
Well, Professor, that’s because I’m not actually getting stronger; I’m just reclaiming my old senses.
There was no way the process of bridging the gap between mind and body could be the same as a high-level hero trying to push past their limits.
“Good work today, Cadet Kang So-hyun. And you too, Cadet Kang Ha-ni.”
Ah, her surprise aside, she wasn’t in a particularly good mood.
It was the crack of dawn, and I had tried to sneak out alone, but Ha-ni had caught on like a ghost and followed me.
“It was nothing. I’m just glad I got to learn a thing or two from the Professor and the Inspector,” Ha-ni chirped.
For the record, today I sparred with the Professor while Ha-ni sparred with my sister. According to Sis, Ha-ni’s skills were already at the top tier of B-rank heroes.
And she was only a first-year in her first semester.
“…You’re welcome to come by in the future as well.”
“I’d appreciate that. I’m not really the type to turn down an offer, so I’ll do just that.”
The two of them smiled at each other.
Well, they say laughter brings good fortune, right? This must be a good thing.
…Is anyone there? Please save me. I can’t breathe.
* * *
After finishing my training and enduring that somewhat blissful agony, I arrived at the Academy to find the classroom unusually noisy.
“What’s going on?”
“I know, right? Is Cheon Yu-hak throwing another birthday party?”
Ha-ni, who wasn’t even in the same class but had naturally followed me in, cracked a joke that would make Cheon Yu-hak bite his tongue in frustration.
“…Don’t say such horrifying things. I still have nightmares about that.”
Oh, he actually heard that? And he didn’t bite his tongue?
Cheon Yu-hak approached us at just the right moment, shaking his head as if it were no big deal.
“It’s nothing much. Everyone is just whispering because there’s a stranger in the classroom.”
“…A stranger? You mean an intruder?”
“No, she claims to be one of the new cleaners hired by the Academy. Apparently, she’s in charge of our classroom.”
“Yu-hak, what kind of crazy talk is that? No matter how prestigious the Academy is, why would they assign a dedicated cleaner to a single classroom?”
“And the fact that she’s a beauty in a rather peculiar outfit is also part of the reason.”
…What kind of nonsense is this? Did he lose his mind after that birthday party?
Without thinking much of it, I pushed through the crowd. The classroom felt strangely cleaner than usual.
Was that the scent of flowers?
As I naturally headed toward my seat, I saw Ga-eul looking distraught. Unlike her usual self, she wasn’t sitting on my desk but was pacing back and forth in front of it.
What’s wrong with her now?
Then, I turned my gaze toward my desk. No, I had no choice but to look.
Unless my eyes were deceiving me, the desk wasn’t just clean—it was polished to such a high gloss that it reflected everything like a mirror.
Fine, I could overlook a desk that sparkled like something out of a manga, but I couldn’t wrap my head around the insanely lavish floral arrangement decorating the top.
And it was only my desk that looked like this.
Seriously, what was going on? Was this some new form of bullying? Common sense dictated that this shouldn’t be happening.
Holding onto the faint hope that I was hallucinating, I looked at the desk again.
Oh, in the short time I’d looked away, the floral arrangement had grown even larger. Furthermore, a beautiful maid with crimson hair was standing in front of the desk, looking right at me.
Rose? What are you doing here…?
I mean, I was planning on seeing her soon anyway, but this was so sudden I didn’t know how to react.
She started walking toward me.
Wait, is she going to do it? She isn’t, right? She’s not going to suddenly call me ‘Master’ and make everything awkward, is she?
Fortunately, she walked right past my trembling self, bowed her head, and addressed the entire class rather than just me.
“My name is Rose, and I have been appointed as the environmental maintenance worker for the Holy Fire Class starting today. I have finished the morning cleaning, so I shall take my leave. I will be on standby nearby, so please call for me immediately if the classroom becomes soiled.”
Thank god.
Well, actually, it wasn’t exactly ‘good.’ It was just ‘better than the alternative,’ considering the state of my desk was already causing a scene.
The arrival of a stunning beauty to clean the room naturally became the hot topic among my classmates.
The question of why only my desk was in such a state also came up, but I desperately resolved to ignore it.
“…Can I sit here?”
“Why do you always covet my desk instead of using your own chair? Hmm, Ga-eul?”
“…But this is like my identity now.”
I wanted to tell her it wasn’t, but honestly, she was right, so I couldn’t argue.
Ga-eul without her ‘Butt’ persona? Could that even be called Ga-eul?
At this point, Ga-eul and ‘Butt’ were practically synonymous. If I were in a foreign country and needed to say the word ‘butt’ but didn’t know the language, saying ‘Kim Ga-eul’ might actually work.
…The reality of having to sit at this ridiculous desk was so depressing that I found myself escaping into delusions for a moment.
For now, let’s at least try to clear away these flamboyant decorations.
“…How do you manage to get caught up in some incident every single day?”
“I know, right? I guess what Han-hee said was true.”
Ha-ni muttered in disbelief as she approached, and Lilac gave a bitter smile, adding his own strange comment.
“What did she say about me?”
“Ah, hey. Lilac, seriously. It’s one thing if Cheon Yu-hak says it, but you too? That’s overkill.”
Seriously, what did she say? Why am I the only one out of the loop here?
“She said you’re like a princess.”
Lee Yu-na, who had walked over with Lilac, solved the mystery for me.
…Wait, what? A princess?
“I don’t know the details either. I just heard it when you were passed out at the end.”
I looked at Ha-ni for an explanation. She tried to play it cool and look away, but she eventually surrendered under my gaze.
She said it was because I was always getting caught up in incidents and being held captive by grand, powerful figures—just like a princess in a game.
Hey, Ha-ni. Even so, a princess? Really? I bet no one else would agree with that.
— It actually seems to suit you quite well. A princess, indeed.
— The Will of the Saint strongly agrees.
…No one, huh.
“I think it really does suit you.”
“Honestly, I laughed a bit when I heard it too, So-hyun.”
“Everyone, show some respect! Can’t you see the Princess is feeling shy?!”
Ah, so it’s my turn to be roasted today? I didn’t see that coming. But are you guys ready? I’m going to pay you back tenfold when it’s your turn.
And so, my Academy life, which began with a massive surprise, was as noisy as ever.
* * *
Do you know the feeling of reaching into the drawer of a sparkling desk and finding a bottle with a note that says, ‘Water filled with my sticky, sweet love♥’?
If I didn’t know who the culprit was, it would have been terrifying. Fortunately, since I was certain of the culprit, I wasn’t that worried.
Of course, I didn’t drink it because I was scared.
Let’s call it Schrödinger’s honey water. Since I haven’t drunk it yet, there’s still a possibility it’s just normal honey water.
“But seriously, how did you suddenly get a job at the Academy?”
“It was thanks to winning a simple bet with your father. I was graciously given the role of your bodyguard starting today.”
I see. My father pulled some strings. Though, I suppose being a cleaner instead of an inspector means he didn’t pull that many strings.
That aside.
“Ah, I see. But for some people, having their internal monologue answered can be heart-stopping, so could you please not just appear out of nowhere?”
“Oh my, how cute. So you have a weak heart. If it’s for your health, I have plenty of honey water…”
“I don’t know why your hand is moving toward your skirt, but could you please stop?”
“Fufu, please think of it as a servant’s expression of affection for a Master she hasn’t seen in a while.”
…She seemed strangely more expressive than the last time we met.
“Since you’re here, I assume you’ve finished everything I asked of you?”
“Hmm, before I answer that, I would appreciate it if you spoke more casually to me. This Rose’s heart aches because it feels like I haven’t earned your trust yet.”
“No, I mean…”
“Would you speak more casually if I carved a symbol of my lifelong obedience onto my body?”
“That’s…”
“For your information, the symbol of obedience I intend to carve is commonly referred to as a womb tattoo…”
“Fine, I get it.”
“How kind of you. I am satisfied, Master.”
…Is that so? I’m glad you’re satisfied. Can we please get to the point now?
“Then I shall stop with the jokes. I have mastered both the alchemy and swordsmanship you mentioned. As a result, I was able to defeat all of the superhuman private soldiers organized by Kang Hyun-woo.”
Oh, I was wondering how to verify her abilities, but that wasn’t a bad benchmark.
If she could defeat those who had briefly given the early-story Lilac a hard time in a man-to-man fight, then with a little fine-tuning, she was ready for actual combat.
“They were quite troublesome to deal with all at once, though.”
…I didn’t expect that.
When I saw it in the Setting Book, it only said they had high potential. Since they never appeared in the original story, I was a bit worried, but it was a needless concern.
She could probably be ranked as an A-rank hero.
Well, it was a pleasant surprise.
I was planning on asking for her help soon anyway, and being stronger was always better than being weaker.
“While my official role is that of a cleaner, I am actually your bodyguard, so please feel free to call me whenever you need me.”
“You make it sound like you’ll appear no matter where I call you from.”
“…Honorifics?”
…Wait, why did that sound like she was saying, ‘Hey, do you want a taste of that womb tattoo?’ Am I just imagining things?
“You make it sound like you’ll appear?”
“Yes, of course. Besides what you requested, I have also mastered the entire ‘Things a Maid Should Naturally Be Able to Do’ series I found on the internet.”
What even is that?
“I look forward to working with you, Master.”
Her beaming smile was strangely terrifying, so I couldn’t bring myself to ask any more questions.
For the sake of my mental health, let’s just assume it’s something like tea ceremonies.
* * *
— That is a very dangerous style of swordsmanship.
“I thought so too.”
If my dawn training with Professor Cathy was about comparing my current body to my past one and synchronizing my senses, my evening sessions involved asking Sun Wukong to review my techniques.
— It is closer to the unorthodox than the righteous path, and closer to the demonic than the unorthodox.
Sun Wukong’s assessment of the sword dance I performed in the empty park was quite harsh.
— It’s not unusable, but there are too many dangerous movements, and the gambles you take are too extreme. It’s a perfect way to get yourself killed if you make one mistake.
By the way, I had told Sun Wukong as much of the truth as I could.
Well, most of it was blocked by the filter, but I managed to convey that I was in a state of having ‘regressed but lost my memories’ until recently.
“To be honest, back then, I didn’t really care about my body when I fought with a sword.”
I was brainwashed, and as long as I didn’t die, she would heal me with her Authority.
— Does it hurt? Oh no. Come here. I’ll make the pain go away.
…Actually, she used to blush and caress my wounds as if she enjoyed seeing me hurt.
Let’s stop thinking about that. I feel like I shouldn’t remember any more.
Since my memories had fully settled, things I had forgotten would occasionally resurface like this. Among them were quite a few things I honestly didn’t want to remember in detail.
Maybe Seo-ha has weirder tastes than I thought…?
The thought crossed my mind for a fleeting moment, but Sun Wukong’s voice snapped me back to reality.
— Hmm, I can help with basic corrections, but honestly, it would be better to ask someone with a deep understanding of the sword. I was planning on teaching you how to use a staff or hand-to-hand combat.
For a second, I considered switching my main weapon right then and there.
Thanks to Professor Cathy, I had a good grasp of the basics of martial arts, and the offer to learn staff techniques from Sun Wukong was undoubtedly tempting.
However, whenever I thought about letting go of the sword, I felt a strange lingering attachment.
Fine, learning swordsmanship now wouldn’t hurt, and it could only be a good thing.
If someone were to ask what the specific benefits were, I could think of at least two right away.
One was that I could tease my swordsmanship instructor at the Academy, and the other was that I could prepare for the trial that would likely come around summer break.
At the very least, if I knew some decent swordsmanship, Ha-ni’s father wouldn’t try to kill me.
…Is that actually a benefit?
“Anyway, someone with a deep understanding of the sword…”
When I tried to think of someone, no one easy to meet came to mind except for Ha-ni.
And Ha-ni wasn’t quite at the level where she could give enlightenment to others yet.
Just in case, I tried swinging the sword again. I kept thinking of ways to make the strikes more vicious, but I couldn’t think of any way to make them smoother.
…Should I swallow my pride and go see my Master? He’s going to be so incredibly smug about it.
He wasn’t a bad person, but he was just… difficult to visit.
I tried to make small corrections based on Sun Wukong’s advice, which she gave based on her memories of fighting swordsmen, but the movements only became slightly more fluid; there was no significant improvement in the swordsmanship itself.
* * *
And there was a shadow watching that scene.
She hadn’t intended to spy.
As a swordsman herself, she knew how disrespectful it was to watch someone else’s training.
Yet, she couldn’t turn her eyes away because she had been captivated by his sword from the moment she first saw him practice.
He seemed so focused on his training that he hadn’t noticed her. The right thing to do would be to apologize or leave now, but she couldn’t shake the desire to see more.
Every time he swung his sword, a faint, elegant fragrance wafted through the air.
It was proof that he was someone who had reached a significant level of mastery.
And such a person was swinging an unfinished sword.
It lacked refinement and was savage, but it was a sword purely focused on practical combat.
Perhaps he was in the middle of creating his own style of swordsmanship.
Perhaps that violent sword was the very clue to the growth she had been searching for.
“Incredible…”
With every swing, his sword was moving forward.
Bit by bit, the crude path of the blade was transforming into something clean and precise.
To have the talent to grow with every single swing.
A genius, no less than herself, was right there.
The moment his sword swung, black petals scattered in the air.
To reach the stage of ‘Blooming’ with that kind of swordsmanship.
She desperately wanted to talk to him.
She had to.