The Plum Blossom Swordsman Reincarnated into a Count Family
Melissa guided Elena exactly as Seong Yujin had ordered.
“This is the dining hall Master uses.”
Melissa spoke with formal politeness. With Seong Yujin and the other maids of the mansion she was casual to the point of outright rudeness, yet she had never forgotten her proper place.
“You may speak comfortably.”
Elena said. She had just watched Melissa address Seong Yujin without the slightest hesitation. Unlike Melissa, who remained wary of her, Elena neither distrusted nor disliked the maid. Though Melissa wore a maid’s uniform, the habits of nobility were etched into her very bearing; Elena recognized them at a glance and immediately guessed she came from a high-ranking noble house.
“No. I could never do that with Master’s guest.”
“Guest… I see.”
Elena surveyed the dining hall. The wall ornaments, the fluorescent lights on the ceiling, the carvings engraved into the table—taken as a whole the room was luxurious enough that one could believe it belonged to a royal palace. Up close, the fine details only deepened her admiration. Several of the decorations and sculptures looked more at home in an art gallery than a dining room.
Human craftsmanship… is possible, but far more likely the work of dwarves.
In Elena’s world most masterpieces of art passed through dwarven hands, so the thought came to her naturally.
A kitchen adjoined the inner side of the dining hall. Seven kitchen maids in sanitary caps and masks worked there, every one of them skilled. Each was an outstanding cook in her own right.
“This kitchen exists solely for Master. It holds every kind of ingredient, and the maids here are the finest chefs in the mansion. Guest, please try some.”
Melissa brought a plate. Shrimp rested on it, neatly prepared so they would be easy to eat; a faint scent of garlic and rich butter rose from them. Elena meant to refuse, yet the aroma drew her in. She speared a shrimp with her fork and placed it in her mouth.
The springy flesh of the shrimp burst between her teeth, flooding her entire mouth with flavor and fragrance. Elena decided on the spot to dismiss every cook in her own mansion and hire new ones.
“…I find myself craving wine.”
“I shall bring some at once.”
“No, it is fine.”
A wine glass had already appeared in Elena’s hand. She set her lips to the rim and drank the wine in long, satisfying gulps, a contented smile spreading across her face. After filling her stomach thoroughly she stepped out of the dining hall.
“Guest, I know this is impolite, but may I ask about you?”
“About me? Are you curious?”
“Yes. I am curious about a guest who appeared so suddenly. This is the first time I have ever been asked to show a guest around the mansion, so my curiosity keeps rising.”
“I am Elena Valdert. I am a noble, yet not of this world, so you may treat me freely.”
“…Not of this world?”
“Come now. You already know a fair amount, do you not—about your Master Yujin’s ability. The knowledge he possesses, the objects, the ingredients… many of them do not exist in this world.”
“…So that was it after all. Guest, you came from another world. My, how astonishing. And Master… is he…?”
Melissa waggled her little finger. Even with the sudden shift in her manner Elena felt no offense. She was not a noble of this world. The Valdert family did not exist here. Nothing she did could tarnish the Valdert name. The sense of duty that belonged to the head of House Valdert simply did not apply to her now.
“Saying ‘no’ would leave rather a lot of loose ends.”
Melissa nodded roughly and, though she had been about to press further, let the matter drop. She had completed the task assigned to her. Elena continued to tour the mansion, marveling at every turn; it was more lavish and more convenient than the main house of the Valdert family.
“…Every servant working in this mansion is a woman—maids only.”
“Ah, that…”
“You need not explain. I have already guessed the reason. It is because of Yujin, the master of the house. I thought he simply liked women, but it seems he likes them this much.”
Melissa studied Elena’s face. Elena remained calm. Normally, if the man one liked was known to keep so many women, irritation would be the natural response, would it not?
Was the anger she showed when she saw the head maid in Master’s arms only an act? No matter how I look at it, it did not seem like acting.
Elena stopped walking. Melissa halted as well. Elena was gazing out the window at the garden. The garden tended by the elf maids was perfect once again today.
“My reaction seems to puzzle you.”
“Yes. Guest, you appear to have considerable pride, yet you hardly criticize Master at all. For reference, every maid in this mansion has been held in Master’s arms. I myself am held two or three times a week.”
“And so?”
“Does that not anger you?”
“It does. At the same time I understand. Yujin has the right to do so.”
“…What?”
Melissa’s eyes widened at the unexpected words. Elena was clearly a proud noble; even a short conversation revealed her high station. Moreover, the almost magical abilities she displayed made it plain she was no ordinary force in combat either. Frankly, Melissa doubted she could handle Elena if it came to a fight.
And someone of that caliber claimed to understand Seong Yujin? Had the so-called rose-tinted glasses of love settled that thickly over her eyes?
“The center of this world is Yujin. My own world is not so different. The mere fact that Yujin exists is enough to deny the gods themselves. A delightful thought. If all those countless gods ever learned this truth… heh heh.”
“….”
Melissa’s brows furrowed. She understood none of what Elena was saying. One thing, however, was certain: Elena held Seong Yujin in extremely high regard. Judging by the talk of gods, she might even rank him above the gods themselves.
“I have seen enough of the mansion. I have grasped its atmosphere sufficiently.”
“You have not yet viewed the underground bathhouse.”
“I can imagine it well enough. A vast bath filled with women. I am not the sort who enjoys bathing with others. I wish to go to the office.”
“Master’s office, you mean?”
“I make a point of handling work thoroughly. The Vitrase Kingdom, the Beliac elf village, the Forest of Polemp—I want every piece of information related to them. Are there organized documents?”
“If that is your purpose, the administrative department would be better than the office.”
“The administrative department on the third floor, I take it. Does it not handle only internal mansion affairs?”
“Nearly every matter is processed in the administrative department. The only items that reach the office are those that ultimately require Master’s confirmation and approval.”
Elena’s lips parted slightly. She had realized that Seong Yujin dumped most of his work on his subordinates. The office probably contained only a handful of impressive-looking documents. It was the exact opposite of her own habit of involving herself in every affair of House Valdert.
The work may be easy, but if even one person betrays him it could be fatal. Does he trust the maids that much?
Or else the system was so perfectly established that betrayal simply did not matter.
Elena claimed a seat in the administrative department and began examining the documents. The forms were standardized, making them easy to read.
Click, clack-clack-clack-clack.
The sound of keyboards filled the air. Every maid working in the administrative department handled her duties on a computer. Elena clicked her tongue.
If the retainers of House Valdert worked even half as well as these maids, my life would be considerably easier! Yuria, that maid, must have laid the foundation and the system years in advance.
It was not something one could simply copy. Money was not the issue; she lacked both time and talent. Reaching this level would take five years at the absolute minimum.
Elena sipped wine while lowering her eyes to the papers. After studying them for a long while she spoke.
“Vanessa.”
“Yes, Lady Elena.”
The reply came from right beside her. It was a maid with golden hair. Melissa had left on other business, and in her place a maid named Vanessa had become Elena’s personal attendant.
“This fellow mentioned in the document—would it not be better to make use of him rather than kill him by assassination? I shall cast an illusion on him. You could keep him as a puppet for life.”
“Um… isn’t that a confidential document?”
“I already have Yujin’s permission.”
“I see. I’m sorry, though—it isn’t my responsibility, so I don’t know the details.”
“Is that so. Then convey my words to the person in charge and bring me the documents related to the war.”
“Yes, understood. …But Lady Elena, aren’t you a guest of the mansion? There’s no need for you to work…”
Elena’s movements stopped.
Vanessa was right. She was a guest. There was no need for her to work. Yet when she came to her senses she was already working.
“…Let me work. Working in an environment like this is rather enjoyable. There is much to learn. And I will not deny that I also wish to earn points with Yujin.”
“So that was your intention. I thought Lady Elena was simply a workaholic.”
“….”
Elena could not refute Vanessa’s words.
???
I looked around. Yuria, Elnoa, Elena. Including myself, the four of us finished every preparation and tore the spatial-transfer scroll.
We transferred to a place near the Forest of Polemp on the western edge of the continent. A lake lay close by.
“Lake Viton.”
Elnoa spoke while gazing at the lake. Her expression was rigid. Her homeland was under attack and her people’s lives were in danger; of course it was.
I cast my eyes over the lake. It looked easily more than three kilometers across. The peculiar thing was how utterly black it was. Even near the shore the interior of the lake was invisible, and at the center it was dark as though an abyss lay there.
I scooped water into my hand. The water itself was transparent. So the problem was not the water.
“A curious lake. Is there a hole at the center or something?”
“It’s because of the Viton fish. Viton fish absorb light, so there is no light inside the lake.”
“Monsters?”
“No. Just somewhat unusual fish. Long ago I caught a few and grilled them… they tasted terrible.”
Even as Elnoa explained calmly she kept glancing toward the Forest of Polemp. Far in the distance black smoke rose into the sky. The forest was burning. The army of Vitrase must be advancing, intent on the ancient relic.
“Yujin. With my current strength it is impossible to wipe out that army in a single stroke. If I used Limit Break it would be possible… do you want that?”
“You already know my answer, so why the serious tone? Our goal is not to destroy the Vitrase army. It is to take the elves of Beliac Village and return. The best course is to avoid any encounter with the Vitrase forces.”
“I merely informed you that, in the worst case, such a method exists.”
We all looked at Elnoa.
“Elnoa. Guide us to Beliac Village. It isn’t far, is it?”
“…Well… Beliac Village lies quite deep inside the forest. The path is not the one that goes straight through the front of the forest, so… it might take more than three days.”
“What matters is arriving faster than the Vitrase army. Everything else is secondary.”
“Judging by the army’s present position… we should have a week’s leeway.”
A little color returned to Elnoa’s face. She led us toward the Forest of Polemp.
A village appeared.
It was of course not Beliac elf village. We had not even entered the Forest of Polemp yet.
“Randle Village. A hunter village we trade with. We pretended to be humans and interacted with the people of Randle Village.”
“So you traded in secret.”
“Yes. If you remain too isolated you cannot keep pace with the world. Some elves, like me, wish to go out into the world. Before I left the village I learned common knowledge about human society through the hunter village.”
We entered Randle Village.
We noticed the anomaly at once. There was not a single sign of human presence in the village.