Chapter 801
Chapter 801
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 801
Chapter Title: Reincarnated as the Plum Blossom Swordmaster in a Count's Family
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“……”
I shut my mouth. My head was a mess from the unbelievable information.
Stripping away my emotions and sticking to the facts alone.
Yuria had lost her memories and her power. From upper-level Aura Master to lower-level Aura Expert. It was like plummeting from a fighter jet to a bicycle.
‘What caused it?’
There was only one possibility I could think of.
The trial of the blue dagger relic.
‘Did Yuria give up on the trial? Or did she fail?’
I had abandoned the trial and died from my heart exploding. Yuria probably took some measures before that could happen to her. Maybe she saved her life somehow, but lost her memories and strength as a side effect.
‘…No. That’s me thinking too nicely of it.’
Thinking more rationally, her current state was likely in the middle of the trial.
Yuria had the Absolute Mind trait I shared with her. Whether losing memories was a mental effect or not, no mental attacks or interference could touch her unless she allowed it.
“Judging by your expression, it seems you have some idea. Master.”
“……I’ll explain on the way. Where’s Yuria right now?”
“In the annex. The maids found her wandering around there blankly. They were on their way to report to you right away, so we don’t have the full details yet.”
“Which annex?”
My estate currently had five annexes besides the main building: for training, leisure, lodging, and guests. There were two training annexes, and I planned to add another one next month.
“The first training annex. The head maid was wearing workout clothes. Probably something happened in the middle of training.”
“So Yuria’s condition is because of the relic after all…”
“Relic?”
I explained the relic to her. Melissa nodded.
“Indeed… That must be the only cause for the head maid’s state.”
We soon arrived at the first training annex. I headed toward the commotion. At the end of the first-floor hallway, I spotted Yuria standing blankly amid the maids. Just as Melissa had said, she was in black workout clothes. They were like yoga pants and a training top, hugging her curves perfectly.
“Head maid! You really don’t remember anything?”
“Without you, the estate’s done for…”
“Hey, my salary’s late this month. Pay us extra!”
“Dude, this is serious. Don’t joke around.”
“Master’s here.”
The chattering maids parted like the tide when they saw me. I strode straight to Yuria. Her blue eyes looked up at me. Trembling pupils and hunched shoulders. Completely different from her usual self.
Her aura felt weak. Just as Melissa said, she was definitely weakened.
“Yuria! Did you really lose your memories? Do you remember who I am?”
I grabbed her shoulders and asked. Yuria flinched in surprise.
“I… I don’t know. I can’t remember anything…”
“……”
Her anxious tone made my body go limp.
Deep down, I’d been hoping. Like last time, maybe she was acting, pulled into the story of [The Lady and the Butler].
But seeing her up close, she truly didn’t remember me. There was no reason for her to play such a cruel prank on me.
As my grip loosened, Yuria stepped back from me. I held back the urge to approach and pull her into a hug again.
“Sorry, Yuria. Hearing you lost your memories threw me off. Let me introduce myself calmly. I’m Eugene Prukus. Your master, and you’re Yuria Grace, the head maid.”
“Ah, yes… Master…”
Yuria’s voice trembled. She lacked confidence, unsure how to respond.
“Yuria. What do you remember? Do you know who you are?”
“……I don’t have a single memory coming up. I just learned my name from you. W-Was I really the maid of this estate?”
“It’s no lie. You’ve been my personal maid for over ten years.”
“…I see.”
Yuria nodded in acceptance. I couldn’t tell if she truly believed it.
I held out my hand to her. Yuria looked confused, not understanding.
“Give me your hand for a sec.”
“…Ah. Okay.”
Yuria cautiously placed her right hand in mine. I used mana to check her physical condition. She looked fine on the outside, but there had to be something wrong internally. Losing memories shouldn’t weaken her like this.
“……!!”
I was shocked.
Her energy meridians—what this world called mana circuits—were all tangled. Some were completely blocked. At this level, she shouldn’t even be able to move, let alone use mana.
Yet Yuria was moving. No sign of pain at all. She was staring at me in surprise as I held her hand, equally shocked.
‘This should’ve left her bedridden… Why is mana still circulating?’
Aura Expert? Impossible by my knowledge. At best, with luck, she’d be at normal human level. But mana was flowing through her body. An absurdity, defying common sense, was happening right before my eyes.
‘Trace amounts of mana entering through breathing… Mana moves with each heartbeat… Her heart’s beating fast now to circulate it?’
I belatedly remembered her body had evolved thanks to Proxin’s Grimoire. Like a dragon, she could accumulate mana just by breathing. It wouldn’t make sense normally.
“Any discomfort in your body?”
“No. I felt something entering me… Was that you checking my condition?”
“Since you lost your memories, I wanted to make sure. Your body’s perfectly fine.”
I asked her a bunch of questions. Where her memories cut off, language and writing knowledge, things about herself.
The results: zero memories of herself or others. Knowledge was jumbled. Basic etiquette and object info remained, but nothing on Eternal Heaven style, shadow magic, Rapelli Kingdom history, etc.
“Master. I get you’re rattled by this sudden mess, but the head maid looks exhausted. Shouldn’t we let her rest first?”
At Melissa’s suggestion from the side, I took a fresh look at Yuria’s face. She did look worn out.
“…Sorry. I pushed too hard.”
“Ah, no, Master.”
“Just two important questions. You said you came to in the underground training hall, right? Was there a blue dagger around?”
“Nothing like that.”
“Anything you know about the trial?”
“Trial? I’m not sure what you mean.”
It raised questions, but nothing I could do. The underground hall she’d used had no CCTV, so investigating was tough.
As I stepped back, our eyes met. Her wariness and anxiety had eased during our talk.
An irresistible urge hit me. I approached Yuria, grabbed her shoulders and waist with both hands, and kissed her.
“Mmph…!”
Yuria’s eyes went wide. Her body stiffened. I explored her lips and tongue like always. My tongue dove into her mouth, running wild. The old Yuria would’ve tangled hers with mine without flinching. But now, her tongue just stuck to the floor of her mouth, helpless.
Smack. Smack. Smooch.
I gripped her waist tighter, ravaging her tongue more fiercely. Just as her tongue started to move a little, she pushed against my shoulders with force. Remembering her memory loss, I let her shove me away easily.
“I did it like we always do… Sorry if it bothered you.”
“N-No… It’s not that…”
Yuria mumbled, touching her lips. I turned to Melissa.
“Melissa, take care of Yuria.”
“Huh? You’re leaving the head maid like this?”
“She looks beat. Letting her rest till dinner.”
“Strange. Got something else to do?”
“Was on my way to meet Floyd.”
“I see. More trouble?”
“War’s on.”
The estate was peaceful, but outside was chaos. Even residents of territories less affected by the war struggled with skyrocketing food prices.
“Got it. I’ll handle the head maid. Looks like you’ve got your own plans for her too.”
“Of course. I’ll try reminiscing old memories to jog hers.”
“…Doesn’t sound trustworthy…”
I left them and headed to the office in the main building.
Floyd sat on the sofa, sipping tea, waiting.
“You’re here.”
“Wait long?”
“About an hour, but we’ve got time to spare, so it’s fine. More importantly, I heard the head maid lost her memories and got weaker?”
“What? Rumors already?”
“Overheard on the way. Thought it was nonsense at first… But your reaction says it’s true.”
“Rumors are real. But she’s still Yuria.”
“She’ll bounce back soon enough. My lord, focus on the situation now.”
Floyd met my eyes, steering the mood. He’d noticed I’d been distracted thinking about Yuria. I scratched my head, forcing her from my mind.
“Right. What’s up? War with Balt Kingdom should be smooth, no?”
“Not quite. A messenger came from HQ earlier.”
“No victory fanfare, huh… What orders?”
“Precisely, a report and orders.”
“Report?”
“On recent battles. In summary, my lord’s brothers—Gent Prukus and Kyle Prukus—failed.”
My jaw dropped. Unexpected news.
They had missions like mine. Gent’s army was larger. Well-trained elites, over a hundred knights. Word was he’d grown it more lately.
Kyle’s was smaller but elite. Soldiers were reverse harem veterans beyond ‘elite,’ knights all grizzled vets.
Especially the adventurers and mercenaries sworn to Kyle—I didn’t take them lightly. Some could be heroes with more growth.
“Both failed? Hard to believe. For real?”
“Why would HQ’s messenger lie? It’s true. But ‘failure’ just means they didn’t take the enemy stronghold in the set timeframe. No victory, no defeat. They’re in a stalemate.”
At this point, even I could guess the orders.
“Father’s orders: reinforce.”
“Yes. But no need to aid both. Pick one.”
“The other just dies?”
“Hardly. HQ’ll move another unit.”
Floyd spread a map on the desk. Red and blue circles marked it.
“Red is Gent, blue is Kyle. Opponents: Viscount Juliad and Baron Mavelot. Sieges dragging on. Our mission: reinforce within a week, assess, take the stronghold or retreat.”
I furrowed my brow.
One week.
No time to waste. Distance meant departing by tomorrow evening at latest.
As I studied the map silently, Floyd spoke calmly.
“Viscount Juliad’s territory is mostly plains. Good for cavalry. But his troops are 25,000, 30,000 with reserves. Mavelot Castle has a river around it. Charging in blindly is suicide. Enemy’s only 10,000 though. Which to support?”
“……No idea. Yuria would…”
I clamped my mouth shut. Yuria couldn’t help now. Amnesiac, she knew nothing of Juliad or Mavelot.
“Hate to say it, but the head maid’s memory loss might be a good thing for you, my lord. You rely on her too much. I respect her skills, but our lord is you, not her. Think and decide yourself.”