Chapter 814
Chapter 814
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 814
Chapter Title: Reincarnated as the Plum Blossom Swordmaster in a Count's Family
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Nepia began packing her things. She left the maid uniform as it was and stuffed her clothes, paper, ballpoint pens, and other items into her backpack.
"...Um, Nepia. What's this flashy dress? Don't tell me this is yours too?"
Pointing at a lavish purple dress embedded with sparkling jewels, Terius asked. It was absolutely not something a slave would own.
Nepia glanced at the dress and smiled faintly, nodding.
"It's mine. About a year ago, Master... no, he's not my master anymore. Yujin-nim gave it to me for my birthday."
"......Yujin-nim gave it to you...? To you?"
A master celebrating a slave's birthday? It was beyond Terius's common sense. When he had been a mercenary's slave, he'd never received a gift—not even on his birthday or the mercenary's good days. He'd gotten leftovers once or twice, but he'd never considered those gifts.
"It's not just me. The other maids get presents on their birthdays too. Though getting something like this dress is pretty rare."
"......Have you ever worn that dress?"
A noble might, but by Terius's standards, a slave had no reason to wear a dress.
Nepia frowned, openly showing her displeasure at his words.
"I was a slave, sure. But do you have to put it like that?"
"S-Sorry. I was being thoughtless."
"......I get more chances to wear dresses than you'd think. This mansion holds a party every two months, three at the latest. Servants like me can attend too. I've already worn this dress several times. It's one of my treasures."
"I... see."
Nepia carefully folded the dress and packed it into her backpack. Other unfamiliar items piled up neatly alongside it.
"......And that dagger?"
"For self-defense. Pretty well-made, right? Yujin-nim gave me this one too. It's a dwarf-forged dagger. Another one of my treasures."
"Th-That's an impressive dagger."
It was so finely crafted it took his breath away.
Terius nearly suggested pawning the dress and dagger—it would keep them comfortable for years. But seeing Nepia's sparkling eyes, he couldn't bring himself to say it. How could he tell her to sell her most prized possessions?
"This is my most treasured belonging."
"A ring...?"
"Master gave it to me not long ago. I kept it hidden tight in the drawer so I wouldn't lose it..."
It was a gold ring set with a diamond. Nepia slipped it onto her left ring finger.
"Pretty, right?"
"Y-Yeah, it's beautiful. But that ring... why the left ring finger? Do you know what that means...?"
"Huh? Oh! I know about northern customs. You mean the wedding ring on the ring finger? But that's just a northern thing. It doesn't mean much here."
"......Right."
Terius glanced at his own left hand. His iron ring gleamed on his ring finger. He'd never thought it odd before, but today it looked terribly shabby.
"Nepia. The iron ring I gave you..."
"I'm keeping it safe. It's precious, so I carry it with me always, right?"
Nepia pulled a necklace from her bosom. The iron ring dangled from the chain. He felt relieved knowing she kept it on her person.
"...It's a ring. Why not wear it on your finger? It'd be safer. I'd... like it if you wore that ring on your left ring finger, Nepia. ...Like me."
"Huh? Sorry. My fingers are bigger now than they used to be. It doesn't fit anymore."
"I'll resize it to fit your finger."
"It's fine. It's uncomfortable and hurts to wear. And I'll keep treasuring it like this on the necklace, so no problem, right?"
"......You're right."
Nepia finished packing. Terius quickly grabbed the backpack with his left hand. It was fairly heavy, but he didn't let it show.
"Terius. Let me carry it."
"No. It's okay. Let me carry it."
"......Alright. We'll eat dinner at the mansion and leave after. That okay?"
"Sure. I've got the carriage I came in. Pterus Territory's close enough—we can head out at night."
Nepia and Terius left the room. They headed to the dining hall, bumping into a few maids along the way.
"Nepia? Why are you packing...? Who's the guy next to you?"
"...This is Terius. I mentioned him before, right?"
"Oh. Your friend from when you were kids. Yeah. Leaving the mansion?"
"Yeah. I'm not a slave anymore."
"...I don't know the details, but good luck. Take care over there."
Terius sensed something off. The maids they passed all wished Nepia well with brief greetings. Even if their words were polite formalities, their eyes were filled with pity for her.
'...Am I imagining it?'
Shouldn't they envy her for gaining freedom? Terius felt uneasy for no reason.
Entering the dining hall, Terius was stunned. It was incredibly spacious and pristine. And there was so much food. He followed Nepia's lead, filling a plate and eating—with her help, since he only had one arm.
He was blown away by the taste.
'Delicious!'
"Delicious" didn't even cover it. He'd tried noble cuisine once with Kyle's help, but even that paled in comparison.
The chicken and cola drink were especially revolutionary.
"Good? To your taste?"
"Huh? Yeah. Incredibly good. ...Can we really eat this?"
"It's fine. I eat like this every breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Look around—all the other maids are too."
Terius looked around. Nothing but maids, every one strikingly beautiful. They approached Nepia, chatted briefly, then left—some handing her farewell gifts.
"Terius. Try this. It's carbonara—super popular in the mansion lately."
"First time, but it's insanely good."
"This steak too. Melissa unnie loves steak."
"This... beats any meat I've ever had."
The meal dragged on. Terius's hand slowed as he devoured the food, then stopped entirely. His stomach was full, but the table was still laden.
"...Nepia. Sorry, I can't eat anymore. This food..."
"It's okay. We'll just throw it out."
"...Throw it out? All this food?"
"Stuffing yourself when you're full isn't eating—it's torture. Look. In this mansion, tossing food is normal."
Sure enough, maids were dumping leftovers without hesitation—including the steak Terius had raved about, something even commoners rarely touched.
A mere maid living like nobility.
"......"
Terius felt dizzy. Something was wrong with this mansion.
After dumping the rest and leaving the dining hall, Nepia and Terius headed straight out. Nepia's mood was subdued.
Terius was relieved she hadn't suffered here like he had. At the same time, he worried if he'd done the right thing.
'...No. I did good. If I hadn't saved Nepia, she'd still be getting violated and humiliated by Baron Prucker.'
He recalled Nepia's face buried in Yujin's embrace. That wasn't the face of a humiliated woman.
'Acting. It had to be an act to please Baron Prucker.'
They passed through the mansion's front gate. The guards eyed them indifferently. The sun was setting; the evening air chilly.
"Nepia. This way."
"Okay."
They boarded the waiting carriage at the stables. It headed for Pterus Territory—a half-day trip, arriving at dawn.
The carriage rolled off. Silence hung between Terius and Nepia. He panicked at the awkwardness and spoke up.
"N-Nepia. How've you been since that day? I... ended up a mercenary's slave..."
"Terius. You must've suffered so much."
"Not just me—you too. You..."
...got ravaged by Yujin Prucker. He couldn't say it.
"Me? I didn't suffer much. The food was great, I learned to read, had friends my age. Nothing tough."
"R-Really? Glad to hear..."
"......"
"......Th-This time, I got knighted. The lord I serve is Kyle Prucker, Baron Yujin Prucker's brother. Captain Kyle doesn't have a title yet, but he's gonna be huge. First met him when I was a slave to the mercenaries..."
Terius rambled on, trying to break the ice. Nepia listened quietly. Their talk fizzled out after less than two hours.
Rumble rumble.
Only the carriage's rhythm filled the air.
???
They arrived at Terius's house. It was barely bigger than a commoner's hut—half the size of Nepia's room in Yujin's mansion.
Nepia stared blankly at it. The rundown place looked twenty years old.
"...Got this after becoming a knight. Was supposed to get better, but... needed money fast..."
"B-Because of me. Couldn't be helped..."
Inside were two rooms total. No ceiling light—candles only. Even lit, it was dim.
Nepia's face paled. Bugs crawled the floor; rats could burst from dark corners anytime. The stench was foul.
"Bed's in the back room. Uh, Nepia. If you're okay with it... let's sleep together."
Terius's heart pounded; his face flushed beet red.
"...No. You take the bed. I'll... sleep in the chair."
"What?! S-Sorry, Nepia. I wasn't thinking. You take the bed! I'll use the chair!"
"Really, it's fine. I'll take the chair."
No matter how much he insisted, Nepia's stubbornness held.
She refused so firmly because the bed was filthy too.
"Hey, Terius. No fridge or wardrobe?"
"Wardrobe yes... fridge sorry, too expensive. I'll save up and get one later."
She looked away from the wardrobe. It was rotted through—no way to store clothes.
"......Water? No faucet or induction stove?"
"Water from the well. Bucket in the corner. Induction...? No idea. What's that?"
"......The hearth. Gotta cook somehow."
"Oh. Over there. Running low on firewood. I'll get more early tomorrow."
"Shower or bath... obviously not?"
"Sorry. No. I'll find a tub somehow."
"......Breakfast tomorrow?"
"I'll grab from the mess hall. Usually skip mornings, but you seem to eat... Oh, gonna cook?"
"Sorry. I'm okay with most things, but can't cook."
"R-Really?"
The next day.
Nepia eyed the food on the table: hard bread and warm soup. She tried the soup—bland. The bread was rock-hard, tough to chew, and tasteless.
"Nepia. Not to your taste?"
"...Sorry, Terius. Too bad—can't eat it."
"Yeah? Oh well..."
"Terius. I want meat."
"...Meat? Got it. Tonight for dinner. And... take this money. Handle lunch."
He handed over 8 gold coins and 4 iron coins. 8,400 ner—enough for a decent commoner's meal with change.
"Where you headed?"
"Report back to Captain Kyle. Knight duties too. Back before sunset."
"...Okay."
Terius left.
Alone, Nepia thought of cleaning first—finish before dark. But no proper tools. She searched the bedroom.
The stench hit her; she pinched her nose. Terius's clothes and junk strewn everywhere. Approaching the bed, she recoiled. The dingy blanket crawled with tiny bugs.
"Urk!"
Nauseous, she clamped her mouth and fled outside. She wandered the village quietly. Didn't want back in.
A few thugs tried their luck, but fled after tangling with her—a mid-level Aura Expert, stronger than Terius.
Lunch was two skewers.
Back home, Nepia sat dazed at the table. Tears welled in her eyes. This was hell.
She pulled a spatial movement scroll from her bosom. Yujin had said a week, but she couldn't endure. She wanted to go back now.