Chapter 42: The Smart Butler’s Former Name: Little Ox-Horse
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 42: The Smart Butler’s Former Name: Little Ox-Horse
"Welcome home, Master~"
The one speaking was the flat Smart Butler. As soon as I opened the door, I saw it wandering around the entrance.
Is this thing really that idle?
Doesn't roaming around like that consume mana?
I quickly checked how much mana was left. This was the total mana for the entire villa. If it ran out, how was I supposed to charge my phone?
Was I really going to have to beg a Senior Sister to help me charge it? I couldn't bring myself to ask. That would be treating someone like a human power bank; who would want to be taken advantage of like that?
However, I also started to get curious. New students only have a few years of study and improvement, and their mental power can't effectively control mana yet. So, how are they supposed to charge the villa?
I crouched down to look at the total mana meter. Currently, there were over three hundred units left. I wasn't sure how it was calculated—was one Mana Source's worth of mana equal to one unit?
After rummaging around for a bit, I found a notice with curled edges posted nearby.
It explained how to store mana. Seeing this, I breathed a sigh of relief. It turned out the villa drew mana automatically, but it required me to act as the power generator...
Fine. Regardless, three hundred-plus units should last for a while...
Now that one major problem was solved, it was time for a deep clean of the entire villa!
When I first moved in, I had only briefly tidied my own bedroom. I hadn't really cleaned the rest of the place.
This was going to be a massive undertaking. It was a three-story villa, after all. Even though most of the top floor was just a terrace, it still needed to be swept.
"Master, are you planning to clean the villa?"
Just as I was about to cast a Cleaning Spell, the Smart Butler scurried over to me and asked.
"Yes, that's right. So, you'd better move aside," I said, picking it up and setting it to the side.
"Master, Master, keeping the interior clean is my duty. You can leave all the cleaning to me."
"Leave it to you? You're just a robot vacuum; how are you going to clean this place? The walls, the windowsills, the ceilings, all the furniture—how would you even reach?"
I had originally intended to just snap at the Smart Butler, but I soon realized how superficial I’d been...
I felt a familiar energy projecting from the Smart Butler's body!
"Wait... a Cleaning Spell? Huh?"
My eyes widened in disbelief. Was this something a robot vacuum was supposed to have?
After the initial shock passed, I remembered that Sister Bai had mentioned this thing was an alchemical product powered by mana.
I swallowed hard. This was practically cheating, wasn't it? They had actually solidified a Cleaning Spell onto a robot vacuum?
Then what about me?
I had just been feeling all smug because I’d learned that spell...
I stared at the wandering robot vacuum. Its Cleaning Spell covered an area, and it quickly swept through, busy as could be.
Then, I saw it scurrying back.
"Hey, where are you going? Since you have the Cleaning Spell, go ahead and clean the whole place." Having had my confidence suddenly crushed, I was ready to just pass the buck. I’d just let this Smart Butler take care of me.
"Master, my reserve mana is depleted. If I do not return, I will have to wait for Master to carry me back to recharge..."
The Smart Butler answered immediately, though I could sense its voice losing its perkiness.
"Out of mana? Does using the Cleaning Spell consume that much?" I asked, following it. My tone, however, had become much more upbeat.
"Yes, Master."
"What's your maximum charge capacity?"
"1 Standard Mana."
"1 Standard Mana?" I wasn't quite sure. Was that the same unit as the main power meter?
So, one charge would subtract one unit?
"Yes."
"Then how much mana does it take to clean the entire villa?" I finally asked the crucial question. It seemed this was the only way I could reclaim some dignity.
After all, if this little thing consumed too much energy, it would be better if I did it myself.
"It requires approximately ten recharges."
"That's ten Standard Mana!" I was shocked. At this rate, if this little thing cleaned the villa thirty times, I’d be out of mana entirely.
And it wasn't like this villa only had one energy-consuming device!
No, no, this couldn't go on!
I only had one Mana Source right now, and I didn't know how fast it recovered. I didn't want to spend my life stuck here acting as a Power Generator Girl.
"Smart Butler! You are forbidden from using the Cleaning Spell to clean this place anymore! Unless somewhere is truly filthy, don't clean it. And stop wandering around so much normally—save energy!"
I rattled off a long list of instructions, unsure if the little thing even understood.
"Understood. Entering energy-saving mode. Deep clean task cancelled..."
Hearing the Smart Butler say that, I breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed it could understand human speech after all. I hadn't realized there was such a power-hungry tenant in my dorm; I wondered if there were other things like it in the villa.
"Smart Butler... Hmm, do you have another name? Calling you 'Smart Butler' all the time doesn't roll off the tongue."
"I do not. Please name me, Master, or randomly select a former name from the archives."
"You have former names?" I looked at the little guy. I hadn't expected it to be second-hand.
Then again, it made sense. Who knew how many generations of Senior Sisters had lived in this villa?
"Yes. Would you like to enable one?"
"Enable it. Let's see what names those Senior Sisters gave you," I said with a hint of curiosity.
"Former name enabled: Little Ox-Horse."
"Huh? What? What did you say your name was?" I couldn't believe my ears. That was actually a name?
"Little Ox-Horse."
"Pfft... Hahaha! How did you end up with a name like that? Hahaha!"
I finally lost it and burst out laughing. I couldn't tell if those Senior Sisters had given it that name as a joke or what.
"Haha, Little Ox-Horse... pfft... haha."
"Master, I am here."
After my laughing fit, I gradually calmed down. I didn't change the name; it added a bit of joy to an otherwise mundane life. I hoped my yet-to-be-met roommates would like it.
Since Little Ox-Horse was unreliable, I would have to rely on myself to clean the entire villa.
Though it would be exhausting, I was sure I’d feel a sense of accomplishment once it was done.
I started with the first floor. As for the lawn outside, that was none of my business for now. Even if I wanted to mow it, I didn't have the means.
It wasn't like I was going to crawl on the ground and pull weeds by hand.
But I had to admit, the Cleaning Spell was incredibly convenient. It would be great for washing dishes too—much faster than doing it by hand.
Of course, cleaning the villa was also a way for me to get to know every corner of the house better. Even though I lived here, I didn't visit every single area.
But I needed to know where everything was in case I ever needed it.
During the cleaning process, I discovered many blind spots where dust and grime had accumulated. It seemed Little Ox-Horse had its share of overlooked corners.
I had to use the Cleaning Spell several times on those spots to get them clean. It looked like the previous Senior Sisters had mostly relied on Little Ox-Horse to keep the villa tidy.