Chapter 83
Chapter 83
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 83
Chapter Title: The Strongest Maid in History (1)
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Resti, the next lord of the Ashen Mage Tower.
She was climbing the stairs of the Ashen Mage Tower for the first time in a while. Unlike usual, she didn't keep her head down. There were murmurs from those around her here and there, but she had no need to pay them any mind.
She walked with her head held high, back straight.
As she ascended the stairs with wide-open eyes, the circuits etched into the steps came into view.
She placed her hand on the circuit and pictured the floor she wanted to go to.
There was no floor in the Ashen Mage Tower that the next lord couldn't access. Visualizing the floor just below the elder's level at the top, Resti took a step forward.
"......"
The former next lord's floor.
It was the level housing the office and private lab of the Ashen Mage, Raniel. Naturally, there were no mages guarding this floor.
'The important documents were all locked away by the Ashen Mage before he left... or so I'm told.'
The locking circuits on each shelf glimmered faintly.
These were shelves that couldn't be opened without the key held by the Ashen Mage. Reading the numbers engraved on the shelves, Resti moved through the lab.
'It's so tidy.'
The lab suddenly struck her that way.
Since the Ashen Mage had left, no one had managed this place. It remained exactly as it was when he departed, yet...
'Does anyone keep it this pristine...?'
It was that immaculate.
Passing shelves organized with almost obsessive neatness, Resti stopped in front of the A-series shelf.
'A3, was it?'
The third drawer in the A3 line.
Standing before it, Resti pulled a key from her robe pocket. It was one Professor Lania had given her not long ago.
Click.
She fitted the key into the shelf's circuit.
Turning it caused the locking circuit to unravel with a soft rasp. At one point, there was a subtle tick, like something catching.
Pulling the key out opened the shelf.
Inside were a paper envelope and a rectangular magic tool engraved with circuits.
'...What is this?'
The envelope was stuffed with encrypted documents. The magic tool refused to activate even when infused with mana.
'Broken?'
The thought crossed her mind briefly, but she dismissed it.
This was something left behind by the Ashen Mage himself. And at Professor Lania's request, no less.
'Something he made for later use.'
It couldn't possibly break this easily.
Resti narrowed her eyes and read the circuits etched on the magic tool's surface.
A platinum shimmer rippled in her pupils.
In the illusion of circuits rising before her, she realized there was a deliberate twist in them.
'An intentional distortion.'
She drew a single line over the twist.
Once the circuit was corrected, the magic tool emitted a soft glow. She followed its direction. The light pointed toward the Ashen Mage's office.
The office would be locked with multiple layers of spells.
Yet as the light seeped into the door, it unlocked with a click.
Resti entered the office.
The light from the magic tool shone on a single sheet of paper neatly placed on the desk.
"...Huh?"
Resti blinked at the words on the paper. The document was packed with shocking revelations.
-The Ashen Mage said so.
-If the elder acts like a jerk, just chuck what's in that drawer right in his face.
Recalling those words, Resti picked up the paper.
"Throw this...?"
She gave a bitter smile.
Before her was information that could shake the Ashen Mage Tower to its core.
-...This is the result of my investigation.
-I've encrypted the evidence and stored it in the A3 drawer documents. Use the enclosed magic tool to decipher them.
The document ended with those lines.
As Resti read down to the last sentence, she suddenly tilted her head.
'...This handwriting looks familiar?'
Feeling an inexplicable sense of familiarity, Resti slipped the document back into the envelope. As she turned to leave the office, a picture frame on the desk caught her eye.
There were two frames on the desk.
One was a photo of the Ashen Mage as a child with Elder Rosel.
And the other...
'...Who’s that?'
It was a photo of an unknown boy with the Ashen Mage. The boy's eyes in the picture were lifeless.
Chilling eyes.
At the very least, they weren't looking at the same person.
2.
"What... did you say?"
Rosel looked up from organizing his curriculum at the mansion. He blinked and asked again.
"I've been assigned to guard the First Princess?"
"Yes, Master."
"Out of nowhere?"
"It seems the Fourth Princess recommended me. She showed up suddenly and said as much."
"Hmm, hmm..."
Rosel rubbed his temple.
Who was the First Princess? She was a rare breed, born with a warrior's spirit. Rosel had no interest in politics and didn't meddle, but... he'd heard the rumors about Princess Luriel.
'...Why her, of all people?'
Rosel let out a groan and spoke.
"Are you okay with this?"
"It's just three days by her side, so it won't interfere with academy duties. Should be fine, right?"
...That wasn't what he was asking.
A princess issuing a direct guard order—what did the academy matter?
"No, that's not what I mean..."
"Pardon?"
"Never mind. If you're fine with it..."
Rosel sighed.
Truth be told, worrying might be pointless. He'd considered warning her about the palace being a den of schemes and plots, but...
'Would that even work on her...?'
She'd become the next lord after bloody battles with the tower's mages. He didn't know about her social skills, but she wouldn't fall for petty politics.
'Besides...'
Rosel glanced at his disciple.
She'd hunted countless big shots in the demon realm, faced disasters, and returned alive.
Not a den of demons, but a demonic realm.
His advice probably wouldn't help someone who'd survived that battlefield.
'If anything, I'm worried about the other side...'
Rosel cleared his throat and spoke.
"Raniel."
"Yes, Master."
"Wrap it up quietly. As quietly as possible."
"Pardon?"
"And don't think that if things go south, you can just flip the whole table..."
Raniel flinched, shoulders twitching as if struck.
'Nailed it...'
Rosel sighed deeply.
Lately, he felt like he was sighing more. Honestly.
3.
Guard duty for the First Princess Luriel.
Thinking about the mission I'd been assigned brought back a lot of memories from the battlefield.
'Guard duty... I hardly ever did that, right?'
Probably.
The hero party I was in operated like a strike team. Orders for guard duty rarely came to us wandering the front lines.
'It'd be a huge loss otherwise.'
Being tied to one spot was a loss in itself. Escort missions even more so.
'Rescue ops are one thing.'
Still, we'd gotten exactly one escort mission. It involved the ancient lich, Skeval.
As I recalled, it was guarding a cardinal from the Delohim Church who maintained a holy barrier.
Skeval, abandoning a frontal assault on the barrier, had marked the cardinal's residence and tried infiltrating it.
'Protecting the cardinal from that intrusion.'
That was our mission—more precisely, mine. It was easier for me to handle Skeval alone.
'What a mess that was.'
I smiled bitterly at the memory.
Smashing circuits filling the corridors, endless barriers, and magic beasts rising from summoning arrays was tedious work.
I'd pulled three straight all-nighters.
That crazy skull bastard didn't sleep and attacked day and night.
'That's why escort missions give me the chills.'
It also ramped up my grudge against Skeval. Next time we met on the battlefield, I'd smashed his skull into the ground and trampled his garrison flat.
'Fucking skull-headed prick anyway.'
I gathered my thoughts and exhaled shortly. I'd arrived near the palace. I didn't head straight in.
'The meeting spot isn't there.'
I went to the location noted in the letter I'd received ahead of time.
-This lady has exactly two people she trusts.
Two people were waiting for me there.
-One is my guard knight, Luglant.
"You've arrived."
-The other is Head Maid Sarlain.
"I'll guide you."
The place they waited was familiar to me, and I had access.
'The Royal Library.'
The moment Princess Luriel learned I had clearance, she used it. The library wasn't open yet, but the head maid and guard knight waited inside.
"This way."
I followed them.
We walked a dim passage so secluded I wondered if it was really in the palace, until we reached a certain spot.
"Her Highness awaits."
They pointed to a door.
Opening it released a musty smell.
Not a proper reception room.
It looked like a storage shed for goods, and in such an unlikely place, one person greeted me.
"You've come, Professor."
The First Princess Luriel.
Perched on an oak barrel, she waved at me. As I blinked, she gave a wry smile and continued.
"I'd have borrowed a reception room if I could, but the palace is crawling with my brother's eyes and ears, so I chose this spot. Bear with it."
With that, the princess handed me a bundle of clothes from beside her.
"Take it."
"...What's this?"
"Just take it first."
I accepted it almost by force and tilted my head at the clothes. As I eyed them questioningly, Princess Luriel spoke.
"I told you. Too many eyes watching."
"Yes."
"So we need a disguise."
She pointed to the clothes in my arms.
"That's for that."
She nodded as if to say unfold it. I spread out the clothes.
They were neat-looking.
Black-based attire. Nothing odd so far, but the moment I saw the attached white cloth, I realized.
What this outfit was.
'This fucking...'
Isn't this a maid uniform?
The white was obviously an apron. Wearing them together painted a clear picture.
I slowly raised my head.
Looking at her, Princess Luriel was chuckling.
"For the next three days, you're my maid."
She beckoned with a finger.
"It's the easiest way to stay close to me and wander the detached palace as you please."
She had a point.
It made sense, but.
'She wants me to wear this?'
This was an outfit I'd refuse even on pain of death. I imagined myself in it, serving tea.
"Oh..."
An exclamation slipped out.
'...Should I just bail?'
The thought crossed my mind seriously.