For My Sake?
After closing time.
Charlene and I sat across from each other, wiping teacups with a dry cloth. We did this every three days just in case mold decided to take up residence. Anyway...
“Charlene. What the hell happened? You told me that since you’re a Grim Reaper, you could beat most Demon Kings, right?”
When I asked in a scolding tone, Charlene set down the teacup she’d been wiping and answered.
“Master? If I were in my original Reaper body, beating an ordinary Demon King would be easy. But right now I’m stuck in a human body, aren’t I? In this form, I can’t even use half my original power.”
Ah… So that’s how it is. Hmm.
From what those wanted-hunter guys said earlier, it sounded like things could get really bad. No way… Surely that Sephirot guy wouldn’t actually summon a Demon King?
When my face clouded with unease, Charlene kept scrubbing the teacup with the dry cloth and said,
“Don’t worry. I’ll protect you, Kailon.”
Hmm. The words sounded nice, but… could Charlene really do that?
Charlene set the teacup down, let out a small sigh, and continued.
“If humans in the Human Realm summon a Demon King with their own hands, that too is the fate of humanity. Why are humans so stupid? They’re the ones tightening the noose around their own necks.”
“Not all humans are like that.”
“Huh?”
I cleared my throat and spoke seriously.
“In the Human Realm, there are bad people and there are good people. Even if I die, I would never agree to summoning a Demon King like Apocryon. The bad ones just want the world to burn. Don’t lump all humans together.”
“Oh my. My master has some backbone after all.”
Charlene picked up the teacup and stared intently at her own faint reflection on its surface. Still gazing at it, she went on.
“I don’t have any noble intention of saving all humanity or anything like that. I was never human to begin with. I’m perfectly satisfied just running this teahouse and protecting this peaceful daily life.”
Hmm. Speaking of which, there was something I’d been curious about.
“Charlene. Why are you working as a maid here? With power like yours, you could be a wanted-hunter, or even waltz into the imperial palace where His Majesty the Emperor lives and live luxuriously as a court mage, couldn’t you?”
“That’s…”
Charlene, who had been staring with her large eyes fixed on the teacup, slowly turned to look at me and answered.
“The body I’m currently possessing found joy and fulfillment in being a maid. At first I only tried it because I was bored, but it’s fun. Extremely fun. If I exaggerate a little, it even feels like happiness.”
“Happiness?”
“Yeah.”
Charlene answered like that and began wiping the teacup again with the dry cloth. Then she added,
“I feel like this is the best life I can possibly have right now. Besides… my master looks so unreliable that if I weren’t here, you’d probably starve to death in no time, wouldn’t you?”
Ugh. I-is that so?
I’d heard her answer, but I still wasn’t sure if Charlene truly meant it. A former Grim Reaper working as a maid in a teahouse… I still couldn’t tell if this was a dream or reality. I wiped a teacup with the cloth and asked again.
“Charlene. Do you really think Sephirot will unseal the Demon King Apocryon?”
At my question, Charlene slightly pursed her lips.
“Master. You said that Sephirot guy is a wanted criminal with an enormous bounty on his head, right?”
“Yeah.”
Charlene tilted her head, clicked her tongue, and answered with clear discomfort.
“It depends on that Sephirot person’s will. Summoning a sealed Demon King isn’t something you can do with half-hearted resolve. You need a genuine desire to destroy the world. In fancier terms, you’d call it conviction.”
Will…? Conviction…?
Did a guy like that really have something like that? I really hoped he didn’t.
Anyway… I was starting to get used to the way Charlene mixed formal and casual speech. That weird “Master” title too.
At that same moment.
Veloska Mountains.
An icy wind blew from every direction.
Sephirot stared down at the ruins where the Demon King Apocryon was sealed.
—Caw! Caw!
As expected of such a barren mountain range, the only sound was the distant cry of crows.
He swept back his long hair and gently pressed the staff he held against Apocryon’s ruins.
“Even while sealed, the demonic energy is incredible.”
Sephirot’s low, sinister mutter.
He rummaged through his belongings and pulled something out. An extremely old, tattered book. Sephirot himself knew very well that the incantation to unseal Apocryon was written inside it.
What mattered now was… whether Sephirot’s own magical power was enough to handle unsealing Apocryon.
Sephirot stabbed his staff into the ground with a thud and muttered again.
“It’s hard to get full from the first bite. Let’s give it a try!”
He threw off his cloak and tied his long hair back tightly. A muscular body unsuited for a mage was revealed.
Sephirot bit his lip hard. Clear, burning vengeance flickered in both of his eyes.
—Crack!
Boooom!
A massive surge of demonic energy crackled and gathered across the Veloska Mountains.
Suddenly, rain began to fall.
I was fast asleep, scratching my stomach. I felt like I’d been dreaming about something… but I couldn’t remember what.
—Ka-boom!!
The sound of thunder outside.
Whoa, that startled me. Why was it suddenly raining…?
I absentmindedly glanced out the window and then looked straight ahead—only to jolt wide awake in shock.
C-Charlene?
Charlene was standing at the entrance to my room.
Wow. In the darkness, her eyes really did look blood-red like some kind of beast. Was that because of her Reaper energy?
Anyway, what was Charlene doing there?
“Toil… et…”
Toilet?
Charlene rubbed her eyes with a dazed expression and continued.
“…Bathroom.”
Phew. So she was sleep-talking.
If she needed the bathroom, she could just go to the bathroom. Why come to my room and cause a scene?
“The bathroom’s on the first floor! Why are you coming to my room?”
When I lightly snapped at her, Charlene reacted with a small “Whoops.”
“That’s right. It is. Sorry.”
Huh? But was Charlene only wearing an oversized t-shirt as pajamas? No bottoms? Damn it. If only it were a little brighter in here.
Charlene scratched the back of her head, spun around, and opened her mouth.
“…By the way. Master?”
“Yeah?”
“I have pretty good instincts, you know. And I’m getting a really bad feeling.”
Instinct? What was she talking about?
When I tilted my head in confusion, another loud thunderclap roared outside.
—Ka-boom!
Rumble…
That scared me. The thunder was so loud I instinctively flinched.
“What do you mean? Explain it more clearly.”
When I pressed her, Charlene scratched the back of her head again, let out a big yawn, and answered in a sleepy voice.
“You’ll probably find out soon enough. We just need to focus on running the business, right?”
…Tch. If that’s all she was going to say, she shouldn’t have said anything at all.
A really bad feeling?
The business was doing well… What kind of bad thing could happen here?
I listened to the sound of Charlene’s footsteps creaking down the old staircase to the first floor and suddenly had a thought.
No way?
The Demon King?
Nah. No way. There’s no way the Demon King could be released that easily.
I pulled the blanket over myself again and lay down—
“Kyaaaaaaaaaaah!”
Charlene’s scream?
I kicked off the bed and rushed downstairs.
“Charlene! What is it? What happened?”
The moment I reached the first floor where we usually served customers, I saw Charlene standing there, trembling, one hand pressed to her forehead.
Huh? What’s going on? Even the almighty Charlene?
Charlene staggered and pointed a shaking finger toward the corner, her voice barely a whisper.
“M-mouse… there’s a mouse…”
A mouse?
…Weren’t you a Grim Reaper?
Screaming over something like that… Maybe the “bad feeling” Charlene mentioned earlier was this mouse. Hmm.
The next morning.
The number of customers kept growing.
It was probably because of the rumors about Charlene. Quite a few people had come after hearing there was a beautiful maid.
“Hehe. Miss Maid, you really are stunning. If it’s not too rude, how would you feel about working at my estate? I’ll pay you handsomely.”
When a plump-bellied merchant uncle made the offer, Charlene smiled sweetly and replied,
“Oh my. I’ll just take the kind thought. I’m too busy making a living to accept, you see. You understand, don’t you?”
Charlene had a peculiar talent. She could smile brightly while delivering a clear warning to men who tried to hit on her… Her skill at handling these situations was truly top-notch.
Her rejections carried such intense pressure that most men who were turned down once would quietly slink away without another word.
Well, if she handled it like that herself, I guess it was fine.
I was in the kitchen brewing tea and baking cookies when I let out a big yawn. More customers meant more money for me, so I had no complaints.
The moment I set down a tray of Lumina tea for Charlene to carry to the counter, she spoke while transferring the teacups onto her serving tray.
“Master? While I was carrying tea earlier, I overheard a rather interesting conversation from the customers.”
“Yeah? What about?”
“They said an important book was stolen from some temple in the north. Apparently it’s a crucial tome containing the summoning incantation for Apocryon?”
As expected, Charlene was meticulously polite in front of customers. But still… a book containing Apocryon’s summoning spell had been stolen? That was a very bad feeling.
I clicked my tongue at the unpleasant premonition while continuing to brew more tea.
“Master? Are you strong?”
Charlene asked again from behind me.
Of course not. When I made a displeased face, Charlene smiled brightly and said,
“Don’t worry. As long as I’m here, you won’t die, Master.”
“Huh?”
Charlene smiled sweetly and continued.
“I find it annoying to fight for the sake of protecting humans. But for the sake of protecting you, Master, I will fight.”
For my sake?