The Maid's First Battle
The Demon King’s army had surged toward the city with terrifying speed. No, it seemed they knew exactly where the emperor was and had surrounded only this city with surgical precision. From the high hill near the teahouse, you could faintly make out what lay beyond Marenost’s walls. Charlene and I climbed that hill to get a better look.
Cough. Good grief. Even from here the Demon King’s army was a seething black mass. Those things… they were walking skeletons. Actual skeletons.
Charlene’s face twisted with open disgust as she spoke. “It looks like they’re desecrating the bones of dead humans for this little game, doesn’t it, Master?”
“Dead humans?”
“There’s no way they conjured up that many bones on the spot. I may not be an active Grim Reaper anymore, but it still makes my skin crawl. What kind of twisted joke is this, playing around with corpses that should have been left to rest in peace?”
So that was it. I turned to her. “Did Apocryon come here himself?”
Charlene closed her eyes, concentrating, then tilted her head. “I don’t sense the Demon King’s magic. There is a presence weaker than his, though… It seems that human called Sephirot is here. The one who summoned the Demon King.”
I let out a long breath. My nerves were stretched tight. Honestly, I was scared. The Demon King’s army had completely encircled the city where I was born and raised. Marenost was a natural fortress—high, sturdy walls with a river guarding its front—but against that many enemies, it felt impossible to hold.
Charlene, still crouched and staring at the dark tide in the distance, muttered, “Don’t be afraid, Master.”
“Huh?”
“It doesn’t look like it’ll be that big a deal.”
I blinked at her in surprise. She stood up, brushing dirt from her hands. “Shall we go teach that insolent human a lesson? We still have a business to run, after all.”
At that same moment, inside the Marenost lord’s mansion, the imperial family sat with ashen faces, speaking in grave tones.
“Father, what kind of grudge does Sephirot hold against you?” Prince Cassian asked.
Emperor Valderic shook his head, his voice drained of strength. “It’s not something you children need to know. It’s one of the imperial family’s old, hidden secrets… I have no desire to speak of what happened between Sephirot and me before I die.”
Princess Mage, lips swollen from biting them, spoke up. “So he truly despises you, Father?”
“Yes. That much is certain.”
Sighs filled the room. Princess Mage tore at her lip again. “Duke Eisenvelt plans to hand you over to them. He’ll use you as a sacrifice to negotiate with Sephirot.”
Emperor Valderic sighed once more and closed his eyes. Prince Cassian slammed his fist into the wall with a loud crack. “Damn it! Damn it all!”
The prince bit down hard on his lip, furious at his own powerlessness.
Just then the door burst open and a maid came flying in.
“Y-Your Majesty!”
At the sight of her horrified face, the emperor answered wearily, “What is it this time? Has Duke Eisenvelt decided to send me to the Demon King’s army after all?”
“N-no, Your Majesty. A human has appeared who wishes to fight the Demon King’s army.”
“A human who wants to fight the Demon King’s army?”
The eyes of the emperor, prince, and princess met.
“What sort of person is it?” Princess Mage asked. “A famous swordsman? A renowned mage?”
The maid hesitated, clearly embarrassed, before finally answering in a tiny voice. “…It’s… a maid, Your Majesty.”
A maid?
Once again the imperial family’s gazes locked together. As the emperor shot to his feet, Princess Mage spoke quickly.
“Father, Brother, let’s go see for ourselves. We need to witness what’s happening.”
Outside Marenost’s walls, Charlene found a poorly guarded section and leaped down gracefully from the ramparts. She was still wearing her usual teahouse maid uniform. Her eyes glowed a vivid red—the power of a Grim Reaper she hadn’t called upon in a long time.
The skeleton soldiers of the Demon King’s army, armed with swords and shields, sensed her power and stumbled backward.
On the wall above, the imperial family, Duke Lucas Eisenvelt, and Marenost’s defenders watched the scene unfold.
“Who is that woman?”
“Wait, isn’t she the maid from the Petal of Marenost?”
“The Petal of Marenost?”
“You know, that teahouse.”
“What’s a girl like that doing out there? She’s just a teahouse maid.”
The soldiers whispered among themselves. Even Duke Lucas Eisenvelt stroked his beard in open astonishment. Who was she? A traitor working for the Demon King’s army? The situation was so bizarre that no one tried to stop her.
Soon Sephirot appeared from the enemy lines. Staff in hand, he smirked and called out.
“My, my. Has the fate of this entire empire been placed on the shoulders of a little maid? What brings you here, miss? Who exactly are you?”
“Charlene, maid of the Petal of Marenost.”
“The Petal of Marenost? A maid?”
What? This woman was no mage—she was claiming to be a maid?
Only then did Sephirot sense the abnormal power radiating from her eyes. He took an involuntary step back.
Charlene’s gaze burned with killing intent. “Withdraw from this place. If you don’t, I will reap your soul.”
“W-what are you?”
Sephirot raised his staff into a combat stance and retreated another step. Charlene lifted one hand toward the sky.
-Crackle! Zzzzt…
Power like crackling electricity gathered, and a massive scythe materialized in her grip. Charlene gave the Grim Reaper’s Scythe a few experimental swings—it had been a while—then gripped it properly with both hands.
“Final warning. Will you die here, or will you retreat?”
Sephirot settled into a proper fighting posture. “What the hell are you?!”
The moment the words left his mouth, Charlene vanished with a soft pop.
This is—?
Sephirot instinctively raised his staff to defend.
-Clang!!
Charlene appeared in mid-air and brought the enormous scythe down on him. Staff and scythe collided in a shower of sparks. Sephirot rolled sideways, quickly putting distance between them.
What absurdly overwhelming power. Who is this young woman? Was there a mage of this caliber in the empire?
Sephirot’s expression grew deadly serious. Charlene spun the scythe skillfully in one hand, aimed it at him again, and spoke.
“Warm-up’s over. Shall we begin in earnest?”
“Ugh… Damn it. Fine. It’s been a while since I had a real fight. Come!”
Up on the wall, every soldier, the imperial family, and the court officials watched the battle with rapt attention.
“Who is that young lady? Is she one of our mages?” Emperor Valderic asked, his voice a mixture of shock and hope. No one answered.
Prince Cassian and Princess Mage stared with wide eyes, determined to memorize every detail of the distant clash.
Nearby, Duke Lucas Eisenvelt felt his carefully laid plans crumbling. Damn it. Who is that woman? If she openly challenged them like this, his scheme to offer the emperor as a sacrifice for a truce would collapse completely.
Unable to contain his rage, he slammed his fist into the ground. Damn it! Curse everything!
At that moment a servant came sprinting over, bowed to the emperor, and reported, “Y-Your Majesty! Someone says they know the young lady who is fighting out there.”
“Excellent! Bring that person here at once.”
Soon Guard Captain Mikhail appeared before the emperor, fully armored. He gave a light bow and dropped to one knee.
“You claim to know the young lady fighting beyond the walls?”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“Who is she?”
All eyes turned to Mikhail. He hesitated, then lowered his head deeply.
“She is… the maid at the teahouse I often visit, Your Majesty.”
A maid?
The emperor tilted his head in confusion. Prince Cassian and Princess Mage exchanged incredulous glances.
“A maid?” the emperor pressed. “You mean one of those girls who serves drinks and food at a teahouse?”
Mikhail nodded. “Yes, Your Majesty.”
“Then who is the master who employs such a woman?”
“Well… I am acquainted with him, but… I’m not sure how to explain…”
When Mikhail faltered, Emperor Valderic turned his gaze back to the battle, looking utterly stunned.
“Bring her employer here immediately.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.” Mikhail bowed and withdrew.
-Clang!!
Staff and scythe collided again, throwing off sparks. Sephirot panted as he retreated.
Not only is her magic power monstrous, her physical skills are on another level. Where did a woman like this come from? Is she even human?
He could feel himself slowly being pushed back. No—he finally realized his opponent wasn’t even using her full strength. Sephirot, who rarely lost composure, was thoroughly rattled.
“Who are you?” he demanded after steadying his breath.
Charlene rested the scythe lightly on her shoulder. “I already told you. I’m a maid.”
“Are you… mocking me?”
“I’m not.”
Charlene glanced back toward the wall and muttered in annoyance, “Oh dear. Everyone’s watching. Fine. Let’s finish this.”
Sephirot staggered back again. The power radiating from behind her… it didn’t belong to the Human Realm. Was it demonic? No, not that either. His mind spun in confusion, and for the first time in years, real fear gripped him—the fear that he might actually die here.
Then—
-Pop!
Charlene vanished from his sight.
“Damn it!!!!!!!” Sephirot screamed desperately.
Charlene had leaped high into the air. She brought the massive scythe down toward the earth with all her strength.
-BOOOOM!!!
The explosion was cataclysmic. Soldiers on the wall, the emperor, the prince, the princess, and even Duke Eisenvelt were all forced to throw their hands up to shield their faces from the shockwave.
Whooooosh—!
A storm-like wind howled around them. It took a long time for the violent gusts to finally die down.
Where had he gone? What about the Demon King’s army?
Everyone was momentarily dazed by the blast. Charlene sat in the center of the enormous crater she had created, touching the torn hem of her maid uniform.
“Oh my. My dress is ripped, and it looks like I let the rat slip away.”
She dismissed the scythe and muttered, “That mouse-like bastard. I’ll at least acknowledge his talent for running away. I wonder if Master will buy me a new outfit.”