Chapter 21
Chapter 21
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 21
Chapter Title: Ophelia's Rules
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“Obscene material was displayed on Your Highness’s screen, making censorship unavoidable.”
“..Huh?”
This wasn’t right. It wasn’t that I wanted to see a picture of someone else’s poop or listen to some stranger ramble on and on, but...
This was all something I needed to confirm with my own eyes first. Then, depending on the result, I’d either go, ‘Oh, crap,’ or ‘Ooh.’ Hiding it from the start just ruins the fun.
“O-Ophelia..? You can see my phone screen..?”
“Yes. As it is a duplicate of the original you provided, I can— Ahem. I can monitor the screen in real-time. I took a moment to choose my words.”
Monitoring. Well, I knew she did it for my sake, but still, it felt a little off. I was curious. The reason I clicked on a post with just a single dot in the title was because I was on a quest for El Dorado, even if it meant risking my ocular and mental health.
“Ah, ugh... What kind of picture was it..?”
“It was a picture of a nude woman with abnormally large breasts and wide hips, drawn in an animetic, or... moe, art style. It was deemed inappropriate for Your Highness, who is still young, so I censored it.”
“Mwaaak!”
It was actually El Dorado. A genuine, lewd picture. In the end, I couldn’t even see it, blocked by Ophelia’s censorship beam.
“It appears to have been promptly deleted by the site administrators, but the site seems to host a great deal of inappropriate content. Please be especially careful.”
“W-Well... actually, I wanted to see that...”
“..You may not.”
“Wha..?”
“Your Highness is still of an age unsuitable for exposure to such media, so I will personally inspect it.”
“B-But..?”
“You may not.”
Ophelia took a firm stance against obscene material. How could she? Of course, my current body was a *little* too young to be looking at lewd and naughty pictures, but still, I was fine with it!
‘Wait... then in the gallery..!’
I wasn’t talking about the Awakening Gallery, but the actual photo album on my phone. My Noah’s Ark, built up over years of browsing. A library of lewd pictures I could use even when the internet was down!
“For your reference, of the 28,134 photos in Your Highness’s device album—specifically the 23,254 image files in the ‘Downloads’ album—20,132 have been temporarily deleted as inappropriate content.”
“Muuu...”
It was still fine. In the app with the eye icon, where new works were updated in real-time...!
“In addition, I have deactivated two applications that primarily handle unsavory content.”
“Kuaah!”
“Please rest assured, I will work diligently to ensure Your Highness is exposed only to appropriate media.”
“Sob... Oh my god...”
My phone had already been completely ravaged by Ophelia. No way, I can’t look at lewd pictures anymore? How am I supposed to live..?
“O-Ophelia! This is too much!”
“..In what way, Your Highness?”
“I... b-believe... that a princess has the right to freely learn about... t-that sort of thing....”
Ophelia seemed to ponder my words for a moment. Could this actually be working?
“I see. I will select a list of recommended books and academic journals on the subject of sex from reputable sources. We shall spend one hour each day viewing them together to ensure you receive a proper sex education.”
I was doomed. It hadn’t worked at all. This was obviously not what I wanted. I just...
“N-No... I’d rather not look at anything....”
“Is that so.”
But what could I do? I couldn’t just come out and tell a beautiful maid that I wanted to look at lewd pictures.
She blocked images posted on community sites in real-time; there was no way she couldn’t block those kinds of videos on the internet. The only option left was to use the computer, which Ophelia couldn’t monitor....
‘Do I really need to go that far...’
I guess it wasn’t *that* important... Since my body changed, that sort of desire had been cut in half, and then half again. I’d just turn on the computer occasionally if I got curious.
“Eeehng.”
Still, it was kind of sad. I shouldn’t have given Ophelia my phone. I should have at least bought a new one for her....
“Your Highness.”
“Hmm...? What is it, Ophelia?”
“I believe I have learned a sufficient amount of information available on the internet.”
“Oh, really?”
Ophelia, who had been kneeling in a corner of the room for a while, seemed to have processed the necessary information. She said there should be no major problems living in the modern era now.
“Therefore, I intend to step out for a short while.”
“Going out? Where to?”
“I plan to go shopping for daily necessities at a nearby market... no, a mart.”
“Huh? What do you need? Can’t you just order it online?”
“I intend to purchase items that are needed immediately, so ordering online would be difficult. Moreover, street view provides limited visual information, so I believe it is necessary to survey the surrounding terrain.”
Was something missing in our house? I didn’t really know, but maybe Ophelia needed something for herself. I didn’t think she would say it for no reason.
“Okay, see you later!”
“In case you require assistance, I have added a number to your contacts with which you can call me. You may contact me if there is an urgent matter or if you need any items.”
“Oh, really? Then... a Coke?”
“A beverage. Understood.”
Ophelia gave a bow to me as I was rolling around on the mattress, then opened the front door with a practiced ease and left.
She’ll be fine, right..? Among the Awakened, having a different hair color was common. She had a slightly mechanical feel, but it probably wouldn’t be a big issue.
The money... it would probably come out of my account, but Ophelia didn’t seem like the type to be extravagant. A head maid seemed like someone who would manage a household budget diligently.
“Hmm... still, I’m a little worried.”
She probably wouldn’t do anything illegal since legal matters were well-documented on the internet. Besides, the concept of paying for goods is universal across all eras.
And there was one more reason why it was okay for Ophelia to go shopping.
“Ehehe, time to browse the gallery on my computer!”
My computer was now a super high-spec machine. It was the latest, incredibly expensive model I had received from Nova. And what’s more, Ophelia’s censorship didn’t work on the computer.
Of course, I might be exposed to various other things that were bad for my mental health, but I could embrace them all.
I didn’t know how long it would take for Ophelia to return, but there weren’t any proper stores around here. It should take at least thirty minutes, right?
“Mhehehe.”
(Sure...)
As expected, most reactions were like this. This was probably the normal response....
You free tomorrow or the day after? Let's hit a gate.
As I was browsing the gallery, one question definitely came to mind.
“Ophelia... fighting?”
Honestly, her arms and legs were so thin and her skin so pale, it looked like one punch from a big guy would send her flying.
I thought she was supposed to be an ultra-powerful golem made from rare metals and high-grade magic stones, but I had no idea why a maid came out.
Or maybe it was because she was what I needed right now? Combat was important, of course, but maybe she was sent with the intention of helping me live like a proper human first.
Suri and Minium could bathe me and help me get dressed properly, but in the end, Suri had no arms, and Minium was still inexperienced in that area. It felt like Suri gave commands and Minium just followed them.
The reason Minium’s movements had been so stiff when Suri wasn’t around might have been because there was no captain to give orders.
In the end, because I wasn’t living like a proper human, Ophelia might have appeared to put out the most urgent fire first.
“Hmm... Still, it would be nice if she could fight.”
A combat maid... just like the combat machine Minium, there was something about it that stirred the heart.
But on top of that, she was a beauty + a machine. A beautiful combat machine maid? Even if she couldn’t fight well, she was S-rank.
My sister wants to see her too
Ophelia would probably go if I asked her to. But she might also refuse, saying it was too dangerous...? She might leave me at home, shouting, “Protect the Princess!” and go smash all the gates by herself.
I could call and ask, but I’d just ask when she got back.
Hey have we met before?
It was inevitable that my old posts didn’t match who I was now. That was the truth then, and this is the truth now. Accept it, Im Jong-ho.
“Ueghek..!”
Browsing the gallery without Ophelia’s monitoring sometimes led to dangerous situations. This was the true taste of the internet.
Fuck lol I have a mental illness too
That guy who said he got a maid today, it's probably his maid lol
“Huh...? This is....”
No way..?
At that moment, in the grocery section of a large mart.
“Hey, what’s with that person?”
“Is it some kind of cosplay?”
“She’s fucking gorgeous, damn.”
“Go talk to her.”
“I feel like I’d get torn apart if I opened my mouth.”
“Why would she suddenly tear someone apart?”
“That’s just how cool beauties are.”