Chapter 23
Chapter 23
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 23
Chapter Title: Ophelia's Debut
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No, I'll listen to you, Mom.
“Ophelia... do I really have to wear this...?”
“Yes, you do.”
“Why....”
I thought Ophelia had disappeared somewhere overnight, but this morning, she suddenly appeared and handed me a new set of clothes. They were covered in frills and made me look like I wasn't from Earth.
I could more or less accept the white shirt and black skirt Suri had bought for me, but this was just wrong.
And why were the stockings white? I couldn't remember ever seeing anyone other than a cosplayer wear white stockings.
“Princess, are you aware of the existence of the ‘Issue Command’ skill?”
“Yeah... I know about it....”
“To raise the rank of the ‘Issue Command’ skill, you must present yourself in a manner befitting a princess.”
“Eeeh.”
I think Suri had said something similar before. She had tried to explain with gestures that I needed to speak like a princess, and it turned out to be true. I had actually managed to turn Han Do-hee's car back from a horse golem to its original state.
And the skill’s rank had gone up by one level, from F to F+.
“Do I really have to wear it...?”
“Yes, you do.”
“Will I die if I don't...?”
Ophelia paused for a moment at my question before nodding her head.
“Yes.”
“I don't think that's true.”
“It is essential for the Princess’s future safety, the enhancement of her abilities, and the reconstruction of the kingdom.”
This wasn't the kind of mechanical maid I had imagined... Instead of an android that perfectly executed my commands, she felt more like a kindergarten teacher trying to educate me.
“Ugh... this isn't right....”
“Oh, are you done?”
“My part is done.”
“Good work, Jong-ho~”
“Haha, yes.”
Han Do-hee and Kim Chae-ah took a taxi to Guro, where Im Jong-ho was working. Around 3:40 PM, after he had mostly finished his gate maintenance duties in Guro District, they all got into a company van and headed to where Eve was waiting.
“By the way, did you talk to her parents?”
“Ah... about that, watch what you say in front of Eve.”
“Why?”
“Eve doesn't have parents. She lives alone right now.”
“What...? What do you mean?”
At Han Do-hee's words, Im Jong-ho recalled the image of Eve he had seen before. Wasn't she too small a girl to be living alone? If she were at least a middle schooler, he might have understood, but...
“I asked her about it before, but she doesn't like talking about it. She mentioned she used to earn money through some part-time job, but she had to quit.”
“A part-time job? What kind of job could a little kid have? How on earth is she living?”
“I told you, I don't know the details either.”
“Hah, really.”
No matter how much they discussed it, if Eve herself didn't want to talk, it was best not to ask. It was something a child of her age would find difficult to talk about, even to the adults around her.
Instead of prying right away, all they could do was help her out as much as possible and hope she would open up her heart.
“Team Leader Yoo said she's submitting a report, so she's sending us.”
“What report?”
“She asked us to write up a combat report. We got a drone cam.”
“Ah, because of Eve?”
“That's right. Thanks to Eve.”
The main reason Im Jong-ho, who was supposed to return to the Nova Guild after the Guro gate maintenance, could take a guild vehicle to pick up Eve was because of this report. Otherwise, he would never have been allowed to leave work for a private gate entry during office hours.
“Chae-ah, have you met Eve before?”
“Eve? Yes, I have. She's super cute. How do you know her, Jong-ho?”
“Um... well... you could call us internet friends.”
They had chatted frequently on the forum, but if he had known the other person was such a little brat, he probably wouldn't have spoken so casually. Her online persona and her real-life appearance were just too different.
“Ahyeon-dong is a bit of a distance. Isn't it a pretty unsafe area too?”
“Don't say that in front of the kid.”
“I'm saying it because she's not here....”
“Pfft, Jong-ho, you're saying the same thing I did.”
“Is that so?”
After a long drive from Guro, Han Do-hee's group arrived in the Ahyeon-dong area, slowed down, and looked around for Eve.
“Huh, isn't that her over there?”
“Hmm... I think you're right.”
A small girl with strikingly white hair was sitting on a bench, her head bowed low.
“But who's that next to her?”
“Wait, don't tell me.”
Han Do-hee briefly recalled a post she had seen on the forum. Something about a beautiful maid being born... she had thought it was some weird nonsense first thing in the morning, but...
“It was real....”
“And your name is....”
“A pleasure to meet you. I am Ophelia, the Princess's dedicated maid.”
“Ah, yes... a pleasure.”
Im Jong-ho was driving, with Han Do-hee in the passenger seat. Mecha-Doggo, Suri, and Minium sat in the very back with Kim Chae-ah, while Ophelia and I sat in the middle row.
“Do you know where we are headed today?”
“Yes, I have confirmed the address. It is an entry-type gate primarily cleared by C-rank Hunters on average.”
“Um... I was wondering, are you capable of combat?”
“I am capable of combat equivalent to that of a standard A-rank combat-class Hunter.”
Hearing Ophelia’s incredibly solid, deadpan answer, Kim Chae-ah, who was listening from the back, exclaimed in surprise.
“Wow, A-rank? That's incredible.”
“Thank you.”
“You’re lucky, Eve, getting such a pretty maid.”
“Huh? Ah... yes... i-it’s nice....”
“And you're wearing such a cute outfit today, too. Where did you buy it?”
“I purchased the fabric from a drapery shop and tailored it myself.”
“You can do that too, Ophelia? You're a true all-rounder, aren't you?”
“Thank you.”
The extroverted Kim Chae-ah managed to carry on a conversation despite Ophelia's stiff replies. Han Do-hee had another question for Ophelia.
“So, if you're A-rank, are you a mage? Or a melee combatant?”
“I am capable of both close-quarters and long-range combat. I prefer mid-range combat to ensure the Princess's safety.”
“So you're like a royal guard.”
“Unfortunately, I am not specialized in combat, so I am not suited for the role of a knight.”
“Is it possible to be A-rank without being specialized in combat...?”
Im Jong-ho, who was driving, scratched his head, but I was wondering the same thing. To begin with, there are only about 1,000 A-rank Awakened in all of South Korea.
Including all civilian Awakened, the total number in Korea is just under 130,000, which means they are in the top 1 percent.
“Eve is certainly something else.”
“You recognize the Princess's true worth.”
“Haha... yes....”
Im Jong-ho drove us to the Hyochang Park Gate in Yongsan. It was an entry-type gate that a D-rank raid party (12 people) or a C-rank party (4 people) could comfortably explore.
This place was also managed by the Korea Hunter Association, and while there was an entrance fee, it wasn't very expensive. About 8,000 won per entry.
So how does the Hunter Association make money?
That question was pointless, considering how much they take. Their bread and butter was the sales tax on everything that came out of the gates they managed—rare metals, magic stones, and so on.
Since more entries meant more sales and thus more tax revenue, the entrance fees were kept low. They were basically treated like public officials.
“Four people.”
“Why four?”
“This lady... um... five people.”
He was about to pay for everyone except Ophelia, but it wasn't a large sum of money anyway. Im Jong-ho just decided to treat Ophelia as a person and paid for five.
And so, we entered the swampy forest where the Lizardmen lived. The entry point for an entry-type gate is always the same, and you leave through the same portal you came in.
Older entry-type gates are safe because there are no monsters around the portal. And there's no need to worry about getting lost, as a beam of light, like a projector, shoots up into the sky every 15 minutes to mark the location.
“Sometimes, things like Lizardman Warriors show up, but it's not a big deal, so don't worry. Even I can take care of them.”
Occasionally, 'elite monsters' that are stronger than the regular ones appear, but they were at a level that even Han Do-hee, the team's only B-rank, could handle.
As soon as we entered the gate, Ophelia's brow furrowed slightly. Chae-ah caught it immediately and asked.
“Ophelia, is there anything you need? You don't look well.”
“It is nothing. I was merely concerned about contaminants splashing onto the Princess.”
“I-I'll be careful....”
I was holding Mecha-Doggo, and Suri was flying, so it didn't matter. The ground was a bit wet since it was a swamp, but was it really something to be so concerned about?
Minium, despite its appearance, was a type that could be washed with water, so there was no problem there either.
“Anyway, what's that... Minium? This friend of yours looks really cool.”
“Minium is cool, isn't he?”
“Yeah, guys like this kind of stuff.”
“I know.”
“Haha, you do?”
It seemed Jong-ho had taken a liking to Minium. Its design was certainly impressive. Once I made a lot of money, I was going to get Minium a full suit of rare metal plate armor.
And I'd buy an SSS-rank weapon to synthesize with it, too.
“For now... Han Do-hee and I will take the front line. Ophelia, you stay in the rear with Chae-ah and Eve. Let's do a 30-minute loop and then head out.”
“Understood.”
“Okay.”
To be honest, besides me, no one here really belonged in a gate of this difficulty. Im Jong-ho and Kim Chae-ah were C-rank, but Chae-ah was a highly sought-after Healer and Jong-ho was a Psychokinetic. Han Do-hee was the highest-ranked as a B-rank Swordswoman.
For them, this was as easy as a walk in the park. They were here purely for my sake....
“An ambush of four Lizardmen at our 2 o'clock, 310 meters ahead.”
“What, Ophelia, you can detect them too?”
“Yes.”
“That's amazing. I have to use a skill to detect anything.”
I remembered seeing Han Do-hee use her detection skill before. She would plant her sword in the ground, grip the hilt with both hands, and listen. It was hard to find stationary enemies like those in an ambush because they didn't make much noise, and her range was only about 250 meters.
Ophelia's detection ability was probably an enhanced version of the magic detection function from the phone used to create her. Just like how Minium's hairdryer became a powerful booster when combined with a magic stone, adding a magic stone seemed to maximize the original functions of the materials.
“In that case, would you like to go take care of it, Ophelia?”
“Understood.”
Part of the reason for this gate run was to test Ophelia's combat capabilities. Even though she said she wasn't made for fighting, she was made from incredibly expensive materials, and she herself had said she could fight.
“Minium. Protect the Princess diligently.”
—*Clank!*
“Excellent.”
Minium nodded at Ophelia's words. Then, Ophelia moved a short distance away from the party, faced the direction where the Lizardmen were detected, lowered her stance slightly, and kicked off the ground.
—*BOOM!*
“Hah...”
Ophelia shot forward at a speed too fast for the eye to follow. She darted forward, lightly stepping on the trees blocking her path like a ninja, then whipped out something like a bright blue fiber optic cable from her fingertips and swung it.
—*SWISH!*
The force of the attack sliced through not just the four hiding Lizardmen but the bushes and trees they were in as well. With a loud crash, the trees toppled over, and Ophelia stepped back to avoid the splashing wet soil.
“Wow....”
Kim Chae-ah watched from the side, repeatedly expressing her awe. Im Jong-ho, who was recording with the drone cam, was also stunned, and it seemed Han Do-hee had also underestimated Ophelia's strength.
“Eve. You'd better listen to what Ophelia says.”
“Ah, yes....”