The Silberg Maid
The Silberg Maid
The fun party ended, and I returned to the estate.
As expected, my own house is more comfortable than someone else's.
I went into my room and sat in a chair, feeling the unique comfort of my own home.
"Did you achieve your objective?"
"...Eh, more or less?"
Add a cup of tea poured by Cecil to that, and my fatigue melted away instantly.
'I should go to parties more often from now on.'
Even if traveling far is a hassle, meeting new people or playing games together was quite enjoyable.
And someday, if the opportunity arises, I should try hosting a party myself.
Even if it's not as grand as Brother Lugner's, if I use food or games from the world before I possessed this body, it would be enough to entertain guests.
After all, this place is a romance fantasy world.
It's the perfect place to unleash Korean culture.
Doing that would probably blow away the boredom of this world, too.
Of course, it's not something I'll do right now.
If my memory serves me right, the flow of the original story should be starting soon.
The protagonist's party must be going through hell, so it felt a bit awkward for me to be lazing around by myself.
"By the way, any news from the North?"
"...The North, all of a sudden? Why there?"
"Ah, just because~ I'm a little interested."
So, I decided to just look into the news for now.
It wasn't that I particularly wanted to take care of them.
If I offered goodwill first for no reason, I might get unexpectedly entangled and suffer for it...
I wanted to watch for the right timing and just end my connection with them by handing them the money they wanted.
After all, the Northern Grand Duke and the heroine, the Hero, would only want money from Silberg anyway.
"The North... shall I look into it?"
"If possible, please do. Especially any rumors about the Northern Grand Duke. Or the atmosphere over there."
"If it's that, I'd be the right person for the job."
"?"
For some reason, Cecil showed confidence at the mention of the North.
Is she perhaps from the North?
I just asked her to look into some news, but her reaction was different from what I expected.
But well, it's Cecil.
She'd be the perfect maid if not for her weird habit of talking nonsense occasionally...
Still, she does her job well and she's kind, so I can be generous about this much.
"Hmm~ Understood. Oh, right. Then should I have the vassals do it? Or would it be better for me to look into it?"
"Why would you make the knights do something like this? Just look into it yourself, as long as you don't overexert yourself."
"Yes. Understood. Then I'll have to be away for a few days."
Anyway, Cecil agreed to look into the news from the North.
She did ask for a few days, but I could understand.
Even if the job of a maid looks easy, strictly speaking, since it's her main profession, there must be a lot to take care of.
Since I asked for additional work on top of that main job, she would naturally need some time.
"Ah. Come to think of it, Cecil."
"Yes, Master."
"I'll give you plenty of time, so go have fun. Got it?"
"...Go have fun?"
I added some break time with that in mind.
She's always by my side without any holidays, and she even went to the party because of my sudden whim, so I meant for her to take a break while she's at it.
Humans have a sense of reward psychology.
Normally, the principle is to reward them after the work is done, but if I do that, it might act as an unnecessary burden to do well, so I tend to tell them in advance.
"How long?"
Even in that situation, Cecil asked about the time given.
Others would have made all sorts of excuses to play a little longer, but seeing her insist on confirming with me how long she can play, there is no one as diligent as Cecil.
So I decided to let her loose for once.
"Set the limit yourself. As long as it's not too excessive, it's fine."
"Understood. I'll do it in moderation and return."
And then Cecil left the room.
Watching her back, I felt secretly proud.
I even praised myself, saying I'm a good noble.
However... I didn't know at that time.
"What? Cecil went where?"
"I heard she went to the North."
"Huh? Why?"
"Isn't that what you ordered, Master?"
"Uh...?"
That Cecil would go to the North herself to investigate, and
"Sonia. Do you have any news about Cecil?"
"No. It's quiet again today."
"Haa~ When on earth is she coming back?"
That she wouldn't return for over a month.
...If I had known, I wouldn't have sent her like that.
By the way, Cecil? You definitely told me you'd do it in moderation, didn't you?
Did you, by any chance, deceive me? Huh?
She still hadn't returned.
My name is Cecilia Way.
I am the head maid of the Silberg family and the Master's bodyguard.
I thought of my status that way, and I tended to introduce myself like that wherever I went.
But the world evaluated me differently.
"Everyone, attention."
"Yes! Captain!"
"Yes! Director!"
Those who called me by different titles.
They were all vassals of the Silberg family.
First, on the left, the 『Silberg Knights』.
Composed of exactly one hundred people, they were one of the reasons the Silberg family was called the strongest.
Each individual's martial prowess was comparable to that of an average kingdom's knight captain, and since it was a group that only gathered those who wanted to leave their names in history, their loyalty was also high.
Being with Silberg.
There was nothing better than that for engraving one's name in history.
And
Standing on the right is the 『Silberg Intelligence Bureau』.
They were the hands and feet of Silberg.
As the name Intelligence Bureau suggests, they were an organization skilled at gathering information, but their strength lay in perfectly executing the orders given by the Silberg family.
Making various impossible schemes a reality.
That was the value of their existence and the sense of duty that kept them here.
And I was the head of those two organizations.
"Starting today, I will be away for a while. I am heading to the North by the Master's order, so serve the Master well while I'm gone. Understood?"
"Yes! Understood!"
The vassals bowed their heads immediately at the order.
But there was exactly one person who raised their hand.
It was the Deputy Director of the Silberg Intelligence Bureau, 'Sicarian Lovestalker'.
"Sicarian? What is it?"
"I apologize. But I'm puzzled as to why the Director is going personally. If you are moving... is it perhaps war?"
As expected of someone who always lives with questions, unlike the other subordinates who obey without a word, the question came out.
But I didn't feel bad.
Because the basis of information gathering started with questions.
"No. First of all, the order the Master gave me was to gather news about the North, especially the Northern Grand Duke."
"But why are you going personally, Director? If it's that kind of order, it would be enough for us to step in..."
"He told me to go have fun."
"Ah...!"
Since there was no time, I told them exactly as it was.
At the words that the Master had actually told me to 'go have fun', Sicarian lowered his hand as if he understood.
It was natural.
"True, there's no one who knows as much about the Northern Grand Duke as you, Director."
"He just said 'go have fun', but he was pushing you to go personally."
"Well, something like that."
In the first place, my roots were in the North, and
Above all, the fact that he gave the order 'go have fun' to me, and not someone else, meant that I was free to intervene as the situation required.
And given the current composition of the organization.
No matter how capable the subordinates of the Knights and Intelligence Bureau are, it's a fact that they would be a burden to me in this mission, so it's hard to go together.
"And just in case, I'd like the Intelligence Bureau to investigate information on other regions related to the North in advance."
"Yes. Understood."
That's why I left the rear to them.
As much as they trust my skills, I also trusted them.
After settling that, I set out on the road.
There were no particular preparations.
Because packing anything more would just be baggage.
I just changed my usual maid outfit to one suitable for combat, slung a backpack over my shoulder, and left the estate.
Anyway, I was used to this kind of travel, and if I rode the wind, I'd reach the North in no time, so
"Hoo~"
With a deep breath, I dashed toward the North.
The passing wind.
The blades of grass stepped on lightly.
Running without rest at a speed that made the surrounding scenery blurry, it took exactly three days to reach the Northern border.
"Am I out of shape? I'm a little tired."
Is it because I've become too accustomed to maid life?
Even though I've been loosening up my body with daily training, I felt stiff.
But it wasn't bad.
This must also be something the Master noticed about my physical condition and let me go for.
He seemed to be carefully observing my body when attending the party; perhaps he felt this change?
"Huh? What is this? In a place like this... a maid?"
But then. Someone's voice was heard.
A group of people glaring at me while holding spears.
Counting them, there were six.
They were guys called 'Drifters', barbarians wandering the Northern Highlands who had been expelled from their tribes and lived by looting.
"A woman alone in such a remote place, hehe! Were you abandoned by your master?"
The guys scanning me up and down with fishy smiles.
Dirty and disgusting gazes flew at me.
"Hoo~ It's been a while since I've seen guys like this. It's so Northern."
After quietly gathering magic power in my hand.
I gathered the soul imprint dwelling within my body and drew my weapon.
"What...? A black sphere?"
My beloved spear, Sephiroth.
It is my weapon manifested as a black sphere.
"A-are you a mage?"
The drifters misunderstanding my profession at that sight.
Well, I understand.
To those who don't know, it looks like a sphere floating in mid-air, so it would look like a mage.
━ Clang!
"You're no ordinary woman!"
The guys who drew their weapons, perhaps thinking it was a threat.
But it doesn't matter.
"Huh?"
Six heads fell at the same time as the question.
Blood flowed from the heads that fell to the ground, staining the white snow.
"When... did you... the spear..."
Without even realizing what had happened, their lives were taken.
And I swung the spear a few times as if savoring the taste of murder I hadn't felt in a long time, then hid it back within my magic power.
"Hoo~ It is a bit cold."
The smell of blood mixed sharply with the snow, which I hadn't smelled in a long time.
Yes.
This is the North.
There is a saying in the North.
『If you meet someone with black hair, red eyes, and holding a black spear, bow down.』
This phrase, which also appears in the original novel, was meant to announce the appearance of the Northern Grand Duke while simultaneously expressing who the ruler of that place was.
Black hair, which is rare on the continent.
Red eyes passed down genetically.
And even the weapon called a spear, which is difficult for even most experts to handle easily.
Therefore, the combination of those three words was synonymous with the Northern Grand Duke.
But there is one fact that people overlooked.
"You have arrived! Your Highness, Grand Duchess!"
"How long has it been since I was Grand Duchess? It's already been 10 years since Father passed away and I left, so don't call me by such cringey titles. Calling me that makes it sound like I'm Derek's daughter."
"Still, once a Grand Duchess, always...!"
"Forget it. Where is Derek? He should have already been reported that I arrived, but I don't see him?"
It's that the person with those characteristics is not just the Northern Grand Duke.
Cecilia Way's old name was Cecilia Eisen.
Way was the surname given by her lord, Silberg, when she ascended to Lance Master.
It was named after the first head of the Silberg family, so it was an honor and pride for Cecil.
Therefore, ten years ago, on the day the previous Northern Grand Duke became a star.
At the funeral, she said this.
'I will devote my whole life to Silberg. I will yield the position of Northern Grand Duke to Derek, and I will not use the Eisen surname from now on, so know that.'
It was a one-sided notification.
Dissatisfaction grew.
From the groups that followed her immediately to the politicians who tried to put her on the Grand Duke's throne.
Everyone spoke with one voice to stop her.
Among that crowd was her younger brother, Derek.
It was because he felt that he, who was infinitely lacking compared to his older sister, the Lance Master, could not take that position.
But in the end, they could not stop Cecil.
'What is that Grand Duke position anyway, that you dare to try to persuade a knight of the Silberg family?'
With her overwhelming martial prowess and the name Silberg, no one dared to stop Cecil.
With those words, Cecil left the North.
Since then, she would occasionally visit the North whenever there was business, but she deliberately avoided approaching the Grand Duke's residence.
It was because she was worried it might be a burden to her younger brother.
Even if she did visit, she would always contact him in advance.
She, who was like that, not only came to the North after a long time but also stormed into the Grand Duke's castle.
Cecil, who looked for her brother as soon as she arrived.
But Derek was not in the Grand Duke's castle.
"Ah, His Excellency the Grand Duke is currently at the outer castle!"
"Outer castle? Why there?"
"He is looking around the outer castle with the Hero."
"The Hero? Hmm...?"
Cecil, who felt interested in the unexpected word.
But soon, hearing the chatter of the maids flowing into her sharp ears, she smiled as if it were amusing.
"Hmm~ The Hero is a woman? Then it's a date, isn't it?"
Glint.
Her red eyes shone.