Chapter 7
Chapter 7
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 7
Chapter Title: Experiment (2)
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"Everyone, go inside and get your rations."
At Dregs's words, the servants entered the dining hall in the order they had lined up.
The interior was divided into a few tables and a kitchen, and we could each grab one rice ball from the square trays placed at a spot that looked like a counter near the entrance.
At a glance, the rice balls seemed pretty sizable. With only two meals a day, it was best not to leave any behind.
When my turn came and I was about to take my rice ball and head out, Dregs called to me.
"Maggot."
"...Yes, sir."
Being mindful of formal speech made my response a bit delayed. I needed to get more used to it.
"Have you spoken with any of the other servants?"
"I haven't exchanged words with any of them."
"Understood. Eat your meal and rest for the remainder of the day. Report to the central hall tomorrow morning at 6 a.m."
Dregs picked up the last remaining rice ball from the tray and headed to a corner. Since he wasn't going outside, it seemed he stayed in the dining hall.
Everything about Dregs so far had given off a very businesslike impression. There was no way he'd said something like that without reason, so I figured the other servants weren't ordinary.
'There were seven rice balls, right?'
Judging by the number of rice balls, it looked like there were seven servants in total: the five ahead of me, myself, and Dregs.
I still had no idea what the Magic Trading Post on the third floor did or how those seven servants spent their days.
At the very least, though, the experiment set to begin tomorrow was what puzzled me most.
'What the heck is this experiment?'
I'd worry about tomorrow when it came. For now, I should eat a hearty meal.
Returning to the laundry room, I leaned against the wall beneath the ventilation window at the far end.
With summer approaching and all the magic tools around, the laundry room felt a bit hot.
The drain was along the wall, too, sending up humid air laced with a mildew stench. There wasn't anywhere else decent to lean against, though. The shelves lined both walls near the entrance, so no luck there.
Unpleasant heat, clammy air, musty odor, hard floor, throbbing cheek, screaming muscles throughout my body, everything unfamiliar.
'This is where I have to eat...'
I peeled back the paper wrapping the rice ball and took a bite.
A slight salty tang mingled with bits of vegetables and meat chunks as they crunched against the rice grains.
'Yeah, gotta eat to survive.'
Now completely alone, my tension melted away, and the events of the past ten years unspooled at length in my mind.
Strolling the village with Grandmother, learning magic, facing frustration, coming to accept things...
Grandmother kept surfacing in my thoughts, making my chest ache and my throat tighten.
I tried forcing other thoughts while taking another bite of the rice ball.
'What can I do right now?'
The first thing that came to mind was my usual routine: magic casting and mana operation training.
I cast the spell without delay, targeting the rice ball in my hand.
"Prompt to Magic Cast— Warms."
⟨ Warms ⟩
A gentle warmth spread through the rice ball.
Using Warms on food was a handy trick I could rely on going forward, but it was already hot in here, so I released the spell right away.
Not knowing what might happen next, I wrapped mana around my eyes to stay ever vigilant, making it a goal to maintain it as naturally as breathing.
In between practicing magic and mana operation, I brushed my teeth, did laundry, and otherwise kept busy for a few hours.
It was probably around 10 p.m. by then.
Wooong—whoosh.
The lights throughout the laundry room went out.
The mana lanterns must have been set on a timer.
Sleeping now was probably best anyway, since I had to be at the hall by 6 a.m.
'Haa...'
A barrage of worries kept me from drifting off easily, even with my eyes closed.
'Can I wake up on time? Is Grandmother... okay? What'll happen tomorrow?'
I tossed and turned like that before finally slipping into a fitful sleep.
I never sank into deep slumber, drifting in and out until morning light seeped in through the vent before I knew it.
Having barely slept through the night, I felt my heavy eyelids as I dragged myself up from the laundry room's musty floor.
I'd hoped it was all a dream, but the cold metal clamped around my wrists and ankles yanked me back to reality.
I arrived at the central hall without being late for 6 a.m.
Dregs stood in one corner, with the six of us servants lined up before him.
"We will now assign today's duties."
Dregs directed us to various tasks: cleaning the corridors and central hall, cleaning the dining hall and doing dishes, bathrooms, laundry room, dorms, and laundry.
From 6 a.m. to 8 p.m.—a full 14 hours—every duty was precisely scheduled.
The rest of the time was spent waiting in front of certain rooms as a rule.
"The new arrival, Maggot, will shadow Rat Pup to learn and assist with his duties."
'Still can't get used to that name. Yeah, that's me.'
Considering I was the newbie, my assignment was to assist Rat Pup.
He was on the short side, with a large face but small features—probably how Mere came up with a mocking name based on his looks.
"Maggot has additional lab duty from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. Report to the central hall by 7:50. Dismissed."
We dispersed from the central hall, and I followed Rat Pup to the bathroom.
Not the servants' exclusive one, but the one for guests or Magic Trading Post staff.
He knocked first, checked inside for anyone, set up a cleaning sign at the entrance, and began.
I tried helping out here and there, but Rat Pup showed zero interest in me.
He even re-cleaned the spots I'd done from scratch, working silently. To avoid getting in his way, it was better if I just did nothing.
About an hour passed like that.
From bathroom to shower room, I could only watch in mounting unease the whole time.
Later, while cleaning the servants' bathroom and then the laundry room...
"Dregs must be looking out for you. Putting you with the only one of your kind."
He spoke without even glancing my way during the cleaning, so I thought I'd misheard.
"No need for formal speech?"
"You should use it. You're the first I've ever addressed like this."
"I see... Because I'm the newbie?"
At my question, he paused his cleaning and looked at me.
"Because you're heading to the lab."
"Do you know about the lab? What kind of experiments do they do there?"
"My question first. What are you?"
"Pardon?"
He paused as if pondering something, then spoke again.
"The lab isn't for just anyone. In years, only two people went in and out."
"Who were they?"
"One was me. Short Stature and Short Ears hybrid, so I was a test subject. The other died on the first day—I don't know much about him. Now it's your turn."
Ah, so that's it. His subtly short stature, slightly large head, and narrow features were from being a Short Stature and Short Ears mix.
Which meant the experiments he'd undergone would likely be similar to what awaited me.
"I'm a Long Ears and Short Ears hybrid."
"What?!"
Why's he so shocked?
"Is something wrong?"
"Who knows about this?"
"Rock Forest—folks from my hometown, Lady Mere, Dregs knows. No one else, I think."
"Ha, listen up. From now on, don't tell a soul you're a Long Ears hybrid. Hilarious that I asked. Did you hear my story and figure you'd return the honesty?"
Ever since hearing my words, Rat Pup had been exuding a grave air, his initial shock giving way to seriousness.
"Is there a reason I shouldn't say?"
"It's Demon King Nel. The only known Long Ears hybrid in centuries, and he had Short Ears looks just like you."
The bad guy Grandmother mentioned recently?
"Did he do something?"
Another flicker of surprise crossed Rat Pup's face.
"You really don't know... Demon King Nel died about thirty years ago. A red magic grand archmage and warrior over seven hundred years old. Not sure if you grasp the concept, but he was a transcendent with 'king-level' prowess in both mage and warrior paths."
I'd read about king-level in the childhood book Basics of Magic. Magic divided into beginner, intermediate, advanced, special grade—and beyond that, king-level.
King-level mages were called grand archmages, especially.
'...King-level in both mage and warrior? Total cheat character?'
"And with that transcendent power came a glaring flaw. Bluntly put, his desires. Things like possessiveness or lust."