“……What are you doing?”
As I held the Cruz boy down, knife pointed at his throat, Sera’s voice suddenly came from the side. …As always, no footsteps, no presence. Still, judging from the volume and direction of her voice, she was still several meters away. I cautiously kept the knife ready, not taking my eyes off the boy. He cried out, seeking help, “Mom!”
“…………”
He was Sera’s child… I almost killed him. In my current state, antagonizing Sera would certainly mean “death.”
As if to show I wouldn’t oppose her, I released the blade and quietly distanced myself from the boy. Sera didn’t address her son, but asked me,
“What happened?”
“He lifted my skirt.”
“……I see.”
Sera looked at her son, whose face was still bright red, and frowned slightly suspiciously. She sighed lightly and faced me, bowing her head.
“If he did something indecent to a woman, it can’t be helped. As his mother, I apologize.”
“No problem.”
“Then, let’s end this here… Theo, stand up already. We’re starting your training.”
“……Mom.”
Sera is strict with her son….
Her son… Theo, looking at his mother with a slightly sulky expression, stood up. When he saw me, his face turned red again, and he averted his gaze.
“It seems you’ve already ‘introduced’ yourselves. This is my son, Theo, and this is Aria, who will be a trainee maid. Theo will continue his usual training. Aria will be tasked with monitoring the ‘target’ who is scheduled to arrive in ten days to ensure they don’t do anything unnecessary. To do that, she needs the bare minimum ‘education’ to appear before nobles.”
A child monitoring mission… That seems to be my job.
“……Education? Etiquette?”
“That too, but that will be done at night after your regular duties. In the morning, you’ll train in Martial Arts with Theo.”
“What about Magic…?”
With Sera’s Mana Capacity, she must have mastered some kind of Magic. Even if Sera wasn’t the one who healed my wounds, I wanted to know about Light Magic if possible, so I asked. Sera stared at me intently, as if trying to see through me.
“I hadn’t considered it since there’s no time… but do you know your affinity?”
“Light and… Darkness.”
“You have two affinities. Did you learn Darkness from Viro? If it’s Light Magic, I can use up to level 2, so I’ll teach you if there’s time.”
“So… you were the one who cast [Cure] on me, Sera-san?”
“That’s right. If you can use Light Magic, you must learn [Cure]. We often get injured in our line of work, but Escort Maids need to appear before nobles, so visible wounds are conspicuous. You’ll also change in front of ordinary maids during work. Erase as many scars as you can.”
“……Okay.”
“I can teach you Wind Magic too!”
Theo suddenly interrupted, approaching me as he spoke.
I see… When my skirt was lifted, the reason I couldn’t react in time was probably because he was also using the Utility Magic [Wind]. But…
“I don’t use Wind Magic.”
“……I see.”
“But I want to train against Wind Magic.”
“Okay, leave it to me, Aria!”
…Did I get him to like me by kicking him down and pointing a Knife at him?
“Aria, judging from your footwork, I can tell you’ve trained to some extent on your own, but I’ll correct that. Specifically, I’ll teach you the unique Martial Arts of an ‘Escort Maid,’ footwork that allows you to fight even in a skirt. I’ll show you a little.”
As she said that, Sera’s body slid silently to the side.
“……I don’t understand.”
“Of course, it’s not that easy. I’ll show you my feet, so don’t miss it.”
Sera lifted her ankle-length skirt to her calves and showed me the same movement.
Shuffle, cross, accelerate, and decelerate… It was quite advanced and complex footwork. If I could master this, I could apply it to both Stealth and combat. This kind of movement wasn’t in my “knowledge,” so I watched intently, burning it into my eyes.
“Normally, in the case of a child, we would drill our movements into them from the basics like Theo, but Aria, you already have some foundation and practical experience, and there’s no time, so I won’t teach you step by step. Steal it with your eyes and memorize it. In a way, you’ll be treated the same as Viro, but is that okay?”
“……No problem.”
“Good.”
…All the adults I meet are strict with children.
But learning through practical experience is the same as always. Sera smiled slightly for the first time at my quiet nod, without any enthusiasm.
“Also, I’ll provide you with weapons. Ordinary maids are strictly prohibited from possessing weapons, but we are allowed a minimum of armament, just like soldiers. Even so, in the case of someone from outside, we would take their weapons when they enter the mansion, but in your case, Viro of the ‘Rainbow Sword’ and I have vouched for you, so it’s permitted.”
As she said that, Sera handed me something wrapped in cloth.
“Be careful, because if you do anything strange with those weapons, Viro and I will dispose of you.”
“……Yes.”
That would certainly mean death.
“Also… where were you hiding the Black Knife from earlier?”
“In a leather strap on my calf…”
“I’ll allow that much. Just make sure no one else finds out.”
“………”
Theo, who knew I was hiding Throwing Knives on my thighs from the moment I said “calf,” started to say something, but I glared at him to stop him.
The more weapons I can use, the better. I don’t intend to do anything unnecessary, but if my life is in danger, I’ll use them without hesitation. Especially since I’m wearing such a frilly outfit, my main form of combat will be throwing.
The weapons provided were two thin Knives and four Throwing Knives for throwing.
I could attach the thin Knives to the opposite side of the Black Knife. But even with two, it would be heavy, so I’ll keep one as a spare. As for the Throwing Knives… my legs aren’t thick enough to strap them all to my thighs.
They’re thinner than the Throwing Knives I got from Viro, so maybe I can hide one in each sleeve? Eventually, I’ll have to make or buy a special holder.
I can also be taught footwork, combat techniques using thin Knives, and throwing and grappling Martial Arts that allow me to fight even in a maid outfit.
In order to practice those Martial Arts, I was also made to do mock battles with Theo, who is close to me in size.
“A, Aria? You can’t use kicks or anything!?”
“I know.”
For some reason, Theo seems concerned about my skirt. Sera also said that it’s good to use kicks as a last resort, taking advantage of the fact that the skirt hides my feet.
Theo is apparently 6 years old, one year younger than me. He’s tall for a 6-year-old, but like me, his growth is probably accelerated due to Mana.
I lack skill in interpersonal combat. It’s only natural that I’m lacking, since I’ve only been training for about a month and a half. As a result, I was repeatedly defeated by Theo, who has been formally trained, in head-on exchanges of techniques.
“It’s about time to end the morning training. I’ll remove the smell of sweat and dust, so both of you come here.”
“……?”
Wondering what it was, I approached Sera, and she began to mutter something, and Mana Particles of light began to gather in her hand.
“—[Purify (Clean)]—”
When I received that light, the smell of sweat disappeared from my body, and the slight dust that had been on my maid outfit also disappeared.
“This is…”
“It’s level 2 Light Magic, [Purify (Clean)]. Originally, it’s a Magic for purifying miasma, but it can also be used to remove fine dirt and odors from the body like this. It can’t remove large debris or dirt, though… how was it?”
“I want to learn it…”
“Please do. There are few people who can use it in the workplace, so I have high expectations for you, who has a Light affinity.”
Level 2 Light Magic includes [Purify (Clean)] and [Treat].
It’s the first time I’ve seen it, but [Purify (Clean)] erases visible dirt, and [Treat] erases minute foreign substances in the body, which are quite effective Magic for me.
But according to Sera, both spells require the caster to understand the “dirt.” For miasma, you need to actually understand that it’s miasma, and for Treat, you can’t erase the poison unless you know what kind of poison it is. Due to its inconvenience, it seems that only healers use it.
There are also herbs that can do light detoxification, and it requires specialized “knowledge” to master, so that may be why there are few high-level Light Magicians.
“Also, drink this in the morning starting today.”
At the end of the training, Sera handed me a Potion in a ceramic bottle.
“……What’s this?”
“Say ‘What is it.’ Also, this is ‘poison.'”
Apparently, it’s a weak poison with a special concoction. You won’t feel any pain, but your HP will be reduced by about 10% for the entire day.
I wondered why she would give me something like that… but it seems that continuing to do so may give you [Poison Resistance]. Escort Maids also have to taste the lord’s food for poison, so she told me to drink it seriously if I don’t want to die.
…This person is strict with her subordinates after all.
After the morning training came breakfast, which I ate with Theo.
Apparently, there used to be other child apprentices besides us, but they quit quickly. I don’t know if that’s why, but I received dubious glances from some of the maids.
But I don’t care about that much anymore. I’d at least care if it were Hobgoblin-level Killing Intent… I thought, and when I looked at them, they averted their eyes for some reason.
“…Aria, you have a bad look in your eyes?”
“I know.”
After breakfast, Theo had work as a butler apprentice, so we parted ways there.
As we parted, he was red-faced again, saying “I’ll take responsibility,” but I wonder if my work will involve him?
In the morning, I followed Mina around, helping with collecting sheets and laundry. There were points to note in cleaning and laundry, and in that respect, that woman seemed to have been sloppy even at her master’s place, and the “knowledge” wasn’t very useful.
It’s not useful, but I finish what I’m taught slowly and carefully. It’s the same as martial arts training. Learning carefully is the priority, and speed and power can come later.
Lunch was almost the same menu as breakfast. According to Mina, the stew is made in a large pot all at once, and it seems that it won’t change to a different menu until it’s gone, but coming from me, who used to eat snakes and rabbits every day, it’s not something to worry about.
In the afternoon, I was taught the points to note for security inside the mansion and around the castle by Sera, my direct superior, not Mina. I met Castro once along the way, but he just frowned at me and left without saying anything.
“Even so, he does feel bad for you, you know.”
“Hmph…”
I don’t really care.
In the evening, it was time for another meal. Perhaps my Mana is increasing and my body is starting to grow again, because I was quite hungry.
At night, I was taught etiquette by Sera, who stayed with me the whole time. My walking and posture were corrected, and the angle of my bow was also corrected. In my case, I seem to have a good memory to some extent because I have “knowledge,” but more than that, I was thoroughly drilled in manners and speech towards nobles, and even after hearing the “sixth bell” that rings every four hours, I was made to memorize how to write letters in the Darkness, and the names of the nobles in this northern region and their territories.
Night is night, and I have things to do personally.
That is to grasp my [Dark Magic]. Not Dark Magic, but I accidentally learned [Dark Magic], but thanks to that, I was able to use the [Noise] Magic that I couldn’t use before.
The consumption of Mana for [Noise]… or rather, level 1 Magic, is around 10. When I tried to somehow reproduce the same thing with Dark Magic, it consumed more than 20 Mana.
Magic is different from Magic Arts in that it can be applied in various ways, but it is not easy to use. There is a reason why Magic declined and became Magic Arts.
In short, I understand that it’s cheaper and tastier to eat stew at a stall than to prepare and make stew for one person from scratch, unless you care about the taste.
Even so, if you remove the meat and omit the spices, isn’t there a recipe that is quite cheap and easy to make?
There is no need to achieve both strong “power” and “effect.” Magic Arts seek versatility and create perfect things, but with Dark-type illusion Magic, there is no need to create perfect things, and it is enough for me to deceive them for even a moment, like with the Hobgoblin.
“…What to ‘deceive’?”
There is Magic to deceive the eyes and ears. What else is there besides sight and hearing? Smell? Taste?
“Touch, huh…”
While muttering, I bit off a small piece of the dried medicinal herb with cardiotonic properties, both to ward off sleepiness and to train my poison resistance.
In order to shape the ‘something’ that I faintly came up with, I continued to practice Dark Magic at the temporary base in the Forest until the limit of sleepiness came, and gradually prepared for the approaching encounter with the ‘nobles’.
Aria is quite stoic. She doesn’t compromise on getting stronger.
What Theo was about to say during the morning training wasn’t the weapon in her skirt, but because of that, he couldn’t report about Aria’s skirt.
Next is the encounter with the nobles. Villainess.
I apologize for not being able to increase the update speed. The next update is scheduled for the weekend.