Chapter 6: Episode 6

‘She’s weaker than I thought…?’

I knew I was strong, but since this was my first real combat, I wasn’t overly confident.

However.

Even without exerting my full power, the enemies couldn’t keep up with my movements.

“You, you… what’s your identity…!”

The face of the man who appeared to be the leader of the assailants was filled with bewilderment.

A terrified expression.

It was somewhat similar to the expression Master Helna sometimes gave me.

“Identity? Well, you already knew and attacked, didn’t you?”

“Yuren Garcia….”

“Yes, that’s right.”

The assailant shook his head in disbelief.

“…So that rumor wasn’t just a baseless rumor.”

“A rumor?”

“….”

The leader fell silent.

I soon realized what they meant by ‘baseless rumor’.

Helna, the (Un)virgin of the Sword.

It must be the rumor that I learned swordsmanship from her, and that she said I had outstanding talent for the sword.

Actually, my Father spread that rumor.

“Anyway, you guys… you knew who I was and still did this, huh?”

Count Figmine.

Is he truly in his right mind? Attacking the child of another count.

He must be insane.

Or….

‘He might possess enough power to act like this near his own territory.’

Perhaps he acted so carelessly because he held absolute power near his domain.

“So, are you just going to go back? Or do you want to continue?”

“…We surrender.”

After a moment of hesitation, the assailants surrendered rather than fighting to the death.

And the verdict I handed down to those who made the right choice was.

“First, since the ones already knocked out might feel unfairly treated, everyone should get hit once, fairly, right?”

All of them were knocked unconscious.

****

After roughly dealing with the assailants, I immediately returned to the estate.

“Pardon? You want me to take care of this child?”

“Please do me this favor.”

I left Seraphie with the Head Maid and went to see my Father.

“…Yuren. You bought a s*ave.”

“Yes.”

“Why did you buy her?”

“Well, I bought her because I needed her.”

‘Because if I hadn’t bought her here, she would have become humanity’s greatest enemy, that’s why I bought her.’

—Since he wouldn’t believe me if I said that, I simply replied.

Because I needed her.

“….”

Father remained silent, but soon understood.

“Alright, if you need her… you should buy her. So, why did you wish to see me?”

A slightly stiff tone.

It wasn’t his former gentle tone. I knew the reason well.

He probably didn’t want to show affection to me, his prodigal son.

Though his true feelings might be different.

“Do you know Count Figmine?”

“Count Figmine… I know him well.”

Information about Count Figmine flowed readily from Father’s lips.

He was around Father’s age.

The lord of a somewhat distant territory, and a merchant noble family like our Garcia family.

However.

“Stop associating with that man.”

“Pardon?”

“He is an utterly filthy and vile man. Even though he’s a merchant, his ways are different from ours.”

“…Is that so.”

“He’s a man with a lot of shady dealings.”

“But I was attacked by men who seemed to be Count Figmine’s subordinates.”

Instantly.

Father’s expression noticeably distorted.

“What…!”

“The s*ave I bought… it seems she was the child Count Figmine was after.”

“…So you were attacked because of that?”

“Yes.”

“…That’s entirely possible. I’ll ask only one thing.”

Father’s expression seemed to be barely suppressing his anger. He looked like he was just managing to hold back at his breaking point.

“Did he commit such an act knowing who you are?”

I silently nodded.

At my answer, Father exploded.

Father called the Head Butler and declared.

“…It’s war. Prepare for a territorial war. We must teach Count Figmine a harsh lesson.”

In such a chaotic world, disputes between nobles had to be resolved among themselves.

The Imperial Family would merely observe.

I silently nodded.

“In that case, I will lead the vanguard.”

It was a statement not typically expected from the eldest son of a merchant family, but Father lightly nodded, granting his approval.

Because he knew my capabilities.

“Prepare slowly and perfectly. It will take time to send dispatches to the Imperial Family and Count Figmine.”

“Understood.”

****

Head Maid, Meia.

‘He asked me to take good care of her, but what am I supposed to do?’

Young Master had never brought a girl home like this before, so Meia was at a loss as to what to do.

Meia pondered for a moment on the meaning of ‘take good care of her.’

A thought suddenly struck her.

‘That’s it!’

Meia subtly spoke to Seraphie.

“…Nice to meet you?”

“….”

“Can’t you speak?”

“….”

“Hmm… this will be troublesome later.”

First, Meia decided to bathe Seraphie, who had a lot of dirt on her face.

“Come, I’ll pour the water, so close your eyes.”

Inside the bathroom.

Meia found Seraphie fascinating.

She was an incredibly easy child to bathe because there was no reaction or resistance whatsoever.

This was the first time she had encountered a child so unresponsive.

“You can change into these clothes.”

Meia brought a maid uniform that fit Seraphie’s size and dressed her in it.

The small child, wearing the fluttering maid uniform, looked adorable, like she was playing house.

“Wow… she’s cute! But… what about her bangs?”

The moment Meia tried to lift Seraphie’s bangs.

The girl, who hadn’t reacted at all until now, took a step back for the first time.

“….”

“Ah… you don’t like that. Well, I guess it can’t be helped.”

Meia had no intention of forcing her if she didn’t like it, so she readily gave up.

“First, I haven’t heard why Young Master Yuren brought you here yet, you know? Do you know anything?”

“….”

“I suppose not. So, I’ve been thinking hard, and I think Young Master probably intends to make you a maid.”

“…?”

“A maid, like me!”

Her young master wasn’t so depraved as to take in a child who still looked so young for improper reasons.

Although he was called a rascal, he was fundamentally different from a true rascal from the start.

So why did the Young Master bring the girl?

The only answer Meia came up with was that he brought her to make her a maid.

“From now on, you’ll have to work hard under me! I absolutely won’t tolerate any slacking off!”

“….”

Seraphie nodded.

Since Seraphie had shown no reaction at all until then, just her nod filled Meia with overwhelming emotion.

“Yes! Let’s work hard together from now on to serve the Young Master!”

For Meia, it was the birth of a new junior.

****

“….”

“….”

“How is she? She’s really cute, isn’t she? I’ve never seen a child who suits a maid uniform so well!”

Why did Meia dress Seraphie in a maid uniform? I had even asked her to take good care of her.

I just meant to give her sweet snacks and let her wear the clothes my sisters used to wear.

“…Yes, she’s cute.”

She was definitely cute.

However, if I knew that cuteness would vanish without a trace the moment that child fell into depravity, I wouldn’t be able to say it so easily.

“First, I plan to teach Seraphie well!”

“What?”

“…Why?”

Teach her what?

Meia’s expression changed from ‘What on earth is Young Master talking about?’ to ‘Did I misunderstand!’

“…You didn’t bring this child here with the intention of making her a maid, did you?”

Of course not.

I brought her to prevent her from falling into depravity, so why would I make her a worker?

“That’s….”

The moment I was about to say that I intended to treat Seraphie as a guest of the Garcia family, Seraphie tugged at my clothes.

“…What’s wrong?”

“…I’ll do it.”

…?

Did I mishear? To confirm, I looked at Meia.

Then.

“Wow, her voice is so cute! And… you could speak all along!”

Indeed, I hadn’t misheard.

Seraphie had just spoken. Could this be considered a green light?

Could I think that we had become a little closer?

More importantly.

Seraphie had now chosen to become a maid. In that case, my answer was decided.

“Alright. Whatever you wish.”

****

‘I… I’ll be a maid.’

Seraphie’s decision to become a maid was purely her own.

After arriving at the Garcia family estate.

She felt a strange sense of familiarity. The atmosphere was very similar to the Esnor family.

A harmonious atmosphere.

Furthermore, she couldn’t find any dissatisfaction in the expressions of the maids she saw while moving with Meia.

‘Maybe he’s a good person?’

She had thought Yuren was a bad person due to her own prejudice.

But after seeing the household staff, her opinion changed.

Also.

“Young Master is currently called a rascal, but that’s really just a baseless rumor. They say rascals from other houses hit their maids and stuff, but Young Master never does anything like that!”

“….”

“Besides, he’s kind to us too. He probably just had a temporary backlash because he was always training when he was young.”

Good testimonies followed.

Her first impression had certainly not been good, but she felt it gradually changing for the better.

Suddenly.

Seraphie, remembering how warm it felt when he held her in his arms, lowered her head in embarrassment.

Regardless, Meia continued to chatter.

“Let me tell you what kind of person our Young Master is….”

Somehow, just being here, Seraphie felt something warm her heart.

“Your body must always be clean. There’s no point in cleaning if your body isn’t clean.”

Meia’s touch as she bathed her was also gentle.

“Oh my, Head Maid, who is that child?”

“I’m surprised you had a hidden child!”

“What are you talking about? I’m only in my early thirties, how could I have such a grown child? …I want to get married soon too.”

The atmosphere among the maids was also good.

The initial fear of heading to an unfamiliar place had now almost vanished.

Seraphie was beginning to like this place.

But then.

“…You didn’t bring this child here with the intention of making her a maid, did you?”

“That’s…”

The conversation between Meia and Yuren.

The flow of that conversation seemed to be heading in a different direction than she had imagined.

She had intended to become a maid.

As Meia had said, she thought Yuren, the man who had become her master, would make her a maid.

But if that wasn’t the case, perhaps this kind Young Master intended to free her and send her back to her hometown.

She was afraid.

It was almost better to remain a s*ave than to be free.

That’s how much Seraphie feared the world. And she was lonely.

Though she had only been there for a short time, she didn’t want to leave this place.

So, she managed to squeeze out her opinion and said.

“…I’ll do it.”

Seraphie’s true desire was to become a maid, if only she could stay here.