* * *
“Wowww! Emi, you’re so cuuute!”
“…….”
One night has passed.
Now, in the sunlight streaming through the window, I’m being spun around by Sara-chan grabbing both my hands.
The outfit I’m wearing is not my master’s handmade pure black Grim Reaper Wolf attire…
I’m wearing a white shirt.
Over that is a black one-piece dress.
And around my waist, I have a white apron wrapped.
On my head is a headband.
That’s right, I’m dressed in a maid outfit.
I, Emi, have become a maid apprentice of the Salar baronial family!
<Come to think of it, this is the first time you’ve dressed up like a proper girl since being born! You look absolutely adorable, Emi!>
Ehehe, you think so?
Well, I guess it’s not a big deal since I’m an ultra-beautiful girl, you know?
I look great in anything, it’s only natural!
“…Ugh, feel sick…”
Oops, Sara-chan spun around too much and collapsed with dizziness.
Really, Sara-chan is just an unfortunate beauty. This girl is really an idiot.
I gently pat her back.
“Ah, thank you…”
Now then, why am I dressed like this?
To explain that, I’ll have to rewind about an hour.
Yes, flashback start!
<What are you talking about?>
* * *
“…A job? For me?”
Thankfully after being treated to breakfast, I was about to take my leave from the baronial family’s residence when I received a summons from the baron to come to the study room.
There, I was told, “I want you to be the guard for my wife and Sara-chan for one month” – a job offer from the baron to me.
“Why me?”
“You’re strong enough to make short work of those bandits, right? I want to employ that strength.”
According to the baron, the bandits yesterday seemed to have targeted the Salar baronial family’s carriage specifically for some unknown reason.
With that being the case, there’s a possibility of more bandits targeting the baronial family from now on, so he wants to have a bit of fighting power on hand, just in case.
In about a month, Sara-chan will be enrolling in the Royal Kiralimake Academy, a prestigious boarding school for nobility children in this country.
As a “royal” academy, the security there is impeccable, so once she enrolls there, she’ll be safe. But until then, he needs a guard.
…But I understood that would ensure Sara-chan’s safety, what about his wife?
“If it’s just my wife alone, I can protect her myself. Basically, I’m always with her anyway. Despite how I look, I’m quite strong you know?”
Ah, I see.
I could sort of tell that from when we first met last night.
Compared to the maids, this person is emanating a considerably larger amount of magical power.
Apparently, the baron used to be an adventurer who fought monsters and bandits day after day in the past.
“Well, after going through some things, I was fortunately granted a baron’s title. Nowadays, I’ve retired from adventuring and work as an official overseeing the development of villages in this area. My skills have dulled compared to my active adventurer days, but I can still handle any common bandit thugs.”
Hmm…
Anyway, getting back to the topic at hand.
“I’ve never done guarding before.”
“There’s no need to overthink it so much. I’m not asking you to be on constant guard 24/7. At the very least, inside this residence is safe since it’s covered by a barrier.”
“Barrier?”
“Yes, we have a magic tool provided by the nation… Well, a barrier is, you see, there are various kinds, but the one we use is a ‘keep bad people out’ barrier.”
Listening carefully, it seems this residence has a barrier installed to restrict entry, and unless the baron gives permission, outsiders cannot intrude inside.
Whoa! Crime prevention tools in a magical world are amazing!
<Come to think of it, when we arrived at this residence yesterday, we were made to wait a bit in front of the entrance. That must have been the registration process to allow you into the residence.>
Ah? But if that’s the case, then…
“No need for a guard then.”
“Not quite. My daughter has occasions to go outside the barrier for magic practice and such. I can’t always accompany her, so that’s where you would come in.”
I see.
Still, this barrier thing…
When I first entered this residence, I did feel a slight “dissonance.”
Using 【Magic Perception】, I could see a thin membrane-like magical layer covering the entrance, windows, and walls. That must have been it.
“So to begin with, although I said ‘guard’, your position as our hired help would be ‘maid apprentice’. If that’s acceptable, why don’t you work for this baronial family for one month? Since you won’t be guarding all the time, you’ll mostly be helping with housework during ordinary days. Your pay would be an amount befitting a ‘maid apprentice’.”
Hmm, I don’t really know how much that amounts to (I’ve never used money to begin with), but for risking my life as a guard, isn’t that rate a bit low?
“For lodging, you can use the same room you stayed in last night.”
That’s appealing. Being able to stay in a room with a bed, sheltered from the wind and rain for a month…
“And breakfast and dinner are included.”
Well, I’m sold!!!
* * *
So having been swayed by the food, I decided to stay with the baronial family for a month and immediately donned a maid outfit. Then I went to greet Sara-chan.
“Alrighty! Let me give you, the new maid apprentice Emi, a tour of the residence! Follow me, Emi!”
Having recovered from her nausea, Sara-chan sprang up and tried to grab my hand to dash out of her room… only to be caught by the back of her neck by her mother waiting there.
“Oh, Mother! Let go!”
“I won’t! With only one month left until your academy enrollment, you still have history, magic, and etiquette lessons to review! You have no time to play around!”
With a sigh, the lady baroness dragged Sara-chan away down the hallway.
Unlike the baron who seemed to have risen from a commoner background, the baroness appears to have been nobility from the start (she mentioned that in her self-introduction yesterday).
She intends to thoroughly educate Sara-chan in how to properly conduct herself as a noblewoman before sending her off to the academy.
…From what I’ve seen of Sara-chan’s behavior, that will be quite difficult.
Good luck, my lady.
And good luck to you too, Sara-chan.
“Emi! You can help out Maid in the morning. Sara will be going out for magic practice in the afternoon, so I’ll call for you then.”
Saying that, the baroness dragged Sara-chan to the study room further down the hallway.
Ah, Maid refers to the maid I helped rescue yesterday.
Strangely enough, Maid seems to be her actual name.
This Maid was standing in the hallway in front of Sara-chan’s room, holding a bucket and rag.
Alright! Since I’ve decided to work, I can’t slack off!
I intend to diligently serve the baronial family for one month as a maid apprentice!
Maid-senpai! Please take care of me!
I bow my head, then look up at Maid-senpai.
“Hiih”
…Eh, “Hiih”? What does “Hiih” mean?
TL notes: You may have noticed I keep a lot of the Japanese honorifics. A quick rundown of each if you don’t know: