LIGHTNOVELSTORY Chapter 35 - "Can You Even Become a Maid?"
Chapter 35: “Can You Even Become a Maid?”
I stomped down hard on one of the black cotton gloves with my heel.
“Ack…?!”
It wasn’t just an ordinary glove—it was Hera.
Hera, who was crushed beneath my shoe, let out a strange sound. In fact, she had been making weird noises continuously for a while now.
I had been so enraged by her attitude that I had inadvertently tampered with various parts of her mana circuits. The result of that action was this pitiful state she was in now.
I didn’t waste time on petty acts of revenge. I wasn’t that disgraceful.
However, since it was crucial to thoroughly tame a spirit artifact in order to handle it properly in the future, I had gone through this trouble on purpose.
“M-Master…! Please stop now…!”
Hera whined pitifully. I quietly questioned her.
“Master? Who?”
“You, you’re my true master! Ack?! Not there, please don’t step there!”
I sighed deeply. Why did the spirit dwelling in this artifact have to be like this?
“Except for your abilities, you’re useless. Understand that.”
It was exactly as I said. If Hera’s abilities weren’t up to par, I would have dismantled her completely and scattered the pieces into the lake.
“It’s kind of embarrassing to say this myself, but I’m amazing! I can handle most magical calculations effortlessly!”
“That’s the most useless ability. You pathetic thing.”
I pressed my heel down on Hera a little harder.
“Hyaaaah?!”
“Why would I need assistance with calculations in the first place? Don’t you agree?”
“S-So cool! Please let me serve you as my master!”
The ability to assist with magical calculations wasn’t a significant merit to me. Instead, it was her other abilities that were quite impressive.
“You mentioned you were a spirit of the night.”
“Yes, that’s right! I’m the night spirit, Hera! That’s me!”
Once I contracted with her and became her master, every act of utilizing mana in dark spaces would receive exceptional support.
Output, speed, mana consumption ratio, quantity… All these factors would be enhanced when combined with the trait of the night spirit.
It was an undeniably excellent effect.
“If we contract, you can use my mana as much as you want. No, please use it! I’ll serve you as my master! Okay?”
This was another significant merit.
The fact that I could use Hera’s mana as if it were my own meant, in other words, that my total mana capacity would increase.
Furthermore, spirits, by their nature, grow alongside their master. If I contracted with her, the growth efficiency of my total mana capacity would also improve.
As I contemplated various matters, Hera urgently added,
“Don’t you like short-range teleportation? Even if it’s limited to twice a day, most spirits can’t do it…. Ah, forget it! Please, let me serve you as my master!”
I was satisfied with Hera’s abilities. However, there were a few conditions that needed to be established before we could contract.
“There’s a condition.”
“A condition? What condition? I’ll follow it unconditionally!”
“First, never question any of my actions.”
“I’ll do that! I promise!”
Her immediate response was satisfactory. But the most important condition still remained.
“Second, do not speak without my permission.”
“If I follow that, will you become my master? Yes?”
“I haven’t given you permission to speak yet.”
“……”
Hera immediately closed her mouth.
“I like that.”
Nodding, I picked her up.
I now possessed a spirit artifact. It was the greatest achievement I had gained since coming into this body.
By consistently making use of Hera, I should be able to prepare for the Sports Competition with the Knights Department without any issues.
I turned and headed back to the dormitory. All my business was finished.
◈
Three days later, the A-rank students finally gathered in a lecture hall.
The week of free time that Violet had provided had finally come to an end. Students who hadn’t seen each other in a while exchanged pent-up words.
Talking about where they had been, who they had been with, and what they had done… It was the kind of conversation students their age would typically share.
Of course, there were also stories that were strangely unsettling.
“Did you hear that rumor? Two people went missing.”
“Of course I heard. They vanished without a trace.”
“It’s so creepy…. Could it be demons again?”
“It must be. I’m terrified these days because of that.”
As I gradually focused on the conversation, someone suddenly grabbed my left arm tightly.
“Sir Flan! I’m so glad you’re safe!”
It was Yusia. Her signature clean cotton scent tickled my nose, and her ample chest pressed firmly against my arm.
I had sensed her approach, but I hadn’t intended to avoid her embrace. It was an odd thing.
‘I must definitely research this.’
Why was I unusually lenient toward Yusia? I added this as another puzzle to solve in my mind.
For now, I gently withdrew my arm. It wasn’t that I cared about who was watching, but I disliked prolonged contact with others.
Yusia widened her eyes and carefully examined me.
“I was so worried…. I couldn’t sleep, thinking about what I’d do if the missing student was Sir Flan, but I’m glad you seem safe!”
“Were there any incidents of students going missing?”
I was entirely unaware of this topic that the other students were eagerly discussing.
For the past three days, I had been entirely focused on training and reading.
Thanks to that, my mana had become even purer, and my total mana capacity was steadily increasing.
Meanwhile, Yusia nodded.
“Yes. Two second-year students disappeared without a trace…. It seems like it was the work of demons.”
“Demons?”
“Yes. Those who gain power illicitly by selling their souls.”
I already knew that much from what Sephia had told me. But what I wanted was more detailed information.
“How strong are these demons?”
“They’re incredibly strong! That’s because they sacrifice their souls. They can easily surpass the abilities of ordinary magicians!”
Yusia flailed her arms wildly as if to emphasize the strength of the demons.
It was somewhat cute how she tried to depict the largest circle she could with her arms.
“The problem is their infectious nature. Demons have a knack for infiltrating human hearts filled with pain…. If the two missing students have become demons, there’s a high chance it will gradually spread to those around them.”
“It’s crucial to locate and deal with them as quickly as possible.”
“Yes, that’s right! As expected of Sir Flan!”
Yusia’s eyes sparkled as she looked at me.
On the other hand, I was dumbfounded. To be precise, I was incensed at Sephia.
‘…Did she really compare me to such lowly creatures?’
Was she not looking down on me?
“Sir Flan! From now on, I’ll stay by your side! I’ll protect you from the demons!”
Yusia pounded her chest with a loud thud.
The male students’ gazes naturally drifted toward Yusia’s chest. Martin, in particular, was the most blatant in his staring.
“There’s no need.”
I dismissed Yusia’s offer. I didn’t need anyone else’s protection.
Yusia puffed her cheeks in frustration and seemed about to retort, but then a rose scent wafted from my right side.
“Hey, Flan.”
It was Becky. As soon as I saw her face, I pulled out Trivia and handed it to her.
“What’s this all of a sudden? Oh, it’s my Trivia. Right.”
Becky stuffed the Trivia into her inner pocket with a touch of irritation and whispered to me.
“Flan, what’s going on? Why are you flirting with another girl…?”
“What are you talking about?”
“I don’t even talk to other guys. You shouldn’t be mingling with other girls either….”
“Becky.”
I called her name. There was a more important topic we needed to discuss.
“『Destruction and Prejudice』. Did you summarize it?”
“Huh? Oh….”
Becky’s expression immediately turned gloomy. She rummaged through her bag and handed me a few sheets of paper.
“Here…. But we’re still going shopping for clothes, right?”
“I don’t break promises.”
Becky’s face was about to light up when,
“Hey.”
Someone suddenly thrust a white sheet of paper in front of me. It was Hailey.
I furrowed my brow unconsciously. In my previous world, I had once had a disciple who handed me a report in such a manner, and I had hung them upside down for it.
The world had really improved. Or should I say, I had come to a good world?
“You guys write on this too. Everyone except you has already written.”
At Hailey’s words, Becky, Yusia, and I inspected the paper.
– Louis, keep fighting!
– You’re handsome and skilled in magic. What can’t you do…?
– Can you introduce me to someone?
– Good luck with the competition!
The paper was filled with students’ handwritten messages. Becky tilted her head in confusion and asked,
“What’s this? A rolling paper?”
Hailey brushed her hair behind her ear and nodded.
“Yeah. Louis is participating as the first-year representative in the competition this time. We should at least cheer him on.”
“Well… since it seems like everyone else has written something….”
Becky quickly agreed and picked up a pen. Then she asked,
“By the way, who’s representing the Knights Department?”
“Yvonne.”
At the mention of that name, Becky’s hand froze.
“Y-Yvonne? Yvonne is competing?”
Becky asked again, as
if she couldn’t believe her ears.
“Is Yvonne really competing? Doesn’t that mean we’ll definitely lose?”
“Even so, it’s important to cheer them on and encourage them. It’s better than not doing anything.”
“That’s true… But Yvonne, really…”
Becky shook her head in disbelief.
“If it weren’t for Yvonne, Louis would’ve had a decent chance in the combat events. It’s unfortunate. If it weren’t Yvonne, we might not have known the outcome.”
“Yeah. Of all people….”
“How can the Magic Department possibly win against the Knights Department? I told Louis to take it easy and not stress about it.”
“That’s true.”
Becky clicked her tongue. By that point, I decided to speak up.
“Can you even become a maid?”
At those words, Becky’s hand froze once again. The three women stared at me with wide eyes.
Hailey asked me,
“A maid…?”
“Yes. Are you proud of a master who is destined to lose? What’s the point of going out of your way to beg like this?”
“M-Master? Begging? Did you just say begging?”
Hailey’s expression twisted in anger. I nodded at her.
Throughout my life, I had encouraged others many times. But all of them had been deserving of encouragement.
I always emphasized this:
Magicians live by intuition and self-confidence. Those who take failure or defeat as a given cannot even be called magicians.
Participation is what matters. There’s no way we can win against the Knights Department…. Encouragement is too much for those who say such things. Even scolding them would be a waste of time.
Ha, Hailey scoffed.
“Flan…. Aren’t you being too blatantly jealous?”
With a face full of disbelief, Hailey continued, fanning her face with her hand.
“If Louis is better than you, just admit it. Do you really have to say that? Fine. Don’t write anything.”
With that, Hailey sharply turned her back on me.
“Hey, Flan…!”
“Sir Flan!”
Becky and Yusia both called out to me at the same time.
“Attention, everyone.”
But their words were cut off as Violet appeared, passing through the front door of the lecture hall.
“There will be a pop quiz as a replacement for the postponed exploration evaluation.”
Groans of dismay erupted from all over the room.
Written tests were commonplace, but facing one so suddenly was enough to make anyone groan.
“A p-p-p-pop quiz?”
Becky trembled. Yusia, sitting beside her, scratched her cheek nervously.
“Quiet, everyone. The test will begin as soon as you receive your papers. If you finish, please leave the lecture hall as quietly as possible.”
With a snap of her fingers, Violet sent the test papers flying into the air like doves.
Soon, a sheet landed in front of each student. I looked over the questions.
Question 1: Assuming you’re synthesizing using the listed materials, describe what you believe to be the best process.
Question 2: Describe the difference between enhancement through ‘support’ magic and enhancement through ‘harmony’ magic with examples.
Question 3…
There were a total of eight questions on the test paper. Judging by the sighs all around, it seemed that everyone was having a hard time.
Clicking my tongue, I stood up from my seat.
I started walking towards Violet while jotting down the answers.
“Student Flan.”
I heard Violet call my name midway, but I didn’t stop. I kept walking until I was right in front of her.
“Student Flan. You should stop. What are you doing?”
Violet spoke in a slightly irritated tone.
“If you have questions, you should raise your hand from your seat. Walking around like this while others are writing is practically cheating….”
“I’ve completed the test.”
I quietly placed my test paper down.
There was no need to wait for the grading. The answers I had written were unquestionably correct.
The very idea that I had to take a test was laughable. I should be the one giving the test, not taking it….
“What? Completed…?”
I left Violet, who seemed bewildered, behind.
◈
After returning to the dormitory, I immediately took a bath.
Normally, I would have headed straight to the training grounds, but there were a few things I needed to take care of first.
As I was about to get to it, Hera yelled,
[ M-Master? Isn’t storing me in a trash can a bit too much? ]
“That’s your home.”
[ My home is a trash can? No…. ]
“What?”
[ You’re the first magician to treat me like this! Amazing! ]
Come to think of it, did I ever give Hera permission to speak? I don’t recall doing so.
I decided to postpone punishing her for later. It was more important to take care of the urgent matters first.
‘How can the Magic Department possibly win against the Knights Department?’
Hailey’s words kept bothering me.
If a student classified in a lower rank had muttered something like that, I wouldn’t have paid much attention. I would have simply thought that there was a reason for their low rank.
But the problem was that Hailey was an A-rank student.
The fact that those recognized as prodigies in this academy had such a mindset…. It was just frustrating.
Of course, I could understand it.
These students had probably only seen magicians lose all their lives.
They must have constantly watched magicians bow down to knights, thinking it was only natural.
‘Who are the ones selecting these representatives?’
I needed to find out who was choosing the representatives, what criteria they were using, and how they were preparing.
It was important to fully understand the current situation first, and then fix it afterward.
Fortunately, I had someone who could be considered my information network.
I opened Trivia and immediately sent a message to Sephia.
[ ▷ Let’s meet briefly. ]
Was it because she was a journalist? The reply came quickly.
[ ▶ Why? I’m too busy right now. ]
[ ▷ That’s unfortunate. You’ll miss out on an exclusive scoop. ]
There was no further response. But about two minutes later,
Thump, thump, thump-!
Someone began knocking urgently on my door.