Part 1
MC's POV
This is a story from back then, when I went to visit a certain location, and what happened there at that time.
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"C-Could you please repeat what you just said?" I asked in disbelief.
I didn't dare to accept what I heard because it could've been my mind playing tricks on me, it was too absurd, saying that we will go to-
"I will repeat myself, we are on our way to the Maid Guild." Marion-san muttered with a tired expression. "This is the seventh time you ask, Murmur-sama..."
Please do not judge me, I am still in shock, unable to accept this.
"But... I still can't believe that I am going there, I almost feel like it could be a joke where you take me to a random place and then just tell me it was a joke. If that happened..." I smiled. "I will turn the city into a sea of fire. You can't joke about such a thing after all."
Marion-san began to sweat coldly for some reason.
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The city remained intact since I was taken to the building in question. I could easily tell that it was the right place because there were numerous women wearing maid outfits coming and going into that place. An humongous building, far larger than a castle located at the north of the devil capital, and there were no buildings stuck near it, rather, an empty piece of land surrounded it, and a garden was set there. Several paths could be used to get to the building and they would sometimes intersect, you can even miss each other at times given the kind of plants that might be planted in some places. Colorful flowers that took a lot of effort to take care of were growing everywhere, and I could see many younger maids being directed by older ones to take care of them. I decided to ignore the far-off scene back in the garden where maids were practicing hand-to-hand combat, in particular, that big brėȧsted white-haired who slipped as soon as the fight was over.
Glancing around as I followed after Nil, I had Marion-san beside me and she had a fond expression on her face as she looked around. It seemed she had good memories of this place.
"Nora-kun? What are you doing here?"
A familiar sounding voice called out to me just before we entered the building. Grayfia-san, in all her glory as a maid, was also following one of the paths to the building and happened to come across us. I was too excited to have detected her Ki signature and my ability is another story.
Facing the beautiful woman with a surprised face, I thought that it was quite a coincidence to meet her. Giving Nil and Marion-san a sharp glare, Grayfia-san's mood deteriorated slightly in a second so I spoke.
"Hey there! Did you come to get your Maid License renewed?" I joked.
"How did you know?" Grayfia-san widened her eyes.
Wait, what?
"Eh? That exists for real? I was just joking..." I muttered.
"You need to have a license to serve otherwise you can't work in these lines of work, since the founding of the guild, such a thing became a common story." Grayfia-san explained.
Glancing slightly at my party, they nodded silently.
Oh boy, to think my joke turned out to be the truth.
"Your maid left the guild not long ago, did she also come to get hers renewed?" Grayfia-san furrowed her eyebrows.
I kind of felt some bitter feelings there, it seemed Grayfia-san is not a fan of Marion-san either. It probably has something to do with the fact that Zekram-sama had something to do with her employment.
"We came here to hire a new maid for the young master." Nil muttered.
Sending a sharp glare that would make any normal person freeze on their spots, Grayfia-san continued to stare at the butler who seemed unfazed by such a thing.
"Let me tag along, I should be able to help you hire one that will work for you instead of Zekram-sama." Grayfia-san grabbed my hand and dragged me away.
I did not have any saying here, it seemed.
Either way, I would get a maid so I let everything unfold. It was certainly not because I got distracted by the cute maid with white hair with a bluish tint who was passing by. It is important that I clarify that. Although, I must say... they are quite gifted. Ah, I am only showing my appreciation for their beauty, that is why you don't have to look at me with those kinds of eyes, Marion-san.
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Neither Nil nor Marion-san showed any signs of going against Grayfia-san, so she led us to a special area, an open hall of some sort where we sat, close to the walls where some chairs had been prepared. They were some stairs at the sides of the hall that led to a second floor, and a reception desk of some sort was right in the middle where several maids were busily writing something on their computers.
"I will deal with this real quick, don't go wandering on your own, wait for me, I won't take long." Grayfia-san for some reason muttered that as she stared at me seriously.
"Man, she must be eager to show off the guild to us..." I said and for some reason, it earned me the fed-up expression of Nil and Marion-san.
How odd.
"Now that I noticed it, why are there no males around? I fail to see a single male employee or people who came to hire a maid all the way from the entrance." I inquired curiously.
It was really strange, other than Nil, I don't see any other man.
"About that, there is no male employee here, only female. All male employees are working on the Butler Guild, and you could call them our brother's guild. Both were founded by the same person out of the need to give many people a place to live and receive an education free of charge while they also vouched for us, granting jobs for the less unfortunate ones. " Marion explained with a warm expression. "There is also a procedure that sends all-male visitors through a special location before they are sent to a particular office to negotiate the employment, although there are many factors that are taken into account, there is no denying that many would kill to arrive at this place. As you might recall, master, Grayfia-sama used a special ID to pass through those security doors, remember? Only because of that we were allowed to reach this deep so quickly."
I knew it, Grayfia-san is a big shot maid!
That said, a Butler Guild is not my type so I will never go there. Maids are the only way!
"Even Zekram-sama had a hard time getting the opportunity to hire you a maid who is combat-oriented, they hardly allow the ablest ones to leave this place since they work as the armed forces to protect the Guild. They usually let only people who are Low Class and Middle Class leave, and even that has to be through a screening process. This is why many people use another method to acquire servants. They send people here to receive training and get a license. However, if only outsiders used the license, it would be unfair thus the ones raised in the guild need to get one too." Nil explained.
Is that so? So there was such a thing. Nonetheless, combat-oriented? That is not a regular maid, but a super one.
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She has been taking her time, I wonder if she facing any difficulties with the paperwork? Such a thing has always been an issue in my past life, they ask you to fill out a document and send it to a certain place, only to be sent to another location because it was never the right site. They would play around with you until you got tired and filled a complaint, and only after you were ready to cause a riot with the other people who shared your circumstances was that they took care of your issues.
Seriously, did they need to wait until I gathered hundreds of angry people ready to level that building? I just needed to hand over that medical file because my mother needed it.
*Sigh*
After waiting patiently for over an hour, I noticed a strange aura enveloping the hall. No, it was a bit different... it was accompanied by something drifting in the air. How strange, by taking more of it with my nose, I noticed a sweet and almost impossible resist aroma. It is very subtle but someone with enhanced senses like me can tell that it is there.
Hmmm? This is not good!
One look beside me and Nil seemed to be in some sort of trance, his eyes lacked focus and his face had snapped in a particular direction.
It was then that I saw the cause of all this.
Nonetheless, my side also had some issues so she was not the only troubled one, I had to stand up and meet her.
I just had to do it!
3rd Person POV
It was no good, truly no good. No matter where she looked at it, she could not find it, her earring had disappeared before she knew it, thinking back, it probably happened during the time she had sparred with other members of the guild, but after going there again, she failed to find it. There was a possibility that it got stuck on someone's shoes so that raised the possible locations she needed to look for.
Sighing, she could only blame herself for her problem, she had been absent-minded for the past few days due to the mission ȧssigned to her recently. Finding any clues regarding a new type of drug lethal for devils, one that could artificially cause the Devil's Sleeping Disease, was hard enough, and now this happened. What an oversight on her part, she had to find it or she could cause an incident if she stayed too long without the earring she used to restrain her charms. The troublesome blood of an Incubus ran through her veins, and with a mother of a different race, she was a half suċċubus, and like many half-breeds, there was a mutation on her inherited abilities and they came out stronger than usual, in particular, she had to waste a lot of energy to keep her charms in check, or she could easily seduce males with a simple glance or though the use of her 'aroma'.
Getting distracted over nonsensical thoughts, the young woman failed to notice that the hall she had arrived in had other people than her maid companions, there were even two males who should not be in the area and that flustered her because getting people out of their charmed state took some effort and would cause some to raise complaints, and while it would hardly affect them as a guild, it would still bring them some negative reputation. Such a thing was something that the acting guild master does not like.
It was too late to leave, judging by the eyes the butler sitting on the chair was giving her, however, he seemed to be restraining himself from causing trouble which was a blessing in itself, but the same could not be said from the boy who was looking at her fervently, like a boy who had found the toy he always wanted, a dėsɨrė from something could read from his eyes, and when he stood up and headed her way with a determined but nervous expression, she prepared to get asked the same questions, about marrying into his noble house who was the most impressive one or to join his peerage in the future as his queen. It was troubling, but she also felt pity for the boy, she had simply respectfully declined such a thing in the past and when the nobles would get too bothersome, she was allowed to use force regardless of the consequences, something strange considering that the acting guild master wanted a spotless reputation for the guild, but she was a firm believer of the motto, 'maids can't be sullied unless they have that kind of hobby', which the guild master fervently taught her. She could agree to it, but using force against the innocent boy who had done nothing wrong but having the bad luck to find her seemed a bit exaggerated.
It seemed that he had come to get another maid from the guild so he shouldn't be a bad individual given that his maid was someone she had seen before and the girl in question had tried her best to stop him with a pale expression, undoubtedly because she was aware of the effects her charm had. However, she had failed to stop him and now he was standing in front of her. A complex expression was suppressed from showing on her face and she tried to smile gently, something she had made a huge effort to do, to keep her real thoughts reflected on her face. However, when he looked down shyly while peeking at her face with upturned eyes, she knew that he had fallen for her charms pretty hard, and now he will declare-
"C-Could you p-please s-sign this!?" The boy nervously said.
For a moment, she failed to understand what happened. In all her long years since the founding of the Maid Guild, this was honestly the first time she heard such a thing so perhaps she heard wrongly. No, it was probably the truth and not some auditory trick because the boy had pulled a piece of paper from who knows where along with a pen, he was extending it her way as he looked at her with an expectant expression.
Her gentle smile, the one she used for work, sometimes was called a fake smile, but right now, she failed to stop the corner of her lips from curling up into an amused smile. A genuine grin had formed on her face, and for the first time since meeting the guild master, she found an interesting person.
Amusing, truly amusing.
"Hehe." She unknowingly giggled.
Without any doubt, her charm must've increased by a lot and it began affecting even her female workers in a small amount, the butler had decided to knock himself out before causing a scene, and the boy, the boy had the most amusing reaction she had seen. He had simply tilted his head as he raised the paper and pen a little bit higher in hopes she took it.
Taking the paper, she wrote down what he had asked of her, in beautiful calligraphy worthy of all the time she spent practicing it to polish her maid skills.
"Altais? Is that your name? Maid-san?" The boy asked.
Nodding to himself at the sign, he asked.
The young woman, Altais, nodded at that. She could've simply taken this meeting as finished and walked away, but doing that seemed like a waste somehow. Since the acting guild master was busy at the moment with her little sister, she could not go and ask for a substitute crystal to make a new earring so she had some time to spare. Given that this boy was here-
"Did you come here to hire one of our maids?" Altais asked.
"Something like that? I was blessed with the opportunity to come here to this holy ground. You could say I am getting bribed since I will probably be going to be put through some grim stuff." The boy rubbed his chin with a thoughtful expression. "Nothing is free on life and getting a beautiful attendant for a boy who will soon reach puberty sounds like a honey trap to me, although it could just be me being a paranoic guy."
Smiling wryly, the boy swiftly put the sign into a pouch tied to his waist.
Blinking slightly in surprise, Altais found herself somewhat bewildered. She had not expected that kind of answer from the boy, no, would one expect that kind of answer from any one of that age range?
That said, it seemed interesting to tag along. Since he seemed free enough, she could lend him a hand or simply give him a tour.
"The name's Nora by the way, Nora Shiki. I forgot to introduce myself. You can call me as you wish, oh; you might soon need to add Murmur to my name so you should take that into consideration." The boy, Nora, sighed. "Well, thank you for your time."
Saying that he was about to leave before Altais put a hand on his shoulder, stopping him in place. She received a questioning look, but it soon changed into a hard-to-describe expression.
"Would you like to tour around the guild? I can take you around to see the different facilities here. That way, you can also take the opportunity to meet different maids and their specialties, or you can learn a bit about their personalities." Altais said.
The boy's eyes shined with anticipation, and he was about to nod but he suddenly smiled wryly.
"That sounds great, but I heard that regular people can't do that. I can't trouble Maid-san no matter how much I would love to go around the guild as you offered." Nora spoke.
Sighing again, he lowered his head crestfallenly and turned around.
Feeling like pushing a bit more would do the trick, she stopped him in his tracks by leaning slightly in his direction while she put both hands on his shoulders and put her mouth near his ears.
"There is a secret rule that not many are aware of, something that caused a mayhem years ago when it got leaked in a certain circle of nobles..." Altais whispered. "If a maid here takes a liking to a certain person, she can choose to serve him or her, and the guild would not stop that person."
The boy's body stiffened and he shuddered. Altais suddenly noticed her compromising position and went back to her previous stance. She had forgotten that her charms were dangerous because he seemed to act nonchalant when he spoke with her, but it could be that he is simply more resistant to her charm than others, but like any resistance, it can be broken.
Did she go too far...? When Altais was wondering that, the boy turned around again, held her hands, and with what seemed to be stars in his eyes-
"Do please take me on a tour! Maid-san, no, Maid-sama!" Nora excitedly spoke.
Giggling at that, Altais felt relieved that he did not fall for her charms so she decided to guide him around. She had initially planned for the boy and her to be the only ones coming, but the young maid that he seemed to have brought along want to go with them, and even though she was a little mean and tried to use her charm to make her agree, she stubbornly clung to her master with her eyes closed. Thanks to the boy's plea, she allowed her. Altais could not deny that her interest was picked as well. Even if she did not try too hard, she was aware that her charm on women worked as well as it did on men, and that girl choose to go against her despite her low level of strength, probing that she had strong willpower. While she could not be completely certain, Altais recalled that this girl did not show this kind of behavior back when she was at the guild. Was she influenced because she left the guild or perhaps working under the boy changed her? Either way, she seemed like someone interesting to tease.
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"This is the infirmary area. Not only works as a place to deal with the sick or injured, but we have training facilities here used to teach the necessary knowledge to our girls. You will not find anyone who does not know about first aid in the maids of the guild. Every single one has to take a mandatory course about it and will not be considered a full-fledged maid unless they overcome this threshold. However, that course will cover the basics and further studies are required if they want to be considered masters in the area. The guild has exchange programs where we lend some hands to ȧssist the hospitals when they are short-staffed or disasters struck a particular region. In exchange, we have a close relationship with their teaching institutions we have developed a curriculum that resembles the quality of the devil's hospitals, and while it is not confirmed yet, we are seeking to form the same kind of exchange with other forces. "Altais muttered proudly. "Unfortunately, no replies have been delivered from anyone so far."
The first stop for the group of three was the infirmary, a location where many people went by walking but they did not have injuries, rather, they were going in and out of some rooms used as classrooms.
"Hoh? This seems interesting, can I take a look at the classes?" Nora suddenly said.
Tilting her head, Altais wondered why his demeanor changed after being shown this place, could it be that he had some interest in the medicine area?
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"And with that, the class is finished. Don't forget to practice what you just learned, practice will help you master skills, and by doing actions repeatedly, you can make your body get used to them and it will unconsciously react even when you are a little out of it. That's it, you guys are dismissed."
As soon as the person speaking concluded the class, the ones listening to the lecture stood up and began clapping.
"Amazing, I did not know you could do that."
"I had read about some theories regarding that, but I never expected that it could be proved so easily. If the bunch from the investigation team at the Serafall's Memorial hear about this, they will go crazy."
"Should we inform them about it? I mean, it could cause troubles to..."
Murmurs were heard along the applauded, but the one who was clapping the hardest stopped and after contemplating for a second, spoke.
"It would be wrong if we claimed the credit for such a thing even if it is to protect someone, I suggest informing them and making a strict warning about the guild being behind that person."
"Teacher! As expected of you!"
Among the ones listening to the lecture, there were not only students but the teacher as well, and she was the one who clapped the loudest.
Leaving the room when everyone began to discuss with each other, Nora signaled Altais and Marion to follow him.
"I did not know you were so knowledgeable..." Altais commented a little surprised.
"Master's skills are amazing, you have no idea how much knowledge is inside his small head, but I have seen him devour books in matters of minutes." Marion bragged.
Raising an eyebrow with interest, Altais raised her opinion of the boy to something other than a person who could resist her charm and likable personality. She felt more compelled to learn more about him.
"Now now, it is nothing much, anyone can learn that much if they study hard." Nora said. "Although there is a more important issue at hand..."
The boy who was walking with interested eyes turned around and faced the two maids, with a face that could be described as deadly serious, he-
"Should I still call the girls working here as maids? They do not seem to be dressing as ones, rather, they use nurse uniforms so they should be called nurses, right?" Nora inquired. "However, they are people belonging to the maid Guild so they are still technically maids so... Nurse-maids?"
He spoke something nonsensical.
Turning her head like a rusted machine, Altais stared at Marion with a questioning look, but the girl in question-
"Master, this should be considered as a course they have to learn for their jobs as a maid so they are not full-fledged nurses, at least that is not the case with most of them. You could call most of the girls here apprentice-nurses, however, since they will ultimately work as maids, you should refer to them as Maids." Marion seriously muttered with a hand holding her chin.
It seemed that the maid and her master were on a similar wavelength.
Altais decided not to comment and could only smile wryly. After keeping away some of the girls from the class he gave before, Altais nonchalantly followed after the boy who was happily chatting with his maid. He was an interesting one, and she did not want anyone to take him away from her for the time being.
Thinking about his apparent specialty, she considered where to take him next. She was curious about how he would react if he were outside his comfort zone. It was merely a curiosity, it was certainly not because she would've loved to see his troubled face because it would look cute.
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There must be a limit about how much she underestimated him. As she watched the spectacle unfold, Altais found herself questioning what kind of life has that child lived until now.
*Bang* *Bang*
Sounds of gunshots continuously fired could be heard, and Altais noticed how easily the boy handled a handgun of his choice, a Smith & Wesson Model 500, with a grin on his face.
Feeling a little dumbfounded, she felt the need to retort but noticing how the maid he brought was standing a few steps away from the shooting range without any change of expression, Altais felt like she would lose if minded it before that maid.
Beside her, one of her friends stared at the actions of the boy with a deadpan expression. Her appearance consisted of a long light brown hair tied in a french braid formed a crown braid, actually hiding the fact that it was long enough to go down past her hɨps, framing a pair of dull yellow eyes that were usually being covered by her hair, normally showing only one eye, and pale skin. Her height was a tad difficult to calculate given that she used tall shoes, but she should be around 165 cm, or so Altais calculated. Her outfit was considered one of the most conservatives and modest ones among the maids of their rank, revealing no cleavage, although she hid quite the figure below that outfit. Her name was Felis, and she was a peculiar maid, her duties were geared towards combat most of the time, but her other skills as a maid were at a high level, enough to be approved by Altais. She would be considered a beautiful doll if she did not-
"Where did you pick up that child? Altais, I truly respected your skills as a maid, and your personality never had any flaws to speak of, but to think you were hiding such a criminal dėsɨrė and you even acted at once and kidnapped a child." Felis spoke in an indifferent tone.
A beautiful rose has its thorns, and in this case, the sharp thorns of the rose were on the tongue of the petite maid.
"As always, your tongue is sharp." Altais sighed. "Shouldn't you focus on the result of your bet? I was quite surprised that you managed to piss him off so quickly, what did you even say to him?"
"Nothing much, I warned him that this was not a place for children, and the stray bullet could hit him if he began to frolic around." Felis muttered.
Raising an eyebrow, Altais questioned if that was all there was to it.
"Did you tell him that? You know, word by word." Altais narrowed her eyes.
Avoiding her friend's eyes, Felis proved that she was not completely honest.
"...I do not know what you are trying to suggest." Felis continued to look away.
"Let's say you actually said that, how did it turn out into him showcasing his skills to you?" Altais smiled but not exactly in a friendly way.
"...I might've said I had no time for a bratty amateur and asked him to leave before I used him as a practice target." Felis spoke without changing her expression.
Sighing once again, Altais did not feel like scolding her friend for her actions, it was not like she would change at this point in time.
"So, what kind of thing is he trying to prove to you? As far as I recall there was a bet, wasn't it?" Altais inquired.
"He saw me teaching the other girls some close-combat skills while using guns, basically mixing close-ranged attacks with mid-range attacks. Although I think he is more interested in my own fighting techniques rather than the ones taught for others." Felis shrugged her shoulders.
Tilting her head, Altais failed to make a connection between that and the bet, she was aware of her friend's sharp tongue but she could not tell where things escalated.
"I might've tried to make him leave by shooting at his feet." Felis looked away once again.
Staring at her friend with a bigger and wider 'smile' than usual, Altais could tell that her friend acknowledged that she was in the wrong judging by the beads of sweat running down her face, or it might be that she is just scared of her. When she considered 'speaking to her friend about her behavior, a voice stopped her in place.
"How's that? Perfect score! Not bad for an amateur huh." Nora's proud-sounding voice attracted her attention.
Taking the opportunity to flee, Felis went to check the boy's targets. Using that opportunity, Altais walked closer to the boy while he was having his sweat wiped by Marion. Nodding in acknowledgment of that behavior, Altais faces Nora.
"My apologies for asking this personal question, but I was slightly delayed dealing with something so I could not hear the reason why this started." Altais inquired. "If Felis was rude to you before, I apologize on her behalf."
Shaking his head, Nora took the bottle of water that Marion had offered to him and took a sip.
"I think it was partly my fault so I can't exactly complain." Nora muttered. "I simply found her fighting style fitting for the so-called cliche, 'a man's romance', so I recklessly intruded in the middle of her lessons while also asking absurd requests."
Finished with a bottle of water, he handed it back to Marion.
"It is quite rude to simply appear unannounced, interrupt her duties or work, ask her to teach me something that took a lot of effort to learn just because of a whim of mine." Nora smiled wryly. "It is normal to not have an ounce of goodwill towards that person, besides, I had been told before people like me are not usually allowed here so it is already a miracle I did not get shot to death."
Nodding at that, she could understand his point of view now and why he was not making a ruckus. However, there could be several reasons why he end up here so getting shot, even on the feet could be quite rude, or so Altais considered.
"Are you not angry?" Altais curiously asked.
Giving a side glance, she could spot Felis checking the targets in a foul mood, despite her deadpan expression, she could read a minimal frown on her face, it seemed that Nora did quite well.
"Well, my beautiful Shishou once warned me against recklessly asking others from teaching me their skills. Her words were basically, 'not everyone is as understanding as me, your beautiful Shishou is a kind one, but you could find yourself getting stabbed with a sword or spear if you ask the wrong person so do not recklessly ask for other people's secret techniques'." Nora put on a thoughtful look. "She nailed that one pretty accurately, as expected, nothing escapes her eyes. She always knew where to stab her spear so it never hit any vital organs..."
Thinking that she heard wrong, Altais glanced at Marion and noticed that she also had a hard-to-read expression. It seemed she heard just fine. What in the world did this child mutter with a calm face?
Deciding that continuing with the topic will leave her with more questions, Altais slightly deviated from the subject.
"Why did you want to learn from her?" Altais questioned.
Even if she sounded a bit mean, Altais could name a large list of people who would kindly teach him about firearms and how to fight with them, contrary to the blunt Felis. She was quite the Spartan teacher and was very strict.
"She seems pretty skilled, and you can't throw away an opportunity to polish or improve your skills, not to mention adding new ones." Nora grinned as he watched Felis come back. "I am not someone with cheat abilities nor a mighty strength since birth, I can only learn everything I can do it becomes my strength down the road. This world has many monsters lying in wait to jump out when you defeat a guy claiming that will destroy the world just to claim that they are actually the true threat. Then, when all that is resolved, some biscuit-loving little girl turns out to be the last boss... and the list goes on for a long time."
Looking at his empty eyes, Altais felt sorry for him. It seemed that he had plenty of worries, but she found his dėsɨrė to seek strength praiseworthy.
"Anyways, how about it? You agree?" Nora inquired.
"For an amateur, you did better than I expected. However, there is still too much that you don't know. Besides, I can't quite agree yet, I will like to take a look at your skills from a close distance." Felis muttered and dragged the boy.
Watching the two getaway, they soon took a stance side by side and started to shoot.
"Hmmm, this is the first time I see her so enthusiastic about someone." Altais commented.
"Eh? Her expression has not changed at all, she looks as stoic as ever." Marion muttered.
Ignoring the boy's maid, Altais wondered where to take him next.
3rd Person POV
"Finally free from her nagging, she should be worried about getting a man herself rather than worry about me getting one, she is at least 20 years older than me..." Grayfia complained.
Her plan to renew her license quickly by using her sister's name had backfired since she happened to be in the guild and she dragged her to her office to speak about several things, and among them was the typical question of 'having a boyfriend'. However, for some reason, her sister never used Sirzechs as an example despite their closeness due to her work and position in his peerage, she only asked vague questions like finding someone interesting lately or someone she enjoyed spending her time with. Nonetheless, she never got to understand what her sister was thinking. She had abandoned the house when Grayfia turned 10 due to certain reasons and kept traveling a lot.
Sighing, Grayfia went down the stairs and thought of what she could do to apologize to the boy whom she left waiting, and she came up with the idea of inviting him to eat some ice cream later; they could also invite Rias who seemed a little stressed due to following a crazy training regimen. Nonetheless, her thought process came to a stop as soon she saw the butler named Nil unconscious on the seats, no, from the minimal movements, seemed to be waking up so she hurried to his side.
Not caring about her actions, she raised him by grabbing his suit.
"Where is Nora-kun?" Grayfia asked in a cold tone.
It could be her simply being small-minded but she did not feel any goodwill for someone working for the oldest devil.
Slowly opening his eyes, he feebly pointed at the stair and-
"P-Purple eyes... C-Chain, neck, urgh." Nil grumbled before fainting.
Simple words, but upon studying the status of the butler, she noticed the self-inflicted injury and connecting it the dots, she concluded what happened.
"From all the people he could meet, he met her!? Altais... Argh, I hope she had her earrings on her or it could spell a disaster for those who met her for the first time, women are usually safe if she holds herself back but..." Grayfia grimaced. "Hopefully he won't meet Felis or Spica, ah, if he meets Mira it would be troublesome as well..."
Grayfia decided to look for him at once, she shuddered by thinking what would happen to him if he met any of the other ones knowing his personality... No, the worst-case scenario would be if he met her sister.
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After Grayfia left, two figures appeared in the hall. Two women, one had bright red eyes, silver hair worn in long braids on both sides of her face with green bows at the ends, and a white maid headband. She wears a white and dark blue French maid's outfit with an apron; short sleeves, a green ribbon, a sword, and a gun were tied to her waist. The other one had the appearance of an elegant noble lady with a strapless white dress with black lace trim, a white sun hat, white elbow gloves, and white thɨġh-highs. She had white hair, blue eyes and she had a mole under her left eye. There was a characteristic that both shared and that was their hard-to-hide generous bosom, easy to spot on the woman with a white dress and hard to hide despite the layers of clothes from the one with the maid outfit.
"My dear little sister is quite hurried..." The woman with the maid outfit muttered. "Spica, I have to prepare Altais' earrings so would you mind looking into the reason why my dear little sister is in such a hurry? I also heard about a ruckus due to some guy walking around so I would like you to confirm that, Spica."
The woman with the white dress smiled and that caused the other one to frown.
"What?" The woman with the maid outfit asked.
"Fufufu, nothing. I was just thinking that you can be quite the siscon sometimes." Spica giggled.
"I might've forsaken my last name the day I left that house, and my name has been thrown away the day I met him to take upon Nashira, but I have not forsaken my blood, as the big sister, I need to take care of that child." The woman with the maid outfit, Nashira, spoke.
"Ara? Is that so? Then you shouldn't out that serious face every time you see her and should instead smile some more..." Spica muttered as she began walking away.
"I can't... do that. Acting so familiar with her, I do not have the right." Nashira commented. "Regardless of the reason why I was not there back then, I did nothing when she was stripped of her noble title and when she lost her possessions as Lucifuge. Being left alone with only her last name intact, Grayfia could only continue her life thanks to the Guild Master who lend her a hand and the Gremory who took her under their wing."
Stopping in place until Nashira finished speaking, Spica turned back with a wry smile.
"You two are quite the troublesome sisters, you know that you could solve the issue if you actually faced it, right?" Spica muttered.
Without waiting for an answer, or perhaps being aware that she would not get a reply, Spica continued to walk away.
...
...
...
Walking down the hallway located near the infirmary, Grayfia wanted to confirm if he was taken here because Altais' charms knocked him out, yet her lips couldn't stop twitching when she heard there was a lesson not long ago by a young-looking doctor, perhaps way too young looking. She could more or less understand that it was Nora given that he was the child of that woman, and he had been taught since young.
Sighing in relief, he did not seem to be suffering from the charm if he can go around causing a ruckus. Recalling the conversation that some of the lecturers had about inviting him to teach here, it seemed that he managed to show off a few of his abilities. Grayfia briefly wondered how long would it take her friend to make the Maid Guild collapse with his antics if he accepted the offer, but she stopped because in her thoughts appeared an image of Nora calling her rude.
Giggling because of her vivid but quite accurate imagination, Grayfia froze in place, the reason-
"Do you happen to know where he went? I wanted to ask for contact info, even if he does not accept teaching here, perhaps he would be interested in private tutoring."
"They were going in the direction of the shooting range..."
"Eh? Wasn't today Felis' turn to teach?"
Grayfia heard the conversation and could not stay to listen to the rest, she used her fastest speed to spring in the direction Nora had gone. Inwardly cursing, she hoped that Felis wouldn't do something as reckless as shooting Nora, she always had that happy trigger habit hard to fix and was fast to go down the brute route.
...
...
...
"Damn it!" Grayfia cursed when she arrived at the shooting range.
There were none of the people she was looking for, and by asking some passerby maids, she heard that Nora's group not only had Altais and Marion but for some reason Felis as well.
Without thinking too long, Grayfia followed their trail again.
Part 2
3rd Person POV
After the party Nora arrived at the gardens, they took a stroll around. Mostly allowing the boy to observe all the flowers and plants they had done it.
For one reason or another, he had the interest of inspecting the plants closely so he went to check a particular one that grew around a tree. Watching over him from the distance, Altais, Marion, and Felis wondered what he was up to before they noticed something on one of the branches of the tree.
A young girl was lying there as she listened to the music being played from her phone, or so they believed since the young girl had a pair of large headphones on her ears, with her eyes closed as she happily nodded. That by itself did not seem wrong, and while Altais and Felis wanted to condemn the girl because she was actually lazing around when she had some duties to take care of, they had other worries in mind at the moment, precisely because it was her, they were worried for the boy who was cheerfully whistling as he collected some of the flowers. Before they could voice out their concerns, the branch of the tree gave off a certain sound that was bad news. It was divided into two steps, first a low snapping sound that bȧrėly worked as a warning, then a bigger snapping sound that signaled the fall of the branch and the girl, who was coincidentally ubicated a few meters higher than the boy.
Falling at once, the girl was late to react because she was more worried about protecting her phone and headphones so she dived down fast.
The group could already picture the girl falling on top of the boy, crushing him, and the branch finishing them off, and while that was more of an exaggeration given their resilient bodies due to their races, it would not change the fact that they might get injured since they were caught off guard. However, against their imagination and predictions, things turned out quite different.
The boy reacted swiftly, he first jumped and punched the branch away, and then under the surprised eyes of the group and the falling girl, he caught her in a princess carry and landed lightly on the ground.
"My apologies, my fair lady, my luck seemed to have caused you some troubles. Are you alright?" Nora asked.
With an unnecessary refreshing and handsome smile, he spoke to the girl as she lowered her. While looking reluctant, the girl stored her phone and headphones using magic before fixing her clothes that had become disheveled.
"Heh, that was a nice joke, although you seem to have an uncanny luck with women, the real reason Mira fell was that she is way too heavy." Felis snickered. "Shiki-sama is very lucky to have reacted that fast or he might've been crushed."
Honoring her sharp tongue, Felis gave her opinion on Nora's words as she pointed at the girl's rather voluminous ċhėst. Her name seemed to be Mira and from the look of Altais and Felis, they seemed quite familiar with each other. Marion though looked pale and the reason became obvious a second later when the air began to get colder.
Glaring at Felis with eyes that could kill, Mira continued to lower the temperature around them.
"Well, this is a new experience. A woman is about to fight another one from my arms." Nora commented.
His words caused Mira to stop her actions.
"*Cough* I am deeply sorry for the troubles I have caused you and I am very grateful for your ȧssistance just now." Mira bowed her head respectfully.
"It is ok, you just need to be more careful next time, that was an old branch, although not only that one, basically the whole three is on its last breath. So it is not strange that it could fall apart any minute." Nora said. "Think of Yasaka-san, don't fall into temptation, that valley is nothing compared to the nine-tailed one, wait, it is close in size, argh, no, Yasaka-san has no one who can beat her..."
Mumbling in a low tone almost like a whisper, the boy burned the appearance of Mira into his eyes despite his inner struggle to look away. She had absurdly long grey hair in twin tails and red eyes. Her outfit consisted of a two-tone dress with white frills in a gothic lolita style with long sleeves and a white pantyhose, the design of her dressing showed a generous amount of cleavage. No doubt, the reason why Nora had such a troubled expression.
"Ahem, I think we can put behind the bantering for now. Felis, we are in front of someone who is going to employ one of our own so you should behave, even if it is your break time I advise you to behave like a lady when you are in front of an esteemed guest and future master of our sisters." Altais chided. "Mira, I seem to recall that you are not in your break time, I would like you to explain to me what were you doing there? I do not dare to ȧssume this, and I am certainly not doing it because of your past history, however, could you perhaps be cutting corners in your work...? There is no way you are skipping your duties to laze around, isn't there?"
After a light scolding towards Felis, Altais's demeanor totally changed and a hard to describe pressure ȧssaulted Mira. Felis also directed a sharp glare at the buxom young woman held in the boy's arms and she trembled due to the pressure. Unconsciously, she hugged the boy, and her eyes spun while trying to come up with an answer.
"N-No? I am not skipping work, d-don't be ridiculous Altais, you can confirm that I finished what I needed to do easily, can't you?" Mira sweated coldly but still managed to speak.
Altais glanced at Felis and said maid bowed slightly in her direction before leaving somewhere.
Sighing in relief because the pressure disappeared, Mira felt a new type of glare on her. It came from Marion who seemed to look at her begrudgingly, however, Mira could not understand why she got that kind of look.
...
...
...
Exactly five minutes later, Felis came back. Casually glancing at Mira, she sighed and turned to Altais.
"Mira was telling the truth, her work is already done and she does not have any further duties." Felis reported.
"Should I praise her for her efficiency or should I scold her for working efficiently so she could have more time to laze around?" Altais pinched the bridge of her nose.
Tilting her head, she noticed a certain detail she had abstained from commenting due to her mind going to what kind of punishment she should give the lazy maid.
"Say, Mira, how long do you plan to stay like that?" Altais inquired.
Tilting her head, Mira did not seem to understand what those words meant. With a hand on her chin, she began to ponder if those words had a hidden meaning.
"You lazy vampire, how long do you plan to bother our esteemed guest, Shiki-sama, with your heavy ȧssets? I pity him, he's had to carry such a heavy all the time I was away, the poor guy probably can't even drop you out of fear you might crush his feet, or even worse, develop a grudge and whenever you see him, you would try to flatten him." Felis muttered.
"Who are you calling heavy!?" Mira angrily spoke. "You pervert! You think I do not know about-"
An awkward silence descended the place when Mira covered her mouth and glanced at Nora who looked back at her. It seemed that she did not want to say that aloud with the boy beside her so she could only bite her lips bitterly.
"Enough, you two. I had warned you to behave. Mira, you will get your break time reduced by half for two weeks, and you, Felis, do not smile, you also went too far, I am aware that you would not mind if I could short your break time so I will be confiscating most of your weapons for two weeks." Altais said. "You need to reflect on the right way to act in front of our esteemed guest."
At those words, Mira and Felis had a face like the world was going to end, deep despair was written clearly on their expressions and they lowered their heads lifelessly.
"Eh, well, I know I might be overstepping my boundaries here but..." Nora hesitated muttered. "Can't you forgive them for this one?"
"...why would you suddenly say that? Did Mira ask you to say that? If she used her hypnosis I will make it so she has one month of break time reduced along with a reduced paycheck." Altais narrowed her eyes at the girl.
The girl in question paled and raised her head while shaking it from left to right and vice-versa.
"Their punishment comes basically because I was here, I don't think it is quite fair." Nora said.
"However, the way they acted..." Altais retorted.
"If it is about that, I don't mind either." Nora smiled. "I am happier with them being more honest and open."
Staring deeply into his blue eyes, Altais did not look away and tried to look for something. This continued for a moment before she sighed.
"Very well, it is a maid's duty to follow the master's requests after all so I will accept your words." Altais said. "You two should be grateful to him, I will turn a blind eye to today's misconducts only because he specially requested it, nonetheless, I will not allow it to happen a second time."
Deep gratitude could be felt from Felis and Mira who bowed their head to Nora.
"Why does it feel like their respect for me shot up like a rocket? That bow is even more respectful than when they introduced themselves at me..." Nora mumbled.
Shaking his head he pondered aloud.
"Mira, while I believe that Felis's words were not the correct way to address the issue, I have to ask you, how long do you plan to stay being carried like that? You are being a nuisance to our guest." Altais pointed out.
"Ara? Now that you mentioned it, it felt so comfortable that I kind of wished to stay here forever. I am sure that napping here would feel nice." Mira muttered. "I am sorry, I must be heavy, right? Thank you for allowing my selfishness."
Getting down with some reluctance, Mira sighed.
"Not at all, you were only as heavy as a feather." Nora said. "Besides, having a good rest is important, and since you had already finished your job, you are not failing as a maid."
Instantly, Mira's way to look at the boy changed somewhat.
"Altais, can't we keep this child here? I think I like him." Mira spoke.
"He calls you heavy but you do not react?" Felis mumbled in a low tone.
Her actions earned her a sharp look from Mira.
"Out of the question, you know the rules." Altais pointed out.
Sighing regretfully, Mira glanced back at the boy.
"That aside, Marion-san, is there a place where we could rest for a little, I found an interesting flower just now, and it makes a nice tea so I thought I would offer them some along with pastries to thank them for showing me around." Nora called out.
Following his call, Marion nodded.
"If it is alright with you, I could prepare some chairs and tables to do that here." Marion offered. "I can also prepare the snacks as well, but if Master has any of his creations saved, I will use those. The tea can be prepared by me if you don't mind."
After a nod from Nora, Marion pulled several chairs from a magic circle along with tables, and tablecloths. Before she could arrange them, the rest of the maids sprung into action and arranged them.
"Marion-san, could you arrange more tables and chairs?" Nora suddenly asked.
Marion tilted her head curiously before answering and followed her master's line of sight, he seemed to have been looking at the curious maids from all ages who were staring at their actions in wonder. Easily understanding his intentions, Marion had a troubled look. The number of maids was too high for the number of tables and chairs she had stored.
"If it is not a problem for you, allow me to ȧssist you in arranging the equipment for the tea party." Altais offered.
Marion gave her a grateful look.
"This is nothing, maids should always strive to ȧssist each other, the master's wishes are something every maid always seeks to accomplish." Altais said. "Mira, you should also help out. Gather everyone looking and arrange them so they all have a seat. Felis should get the teapots and the rest of the equipment, I will take care of the chairs and tables."
With all that said, the maids began acting swiftly.
"Maids are amazing..." Nora spoke in an excited tone.
With eyes shining he observed how they prepared everything.
"...wait, I was going to make the tea only, Marion became sly, she is now pushing me to use my sweets repertoire." Nora sighed. "I did not think I had ready conquered not her heart but her stomach... wait, if I share my stuff, that wouldn't cause any issue, would it?"
Part 3
Grayfia's POV
She could not have imagined that when she finally found Nora, her first action would be to... facepalm herself.
She had not counted how much time she was away, but how did things end up like that?
Why is Nora holding that maid by her waist with one hand while the other hand is supporting a tray full of teacups? No, the bigger question should be why he has the aura of an Otome Manga's male character, the smile and the way he stares at that maid could be used for one scene where the female lead is saved by the male lead from a simple accident, they stare at each other and get a strange feeling, one that makes them think that they will meet again. Not to mention the blush the maid has, even the onlookers who have received collateral damage and are acting like the spectators in Otome manga.
There is no need to blush as well, isn't there?
While inwardly complaining, a round of applause was heard coming from the onlookers. It seemed that Nora was not simply flirting with the maid but had done some sort of amazing feat.
Grayfia was lost and unsure where she should retort first. However, she thought that going there at once was a necessity after hearing certain words.
"I-I am deeply sorry! P-Please, forgive this useless maid!"
The maid who had been helped by Nora had suddenly spoken while bowing.
"It might not erase my mistake, but please discipline this useless maid as you see fit!"
Ok, Grayfia must admit that she did not expect that, and for the look of things, Nora did not expect it either. Of course, he might be a little distracted by that maid's cleavage.
Sighing, she could not blame the boy who was entering puberty. The fact that most maids usually modified their outfits to fit their tastes and the lack of regulations against it did a number on the poor (?) boy.
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...
...
"So, let me get this straight. You were simply standing there minding your own business when suddenly, Sirius-san here was unsteadily walking with a tray of tea that she planned to offer you a cup to thank you for the snacks but she tripped... over nothing. I understand that, totally understandable, yeah." Grayfia muttered.
With her hand on her hɨps, Grayfia stared with an unamused expression at Nora. The nekomata was comfortably sitting on a chair in front of a long table and he was surrounded by several people, or rather, maids.
"Now now, don't underestimate those invisible and non-existent objects that make people with the dojikko (klutz) attribute to fall, Kaa-san once tried to bring me some hot chocolate and trip over a treacherous nothingness, drenching me with the hot beverage." Nora smiled.
Some pain could be felt from his expression despite his smile which earned him some sympathetic looks from the maids and Grayfia, however, Grayfia recovered from that pretty fast given that his hand was-
"E-Excuse me? I thought that punishments are supposed to be more forceful, head pats are hardly what you would imagine receiving as a punishment..."
A voice called out, the maid who Nora was petting a little harshly, the same maid that asked for a punishment repeatedly. Grayfia had the opportunity to learn her name, Sirius, a rather special girl if you go by the fact that she got named after a star as well. The guild only bestowed those names to particular individuals so that spoke lengths about that girl who was receiving some head pats, and despite raising a complaint (?), she looked fairly satisfied.
"You said I could choose the method I wanted and you did not listen to me when I told you to not mind that little accident so I am going to use this to 'punish' you." Nora muttered. "Do you dislike it...?"
Grayfia would take her hat off to Nora for using the upturned eyes technique if she had a hat and did not feel bothered by his open flirting actions.
"...please continue punishing this useless maid." Sirius spoke in a low tone of voice.
"See? Things work better when you listen to me." Nora said.
"Could you not openly flirt in front of me?" Grayfia smiled in a non-friendly way. "Also, you are sidetracking."
"*Cough* I am not flirting. Ah, thank you for the tea, Marion-san, and Altais-san, thank you for the cookies." Nora thanked the two maids that almost fought to put those things on the table just in front of him. "Ah, Mira-san, you are back, yes, use a bit more of force there, yes, I can see a bright future for you as a massager if you practice hard, perhaps we can exchange a few pointers at a later date, I don't mean to brag but I am close to the summit of massaging."
Should she retort to the fact that one of the highest-ranking maids beside her sister is serving the nekomata like it was the most natural thing, or how that maid, Altais fought with another high-ranking maid, Felis, for the right to hand him the cookies? Grayfia could not decide, but she felt an itching feeling, one that made her want to retort to the fact that Mira, unsurprisingly another high-ranking maid, had stood behind the boy and started to massage Nora's shoulders. One hour and a half is the time she spent stuck with her sister. How did things reach this point? What's next? Her sister? Ah, saying that aloud should be a bad idea.
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...
"So, she was falling and the tray had been thrown in the air along with the teacups along with their content... you are saying you maneuvered the tray after catching it and the teacups in a way that allowed you to not spill even a single drop and you had time to hold Sirius-san by her waist?" Grayfia pinched the bridge of her nose. "...what were you again?"
She knew that it was something like a rude question, but Grayfia could not help but ask, his existence is becoming already something like that if he truly did all that.
"I am Grayfia-san's friend." Nora smiled brightly.
Blushing in embarrassment, Grayfia did not think he would be that honest so openly.
"With all due respect, I can vouch for his story." Altais interrupted.
"I would also vouch for our esteemed guest. While I would like to point out that his action was actually lacking a tiny bit in reaction speed because he was 'distracted' by something else, I speak with confidence that our perverted guest did all that." Felis commented.
"Lucif- Grayfia-sama, I was watching the master when it happened so I could also share my testimony if you would like." Marion spoke.
"Grrrr." Grayfia unknowingly grunted at the boy's maid.
It might be simply the fact that she met Nora through Zekram, but Grayfia did not like her very much. Although the fact that she was a maid and was serving the boy whom she had taken a liking to, raised some competitive spirit from between her.
"E-Etto? Is there something wrong?" Marion asked in a puzzled tone.
"Tsk." Grayfia clicked her tongue. "My apologies, it was a slip of tongue."
"No, you just clearly clicked your tongue at her, and what was with that grunt? Grayfia-san, you..." Nora raised an eyebrow at her.
Avoiding his eyes, she felt embarrassed to face him, she could not tell him that one of the reasons was so childish.
Suddenly, she felt a chill running down her back, a bad feeling, that is the only way to describe it. However, who would have the guts to intrude into the Maids Guild, a den of powerful individuals. Could it be another kind of threat? Something that will be disadvantageous towards her or perhaps something extremely annoying?
"I hurried here because Spica told me that something was interesting to see, but I would've never expected to see my dear sister who is known for not changing her expression that much to others than the Gremory, to actually be making such fresh expressions."
A voice that indicated nothing but troubles was heard, and Grayfia could feel a headache coming up.
Why? Why did this happen?
What did she do to suffer this kind of fate? Why God- Argh.
Forgetting for a moment that she can't mention that without a headache, Grayfia flinched from the pain for a second.
Accepting her fate, Grayfia turned around and saw the person, no, the people who were walking their way. As usual, her sister had her gun and sword hanging at her waist despite being in a safe location. However, she was not alone like she had originally imagined, Grayfia could see someone who was rarely in the guild following after her. Spica, in charge of maintaining a friendly relationship with the devil government, someone akin to one of the most trusted people of her sister, Lya, or how she decided to call herself, Nashira.
Nonetheless, putting aside the strangely serious expression on her sister's face, there was a surprising action from Spica.
Tilting her head quizzingly, Grayfia found her acting out of character. Spica was staring at Nora for some reason, and she did not let her eyes wander anywhere else. However, that was not the only strange thing, there was something in the way she was looking at him, was it anticipation? Longing? How could that be? Was Nora more special than what she already ȧssumed? Spica had a particular ability to look at a person's caliber and somehow measure their potential while gauging their personalities, and while that was a secret only known by a few trusted individuals between the guild, outsiders have come to the conclusion that she at least had an ability to detect talented and worthy individuals, which is why many seek to get on her good side despite failing miserably because of their hidden agendas.
Showing an openly puzzled look, Nora looked at her sister and her alternatively.
"What the heck?" Nora mumbled.
Glued in place, Nora was left alone since the other maids retreated like they were giving some space to Nashira, although Marion still held her ground despite Nashira raising an eyebrow at her. Grayfia could only praise that behavior and her opinion of her went up for a little bit.
"Fumu, so you are the one making a ruckus..." Nashira muttered. "In person, he does not seem as great as Spica described, however, there is this strange feeling... it sort of reminds me of 'him'."
Suddenly, Nora widened his eyes in terror.
"You, I heard you came to hire one of our girls, how about I offer you the opportunity to take one of the girls that were serving you right now?" Nashira offered.
Everyone got shocked by those words, no one was capable to hire the people that Nashira mentioned for several reasons. Grayfia did not spend all her time in the guild but she had heard about many people trying to hire Altais, Felis and Mira just to be turned down by the girls themselves. Along with the other ones named after stars, they have special skills that distinguish them from the regular maids. In Felis's case, it was obvious that her specialty was in the usage of weapons, but only a few selected ones were aware that she engaged in espionage and information gathering as well, and the other was extremely capable as well.
It was an event that had never happened before, Nashira never offered such a thing but now Nora had received that offer. Grayfia could already picture him jumping happily over the fact he will get a super maid, and that somehow made her feel annoyed. He also called her a super maid, will that change? She had to admit that just by imagining that she felt sad. Nonetheless, Nora proved her wrong. Like he had not heard about what Nashira said, he turned to... her.
"Grayfia-san! Run! It is a doppelganger! I will stake my life here to stop her! Run now! It could kill you at any time!" Nora urgently shouted.
"Eh?" Grayfia unknowingly mumbled.
More than one girl tilted their heads, but many others had an understanding look and snickered. However, while Grayfia was catching up with the meaning of his words, Nora created one kasha on each hand and was ready to fight her sister.
Spica's serious expression crumbled and for the first time since she arrived, she giggled with one hand covering her mouth. Altais looked away while pursuing her lips in a rare display of trying to hold back her laughter. Felis curled her lips in a rare smile and Mia was covering her mouth with one hand and one hand was on her stomach in an unladylike-but-normal-for-her display of amusement. Marion for her part simply smiled wryly and looked at her master with warm eyes.
"What are you doing!? If she is your doppelganger, she must be as strong as you! I won't be able to distract her for long..." Nora called out.
Despite his silliness, Grayfia felt kind of moved that he would think of facing someone of her caliber for her sake.
The last person who had frozen in place finally reacted. Her sister blinked before she-
"Pfffft, hahaha, what's with that? Doppelganger... Hahaha, to think he would, hahaha." Nashira could not hold back her laughter. "My dear sister, where did you pick up this child? He seems like a funny kid, hahaha, doppelganger, Geez..."
"Eh? Sister? Eh? Grayfia-san and you? Eh? What?" Nora alternated a look between her sister and her.
Feeling a little sorry for the boy that began to catch up with everything that happened, Grayfia sighed. It seemed that this time her sister only caused trouble for the nekomata, and while she felt some sympathy, she was also relieved.
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...
"I see, so you are sisters. No wonder you are so alike." Nora sighed.
After roughly explaining to Nora what was happening, everyone took a seat around one table specially selected for them to chat.
"Haha, my apologies, I should've introduced myself first." Nashira laughed slightly. "Anyways, you seem like a pleasant guy... that said, Grayfia's friend? Hoh."
Rubbing her chin thoughtfully, Nashira glanced at Grayfia and soon widened her eyes.
"My dear sister, I know I have been nagging you about getting a man, but I think you took it too far, he is a tad too young... unless you are raising him to fit your tastes- wow, if someone else had been attacked with that icicle, they would've been severely injured." Nashira commented after evading an icicle lunged at her by Grayfia.
Clicking her tongue at her smooth evasion, Grayfia crossed her arms in annoyment and turned away, only to see Nora sitting beside while squirming in her seat and shyly looking at her.
"Did you want to raise me to fit your tastes...?" Nora mumbled.
Facepalming, Grayfia wished nothing else than getting away from here, but she was aware that her sister had some business with the boy so she could not leave him alone.
"Well, I won't get involved in your love affairs, we do have certain laws here so keep your wild dėsɨrės in check until he grows a bit more." Nashira commented without batting an eye. "Nora, was it? How about it? My offer from before, are you interested? It is a rare chance-"
"Nah, I am good." Nora replied with a smile.
Immediately, Grayfia, who was sitting at his left, and Marion, who was sitting at his right, paled with fright. Both of their hands moved to the nekomata's forehead. Grayfia could not find anything wrong with his temperature so-
"Something is wrong, go and get the best doctor around, Nora-kun is extremely ill!" Grayfia said.
Sending a look at Marion, the younger maid nodded in a determined manner before dashing away or at least trying because Nora stopped her.
"You two, how rude can you get?" Nora complained.
Grayfia furrowed her eyebrows, his motor skills seemed to be working correctly and he did not display any other abnormal behavior... could it be a curse?
"Ouch." Grayfia ġrȯȧnėd from the pain.
The boy had flicked her forehead and she was amazed at the level of pain his blow displayed. The most strange thing was that as soon as the pain was felt, she felt a small rush of something that alleviated the pain until it disappeared, even leaving a pleasant feeling afterward.
"Could you please stop your wild imagination? I think your mind is too vivid." Nora sighed. "I will answer you before you ask. It is too suspicious, a group of beauties arrives and offers me to take another beautiful lady with me? Even though you are her sister, let me apologize here, but I do not trust you. Besides..."
Glancing at Altais who displayed a calm expression, Felis who had looked expressionless, and Mira who was sweating as she looked at Spica who had not looked at her because she was looking at him, Nora shook his head. Grayfia was curious about his denial, he was someone who loved maids so turning down the offer to get such outstanding people to serve him. The topic about the trust she could understand, but what else could he have against them. She had seen them before and they looked like friends who had met long ago.
"They are beyond anything I can handle. It is like giving the full control of a new party member of over 100 levels to the player who was level 1 in the starter village. If I had them at my side, I could easily handle any troubles and I am confident in judging them to be honest and hardworking people... well, a little lazy sometimes. However, I am just a weakling, I have no authority or power to speak of, and even though I made a bit of money, it is hard enough to compare to the devils who have lived thousands of years while making money." Nora spoke in a serious tone. "I doubt I have the money to pay you for long periods either, and while I can offer you a roof, I can't guarantee it will be worthy of your status. The list has many small details that make me want to turn you down, no matter how unwilling I am to get a maid. It is not difficult to guess that from my unsightly behavior until now. I hope my answer satisfies you."
The jovial mood so far turned sour and Nashira's expression became unreadable.
"I see, I can understand your point. However, aren't you aware of who I am? I am the acting guild master here, what if I found dislikeable your words and take offense on your turning down my offer, and let us say, I forbid you from hiring any maid from my place." Nashira spoke with eyes half-closed. "I could also take that girl away from you, and don't ask how, because the list is very long."
An invisible pressure ȧssaulted Nora and Marion, the young maid found it hard to bear but maintained her stance beside her master by sheer force of will. Nonetheless, when Grayfia thought of helping Nora, she stopped. One look at his eyes and she noticed that he was unaffected.
Suddenly, a somewhat familiar demonic energy along with an unfamiliar one poured out from Nora and he used it to shield Marion while he simply accepted the pressure.
"I know who you are, I did hear a bit from you on my tour, however, even if you did, I could do nothing about it." Nora stared straight into Nashira's eyes. "If you decided to take her away from me? As long as her safety is guaranteed, I wouldn't complain-"
"Master!" Marion interrupted the boy in a somewhat lonely and sad tone of voice.
Glancing at her with a wry smile, he extended his hand and patted her head before turning back to where he was staring.
"Of course, I am in no way unsatisfied by her skills, she also has a lovely personality and I am grateful for her actions so far. However, I can't cling unsightly to her if she has a better opportunity. Besides, even if I threw a tantrum, nothing would change, even if I tried to forcefully keep her at my side, I would only compromise her future and even her reputation could be damaged." Nora said. "The fact that it happened means that I don't have what it takes to be her master... because I failed as her patron, I failed to protect her. As a devil, it is a terrible failure that I could not provide a suitable environment for her, who I took under my wing. That would make me an unworthy master."
"An unworthy master?" Nashira inquired.
Sweating slightly, Nora was having difficulties maintaining the output of demonic power, but Grayfia was too engrossed in the conversation and the origins of that other source of demonic power to notice.
"A servant should strive to accomplish his master's wishes, to be up to his standards... that is not incorrect, but I believe that the relationship between a retainer and his servants goes both ways. A master should also strive to maintain a proper standard, one that does not bring shame to his retainers, one they can look up to. However, above all... a master who can't protect his people is severely lacking. It is a matter of responsibility, you would find it easier to understand if you think of Noblesse Obligee, something along those lines." Nora muttered.
Just when Grayfia prepared to interfere because her friend was looking pale, the pressure disappeared. Nora had trouble breathing for a moment and Grayfia rubbed his back to let him catch his breath while glaring begrudgingly at her sister.
"Nora, for what reason did you come here? Were you looking for a particular type of maid?" Nashira asked.
"Because I am weak, my master needs people at his side who can fight." Marion spoke on behalf of her master who had still not recovered.
Nodding, Nashira slightly reclined her chair backward and let it down again several times while rubbing her chin. Grayfia recognized that pose and it was one where she was thinking carefully. Perhaps she recognized it as well since Altais stood from her seat and walked behind Nashira before whispering something in her ear. It made her sister close her eyes and that was a sign that she mostly made up her mind.
...
...
...
"These are Sirius and Alkaid, although I believe you have already met Sirius." Nashira muttered.
The girls were standing at her right, Grayfia could see the confused pair. While Alkaid looked left and right a little fearfully, Sirius looked at Nora with her head tilted.
"So...? I told you, I won't accept your offer." Nora crossed his arm and shook his head.
Grayfia could still not believe that Nora was against it. Nashira showed some clear goodwill that did not usually happen, and while Grayfia found it uncomfortable to see that, and some jealousy bubbled up, she was aware that her sister won't take away her friend but she still did not like it.
Standing at Nashira's left, Altais stared at the boy for a moment before lowering her head and whispering something to Nashira again.
"One moment, you seem to misunderstand something here." Nashira smiled mysteriously.
Grayfia scowled at that face, she could tell that her sister was up to something.
"Maids here can decide if they do not want to go with people who ask for them, it is the guild policy, and they can also seek to work under someone..." Nashira muttered.
"...ok?" Nora furrowed his eyebrows.
Smiling, Nashira looked at Sirius.
"Sirius, would you say you have an immense amount of hatred against this boy or you like him?" Nashira asked.
"...I would choose the second one." Sirius curiously tilted her head.
Nashira looked at Nora and smirked, and Grayfia could see him shake fearfully for a moment, she could even imagine that if he had his ears and tails out, the chill he felt would go down his back to the end of his tails.
"I see, I see... Then, would you rather work under him or to say him you would loathe working under him?" Nashira muttered.
"...I can't tell him that, he is a good child! He patted my head!" Sirius panicked.
"Very well, so you pick option one. I guess this is it. Congratulations, you just got a maid and for taking one at this time when we a current bargain, you just get another one for free!" Nashira stood up pointed at the two girls who looked shocked.
Facepalming, Grayfia tried to hold herself back, she should not retort to her sister's nonsense.
"No, no, no. Isn't that weird? Sirius-san has not said a word about wanting to do that, and the other girl has not even given the chance to speak." Nora spoke.
"A-Am I unneeded? They are throwing me away... even my soon-to-be master does not want me, no one wants Alkaid..." Alkaid mumbled in a depressed tone.
Nashira smirked when she saw Nora flinch over those words, and while she did not express it like Alkaid, Sirius looked downhearted as well.
"I see, I did not expect it but I guess you do not like that Sirius can't do any of the basics a maid can, she is a klutz that always messes up when she has to clean, along with the rest of regular duties. Nonetheless, I understand, you would prefer someone more capable..." Nashira looked to one side with one of her eyes closed and using an indifferent tone of voice. "Alkaid, well, that child can be too clingy so I think you will not like her either, too bad, yeah."
Sighing, Grayfia already knew what was going to happen.
"Oi, what the heck is that? I never said such a thing! I would never abandon her because of that, maybe that is not her specialty so I only need to help her find out what she is good at, we can work on that together! If you can't appreciate that girl who I saw trying her best to serve me despite making mistakes, then I can't leave her here." Nora slammed the table. "Too clingy!? What is wrong with being clingy? That is a lovable trait and any man would be delighted if that happened, you there, Alkaid-san, come with me! I will not abandon you, and you can serve under me forever. Sirius-san, you can come with me too, I will take care of you and guide you until you become perfectly accustomed to housework. Marion! You got two new kouhais now, take care of them, because I am not gonna let anyone take you away from me!" Nora exclaimed in a determined tone.
"Heh, well, you can take them home, you can discuss the terms of their employment with them, now, of you will excuse me, I have some business to attend to." Nashira muttered and immediately left.
Spica followed behind her, not before glancing at Nora and opening her mouth like she wanted to say something but at the end, she turned around and followed Nashira without saying anything in the end.
The nekomata looked smug as Nashira got further away until his expression began to change.
"...I think that I've been had." Nora smiled wryly.
He could still catch up to her sister and continue fighting but he chose not to, he looked at Sirius and Alkaid who suddenly let some whitetail and ears come out and began to wag left and right happily as they looked at Nora with a subtle stare.
"Master, you can still catch up... although, you are not going to do it, right?" Marion asked.
Somehow, Grayfia could tell that the human girl had mixed feeling about it, she looked somewhat proud of Nora, however, she also looked jealous. Nonetheless, she smiled widely at the girls that were coming their way, it seemed that she was quite mȧturė-
"Grrrr." Marion unknownly grunted.
Or not.
Part 4
MC's POV
Things were quite hectic, but I end up getting a pair of maids of my own, not hired through Zekram-sama but me. For some reason, they looked shocked when I mentioned their monetary remuneration, and while I thought it was too little, they asked me to lower the amount, and for some reason, Marion-san had a nostalgic look when she saw all this.
I got myself the contact information of Felis-san along with a souvenir from her, she called it a token of 'firearms buddies', and I planned to take care of those wonderful weapons. She was a funny gal, and while she had a sharp tongue, she was someone who liked to look after others. She had agreed to train me in armed combat so I planned to come back to meet her because I am not sure that Yasaka-san would like that I do that in Urakyoto, although I plan to introduce Felis-san to Yasaka-san at some point so I can invite her to my house, we are buddies and I promised that we could hang out together. On another topic, Mira-san is quite an interesting girl, I found her overly friendly attitude a little strange but she was someone who is honest about her dėsɨrės and simply shows goodwill to those she likes. She handed me her contact information along with a USB drive, she told me that she hoped we had the same music tastes and if that did not happen, it was ok. Besides learning the piano, something my parents forced me to learn- I mean, something they fervently asked me to learn, I also took the guitar and some other stuff, mostly lightweight instruments, and I used them to travel around after they died, earning my keep by playing on the streets, although I became somewhat popular, I never stayed long enough in one place to settle down... the female fans were quite scary and unnecessarily attached to me.
"How did they even find me in another country after I changed my artist name and dyed my hair? Figures.." I mumbled.
"Hmmm? Is there something wrong, young master?" Altais inquired.
Currently, I was left alone with this lady here while Grayfia-san acted on my behalf to finish the hiring procedures, or rather, to protect me from her sister's machinations, which I was extremely grateful for. I was not sure why that lady seemed to see me in a good light despite the ruckus I caused. Marion-san was with my new maids to help them carry their stuff. Felis-san and Mira-san had their duties to take care of so they left too. I also said my goodbye to the myriad of maids I met at the tea party and I promised them to come back again to have another one. Somehow, I feel like they became friendly too fast, I do not know why though, I only offered some cooking pointers at some, while I gave cleaning advice to other ones, without mentioning the sweets I shared and a few shoulder massages here and there. I think I need to learn self restrain, or not.
"Why do you suddenly call me like that? I told you that Nora is ok. It feels strange." I retorted.
"I will do so when I am not on duty, besides, you almost became my master so calling you as such is not wrong." Altais giggled.
I found myself getting lost in her smiling face, man, she looked the same as the maid in a picture my father once showed me a magazine of, it was called, 'The perfect Maid', and my father used to happily tell me all about maids when he showed me that picture. She is just the same one, although I must say, in flesh, she looks way better.
"Oh, please. You wouldn't have become my maid." I rolled my eyes.
"Oh? Pardon me for asking, but what makes you say that?" Altais maintained a smile as she asked.
Honestly, this one did not look as good as the one she had when she teased me.
"You dislike males, don't you?" I replied.
My reply left her at loss for words for a second but she soon changed into a more serious expression.
"What makes you say that?" Altais inquired.
"There was a certain level of disgust when you saw Nil, and a little bit of pity as well. I think it has something to do with your Succubus traits, although I might be wrong." I shrugged my shoulders.
Lowering her head, a few strands of hair came undone from the perfect hairstyle she had.
"You know about that... what about my charms?" Altais asked. "Have you been lying so far...?"
Honestly, it was a little scary since her eyes looked like they could pierce me and look through me, not to mention that her emotion seemed to be going wild and the charms that got suppressed after she got a new pair of earrings was thickening.
"Me? About your charms? Well, I am aware of it, but I know you are a very charming woman." I honestly replied. "Even if you suppress your Succubus traits, I am sure you can make any man crazy with your figure, style, or personality. I know a bit about what your kind has been through, and while I feel it was pitiful, as someone who can't do anything for you, I preferred to not say anything about it. Sorry, it might sound a little cold, but carelessly speaking or offering you some pity is not what you want from me, is it?"
Her face lowered further and I was not able to see her eyes. That said, the fact I was sitting on a sofa in a waiting room and she had bent her body to speak to me eye to eye made her current actions show me her cleavage, which I still think is deathly. Suddenly, the charm that was getting thicker by the second, vanished.
"Fufufu, fufu, you are honestly an interesting person, I am glad I took some time to show you around, it was worthy." Altais raised her head and she had a refreshed expression.
It was a little tough for me to see her like that.
"You are a sneaky one, if you had shown me that kind of smile at the beginning and you used your charm, you would've had a chance to trap me." I said.
Before I was aware of it, I had extended my hand and carefully fixed the out-of-place strands of hair. For some reason, she blushed. Not sure if it was because of my action or words that caused that. I would like to say that I kept doing it because I am used to fixing the hair of the girls at home, Kuroka-chan being the main culprit, taking a liking to me combing her hair.
"Ara? Only a change?" Altais teased after quickly recovering.
"Sorry, I have a lady in my heart already." I winked at her.
Giggling, she stood up.
"Is that so? Master can be quite the player, a simple maid like myself can't keep up with you." Altais took out a handkerchief from her pocket and wiped some imaginary tears from her eyes. "After Master played with my heart, I find out that Master already has someone else he loves, Altais is sad!"
"Wait, why did you change how you call me again?" I inquired.
I cannot let her innocent expression fool me.
"Master, a gentleman such as yourself should not ask such boorish questions as that. You should embrace what happens around you with a big heart and accept it with an open mind." Altais playfully winked.
Sighing, I decided to not ask any further, I can at least understand that asking will get me an answer that will give me a headache.
3rd Person POV
"I am here to inform you that Master has already left, the butler had woken up at some point and after asking about what happened when he passed out, he went to get the carriage ready." Altais reported.
In an office located inside the Maid Guild, Altais had entered the office belonging to the acting guild master and reported to Nashira who was having a conversation with Spica.
"Hoh? Master is it? That is an interesting way to call him, he did not choose you as his maid." Nashira raised an eyebrow.
"I won't deny that I am extremely interested in him, I hope to witness what that person will accomplish in the future. He acts like it does not concern him, but I am certain that in the future he will cause big waves in this stagnated society." Altais muttered.
"That is quite the high ȧssessment for someone you have not met for that long, did he tame you this fast? My dear sister has quite the arduous path ahead in her love life if that is true." Nashira mumbled in mock sadness.
"Fufu, you are smiling though?" Spica giggled.
Despite faking a sad tone, Nashira had a wide smile.
"I just love teasing her because she is still single at her age." Nashira commented.
"We are all in the same boat, Ma'am." Altais muttered.
"*Cough* I am a bit different, I am waiting for the guild master to come back and take me as his woman." Nashira scratched her cheek.
A snort was heard, but no one commented about its origins.
"However, Ma'am, was it alright to send Sirius and Alkaid? They were the chief of security and her second in command..." Altais inquired.
"Usually you would not question my decisions, are you worried that I have something planned for him? Worry not, it was just an act of goodwill, you can't ask Spica about it." Nashira responded.
Before Altais could ask, Spica held her hands interlocked on her ċhėst, like she was praying with her eyes closed and spoke.
"It is all because of the Light, so far, I have been following his teachings, his words, and this time I am letting it guide me." Spica muttered in a joyful tone. "That boy, he has the same light that the guild master had, I have seen countless people so far, gods, devils, youkais, no matter the race or how strong they were, and even though I met those who held divinity about light, no one had a soul as shiny, as warm, as the guild master. However, that changed today; bad I believe that it is some kind of signal."
"I trust her, so I think he is special. In the best-case scenario, he might even lead me to the guild master, although I do not have high expectations for that. Instead, I am sure that whatever he does, will cause an interesting change." Nashira said.
"By the way Ma'am, Felis and I found some information about a possible attack on devil houses, mostly to high-ranking ones. It's about the sleeping devil disease." Altais muttered in a serious tone.
The mood changed and Nashira narrowed her eyes.
"Speak." Nashira commanded.
"The culprits are definitely them; they are aiming to the duke level houses and those below them for a couple ranks." Altais explained.
...
...
...
Unaware of the people who were making ȧssumptions and plans without his concern, Nora simply continued to travel in the carriage distracted by every bump on the way.. Every second getting closer to an event will cause him to reflect on many things.
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