Chapter 558: Intermission: Unsung Hero

After enjoying the festival on the Sixth Day of the Six Kings Festival, Lilia and her group returned to the inn as the sun was setting. The building felt more like a mansion rather than an inn, but after spending seven days here, they have gotten used to it.

After leaving their luggage with the servants waiting at the entrance, Lilia and the others moved to their respective rooms.

Lilia’s room, by the strong insistence of the person herself…… Though it’s actually mainly because of her stomach aches, she’s sharing a room with her two best friends, Lunamaria and Sieglinde.

After seeing Lilia sitting on a chair in the back of the room, Lunamaria and Sieglinde also sat on chairs. The three of them, who are best friends before they are masters and servants, often sit around the table and chat together in their private time like this.

[I’m really glad that today was relatively peaceful.]

[That’s right. It’s not like yesterday when we had to wait in line for hours for our turn……]

Lilia serenely smiled, to which Lunamaria deeply nodded in agreement. Meanwhile, Sieglinde picked up her pet Selas, who had come close to her, placed her on her lap, before taking cups of tea from her magic box and placing them in front of Lunamaria and Lilia.

[……But when Lili looks so carefree like that, I can’t help but wonder if something is going to happen in the future.]

[Yeah, I know what you mean. Lilia certainly had the tendency to draw trouble after all~~]

[Please stop! Don’t jinx it……]

Now, Lunamaria also calls Lilia by her nickname “Lili” instead of the usual “My Lady”, and a peaceful and restful time flows because they are good friends….. Lilia’s shoulders leaped as a discreet knock sounded at the door.

[……Eh?]

[Oya? Did something happen immediately? As expected of Lili.]

[……Couldn’t it be Aoi-san or Hina-san?]

Just after we had talked about what might happen next, the three of them looked at each other in surprise. Then, as Lilia said something as if she was praying…… hoping that it won’t be a problem, she spoke.

[Y- Yes…… Who is it?]

[Excuse me. Duchess Albert-sama, you have a visitor.]

[……A visitor?]

[Yes. A person named “Illness”-sama.]

[Illness huh? ……Alright. Send her in.]

The name given by the personal servant who came in may have been someone she hadn’t expected, but after tilting her head once, Lilia told her to let Illness in.

The exclusive servant bowed and stepped back, and a minute or so later, there was another knock at the door.

[Come in.]

[Excuse me~~]

A distinctive slightly lisping voice was heard, and Illness, a maid of Albert Duchy, came into the room.

[I’m sorry for the sudden intrusion, My Ladyyyyyy.]

[……What’s the matter? Did something happen in the mansion?]

[Not reallllllly~~ There is no problem back in the mansiooooon. Howeveeeeer, there are two documents that I would like you to cheeeeeeck, so I have come to deliver them to youuuuu.]

Lilia thought there was some kind of trouble for Illness, who was supposed to be at the mansion, to come visit her, but Illness shook her head and took out two documents.

[From my personal point of viewww~~ I think that they would need an early replyyyyy. Please check its contenttttsss.]

[Alright. I’ll look it over.]

[Yes~~ Alsooo, don’t worry about the mansioooon. Everything is in ordeeeeeer.]

[I see…… I’m sorry, Illness. I even asked you to fill in for me while I was gone…… Are you feeling tired?]

[There is no problem at aaaaall. My Ladyyyy, please don’t worry about the mansiooooon and enjoy the festivaaaaaaal.]

[……That would be great. Thank you as always.]

[Don’t worry about iiiiiit~~]

Illness is the oldest member of Albert Duchy…… No, to begin with, she was originally “a maid who had been attending to Lilia when she was a princess”.

She was an extremely talented maid, and was also the one that Lilia, who was anxious about becoming independent as a Duchess, desperately begged to be recruited.

Illness asked her to let her think about it for a couple of days, but in the end, she accepted Lilia’s request and followed her to Albert Duchy’s mansion.

Most of the other servants voluntarily followed Lilia, but Illness was the only one Lilia asked to come with her…… In that sense, that also makes her a unique presence in the Albert Duchy.

In fact, her skills have exceeded Lilia’s expectations, and it is largely due to her that Albert Duchy has become so stable in just a few years. However, the person herself doesn’t like to stand out and doesn’t openly talk about it.

However, the people in the mansion, including Lilia, Lunamaria and Sieglinde, immensely trust her, and that’s why she was the one asked to fill in for LIlia when she is away.

She was willing to do miscellaneous work rather than the flashy work, and her work was almost perfect in every way. She was truly the Unsung Hero for the Albert Duchy.

[Lunamaria tooooo, are you having fuuuuuun?]

[Y- Yes…… I think Illness-sama should spread her wings and join us once in a while……]

[Kuhihi, if both me and My Lady were to participaaaaate, the burden on the other servants would become too great, you knooooow?]

If it’s simply about position, Lunamaria, the head of the family’s personal maid, is higher than Illness, a common maid, but Lunamaria still calls Illness with “-sama” added to her name.

Most of the maids in the mansion, including Lunamaria, learned the basics of being a maid from Illness. In other words, for Lunamaria, Illness was her mentor, and that’s why talking with her is making Lunamaria unusually nervous.

[Sieglinde tooooo~~ Oyaaa? Kuhihi, it seems like you’re having fun with your adorable pet huuuuhhh~~]

[Yes.]

[I’m glad to hear thaaaaaat.]

After giving Sieglinde a nod as well, Illness gave a beautiful bow before speaking.

[……Well theeeen, I will be returning back to the mansioooooon.]

[I’m sorry for all the trouble. I’ve always been relying on you……]

[No, no~~ I’ve already summarized the events that took place while you were away in chronological ordeeeeer, so please check it out when you return, okaaaaaay?]

[I understand. Thank you for everything.]

After exchanging greetings with Lilia, Illness left the room.

After a few moments of silence, Lunamaria was the first to speak up.

[……She’s still quite the tremendous person, isn’t she? The amount of work she does during normal times alone is ten times that of an ordinary maid, and she’s even acting as a substitute for My Lady now…… Well, seriously, I don’t know when I would ever be able to overtake her.]

[Moreover, Kaito-san had also asked her to take care of Bell-chan and Lynn-chan.]

Hearing what Lunamaria solemnly said, Sieglinde deeply nodded.

But then, Lunamaria suddenly smiled, as if she had thought of something nasty, and glancing at Lilia, she started talking with exaggerated movements.

[Even though she was that excellent and along with how much work she does! For her salary and position to be a common maid…… What a Demon, My Lady is…… Ahh, I’m afraid of the time when she’ll get fed up and quit.]

[Could you please not say such frightening things!?]

At Lunamaria’s words, Lilia exclaimed, looking pale. In fact, if Illness were to disappear…… Even though Albert Duchy may not fall into ruins, they would still receive a great blow.

She didn’t even want to imagine how many others she would need to fill the workload that she handles alone.

[Rather than that, I’ve already offered her a raise many times! But she herself was “adamantly against it”, so I don’t have any choice!]

[Well, she certainly wasn’t greedy at all.]

[……The only time she had wished for anything was when she wanted to become the exclusive maid of Kaito-san, whose position was weak at that time.]

Yes, it’s not that Lilia wanted to have Illness stay as a common maid. There have been many times when she has tried to pay her a salary suitable for the work she does.

But all of that was rejected by Illness…… and thus, Illness currently has the same salary and position of a common maid.

[……If only Illness would be willing to do so, I would make her the head maid in a heartbeat. I mean, even the current head maid is frequently saying “Isn’t Illness-sama more suitable to be the head maid instead of me” and stuff like that…… but she won’t agree at all.]

[Well, I understand why she’s thinking that. I mean, almost all of the servants in the mansion think that Illness-sama is the most suitable person to be the head maid.]

[……But the only one who doesn’t think so is the person herself.]

Very competent and extremely reliable…… Although Lilia had complete trust in her, the only thing that greatly troubled her was that she did not like to be in a prominent position.

Well, even then…… such trouble is so light compared to the stomach ache she will have one day when she finds out that Illness’s true identity being Pandemonium……

~ ~ Conversation at that time ~ ~

Noble Lady : [Please, Illness! I know how to behave as a Duchess to a certain extent, but I have no idea how teach servants or anything like that…… I don’t know what to do! I’m begging you, please follow me!]

Illness : [Haahhh…… (I can’t really do thiiiis, my role is to infiltrate the royal family of Symphoniaaaaa)]

Noble Lady : [There’s no one else I can rely on! Most of the people who said they’d follow me are former knights and there’s no one else who understands that kind of thing!!!]

Illness : [I understand what you’re sayiiiiiing, but I can’t decide right awaaaayyy…… Can you give me some time to think about iiiiiit?]

Noble Lady : [Thank you very much!!!]

Illness : [………………… (For the time beiiiiiiing, I’ll report to Shalltear-samaaaaa~~ I wonder if she gives me permissioooooon? I think a replacement spy would be arranged thoughhhh…… Well, if she’s asking me this muuuuch, I’d like to help her out a biiiiiiit)]

Thus, Pandemonium came to Duchess Albert’s mansion.

For her to draw the fainting flags towards herself, as expected of the role model of the troubled people…… and, arehh? Pandemonium…… has a surprisingly decent personality……