CH 125

“This is So-chan.” (Burlando)

The maid with her hands raised, the one who has been here from the beginning, turns to the other maid, waving her raised hands to the side.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Sostenuto, a colleague of this one.” (Sostenuto)

The newly-arrived maid, Sostenuto, bowed deeply and bent her head, glaring at the other maid.

“Rather, Burlando, didn’t you call me Soste before?” (Sostenuto)

“Haha, I forgot So-chi.” (Burlando)

“You should at least be consistent in what you call me!” (Sostenuto)

The two maids forgot about us and started bickering with themselves. By the way, we didn’t even know the name of the maid we’d met earlier. Apparently, it was Burlando. We didn’t expect to hear it from anyone other than her.

“Hey, brother. Sostenuto is the maid father was talking about, right?” (Haru)

“Maybe.” (Kei)

Haru whispers to me quietly as she comes to my side.

Sostenuto’s maid outfit was tattered, and her face looked a lot like the drawing that was shown to us. In Burlando’s story, there were only three active maids, so unless there was another clone, this must be the maid my father was talking about.

And she was the one that my father was so glad we were safe from. Maybe it wasn’t the Strength part that he was talking about. No, maybe that was part of it, but it seemed to have a different meaning when we talked to Burlando.

Whether they are hostile or not. Burlando is much faster than us, but she has never attacked us. It seems that Mino-tan that we had just seen, seemed to have been forced to stay on a chain when it was supposed to attack us as soon as we entered the boss’s room, rather than us being attacked by Burlando.

I’m sure that Burlando has no intention of attacking us. But Sostenuto, the one who seems to have met my father, was different.

Perhaps the person who had met Sostenuto before us had been shown the will to attack or had actually been attacked. If we assume that Sostenuto’s strength is equal to that of Burlando, the person who was attacked is dead.

“Have you met an explorer other than us, Sostenuto?” (Kei)

We should be fine. I chose my words carefully so as not to step on any landmines.

“By explorers, are you sure you mean the human race? If that’s the case, yes. I’ve met them in several labyrinths, and we’ve exchanged greetings.” (Sostenuto)

“Have you attacked them?” (Kei)

“No.” (Sostenuto)

Sostenuto tilted her head immediately after saying this.

“I don’t know if you’d call it an attack, but I’ve delivered a lecture to a few humans before.” (Sostenuto)

Sostenuto said, moving her hand. Sostenuto moved his palms from right to left like a slap. I don’t think the speed is a big deal. And that’s assuming it’s us.

There are a good number of skilled explorers that are vanguards and who are stronger than us in terms of Strength. The reason is that those with magical proficiencies like most rearguards, such as Haru and me, have half the Strength increase of those with vanguard Proficiencies.

If an explorer is level 50 or so and has a vanguard skill, he or she will have the same strength as us. But what about the combat experience part? Will their eyes be able to catch up with the sudden attacks and will they be able to react appropriately? I’m sure they can’t.

They are usually fighting monsters that can be defeated with half the strength and half the amount of magic. What if that slap had hit them without them being able to avoid it or brace themselves?

“What happened to the person you lectured?” (Haru)

Sostenuto opened her mouth to Haru’s question with an expression that showed intense confusion.

“He looked like he was having a little trouble moving. I don’t know why they’re waving their swords at us, and if our hands lightly hit them, they’d practically fly off the wall. What’s wrong with those people?” (Sostenuto)

“Ah!” The words that escaped from Haru and I overlapped.

I’m sure Sostenuto is not lying, but her perception is wrong. Perhaps she waved at the explorer at an insane speed and was blown away. And then they attacked her back.

“Why did you lecture them?” (Haru)

What is a sermon if you are saying the right thing, even if your perception is wrong? I can’t find any reason for an explorer to be lectured by a stranger.

“Oh, right!”

Sostenuto claps her hands and shouts angrily, the force of her clap creating a gust that pushes us back a step.

“They’re terrible you know. What are you doing, little girl? Don’t complain if you’re attacked because of wearing such an outfit. They then took out some cloth from a bag and threw it at me. That’s right, at me! It was big enough for me to be completely wrapped in it. I’m sure they are going to catch me in that cloth. And act violently. Because I said I wouldn’t argue. I can at least complain. Of course, I can. That’s why I lectured him.” (Sostenuto)

Sostenuto with puffed-up cheeks stomps on the ground. The ground shook a little with a loud bang.

“I’m also a woman. Also, my body is something I got from my Lord. I can’t allow it to be defiled, and you shouldn’t look at a woman that way. That’s what the Lord said. If a man looks at you like that, kick him in the groin, and he will become a woman. But that would be pitiful. So, I did it like this, and like this.” (Sostenuto)

She put the fingers of her right hand together and waved them from side to side. The slap was more vigorous than the one she had just shown before, and Burlando, who was beside her, held her hair, which was shaking from the wind pressure.

“Hey, don’t you think they’re terrible?” (Sostenuto)

Sostenuto puffed up her cheeks and put her hands on her hips as if to say she was angry.

I, Haru, and Burlando, who was witnessing her, sighed.

T/N: Okay she’s not crazy, she’s just weird. She’s been living in a rock and raised by an OP creator. Geez. I thought we have some real crazy characters here. The Hero Party is lucky to have only met Sostenuto and not the crazy one.