Chapter 28

A small commotion broke out inside the mansion shortly after I returned to Blackwood Manor.

Unlike the typical reactions of the other servants, only Isabel and Catherine caused quite a fuss.

“Lilith! Are you okay now? Are you still in pain?!”

“Mi-Miss Lilith! How, how are your wounds…?”

“…Please don’t use honorifics with me.”

After quietly warning Catherine, who was addressing me loudly to make sure everyone heard, I deliberately acted as if nothing had happened so the two of them wouldn’t worry.

“It’s not like I’m seriously injured or anything, so don’t worry so much. What’s with all the fuss? There’s no need for all this.”

“What do you mean ‘not seriously injured’?! The priest said your life was in danger!”

“But I’m standing here fine now, aren’t I? Thanks to modern medicine… ah, no, I mean modern theology.”

“Li, Lilith… Even so, talking like that is a bit… I’m starting to get a little scared of you, Lilith…”

…I probably should have pretended to be a little scared, acting like an 18-year-old high school girl.

From Isabel and Catherine’s perspective, my behavior must have seemed dangerous in many ways.

I did risk my life to some degree. Still, since I recovered like this, it was a gamble worth taking, especially considering the various rewards I gained from leveling up.

“Don’t make such a fuss, Isabel. And you, too, Senior Catherine. It was just a matter of lying down for a day after getting injured and coming back, so why are you…”

“…What are you talking about, Lilith?”

“Huh?”

“A day? You do know that you only came back three days after collapsing, right?”

“Eh…?”

Three days? Not one?

Thinking Isabel might be exaggerating to scare me, I turned my gaze toward Catherine, but she simply nodded in agreement with Isabel’s words.

“Yes, it really was three days… The time we spent on vacation in the commercial district was three days ago…”

“The captain of the guards brought Lilith to the church, and the coachman was also surprised…”

“……”

What, it really was three days? That’s how long it took me to recover from my injuries?

Of course, to some extent, I had recklessly charged in aiming for a ‘revival from incapacitation,’ but I never expected to be unconscious for three whole days.

‘I thought I’d just have to lie down for a day at most to recover…’

The world of Luminor Academy had some basic differences in its system, but I never imagined there would be this much difference in the recovery period.

In other words, the battle I had fought just yesterday – no, three days ago – was not safe at all. It meant that it wouldn’t have been strange if I had simply died along with the level 10 monster rather than gambling on the simple mechanism of going to the church to recover and revive.

As soon as I realized this, a strange tension crept over my body as if chills ran down my spine. The sense of reality, which I had taken a little too lightly until now, felt like it was closing in on me.

‘I shouldn’t think this world operates in the same way as the original…’

Perhaps, deep down, I had been allowing myself some mental leeway, a vague expectation that no matter what happened to me, things would somehow work out in the end.

However, Isabel’s words about me barely recovering after three days made me fully aware of the reality of my own death.

I resolved then and there to never engage in risky, life-threatening battles again.

…More than anything, it was also a moment when I realized that there were people in this world who would truly grieve my death.

“Lilith… Don’t ever do anything so dangerous again… *sniff* Okay…?”

“I, I also… I also don’t want you to disappear one day… *sniff* You’re my savior…”

Isabel and Catherine tearfully pleaded with me to take better care of myself.

It’s clear that at least these two would be pretty hurt if I were to disappear one day.

It’s not that I’m making some grandiose resolution to live for their sake. Still, now, I realize that there’s no need to risk my life unnecessarily.

“Alright. I won’t do anything dangerous from now on.”

I gently consoled the two of them, who were so scared and saddened it was as if they didn’t know who had died and come back to life, patting their shoulders.

In the midst of this, suddenly, I heard someone calling my name right next to my face.

“…Miss Lilith.”@@novelbin@@

“Uwaaah?!”

The low voice coming from so close, practically in my ear, made my body jolt in surprise.

Turning my gaze, a young butler stared at me, unfazed by my startled reaction.

“……”

Something about him seemed familiar, but who was he again…?

“Dittmayer Collin Eberckropft.”

“My apologies.”

Ah right, I remember now. That ridiculously long name made me forget.

The young butler in charge of the Blackwood family’s butler staff in Luminor Academy, Dittmayer Collin…or whatever his name was.

He probably becomes the head butler around four years from now, so currently, he must be the deputy head butler or something like that….

…but why was this man, who held a certain rank even among the servants, suddenly looking for me?

“Di, Dittmayer the butler…? What brings you to me?”

“The master is looking for you. He told me to call you to his study once you returned to the mansion.”

“The master…huh?”

Wait a minute; since Dittmayer’s master is Lilith’s master, it means that Harold summoned me directly.

…Could it be that the time has come at last?

Based on the current pacing, I thought it would happen soon. Not long after Ethan was freed from his curse, Lilith was assigned as Ethan’s exclusive maid.

Being assigned as Ethan’s exclusive maid also meant that the future where Lilith is “trained” by Ethan was drawing near.

An ominous premonition began to creep up at this butler’s message, making the hairs on my nape tense.

“Miss Lilith.”

“Y, Yes…”

“The master is looking for you. He told me to bring Miss Lilith to his study once you returned…”

“Ah, I heard you the first time…”

“I thought you might not have heard me since you remained silent after I spoke.”

Geez, what a gratingly persistent butler.

Following his emotionless words, I had no choice but to make my way up to the third floor, to Harold’s study.

I was determined to somehow prevent the future where I become Ethan’s exclusive maid, no matter what.

…Honestly, I wasn’t very confident, but I had to do what I needed to do.

Third floor. Outside Harold’s study.

“…Phew.”

*Knock, knock, knock*

After sighing to release my tension, I knocked three times on the door to Harold’s study. I waited outside quietly until I heard a response, allowing me to enter.

‘Judging from the sounds inside, he’s definitely there.’

Given Harold’s personality, he may have been so absorbed in his work that he didn’t hear the knocks.

So I stood calmly before the door like a gargoyle, leisurely passing the time.

After all, Harold was the sort of character who showed little interest in anything unless it was related to his territory or his son.

I almost wished he would just forget he had called for me so the process of me becoming Ethan’s exclusive maid would be put off haphazardly. I’m really hoping someone else will take that position instead of me…

“…Come in.”

‘Oh shit.’

Well, there was no way the prayers of Lilith the Foolish Maid would be answered that easily.

With the feeling of a young lamb being led to the slaughter, I quietly opened the door and entered the study.

As always, Harold was seated at his desk piled high with stacks of documents resembling piles of paperwork.

“The junior maid, Lilith Rosewood, has returned to the mansion and come to report to you as instructed, my lord.”

“Lilith…? Ah, the maid who defeated the monster in the commercial district three days ago?”

“That is correct.”

“…Three days ago, you defeated the monster released from the monster seal scroll in the commercial district, but you only visited my study this late?”

“Huh?”

“I’m quite certain I had instructed the other servants to send you to my study immediately upon your return to the mansion.”

…What is he talking about, this guy? Upon my return, I came straight here after briefly explaining things to Isabel and Catherine.

I studied his eyes for a moment, wondering if he was joking with me, but his gaze did not seem to have that kind of humorous atmosphere. From the start, Harold was not the type of character capable of making jokes anyway.

‘If that’s not it, then… ah.’

Fortunately, having wasted over 500 hours on Lilith’s route in my previous life, I understood Harold’s character perfectly.

I carefully tried to appease him so as to not provoke his irritation.

“My apologies. Due to my frail body, I ended up recovering in the church for three whole days.”

“…Three days? Is that the truth?”

“Yes. Even when I left the church today, I spoke with the priest before returning.”

As I told him this, a fleeting memory crossed my mind of the conversation I had with the young priestess at the church today.

I hastily fled, feeling that if I stayed any longer, I would inevitably get roped into attending the dreadfully long afternoon service of the Aurelian faith, which lasted 2 hours.

Perhaps that priestess had honestly been concerned for me when she said those words.

I felt that the list of people I needed to apologize to had grown by one more.

“If you need to verify, you could send a letter of inquiry to the priestess of the Aurelian Church…”

“There’s no need for that. I’ll just take your word for it.”

“…Thank you.”

As expected, it seemed Harold was just now learning for the first time that I had been unconscious for three whole days.

He must have arbitrarily concluded that I would wake up and return to duty within a day or so.

I had narrowly avoided being treated as a servant defying orders due to this fool’s assumption.

‘In any case, I can’t let my guard down. The father and the son are both…’

If I hadn’t had the knowledge from my previous life, in a situation like the one just now, more and more misunderstandings could have piled up in the blink of an eye.

I was extremely fortunate to remember Harold’s fundamental characteristic of having no interest in anyone else.

“My lord. What was the reason you summoned me for?”

“…Ah, yes. I almost forgot what I needed to discuss due to the misunderstanding.”

As I addressed him while he was about to resume his paperwork right before me, Harold seemed to recall why he had called me to his study.

As his tired-looking eyes met mine, he spoke of why he had summoned me.

“It’s regarding you defeating the Hooked Tusk that broke free from the monster seal scroll three days ago in the commercial district.”

“…Yes.”

“After reviewing Sir Blacksong’s report on the matter, something about it seemed odd, so I wanted to ask.”

….Ah.

Surely not…right?

“It’s been reported that you nearly died while confronting the Gargolium…”

“…Yes.”

“…and that was even after ignoring Sir Blacksong’s advice to retreat from the battle, recklessly throwing yourself into the fray until the very end.”

“…That is correct.”

“I’m curious as to why you made that judgment, so could you explain it to me?”

…Shit.

How the hell am I supposed to explain this…?

T/N

Hello! Axiomatic here.

We are finally back! Thank you so much for waiting. My finals went well, so thanks to everyone who wished me well! I expected all of my other requirements to be done earlier, but I couldn’t update that I went on a trip to Hokkaido in Japan due to limited time after all of my deadlines had passed. Now that I’m back, though, I will definitely have time to add daily chapters in the coming days.

That’s all for now, thanks for reading, and see you in the next one!