Chapter 7
“……”
A brief silence passed.
What’s going on?
Both Bianca and the other maids were just staring at me with rabbit-like, wide eyes.
I looked down at the laundry basket, now shattered to pieces, and finally realized.
‘Ah, are they angry because I broke an imperial palace item?’
That would make sense. They should have said so sooner.
I opened my mouth to apologize.
“Sorry……”
But before I could even finish apologizing, Bianca suddenly came running, her muscular body shaking.
She grabbed my hand tightly and shouted in a moved voice.
“Big Sis!”
“…Pardon?”
“May I call you Big Sis?”
“Why… why?”
“Anyone stronger than me is my Big Sis.”
Her eyes were shining like an explorer who had discovered a new continent.
I avoided her intensely burning gaze and replied.
“…But I’m a woman.”
“Okay, sister.”
“How old are you, if I may ask?”
“A youthful twenty-three.”
“You’re five years older than me. Sorry, but calling you sister is a bit…….”
“Ah, I don’t care. Anyone stronger than me is my sister.”
This is trouble. She’s unreasonable.
“But didn’t you just call me a ‘crazy newbie’ earlier?”
“sister, I didn’t take you for the petty type.”
So, does that mean the initiation ritual is something done by big-hearted people?
Then, she linked arms with me, her muscular arm tight against mine.
…It was solid.
She looked at me, surprised, and asked.
“sister, what kind of exercise do you do? You don’t look it, but your arms are packed with muscle.”
“I don’t do any exercise.”
“What, that’s not fair. sister, you don’t look the type to be stingy about it? Well, whatever. I’ll find out eventually, I guess.”
Is my opinion unimportant……?
“Anyway, you’ll be my sister from now on, right?”
“If I become your sister, do I still have to do the initiation ritual?”
“Of course not. In fact, you could make me do an initiation ritual now.”
What?
“…You’re joking, right?”
“Huh?”
I glanced at Bianca, but her expression was utterly sincere.
Even the maids surrounding her were looking at me with flushed faces.
‘They’re insane.’
…Somehow, I felt drained.
I hurriedly wrapped up my first encounter with her.
“Well, I should be going now. I have something urgent to attend to.”
“Ah, sister, you said you’re from the Prince’s Palace, right? That must be tough.”
Somehow, her tongue seemed a bit twisted—or was that my imagination?
…I hope it was my imagination.
“No, it’s manageable. Well, then, I’ll be on my way……”
“sister! Take care! Next time we meet, let’s say hello properly!”
Amid the enthusiastic farewells from Bianca and the other maids, I headed towards Vesti.
…Somehow, I had a feeling today was going to be a long day.
Vesti was taken aback the moment she saw me. Apparently, very few maids lasted even a day at the Eclipsia Palace.
She only relaxed after asking me several times if I was really okay.
“But I heard Bianca’s group tried their initiation ritual again? Are you alright?”
“Yes, it was fine.”
“You’re the first person to say it was ‘fine.’ Bianca can be immature, so please try to understand. I’ll give her a proper scolding.”
“Ah, there’s no need for that……”
“No, it’s fine. I’ve been meaning to anyway, so don’t worry about it.”
“…Okay.”
Looking at the sharp glint in Vesti’s eyes, I prayed for Bianca’s peace.
“By the way, were there any clothes that were difficult to wash?”
“There weren’t any particularly difficult ones, but……”
After thinking for a moment, I added.
“There was one outfit that was exceptionally soft. I remember it was tricky because I didn’t know how to wash that specific fabric.”
“Ah, that’s probably fabric from the Libeti region. It’s popular for its soft touch, elegant sheen, and excellent breathability.”
“I see.”
“There’s a dedicated detergent for that fabric. You need to dissolve it in lukewarm water and wash it by kneading it gently. I’ll show you next time.”
“Yes, thank you.”
After our brief conversation, I received my first training as a new maid.
It was cooking.
“Rosie, try slicing this apple.”
Whoosh!
“No… I said slice it, don’t crush it in your grip?”
“I am trying, but……”
Regardless of my intentions, I had ruined the lesson.
Handling ingredients without breaking or crushing them is really difficult.
It made me newly appreciate how impressive chefs are.
“…Phew.”
While teaching me to cook, she occasionally sighed with a worried expression.
While clearing away the mashed apple, I asked her.
“Is something wrong?”
“Ah, sorry. We got a request from the Imperial Library to clean a certain book, and that book is a bit of a headache.”
“A book?”
“That book is……”
Vesti, pushing her glasses up, began explaining about the book.
The brilliant strategist ‘Adrian Kreutz’, who assisted Emperor Raven during the empire’s founding, imbued a book with preservation magic to contain his knowledge and the empire’s history.
The book’s name was ‘The Endlessly Lamenting Tome’.
The magic on the book continued recording history even after Adrian’s death, and over the long years, the book began to develop a personality of its own.
“The problem is, that personality is utterly foul.”
“Pardon? What did you say?”
“Foul. Just foul.”
She didn’t need to say it twice……
I was taken aback because such blunt language seemed unlike the proper Vesti.
Whether I was shocked or not, she continued.
“That book needs to be cleaned once every hundred years. But it refuses, deliberately flying around while dust flies off it, and it demands you answer a quiz correctly just to catch it.”
“The librarians must all be highly educated; can’t they just answer the quiz?”
“According to the librarians, the quiz questions seem specifically picked from parts like the second-to-last line on page 329 of historical studies textbooks, and even then, the parts that say see appendix.”
That’s unnecessarily specific……
“So, you’re saying it’s hard to answer correctly?”
“Yes. They asked for my help, but I’m not sure what to do either.”
“How was it cleaned until now?”
“We used to summon about 20 knights of Captain rank and 30 mages, forcibly bring it onto a magic circle, and then……”
“Doesn’t that level of effort threaten the security of the Castium Empire……?”
“Right. So we can’t do that anymore.”
Her expression darkened.
And in front of her still lay the messy remnants of the eggshells I had broken and the sweet potatoes I had turned to mush.
I felt a bit guilty.
“…I’ll help you.”
“You, Roji? Really? Do you have a method?”
“It’s not that I have a method.”
I answered with a serious face.
“But if I, a mere maid, go and try something, and if it doesn’t work out, then the Head Librarian will probably understand that maids aren’t helpful for book cleaning and won’t bother you about it anymore.”
“Oh.”
Vesti’s eyes sparkled.
“For a newbie, you seem suspiciously well-versed in office politics.”
“Yes. And also, because I’ve been… using up a lot of ingredients……”
“…So you are aware.”
“Pardon?”
“Nothing. Then, I’ll take you to the library.”
“Ah, yes.”
I followed her towards the library.
At the library entrance, an elderly man was pacing in circles as if the soles of his feet were on fire.
Without hesitation, I pointed at him and said.
“Uh, look, there’s a homeless person in the imperial palace……”
“Head Librain Haber, you’re here already?”
Vestie hurriedly ran towards him. I shut my mouth tight as a clam.
As she approached Haber, she looked back at me and asked.
“But Rosie, what did you say?”
“I didn’t say anything.”
“Strange. I’m sure I heard something……”
Just then, Haber turned towards us.
Snow-white hair tied back impeccably. A long beard reaching his chest.
Sharp blue eyes shining behind thin gold-rimmed glasses.
An indigo robe long enough to touch the floor, with ink stains here and there.
Seen up close, he was the spitting image of a Head Librarian.
Yes, one would expect a high level of dignity and etiquette to be ingrained in him……
I bent my body to show respect.
But at that moment, he suddenly pointed a finger at me and demanded.
“Is it really her?”
“Pardon?”
“Did you bring this kid to catch the ‘Endlessly Lamenting Tome’?”
Kid……
I’ve been called a murder weapon, a human cleaning machine, the Princess of the Lab, but ‘kid’ was a first. It felt refreshing.
It also made it feel more real.
Here, I am not ‘Ark’, the secret assassin of the Iblis Empire.
I am just an ordinary human, ‘Rosie’.
“Her name is Rosie. She just started yesterday, but you wouldn’t believe how good she is at her work. I vouch for her, just give her a chance.”
“She started yesterday? Damn it. Nero, the library cat who’s been here ten years, could do a better job. Right, Nero?”
At that, the black cat sitting beside him let out a long meow.
“Meow.”
“See? He even answers. So, what can that kid do?”
“…I can answer too, you know.”
“Are you talking back to me now?”
You’re the one who asked, I wanted to retort, but Vesti gave my arm a sharp tap.
It seemed to carry the meaning, ‘If you don’t shut up now, it won’t be Bianca who gets scolded, it’ll be you.’
As I closed my mouth, Haber spoke again.
“Ha, the newbies these days are so full of nerve. I guess she doesn’t know just how notorious the ‘Endlessly Lamenting Tome’ is.”
Snorting, he approached the library door and said in a haughty voice.
“Then see for yourself. Seeing it will change your mind.”
The library door opened. Our gazes shot upwards towards the ceiling…
And simultaneously, our eyes widened.
