episode_0042

A week passed since then.

At a time when I thought I had avoided crisis by indirectly rejecting Edan’s kindness towards me and returned to my ordinary daily life.

Tired of being cooped up in my room every day doing nothing but knitting, I decided to take a walk for a change of pace since the weather was nice.

…Although this “walk” mostly consisted of strolling around the front yard of the mansion and its surroundings at best.

Even if Lillis wasn’t just a debt maid, she would have been able to climb up to the back hill of the mansion, and if that were possible, she probably would have done so.

The status of being a debt maid for another 5 to 6 years was still a significant constraint and weakness for me.

Nevertheless, after experiencing this status for about a year, my mindset had become somewhat more relaxed compared to before.

“And if it were the original game, Edan’s training would have started early on, but now there doesn’t seem to be any sign of that happening.”

I was somewhat convinced that due to the wooden sword training, the storyline from the original game had changed significantly.

Honestly, if one didn’t change even after almost dying to their exclusive maid, would they still be considered human?

Anyway, the main reason I pushed myself and hurried to become stronger was to build resistance before Edan could overpower me with his strength.

There was no need for Maid Chief to lecture me unnecessarily now that Edan wasn’t doing anything foolish against me.

Of course, I hadn’t completely abandoned my obsession with leveling up.

“Just raise it when the opportunity comes. If it doesn’t come, it’s fine even after leaving Blackwood Mansion.”

One year out of seven, plus roughly a month. If I could endure the remaining 5 years and 11 months, Lillis Rosewood would be free.

Of course, once that much time passed, Lillis would be around 25 to 26 years old, not an incredibly young age.

After all, this world was set in a medieval fantasy background, where women typically married early at a young age.

Unless they were noble ladies or attended prestigious educational institutions like academies, common peasant women usually married and managed households in their late teens to early twenties as a common practice.

…But well, that didn’t concern me.

“After all, I have no intention of engaging in a hundred-year marriage with a man.”

On the contrary, talents mattered more than age when it came to becoming an adventurer or starting a business; reaching twenty-five wasn’t much of a barrier.

In fact, among female adventurers, there were cases where they remained active for quite a long time without having children.

I didn’t have any ambitious goals to leave my genes behind in the future in this world, so there was no reason to be anxious.

I just had to endure the remaining time well, become an adventurer or pursue another profession, and make a fresh start.

And if I were to choose, it would be a job like an adventurer where I could freely use magic.

“What about the concept of a secret wizard who conceals their face with a hood while operating? Once people know you can use magic, most would assume you’re a noble, so there would hardly be men easily approaching just by seeing your chest…”

Thus, while designing my own future plans, I was halfway through walking around the mansion yard.

During this stroll, something, like a long stick, made a sound cutting through the wind, catching my ear by chance.

“…Huh?”

Different from the natural sound of the wind, this unfamiliar noise piqued my curiosity, leading me to move my steps towards the direction of the sound as it didn’t seem too far from the walking path.

-Whiiing! Whiiing!

“Edan, faster! Do you think you can handle Blackwood’s sword with just that level of skill?!”

“Aaah…!”

-Whizz! Whizz! Whizz!

…What, he was just a Blackwood rich man.

Edan vigorously swung his sword in the corner of the courtyard behind the Blackwood mansion.

And Harold, supervising Edan’s swordplay.

It was an alien sight that his mind couldn’t quite grasp, but upon closer inspection, it wasn’t all that strange.

“So, Edan is really taking swordsmanship lessons from Harold these days.”

There had been rumors circulating for a few days about ‘the young master changing again,’ so I thought I might have to show some respectful behavior somewhere.

I never expected Edan to be learning something like swordsmanship from Harold this time.

Honestly, seeing him swing a sword with that awkward body like a ball was somewhat amusing, but when I thought about Edan as a boss battle in a game, he didn’t seem so comical after all.

“He was quite formidable as a boss in the Release Conquest.”

No matter how untrained he was, nobility was nobility.

Especially being a scion of the Blackwood family specializing in body enhancement magic.

It was a bit funny to see him swinging a pair of swords with that pig-like bulky body, but regardless, in terms of difficulty, he was like a boss-level character at the very beginning of the game.

Considering the rear support of Release, marked with the stigma of a slave during the boss battle, one could argue.

In fact, in that sense, Harold standing next to Edan, teaching swordsmanship with a stern expression, seemed more alien than Edan swinging a sword, unlike his usual demeanor as a father figure.

No matter how absurd the demands Edan made were, I had to comply, but when it came to swordsmanship training, there was no compromise.

His personality wasn’t particularly sharp, so outwardly, excluding character traits, he seemed more normal.

The problem was that if dealt with in that manner, it wouldn’t be long before other issues arose, a thought that casually crossed my mind.

I’m not sure when Edan stopped learning swordsmanship from Harold in the game, but assuming it was around the time of Tanashia’s death, it would have been about 3 to 4 years, plus the mandatory gap of 5 years due to the curse and the hazy year after waking up.

Even excluding the nearly 10 years he spent asleep due to the curse, he had almost left the sword untouched for 5 years, considering Edan’s current physical age, starting swordsmanship wasn’t much different.

So, it makes sense to start with the basics of swordplay like swinging.

Training someone who has barely held a sword in a Spartan style without proper conditioning could lead to serious injuries.

However, such training methods seemed unlikely to last long in my view.

Just as in real life, when starting exercise, gradually increasing physical stress allows for long-term sustainability.

If you subject someone who has just picked up a sword to Spartan-style training, they are likely to burn out quickly.

-Thud.

“Hah, hah, enough….”

“Get up, Edan. We’ve only finished one round.”

“Huff, huff, huff….”

“…If you don’t pick up your sword right now, we’ll start today’s training all over again.”

-Crash.

Edan, picking up the dropped sword and rising from his position at Harold’s strict training declaration.

Despite being a Sword Master himself, one wonders if it’s a bit too much. He might end up catching his own son at this rate.

“Do not hesitate, and start quickly.”

“Ugh, ugh…!”

Edan, forced by Harold’s firm attitude, reluctantly grasped the sword again and swung it.

Nevertheless, if it had been his usual self, he would have probably given up and collapsed long ago. However, perhaps due to etiquette training, he seemed to possess some degree of determination.

…But following Harold’s strict methods, it would likely spread again in a matter of days.

Harold could possibly be advised to not push the training regimen too hard for the sake of his child, but I, with my current status as Edan’s exclusive maid, was in no position to offer such advice. Just a year ago, I was nothing more than a commoner girl from a lower maid background.

The likelihood of Harold taking my advice seriously was close to zero.

Frankly, Edan dropping the sword might even be better for me.

“At least there won’t be any incidents where I’m pushed around by that Edan.”

I had no intention of cheering them on or causing interference, so I retraced my steps in the opposite direction, making sure not to catch the attention of the two.

Whether that brat continues the Blackwood swordsmanship or not, it’s their business to figure out.

***

After finishing a short walk in the courtyard within the mansion walls with a somewhat uneasy feeling,

As I returned inside the mansion and was about to head back to the private waiting room upstairs, I heard a voice calling my name from behind.

“Lilith Rosewood.”

Turning my head towards the voice, as expected, there stood the assistant steward who seemed to lack some emotions.

He seemed deliberately uncomfortable, avoiding eye contact with my chest, and staring at me with uneasy eyes.

“….”

“….”

Oh, right, the name.

Damn, what was it? It was around five letters.

Feeling pressured by his expectant gaze, I blurted out the first five-letter name that came to mind.

“…Zekefreet Assistant Steward?”

“It’s Dietmayer Colin Evercroft.”

“I-I apologize.”

Although I blurted out the first name that came to mind, none of the letters matched. Still, the overall tone was somewhat similar, so maybe there was some progress compared to before.

Despite having such disrespectful thoughts in front of the person, Assistant Steward Dietmayer continued without changing his expression and extended a letter envelope towards me.

“This is a letter from the Blackwood Territory Guard for you, Lilith Rosewood.”

“I understand.”

Come to think of it, ever since Edan started etiquette training half a year ago, numerous letters regarding Edan had started pouring in.

Most of them were related to potential engagements with the still unoccupied fiancée position of the Blackwood family heir.

Noble families trying to hastily engage their young daughters just based on the Blackwood family name were not uncommon, but with the news of Edan receiving etiquette training, more people openly expressed their desires, hoping to persuade him directly through letters.

“If that brat just picks any noble lady and gets engaged, it might make things easier for me.”

It might reduce the chances of unwanted advances towards me.

Of course, this would also depend on Edan’s discretion when dealing with potential fiancées from other noble families.

But why would a sudden letter arrive from the Blackwood Territory Guard to Edan?

“I will make sure to deliver this letter to Lord Ethan Doyeon.”

Well, things happening within the Blackwood Territory are none of my concern.

With that thought in mind, Zeke… accepted the letter from Vice Steward Dietmayer.

While heading upstairs to the mansion’s upper floor, I heard Vice Steward calling me from behind once again.

“Just a moment, Miss Lillith Rosewood.”

“Yes?”

“This letter is not intended for Lord Ethan Richard Blackwood. Please verify the recipient of the letter correctly.”

“…What?”

Perplexed, I glanced at the names of the recipient and sender written on the envelope once, trying to understand the meaning of Vice Steward’s instruction.

“To Miss Lillith Rosewood, from Ser Blacksong.”

What is this about? Why would this nobleman send me a letter?