Chapter 14: A Maid’s Unexpected Confession

[Hendel, I heard you’ll be enrolling in the Academy this year. Congratulations on recovering your mana circuit. I eagerly await the day we meet again. -Marine Derfoger-]

‘Cute.’

A letter written in an elegant script.

I smiled softly, stroked the letter, and then rose from my seat.

If things had gone according to the original plan, I would have entered the Academy as soon as I turned 16 and met Marine again.

But unfortunately, the recovery of my mana circuit was delayed, and I ended up entering the Academy a year later than Marine.

‘Marine has changed a lot too.’

Marine, who used to be a tomboyish young lady, matured rapidly as she aged.

When we first parted, she sent letters every day, which was a bit overwhelming, but as she grew, the frequency of her letters gradually decreased.

Thankfully, she visited without fail once every six months, but even that stopped after she enrolled in the Academy.

‘Is this what it feels like when a child leaves the nest?’

I felt proud of Marine for resisting the fate of a villainess and growing into a fine young lady, yet at the same time, a part of me felt a little sad.

I carefully tucked away the letter Marine had sent after a long time since entering the Academy, and then stood up from my chair.

“Kani, let’s depart now.”

“Yes, Young Master.”

Kani, having accumulated years of service, had risen to the position of Head Maid.

Yet, thankfully, she had volunteered to be my personal maid for my academy life.

“All the luggage for departure has been packed.”

“You just need to take care of yourself, Young Master.”

“Okay, thank you.”

Kani, now in her mid-twenties, had also matured mentally.

She occasionally showed glimpses of her former mischievous self, but she seemed to feel a considerable sense of responsibility for her position as Head Maid.

I once saw Kani leading the maids under her command, and annoyingly, I found her a little sexy.

However, it was concerning that she showed no inclination to find a partner, even though she was reaching an age where she should be settling down.

“Kani, when we get to the Academy, don’t just follow me around all the time.”

“Try to find a man.”

Kani’s hand paused for a moment.

“…I have no intention of getting married yet…”

The average age of marriage for Imperial citizens was 17.

While it was often later for commoners, she was nearing a risky age.

“If you wait any longer, you might end up living alone for the rest of your life, you know?”

Kani, who exuded a mature charm as she aged, could probably still snag a noble from a baronet family if she set her mind to it.

But if she got much older, even Kani couldn’t be sure.

“If I can’t get married, I suppose the Young Master will take responsibility for me, right?”

“Pfft.”

This crazy maid!

I thought she had matured after becoming Head Maid, but now that she was stepping down from that role, her original nature was resurfacing.

What was vexing was that Kani’s teasing made me feel embarrassed.

“Ah, you’re blushing.”

“Be quiet.”

Regardless of my mental age, my body was that of an adolescent boy in his prime, so blushing at a beautiful woman’s teasing was a natural reaction.

Yes, it couldn’t be helped.

---

“Departure!”

The carriage began to move at the signal from the escorting knight.

I stared blankly at the rapidly changing scenery outside the window.

Mae-aem, mae-aem.

Cicadas passionately courting to find mates.

I absentmindedly listened to their cries and muttered.

“Even cicadas find mates, but Kani can’t find one.”

“Ack?”

Kani, who had immediately sprawled out in the carriage after stepping down as Head Maid, jumped in surprise.

I stuck my tongue out at Kani to tease her, then immediately put on earplugs, ignoring her subsequent whining.

When I used the strategy of ignoring her to prevent any conversation from even starting, Kani, lamenting the difference in our status, lay down again.

Truly a remarkable maid.

---

The Imperial Academy’s first semester begins in September.

Since it takes about two weeks to get from our territory to the capital, our party departed generously in the first week of August.

“Ugh… so hot…”

Even riding in a carriage, being under the midsummer sun was agonizing.

‘I should have invested more resources into developing an air conditioner…’

Over the past few years, in collaboration with the Karde Magic Tower, I had poured numerous inventions into this world, improving the quality of life for the Empire’s citizens.

However, I just couldn’t manage to develop an air conditioner.

We developed many magical tools similar to air conditioners, but the air conditioner itself was too difficult to develop.

We tried to replicate it forcibly using magic, but the cost-effectiveness was so poor that it was discarded.

“Kani… let’s turn on the cooling fan.”

“Yes!”

Among the cooling devices we developed, the most successful was the cooling fan, which emitted cool air using water or ice.

This cooling fan also required mana batteries, making it so expensive that commoners couldn’t even dream of it, but it was explosively popular among wealthy nobles.

Woo-woong.

When I pressed the operation button, the mana stored in the mana batteries moved, activating the pump.

Sssshhhh.

Mages had tried their best to reduce the noise, but as it was a magically operated device, there was a certain amount of noise.

“Now I can finally live.”

Although the noise was considerable, the effect was good.

The inside of the carriage, which had felt like a sauna, became cool enough to breathe comfortably.

“Go away.”

“Young Master, you’re mean.”

I pushed away the impudent maid who dared to hog the cool breeze by sticking her face in front of it, neglecting her master.

Pushed away from the breeze, Kani pouted, clearly showing she was sulking.

I sighed and patted the seat next to me.

“Don’t block all the cool air by yourself; let’s share it here.”

“Yes!”

Kani promptly sat next to me like a well-behaved puppy.

Perhaps she had sprayed perfume, as Kani exuded a sweet scent.

Cherry? Blueberry?

It was a scent that puzzled even me, despite having smelled various fragrances while being involved in the Magic Tower’s developments.

“Kani, did you put on some perfume?”

“Huh? Do I smell?”

“Yes.”

“I didn’t put anything on, though…”

She said she didn’t put anything on…

It seemed I had smelled Kani’s natural scent and thought it was sweet.

“Sniff sniff, I don’t smell anything particular…”

Kani buried her face in her own chest to check the smell.

I was horrified by Kani’s action.

“Hey, you crazy maid! Who smells their own chest?”

“But, since my chest has the most flesh, this is where I sweat the most. When checking for sweat odor, smelling the chest is good!”

“…”

Unlike this adolescent body of mine, which was arbitrarily conscious of Kani, it seemed Kani didn’t perceive me as a man.

I guessed Kani’s view of me was similar to how I viewed Marine.

It was ambiguous to say Kani raised me, but it was true that she had looked after me since I was young.

If she had been conscious of me as a man, she wouldn’t have engaged in such risky behavior.

Without much thought, I casually slapped Kani’s plump thigh, just like when I was younger.

“Hiccup.”

“…”

What the…

Normally, Kani would whine, and I would placate her, and we’d move on. But contrary to my expectations, Kani was blushing bright red and avoiding my gaze.

‘The atmosphere is strange.’

“I, I’m going to get some air for a bit.”

“Ah… yes…”

In the end, unable to bear the awkward atmosphere, I fled from the carriage.

Mae-aem, mae-aem.

As soon as I stepped out of the carriage, sunlight and the chorus of cicadas poured down.

‘Ah, I’m in big trouble.’

The air was so hot it was hard to breathe.

I bitterly regretted leaving the cool carriage.

‘I should just go back.’

My pride would take a hit if I returned immediately after saying I was going out for some air, but my health was more important than my pride.

“Hiek.”

As I flung the door open, Kani, who had been fidgeting, jumped in surprise.

I scratched my head in embarrassment and made an excuse.

“It was too hot outside, so I just came back.”

“Ah… yes…”

Kani’s red face had returned to its normal color, but she still avoided my gaze.

Well, even if Kani wasn’t conscious of me, touching her thigh would inevitably make her self-conscious.

Kani was a grown adult now; I had been inconsiderate.

I gently patted Kani’s back.

“Heuk.”

“…”

To become this sensitive just from touching her thigh once.

It was a bit bewildering.

“I’m sorry. You’re a grown adult now, and I was inconsiderate.”

“Uh… uh…”

“I just absentmindedly thought of the old days and touched you. I’ll be more careful in the future.”

“N-no!”

“Huh?”

Kani squirmed and made a shy expression.

“I… I liked it, so please keep hitting me in the future.”

“…”

‘What? Did I hear that wrong?’

I had never once doubted my hearing in my entire life, but what Kani had just uttered made me question it.

“Wh-what did you say?”

“I… I liked it, so if the Young Master wishes, please continue to hit…”

“Hey, you crazy maid!”

I hadn’t realized it at all until now, but it seemed my maid possessed quite a perverted taste.

This must all be because she couldn’t get married even though she was of marriageable age.

I resolved that I absolutely had to find Kani a partner once we got to the Academy.