Return to Daily Life (1)

And then, the next day.

Only two days had passed since the monster wave at the Imperial Palace, yet Ethan and I had already returned to our usual routines.

The positions of Ethan, the noble young master of the Blackwood family who receives daily swordsmanship training from Harold, and his exclusive maid, Lilith.

Fortunately, my impersonation of some unknown noble’s illegitimate child didn’t raise much suspicion, as Ethan didn’t press me further about it the next day.

On top of that, I even got his explicit promise to keep my secret, so the situation couldn’t be better for me.

In fact, I felt much more at ease than before. After confiding my secret to Katarina and now Ethan, a weight had been lifted from my chest.

Of course, the fact that I was a Saintess remained a forbidden truth I couldn’t reveal.

This was a secret I’d have to take to the grave. Considering the story of Luminor Academy, seeking refuge with the church at this point was out of the question.

And so, the daily life of Lilith the maid, which had nearly been upended in a single day, returned to its original course without much trouble.

‘I never thought it would actually pass without incident.’

Just two days ago, when I used Mana Blast at the Imperial Palace’s west gate, I never imagined I’d be able to return to this daily life.

Luckily, only two people-Princess Seraphine and Ethan-had seen me use magic head-on, and their cooperation was nothing short of a miracle.

Well, Ethan had spent enough time with me to have some affection, so his cooperation wasn’t too surprising.

But the fact that Seraphine, a princess, chose to protect the secret of a commoner maid like me would undoubtedly seem odd to many.

‘But thinking about Seraphine’s personality, it was actually the obvious choice.’

In Luminor Academy, Seraphine was always a character who acted with the future in mind, prioritizing the lives of the many.

The fact that she came to fetch me instead of Agnes during the incident two days ago was proof of that.

Why would she choose to bring a random commoner maid like me instead of Agnes, a verified mage and heir to the Elizabeth family?

It was because she had foreseen that I would be more cooperative than Agnes.

Originally, in the story, Agnes was the one guarding the west gate of the Imperial Palace. But in this world, it was Ethan Richard Blackwood.

If Seraphine had tried to convince Agnes to abandon the east gate and head to the west gate, it would’ve required lengthy persuasion.

Not to mention the danger the other soldiers at the east gate would’ve faced in the meantime.

‘In contrast, she must have seen in her future vision that I would comply without resistance, so given her personality, she naturally chose Lilith.’

I already knew about Seraphine’s abilities and what would happen at the west gate, so lengthy explanations were unnecessary.

Of course, Seraphine must have also learned a lot about me overnight.

That I knew about her future vision, among other secrets.

In any case, for these reasons, Seraphine chose me over Agnes in that situation.

One of the most crucial aspects of Seraphine’s future vision:

No matter how impossible a future may seem, if Seraphine sees it, it has the potential to occur.

Though her choices can prevent the future she sees, if she chooses to follow that vision, it’s highly likely to come to pass.

Once she saw the future where I used Mana Blast to defeat the King Serpent, the difference in status between a noble mage and a commoner maid no longer mattered to her.

She simply chose the person who would cooperate with her more readily.

Thanks to my immediate compliance, we reached the King Serpent as quickly as possible and minimized the time needed to defeat the boss monster.

Especially since one of the two soldiers who had been swallowed whole by the King Serpent was on the verge of death, my active cooperation undoubtedly helped.

If Agnes had been brought from the east gate to the west gate instead, the casualties could have been much higher in many ways.

Not only would the soldiers swallowed by the King Serpent have died, but perhaps…

“……”

The image of Ethan collapsing after holding out against the King Serpent until the very last moment flashed before my eyes.

The thought that he could have died in that battle two days ago sent a strange pang of fear through me.

In the past, I wouldn’t have cared if he died somewhere, or might have even been glad.

But now, the idea of him nearly dying left me with an oddly unsettled feeling.

‘I don’t particularly want to see Ethan hurt or dead somewhere.’

Well, given the time we’ve spent together, it’s a natural sentiment.

Anyone would grow attached after seeing someone four or five times a day for nearly a year, let alone me, who’s been Ethan’s exclusive maid for almost three years.

The negative feelings I had toward Ethan in the first few months after possessing Lilith had long since faded.

And judging by Ethan’s attitude toward me yesterday, it seems he’s also let go of any ill will toward me.

It’s not strange to not want to see someone you know get hurt or die, right?

As for other reasons… I also felt uneasy at the thought of Ethan suddenly disappearing from my life one day.

According to the original story, Ethan dies in the middle of Part 2-around the winter break between the first and second years at the academy.

With over two years left, Ethan’s life should last at least that long.

So the idea of him dying before the first winter break would be abnormal.

If such a future were to occur, I’d feel an inexplicable guilt.

It would mean that my actions after possessing “Foolish Maid Lilith” had indirectly led to Ethan’s early death.

Moreover, Ethan wasn’t a character who had to die no matter what, despite being a mid-boss in Part 2.

If players chose not to rescue Lilith after the battle with Ethan, there was no need to kill the mid-boss.

Of course, most players would kill Ethan and take Lilith for the sake of the later story.

But some, finding it troublesome, would spare him-and that wasn’t an insignificant number.

Some might hesitate to kill a human who hadn’t even turned into a demon, and more importantly, sparing Ethan allowed players to skip the fight with Harold, the true boss of Part 2.

While Ethan was a detestable villain in Luminor Academy, making his death justifiable, the ensuing battle with Harold left a bitter taste.

Though the mission began to rescue the abused maid Lilith, it ultimately led to killing Harold, the empire’s Sword Master-a conclusion that felt hollow.

The epilogue showing the Blackwood family’s downfall was particularly melancholic.

And since Ethan exits the story after Part 3 regardless of whether he’s killed, his absence doesn’t affect gameplay much beyond Lilith’s presence.

In the original game, after narrowly surviving death, Ethan chooses to leave the academy before Part 3 begins.

Of course, to take Lilith, players had to kill Ethan in the final battle. Having spent 500 hours on Lilith’s route in my past life, I naturally chose to…

‘…No point dwelling on it. It was just a game.’

The detestable Ethan from the game was a different person from the Ethan before me now.

It wasn’t just the difference between a game character and a real person-they were entirely separate beings from start to finish.

Most importantly, the original game’s Ethan met his end as punishment for turning his maid into a sex slave and abusing her.

The current Ethan, far from committing such acts, was practically a savior who had saved countless lives.

Holding his ground at the west gate even as his life hung by a thread was a feat deserving of the highest praise.

Only a sociopath would treat him the same as the detestable Ethan.

In any case, Seraphine’s choice to take me instead of Agnes in that extreme situation narrowly saved Ethan’s life.

In a way, I too was saved by Seraphine’s judgment.

‘Well, everything turned out fine in the end. Let’s just focus on the positives.’

No need to dwell on unpleasant thoughts.

Though the monster wave attack on the Imperial Palace wasn’t without casualties, the scale of damage was far smaller than in the original story.

First, there was Lizzie Lynn August, the precious eldest daughter of the August family, whose life I directly saved.

Though it might seem like just one life, she was the golden child of the August family, so her survival prevented the family’s downfall and further casualties.

The casualties at the other gates were also reduced.

The east gate, originally defended only by palace guards without reinforcements, was on the verge of heavy losses, but Agnes’s arrival prevented major damage.

At the south gate, not only palace guards but also some noble children nearly died, but Seraphine’s timely arrival minimized casualties.

The west gate, where the King Serpent appeared, still suffered heavy losses, but far fewer than in the original story.

In the original plot, Agnes was the sole survivor at the west gate when Seraphine arrived to defeat the King Serpent.

Meaning the entire defense force there would have been wiped out.

In this world, thanks to Ethan and me, some lives were saved-a silver lining.

…And beyond these utilitarian benefits, I also gained some personal rewards.

The 2000 experience points from defeating the King Serpent.

Thanks to that, Lilith leveled up three times in one go.

『Name: Lilith Rosewood

Title: Brave Exclusive Maid

Gender: Female

Age: 22

Occupation: Exclusive Maid

Affiliation: Blackwood Family Servant

Attack: 13 → 23

Defense: 19 → 34

Intelligence: 14 → 25

Charm: 44 → 79

Luck: 1 → 2

Current Level: 6 → 9

Remaining EXP: 657

Current Skills >>

Clean

Shockwave

Mana Arrow

Mana Blast

Current HP: 52 / 52 → 94 / 94

Current MP: 941 / 941 → 1694 / 1694』

Not receiving rewards for defeating the King Serpent at the Imperial Palace? Who cares.

I’m already over the moon with just this.