episode_0008

My name is Betty, I am turning 12 this year and I am a maid from the Bergé family. No… it might be more correct to say ‘she was a maid’.

To be honest, I was proud of working for the Bergé family, the work was comfortable, and most of all, it had the best facilities, so I wanted to stay and live there forever.

However, due to the orders of the damn old man, I ended up in the tragedy of having to follow the head of the family, the former head of the family, to the countryside.

Actually, it’s not that I don’t like the head of the family. Our matriarch was the only nobleman who did not punish his subordinates when they accidentally stepped on their feet or were caught talking behind their backs. Some say it’s because they basically don’t have any interest in those below them, and others say it’s because they see us as lower than ants, but at least I’ve never seen them get angry.

Yes, he is such a gentle person… but he is that kind of person…

“The head of the family, no, Raoul…?”

“What’s going on?”

“Are you in a very bad mood?”

“What is my purpose in asking such a question?”

“Your expression has been looking bad since a while ago…”

“If I had to ask, it’s neither good nor bad.”

To be honest, I feel like I’m dying of awkwardness. I think it would be 10,000 times more comfortable to sit next to the driver. To begin with, the head of the family is not a very bright person from the outside.

Pale skin with no trace of life, empty eyes without warmth or light and shadowy eyes, an androgynous face that is both beautiful and handsome, black tied hair that looks like it belongs to a woman rather than a man, and a clear low voice despite the cold tone. A voice that can be heard, a body that is not thin but has beautiful lines.

Honestly, it’s beautiful, but it’s so gloomy and scary that you could almost say it’s a ghost.

“… But if my face and expression are that uncomfortable.”

The matriarch suddenly changed her posture and squatted down, putting her face between her knees. And he looked at me with his empty eyes that were faintly visible above his knees and said,

“Raul…?”

“If I do this, my expression won’t be visible, so it won’t be uncomfortable for either of us.”

And as I heard, he was more eccentric than you could imagine. The greatest eccentric in the empire, whose actions and words are uncontrollable.

But… for some reason, he didn’t seem like a cowardly or shady person. It’s different from what other maids and servants say.

###

As time passed, the night came when the horses could not see, and we had to get out of the carriage and sleep in the open.

I and the driver were fine, but I was worried about the head of the family.

“That coachman… Is it okay for someone like Raoul to sleep on the street…?”

“Kid. Do you know how many years that person has been fighting on the battlefield?”

“Ah…!”

The matriarch nonchalantly dipped the end of the firewood into whale oil and lit it by simply snapping her fingers.

“… Is everything like that when you go to the battlefield?”

“At least I can’t do that.”

Since I hadn’t eaten anything all day, I wanted to eat something. Whether it’s the head of the household, the coachman, or me, we all have to eat to survive.

” Man, there’s a box with ingredients in the back of the carriage. Please take it out.”

“In the middle of a forest like this, food is easily passed around.”

“No one can live without eating, no matter whether they are noble or lowly, right?”

“Just from what you’re saying, you’d think he’s a mercenary who’s been on the battlefield for 10 years.”

The coachman clicked his tongue and took out a box full of ingredients.

“Huh?”

The box the driver took out was empty.

“I definitely loaded a box full of ingredients last night…!”

“This is the work of those who hate the head of the family. It must have been the work of the maids who served the young lady.”

“Yes…? Why on earth…?”

“How would I know what dark things are thinking? Are you trying to impress the next head of the family by doing something like this? Anyway, bitches like hyenas.”

I wasn’t particularly interested in whether they were hyenas or wolves.

The only thing that mattered was that I was going to starve.

“… What’s going on?”

“Raul, that’s it…”

“It looks like there is no food.”

“Sorry, I will take responsibility and at least pick the fruit…!”

“That’s it.”

Now I’m stuck and dead. Even if you don’t get angry when someone steps on your toes, it’s clear that you will get angry if you go hungry.

“Are there any ingredients that everyone dislikes?”

“Yes…”

“If there is nothing in particular, get it.”

The head of the family walked into the forest without saying a single word. With bare hands and no hunting tools.

“Are you okay…”

“Okay. I wonder if you can come back properly without a torch.”

“No, I wonder if you will succeed in the hunt…”

“… Food takes priority over my master.”

“You’re all trying to make a living, right?”

Less than an hour later, the head of the family returned with an expression as if nothing had happened. At first, I wondered what kind of hunting would be possible on a night like this, so I decided to count myself lucky that the matriarch returned safely.

“Unfortunately, I couldn’t find anything like a wild boar.”

Until I saw the sack that the matriarch had put down.

Seven quail, two rabbits, one freshwater fish and edible mushrooms and various fruits.

… How on earth did you catch this? Now that the sun is out and there’s no light, you can’t see anything? And how on earth did you catch a bird without a bow or something?

Or rather, where on earth did the bag that contained those things come from? You obviously started with bare hands, right?

“Raul, I wonder if it’s too much for us to eat…”

“The fruit is for the horses. There seems to be some hay, but they seem to be tired from the heat, so I thought it would be better to give them some fruit.”

“Yes. Then, we will do the basic preparations, so I think it would be better for Raoul to get some rest.”

“No.”

The head of the family took out a small knife and strangled a live quail.

“I do it. You must have driven the carriage all day, so take a break.”

The matriarch’s dish was quite sumptuous. The meat was soaked in the juice of an unknown fruit, and there was not even a foul smell to be found, let alone a delicious taste.

“… Raoul, this is really great. This is my first time eating such delicious meat in my life.”

“That’s too much praise.”

“It’s not an over-praise, but… By the way, don’t you eat it, matriarch?”

“One fruit is enough for me.”

Naturally, the remaining meat belonged to me and the coachman, and we ate too much in the middle of the forest.

“… You eat well.”

“You never know when you might starve, so my motto is to eat as much as I can while I can.”

“I see.”

It was a joke I made with the expectation of getting a laugh, but the head of the house neither laughed nor got angry. He just squatted down and stared at the bonfire.

Seeing the matriarch like this makes me wonder if the matriarch’s nickname is an exaggeration. The head of the family was not a coward, nor did he view his subordinates as lesser than dogs, nor was he the type of person to pass on his work to someone else. No, he was actually quite the opposite.

“I…”

The moment I was about to ask the head of the family about that, I heard a growling sound from my stomach.

“Can I go to the bathroom?”

“Don’t go too far.”

“Yes, I understand.”

Of course, as I said, I was also a lady. I couldn’t let the man outside hear the sound of a pretty girl like me going to the bathroom, so I deliberately walked to a far away place to do something.

“Phew…”

But then the trees around along with the bushes began to shake.

“Why is the wind so loud…”

“Krrr…!”

Unfortunately, it wasn’t the wind but a magical beast.

“Such a dwarf…!”

And I knew the identity of those demonic beasts. The Horned Tiger, a huge tiger with horns on its head, is a monster so famous that I know it, and its skin and horns are traded at a high price.

Of course, it was a strong beast that only a fairly strong adventurer could form a party to catch it.

And now that horned tiger…

“No matter how I look at it, it’s not enough for 15 people.”

It seems that the scent of my business attracted as many as fifteen horned tigers.

I guess the head of the family also told us not to go far away because of these things. They say that if you listen to adults, you can make snacks even while you sleep, and it seems that these tigers listen to adults well and can make snacks even in their sleep.

“Krrr!!!!”

I closed my eyes tightly as the horned tiger ran towards me.

“In my next life, I will be born into a noble family! Damn it!”

“It’s a simple dream.”

“…?”

When I opened my tightly shut eyes, the horned tiger that had tried to attack me was rolling around on the ground. And that too, with his head disappearing without a trace.

And the head of the family, with blood on his palms, was staring at me.

“It’s quite simple to make such a wish.”

“Raul…? Are you just killing the horned tiger…? And that too all at once…?”

“If it hadn’t killed you, it would have bitten off the back of your neck. I personally did not wish to do so, so I used force. Is there a problem?”

It wasn’t that there was a problem.

I was just curious as to how on earth they could kill a horned tiger that couldn’t be affected even when struck with a mace.

“Stay behind me.”

And the head of the family walked towards the place where the group of horned tigers was holding a staff.

“I will respect the laws of your world, which are deeper and stricter than those I know. And I apologize for the rudeness of my servant who entered your territory without permission.”

And the head of the family raised his blood-stained right hand.

“But still, if you are going to show your sweet teeth in the end, I will respond accordingly. Little cats.”

Then the frightened horned tigers ran away at once as if they were real cats, and only then was I able to breathe a sigh of relief.

It seemed that not all of the matriarch’s nicknames were exaggerated.

Dragon Slayer, Apocalypse of Giants, Saltwater Fisherman, Earth Demon, and Behemoth Hunter. I felt like I had some idea of how he got these nicknames.

“… Raoul. But it’s quite far away, so how did you know and come here so soon?”

“I heard your voice and the cries of the demon beasts.”

It seemed that the head of the family had a very good ear.

“And the smell was also an important clue.”

“Yes…?”

When I understood the meaning, I couldn’t overcome my shame and ended up screaming.

“Aaaah!!!”

And I think I understand a little why the head of the family is called a frustrating person.