episode_0074

From the meeting with Lizzie, the conversation with Seraphine, to the monster wave.

About half a day had passed since the Hwangung Masquerade Ball, where various events took place overnight.

Once the monster wave incident at the Hwangung was over, they immediately began their own investigation.

The monster wave incident at Lake Verdan was suspicious in many ways.

Originally, the occurrence of a monster wave in the capital was an unbelievable story.

After all, there were measures in place to prevent monsters from appearing in the capital, such as the Imperial Capital Guard.

Moreover, the fact that so many monsters emerged from just one lake meant that someone had orchestrated the monster wave.

Perhaps the conclusion would soon be reached that this was the work of the demons.

“It’s just a story that will follow the original plot.”

Although there was a possibility that the story, which had started to deviate somewhere, could suddenly take a different direction.

At the very least, it was likely that they would discover the demons’ involvement in this monster wave.

As they investigated the monster wave, Hwangung was busy in their own way, and rewards for those who had played a role in this monster wave would be given later.

“In the original story, Agnes received the biggest reward, followed by Orion.”

In terms of contributions, Seraphine and Agnes were probably at a similar level, but Seraphine, being of royal blood, received a more formal reward rather than a monetary one.

Next, Agnes would likely receive high praise for selecting Orion to defend against the crisis.

And Kara, who had protected the carriage parking lot near the South Gate, was also scheduled to receive a reward, but she might have been absent due to her sister Lizzie’s issue in the original story.

In the original story, Kara was a character who longed for her sister Lizzie until the end.

“But I don’t know for sure. I can’t know every detail about the characters in the story.”

Honestly, I didn’t know much about the contents of the rewards. They probably received cash or rare materials.

Anyway, with my and Ethan’s involvement, there were various changes in positions in the Hwangung defense case, so the reward process would have been completely altered.

There were six people who played a significant role in this monster wave, so it was likely that these six people would be called during the reward ceremony.

The Shadow Princess Seraphine.

The Sage of Verdant Orion.

The Inferno Agnes.

The Clueless Kara.

The Pig Philosopher Ethan.

And me, the Brave Exclusive Maid Lilith.

…Looking at it this way, Kara and Ethan’s titles seemed quite harsh.

Of course, both of them were originally villains in the story, so it couldn’t be helped, but now that I was organizing it like this, it felt a bit sad.

Well, judging by Kara’s behavior when we last met, her clueless demeanor seemed to remain unchanged, so at least that title wouldn’t be awkward for her now.

However, the title “Pig Philosopher” didn’t seem to fit Ethan at all.

Ethan now was neither a “pig” nor did he show any signs of becoming a villain.

If such a dramatic story change had occurred in the game for Ethan, then undoubtedly his title would have changed to something else.

And while I wasn’t sure about others, at least my title had definitely changed.

Three years ago, when I first checked my information window, my title was “Lowly Maid.”

But now, the title displayed in my information window was “Brave Exclusive Maid.”

Now, even if I were to give Ethan a different title than Pig Confucius at this point, it wouldn’t be that strange.

Of course, even if the title had actually changed, I had no way of confirming it from my perspective.

After all, titles are just a system created to make it easier for players to distinguish characters from their point of view.

In the first place, there has never been a case where I confirmed someone else’s title in this world.

“…But still, even so, Ethan is definitely not Pig Confucius.”

What title would suit the current Ethan, who is no longer Pig Confucius?

Blackwood Noble Ethan? There are not just one or two nobles at the Luminor Academy, and the title of nobleman is too common.

Sword Master’s Son Ethan? In reality, this side is practically Harold’s title as well.

Slimmed-down Ethan, Black-haired Ethan, Swordsmaster Ethan, Huanggung West Gate Guardian Ethan, not me Ethan….

…Come to think of it, Ethan didn’t have a single characteristic that stuck out.

Moreover, the titles that could be attached to him are just elements that other characters also have one or two of.

Looking back, Ethan was a character who had no character traits other than ‘pig’ and ‘mischievous’ in the game.

In fact, now that those two elements are gone from Ethan, something subtle has changed.

Something special that only Ethan has… Hmm….

“…No, why am I even worrying about this?”

Come to think of it, there was no reason for me to worry about Ethan’s title.

After all, there was no way that the title I made up would be reflected in this world.

I just couldn’t help but have the habit of thinking about things like ‘what title does he have’ every time a new character popped up when I was having fun playing as a core gamer in my past life.

…Actually, what’s important now is not Ethan’s changed title.

What I should be worried about is the safety of my entire party.

That’s because I ended up causing quite a commotion in this monster wave.

The reckless act of defeating King Serpent with a mana blast in front of Ethan.

“At that time, it was unavoidable… but….”

If I had hesitated to show my magic there because I didn’t want to, not only me but Ethan and Seraphine would have been in danger.

If the people who could suppress King Serpent had gathered later, there would probably have been more sacrifices than in the original.

If Seraphine and Lillis really died in that incident, then there would be no future for this world.

Of course, in the long run, it was my duty to save the future of the world by using magic.

It was practically impossible for Ethan to not have any doubts about this matter and just move on.

“How should I justify this….”

And so, with a slightly anxious heart, I walked towards Ethan’s room, matching his morning wake-up time.

Hoping deep down in my heart that the method of apology I had prepared would somehow work.

⁎ ⁎ ⁎

What are the ways for a commoner to apologize to a noble when they have committed a sin?

First of all, in my position, it was impossible to use a financial method of persuasion. As a maid in debt, no matter how much money I saved up, I couldn’t silence the Blackwood Noble, Ethan.

Moreover, this time, it was impossible to deceive and get away with words. It would be naive to think that I could deceive him after showing my magic so blatantly in front of him.

Neither money nor verbal deception would work.

With my current status and constraints, the only way I could deal with Ethan was one thing at most.

“…Somehow, there’s no other way but to fill it with my body.”

-Thud!

“This time, I really have no words to say, Master Edan!”

“Me, a maid?!”

“As a mere commoner, not only am I able to use magic, but I sincerely apologize for hiding this fact from you until now, Master!”

-Thud! Thud!

“Wait, maid! Okay, I get it, stop! Stop hitting your forehead on the floor!”

Have you heard the old saying that you don’t spit on a smiling face?

This is just my personal opinion, but that saying is quite wrong in many ways.

Even in the Korean military, you can find plenty of people who spit on a smiling face.

If the wrong person doesn’t get a beating, it’s considered lucky.

So, what are some ways to do wrong and get less of a beating?

Of course, it’s just groveling on the floor before getting beaten.

Those with weak hearts don’t think twice about groveling, and those with dirty personalities show less aggression when someone submits.

Considering that human reactions don’t change just because the world changes, I showed as much remorse as possible and groveled on the floor.

After groveling about five times and apologizing, Edan started to stop me from apologizing.

“I have hidden such an important fact from you, whom I trust, and even if I confess my sins with all my might…”

“Oh, I get it, so stop now! I’m not angry at the maid for this incident!”

“…Is that so?”

“Let’s sit down calmly and talk. Okay? Please.”

Indeed, the best way to gain the upper hand in a conversation is to make the other person feel sorry.

It’s hard to gain the upper hand in a conversation when the other person is feeling sorry.

…Actually, Edan didn’t really do anything wrong to me.

As I stopped hitting my head on the floor as I was told, I moved to the table and started the conversation.

Edan looked me in the eye and began talking about what happened last night at the palace.

“What happened yesterday was a bit surprising.”

“…Is that so.”

“I never imagined that a maid could use such magic. And on such a large scale.”

“I apologize once again for hiding it until now.”

“It’s okay. I wasn’t angry about that earlier. I’m just grateful.”

“…”

“Originally, did you plan to continue hiding it? But if you weren’t a maid, it would have led to greater sacrifices. Thanks to you and Princess Seraphine, I was able to save my life.”

“I’m glad that my magic was able to help you, Master.”

“Yeah. Thank you, maid. I would have wanted to hide it, but you made a big decision.”

This feels a bit strange.

Anyway, Edan’s reaction seemed unaffected by the fact that I had hidden my ability to use magic.

He even seemed to genuinely appreciate that I used magic to defeat King Serpent.

It was a much better situation than the worst-case scenarios I had worried about.

…It was inevitable to think that hitting my head was not in vain.

“So, maid.”

“Yes, Master.”

“I know this question might make the maid uncomfortable, but I feel like I have to ask.”

“What is it, Master?”

“Is the maid perhaps a lady with noble blood somewhere in her lineage?”

….

In the end, the question came.

Faced with Ethan’s cautiously asked question, I found myself once again engulfed in internal conflict.

Should I just shake my head and continue to quietly keep the truth hidden as I have done so far?

…Or should I reveal the bombshell secret that Lillis holds, trusting that Ethan will keep it safe?

It was a moment of certainty that I was facing a once-in-a-lifetime crossroads of choice.