The Sword Bears Will (2)

「To Miss Lilith Rosewood, from Ser Blacksong」

“……”

The moment I confirmed that the unexpected letter from an unexpected person was addressed to me, my mind momentarily went blank.

Ser Blacksong… if I recall correctly, he was the security captain or something of the Blackwood territory guards.

Since his was the first name I saw after waking up in the church after being knocked unconscious by the Hookfang attack, I could vaguely remember him.

And given that I’m not the type to easily forget those who’ve done me favors.

The fact that I could safely receive treatment at the church after being knocked out by a monster, that he might have covered the treatment fees that would have burdened Isabelle or Katarina, and naturally being able to receive payment for the Hookfang materials I’d otherwise have had to abandon-all of that was thanks to this man.

And what were the last words I said to this security captain before losing consciousness…

‘Fuck off! Just get lost!’

‘I’ll finish this bastard off myself! Take one more step and I’ll…!!’

“……”

The more I recalled it, the more my face burned with shame at how shameless and ungrateful my past behavior had been.

Thinking about it, this Ser Blacksong was just doing his job as a territory guard.

From his perspective, he’d tried to rescue a helpless maid only to get cursed at and then ended up handling the aftermath-how absurd must that have felt at the time?

Honestly, given what I’d done, it wouldn’t have been strange if I’d woken up in the church to find a letter of complaint instead of a greeting.

…In that sense, this letter also began to feel strangely burdensome to open.

For some reason, I had a premonition that the moment I opened it, this Ser Blacksong would bring up that incident and give me a piece of his mind.

‘…Well, it was my own fault. If he wants to reprimand me for what happened then, I should accept it graciously.’

It was a bit puzzling why he’d send a complaint about an incident that happened nearly a year ago, but in any case, this was someone who’d risen to the position of security captain of Blackwood territory.

From Lilith’s perspective, he was undoubtedly a person of considerable standing whom she couldn’t possibly defy.

Ignoring a letter from such a person might lead to unforeseen problems later, so I carefully opened the envelope in a slightly nervous state and unfolded the letter to check its contents.

「To Lilith Rosewood.

Regarding your subjugation of the Hookfang that appeared in Blackwood Territory’s commercial district on the fifteenth day of the fifth month last year, I once again express my gratitude and, with great presumption, write this letter to make a request of you.

If you have the time, I would be most grateful if you could visit the Blackwood Territory Guard Security Office at your convenience sometime this month.

It will not take much of your time, and if you inform me of a specific date by letter, I will arrange for a carriage and escort to bring you from Blackwood Manor.

Ser Blacksong, Security Captain of Blackwood Territory Guard」

Hmm…

Still not sure what this is about.

Since the introduction is about expressing gratitude for defeating the Hookfang, it seems he fortunately isn’t trying to interrogate me about that incident.

Rather, it feels like a simple letter making some other request, judging by its tone.

The fact that he’s even offering to send a carriage and escort suggests he must have something important to discuss.

As for what business this Lilith could possibly have with the territory guards that would require her presence…

‘Does he want me to perform a morale-boosting song and dance show for the guards?’

If that’s the request, my answer would obviously be NO. As if I’d willingly make a spectacle of myself in front of a bunch of men.

While I don’t particularly mind if they sneak glances at my chest-that’s unavoidable-I’d rather die than actively become eye candy for other men.

The problem is that based solely on this letter, there’s no way to tell whether this Ser guy is summoning me for that kind of request or for some other reason.

All I could do was stand there quietly, holding the letter, lost in thought.

“What does it say that has you so troubled, Miss Lilith Rosewood?”

‘Holy shit, you scared me.’

Dietmeyer’s still here.

Apparently, my troubled expression while holding the letter seemed odd, as the deputy head butler tilted his head and asked me about it.

After hesitating over whether to disclose the letter’s contents, I gave him a vague answer.

“Security Captain Ser Blacksong of the Blackwood Territory Guard has summoned me to the Security Office.”

“Captain Ser Blacksong summoned you, Miss Lilith Rosewood?”

“Yes.”

“Is it regarding last year’s monster subjugation incident?”

“I’m not sure. The letter doesn’t specify the details. But it’s probably related to that.”

Because, in the original story, Lilith would never have had any reason to visit the Blackwood Territory Guard Security Office.

In 『Luminor Academy』, it was mentioned that the villain always kept Lilith within his grasp, so there’s no way he would have taken her outside the manor.

Especially not all the way to the territory guard headquarters, which is quite a distance from the manor.

In fact, even in Lilith’s own memories (not my “past life” memories), the only time she’d met Ser was during that incident in May of last year.

So there’s a 99% chance his summons is related to that.

Given that he seemed like a gentlemanly person, I had a gut feeling he wasn’t the type to summon someone just to use them as entertainment for his soldiers.

Of course, I wouldn’t know for sure until I actually met him.

‘I do owe him a lot, so I should repay the favor at some point…’

Part of me wanted to visit the territory guard as soon as possible, but the problem was that Lilith was still a debt-bound maid.

On top of that, I was currently serving as Ethan’s exclusive maid, so I couldn’t just respond to the summons at will.

I’d need permission from Head Maid Melissa to go out, then get daily leave approval from Ethan-only after all that could I even think about sending a reply to the Blackwood Guard.

It was a stark reminder of just how complicated it was for Lilith to make even a simple outing.

…Though, to be fair, the biggest reason for these restrictions was last year’s incident where I recklessly fought a level 10 monster and nearly died.

‘If I weren’t a debt-bound maid, I would’ve sent a reply right away saying I’d visit on my next day off.’

Damn this cursed status-it’s stopping me from doing even the simplest things.

It’s truly frustrating that I can’t even properly thank someone who helped me, all because of my circumstances.

“Do you intend to respond to the summons, Miss Lilith Rosewood?”

“You know my status, Deputy Head Butler. I’m not in a position to respond to summons as I please.”

“But given your excellent work ethic, surely you could obtain permission from the head maid if you wished?”

“After nearly dying to the Hookfang during my last outing, I doubt the head maid would ever approve another leave request.”

“…Is that so?”

“Yes. And besides the head maid, I’d also need to discuss leave with the Young Master, so arranging a schedule seems nearly impossible.”

“If scheduling were the only issue, would you be willing to respond to the security captain’s summons?”

“I’d love to give a positive answer. I owe Captain Ser Blacksong a great deal from the Hookfang incident, and even without this letter, I felt I should eventually apologize and thank him… but…”

“…Hmm, so that’s how you feel.”

…Huh?

At some point, Dietmeyer’s voice had changed, sending a chill down my spine.

I realized it wasn’t just my imagination a moment later.

“Captain Ser Blacksong of the territory guard… I had no idea our maid had such connections.”

“…Young Master Ethan? Have you finished your swordsmanship training?”

“Just now. Training directly under Father is never easy.”

Ethan, sweating profusely as if he’d crammed a lifetime’s worth of training into one session.

I’m not sure how many days this has been going on, but at least he seems capable of enduring Harold’s lessons for now.

Given Ethan’s personality in 『Luminor Academy』, I couldn’t say for sure how long this would last.

“So, maid.”

“Yes?”

“How do you know Captain Ser?”

“I briefly met him when I went to the commercial district with my colleagues during a day off. It was during that incident where a monster sealing scroll was broken in the middle of the district…”

It wasn’t something I needed to hide, and Dietmeyer would probably explain it anyway if I didn’t, so I recounted the Hookfang subjugation incident from May of last year to Ethan without much hesitation.

“…That happened?”

“Yes.”

“Th-that was dangerous! It’s a good thing it ended safely, but what if something had gone wrong…!”

“That was a year ago, Young Master Ethan. No need to waste worry on the past.”

“Still, Lilith is my exclusive maid now.”

“Back then, I was just an ordinary junior debt-bound maid, not your exclusive maid.”

“…Right, you’re correct.”

Ethan made an awkward face before glancing at Ser’s letter in my hands.

After a moment of thoughtful silence, he asked me with a slightly nervous expression, as if making a proposal.

“So, are you going?”

“…I’d like to visit if circumstances allow, but as an exclusive maid, it’s difficult. I plan to send a refusal.”

“It’s fine. This works out perfectly.”

“Pardon?”

I tilted my head, unsure what he meant by “perfect,” and Ethan gave an inexplicable reply.

“As the Blackwood family heir, territory inspections are important. This is a good opportunity-I’ll visit the territory guard soon. I haven’t done much heir-like work since being bedridden anyway.”

“…You’re going to visit the territory guard yourself, Young Master Ethan?”

“That’s the idea.”

Ethan, answering Dietmeyer’s question nonchalantly, then fixed his gaze on me.

He reminded me of one of the exclusive maid regulations I’d forgotten while staying inside the manor.

“Lilith, as my exclusive maid, you know you have to accompany me on external activities, right?”

“…Yes.”

“We’ll depart in three days, so send the letter. Include that we don’t need a carriage or escort.”

“…Understood.”

“Good. While we’re there, we’ll take care of your business too.”

With those final words, Ethan left me and Dietmeyer behind, heading to the bath to wash up.

His uncharacteristically odd behavior left me confused about how to respond, but…

At least the contents of my reply to Ser had been decided.