Chapter 62

‘What would Lu look like with those dazzling jewels in her ears?’

The thought was so dazzling that I decided to stop imagining.

The item Lu picked from among the jewels was a pair of earrings with a single white pearl and a smaller teal pearl hanging below it.

As Lu pulled the luminous green pearl, a white spark flew out.

Crackle.

‘Surprised, huh.’

Eventually, a long white blade was drawn in the direction it was pulled.

A longsword with an elegant and sharp appearance, which seemed impossible to have come from such a small earring.

Swish. Lu lightly spun the sword with her right hand.

It was a very brief movement, but I could tell at a glance.

‘She’s no novice when it comes to handling a sword.’

In fact, she was quite familiar with it. After carefully checking the condition of the sword’s hilt and blade, Lu put it back into the pearl.

Then she handed it to me.

“Use it.”

“...Can I really use it?”

“Yes.”

I was grateful that she was willing to lend it to me, but it was hard to accept it readily. It felt too precious.

Lu stood behind me, suddenly getting up.

Without a word, she attached the magical tool to my right ear. Or rather, she pierced it.

“...Ah!”

The burning pain in my earlobe.

Instinctively, I ran to the mirror to check my ear. The area around the pierced earlobe was swollen and red.

‘Ah, right. This body has never worn earrings before.’

I had forgotten.

“Did it hurt?”

It was an unusually gentle question.

“A little.”

“Cute.”

Was it a new form of harassment to call something cute with a completely expressionless face?

Glaring at her, Lu lent me two more magical tools.

One was a glowing ring that would light the way in the dark. The other was...

“A trap dismantler. You can use it twice. It’s a consumable magical tool, so discard it after use. It will turn to dust and leave no trace after a certain amount of time.”

“...Isn’t this incredibly expensive?”

Lu, who had put the ring on my right index finger, chuckled.

“A maid like Daisy Parguer would never be able to pay it off even if she worked her whole life.”

Pretending not to hear.

Lu, who had reached the level of pretending not to see as well as not to hear, gestured at my jaw wrapped in a winter scarf.

“Going like that?”

“Yeah, this is the best. Changing my face won’t last once I go underground.”

The ground is one of the biggest factors that hinder the maintenance of magical power.

Especially high-level magic like transformation magic is greatly affected, so it would quickly wear off once I went underground.

There was no way to maintain it unless the caster went down with me.

‘But I can’t go down with Lu.’

I planned to have Lu guard the entrance. It was the best strategy to prepare for any contingencies.

“Mr. Reina, please get me a mask that can cover the area under my eyes.”

Now, it’s time to go.

* * *

‘...Itchy.’

I put my hand inside the mask and scratched my chin.

How long had it been since it was last washed? It felt itchy as soon as it touched my skin.

Enduring the musty smell that was rising, I slowly looked around.

“Refreshing.”

This place was at the western edge of Westwintree.

Inside a dense summer willow forest, by a stream where the Milky Way meandered.

I slowly stretched, with the sword attached to my right waist.

It had been a long time since I had stretched with the intention of using a sword.

“Ugh!”

Good. Stretching is done.

Before going down to the royal treasury buried underground, I drew the pearl sword to check its condition.

Just like the first time I attached it, there was no resonance.

‘I was quite looking forward to it. What a pity.’

Actually, I had expected as much.

Resonance is a phenomenon that occurs when the sword and its owner’s self become one.

After the Mage War, I had no affection or obsession for swords, so it was impossible for me to resonate with one.

I adjusted the Pierrot mask, which had slightly slipped up as I scratched my forehead.

“Mr. Lu, cover me from there. Block anyone who tries to come in.”

A low laugh burst out from above.

Lu was sitting on a willow tree, still in her black nightgown.

Leaning against the tree with her back, she looked as comfortable as if she were resting in her own bedroom.

The pink slippers dangling from her large feet looked particularly cute.

‘Isn’t she cold?’

The location of the royal treasury was deep in the forest.

Although the forest was not densely packed with trees and the full moon and the Milky Way were bright enough to see clearly, the chilly evening air made my fine hairs stand on end.

Lu, who had been swinging her legs leisurely from the branch, whispered slyly.

“Our Miss Daisy can’t do anything on her own, can she?”

“Just in case, just in case. It would be a waste not to use a good weapon.”

“You’re the first to treat me as a tool, Miss Daisy.”

“I’m getting tired of that line.”

“Already feeling bored, huh?”

While exchanging meaningless banter, I stood in front of the waterfall.

According to the blueprint, I had to go through a rather troublesome terrain beyond this waterfall to enter the royal treasury.

‘The best plan is to come out through this waterfall when leaving the treasury.’

Honestly, I’m not sure if it’s possible.

There are over ten entry routes, and more than half of them are traps, so I expect to have a tough time.

“Miss Daisy. To increase your intelligence, think of yourself as Viscount Weatherwax. Otherwise, you’ll likely be trapped in the treasury and starve to death.”

“I get a clear idea of what Mr. Lu thinks of me.”

Waving goodbye to Lu, I stepped inside the waterfall.

Swoosh.

A narrow crevice in the rock was revealed when the curtain of water was lifted. It looked like a miracle if you could even breathe in there.

There was no room for a mask.

“...Alright.”

I couldn’t risk suffocating to death because of stubbornness. I threw the mask into the river and squeezed into the rock.

40 minutes.

I chose my path through the rock crevice, regulating my breathing.

There was almost no space to walk, and most of the way required crawling.

I took twice as long because I turned the wrong way halfway through.

20 minutes.

I moved through an underground stream.

I was underwater for over 15 minutes, nearly losing consciousness several times due to lack of air.

With the ceiling so low, there were only a few opportunities to breathe. It felt like swimming in the dark.

If it weren’t for the glowing magical tool Lu lent me, I would have had a panic attack.

I thought I was going to freeze to death in the cold water.

And the last 10 minutes.

The time it took to reach the cliff leading to the entrance after escaping the underground stream.

“Phew.”

I climbed the cliff. Indeed, it was a formidable obstacle worthy of the royal treasury.

But I was a maid for three months.

Climbing a cliff bare-handed was no big deal.

‘I won’t come here twice.’

I have no inclination to become a treasure hunter.

I’d rather live as a maid than risk my life stealing... Today, I once again remind myself of how happy a maid’s life is.

Thus, I climbed the cliff for 30 minutes, occasionally embedding the pearl sword into the wall and resting on its sturdy blade.

“Phew.”

Finally, I reached a flat area.

It was a rather unremarkable flat area.

However, according to the blueprint, deep within this flat area, there were iron bars on all four sides, and various jewels were stored inside each of them.

I walked down a long and wide corridor, not unlike a temple.

Drip, drip. The sound of underground water and the wind blowing from somewhere were the only sounds besides my footsteps.

How long did I walk?

10 minutes?

30 minutes?

1 hour?

Ah, right. I’m sure it was more than 2 hours.

Around that time, I was convinced that I had fallen into an illusion trap.

A trap not on the blueprint. I thought I had been careful, but...

Then.

Someone suddenly grabbed my shoulder and turned me around. A large hand brushed past my vision.

Instinctively, I widened the distance and met the eyes of the hand’s owner.

My heart felt like it had dropped to the bottom.

“...Raphael?”

Raphael.

He was standing there.

His blond hair, matted with sweat and dirt on his forehead, his tense lips, broad shoulders, and thick arm muscles. And, his relieved red eyes.

[Damn. You. You, Andert...]

He hugged me. The familiar scent enveloped me, making my head spin.

Why was Raphael suddenly here? Why was he wearing the uniform of the Mage Alliance?

How... with the face from four years ago?