Chapter 75

After that, I searched the mansion thoroughly for a long time, looking for Lu.

However, for some reason, no matter where I looked, there was no sign of Lu. It was as if he had vanished without a trace.

"Da, Daisy-sama! What are you doing! You need to rest!"

After getting scolded by Rinya.

"Have you seen Mr. Lu?"

"Huh? C, Calypa...?"

Seeing that she had no idea, I decided to ask Malicops, who was leisurely drinking tea in the parlor.

"Grandfather, where is Mr. Lu? I can't see him in the house. Did he go out to buy groceries?"

Or could he have gone back to Weatherwood without me? Lu wouldn't be that heartless, but somehow, it seemed like something he might do...

"He has left."

He really left!

"If you wish, try to recall him."

Did he just say that and then take off? What was he thinking? Was he just teasing me?

"When did he go to Weatherwood?"

"It's not Weatherwood, but he left for Logue. He probably won't come back."

...Logue?

'He said he won't come back?'

It was a hard claim to accept. The circumstances didn't match at all for him to just disappear suddenly.

After swallowing the medicine Rinya had given me in a hurry, I sat down in the chair opposite Malicops.

"Why did he go back to Logue? Did something happen there?"

"I don't know. I can't ask him the reason."

What a timid old man.

"Then how can you be sure he won't come back?"

"Since he entrusted you to me and even asked me to take good care of you until Weatherwood, and took the assassin who entered the mansion with him, he must have intended to use him as a helper on the way to Logue. He won't come back. The atmosphere was clear, and I'm certain."

If Malicops, a follower of Logue, is that sure...

I slowly closed and opened my eyes.

'Why?'

Was there a special reason for him to leave so suddenly?

Or was it just because he was so unpredictable?

My head was a bit dizzy from rushing around after regaining consciousness. I decided to take a deep breath and calmly organize my thoughts.

'Lu... the magician who gave me Andert's life in my past.'

Only because of the vow to 'forget this moment' had I completely forgotten.

Surprisingly, I hadn't felt any sense of alienation from the vow during the past 14 years. It must have been that powerful.

'Then why did the effect of the vow suddenly break?'

I checked the inside of my arm.

The mark of the vow I made with Lu was still clearly visible, a sign that it was still functioning properly.

As a non-magician, I lacked the ability to interpret such an exceptional situation.

But Malicops might know.

"Grandfather, is it possible for a vow to malfunction... or for a vow made long ago to no longer work?"

"Is this about you?"

How did he know?

"Um, yes."

"Usually, that doesn't happen. A vow is the supreme magic that exists above all other magic. It's absolute. However, in Daisy-sama's case, it might be different because your soul is broken."

I was shocked. How did he know my soul was broken?

Ironically, Rinya was even more startled than I was.

"M, M, Master! To suddenly bring up that topic..."

"It's fine, Rinya. From your expression, it seems Daisy-sama already knows. Right?"

What, Rinya knew too? When did this become common knowledge?

"So, Grandfather, are you saying that because my soul is broken, the vow I made is less effective?"

Malicops, who had been silent for a moment, looked at me as if he had made a decision.

"This is a long story. Rinya, please bring warm tea and snacks for Daisy-sama."

"Yes, yes."

The story Malicops told me, even bringing out new tea, was colorful and surprising.

The meaning of the second mind-body integration.

The body that couldn't be healed due to the broken soul.

The realm pursued by the organization called Logue and the purpose of Mephisto's army.

However, there was one part of his story I couldn't agree with.

'I've never been captured by Mephisto's army and subjected to biological experiments. He's misunderstanding the process of how my soul was broken.'

The reason my soul was broken. I had been aware of it clearly from the moment I came back from death.

Yes, death.

I died and came back to life.

I perished along with Mephisto, and death was the root cause of my broken soul.

Looking back, my decision to sneak into Mephisto's castle despite the risks seemed to be driven by instinct.

'The transformation magic was maintained at the cost of my lifespan. Ten years would have been more than enough to exhaust it.'

To complete my revenge before my lifespan was completely drained.

It was a very me thing to do.

'So, the broken soul being reconnected happened afterward. The mysterious power that revived me. I need to find out the nature of that power.'

"Try saying you want to live."

"An actor? In that case, shouldn't Daisy-sama be even more desperate?"

I finally understood the meaning of Lu's casual remark.

He wants me to live.

Stimulating me to awaken my memories from 14 years ago was likely part of his plan.

This made me even more suspicious about why Lu left.

'Lu didn't actually leave... '

Is he calling me?

The mysterious land, Logue.

He's inviting me there.

"By the way, where is Dian Ket's diary?"

"Calypa took it. You can rest assured."

Rest assured? What's there to be assured about?

After all the trouble I went through to get it, some random person took it? I have no choice but to go to Logue to get the diary back.

Bad guy. Thief.

"I've also informed the mayor of Weatherwood about Daisy-sama's condition. I told him you were injured while helping me, so you should rest for one more day."

"Master, is just one day enough? Daisy-sama has serious injuries..."

"Didn't Calypa heal her? One day is enough. It's the power of the gods. The power of the gods."

Healed?

'Oh, now that I think about it, my shoulder is almost completely healed.'

Even with healing magic, it's impossible to fully heal a through-and-through wound in just one day.

'...Could he have used his own lifespan?'

Without any certainty, it's frustrating.

That night, I stayed up all night thinking about what to do next.

It's not because Lu left the seat next to me.

Absolutely not.

The next morning.

I immediately prepared to leave after finishing breakfast.

I decided not to ask about Dian Ket's eye stored in the Weatherwood mansion right away, as the vow I made with the mayor was weighing on my mind.

Malicops chatted idly while I packed my bags.

"So, you don't plan to quit your job as a maid?"

"No, I don't."

"Hmm. Well, since this place is no longer safe, we plan to move to Midwinter immediately after sending Daisy-sama back to Weatherwood. We'll settle near the Weatherwood mansion."

That's true. I messed up the Sword City plan and even stole the diary.

Someone else stole it back, though.

'But how do I get to Logue?'

I have to go there to get the diary back.

"If Daisy-sama is okay with it, I'd like to teach Rinya my work. Being a maid is tough and the pay is low. Learning more specialized and future-oriented work under me..."

"Grandfather, how far is Logue from here?"

"You weren't listening at all."

Sigh. Malicops, who sighed, patted my back and answered.

"I understand your disappointment, but give up on seeing Calypa again. He's that kind of person. Treat it as a passing encounter."

I don't want to.

I grabbed Malicops, who was acting like a hermit, and extracted dozens of pieces of information about Logue.

Was it because of the break-in at the royal treasury? Malicops was very, very kind to me. Well, after all that trouble, he should have a conscience.

As I was about to leave the mansion with Malicops, Rinya came out to see me off with a bundle of luggage.

"What's all this?"

"These are things Master gave you! This is a box for storing valuables, and it has a lock. This bag has skincare products and oils to protect your roughened skin from housework, and this one has handkerchiefs and..."

This much kindness? Is he worried about something?

There's no reason to refuse, so I took everything. What a catch.

"Ah, and this is..."

Rinya handed me a letter she had kept in her pocket.

"Master wrote down things Daisy-sama might be curious about. It includes dangerous information, so you must burn it after reading. Do you understand?"

Dangerous information?

'This is interesting.'

Another catch.

"Got it. Thanks."

"See you later. Stay healthy! And, and eat well!"

I got into the carriage, leaving behind Rinya's energetic farewell.

'...We came here together, but I'm the only one going back.'

I thought I was used to being alone, but today, I feel a bit nostalgic.

Lu and Garosh.

I visited Midwinter with a light heart, but ended up taking on unexpected problems.

Indeed, the life of a maid is not easy.