Chapter 4

After the welcoming ceremony ended, Yuno and Kiela descended the eastern staircase of the palace.

"Yuno, you know Sir Diluc? I was so surprised."

Yuno could only nod in response to Kiela's excited state. The cold look in Diluc's eyes and the beautiful girl with him wouldn't leave her mind. And most of all, she felt ashamed of herself.

"Did you see the senior maid's disappointed face when she realized you knew Sir Diluc? She always looks down on us junior maids, so everyone dislikes her. I know it's not right to say, but I felt so relieved. Oh, this way."

The magic tool room they were heading to was at the very back of the semi-basement. Yuno had never been there before, despite working in the palace for four years, which had over two hundred rooms.

She trudged along, feeling dejected. She tried to convince herself: Diluc had spoken to her. That was enough. She knew he didn't like her, and she shouldn't care. She was in a position where she could be dismissed at any time. The fact that she was still being treated as usual was something to be grateful for.

So, at least she should do her job as a maid properly. That was all she could do now. She bit her lip and tried to muster her courage.

"Kiela, what kind of room is the magic tool room?"

"Hmm? It's a room where magic tools are stored. Oh, I see. You don't like it, do you? How did you end up being assigned here? —I know. It's because of my bad luck with the draw. You were just randomly chosen. What a disaster."

Yuno wanted to ask what magic tools were, but it seemed they weren't very welcome.

"Kiela, are these magic tools—"

"Ah! Wait, I forgot to bring the key. Darn! Yuno, go ahead and wait in front of the room!"

With that, Kiela, with her almost white blonde hair flying, ran up the stairs at full speed. Kiela, who was the same age as Yuno, had been working here for a long time. Though she could be a bit scatterbrained, she was kind and easy-going, and Yuno felt comfortable around her. So, Yuno was secretly very happy to be assigned to work with Kiela this time.

Still, what did she mean by "bringing the key"? Was it a slip of the tongue for "bringing the key"? Puzzled, Yuno walked down the dim corridor alone.

(I'm sure it's at the end of the corridor.)

There were many rooms, but she recognized it immediately. The door of this room was unusual.

Since it was in the semi-basement, the rooms here were mostly utility rooms like the laundry room, wine cellar, and food storage. Therefore, all the doors were simple wooden ones. But the door of the magic tool room was made of iron and looked heavy.

(No handle?)

That was strange. Yuno looked around the door. It was a single door, but there was no handle, doorknob, or keyhole. It was just a flat, single door.

(How do you open it...?)

Perplexed, she touched the door and felt a cool sensation on her palm. At that moment, she heard a faint popping sound, as if something had burst, coming from inside the door.

Wondering what the sound was, she heard a creaking noise, and the door started to move on its own.

(What...?)

The thick iron door slowly opened outward, even though Yuno wasn't touching it.

(What...!?)

As she stood there in the corridor, stunned, Kiela came running over.

"Sorry to keep you waiting, Yuno! I had trouble finding the key!"

Behind Kiela was the young priest who had been with Diluc earlier. He was a serious-looking man with long silver hair and a robe that reached his ankles. He was one of the priests from the cathedral next to the palace, but Yuno often saw him in the palace.

"Sorry to keep you waiting."

The priest spoke in a serious tone and looked at Yuno with a face that seemed to be suppressing disgust.

"An old acquaintance of Sir Diluc, huh?"

He muttered with displeasure and then looked at the door with Kiela. Then he widened his eyes.

"Hey! Why is the door open!?"

"Really? Why! I wonder if the maids who cleaned yesterday forgot to close it? That's a problem!"

"No, I definitely locked it yesterday. I remember."

"Is that so? Then why—?"

The two of them looked at each other, then awkwardly at Yuno, as if they had realized something.

"Did Yuno open it...?"

"How did you open it...?"

Yuno was confused by their serious expressions. But she hadn't done anything.

"I just pushed it, and it opened... I think."

"Whaaat!?"

The two of them were taken aback.

"Yuno can use magic!?"

"No way. I can't."

Yuno shook her head vigorously. She had been disowned by her family because she couldn't use magic. She knew better than anyone that she had no magical power.

"—Well, if you could use magic, you wouldn't be a low-ranking maid, would you?"

Ruben, who looked unconvinced, was met with a suspicious look from Kiela.

"Maybe Sir Ruben forgot to lock it yesterday?"

"No way. I definitely locked it."

"But Sir Ruben, you're always busy and often flustered, aren't you? You often lose things and bump into things, causing injuries..."

"So what! I definitely locked it yesterday. And I'm not being overworked by Sir Diluc. I'm doing it out of consideration for him. Don't misunderstand."

"Okay, okay. I'll come back when the cleaning is done. Please lock it properly today."

"Because I said I locked it. I'll check with the maids who cleaned yesterday, so wait a moment."

Ruben left, still looking suspiciously at Yuno.

"Sorry to keep you waiting, Yuno. I'm sorry for the commotion. —Sir Ruben says he didn't forget, but I'm sure he did. He should just admit it."

"About the key—?"

"Oh, the room is sealed with magic. The 'key' is the magic seal, and only Sir Ruben can do it."

So that's why he said "bring the key."

"Let's go in. There's nothing to be afraid of, so don't worry. It's just a bit creepy."

"Uh..."

Creepy? Hesitant, Yuno followed Kiela, who had already entered the room.

The room was about the size of the servants' dining room. It was even darker than the corridor because the two windows near the ceiling were closed with thick curtains. Kiela climbed a ladder and opened both curtains. Yuno wondered why there were windows in the semi-basement, but it seemed they faced the inner courtyard, and bright sunlight poured in through the upper halves of the windows.

(Wow...)

The room was filled with objects. There were old, ornate shelves and tables, and several wooden boxes lined up. It looked like a storage room. However—

"Aren't these magic tools?"

Magic tools were items used by mages to amplify their magic, such as enchanted gems and books. Yuno's family had some, and they were treated with great care because they were valuable. They were never stored so haphazardly.

"No, no. These are not magic tools but 'magic tools.' They are evil objects possessed by demons."

"Uh...?"

Yuno gasped and quickly looked around. Kiela laughed.

"Don't worry, there's nothing to be afraid of. There are rumors that strange noises and sobbing can be heard from the room at night, but no one has ever heard them, even though the maids take turns cleaning it every day."

"Is that so..."

"It's really fine. Let's start cleaning."

"Okay."

They wiped the old shelves and tables with cloths and took out the contents of the wooden boxes one by one to clean them. The contents were old dolls, quills, and books with torn covers.

While diligently cleaning, Yuno had forgotten about the creepiness. As Kiela said, there was nothing strange, and they just looked like ordinary objects, especially in the bright sunlight.

"Have these magic tools been here for a long time?"

"No, they've been here since Sir Diluc returned four and a half years ago."

Hearing his name, Yuno's heart ached.