The Peaceful Life of a Maid Who Hides Her Power and Enjoys It

<Episode 164>

 

“What do you mean by that?”

In response to the question, I answered calmly.

 

“I don’t have much time left to live.”

“…What?”

 

Count Rosebell’s face stiffened with shock.

 

“I’m thinking about a month, give or take. When I die, I would like you to protect the identities of the employees affiliated with the Weatherwoods family. Please refrain from asking about their backgrounds or family details. They are people who have believed and followed me, and have nowhere else to go to except Weatherwoods.”

 

“That’s…”

 

Count Rosebell’s words slurred, and a grim expression washed over his face.

 

“This… isn’t this too studden, Sir Andert?”

“I apologize.”

 

“Don’t apologize. Of course I can grant your request. I just… wait a moment. I need to get my thoughts in order.”

 

As silence ensued, occasional faint echoes resonated from his sword.

— I must stay strong. For my beloved family, proud colleagues, and to protect our homeland!

 

It was a truly Count Rosebell-like, warm and gentle resonance.

Since hearing my story, he had been deep in thought, his face filled with concern. Suddenly, he clapped his hands.

 

“…Dian Cecht’s relics. Yes, there’s those!”

 

Count Rosebell straightened his posture and lowered his voice.

 

“Listen, Viscount Weatherwoods. Do you know the legend of Dian Cecht? It is said that if you gather all five relics of his legacy, left behind by the great healer, you can cure any illness. One of these relics is said to be in the possession of Duke Raphael…”

 

“I know. I’ve almost collected them all.”

 

“Oh, is that so? That means the legend of the legacy is true, right? That’s a relief. Truly a relief! In that case, won’t your health issues get better soon?”

 

For the first time, a sense of relief came to his serious face. My heart grew heavy at his genuine concern for me. I chose not to mention the fact that the relics could be used somewhere else.

 

Time flew by.

Three or fours passed by in the blink of an eye, filled with conversations immersed in old memories. When I finally got up from my seat, the sun had already set behind the mountains, and the sky was growing dark.

 

“Let’s see… you’ll be going to Duke Jurian next, right?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“How about we have dinner together and you stay overnight? If you took the train tonight, you’d only get there the day after tomorrow. Rest well and, ahem, make sure to give your autograph to my incompetent nephews.”

 

The visit to Rosebell Castle had already been announced to the public through the newspapers. However, the schedule related to Berkeley-Gratten had just been mentioned in brief.

 

Because.

 

“Who visits the Duke at sunrise anyway?”

 

I had to strike suddenly.

The early morning of the day after tomorrow.

 

* * *

 

A cloudless, clear night.

A thin, pale yellow crescent moon hung over a dry tree.

 

I climbed up onto the branches, waiting for the right moment while peering beyond the castle walls. After several minutes, the rustling sound of falling leaves and the disturbingly loud voices of two people shattered the silence.

 

“If you’re not confident, get lost. You’ll only be a nuisance.”

“That’s not something I want to hear from someone who’s only become a stumbling obstacle in my sister’s life because she can’t even walk properly.”

“If you hesitate at a crucial moment, know that I won’t let your arrogant mouth off the hook.”

 

“I’d like to actually focus, so would you keep your mouth shut please?”

 

These two never seem to tire.

As I landed on the ground, I tapped Jean’s shoulder and asked, “Are you okay, Jean?”

 

Her face turned towards me, showing a faint tension and excitement.

 

“Viscount.”

“You have to stab the swordmaster.”

 

Before Jean could respond, Andert pushed her aside and spoke with distrustful eyes.

 

“This brat is untrustworthy. Just leave it to me, I’ll do it.”

“Hah, what do you think you are gonna do? It’s not a matter of trustworthiness.”

 

“It’s about whether she can cut down our teacher or not, that’s why you’re having doubts about this one, right?”

 

I chuckled softly and shook my head.

 

“Don’t talk nonsense, Andert. It’s about whether you can challenge your teacher? Do you really think you guys can cut down the swordmaster?”

 

While Andert hesitated, Jean nodded calmly.

 

“The Viscount’s words are correct. With our poor skills, we won’t even be able to touch the Duke’s hair.”

 

“Well, what do we do then?”

Jean smiled slyly at Andert in response to that question.

 

“What we do is… a secret between Master and me. If you haven’t catched on, just shut up and watch, Gavroche, you crazy dog.”

 

Andert furrowed his brows and threatened.

 

“I’m warning you, don’t call me by that name anymore.”

“What, you don’t like it? How dare you try to be called by the noble name Andert? Know your place, crazy dog, Gavroche.”

 

“What the hell does noble or not have to do with anything? It’s my name!”

 

Leaving the grumbling Andert behind, Jean and I infiltrated Berkeley-Gratten castle.

 

Andert was responsible for monitoring the surroundings outside the castle in case of any unexpected situations. Since we were the ones facing the swordmaster, we relied on Jean’s extensive knowledge of the internal circumstances and entered through the chimney.

 

The Duke of Berkeley-Gratten, known as the Emperor’s Sword.

 

A spacious castle where such a duke resides.

Surprisingly, the only guards we had to deal with to reach the Duke’s bedroom within the castle were the Berkeley-Gratten knights who patrolled the castle every two hours.

 

It was an incredibly efficient arrangement. Of course, who would dare to assassinate the swordmaster unless they were insane?

 

Thud.

 

The knight who suddenly received a blow to a vital spot collapsed helplessly to the floor.

 

“Is it over?”

“Yes.”

 

But it was far too empty.

 

We neatly grabbed the fallen knight and hid him behind the curtains before ascending the stairs. The Duke’s bedroom was located in the middle of the second floor’s eastern corridor. We approached cautiously, suppressing any signs of presence, and opened the door.

 

“Both my old comrade and disciple… it seems my old memories have come.”

 

Dressed in a light white silk robe, the Duke greeted us.

Jean took a deep breath and grasped the hilt of her sword.

 

‘I’d expected him to notice right away, but…’

I never thought he’d be waiting for us so confidently.

 

“You don’t seem to be here for a conversation. Isn’t that right, Sir Andert?”

“…I guess you’re not someone I can communicate with.”

 

My mouth felt heavy, so I opened it and talked, but that was all I could say.

 

“Is that so? This is quite an interesting combination. It’s a perfect opportunity to see how much my disciples have grown.”

 

With a smile, the swordmaster approached the grandfather clock in the bedroom, opened the glass door, and pulled the pendulum in the middle down.

 

Tick-tock. Along with the sound of the second hand moving, the pulled pendulum began to rise very slowly.

“Five minutes from now, the emergency security alarm will sound. If you can hold out until then…”

 

With the words fading, the swordmaster’s figure disappeared. There was no time to follow his trail with my eyes.

 

Crackle, clang!

 

As I soon drew my pearl sword, the sharp blade of the swordmaster’s sword pressed down on it.

 

“I’ll let both of you go back”

 

Jean aimed for his back, but the swordmaster turned, effortlessly dodging the attack as if he had anticipated it, and struck below Jean’s chest with his elbow.

 

“Khak!”

 

Jean, gasping for breath, quickly retreated.

The swordmaster stood between us, looking calm and composed.

 

The swordmaster might praise me as a rare talent, but that was merely a compliment based on my age and experience.

With his overwhelming experience and having surpassed three walls, the swordmaster’s unparalleled strength was still a burden for me to handle alone. I had to grit my teeth and charge at him to avoid being pushed back too much.

 

The overwhelming experience and the inability to overcome the three walls are still too much for me to handle alone. I had to rush in with my teeth clenched so that I wasn’t pushed too far.

 

“You seem to have a lot on your mind, Sir Andert. Then I’ll go first.”

Despite the warning, the swordmaster attacked Jean at his back instead of me.

 

“Remember my words, Jean.”

 

Even in the face of the opponent’s graceful strike, Jean remained unfazed.

The attacks seemed tense at first, but the balance quickly crumbled. Jean, pushed into a defensive position, raised her sword.

 

“The swordmaster will break your sword first. He wants you to realize the overwhelming difference in strength and lose your composure. That’s the swordmaster’s way.”

 

“Your sword’s resonance has become calm, Jean. It’s a decent improvement considering you haven’t given up on being a sword-demon.”

 

Jean’s sword trembled precariously like a lantern in front of a typhoon when it clashed with the swordmaster’s sword.

 

“But he’ll come at you half-heartedly.”

And then, it erupted.

 

Crack!

 

As the sword broke into two, Jean’s sword energy crumbled like dust. The swordmaster didn’t miss the moment when Jean’s mind momentarily blanked. In a very brief moment, he gathered his sword energy and threw Jean against the wall.

 

“Ugh!”

 

Blood splattered on the carpet from the internal injury.

But the swordmaster didn’t relax. I was his next playmate.

 

“The swordmaster can not break my sword. There isn’t that significant of a difference between our skills. Instead, he’ll try to inflict deep wounds to prevent me from using my sword.”

 

“Impressive. You’ve improved during the past four years almost as much as I did during the war.”

 

I didn’t have the luxury to respond. I was too busy blocking his blows, unable to utter even a single word.

 

The swordmaster seemed to have no intention of yielding.

‘But was the swordmaster’s always only this heavy?’

 

In the past, my shoulders would ache each time I countered his moves, but… not anymore. I found openings in what was previously an impenetrable fortress like swordsmanship, and with each attack on those gaps, my opponent inevitably took a step back.

 

At some point, the swordmaster’s words became scarce.

I couldn’t tell how much time had passed. It felt like at least 20 minutes, no, maybe even 30 minutes. However, the pendulum clock hadn’t chimed yet.

 

Suddenly, the thought occurred to me.

Maybe I could win.

---

 

So glad we finally got to know what the swordmaster’s swordsmanship is like