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

<Episode 63>

 

The questions seemed to converge and hit me on the back of my head.

[I really thought you’d died this time.]

 

A deeply relieved voice embraced me with a force that made my body crumble, and I fell onto him with a thud. In an instant, a severe pain struck my right arm, one so intense that it wouldn’t have been surprising if it had fallen off.

 

“Ugh.”

I held onto my dizzying mind and checked my body. 

My torn uniform was soaked in dark, hardened blood. 

My right arm had been temporarily treated with bandages, tightly wrapped with a piece of wood for support. The thick bandages made it difficult to see the shape of my arm. From what I remember, it was mangled so badly that it seemed impossible to treat.

 

Ah, I see.

‘This is the battlefield.’

And the allied forces had been crushed earlier this morning against Mephisto. We’d been pushed off the front and become scattered, fleeing to save our lives.

 

I’d been fortunate enough to encounter the knights of the swordmaster shortly after, who were on a secret mission of their own, and was able to quickly get my arm some treatment.

 

After that, I walked for a full week and arrived at the base located in the nearest city.

Looking back, it was a perfect situation for me to be treated as a warrior.

 

[Y-you… that arm.]

Raphael, who belatedly realized my bad condition, clenched his teeth.

“Relax, I’m not dead. It’s just that my right arm has become as useless as a rag.”

[That’s horrifying. What’s the condition? Do we have to amputate it?]

“Do you want to hear something even more horrifying? I managed to find and collect the missing finger bones that’d been lost in that demon attack. If we have a military mage, they might be able to reattach them.”

[…You’re lucky. Supplementary forces are due to arrive sometime this evening. Is it because of <charity> that your mind seems fine?]

“Yes, so if I exceed the recommended dosage, the effects of the medicine will diminish, and the moment that happens, I’ll lose my sanity. So, hurry with the mages.”

 

Raphael, who had only looked at my face in silence for a while, led me to the commanders’ outpost.

 

[Andert!]

[You bastard! You’re alive!]

 

The soldiers who recognized my face rushed to me. I was a little embarrassed, but I could bear it.

 

Once inside the outpost, it was only after filling my stomach with the simple food prepared by Raphael that I started to relax. It felt like I received greetings from the arriving individuals at least ten times. However, I didn’t see the face I’d expected to see.

 

“What about Natasha?”

[She cried herself to sleep.]

 

“…what? Natasha?”

 

[A landslide struck and 20 wizards were buried alive. Natasha was almost swept away too, but she got lucky. Now she blames herself.]

 

Natasha was strong.

I always considered her mental strength to be even stronger than mine.

 

Seeing that she was so exhausted from crying, I could realize how painful this retreat must’ve been for them.

Not long after, Desherro, Raphael’s aide, entered. After welcoming my return, he whispered something to Raphael’s and then left the room. Raphael’s expression darkened. 

 

“The deployment of the reinforcement unit has been delayed?”

[…there were a lot of casualties and injuries on the way here that they say dragged them down. I urged them, so they should arrive soon.]

“That’s enough. Other people’s lives are lives too. If I don’t get treatment soon, I’ll die, that’s all. It was my destiny to die in the war.”

 

The real Andert felt that way too. 

It wasn’t so bad for siblings to share the same fate. I absentmindedly stared at my bandaged right arm, then noticed the eerie silence around me and looked up.

 

Raphael had leaned back into his chair and was looking at me with cold eyes.

[It must be fun to talk like that, right?]

“…Hmm. Sorry. I take back what I just said.”

[It seems like you’re so eager to die on the battlefield.]

“That’s not true. Who in the world would want to die on the battlefield?”

[Or maybe you just want to leave here and go far away.]

Raphael, who firmly held onto his role as the authority figure, took a sip of his cold coffee. His icy gaze, fixed on my face, remained unchanged.

 

[That’s a skill too. A talent. We’ve been together for eight years now, and yet it feels like the moment the war is over, you’ll disappear with no lingering attachments.]

“Sorry.”

 

[Sorry for what? Are you going somewhere far away?]

 

“I’m sorry.”

[Where are you going? The Desert Regions of the Western Continent Or the Northern Continental Union?]

“Hey. When did I say I’ll disappear? Huh? Why do you think that way? Do you want me to just leave altogether?”

[Does that mean you’re not going to leave?]

 

I stared at Raphael in bewilderment. 

My partner was great, but sometimes he got fixated on strange things. 

 

Was what happened after the war really that important? I’m not sure. Even if I manage to survive by sheer luck, I won’t be able to remain friends with you.

 

[Look, you’re not able to say you won’t leave.]

 

“How can I plan so far ahead like that? It’s uncertain whether we’ll even survive until tomorrow.”

 

[You’re the only one who says that.]

 “…” 

[You’re the only one who talks like that, Andert. Everyone hopes for this war to end and dreams of a peaceful new life afterwards. Everyone except you. You act like you’re going to go somewhere and die with your head held high at the end of it…]

“Fine, fine. I get it, I get it! You mean guy. When the war ends, I’ll go back to my hometown. It’s obvious that the graves of my deceased family are in ruins. Since I couldn’t even properly erect tombstones, I’ll have to start by remaking them.” 

 

I imagined Andert’s grave, overgrown with withered weeds. Beneath the grave was not the body of my deceased brother, but his belongings.

 

Because until my last day at Queen Island, I hadn’t been able to find my younger brother’s body.

 

[Did you say you had a sister?]

“Yes. if she were alive, she would have been your age. She was three years older than me.”

[That’s unfortunate. If she were alive, she could have had a war hero as her husband?]

 

What the hell was he talking about? Did he go crazy from sleep deprivation?

“Are you half-asleep? We were siblings. That’s ridiculous.”

 

Raphael pointed at himself with a shameless expression, without even blinking.

[I’m talking about myself.]

 

“You? You and my sister? Are you insane? Why would my sister marry you?”

In my mind, I pictured the wedding between my restored original body and Raphaell. Huh. It was an impossible future that would never come, but it still sent a shiver down my spine for no reason.

 

[Then?]

“Of course not! Why are you suddenly talking about marrying my sister?”

[I thought it would be nice if we became brother-in-laws. Don’t you see me as a suitable match?]

 

 Was this really a matter worth worrying and fussing over? 

“Well, my sister… She might not see it that way.” 

[What? What’s not adequate? My face? Or my status? Wealth?]

 

It was a face that looked like he sincerely wanted an answer to satisfy his curiosity.

 

 I wondered if this was some kind of pride issue, but when I thought of Raphael’s growing status day by day, it was an attitude that couldn’t be simply dismissed as silly.

 

Hey, if you return after winning the battle, you’ll become fresh fish in the marriage market.

Given Raphael’s personality, the future was obvious.

 

Rather than being manipulated by the central nobles and forced into a political marriage, He would most likely choose to align himself with trustworthy allies. 

 

This kid. Didn’t he trust me too much? I unnecessarily felt sorry.

 

[Andert! Where are you? God, where is he?]

At that moment, a desperate scream came from the outside. The tone was unfamiliar, but the voice was not. 

 

Leaving the barracks, we moved towards a noisy place where people were gathered. 

The owner of the scream, recognizing my face, stumbled towards me and embraced me. “Natasha.”

 

[Andert, what do I do?]

 “….” 

[What do I do? What do I do? Everything is ruined. It all went down in front of my eyes! Everyone, even the young ones who hadn’t become adults yet, all of them! Hng…]

“…….”

[So you can’t leave too, Andert.]

 

They said she was tired from crying, but it looked more like she was drunk.

 

Natasha, who seemed extremely unstable from being heavily intoxicated, looked vulnerable. I gently tapped her back with a concerned hand. 

 

[Don’t go. Don’t leave. Absolutely not. If you die, I’ll die too. This time, I really thought you were dead. I knew you would eventually leave me behind… but I hadn’t expected it to be so soon…] 

 

Seeing that Natasha and Raphael were saying the same thing, it seemed they’d been quite worried about not seeing me for a week.

 Sniff. Natasha, who had been sobbing loudly, lifted her tear-stained face and clung to me.

 

[Let’s get married.]

Here we go again.

“I don’t want to.”

 

[I’ll be nice to you… I’ll take really, really good care of you. I’ll be good enough to make you not want to leave.]

 

“If you’re looking for someone to take care of, you can just marry Raphael. He seems to be looking for a bride too.”

 

[You’re crazy… Ugh, uwah…]

“Do you hate it so much that you want to throw up?”

---

 

Brb, sobbing.