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

Part 2 Episode 13

“Ugh!”

I grabbed the boy to prevent him from being swept away by the splitting ground. Then, a terribly horrific scene unfolded before us.

First, bones sprang out, clutching dry grass.

“Good, very good. Everywhere is overflowing with my little darlings… My, there are as many corpses as there is garbage here.”

Next, chunks of rotting flesh clung to the bone frames. They were humans. No, they were corpses that used to be humans.

The dead began to rise from the ground.

“KRIII.”

The wails of the dead were darker and more grim than the sound of the earth splitting.

“This brings back rather unpleasant memories.”

Devils?

‘No, these aren’t devils.’

These weren’t corpses modified into devils; they were the corpses themselves. How the hell was this possible?

“…Brother?”

The creaking corpses charged at me.

He must have been waiting for this. Waiting for them to crawl up to the ground to overwhelm me.

[My younger brother.]

“Is it really you, brother?”

However, there was a troublesome problem.

Judging by how they kept getting up even after being cut down, these corpses had no boundary of death.

They were mere puppets that moved without a consciousness, following the magician’s commands. Dealing with them conventionally was nothing but a waste of energy.

[Little brother. My little brother… You mustn’t fall apart. You will become a splendid swordsman.]

“Brother, your face…!”

This might’ve been a good trick to use against the average swordsman, but…

Who was I?

The Devil Sword Technique.

The Third Sword Act.

‘…What was it again?’

Finger-style Devil’s Drying Method.

[You mustn’t fall down, little brother. You will become a splendid swordsman-]

Whoosh!

The energy shot out like a bead, decapitating the corpses blocking our path. For a moment, mu body flew through the air, my view cleared, with the boy wrapped around me.

“Why did you kill him!”

The boy reproached me at that moment.

What nonsense was he talking about all of a sudden? Who did I kill… Ah, that’s right.

“Snap out of it. Does that look like your brother to you?”

“Don’t be ridiculous, then who is it if not him? He’s definitely my brother! I buried him there myself!”

The boy thrashed about, screaming.

“He clearly came back to life, how could you kill my brother again! How could you… my brother…”

I was about to knock him out if he caused another scene, but after a while, the boy calmed his breathing and whispered into my shoulder.

“I’m sorry. I’ll get my act together so I won’t be a burden.”

Just as I was about to stroke his head, I heard a whistle again. I deflected the attack with my sword without difficulty.

Yes, I did deflect it, but…

Whoosh!

‘Ouch.’

A brilliant light burst from beneath my feet, blinding my vision.

Clang.

Then, heavy chains that were difficult to shake off sprang from all directions, binding my hands and feet. An excruciating pain came from my shoulder that felt like my flesh was being torn apart – it seemed like a spear-shaped restraint from behind had pierced my skin and caught on.

I instinctively pushed the boy away. I tried to rip the chains out of the ground, but it wasn’t easy.

The reason became clear as soon as I opened my eyes and looked around.

“Ash Fager.”

I’d gotten hit.

‘I didn’t think he’d use the corpses to set a trap.’

Traps in the form of magic circles, instead of magical tools, were closer to ancient magic.

The inconvenience of having to draw magic circles one by one led to their near extinction, but during the Magic War, the commander of the magic corps occasionally used devils to draw magic circles and cast traps.

It was a tactic that was virtually impossible to counter if it was pushed in with sheer numbers.

“Born in Queen Island. Your mother is Irene Fager, and your father is Gideon Fager. Your younger brother is Andert Fager, but… now he’s called Gavroche Berkeley-Gratten, I see? Ah, impressive. Both siblings have reached remarkable heights. That’s what you call geniuses.”

I gritted my teeth.

“If you touch my brother, I’ll follow you down to the depths of hell.”

“What? Pfft. Cute threat, rookie! I’m not interested in humans. They’re just… well, ingredients for something bigger, like maybe, pig trotters… ”

“The only thing resembling pig trotters here is your face.”

“Corpses are quite useful too. Humans with strong wills and convictions leave their energy in their bodies for a long time. They’re really useful.”

His coldly raised eyebrow revealed an unbearable excitement as he smiled.

“Like your parents.”

My heartbeat reached its limit.

Time slowed down, and the surrounding scenery spread out like a panorama.

Beyond the trap, I could see the boy hiding in the bushes. In his wounded hand, he held a familiar sword—my pearl sword that had fallen to the ground.

“Calm down, Daisy. Won’t you listen to what I have to say? It’ll be really interesting. Let’s start like this. I need you. I need you sincerely, desperately.”

I could see the boy’s eyes become wet with fear.

“…The corpses.”

“That’s why I went to your hometown. Yes, Queen Island! To break a sword as sturdy and strong as you, a flame that matches is necessary.”

“Cut the corpses.”

“How about it? Do you not wonder what your mother would say if she came back to life…?”

“Cut the corpses, boy!”

The pearl sword’s blade, flickering with energy, revealed itself in the darkness.

“Aaah!”

The corpses fell apart like chess pieces. Without missing the moment when the magic circle was breached, I pulled my right arm forward.

Riiiiip.

The restraint tore away, and with my freed hand, I pulled out the spear embedded in my left shoulder. Then, I threw the spear at the man.

Perhaps caught off guard by the sudden development, the man hurriedly rolled to the side.

“You’re fierce, Daisy! Haha. It’s such a shame to kill you. You’re so to my liking.”

I cut through the corpses and leaped out, grabbing the boy by the scruff of his neck.

“Gak. Wait! M-my neck!”

“Good job. You’re a clever kid.”

We clasped hands and ran back into the forest. A quick glance at the boy’s eyes revealed a newfound spirit and courage that hadn’t been there before, but unfortunately, I could not afford the time to praise him further.

This was the worst situation.

If I were alone, I would have avoided the man and somehow escaped, but……

“As expected, it’s good to be young. Reckless.”

The man’s laughter could be heard from the sky not far away.

I stopped running and grabbed the boy’s hand more tightly.

“Arrogant.”

Perhaps due to the severe bleeding, it was difficult to maintain my balance.

“And making big mistakes.”

When I checked my physical condition, a bitter laugh escaped me. Blood was continuously seeping from the wounds on my shoulder and waist. If I were the me from three months ago, these injuries would have been fatal.

The boy looked up at me with an uneasy face.

I closed my eyes quietly, clutching the pearl sword he offered.

Damn it, I was all too familiar with this situation.

I’d fled and escaped countless times. I’d lost numerous comrades in the process, and regretted it every time. To avoid repeating those regrets, I volunteered and threw myself into every battlefield, but that didn’t mean I wasn’t afraid.

I feared death.

The pain that came before death was terrifying.

Every time I felt that way, I recalled that day.

“Many will look to your back and move forward.”

“You must not stop at just survival.”

“Boy.”

“Huh?”

“I’ll hold that man back for a moment. Don’t miss the chance to strike him.”

“The destiny of those who wield power…”

“What? That’s…!”

Pushing the bewildered boy behind a tree, I shouted towards the sky.

“Why don’t you come down now, you corpse-loving pervert. Let’s see who the true god of the Southern Continent is.”

A sharp, eardrum-piercing burst of laughter echoed through the entire forest now engulfed in fire.

“Foolish, rookie… Still stubborn? You’re still not done yet, I see. You’re weak! Yes. If you want, take a good look! You…”

Gurgle. A fishy liquid spilled from my throat.

Before I knew it, the charred corpse of a deer, manipulated by the man, had approached from behind me. Its newly sharp horn pierced through my back and emerged from my chest.

“You’re weak, Daisy.”

But this was what I’d been waiting for.

I grabbed the neck of the man as he emerged close to me unguarded with one hand, and with the other hand, I threw the pearl sword into the air.

“Now!”

Responding to the call, the boy caught the pearl sword. He clenched his fist with courage and desire.

“Die, you bastard!”

The pearl sword, flickering with flames, advanced towards the man.

But why?

No change occurred.

The man’s body remained intact. Only a violent excitement bloomed in the black pupils that stared at me, without a trace of any pain.

Soon, I heard a low mutter.

“…Brother.”

And, beyond the man’s back, a corpse stood in the way, obscuring my view of the boy.

[Little brother. I’m so happy that you’ve grown up well…]

The boy’s face, facing the corpse, was stained with pure despair.

I see.

I suppose it was a failure.

“Run away.”

Squeezing out the last of my strength, I reached out and strangled the man.

I could see tears of self-loathing falling from the boy’s face one by one, but I had no more time to comfort him.

“Uh, ah, I’m, I’m sorry… I…”

“Shut up and run away..!”

I couldn’t continue my words. My body lost its strength entirely.

Ah, this feeling… I was getting a little used to it.

Yes. This is the sensation of death.

“What a pity. I might have sympathized with your warm compassion had I had a little more energy to waste.”

I bowed my head silently.

Thump. Thump. Thump.

My heart pounded.

I could see the man’s hand that had pierced my left chest. Blood dripped down the newly-made crevice.

“I’ve always wanted to know how it felt to kill a chick that had just hatched from its egg. It’s, well… whatever.”

Thump. Thump.

My heart pounded.

I felt that not as a sound, but as a sensation. The cold warmth gripping my heart. The fierce grip that pulled it with the force to crush it…

“Farewell, Daisy.”

My heart was taken away.

I died.

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THIS IS THE THIRD TIME DAISY YOU NEED TO BE WALKING AROUND WITH CHEST ARMOR ATP
the dialogues that are happening in the background were highlighted in gray.