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

Part 2 Episode 18

The first thing that caught my eye was a pair of dazzling golden eyes.

They were similar to Rue’s eyes, but colder and more indifferent.

Next was a yellow, sharp beak. A large beak surrounded by a combination of black, gray, and white feathers, completing its handsome appearance. Although it was too large to be considered an ordinary bird, I recognized it at a glance.

This child was…

[Idiot Daisy.]

Ash… Huh?

[Idiot.]

Wait a minute. There’s no way our Ash would say such a thing.

[Idiot Daisy.]

What kind of f*ker would teach such harsh words to our Ash?!

[Idiot little brother.]

Yes, this was what I was trying to teach.

[Idiot Daisy.]

What bastard…

[I miss you, Daisy.]

Oh my god.

“Ash!”

I jumped up and embraced the enormous gray hawk, which was too big to be held in my arms.

Ash just said he missed me!

I knew it wasn’t a normal hawk, but I never imagined it would learn to speak human language. Even though I only raised it for about three months, it felt like my child had grown up…

…Wait a minute.

Ash was definitely small and lovely enough to fit in my palm, wasn’t he?

“What happened, Ash? How did you grow so big?”

[I’m happy.]

It was when I was stroking the feathers of Ash, who was obediently being held, that I burst into admiration at its talons as big as my face.

“Hey.”

Turning my head at the rude call, a fierce face appeared in front of me.

Eyes that didn’t show a speck of affection or sympathy, a stubbornly pursed mouth, a sharp chin, and even the scar that made his impression twice as ugly.

I’d already noticed that this guy and Bernard were in my room, but…

“Andert, you.”

“……”

“Why do you look so ugly?”

It was a wonder. How did his appearance become that much more ferocious in such a short time?

Gavroche’s eyebrows furrowed.

“Go look in the mirror and then talk.”

At those words, I got out of bed and stood in front of the mirror that was hung loosely on one side of the wall.

“I’m the same as before.”

“So what do you want me to do about it?”

He was so sensitive. Did becoming uglier make him more aggressive?

“…Daisy, are you okay?”

Bernard’s expression as he asked was strangely inquisitive.

“Of course. I’m glad I took a short rest. I didn’t expect to feel such a stark difference, how should I put it… It’s as if the balance has returned, and the world feels more beautiful and brilliant…”

I sincerely explained my current feelings to alleviate Bernard’s worries, but his subtly strange gaze didn’t seem to wane.

It was then that I first felt something was off.

The temperature of the air touching my skin, my physical condition, everything was perfect, but there was a sense of distortion somewhere.

I suddenly raised my head. Beyond the hemispherical transparent glass, I saw vibrant green leaves.

It was a color that could never be seen in winter.

‘…Spring or summer.’

So that was why I felt a strange sense of alienation. This place maintained the same temperature and humidity with Rue’s magic, so I hadn’t noticed.

‘I can’t believe it. It feels like I’ve only been asleep for a day or two.’

I turned back at Bernard with a somewhat dazed feeling.

“How much time has passed since I fell asleep?”

“40 years.”

“…What?”

40 years.

40 years? Did he just say 40 years?

It was a number that took my breath away.

It couldn’t be. It only felt like a long nap. But 40 years had passed…?

“Hey, did you believe that? Haha~ I was kidding, Daisy. It’s not 40 years, but 4 years. What do you think about this ‘Bernard’s Shock Therapy’? Isn’t it less surprising when I say 4 years instead of 40 now? Oh, please don’t clench your fist. You really look like you’re about to swing it.”

This guy was deranged..

‘Haa. Four years… If it’s four years…’

It was very annoying, but as Bernard said, it felt somewhat plausible compared to 40 years.

But still, it was a whopping four years.

‘Ash growing as big as a cow, and Gavroche becoming uglier..’

It was all because of the passage of time.

I had a hard time believing it.

“Why?”

“……”

“No matter how bad my condition was, it doesn’t make sense. Bernard, was Rue’s rest this long too?”

“No. Generally, it’s about a week at most.”

As expected, something was wrong.

“Where is Rue?”

With a small sigh, Bernard turned towards the door.

“First… Will you follow me for a moment, Daisy? There’s a lot I need to tell you.”

For some reason, I didn’t have a good feeling about this.

We followed Bernard to a huge glass greenhouse. Passing an artificial pond covered with all sorts of bizarre aquatic plants and filled with the mysterious cries of birds, a desk, chairs, and bookshelves appeared, standing solemnly.

‘He should clear it up a bit.’

Bernard’s desk was not only surrounded by various documents but was also constantly being buried under an endless stream of incoming mail.

Why did it keep coming like that?

“It’s a chaotic environment.”

“It can’t be helped. It’s wartime now.”

The unexpected answer made my heart skip a beat.

“Wartime? Could it be Mephisto….”

“That loser met his end at your hands eight years ago. Let him go now, Daisy.”

Shaking his head, Bernard tapped on the bookshelf.

Knock knock.

Soon, the bookshelf turned on its own, revealing a hidden backside.

On the luxurious wooden panel, there were photos of people I did not recognize. Despite being just photographs, they all exuded a strange aura.

“Who are they?”

“They’re the newcomers who are attracting attention as the next generation of gods.”

“The new Huwis of Rogue?”

“No. What I wanted to show you wasn’t these faces, but…”

Knock knock.

When he tapped on the bookshelf again, an opaque barrier formed around it. With the sound of pages turning, a faint color began to rise on the barrier.

I remembered using a similar video playback device when I said goodbye to Dian Cecht.

Soon, a man’s face appeared on the video playback device.

He smiled with reddened eyes.

[I will make you gods.]

Thump, thump.

My heart pounded violently. His face, as if I had met him just the day before, not at all welcome, drew a strange smile as if he had found me.

Long, jet-black hair combed into one braid. Black eyes and a snake-like impression.

It was Rein.

[Those who wish to understand the principles of the universe, those who wish to reach the end of the cosmos, those who suffer, those who are free. Come to me. My enlightenment will lead your physical bodies to the unity of mind and body…]

Ha.

For him to lead people to the unity of mind and body—I couldn’t even muster a hollow laugh at the absurd nonsense.

“It’s a video that was spread all over the world. It’s already been four years. He scattered around tens of thousands of propaganda leaflets on a giant airship with a video playback device attached to it. Ha. It all happened in real-time and simultaneously, so there was no way to stop it. He has gone completely insane.”

I quickly scanned the newspaper that had fallen to the floor.

As Bernard had mentioned, there were photos of the giant airship playing the video, and an informative article explaining the figure known as Rein.

The article titled “Miracle of the Gods: Evolution or Hunting?” contained lengthy testimonies from those who claimed to have witnessed the miracle of the gods with their own eyes, which could be summed up in one phrase…

‘It’s really worked.’

What could be the purpose?

Surrounded by terrible confusion, I focused on the continuing video.

[Born as a new god from the hands of a god…]

Click.

Then, Dian Cecht appeared suddenly and smiled faintly.

“It would be good to add a few nutritional supplements at this time. You can refer to books available on the market for the method of making essential nutrients. It’s quite simple, isn’t it?”

Huh.

“Ah, my mistake. I was trying to play the video back, but I accidentally played a different video that’s under repair.”

With an awkward laugh, Bernard turned off the video playback device.

“How about it? Do you understand now how the world has changed during the four years you were asleep?”

Understand? I looked back at Andert.

“How has it changed?”

His answer was without hesitation.

“It’s a mess.”

I see.

Certainly, the summary from a blood relative sticks in the mind more sharply than a summary from a stranger’s life.

“I understand it’s a mess. So, what about Rue?”

Tension flashed across Bernard’s face.

Unease struck me at the way he struggled to part his lips. Rue was the most powerful being I knew. Surely, there would be no problems, but if, by any chance, there was any issue…

“Lord Calepa… it’s been a long time since he went missing, Daisy.”

---

I feel so bad for daisy lmao she can’t get a rest. Imagine being thrust back into a war again after all that

Just to bring back Rogue’s power system:

Therefore, Rogue priests were divided into four ranks based on their level of unity.

Those who’d surpassed the first stage were called Senyots.

Those who’d surpassed the second stage were called Yettes.

Those who’d surpassed the third stage were called Huwis.

And finally, those who’d reached the level of Demi-gods were called Calepas.

In each generation, the number of Calepas remained between 3 to 4.

However, since reaching the stage of a demi-god was almost impossible, the position of Calepas had been mostly filled by the best Huwis

 

That’s it.
I’ll not leave you guys on this cliffhanger this time, don’t worry. that’d just be cruel.