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

Part 2 – Episode 24

There was no time to examine the appearance of my opponent in detail. All I felt was a chilling clarity.

This overwhelming presence.

The eerie sensation that stimulated all five senses, it was vivid as if I had experienced it just a few days ago.

There was no need to agonize over who this man was.

He was a demigod like Rein.

“Hi, Andert.”

Was it because of my prejudice or instinct that the gently curved eyes felt particularly repulsive?

The man who walked in comfortably and sat down in the chair opposite me had an unremarkable, ordinary appearance.

However, the arrogance contained in his dark crimson eyes was not concealed. It was a natural haughtiness that stemmed from transcendent power. I remembered feeling a similar atmosphere when I first met Rue.

“Deschamps, step outside for…”

I was about to stay ‘a moment’ but closed my mouth.

For a moment, the events at the trash hill flashed through my mind. Since this person could potentially set fire to the train like Rein, it would be better to keep Deschamps, who I should protect, by my side.

“Master, should I step outside for a moment?”

“No. Sit beside me.”

I instinctively tried to touch my pearl earring, but to make matters worse, I only felt the emptiness of my earlobe. I belatedly remembered that I’d entrusted the pearl sword to the boy.

There was no helping it. If something happened, I’d have no choice but to wield the sturdy Deschamps in its place.

I asked the uninvited guest,

“Leave.”

The intruder looked somewhat hurt.

“Oh? Why?”

“This is my seat. I bought this private space with a week’s worth of a maid’s salary. There’s no chair for you here.”

“Ah… so you need money? Why didn’t you say so from the start?”

As he raised his hand, an ancient book appeared in the air and settled between his long fingers.

“Perfect. I’ve wanted to give you this for a long time anyway… It’s a tome that has been passed down through generations to only the high priests of the Deus Temple. It contains the method to achieve unity of body and mind, ascend to the divine garden, and become a messenger of the Creator. If you put it up for auction in this day and age, you’d get a handsome price.”

For a long time, huh.

I tightly gripped the bag at my waist, where Rue was, with one hand and gestured with my chin.

“What do you want from me?”

The man smiled shyly.

“Can I tell you?”

Please do.

“I.. I want to be friends with you, Andert.”

“I’m not looking for friends, so go away. And return that thing to the high priest of the Deus Temple.”

Although I didn’t know too much history, I knew that the Deus Temple was the oldest holy sanctuary in the Contaninos Republic.

To put it another way, it was a place similar to Calepa in Rogue.

If the high priest was anything to go by, they’d be similar to a Huwi in Rogue. To steal a tome from such a person and offer it to me… Were they trying to get me assassinated?

The man feigned a sorrowful expression with unscathed eyes.

“Such a harsh rejection is painful to the heart.”

What nonsense was this crazy guy spouting?

“What’s the problem? Is it because this form is unfamiliar to you? But we’ve been watching over you for a long time. Among us, I’m especially happy that you’ve become like me. I would have liked to lead you myself, but…”

Tsk! Deschamps, who clicked her tongue loudly, whispered in my ear.

“It’s obvious at a glance. He must have gone crazy because he likes you too much, master. You can’t reason with such a lunatic. Should I kick him out?”

I stopped the brave Deschamps and asked the man again.

“What do you mean you’ve been watching over me?”

“If I tell you, will you be my friend?”

I just stared at him without an answer and he let out a sinister laugh.

“It doesn’t mean too much… You guys… Those have overcome the walls through the adversity of the Magic War. We have been tracking and searching for those who will reach the level and become the fifth god for a long time.”

A few faces immediately came to mind at those words. The Swordmaster, Raphael, and countless other heroes of the Magic War…

“This is a secret. I’m only revealing it because it’s you, Andert. So, what do you think? Do you understand my sincerity? If being friends is too much, shall we start as family?”

I quietly stared at the uninvited guest, who was talking like a parrot, and nodded to myself.

‘Indeed, not one of the demigods is sane. Neither Rein nor this guy… I can’t believe Rue was on the reasonable side.’

Amazing.

What insidious plan was he plotting while pretending to be so easygoing in front of me like this?

Just imagining it made me feel unpleasant.

Who was this guy? Could it be Rein?

As an outstanding magician, it wouldn’t be strange if Rein changed his appearance and came in a different form.

Rein was after my heart. I expected him to come back because of the way he left that day. No, perhaps other gods besides Rein were also after my heart. The remaining gods were…

‘Spolia of the West and Maria of the East.’

I’d never actually met either of them, so I couldn’t get a good sense of them. I sighed and warned firmly.

“If you have business with me, come see me when I’m alone later. If you don’t get out, we’ll leave instead.”

“Oh my.”

For a moment, his cold eyes drew an unnatural smile.

“Andert, you really are a fool, aren’t you? It seems you don’t know that there’s no man more attractive than one who reveals his own weaknesses.”

Ting-

I instinctively caught the coin that fell in front of my nose. It was a silver coin with a silver bellflower engraved on it.

When I looked up again, I saw a man who had become expressionless in an instant as if he had taken off a mask. He spoke in an indifferent voice.

“Since a new god has been born, the Pact of the Land of Death must be renewed as well. When the time comes, that silver coin will call you. Along with the God of the North, whose intelligence seems to have degenerated into that of a beast.”

After talking crap about Rue, he soon stood up and opened the door to leave without hesitation.

Thud.

As soon as the deranged uninvited guest disappeared, Deschamps muttered.

“That crazy guy, I think he’s Black Mask.”

“What’s that?”

“Goodness. You don’t know about the Black Mask, Master?”

I didn’t.

“Ah, no. If you’re the master… you might not know. Yes, it’s okay if you don’t know! I’ll tell you everything while I’m at your side! Just trust me.”

After having a conversation that didn’t make sense with the strange demigod, seeing Deschamps’s friendly eyes made my mind and body feel a bit more relaxed, and the world seemed to brighten.

“Thank you.”

As soon as I expressed my gratitude, Deschamps closed her eyes shut and curled up, clutching her left chest.

“Agh!”

“What’s wrong? Do you have a heart condition?”

“Ah, ah, uh, no, this is… not a heart condition, but rather a symptom of master’s disease…”

Her heart hurt because of a disease caused by her master.

‘Yes, that could happen. I’ve experienced a similar feeling because of Rue.’

Even though she appeared simple, she seemed to have deep circumstances of her own.

“The Black Mask is one of the world’s greatest warriors, ranked 7th in the newly updated list of 100 heroes at the beginning of this year. He always wears a mask, so he’s called the Black Mask.”

It seemed no one knew he was a demigod.

“Then how did you recognize him without the mask?”

“He wears a necklace with the emblem of Deus, and that crazy guy just now was wearing the same necklace. Plus, the earring with the same emblem on one ear is exactly like the Black Mask’s earring. It seems it can turn into a sword.”

As she spoke, Deschamps took out a thin magazine from her backpack. It was titled “Introduction to New Heroes.”

“However, according to the information here, the Black Mask is not only cold and indifferent, but he also doesn’t speak to anyone he doesn’t acknowledge to be worthy. There are several famous anecdotes, so it shouldn’t be misinformation… or could it be a twin of his?”

The magazine that Deschamps was staring at with a serious face had portraits of various characters, including the Black Mask, lined up one after another.

Perhaps because I saw a few blatantly familiar faces for the first time, I began to doubt this ranking.

“Who decided this?”

Deschamps looked at me with disbelief before soon nodding her head with an ‘ahh’ expression.

“It’s announced by the Republic at the beginning of every year. I think it will continue to be updated until the war ends. Since it’s a ranking that originated because of Rein in the first place.”

The ranking was created because of rain? Why? I refrained from asking since it seemed too much of a tease.

‘I should read the magazine more carefully when Deschamps is resting.’

Sigh. Both the guild and the ranking… The world had changed so much in four years that it felt overwhelming to learn about it all over again.

 

After half a day passed in this manner, the train finally arrived in Brisher late at night.

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‘If beings friends is too much, should we start as family’ LMAOOO

Daisy willing to use Deschamps as a weapon is so like her too lol

Btw, your tl got into university!!! It was around this time last year that I told you guys I’d take a gap year, I’m so glad I can tell you this too hehe. Now I can officially call myself a broke university student lolol