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

Part 2, Episode 9

The commotion inside lasted for a while.

However, as soon as Calepa promised her something, the young queen, who had been clinging to his leg and whining, stood up quietly and left the reception room.

‘He has always been weak to children.’

The fact that he easily granted the clumsy wishes of a child despite being the demi-god of the Northern Continent caused the descendants of the royal families of the religious nations in the Union to consider meeting him like he was an uncle, even when meeting the leader was as rare as seeing a phoenix.

After the surroundings quieted down, Skuld naturally rose and stared at his Lord Calepa, Rue.

“I was surprised to be suddenly summoned to Banahel, Calepa. Did you come straight down from Aragald Mountain?”

Instead of answering, Rue gave a slight signal to the chamberlain.

While listening to the chamberlain recount the events that had transpired, Skuld’s gaze inevitably scanned Rue.

He felt a rare bout of irritation from the Calepa… Indeed.

It seemed like a significant incident had taken place.

“I apologize, Calepa. It was our oversight. We never imagined that someone would impersonate Calepa…”

“It wasn’t as if you were the only one who didn’t know. I never expected there to be such a reckless fool who’d lost his fear either.”

Skuld immediately voiced the existence that had come to mind.

“Could it be Spolia?”

Spolia.

If the Calepa reigned over the Northern Continental Union, then Spolia reigned over the Contanos Republic.

As the leader of Rogue, if Rue was the protector of the Northern Continent, then Spolia, as the chief magistrate of the Contaninos Republic, was the protector of the Contaninos Republic.

They were the demigods and guardians of their respective continents, and due to their positions, they had encountered each other several times over the past hundred years.

However, due to Rue’s lack of interest in others and Spolia’s inability to stay in one place for long, there had been no significant clashes between them.

This meant that they did not have a relationship that could be called bad.

“Doesn’t he occasionally do bizarre things? Do you remember the time he disguised himself as a gypsy and deceived the Count of Cassinia in Astrosa, and even had a child with him? The truly astonishing fact is that before deceiving the Count, he had already deceived the Countess. Therefore, both the young Count and the woman of the Carsiinia family are Spolia’s…”

“You bring up that incident every chance you get, Skuld. Was it that interesting to you?”

Skuld, who had coughed slightly, answered with a gentle expression.

“I just mean to say that since he is that eccentric, he might have pretended to be Calepa for his personal goals.”

In response to Rue’s indifferent reaction, Skuld cautiously looked at him.

“Or perhaps… is there someone else you’re considering?”

The answer came as if it had been awaited.

“Look into Rein or Maria. There’s a higher probability it’s Rin, so send someone to Penrotta.”

Skuld’s expression stiffened strangely upon hearing the two names.

‘For those names to come up. This matter could become more complicated than I thought.’

For decades, this land had been balanced by four demigods.

Calepa of the North.

Spolia of the West.

Maria of the East.

Rein of the South.

Maria of the East was the oldest demigod and had lived for over 200 years as the matriarch of a family.

Maria had an insatiable thirst for knowledge and spent most of her life traveling and reading. Her relationship with Rue’s was almost uniquely amicable among the demigods, and they occasionally exchanged greetings and inquiries about each other’s well-being.

Spolia, too, was a man who had become familiar with his Lord Calepa over a century or more.

They knew each other’s temperaments and habits well, and after the ‘Covenant of the Land of Death,’ they lived as distantly as possible, avoiding even minimal contact.

However, Rein of the south was an exception.

‘It has only been about 30 years since he achieved the unity of body and mind.’

The last report of his whereabouts was ten years ago. Since he had practically retired, they had not been keeping a close eye on him, but…

“Could it be that the demigod of the South has awakened from his slumber?”

“It’s possible. When he fell asleep, the Southern Continent was in turmoil due to Mephisto.”

“….Even when I think about it, what a dreary and awful man. Even if he disliked drawing attention, how could he so ruthlessly pretend to not notice the embers of war burning in the land where he was born and raised?”

After the ‘Covenant of the Land of Death,’ the demigods hid behind the shadows.

They no longer took the lead in any matters, be it politics, military, economy, or culture, and only maintained their positions as guardian deities, occasionally extending a helping hand.

The reason Lord Calepa did not personally move to interfere with the mess Mephisto had created was because of his promise to Dian Cecht, but this ‘Covenant of the Land of Death’ had also played a part.

‘The purpose behind the covenant was to respect the free will of mankind.’

But Mephisto crossed the line.

In accordance with the implicit agreement not to invade each other’s territories, the demigod of the Southern Continent was supposed to willingly step forward and annihilate Mephisto’s army.

But he turned his back on the whole thing as if nothing had happened.

In the end, the demigods of each continent had to move their invisible hands to lend their strength.

Therefore, Skuld could not look kindly upon Rein, the demigod of the South.

“Is he still a young demigod who feels burdened by the responsibility placed upon him? Compared to Calepha and the other gods, isn’t Rei- the demigod of the South like the youngest and most immature sibling? If he ran away because of that, I might understand a little…”

“Who said he was the youngest?”

Rue suddenly smiled brightly after glancing at Skuld with eyes that seemed to say there was no comparison.

“The youngest and cutest god is our Daisy. You consider a stern person a child, Skuld.”

…But Skuld had never used the word ‘cute’ before.

When Skuld recalled the woman with lively, light brown eyes and a somewhat absent-minded expression, he found himself unconsciously smiling.

Thinking about it, besides Maria, wasn’t there another god who maintained a friendly relationship with their Rogue and Calepa?

It was Daisy, who had grown up well.

‘Hmm… no, it won’t do. I should be cautious with such expressions because you never know when they might slip out. Moreover, she has already joined the Logot, so technically, she is also our superior.’

Mysteriously, when Skuld thought of Daisy, he felt a sense of youthful vigor coursing through his body.

If Skuld were in his prime, full of vigor, he might have felt envious about Daisy’s remarkable achievements and accomplishments. However, the more he thought about Daisy’s unity of body and mind, the more he felt somewhat proud.

‘Perhaps it’s because I’ve been watching over her since the days of the Magical Alliance.’

Growth, sacrifice, evolution—having (secretly) been with her in all those processes, it was only natural for him to feel proud. Could this be the heart of a parent thinking of their child?

“Skuld.”

“Ah, yes.”

“Stop making that disgusting face and prepare the airship. You will return to the Rogue and report today’s events, then follow me down to Penrotta.”

Skuld swallowed dryly at the Calepa’s proactive stance.

“Calepa, do you mean…?”

“Yes, I’ve changed my mind. I’m going to meet Rein in person.”

Rue sneered coldly.

 

“He must pay the price for daring to interfere with my travels.”