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

Episode 7

“What? Yes! I-I’m sorry, Your Highness! I always dozed off during history and social studies classes!”

Natasha began to ramble on about the demi-gods of the Northern and Western continents.

Of course, I didn’t even listen to her cultural classes. This was because, instead of stories from distant worlds I would never have any connection with in my life, the young knights that struggled to hold back laughter as they smoked caught my attention more.

“…And the Western Empire’s Left Minister and Right Minister serve as the heads of state. They are elected every 7 years, but the position of Right Minister has remained unchanged for the past 100 years.”

“So, this Right Minister…”

“It’s Spalia, the demigod of the West. Haha, can you believe there’s a knight who doesn’t know the demigods of the North and West? They’re famously known as the bridge of heaven and earth. Your level of knowledge is similar to Andert’s, isn’t it?”

“Hehe.”

Don’t laugh, man. It’s not a compliment. It means you’re ignorant.

“Moreover, Spalia is also the brother of my great-grandmother’s great-great-great grandmother. Hmm, I do recall meeting him as a child in a meeting for friendly relations.”

Raphael, who had been quietly watching the tobacco smoke rings with me, suddenly asked as if he’d regained interest in her words.

“What kind of person was he?”

“Well, if you ask how he was, the most appropriate answer would be…”

Natasha, with her hand on her chin and a serious face, responded in a murky voice.

“Psycho?”

A demigod and a psycho.

‘Even if he’s an ancestor, isn’t that a bit disrespectful to say for someone with the title of a demigod?’

Well, it didn’t matter since the person wasn’t here. For Natasha, who’d learned Imperial etiquette since birth, to use such a vulgar expression, I could see what kind of personality he had.

“Well, even if one is a demigod, it must be difficult to remain sane after living such a long time.”

Desherro’s comment wasn’t entirely wrong.

“In reality, how is it? I mean… when one becomes a demigod, there must be something different, right?”

The young knight’s eyes sparkled with youthful curiosity. Narrowing her eyes with a secretive expression of politeness, Natasha suddenly raised her hand and called someone.

“Magician of the Northern Continent! This boy here is curious about what a demigod is. Have you ever met the demigod of Northern Rogue?”

At this rate, even the emperor might show up to this gathering.

The commander of the Northern Continent Support Force strode confidently through the gap of the foreigners, his long silver hair fluttering. He did not seem awkward or wary even after experiencing Rogenhoff’s rude remarks. He was definitely not an average person.

“Unfortunately, ordinary believers do not have the privilege of facing him.”

The Northern Continent’s Commander’s eyes as he answered weren’t on Natasha, but me.

What was with that subtle, profound gaze, as if reuniting after ten years with his eldest niece or nephew who grew up strong by himself despite losing his parents?

“…But I have seen him from afar. He is very…”

“Very?”

The commander of the North Continent responded fittingly to the focused, anticipating gazes fixed on him.

“He’s very persistent.”

“Persistent?”

Persistent. A description as bizarre as that gaze.

“Well, in order to reach the level of a demigod, a person has to be a little persistent.”

Ignoring Desherro’s affirmation, Natasha exclaimed.

“Ah, as expected! Spalia of the Western Continent was not an ordinary persistent old man either…”

“His appearance isn’t that of an old man.”

“True, you can’t call him an old man. Of course, he had an air of mastery in worldly affairs, but he was a little more… than I’d expected…”

“A bit capricious and frivolous, is he not?”

Natasha and the Commander of the Northern Continent. If it wasn’t an illusion, it strangely felt like they were surprisingly in sync.

“Yes, even so, their persistence can sometimes lead to an incomprehensible obsession.”

“That’s right. If the subject is a living being, that’s a relief, but when it involves an object, it can be quite troubling. Especially in the case of legendary treasures hidden in this world, there was a time where he remained missing for a decade in search of a treasure.”

The two of them seemed very excited about the topic.

Didn’t one of them say that he’d only briefly seen him from a distance, and the other only encountered him in a friendly gathering as a child?

Then how could they know so much? I couldn’t understand.

“Don’t they sometimes appear like a child full of childish interest, even though they try specifically not to look like it?”

“Yes, but when they get into it, they end up being lackluster and disappointed.”

“Most of the time, they’re wayward and have very peculiar tastes.”

“Having experienced all sorts of hardships for over a century, including hitting rock bottom, they tend to favor the extreme in many ways.”

“It’s so extreme that I can’t predict his next move. Sometimes I wonder if Spalia of the Western Continent might’ve infiltrated our Allied forces.”

“…”

“…”

“…”

When it suddenly became a little quiet now, Natasha, with her eyes wide-open, murmured in an incredulous tone.

“…Could it be that the demigod of the Northern Continent..?”

The commander of the North Continent hurriedly waved his hand with a troubled expression.

“No, no. I was just surprised because it’s a very plausible speculation. Truly, a remarkable.. plausible speculation.”

“Is that so? Hm. But I think it’s very unlikely that they actually went undercover. Even if they did infiltrate us, they would have gone back after less than a year. War would feel tedious and boring to them.”

“Or, they might even find it very interesting. After all, aren’t there many sides of humans to see on the battlefield? For the demigods who have spent decades in sanctuaries or empires, it might be an enjoyable pastime.”

“You’re right. Maybe they’re unknowingly helping us. Ahaha, Spalia of the Western Continent is quite an enigmatic man in many ways… If someone has caught his eyes, we must mourn them. Perhaps they share similar tastes and may have crossed paths at some point.”

As the knights, who felt excluded from the conversation known only to the two of them left one by one (including Raphael and Desherro), the surroundings fell quiet.

The commander of the North Continent, standing solemnly in the silent darkness, spoke with a voice of mixed emotions.

“What catches the demi-god’s eyes… is truly a thing of joy for a believer.”

“Is that the case for the Northern Continent? It’s definitely not for the Western Continent. Definitely not.”

A second awkward silence settled. Unknowable gazes were meeting, and although the exact meaning wasn’t discernable, there was an atmosphere of understanding and deep sympathy between the two.

After confirming that their relentless conversation had momentarily reached a lull, I cautiously interjected.

“You see…”

Continuing, I voiced a sincere question that had arisen from their meaningful conversation.

“Are the demigods just grown up troublemakers?”

I mean, this Spol…whatever from the Western Continent, and the leader of the Northern Continent – from their description alone, they seemed like quite the troublemakers. Wasn’t it a significant danger to humanity for such people to possess powers akin to gods? It was a description that would completely destroy any illusions that had ever existed about them.

But why?

Despite the serious question, Natasha’s gaze as she stared at me was really strange.

“…Um.”

After a short sigh, the expression I faced was, what should I say? like someone who had belatedly discovered that a lamp casted a shadow.

“Andert.”

“What?”

“If someone with a bad personality follows you around or shows a strange obsession… whether they are male, female, a child, an adult, a king, a queen, a bug, or a rotten potato sprout! You must tell me. You must.”

“Huh?”

What strange talk was this again? Did she really think the demigod of the Western Continent would stick around me?

Unfortunately, I had lots of meddlesome people around me, both eight years ago and now. In the first place, you’re one of them, Natasha.

The bothersome Berkeley-Gratten knights who got beaten up today were the same. What was the point of worrying about a demigod of another continent when I was tangled up with similar people in my day to day life?

When I was unintentionally reminded of those meddlesome faces, the Commander of the Northern Continent shook his head with a bored look in his eyes.

“It can’t be helped, so please just accept it.”

What on earth exactly was I supposed to accept?

We were lost in our own thoughts for a while without saying a word.

It was a dull and strange winter night that only left behind a bitter aftertaste.

Side Story 1 – Secret Missives – finished.

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Don’t gooo yett T-T I want to see you guys more

Natasha was worried about the wrong demigod lmao rip

Rue stayed silent for a good while bc Natasha hit the nail right on the head with the ‘what if that other demigod is with us undercover’ and when she didn’t see him answer, she was like ‘wait a damn minute’ lol

There might be more side stories coming. Actually idk if I’m supposed to mention this, but there’s news of a part 2 for PLOM that is scheduled for this year. Aasdbhasbd nothing confirmed yet bc it was only just announced, so let’s wait and see! This demigod of the Western continent is being mentioned a lot, so let’s see if he has anything to do with it.

It helps that I’m still not over this story