NOVEL NEXT 83 – Kinue, the Warrior Maid
Chapter 83 - Kinue, the Warrior Maid
Kinue:
It had been 20 days since we returned home from the Royal Capital, and it was morning. I stretched as I woke up. I always got up early to start my duties and then do my training.
"I'm a little hungry," I said as I yawned.
Getting out of bed, I went to a light crystal and infused it with my mana to light up the ceiling globe. My room was quite spacious, and I had decorated it with things I liked. Aunt Margie gave me an allowance, and Professor Adrihna would also leave some money with me whenever she visited, but I didn’t spend much.
I took a bath and put on my maid uniform.
On my desk, there were some makeup products, but what I liked most was kept in a box.
“That necklace…”
I put on the necklace and grabbed my storage bracelet.
When I turned 12, they threw me a surprise party. I hadn’t even remembered I could celebrate my 12th birthday, so it was a wonderful surprise. I was so happy because I never imagined I’d have a party like that. I received some special gifts since we celebrate when a child becomes a teenager.
Aunt Katie and Martha teamed up to give me a halberd. It was a heavy weapon that looked like a spear; they made a special one for me, making it deadlier. The tip had a large, sharp blade, and the other end was like a spear. I liked the spears the maids used, but they thought it better to give me a customized weapon that could be better utilized with my strength and my primary category as a Transmitter.
Aunt Margie gave me a storage bracelet, and I hesitated to accept such a gift. Having a storage bracelet is a big responsibility, and it’s not something commoners have access to; only the nobility is authorized to buy them, and they’re very expensive. The one she gave me was special—though some bracelets are sold on the black market, the one she gave me was exclusive to the upper nobility. My bracelet was the most spacious version available, able to store up to 10 items.
Professor Adrihna gifted me a house next to hers in the elven kingdom and a special book exclusive to high elves, containing light element spells.
Chloe and Nathan also gave me something, but it was after the party, since by tradition, only adult guardians are allowed to give gifts on a 12th birthday. They gave me a pendant to add to the necklace I had received during our first outing in the city. Nathan gave me a small piece of his Akonium stone, and Chloe gave me the pearl from the earring she had received that day. These two items were made into pendants for my necklace.
“I look perfect,” I said, admiring myself and my uniform in the mirror.
I left the room, and something darted quickly down the corridor.
“You scared me, Cylla!” I said, placing a hand on my chest.
“Squaak,” she replied and ran off again.
You’re up early.
When we were younger, Nathan and Chloe showed me the other animal that lived in this place. It was a beautiful four-legged bird with red accents on its feathers, about the size of a dog. They told me she was a girl and Nathan’s guardian. I played with Cylla occasionally, having her shoot fireballs at light shields to see if she could hit them. They asked me never to mention the panther and the bird to anyone else.
When Professor Adrihna first saw Nathan's guardian, she was puzzled, saying she had never seen a bird like that before, and they told her it was a phoenix. The professor was shocked to hear that, as phoenixes were considered extinct. Nathan's mother and aunt asked the professor to keep the bird a secret, as the kingdom coveted magical creatures. Lady Adrihna agreed, promising to keep it a secret—after all, she had known about the panther for many years. I found out that she had never told any of the important elves about the peculiar family's secrets or that Nathan was in the process of acquiring Special Eyes.
Sometimes, they speak in code, and I've managed to understand a few things. The professor mentioned that one day she would have to take Aunt Katie and Nathan to meet the people who saw me when I was little.
The professor told me that Nathan's case is more complicated than mine and that it might even be difficult to take him to the elven kingdom since he's a high-ranking noble, and the human kingdom’s embassy would be notified. Aunt Katie and I are of commoner origin, so it's easier for us to make these trips, but she mentioned that Nathan would draw attention, and Aunt Katie doesn't want him to meet those people just yet.
“Good morning, Kinue,” a maid greeted me.
“Good morning,” I replied.
I continued walking down the corridor, and as soon as I turned a corner, I saw a breathless Chloe.
“Good morning, Kinue. Do you know where Cylla is?” she asked, flustered.
“She ran past me just a moment ago.”
Chloe clenched her fists. “That little thief stole my breakfast and ran off,” she said, hurrying down the corridor.
Always full of energy, no matter the time of day, hehe.
I headed toward the dining room where we usually had our meals.
“Good morning, Lady Margaery,” I said.
“Good morning,” she replied.
I walked over to Aunt Katie.
“Good morning, Lady Katherine.”
“Good morning, Kinue. You know you don’t need to call us that.”
I let out a small laugh. “I’m training to be a true warrior maid, and that includes being perfect in every aspect,” I said.
And also because I can't call you ‘aunt’; I need to break that habit. When I did that in front of a merchant, he found it odd since we’re of different races, and it’s considered impolite for a servant to address their master informally.
“You’re always so polite and helpful; it’s completely different from my daughter, who is always finding ways to avoid her tasks,” Lady Margaery said.
I let out a small laugh because Chloe really did try to escape her duties whenever she could.
“I’m thinking of adopting you permanently, hehe,” Aunt Katie said.
I blushed when I heard her say that.
“Where’s Nate?” I asked, as he would usually be feeding Cylla breakfast.
“He’s got a headache and didn’t want to get out of bed; his eyes are hurting again,” Aunt Margie said.
Nathan sometimes had severe pain episodes and would stay in bed all day when it happened. The professor explained to me that the process of the body cultivating Special Eyes is very painful, but for Nathan, it’s even more excruciating since he’s developing both eyes.
Not even medicine can help him get better.
Nathan and Chloe have been eating special plants and mushrooms every day since they were very young to build resistance to poisons, so even painkillers don’t work on them. I’ve started eating them too, but it won’t be as effective for me since my body only began being exposed to them when I was older than they were.
“I should tell you, Adrihna will be arriving at the castle in a few hours,” Lady Margaery said.
“Really?” I asked, excited.
“We received a letter from a crow sent by the wall guards saying they had opened the gate for her. I believe she should be here with us by dinner time,” she said.
I was overjoyed by the news.
I need to show her how much I’ve improved in these past few months!
After we finished breakfast, everyone got up to start their tasks. Aunt Katie was responsible for part of the fortress's security, overseeing fixed golem plants and helping with the farms managed by the villagers. She prepared special seeds and strengthened the planted ones to accelerate their growth. Even Chloe helped by filling water reservoirs with her magic. The villagers were very happy since mages rarely did such work for free, and most were of noble birth, so they didn’t engage in common tasks. The mages who did work in such roles were too expensive for local families to afford.
Everyone in the castle contributed in some way, and there was no job discrimination here—everyone had to learn at least a bit of every task. Nathan and Chloe learned how to plant, work with fertilizer, and even assist in animal births. When they went out to help on the farms, they couldn’t identify themselves as nobles from the castle and pretended to be village children or the offspring of a soldier. It was easier for them to interact with the villagers if they were treated as ordinary kids. I appreciated how the Evenhart family did things, even though I had uncovered some slightly sinister secrets about what the maids actually did; I still liked their simple way of life.
I ended up excelling in household chores, and Chloe always lost to me when we competed to see who could clean a room better.
Professor Martha explained to me that the children of the castle were taught from a young age not to grow up spoiled and to appreciate the small things.
“I could take some breakfast to Nathan…” I murmured as I tidied up the table.