I Became the Maid of the Lout Prince

“Hmm…”

Ethan’s expression hardened at my suggestion that we should meet with Gyeongmwajogyegigwat, clearly showing his displeasure to anyone who might be watching.

‘He really dislikes him that much, huh.’

Strictly speaking, the Hero hadn’t directly harmed Ethan so far. 

The person possessing the Hero was likely confused about whether Ethan was a villain or not, given his current state. If Gyeongmwajogyegigwat had been certain that Ethan was a villain, it would have been normal for him to have already warned Ethan at least once to release Lilith.

If the story had followed the original plot, Ethan would have fled with Lilith to the Blackwood Estate after receiving the Hero’s warning, going into seclusion. The latter half of Part 2 of Luminor Academy would have involved the Hero infiltrating the Blackwood Estate in pursuit of Ethan and Lilith. [Only on Galaxy Translations! / Axiomatic]

Of course, if such a thing were to happen in reality, Ethan wouldn’t flee but would likely confront the Hero with sword in hand, potentially leading to a literal bloodbath within the academy.

So far, I haven’t heard anything about Ethan receiving any warnings or attacks from Gyeongmwajogyegigwat. On the contrary, after the recent Kraken of the Abyss subjugation, he had even helped save my life by teaching me CPR.

While Gyeongmwajogyegigwat had indirectly caused some trouble by repeatedly approaching Ethan despite being warned to stay away, and by using Seraphine to forcibly arrange meetings leading to Natalie’s drunken rampage, he hadn’t really done anything to warrant genuine animosity.

Of course, it was understandable that Ethan would be wary of a Hero who seemed to be stringing along multiple women. If I were in Ethan’s position, I wouldn’t want to get close to such a person, either.

Ethan’s wariness, still concerned about losing me to the Hero, was unlikely to ease up easily.

In fact, Lilith was one of the main heroines of Luminor Academy in the original game, so his suspicion wasn’t entirely unfounded.

“Of course, I’m also aware that you don’t particularly like Hero Gyeongmwajogyegigwat, Young Master Ethan.”

“…Well, I can’t deny that.”

“However, you still don’t have the power to defeat demons or beings empowered by demons, Young Master Ethan. This isn’t just about you; even the Hero probably hasn’t reached that level yet.”

“…Is that so? If that’s what you think, can you tell me why you believe we need to talk to that Hero?”

“It’s because he’s the only one who can slay demons without bowing to status and power.”

“…”

Currently, the Hero doesn’t hold any special noble title. He’s only described as the ‘Hero From Another World’ or the ‘Prophesied Hero’.

Conversely, this meant he was free from the responsibilities and status that come with such titles, which is why he could cause trouble inside and outside the academy all year round without being easily restrained.

If anyone tried to tell the summoned Hero from another world to behave, they might be accused of being in league with the demons, making it a sensitive time.

Of course, this atmosphere was created because Gyeongmwajogyegigwat was producing definite results in reducing the number of demons, allowing him such freedom.

In any case, he was moving with his own goal of clearing the game, and knowing that Machart was a named character in Part 4, he wouldn’t pass up the chance to deal with him in advance.

If he understood the true intention behind my proposal, he would likely be willing to take action and help.

‘From my position, it would seem suspicious if I directly asked for help and gathered people, but no one would find it strange if the Hero gathered people to go defeat demons.’

Let’s say Ethan or I were to request help from other powerful figures, saying something like, “One of the key figures in the country seems to be connected to demons, so let’s gather our strength and deal with them.”

First, we’d likely be rejected outright with responses like “Have you lost your mind?”, and even if things went well, given who we’d be accusing, there was a high chance we’d be branded as traitors to the state. [Only on Galaxy Translations! / Axiomatic]

But what if Gyeongmwajogyegigwat, known as the Hero, and Seriste, known as the Saint, were to gather people?

Those who had already participated in demon subjugation with these two would have some level of trust, and with the Hero and Saint present, it wouldn’t be too difficult to reveal Machart’s connection to demons.

Of course, when I say ‘Saint’, I’m not referring to Seriste, the fake Saint, but to someone who can actually use the power of a Saint.

‘…This is getting complicated.’

Given who we’re dealing with, there was a lot to do not only in killing him but also in the aftermath.

That’s why the help of Gyeongmwajogyegigwat and Seriste, who would cooperate if the situation was explained, was absolutely necessary. No matter how much Ethan disliked it, there was now a reason to meet them this time.

“Alright, since you said so, Lilith, I guess I have no choice but to meet him once.”

“Are you sure you’re okay with this, Young Master Ethan?”

“I may not like his promiscuous attitude, surrounding himself with women on all sides, but it seems we need his help right now.”

“Thank you for your brave decision, Young Master Ethan.”

“So, Lilith, how do you plan to arrange this meeting? It seems difficult to ask Princess Seraphine, given that our relationship isn’t what it used to be.”

“I’ll ask Agnes for help. She’s my friend and also works with the Hero.”

“I see. Alright, I’ll leave the arrangement to you, Lilith.”

Finally, with a caution to keep this secret as it would likely be a clandestine meeting, my emergency meeting with Ethan concluded.

It was the moment when, after several attempts, an opportunity to meet with Gyeongmwajogyegigwat was finally created.

The day after persuading Ethan that we needed to meet with Hero Gyeongmwajogyegigwat, I was somehow able to set a time and place through Agnes’s arrangement.

One week later, at the Theology Department Building of Luminor Academy…

A room on the 5th floor of the massive church that serves as the Aurelian Church’s academy branch, the Theology Department’s Educational Building, and the Theology Department’s Dormitory, was the gathering place for this meeting.

There were two main reasons for choosing the church as the meeting place among various other locations.

One was that hundreds of patients and Aurelian Church believers come and go every day, so a student from another department visiting wouldn’t stand out much.

The other was that since Seriste resides in the church, there was no need to find a separate meeting place.

Gyeongmwajogyegigwat, Seriste, Ethan, myself, and Agnes who arranged this meeting – a total of five people gathered in Seriste’s dorm room on the 5th floor of the Theology Department Building. As the one who called for this meeting, I was the first to speak and explain the situation.

“First, I’d like to thank the Hero and the Saint for responding to my sudden request and being here.”

“Oh, n-no… Of course I’d respond if you asked, L-Lilith…”

“It’s fine. I didn’t have any plans until the evaluation battle anyway. Don’t worry about it, Lilith.”

“…You might need to worry a bit more. Aren’t you being overly familiar with my exclusive maid…?”

“Young Master Ethan, please restrain yourself. These people are here at my request today.”

“…Sorry, Lilith.”

After cautioning Ethan, who nearly created an unpleasant atmosphere before the meeting even started, I continued to explain the situation to Gyeongmwajogyegigwat and Seriste.

I told them about the recent attack by Prince Machart and how he had targeted me using demonic power.

Since I needed to convince not just the Hero but Seriste as well, I explained what happened and what I saw that day in as much detail as possible. As the story went on, shadows began to fall across both of their expressions.

“I-Is that really true, Miss Lilith…?”

“Seriste, I’m sorry, but the way you’ve been addressing me is a bit too formal…”

“Wait, Machart targeted you? Because of that incident where you cursed at Prince Antonio’s birthday celebration?”

“Yes. It seems I’ve definitely offended him. I was lucky to escape safely last time, but I don’t think I’ll be able to escape so easily if it happens again.”

“These days, Blackwood and I have been sticking together to keep watch. Since he’s using demonic power, we don’t know what he might do, but it’s certainly better to face him as two rather than one.”

“Has the story changed again? How should we respond in this situation…”

“…Story?”

“Ah, it’s nothing. Just talking to myself.”

After hearing Agnes’s additional explanation, the Hero muttered to himself with his head bowed.

Only Ethan reacted to this self-talk, questioning it strangely, while Seriste and Agnes seemed already accustomed to it and showed no particular suspicion.

From the start, Seriste had been trembling like a sinner whenever our eyes met, averting her gaze, and the way she had changed to addressing me as ‘Miss Lilith’ was odd in many ways.

Of course, I didn’t have the luxury to worry about such reactions now; we needed to discuss how to deal with Machart first.

Gyeongmwajogyegigwat, who seemed to have come up with an appropriate scenario based on the changed storyline I had told him, cautiously began to speak.

“Actually, I’ve been vaguely suspicious too. I had a feeling that Prince Machart was emanating a demonic aura.”

“…Really?” [Only on Galaxy Translations! / Axiomatic]

“Your reaction just now seems suspicious for someone claiming that. Are you just pretending to agree with Lilith’s words?”

“No, that’s not it. It’s just that since we’re dealing with a prince, I’ve been extremely careful with my words. If I mistakenly accused and killed a real prince on suspicion of being a demon without being certain, even a Hero couldn’t escape punishment.”

“…”

“Besides, I wasn’t the one who first discovered it; Seriste noticed it first. I only started suspecting after hearing about it later. …Isn’t that right, Seriste?”

“Ah, y-yes! I, I thought Prince Machart was strange from the first time I saw him! For a prince, there was something off about his aura, or rather, his f-feeling…”

…Judging by their reactions, it seemed they were going with the strategy of ‘we’ve been suspicious from the beginning.’

From Seriste’s response, it was clear this was news to her, and I knew she didn’t have the means to detect demonic power yet, but for the sake of convenience, I didn’t point this out.

“I see, Hero Gyeongmwajogyegigwat. Then, may I understand that you believe my words?”

“If it’s related to demons, of course, I have to help. Having a demon spy inside the Imperial Palace is particularly dangerous. It could put Seraphine in danger, and leaving a demon spy in the Palace could allow other demons to spread throughout the empire.”

“Thank you, Hero.”

“However, before I agree to cooperate, there’s one last thing I need to confirm.”

“Yes?”

With his gaze fixed directly on me, Gyeongmwajogyegigwat’s next words drew everyone’s attention to the two of us.

“Miss Lilith, would you mind stepping outside with me for a moment?”

“Pardon?”

“I’d like to talk to you alone, without the others.”

…He’s figured it out, hasn’t he?

T/N

Hello! Axiomatic here.

See you in a bit for the bonus chapter!