My name was Iernes.
I was an ordinary maid.
Yes, exceedingly ordinary.
I apologize for having no traits worth mentioning.
By the order of my employer, the Head of the House of Goldbark, I served Lord Godmillion.
Lord Godmillion was the family’s eldest son. Essentially, my job was to look after the boy. Since we were close in age, perhaps it was meant more in the sense of being a playmate.
Eh? A romantic interest? Please, stop. I might actually cry.
Today was much like any other; Lord Godmillion picked a fight with his schoolmates. Or rather, in this case, perhaps it was more accurate to say he "bought" the fight. He usually had an arrogant streak. I thought he might get into fewer scraps if he mended his ways, but it seemed his temperament wasn’t so easily altered.
“Iernes. Do not interfere. These guys are my prey.”
Prey, he called them. There were three of them; I wondered if he would really be alright. Well, worrying would have been a form of disrespect. As instructed, I did not interfere. I didn't cheer him on, either.
Instead, I decided to enjoy the fact that I had gained a moment to myself. How should I spend this personal time? Hmm. Yes. I would spend it thinking about something frivolous. For instance, a stylish maid pose that looked down on the viewer just a little bit. That sounded lovely. I liked the idea of something so niche one might only use it once or twice in a lifetime. I wondered what sort of flair it should have.
I was in the middle of visualizing a third such pose when Lord Godmillion was reduced to tears.
“Iernes, help me! Help meeee!”
I sighed. I clapped my hands to stop the boys who were currently thrashing Lord Godmillion.
“Excuse me. Please wait a moment.”
I spoke calmly as I grabbed Lord Godmillion by the scruff of his neck and hauled him to his feet.
“Y-You’re late! Why didn’t you help me soo—gugehh!”
What cut Lord Godmillion short was a fist sinking into his solar plexus. My fist.
“W-What are you doing…?”
“Lord Godmillion, you are the heir to the House of Goldbark, are you not?”
“I-I am, but…”
“It is unacceptable for an heir to go back on his word once it has been spoken. Do you understand?”
“E-Even so…”
“Do you understand?”
“I… I understand…”
“Very good. Then, please do your best. To the three of you, I apologize for the delay. Please feel free to direct your frustrations toward Lord Godmillion.”
I bowed to him and stepped back. I decided to resume my thoughts on that pose from earlier… Oh? What was the matter? You three? You were free to continue. They seemed to be comforting Lord Godmillion now, but was there really a need for that? Well, if they had made up, I suppose that was a happy ending.
It appeared my personal time was over. I sighed. Lord Godmillion, please look at your opponents before you accept a challenge. No matter how you looked at them, they were clearly stronger than you. And to take on three at once…
It was a blessing that we were within the Academy. If this had happened outside, the consequences would have been too horrific to contemplate. Would we have won if I had joined in? Naturally. Ah, but since Lord Godmillion would have only dragged me down, perhaps "naturally" was too strong a word. If he had simply stepped back and stayed out of the way, I could have won without any issue.
Oh? What are you crying for now? If you have time to weep, you should put that effort into your training. And please, try to keep the big talk in moderation. I have warned you about this many times. There, stay still. Your hair is a mess; let me fix it.
I walked a few paces behind Lord Godmillion. This was the optimal position for a maid. If we were ambushed from the front, I could use Lord Godmillion as a shield and use the opening to make my escape.
Please, do not misunderstand. My loyalty was pledged to my employer, the Head of the House of Goldbark. I only served Lord Godmillion because it was the master’s command. Furthermore, that command was merely to tend to his personal needs as a maid. In other words, I was not an escort.
To suggest I should act as a shield just because my charge was in a pinch was quite the dim-witted proposition. Why on earth would I do such a thing? I was hired as a maid. Taking a blow for someone else was not in my job description. It had nothing to do with whether I was stronger than Lord Godmillion or not.
Would my employer not scold me if he were injured or killed? Not at all. If they were worried about him getting hurt or dying, they should have hired a proper guard. Honestly, given what a troublemaker he was, it would have been safer to just lock him in the house rather than hiring security.
Oops. An emergency.
Alfred-sama, a fellow student, appeared ahead of Lord Godmillion. Since they belonged to different factions, they hadn't interacted much until recently, but Alfred-sama’s faction had begun broadening its horizons after the Royal Capital Festival. It seemed Lord Godmillion had decided to hop on that bandwagon. Or rather, I should say they were the ones who had graciously accepted him. Normally, with Lord Godmillion’s usual attitude, hostility would have been the standard response. Alfred-sama must have possessed a very generous heart.
However, it was not good for Lord Godmillion to get carried away. Even if Alfred-sama didn't mind, those around him certainly would. I secretly touched Lord Godmillion’s back to signal him.
"Speak as if you are talking to your father's superior. If you say anything disrespectful to Alfred-sama, I will stab you."
It was well beyond the duties of a maid, but it couldn't be helped. The person before us was far too important. I had to prevent my employer’s house from being ruined by Lord Godmillion’s blundering.
Oh? Lord Godmillion, why are you crying? You’re making Alfred-sama worry. Straighten your back!
Look, Alfred-sama has invited us to dinner. Accept it properly.
Good, that was it. His response was neither too arrogant nor too groveling. I knew he could do it if he tried.
Eh? Alfred-sama was inviting me as well? Thank you very much. I would have loved to accept immediately, but I had to seek Lord Godmillion’s permission first.
“Lord Godmillion, may I join as well?”
…No? Did I mishear him? I must have misheard, right? You won't go back on your word? Yes, exactly. That’s why I was checking if I misheard. Hehe. Exactly. There’s no way Lord Godmillion would say I couldn't go. Wonderful.
We expressed our thanks to Alfred-sama and moved away.
“Hey? Dinner is soon. Why didn't we just go with them?”
Lord Godmillion was as clueless as ever. First, please look at yourself. You are covered in filth from that scuffle earlier. I cannot allow you to visit another household in such a state. We will return to the mansion and change first.
“I’m not really that dirty, am I?”
I sighed. Did he not understand? I was saying that we could not step into Alfred-sama’s presence without being properly armed. Yes, with my current gear, I could not guarantee my own safety. Of course, I had no intention of starting a fight. I doubted they did, either. However, that was no reason not to prepare for the absolute worst.
In that place, people stronger than me were lounging around in droves. What would be the point of being outmatched in equipment as well? I knew what I was doing. I didn't count Lord Godmillion as a combatant; I was simply going to have him do his best as my mobile armory. That’s right. Between the two of us, we could carry twice as many weapons. In the unlikely event that something happened, he would hand the weapons to me. If I had the spare capacity, I would protect Lord Godmillion’s life as well.
“You won't even promise to protect me?”
“If you want that kind of talk, please hire me yourself. My monthly salary is thirteen silver coins.”
“That salary… Dad definitely didn't hire you as a maid. Thirteen silver coins is what you pay a Captain of a combat unit. A normal maid, even a veteran, only gets about five silver coins.”
“Perhaps the House of Goldbark is simply that wealthy?”
“We are a Viscount family on the verge of poverty!”
“But the master provided me with this maid uniform when he hired me, you know?”
“That’s because you were dressed like an assassin when you showed up, wasn't it?”
“When I was hired, he specifically said, 'I want you to do your best as a maid.'”
“Didn't he say 'Normally' right before that?”
“I have no memory of that. Well, let’s discuss this the next time we return to the mansion. Now, hurry along, we have to get you changed.”
“The mansion? You mean my home? I can't go back there until winter! Hey, whoa, don't carry me! I can walk!”
I was Iernes.
An ordinary maid.
Yes, exceedingly ordinary.
The food at Alfred-sama’s residence was delicious as always. I thought it would be a good idea for Lord Godmillion to stay within Alfred's Faction, but a maid shouldn't voice such opinions. I would simply continue to wait in the background.
Alfred: “That guard maid with Godmillion is stronger than Big Sister Urza, isn't she?” Urza: “Probably. Whenever she’s around, Asa, Earth, and Mettora go into caution mode.” Tiselle: (I wonder if I can headhunt her…) Alfred: “Tiselle.” Tiselle: “Sorry. I won’t touch her.” Alfred: “Very good.”