I had heard that the forest city of Yugfressia, ruled by Lilliwood-san, was one of the largest in the Demon Realm, rivaling the scale of Megiddo-san's city.
In terms of total area, it seemed slightly larger than the Royal Capital of Symphonia. I had done some sightseeing on my way back from visiting Lilliwood-san before, but there were still many corners of the city I hadn't explored.
In a city as vast as Yugfressia, the spot I frequented most was Lilliwood-san's home and office, located at the base of the massive World Tree in the center.
Since it was the residence of one of the Six Kings, I suppose calling it a castle wouldn't be wrong, but it felt more like a workplace carved directly into the trunk of a colossal tree. While it was enormous, it lacked the traditional atmosphere of a fortress or palace.
The reason I had come to see Lilliwood-san today was to consult her about the World Tree sapling I had received as a commemorative gift during the Six Kings Festival.
After getting the sapling, I had bought a large planter and kept it in my room. However, perhaps because the World Tree grew at an incredible rate, it had expanded significantly during the two years I spent back in Japan. It was finally reaching a size that made keeping it indoors impractical.
Since I had recently built my own house, I was considering moving the World Tree from my room to the garden. However, given that it was a special tree, I figured I should check with Lilliwood-san to see if there were any specific precautions I needed to take, and roughly how large it would eventually become.
Lilliwood-san was always looking out for me—she frequently gave me the Fruit of the World Tree, among other things—so I made sure to bring a gift this time. When I asked Alice for advice on what to get, she suggested high-end water and even pointed me toward a specialty shop.
By the way, this water cost the equivalent of about 5,000 yen for a 500ml bottle. I couldn't help but wonder what kind of remote, mystical spring it had to be drawn from to justify that price. Then again, the fact that it was a commercial product meant there was someone out there buying it.
Well, since there were beings like Lilliwood-san who didn't eat and only drank water, I suppose there was a legitimate market for it.
As I pondered these things, the entrance to Lilliwood-san's residence came into view. At the same time, I spotted a familiar face.
This was quite lucky. I had met her many times, and honestly, she was the easiest of Lilliwood-san's subordinates to talk to.
Just as I noticed her, she seemed to spot me as well. She stopped her cleaning, turned toward me, and smiled.
"Hello, Kaito-san. Do you have business with Lilliwood-sama?"
"Hello, Camellia-san. Yes, I sent a message via Hummingbird earlier, but..."
"I see. Then please, come into the guest room. I'll go and announce your arrival immediately."
"Thank you. Sorry to interrupt your cleaning."
"No, no, please don't worry about it. It's just a hobby of mine."
The woman who greeted me so kindly was Camellia-san, one of Lilliwood-san's subordinates. She stood about 150 to 160 centimeters tall with brown, semi-long hair tied in a loose, thick braid that she draped over her shoulder. Her hairstyle reminded me a bit of Life-san's.
It was just my personal impression, but she wore clothes in calm tones of dark brown and cream that evoked the image of traditional folk costumes from places like Sweden. To put it bluntly—and I meant this with no disrespect—she looked exactly like a "village girl."
I certainly wasn't making fun of her, but Camellia-san's appearance was genuinely difficult to describe. While she wasn't the type to dazzle the eyes, she had lovely, refined features and was undeniably a beauty. Her gentle smile suited her perfectly, and you could feel her kindness just by looking at her.
And yet, her overall aura and color palette kept bringing that "village girl" impression back to the front of my mind.
I wondered why. Maybe it was because she lacked any flashy features. If I had to pick one detail that stood out, it was her hairclip, which looked like two stalks of grass intertwining.
At any rate, I considered Camellia-san more of a friend than a mere acquaintance.
Because housework was her hobby, she was often seen cleaning Lilliwood-san's residence, which led to many accidental encounters like this one. In fact, when we first met, I had mistakenly assumed she was a maid because she was cleaning, and I had asked her to announce me to Lilliwood-san.
That misunderstanding was what started our friendship. Whenever Lilliwood-san was busy with work, Camellia-san would bring me tea in the guest room and keep me company, and we eventually became quite close.
Following Camellia-san's lead, I entered the guest room. She showed me inside and then stepped out for a moment to check on Lilliwood-san.
She returned shortly after with a somewhat apologetic expression.
"I'm very sorry. Lilliwood-sama is currently in the middle of a task. It should take about fifteen more minutes."
"That's perfectly fine. I'm the one who dropped by so suddenly."
As a side note, Lilliwood-san used to drop everything to prioritize me whenever I visited, but that made me feel terrible, so I had eventually asked her to put her work first.
I had only sent the Hummingbird message this morning, so I really didn't mind. Honestly, I wouldn't have cared if the wait was much longer.
As I sat there, a wooden cup was placed in front of me.
"If you'd like, please have some tea."
"Thank you, as always."
The tea Camellia-san brewed had a flavor similar to green tea, which I personally loved. To be honest, I'd been hoping for some the moment I saw her, so I was genuinely happy.
After serving the tea, Camellia-san sat in the seat opposite me and spoke with a smile.
"Now then, if it isn't a bother, I'll keep you company for a little while again."
"Yes, thank you."
"Oh, that reminds me—thank you so much for inviting me to your party the other day. I was so nervous because of all the incredible people there, but I had a wonderful time."
Whenever I waited for Lilliwood-san, Camellia-san would often sit and chat with me like this. She had a friendly, approachable air about her and was great at bringing up topics that were easy to talk about.
Today was no different, and the conversation flowed naturally from there.
"Speaking of which... I might have been mistaken, but... Camellia-san, weren't you helping out with the serving during the latter half of the party?"
"Ah, haha. That was, well... Ein-sama asked me to."
"Eh? Are you and Ein-san acquainted?"
"We are... certainly acquainted now. Though, well... it seems Ein-sama is under the mistaken impression that I am a maid. She said to me, 'What a blessing to encounter you here. Would you mind assisting us? I can leave things in your hands with peace of mind, as you are an elite maid.'"
"So that's why you were serving..."
"I've always been a bit weak against that kind of pressure. I reflexively replied, 'Yes, of course'..."
Watching Camellia-san smile wryly at her own submissiveness, I couldn't help but chuckle as well.
Serious-senpai: "...Wait... They're already... acquainted? So this... this is what Lilia has to deal with every day..."