The preparations for the staff after-party were finished in no time, thanks to everyone joining in to help as soon as they finished their own duties. When the celebration finally got underway, I realized the room was absolutely teeming with maids.
It made sense, of course. The vast majority of the staff hired as waitstaff were maids to begin with. On top of that, Eta, Theta, and Illness-san were all in uniform. Aside from me, Anima, and Caraway, practically everyone in the room was a maid.
To an enthusiast, this might have been a dream come true, but maids in this world existed in a realm far removed from "moe." Instead of a fan event, it felt like a convention of elite warriors—which, in reality, was exactly what it was.
"Looking at you two now, I think you've really started to look the part, Eta, Theta."
"Do you really think so? I'm so happy to hear that, Master!" Eta chirped.
"The way of the maid is a profound thing," Theta added with her usual quiet politeness. "I was surprised to see so many powerhouses here that we weren't even acquainted with."
When they had first arrived at the mansion, the two of them used to brew tea that looked like sludge and bake cookies as hard as stones. Now, however, they had truly grown into their roles.
The energetic Eta excelled at cleaning and laundry, and I often saw her busily tending to those tasks. The more meticulous Theta was talented in the kitchen and frequently assisted with the cooking. Since I often ate the breakfasts she prepared in my room, I could personally vouch for her impressive culinary skills.
"I suppose the maid world really is unique here, isn't it?" I mused.
"All maids are trained in advanced combat techniques," Anima explained. "However, since they rarely have the chance to serve on the front lines like knights or adventurers, many high-level fighters remain completely obscure."
"The ones known as Super Maids are famous for their mastery, but even among the less famous ones, there are those with combat power on par with the Peerage-class," Theta noted. "Even so, I was still taken aback by Illness-sama's strength."
Now that she mentioned it, I had heard that the average maid was stronger than the average knight. However, you almost never heard stories of maids being sent out to subjugate monsters. They occasionally collaborated on missions, but apparently, the Order of Knights was usually the one requesting backup from the maids, not the other way around.
I suppose for a maid, combat proficiency was just one of many necessary skills—something to be maintained, but never flaunted or wielded indiscriminately.
"As for Illness-san, Flare-san told me she was quite famous in the Demon Realm a long time ago," I said.
"That makes sense. It wouldn't be strange for someone of Illness-sama's caliber to be a household name," Eta replied. "Theta and I are still quite young for demons, so we don't know much about the old days."
"I am only seven hundred and sixty-three years old," Theta said.
"That’s still quite a bit older than me... but I guess for a demon, that really is considered young?"
"They say that as long as you can still remember your exact age, you're still young," Theta explained. "Once they reach a few thousand, most demons stop counting and just give a rough estimate."
Come to think of it, very few demons I’d met ever stated their age down to the single digits. I remembered Noin-san saying something similar—that she kept count until she hit several hundred, but eventually stopped bothering with the details.
"Oh, Master, your glass is almost empty. Let me get you—"
"Here you go." Theta beat her sister to the punch, refilling my glass.
"Ah, thank you, Theta."
"...Hey! Theta! That was supposed to be my turn!" Eta complained.
"It’s your fault for being slow," Theta countered. "You should move your hands instead of wasting time talking so much."
"Now, now, don't fight. I'll ask Eta for the next one, okay?"
The two were twins and generally got along well, but they bickered constantly. It was usually over trivial things, so the atmosphere never stayed sour for long, and they always reconciled quickly. They were simply so close that they couldn't help but needle each other. Still, I didn't want a full-blown argument breaking out here, so I stepped in to soothe them.
"Oh! Master! Let me get you some food!" Eta exclaimed, eager to make up for the missed refill.
"If you let Eta choose, she'll bring way too much," Theta whispered. "I'll help you pick things out while actually considering your appetite, Master."
I’d been a bit apprehensive when they first insisted on serving as my maids, but now they felt like family. Watching them banter back and forth warmed my heart. More than anything, it was just nice to be part of a celebration like this.