After I finished handing the shampoo to Cornelia-san, it was time to move to the city where the merchant association we were looking for was located. Since I had never visited this city before, we were to travel using Cornelia-san’s teleportation magic tool.
I was leaving the guiding entirely to her today, so the plan was to meet up near a teleportation gate and then head to our destination together. That being said, even for a city I had never stepped foot in, I could get there quite easily on my own if I really wanted to.
The Teleportation Portal in my room was the reason for that. Shiro-san updated it frequently, and it was currently running Version 3.0. A new function had been added that allowed for touch operations similar to a tablet, letting me search for and specify a location directly from a map even without the specific world coordinates. Thanks to that, I could go just about anywhere.
"Well then, let us head to the commercial city immediately. We have the option of teleporting directly in front of the Victor Trading Company, or teleporting to a location slightly outside the city so we can enjoy the scenery from a carriage. Which would you prefer?"
"Ah, in that case, since it’s my first time there, I’d like to see what the city looks like. Let's go with the carriage."
I wasn't sure how long the application for the custom brush would take, but it probably wouldn't be hours. It might be nice to do a bit of light sightseeing before heading back.
"I have a carriage and a maid acting as both guard and coachman waiting for us at the destination. Now, if you'll excuse me, I shall touch you lightly to initiate the transfer."
"Sure."
I realized that I didn't even blink at the phrase "maid acting as both guard and coachman." I simply thought, Well, if it’s a maid in this world, of course they can drive a carriage. I really felt like I’d become quite tainted by this world's common sense.
When the teleportation magic tool finished its work, a large carriage stood before us. A maid was waiting at its side. She bowed upon seeing us, but I realized she looked familiar.
"...Wait, are you Anne-san?"
"My, what an honor it is that you remember my name."
"Oh? Kaito-sama, are the two of you acquaintances?"
"Ah, no, this is the first time we’ve spoken directly. But she was the one who competed against a maid I know when I went to see the Maid Olympia, so she left quite an impression."
The maid waiting for us was indeed Anne-san, who had been Lunamaria-san’s first opponent at the Maid Olympia. It was a completely unexpected reunion.
"I see. I actually watched the Maid Olympia once myself, though it was the time before last," Cornelia admitted.
"Wow. Despite the scale of the event, there weren't many ordinary spectators there, were there?"
"Ah, w-well... the Maid Olympia is best described as a sanctuary for maids. People outside the profession rarely attend. Priority for the spectator seats is given to those with a Maid Qualification. And, well, there is a... unique atmosphere. When I watched it, the content was wonderful and full of ingenuity, but I simply couldn't get used to being in a place where almost everyone around me was a maid. I didn't go back for the last one."
"...I completely understand. No matter where you look—front, back, left, or right—it’s nothing but maids. It feels like you’ve wandered into a mysterious, alien world."
Before I knew it, Cornelia-san and I were making eye contact and shaking hands. It felt like a deep bond had formed between us—the kind that can only be shared by those who have survived the same specific suffering.
The matches themselves had been genuinely interesting, but the bizarreness of a landscape occupied by thousands of maids was overwhelming. The sense of being an outsider was no joke.
"...Still, this was a bit of a surprise. During the introductions at the Maid Olympia, they mentioned you were Alexandra-san’s disciple, so I’d assumed you worked at the Imperial Castle."
"Indeed. As you suspected, I served at the castle until three years ago. I moved to the Sharon Count House following my marriage."
"Her husband is my father’s assistant—Count Sharon’s right-hand man," Cornelia explained. "It worked out that way through the connection. She is currently our household’s Head Maid."
She had been a finalist in the Maid Olympia, and I thought I recalled her being ranked 6th in the previous tournament, so she had to be an incredibly capable maid.
Of course, in this world, being "excellent as a maid" often meant being well-versed in that bizarre subculture, so I had to keep my guard up. Illness-san was really the only one I knew with high Maid Power who didn't seem to care about the politics of the Maid World at all.
Serious-senpai: An unexpected reappearance! Given that an encounter with Needsveld is almost guaranteed at this point, she’s starting to look like an Additional Stomach Pain Warrior...