SWS CH 32

Chapter 32

“Then what on earth happened?”

[He knew the vital points exactly. Of course, aiming for them and actually hitting them are two different things.]

Even if he was the protagonist, Docep had been stuck at one star for a long time. He was physically weak. No matter how diligently he practiced swordsmanship, his ability had still been trapped within the limits of a one-star knight.

Come to think of it, there was something else strange.

“Docep wasn’t scared at all before going in. He talked like he knew he’d come back alive.”

It was strange. Really strange lately.

[Well, I did cast ‘Sword Ice’ on the Crag Bear to stun it, mind you!]

“So you did help.”

[If that bastard died, you’d be sad.]

“You’d be sadder than me. I’m always ready to leave this place.”

[Hey now. That butcher of a guy just became a four-star knight. What do you mean leave? This is just the beginning.]

“What are you talking about? Four stars? If he awakened, wouldn’t that make him two stars?”

Junel’s math didn’t add up.

Isn’t it normal to awaken one star at a time?

[That bastard absorbed the spirit essence from the Crag Bear’s heart. Thanks to that, he awakened straight to four stars. I saw four stars shining clearly right in front of my eyes!]

How did he even notice that? What a strange little thing.

“That’s impossible!”

No—
It actually was possible.

Docep was a monster character who would eventually awaken from one star straight to nine.

With the little time he had left, there was finally real hope for him.

“How did I not realize this? No—everyone else seems clueless too.”

This wouldn’t do.

“Time to prepare Docep’s special recovery meal!”

If that was the case, then I had no choice but to fully trust the Docep stock I’d already invested in.

***

Meanwhile, Geti returned to the annex and secretly gathered the maids, sharing what she had overheard.

“Are you really just going to sit there? She ordered twenty dresses—twenty! Dresses we’ll never wear in our entire lives!”

The maids were just as shocked, but—

“How are we supposed to harass her if we don’t even know what she looks like? We don’t know her face or her name.”

“Yeah.”

No one working in the annex had actually seen Halara.

“What? Really?”

Geti was puzzled. She seemed to be wandering around all the time.

Had she been roaming the main house, pretending to be the young madam instead of staying in the annex?

But before she could think further—

“Oh—wait. She’s coming back.”

Just then, through the window, they spotted Halara returning to the annex.

Now was the time to break her spirit.

“What? I didn’t see her.”

When Geti motioned for the maids to look outside, she immediately stopped them.

“Hey, don’t stare. If you do, it’ll be obvious I told you about her.”

“O-okay.”

The maids obediently looked away.

Not all maids were equal. Geti was from the main house, higher in rank than the annex maids.

“Why is the kitchen empty of maids?”

Hatsen asked as he arrived and saw them gathered together.

Geti spoke quietly.

“You’re the head chef, right? I’m Geti, a main-house maid. I’m temporarily assigned to the annex.”

She emphasized the word temporarily.

“Oh. You’re the one assigned to Young Master Docep’s wife.”

“That’s right—but also not!”

“What are you talking about?”

“Anyway, since you’re the head chef, you’ll understand better. You’ve seen her, right? That woman.”

“No.”

“What? Why has no one seen her?”

Halara couldn’t have been that well-behaved.

“Fine. I’ll introduce her today. Look carefully and remember her. What a sly woman she is.”

All they had to do was brand her in their minds once she arrived.

“Oh, I should say her name first. Halara Seheb. You’ve probably heard it before. She moved into the territory village two years ago and seduced every man—she’s a temptress.”

Geti said the name first.

“…Halara?”

From the corner, May murmured the name. It sounded familiar yet strange.

“Come in here. Since she’ll be staying in the annex, I’ll introduce her to the maids.”

Geti stepped out briefly and returned with her.

At the sound, the annex maids raised their guard. They didn’t want a commoner barging in and acting like a madam, stirring up their peaceful annex. They certainly didn’t want to be nitpicked and harassed.

But their wariness didn’t last long.

“Huh? What?”

The person who walked in was Halara—the same one who had made their breakfast that very morning.

Halara flinched when she saw the maids gathered.

“Greet her.”

The maids didn’t even consider that Halara might be the young madam.

She had entered the kitchen wearing a maid’s uniform before, and Geti had been speaking to her casually.

“Uh…”

As Halara hesitated, Hatsen stepped forward.

“I already know this girl.”

“What? You said you didn’t earlier.”

Geti stared at Hatsen as if he were talking nonsense.

Then May timidly stepped forward.

“Didn’t you say the young madam’s name was Halara Seheb?”

“Huh? Yeah.”

At that, May turned to Halara.

“Lara… you were the young madam.”

The brief disguise play ended there.

***

My maid disguise was exposed in just three days.

I never expected to be dragged out and revealed so openly.

“Haha… yeah. That’s what happened.”

I smiled awkwardly at the wide-eyed maids. At this point, it was better to come clean.

“What? You all knew? You said you didn’t earlier!”

Geti demanded, completely unaware of the situation, but I had no time to deal with her.

“Then why were you wearing a maid’s uniform?”

One of the maids asked.

“I’m sorry. Chef, everyone—I didn’t mean to deceive you. Things just… happened that way.”

“What maid uniform? You were walking around dressed as a maid? So everyone thought you were one?”

“Yeah.”

I answered Geti honestly.

“Huh.”

“No wonder it felt strange that no one knew.”

Geti muttered with a hollow laugh.

“That outfit does suit you, but did you really plan to drag the family’s dignity through the mud? Walking around in a maid’s uniform? I’ll report this.”

I was just about to say she could report whatever she wanted.

“That’s my fault.”

May stepped in front of me and confronted Geti.

“I thought she was a new maid and gave her the uniform.”

“Don’t interfere.”

“It’s my mistake. She was wearing common clothes, so I didn’t think much of it.”

May, you’re seriously an angel.

Feeding you these past few days was absolutely worth it.

“Still, she did pretend to be a maid.”

“That’s because of me—”

“Shut up! You’re just an annex maid!”

Geti shouted at May, her face flushed red to the neck.

All the maids flinched.

It seemed Geti truly outranked them.

[Should I just throw her out the window?]

I really wanted to say yes, but I shook my head at Junel.

“Speak.”

This time, Hatsen stepped in.

“I’ll report this to the lady as well. I’ll say this happened because you failed to bring proper clothes, forcing her to keep wearing what she came in.”

“Chef?! Are you attacking me now? You’re picking the wrong side!”

“And the fact that you spoke politely to me, whom you look down on as an annex chef, while speaking disrespectfully to the young madam we serve.”

Hatsen spoke nothing but the truth.

Geti staggered as if struck.

“That’s because she’s a commoner! What’s wrong with all of you? Do you actually like her as the young madam?”

At that, May answered.

“I do.”

“What?”

“I like that Halara is the madam I’ll serve.”

May… I was the one who deceived everyone, and yet—

“Me too! I like her!”

“I do too. Halara? I’m glad she’s our madam. I really am.”

Encouraged by May, the other maids spoke up one by one.

Everyone… feeding you all really paid off.

“What?! You like her?! Have you all lost your minds?!”

“That’s enough, Geti.”

Hatsen stepped forward, facing her directly.

“Chef, don’t tell me you like her too? That commoner?”

“Commoner or not, she’s now the young madam we serve. And seeing how you look down on us, even though you’re a commoner yourself, it seems you’re in no position to judge her by class.”

“That’s—!”

As Geti raised her voice, Hatsen leaned in and whispered by her ear.

“Geti. Do you have more you’d like to say? Shall I tell the lady everything you said before the young madam arrived?”