LBC Chapter 2: The S-Rank Maid

Outside the palace, I reached a bridge that connected my residence with the Celestial Tower: a pristine white tower overlooking the palace, perhaps the entire duchy. The Celestial Tower served as the Duchess’s formal residence and the last defense line in the Agarvan Duchy, and with destructive magic spells capable of annihilating hordes of fierce rancor beasts.

That alone made the Duchess, my mother, the current strongest force in the duchy.

A maid carrying a bundle of clothes came out of the Celestial Tower. Her long lilac hair fluttered in a gentle breeze. A demure lady dressed in a classic but baggy maid dress. The black eyepatch on her left eye and the two black demonic horns on her head looked anything but demure. The horns manifested as a byproduct of her contract with a Seelie.

She was one of the maids I sought, not for her lovely body, but for her strength. A former S-Rank Mercenary, ‘One-eyed Queen of Phantoms.’ She commanded apparitions that came from an unknown realm. Only the Duchess and Elysia could explain why the hell Elysia worked here.

Another cool breeze messed with my hair. My eyesight got blocked. Again. I wasn’t fond of long hair, even if they looked great. I fixed my hair into a loose ponytail before I crossed the bridge.

Elysia’s pale blue eye crinkled as her lips curled up into a soft smile. “Good morning, Lord.”

Elysia never followed the basic courtesies of maids such as making a bow. Her behavior came off as appropriate for a mercenary.

“Hmm… I will go to the blacksmith later.”

I still wasn’t used to conversing with soft-spoken girls like Elysia within the boundaries set by ‘Enwyld.’ I planned to break these boundaries without raising suspicion. The Seelie’s contract will be a crutch to justify my change. As prideful as it may sound, I would rather die than live in Enwyld’s shadow for my whole life. Living like that was… pitiful, wasn’t it?

Elysia touched her ample bosom with her right hand. “Allow me to escort you, Lord. I’ll get you everything at the best price.”

The maid readily offered to be his escort. Just what I needed.

I faked a bright, excited smile. “Really?! I want a bow, just like the one my father used.”

During her time as the captain of a mercenary guild, Elysia had donated colossal sums of money to orphanages. She even fought several organizations accused of enslaving ‘blessed’ children.

This maid had a soft spot for children. I used that precise weakness to pull her to my side. Of course, I could force her into doing so, but that would go against my core aim—creating a squad of loyal servants. Loyalty can never be forced without some mind manipulation magic.

Elysia waved her hand in my face. “Lord?”

“Ah, sorry.” I scratched the back of my head and put up a convincing embarrassed smile. “W-We’ll depart after breakfast.”

Elysia suppressed a giggle when she noticed my flustered grin. “Yes, Lord.”

She patted my shoulder as though encouraging me. “Don’t keep the Duchess waiting.”

Now alone, I couldn’t stop a sigh. Someone like Elysia needed at least two months of planning, much of which will go toward earning her trust. A small price to pay for a former S-Rank Mercenary.

I stepped forward to enter a tower, but a strong gale brushed past me. This one carried a distinct scent of blooming roses. A very familiar scent.

“Young Lord.” A soft voice echoed, even though I saw no one. “Please wait at the peak. My Lady will arrive soon.”

This firm and serious voice belonged to Crimson, the Imperial Protector. Nobody had ever seen the woman’s appearance to this day or known her true name. Someone in the palace claimed that Crimson assassinated anyone who laid their eyes on her. Could be right, could be wrong. I had no way of testing the validity of these rumors.

“Then, I’ll be going.”

I left Crimson behind and entered the Celestial tower that isolated all noises, filling the air with utter silence. I ascended the curved stairs. The tower only had three doors. The entry door, the door to my mother’s quarters, and the door to the roof.

Despite my frail figure, I climbed the tower without breaking much of a sweat. At last, I arrived at the roof. A bright ray greeted me on the other side, which came from an oddly scarlet sun.

I sat down on the edge of the tower and admired the scenery before me.

The city before me defied common sense in every way possible. A sprawling city contained within pristine white borders, composed of eight impressively equal districts. All the districts were divided by canals like slices of a pizza. The breathtaking city made me gape the first time my eyes landed on it. And even now, it amazed me. And Agarvan Duchy was just one duchy under the rule of the Gallus Empire.

The mainland had three more duchies like ours.

How impressive was the Capital City First Haven, the Empire’s heart, in comparison?

I looked toward the Everblooming Forest beyond the relentlessly raging ocean. Home to countless rancor beasts, a name given to wild monsters who flocked to civilizations with crazed violence.

Every decade or so, a couple of powerful rancor beasts would pop out and wipe a portion of our population and duchy. Like a nuke prepared by mother earth to kill off the excessive trash. A practical theory by yours truly.

Anyway, to combat these situations, this duchy had plenty of warriors from various races, like humans, dark elves, and dwarves. A Knight Regiment and a Valkyrie Regiment; both suffered massive casualties in every invasion from the forest.

One would assume people with adequate intelligence will avoid this dangerous city like a seething plague. The reality was different, however. The Agarvan duchy had more population than the Capital City. People flocked to this place to hunt down the rancor beasts for their unique materials.

There was no end to people’s greed, regardless of the world lived in.

“Wyl…”

My head snapped toward the voice. A woman sat beside me, strands of her golden hair dancing in the air. Her choice of clothing couldn’t be more questionable. A gold-accented white top with pieces of feathers to cover her chest and a loincloth on her lower body with feathers on its sides. Despite her provocative clothing, her air was more synonymous with purity rather than obscenity.

Under the light of the sun, she appeared holy. Dare I say, she was an angel descended from heaven.

I revealed a smile. “Mother.”

Yes, this was my mother, also known as the Duchess Sigyn.