The Peaceful Life Of A Maid Who Hides Her Power And Enjoys It - Chapter 276

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Part 2, Chapter 74

As the Weatherwax Baroness, who had been quietly observing my actions, began to follow suit and gather purification potions, Jin asked in a deeply subdued voice.

“Are you going to follow Andert?”

“Of course. I joined in the first place to protect him. If the party disbands, there’s only one path for me to take.”

Though I’m truly grateful for the sentiment.

“That won’t do. I’ll move separately with Luna, so please join the party.”

The Weatherwax Baroness firmly rejected my firm refusal.

“That’s what won’t do. Are you telling me to defy the imperial command?”

“Im-imperial command?”

Ignoring the flustered Happygold, I requested as politely as possible.

“Not defiance, but I’m asking you to make a flexible judgment.”

“There’s no flexibility in imperial commands. It’s only a matter of obeying or defying.”

“Please, Master.”

The Weatherwax Baroness hesitated.

In that moment, I quickly pulled Jin in front of the Weatherwax Baroness.

Look at this. Look at these trustworthy yet utterly innocent eyes. Look at Jin, who as a leader is planning to burn herself out protecting the party and end up in tatters.

“Please. Jin is certainly an excellent inspector, but she still lacks experience and would be insufficient on her own. She needs someone to guide her.”

The Weatherwax Baroness’s eyes narrowed.

“…Now you even know how to act cunningly.”

Could it be that the title of Master made him uncomfortable?

‘Even so, I can’t mention the Duke in such a serious request.’

I wondered if I was being presumptuous and watched the Weatherwax Baroness’s reaction, but no matter how much I looked, there was no heart-sinking response.

I inwardly swallowed a sigh of relief.

“You don’t need to worry about my side. As you know, I have an ally comparable to a disaster. Right, Luna?”

Lu, who smiled only with her lips while wearing a cold expression, responded mercilessly.

“You’re interfering with our date.”

“So it seems.”

The gaze of the handsome mask watching us was cold. Perhaps because of his gleaming and burdensome golden mask, his usually coldly shining focus seemed to feel even sharper.

The Weatherwax Baroness, who had been persistently meeting my gaze as if gauging my intentions, finally spoke after a long while.

“Making you owe me a debt with this opportunity wouldn’t be bad either.”

I swallowed another sigh of relief. No matter what, if I had traveled with the Weatherwax Baroness instead of Jin, I would have been breathless. No matter how comfortable, the Weatherwax Baroness was still the Weatherwax Baroness.

“Th-then what about us!”

At that moment, one of the young brothers who had been blankly watching us shouted.

“If you all leave too, what do we do? Those people earlier also ignored me and my brother and left!”

The Golden Mage muttered as if it was no big deal.

“…Well, what can we do? That’s the agreement. People from inside the Wall of Fire can’t be taken outside. It’s not our fault.”

The kids looked at him with disbelieving eyes.

“What? Can’t take us? How is that possible?”

“…Didn’t the adults tell you? How irresponsible.”

“W-we brothers are orphans! We absolutely didn’t want to come to this strange city, but we had no choice because of the purification potion!”

“…No wonder your appearance. Orphan or not, we still can’t take you. Still, well, since we’ve arrived, at least the purification potion…”

“This… stop spouting bullshit! You expect us to believe that now?”

With a shout, the second kid who ran out began throwing punches at the Golden Mage.

“Bad bastards!”

However, no matter how much he swung his scrawny arms, he couldn’t even deal a small blow to the Golden Mage, who was a sturdy adult man.

“…Hah.”

Frowning, he pushed the kid away with his foot, but the kid staggered back and quickly got up again to swing his fists.

“Trash! Liar! You said you’d help us! You said you’d defeat Rien and come save us… You said you’d let us leave the Wall of Fire!”

I grabbed the back of that kid’s neck and lifted him into the air.

“Stop it. Kid.”

“Damn, let go! Let me go!”

I shoved a piece of bread I had been saving without eating for the past few days into his noisily squawking mouth.

“…”

The kid, who instinctively chewed the bread with confused eyes, immediately became docile. He must have been very hungry indeed. People become more sensitive when they’re hungry.

I handed bread to the first kid as well, then approached Jin.

“Jin.”

“Yes.”

“Sorry, but I’m going to threaten you a bit.”

“…Yes?”

“Take these brothers to the Wall of Fire. If you don’t take them, you’re a dead woman.”

Despite even making a death threat, her face showed not the slightest shock.

I drove the point home with her.

“From now on, you’re taking the kids because you couldn’t resist my threat.”

“…I can manage taking them. But crossing will be difficult. There will be others gathered in front of the Wall of Fire, including Yeonwang.”

Having accurately grasped my intention, Jin subtly gazed in the direction where the team members would be gathered.

“The agreement has certainly been broken, but people still fear that agreement. That’s also the terror that Rien has imprinted. If the children try to cross the wall, they’ll try to stop them even if it means throwing their bodies in the way.”

“Just taking them there is enough. The kids will cross the wall on their own.”

Jin tilted her head with an uncomprehending expression.

Instead of answering, I opened the bag I had been carefully carrying for the past few days.

“Ash. Did you rest well?”

Ash, who looked up at me blankly with drowsy eyes from sleep, cutely opened his yellow beak.

Chirp.

I took out Ash and showed him to the kids.

“I’m entrusting these two to you. When you reach near the Wall of Fire, carry them over the wall one by one. After that, I’d like you to return to me. Can you do it?”

[Hello, I am Ash. I am the companion of Andert Pager, the national representative druid…]

When did he learn to say that again?

“Listen, boys.”

The brothers, who had gulped down the bread in their mouths, stood at attention without being told and answered loudly.

“Yes, yes!”

“You can endure something like getting holes drilled in your shoulders, right?”

“…Holes?”

The two looked at each other’s faces and soon nodded with firmly determined eyes.

“We can endure it. As long as we can get out of this place.”

“M-me too! It’s okay even if I lose one arm!”

They’re better than most cowards.

I handed Ash to Jin.

“Please take good care of him until you arrive. He’ll grow as big as a mountain when the time comes, so don’t be too surprised. He understands words well too, so if problems arise, communicate by asking for help or telling him to run away.”

“…Could this be the Gray Hawks that came from that giant egg at the Weatherwax Estate?”

“Yeah.”

Jin carefully received Ash with wonder-filled eyes.

Ash, who had been flapping both wings as if stretching after waking from a long sleep, lightly flew up and settled on Jin’s head. Jin flailed her hands in the air, not knowing what to do, then soon gave up everything and stood straight.

Jin is cute in strange ways.

“Then I’m going. Jin, practice well what I taught you. I’ll check later.”

Finally, I left words asking the Weatherwax Baroness to take care, and bid the Golden Mage farewell with wishes for good health.

But this Happygold fellow doesn’t seem to want to let go of the handshake.

“…Let me ask one thing. Is the reason you don’t hesitate because you’re strong?”

Where have I heard this question before?

“It’s not that I don’t hesitate because I’m strong, but that I’m strong because I don’t hesitate.”

I don’t know if he understood what I said.

Just as Team 1 had done, Jin, who had moved Team 2’s supplies to the city center, gathered her team members to return to the Wall of Fire.

Before leaving, she said.

“…If I didn’t have those I must protect, I would have surely followed you, Andert. I stake my honor on it.”

Words alone are touching enough, Jin.

We embraced lightly and promised to meet again later.

And so, to leave Solitorc, when I took my first step into the alley reeking of gunpowder.

A shadow blocking the path was waiting for me.

“Why do you go to such lengths?”

It was the Sword Master.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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