The Status Effect Count - Chapter 2

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Abnormal State Count — Episode 2
As far as Enn knew, the new Earl of Preneta, Nadan, was a war hero.
He had appeared suddenly during the northern campaigns.
A commoner without surname or title, yet he alone had led the battle of the Winter Mountain Range to victory.
The reaper of the Winter Forest—one who could not be killed even in death.
With a single swing of his blade, more than fifty enemies fell in an instant, or so they said.
Single-handedly annihilating an entire order of knights, so much so that the mere sight of Nadan’s streaming black hair sent everyone fleeing in terror.
When the war ended, his merits were recognized, and in a heartbeat he rose from commoner to earl—yet…
‘The Emperor had already granted him a house name, they say.’
Preneta was the name of an ancient imperial house of merit.
A tragic accident long ago had claimed the entire family, and since then the line had been broken, leaving only an empty shell of a name.
No one understood why the Emperor had bestowed the name ‘Preneta’ upon the hero Nadan.
But it was such a strange affair that even the village women where Enn had lived spoke of it as a notorious scandal.
Which simply meant Enn knew nothing beyond that.
‘Had something else happened? Something serious enough to hire a simple maid for fifteen silver coins?’
The worried face of Anna, who had been looking at Enn, flashed past for a moment, but the instant Enn saw the sum written on the contract, her eyes went wide.
‘I can’t spend my whole life as an aspiring servant!’
Enn gripped the contract tightly.
“I’ve only just arrived in the Capital. I’m not well-informed about rumors…”
“…Hmm.”
“But if you entrust me with any task at all, I promise to work hard! I’m sturdy and capable! And I eat very little…”
Growl. Her stomach let out an untimely noise.
“Whether you eat little or not, your belly seems quite hungry.”
Heat flooded her face. Enn, who had jumped up moments before with such momentum, sat back down.
“Very well. I understand your circumstances.”
Belence, the head maid, nodded as she regarded Enn.
Her sharp gaze swept across Enn’s face and appearance, then quickly settled into a nod.
“You needn’t know much of anything. Simply do your work diligently, that is all. Mind that you don’t let loose any unnecessary talk.”
“Yes!”
This was precisely what Enn desired above all else.
To work quietly without entangling herself with anyone, receive her wages, and leave.
The employment contract from the Preneta County House was extraordinarily long.
At first she read through it line by line, but later simply flipped through and signed without reading further.
As she took the contract, Belence spoke in a casual tone.
“You’ve confirmed it, but remember—once you’re hired this year, you cannot resign for one full year. Enn Marita.”
“Pardon?”
Bang. After affixing her seal as a finishing touch, Belence glanced sideways at Enn.
Belence’s finger traced down the contract and stopped at one corner—the section Enn had skipped over.
Enn stared blankly as she reread that passage.
“No resignations permitted for one year… If I resign, I must repay double my wages…?”
“You read quite well.”
It was a dreadful clause, wasn’t it.
Worse, it was utterly unreasonable. Even if some unavoidable circumstance arose, there was no way out unless she wanted to fall into debt. Otherwise, she had no choice but to see out the full year no matter what.
“It’s a contract bearing the Imperial Court’s seal. This is no jest—if you resign within the year, they will truly collect the debt.”
Double the wages she’d received to return…
Enn’s mind raced through the numbers. One year’s salary meant… 180 silver coins!
Her fists clenched tight.
“…Never. I will never resign!”
Belence’s creased eyes narrowed to slits, then slowly, deliberately, she nodded.
“I hope your resolve does not waver.”
* * *
A new face had entered the quiet earl’s residence.
The servants of the Preneta County House muttered that yet another person had been thoroughly deceived into coming.
Otherwise, there was no way she’d be wandering about with such a clueless expression.
“Newbie! Go fetch some jam!”
“Newbie! Wipe down the window frames!”
“Newbie! Organize the storage!”
“Yes!”
Everyone called the girl nothing but ‘newbie.’ They had no intention of calling her by her proper name, though she had one.
And for good reason.
“She’ll quit soon enough anyway. How long can it possibly last?”
“The work gets done, though. It’s nice having things easier for a while.”
Meri and Anna, handmaids of the Preneta County House, gossiped openly between themselves.
“So what then? It’s unsettling either way.”
The new hire was just as provincial as any girl fresh from the countryside—shabby clothes, unkempt hair.
What made her stand out oddly among the rural-born servants was the unsettling color of her eyes and hair.
Black hair. The color of demons from old legends.
“Why do all the unlucky things end up at this estate?”
Meri muttered irritably.
“All done!”
The new girl burst from the storeroom, radiant as sunlight.
Already? Barely any time had passed. The handmaids exchanged bewildered glances.
“Already? That wasn’t long at all.”
“You cleaned the shelves too? Even the back corners? You didn’t just sweep the dust into the dark spots and call it done?”
“Of course not. Feel free to check for yourself.”
“We will. And if it’s dirty, you’re in for a real scolding!”
Meri and Anna rose from their seats, hurling threats.
There was no satisfaction in watching this bright-faced newcomer knock out every task instantly.
If it had been any other new hire, she’d be whimpering about exhaustion by now.
For the handmaids, that was the only entertainment in this bleak, joyless estate.
How delightful it was to see a naive face crumple at the smallest criticism!
‘But this one cries at the slightest touch, then bounces back perfectly fine the next moment.’
That’s what bothered them. No sign of struggle, no change in expression no matter what she was asked to do. Infuriating, really.
Anna and Meri locked eyes.
They would have to shake her composure properly. One speck of dust—just one.
The two entered the storeroom with grim determination and froze.
“You… you did all this alone?”
The storeroom, which had been a disaster of dust and debris from years of disuse, now gleamed spotlessly clean.
Even reaching deep into the shelves to find fault, not a single grain of dust came away on their hands.
After rifling through the storeroom, the two faced each other in defeat.
Without even a minor infraction to seize upon, they couldn’t manufacture a complaint even if they tried.
“…Well. The work is well done.”
“Y-yes, it is.”
“Really? Thank you so much! It’s all thanks to learning from you seniors!”
The new girl replied brightly with an innocent smile, her black hair swaying at her cheeks.
That uncanny dark color made the spine shiver. Those dark eyes too, as if they could see through everything….
The two exchanged an awkward cough for no reason.
Meri and Anna continued to poke around the storeroom a few more times before withdrawing with embarrassed expressions.
The moment they were out of sight, Ann lifted her lowered head sharply.
The innocent expression vanished, replaced by a knowing smile that didn’t belong on such a young face.
“As if I’d let someone find fault with my work….”
This sort of thing happened in the countryside too.
Maximum work, the responsibility yours, deductions from wages if problems arose. Such rules were universal.
To Ann, who had clung fiercely to her own against stingy employers, such petty rivals posed no difficulty.
“You can’t spit on a smiling face.”
So she smiled all the more deliberately.
Ann, still without an assigned post, ranked lowest among the handmaids. All the unwanted tasks fell to her.
Showing resentment there would be foolish. She needed to make it seem like nothing.
Still, it wasn’t so bad.
Indeed, domestic service was a stable position, and the Preneta County House provided quarters, clothes to wear in the manor, and even small necessities. Most importantly….
‘They actually provide meals at every sitting!’
It was nothing short of miraculous.
Not proper meals, admittedly—more like sustenance to get by. But what did that matter?
Warm rye bread, and sometimes soup with meat scraps in it too.
‘It was so good….’
She savored the memory.
Living in such luxury meant that petty hazing and odd jobs barely registered anymore.
Rather….
‘If you eat the bread, you earn your keep.’
Ann nodded to herself.
“Hey, you there! Come over here a moment.”
As if she had overheard that very thought, someone called Anna to a stop.
Her clothes resembled Anna’s own, but on closer inspection, the fabric was entirely different. Where Anna’s skirt was stiff and unyielding, this one billowed with a soft, fluid grace.
A lady’s maid.

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