Annoying Maid

“The Empire sending support from its Far East to the far-western front……. No matter how I think about it, it’s strange.”

Luri said.

“Is there any reason to keep insisting on the technology we have? I think we could simply hand them those rifle things and be done with it.”

Ferda had thought the same.

He had kept his promise to Duke Yurei, and the matter of the Heinkel Kingdom was no longer his concern.

Now that he knew it had joined hands with demons, he could simply provide magitech rifles and be done with it.

That would have been the easiest course.

“I’m supporting Olivia, but I’m also supporting Ureas at the same time.”

Ureas was a warmonger driven mad by a desire for conquest.

What would happen if he put magitech rifles in that man’s hands?

An army would be rapidly organized and introduced as an elite force under the splendid name of the Imperial Tactical Knights.

“And he’ll run wild like a monkey shouting about lightning magic everywhere he goes.”

“What is that supposed to mean?”

“If you don’t give him bananas, he’ll go around threatening people by pointing a gun at them.

Luri quietly nodded in agreement with the comparison.

“That Ureas fellow certainly seems like the sort of person who would do that……. But don’t you trust Princess Olivia rather than that unruly second prince?”

Olivia played the role of restraining Ureas.

The domestic situation, which could have become a complete disaster, had at least stabilized because she held Ureas’s reins.

“I do trust her, but even trust can be frightening at times.”

Olivia stood closest to the seat of power.

Once she had finished avenging her family, could she still hold the same feelings?

Ferda had always thought Olivia was similar to him.

That was why he believed she would not be able to give up power easily.

Ferda, who had killed his family, had ultimately gone mad and come to hate everything innocent.

If he considered her a trustworthy partner, he could not simply let everything proceed according to her wishes.

“And I needed a justification for going to war myself.”

“Why do you need a justification to go personally?”

Ferda answered more seriously.

“King Heinkel used Legion magic.”

“What is that?”

“It’s magic that depicts the ideal kingdom of the archdemon Gamigin.”

“It makes me deeply uncomfortable to hear you speak favorably of an archdemon’s magic……”

She narrowed her eyes as she asked,

“You aren’t thinking of learning that magic, are you?”

Ferda had already learned one form of black magic.

Luri could not allow him to learn a new form of black magic, especially the ominous magic of a necromancer.

“Of course not. Why would I learn such a useless spell?”

“Didn’t you just call it magic for creating an ideal kingdom? Yet you’re suddenly changing your tune.”

“You don’t understand what the word ‘ideal’ means in magic.”

“That’s because you’ve spent your whole life swinging an ax—from before you were born until now.”

“It’s all right. Ignorance is not a sin.”

Luri growled like a brave Chihuahua.

“‘Ideal’ refers to magic that can only be achieved under conditions that are virtually impossible. And that magic depicted Gamigin’s utopia.”

“So even the archdemon Gamigin couldn’t draw out its full potential.”

“That’s right.”

Hearing that, Ferda realized there was a contradiction.

“But didn’t King Heinkel accomplish it? He was a human king with no connection to magic whatsoever.”

Ferda nodded.

“King Heinkel, an ordinary human, overcame the fiendishly difficult conditions Gamigin himself could not overcome and became an archmage capable of creating Legion. What do you think will happen if other people hear that?”

“They’ll probably think that if King Heinkel can do it…… they can do it too.”

Those who had tasted power naturally yearned for even greater strength.

“If that information comes to light, this war will become more than the execution of a traitor who colluded with demons.”

It would become a struggle born of human greed, going beyond a simple war against demons.

“If my prediction is correct, the kings who have been hesitating will start poking their heads out one by one.”

“I see……”

Luri was impressed.

She had thought the demons had merely revealed their true nature—wanting only to throw the continent into chaos—but it was more than that.

“So under the pretext of supporting Olivia, I intend to join the war as well.”

“So that’s how it is.”

The suspicion in her eyes faded.

Luri seemed to ponder Ferda’s words deeply before speaking to him.

“If you’re going into the demons’ stronghold, I’ll accompany you.”

“What about attending to Her Highness?”

“She normally doesn’t need much. As things stand, Ferda-nim is Lord Valdrova’s greatest concern. If that concern is going to be thrown into Godwin’s maw, shouldn’t I at least stay by your side?”

“That’s a very thoughtful thing to say.”

Remembering the scene of Luri wiping out the demon riders, Ferda asked,

“How strong were the demons you fought?”

“They were easy. That King Heinkel fellow used some strange magic, but I’ve fought people who relied on numbers so many times that they weren’t difficult. As long as you don’t do anything reckless, Ferda-nim, I can save you anytime.”

“That’s good to hear.”

Ferda once again recalled Luri’s spectacular performance in the Heinkel Kingdom’s territory.

Thinking he ought to reward her, he reflexively reached a hand toward her head.

Smack!

Ferda’s wrist was knocked away.

Something struck his wrist with such speed that it nearly broke the bone.

Judging by how Luri looked, she was the one who had struck Ferda’s hand.

Ferda clutched his stinging wrist and asked,

“……What was that for?”

He meant to ask why she had reacted with violence when she could simply have said something.

Though she had said she disliked it before, she had never resorted to violence like this.

Luri spoke with a prim expression,

“I know everything.”

“What do you mean?”

“Do you take me for such an idiot that I don’t know what Ferda-nim is scheming?”

“……What exactly are you talking about?”

Whenever Ferda acted as though he did not understand, her face filled with conviction.

“I clearly understand why you keep trying to put your hand on my head. I realized that your behavior goes beyond simply treating me like a child.”

Pointing proudly at herself with her thumb, she said,

“And I researched and discovered the perfect way to protect myself. It’s called ‘15 Ways to Protect Myself from a Pervert.’”

Her silver eyes sparkled brightly.

“And there are 34 more ways scheduled to be added.”

“……?”

Ferda could not understand what she was talking about.

Could there be yet another trait that humans and dragon spawn could never understand about each other?

“Could you tell me exactly what you discovered?”

“Who would willingly reveal their strategy to an enemy?”

I have no idea what you’re talking about, so please just tell me.

“Whatever the case, you’d better wake up from your dream that you can treat me like a servant. My body is mine, and only my master may handle it!”

Ferda was dumbfounded, but for the moment, he pretended to agree.

Whatever the case, he had no desire to keep playing along with this atmosphere.

Seeing Ferda’s reaction, Luri looked extremely satisfied and bowed politely.

“Then I’ll be going now, Ferda-nim.”

“……Right.”

Luri left, and Ferda muttered as he watched the door she had passed through.

“……I have no idea what that was about.”

He thought he had treated her as he always did, so what had changed?

That was when it happened.

Tap, tap.

Mori, who had been sitting quietly, reacted to Ferda’s words and showed him something.

He wondered if she had something to say, but it turned out to be a lengthy message.

-Do you know, Gilbert? The way to tame a beast is to make it learn hunger. When it is hungry, won’t it grow angry? Once it goes beyond that anger, helplessness will take hold.

Then you gain the upper hand. Feed it slowly. The important thing is to give it food with your own hand. Make it believe that the hand feeding it is a good hand, and gradually make it insensitive to contact. Before long, it will naturally realize that it is powerless and tremble with anxiety if it cannot receive your touch.

It’s the same when taming that annoying fellow. Make that annoying fellow realize their place and slowly turn them into a female.

“……What is this?”

Ferda asked Mori after reading the remarkably bewildering content she had written, and she answered as follows.

-This is part of Chapter 3 of 49 Ways to Tame an Annoying Maid.

“What is that?”

-An erotic novel.

“Hmm……”

Ferda could not think of anything to say.

Wasn’t this the first time Mori had ever used the words ‘erotic novel’?

More than anything, he could not understand why she had shown him a passage from an erotic novel in a situation like this, completely out of the blue.

In the end, Ferda made a choice.

In a situation perfectly suited to misunderstanding, Ferda decided not to delve into the details.

“Yes, thank you.”

Thus, Ferda lightly stroked Mori’s head and decided to pretend he had never seen the passage.

* * *

The routine of Luri Silverwind, Valdrova’s loyal attendant, was always the same.

After finishing her arduous work, she rewarded herself by popping fruit preserved in honey into her mouth, then lay down on her bed.

Normally, she would have gone to sleep because she had nothing else to do, but she was different now.

Reading was a basic accomplishment of an intellectual woman.

Luri began reading, and the title of the book was as follows.

49 Ways to Tame an Annoying Maid.

Whenever Ferda brought her obscene books, she read each one as soon as it was translated, but this book had been taking her more than a month to read.

It was not because it was difficult to read.

It was like having something delicious and wanting to save it, rolling it around in your mouth to draw out every last bit of sweetness.

That was what this book was like.

The book was a story about Lulu, a woman from a proud knightly family, and Pellan, a court mage.

Strong-willed Lulu was a female knight who had failed to protect her liege and wanted to choose death over life, but she could not.

She learned from the court mage Pellan that the princess she was supposed to protect was alive, and decided to live so she could fulfill her mission.

Pellan promised to tell her more if she became his maid and served at his estate, so Lulu became a maid.

On the surface, Pellan was an admired and intellectual mage, but he was sinister beneath it all, fond of scheming, and a strategist favored by the emperor.

He had a dark side even the emperor did not know about, and he vented that darkness on Lulu after she became his maid.

The repeated sadistic acts meant to provoke shame were enough to embarrass and redden the face of even someone reading the book.

But Luri did not even blink.

‘I’m only conducting research.’

She couldn’t forget the repeated hints that feelings were beginning to blossom between Pellan and Lulu,

and though she had reread and savored the scenes of Pellan feeding food into Lulu’s mouth one piece at a time, she was only conducting research.

The story and sensual descriptions were merely incidental.

Truly.

Luri removed the bookmark from the book, opened it, and continued reading her way through the story.

-Lulu Feldragon, today I shall taste you.

“You finally crossed the line, you beast……”

For some reason, Luri’s heart began to pound.

Luri turned to the next page.

-To be continued in the next volume.

“……?”

After seeing the final sentence, she tried to reach for the next page.

But all she grasped was empty air.

“……??”

She turned it over several times and even tore off the cover she had made herself to check whether anything lay behind it.

But all she could see was the bedsheet.

She was not a mage and had no ability to create a nonexistent final page.

“Huh.”

An exasperated sigh escaped her.

As emptiness filled her heart, Luri felt a desire surge up from within.

She suddenly wanted to patrol the castle.

Eager to get started, Luri grabbed a lantern and rose from her seat.

By chance, she arrived at Mori’s bedroom and found Mori asleep.

She was breathing softly and sleeping soundly.

Her breathing was even and her heartbeat normal, but Luri felt the need to check whether she was alive.

“Miss Mori.”

After shaking her awake several times, Luri confirmed that Mori was alive.

Luri asked a question to make sure she was all right.

“Do you remember the book you asked me to translate?”

-I remember. Of the fifty-two books in total, I translated sixteen.

“Was there perhaps that…… book about the maid among them?”

-49 Ways to Tame an Annoying Maid?

“Yes. I wanted to ask you something, to make sure you translated all of it.”

-The entire contents of the book have been translated.

“Then saying there’s a next volume means…… there’s another volume?”

-Yes. The series is divided into a first half and a second half.

“Does that mean this is the first half?”

-Yes.

“……Wasn’t the second half among the books I showed you?”

-No.

Luri pressed a finger to the space between her brows.

“Can’t you somehow do it with what’s in your head……?”

-The books from the East are not stored. This archivist needs sleep for tomorrow’s duties. If there is a cause of sleep deprivation, I am obligated to report it to Regent Ferda.

The words carried a faint threat to leave her alone.

“Understood. Go back to sleep.”

No sooner had she given permission than Mori’s head drooped, and she immediately fell asleep, breathing softly.

Luri left the room and trudged along.

She felt utterly deflated.

“A stupid book like that.”

Luri decided to abandon her obsession once and for all.

‘Still, I discovered 16 ways to tame her, so that should be enough.’

It meant she could easily fend off the sixteen moves Ferda might make to lay hands on her.

Luri was invincible now that she had countermeasures.

That was enough.

With that,

“……isn’t enough.”

The beast deep within her rejected every rationalization.

Research or no research, she felt she might go mad from curiosity about what came next.

A maid who stubbornly rebelled and looked down on her master.

A master who toyed with such a maid, manipulating her in the palm of his hand.

After nothing but taut tension up to this point, the moment it finally erupted had arrived.

She was desperately curious about how the maid would be subdued, and whether she would succumb.

‘I want to read it somehow.’

The moment she had that thought, Luri felt a chill run through her entire body.

Good heavens.

To think she had become a woman who wanted to enter the demon lands because of a single erotic novel.

To think that the vulgar woman Valdrova was always talking about was standing right here.

To think someone exactly like Lulu, who had made self-restraint a habit and moved without orders, was standing here.

A mocking laugh echoed in her ears.

It sounded like Penelope’s laughter.

She had to vent this shame somehow.

“I’ll kill you, you child of Sitri, Penelope……”

Penelope had to endure murderous intent once again today.

She was sleeping in her room while scratching her belly.