Chapter 63: Is There Anything Colder (Patreon)

"Do you understand?" Pandora asked with a smile, watching her. After all, if something this obvious still didn't register, then she could only...

"Understand... what?"

Well, she'd overestimated this maid girl's ability to catch on...

At this, Pandora decided to try a different approach. "So — do you feel cold right now?"

"Hm...?!" The girl, still half-dazed, gasped as it finally clicked. "So..."

Seeing this, Pandora nodded, satisfied. "Mm-hm, so you're still—"

"So I really am in heaven, and you must be an angel!"

She had to admit she'd lost this round. This maid... honestly. She was at a loss for words — getting a laugh out of this girl was almost harder than it had been with Beatrice. No, actually, it wasn't. Hm.

At that, Pandora held up two fingers. "Let me correct a couple of your mistakes..."

"Please, go ahead."

"Two points. First: this isn't heaven at all — it's the outer edge of the Gusteko Holy Kingdom. Second: I'm no angel. Quite the opposite, I—" She paused there.

"I'm actually a witch." She was curious to see just how many people in this world would believe her "reveal" without any warning.

The girl who heard this was struck with shock all over again. "You... you're a witch?!"

Seeing this, Pandora nodded. "Looks like you believe what I said."

"Mm, of course, Lady Witch. I'd heard witches had all vanished from this world, but since you saved me, you're my master now — and a master's word must be believed." The girl showed not the slightest hesitation. "Besides, I'm sure you're different from other witches. You must be able to walk this world and win people's trust precisely because of how kind and noble you are."

This wave of "master" talk and flattery left Pandora briefly stunned.

Her, kind and noble? Kind, maybe. But noble... honestly, she'd never once thought of herself that way...

"All right, that's enough. This 'master' business..."

She had to press a hand down to stop the girl's urge to keep talking.

If she let her go on, Pandora herself would start feeling embarrassed...

"This is... um, an oath I swore when I thought I was about to meet an angel. So please, don't refuse it."

"Er... fine. First, tell me why you were tied up here."

Since that was the case, Pandora saw no reason to refuse.

"Yes..." Given her order, the girl straightened up and answered crisply. Height-wise, she was actually a touch taller than Pandora. "My name is Louliana. I'm being punished here for a mistake I made at work..."

Louliana trailed off, looking at Pandora with a puzzled expression. "Master, is... something wrong?"

"Ah— it's nothing..." At that, Pandora slowly reined in the corners of her mouth, which had started curling upward. "Your name is Louliana?"

"Yes, Master."

"Then from now on I'll call you Lol— Louliana. What do you think? Can you accept that?"

"Of course."

Not knowing what the word meant, Louliana walked straight into Pandora's trap.

"Good. Then, Louliana— never mind, Louliana it is..."

"What are your orders, Master?"

"First, just call me Pandora. No need for 'Master' — it sounds... strange."

She had to admit she wasn't being entirely honest with herself just then. But — as an outstanding young woman of the new era, she couldn't allow herself such improper thoughts!

Hearing this, Louliana nodded. "Yes, Lady Pandora."

"Mm..." Realizing she'd never change Louliana's habit of using an honorific, Pandora didn't press the point. "So — what mistake did you make?"

In truth, she was rather astonished that a maid living all the way out here would be treated like this... shouldn't they be cherishing such a rare "specimen"? Especially one who was practically a "half-*"!

"Because I..." Louliana's expression turned complicated as she recalled it. "I'm new... I didn't know the chores yet, and I broke his teacup..."

"He" presumably meant her so-called original master.

Hearing this, Pandora raised an eyebrow. "Just for that?"

Talk about "distinctive" standards!

Louliana only nodded silently.

That left even Pandora at a loss for words.

A long while passed.

"When did this happen?" Pandora sighed, looking at the silent girl before her.

Hearing this, Louliana took on a faraway, reminiscing look. "It was probably..."

Her voice trailed off, growing smaller with every word.

Seeing this, Pandora waved a hand. "I get it..."

After all, how would someone half-frozen out of her wits know how long she'd been out here? (Now that she thought about how that sounded, it was a bit strange.)

"Then — how long were you serving under that... person?"

"One day."

Even Pandora found it hard to keep her composure at that.

[Truly, worse than (manually redacted) — an absolute (manually redacted)!]

Just one day?! Ruining a girl who'd only just barely become a maid, over something this trivial?!

She had no idea what that man did all day, holed up on his snowy mountain. The kingdom had already fallen this far, and he was still wallowing in his own glory as some "esteemed mascot"?

But this unfortunate turn of events, once it crossed paths with Pandora, became a stroke of good luck instead — after just one day of suffering, she'd already been "freed"...

Still—

"That person didn't do anything to you, did he?"

"Do what? Nothing happened at all..."

"Good, then."

At that, Pandora let out a breath of relief, but—

"What's this...?"

The lamp beside them had flickered back to life, and she finally noticed a piece of paper tucked beneath the shade.

After lifting the shade — and to keep the paper from blowing away in the cold wind — she only twisted it open at one corner.

Even with the lamplight on it, nothing could stop Pandora's expression from growing colder and colder as she read.

[If whoever finds this lantern is thinking of taking it, please don't — after all... this lantern, worth twenty Holy Ras, is the very last mercy I've granted the lowly, foolish wretch beside it!]

[Author's Note: Please vote and favorite, TOT]