Chapter 70: No one would think this is good except for the higher-ups, right? (Patreon)

"Mm..."

At that, Louliana nodded too, showing her agreement with Naila.

Pandora just smiled. "No need... the sofa will do fine for me."

Pandora, who'd originally meant to decline altogether, thought back to how she used to long for sleep, and let the matter drop without further argument.

Seeing that Pandora wasn't joking, Naila said, a complicated look crossing her face, "But... that sofa..."

Though it was called a sofa, this so-called sofa bore no resemblance to the opulence of the hall downstairs, nor did it match the plain simplicity of this room. It looked like some shoddy, roughly-made thing — crude solid wood wrapped in a thin sheet of cheap plastic — barely wide enough for one person to lie down on. It looked less like furniture and more like something abandoned in a corner, hopelessly out of place in this space.

"It's fine."

Truthfully, it made no difference to her where she slept — the only difference was purely visual.

Seeing this, Naila didn't know what to say and could only scratch her head. "All right, then... um, would you like something to eat?"

Unlike Louliana, she remembered clearly enough — by her count, it had been about three days since that day. She still couldn't quite understand how Pandora had saved Louliana, or how she'd managed to bring her here safe and sound, but... well, it was enough that she had.

Pandora shook her head. "No need — I'm not hungry."

It really was a strange thing — ever since the day she'd first used her Authority, eating had become something she did purely for enjoyment, never out of any real need to fill her stomach.

And the present circumstances, of course, weren't exactly conducive to 'enjoying' anything.

"Uh..." Naila blinked, momentarily at a loss.

So this was Anya's current master... In every way, someone to be envied.

Her clothes, her manner, her way of speaking — every bit of her carried the polished grace of a young lady from some great house. And yet she wasn't the least bit picky about material things. If anything, she was almost too easygoing for her own good...

Measured against that so-called lord, the gap was probably counted in multiples.

"And what about Anya?"

Shaking her head, Naila stopped dwelling on her own fate and looked at Louliana, who stood beside Pandora looking rather at a loss.

"I... I..." Put on the spot, Louliana glanced between Naila and Pandora, unsure how to answer.

Seeing this, Pandora patted her head. "If you're hungry, just say so. I'm sure your sister Naila doesn't want to see you go without either."

At that, Louliana gave a small, timid nod.

"Then, if you'll excuse me." Watching the two of them, Naila gave a small bow and backed out of the room.

Louliana might not have noticed, but Pandora — watching her go — caught the faint mist glimmering in her eyes under the lamplight.

"Can you tell me about your sister Naila?" Pandora glanced silently out the window at the full moon hanging high above, then pulled Louliana down to sit beside her on the edge of the bed.

Louliana thought it over. "I'm not entirely sure myself... As head maid, Sister Naila seems to have been here for a very long time. When I first came here, she seemed to... take a real interest in me, and had me call her 'sister' right away..."

"I see..."

"Yeah. I remember when I... left, she was the one who cried the hardest."

For a moment, Pandora's feelings tangled into something complicated.

If every sacred land here was like this, why hadn't the kingdom already erupted into rebellion?

One possibility: the other sacred lands were different. But from what she knew, that didn't hold up.

The other possibility: the Faith and the spirit beast. That one, she felt, was far more plausible.

After all, in the Gusteko Holy Kingdom, the Faith's teaching of 'Soul Supremacy' had been carved deep into the heart of every citizen.

It was like water wearing away stone. Perhaps people hadn't accepted the idea at first, but as scarce supplies and a harsh living environment wore them down day after day, they'd found themselves forced to seek a shred of comfort for the soul in that illusory world. Of course, looked at another way, that could just as easily be called running from reality.

And the spirit beast's presence was the Faith's greatest shield at its back — safeguarding the sacred land while also protecting the Faith's own vested interests...

And so the present state of affairs had emerged — mouths preaching Soul Supremacy, while slavery went on unabated...

"Lady Pandora, is something wrong?"

Louliana, seeing Pandora seemingly lost in thought and not responding, asked in confusion.

Pandora, snapping back to herself, just shook her head. "It's nothing. Just thinking about a few things..."

Having weighed it all, she found her resolve to go through with her plan hardened once more...

Louliana, getting her answer, suddenly touched her own stomach. "Lady Pandora... why... am I suddenly so hungry..."

Just now, that earlier feeling of fullness had vanished.

Pandora smiled, reaching out to pat her head again. "That's so you'll actually be able to eat something in a bit — I've already lifted the Authority I'd placed on you."

She had to admit, she'd gone to no small trouble just to raise a little maid with a proper sense of taste.

"Mm..."

Feeling the touch atop her head, Louliana narrowed her eyes slightly, looking every bit like a contented little kitten.

Lady Pandora really was too good to her... Still... why wouldn't she let her call her 'Master'? It sounded so much nicer, and it just rolled off the tongue better...

The moment she pictured Pandora feeding her with a spoon... mmph...

"Louliana?" Pandora called out, puzzled, watching her face flush red.

(This kid... don't tell me she's off thinking something inappropriate again? ...Why did I even say 'again'?)

"Uh..." Caught red-handed, Louliana's face flushed even redder. To hide her embarrassment, she buried her head in her knees.

Seeing this, Pandora said nothing more — after all, she knew her own Divine Protection all too well...

Knock, knock, knock.

Just then, a knock sounded at the door.

"Anya, come eat." Sure enough, it was Naila who'd opened the door, a tray balanced in her hands piled with something like coarse grains...

[Author's Note: Thanks to reader 'Late-Stage Chuunibyou' for the 1000 VIP points! Meekly: I'll definitely try my best to add extra chapters for you!]