Chapter 9 TIKR Vol. 1 Chapter 2 Part 2

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A night passed after his reunion with his former junior, and time returns to the present.

Which brings us to Arl, waking up in the Silver Wolf Knights’ <Fenrir> estate and finding himself on the receiving end of their… enthusiastic hospitality.

“—Here we have a consomme, simmered with seasonal vegetables and beef.”

A bowl of soup, so clear it glittered like a jewel, was placed on the table before him. The white tablecloth was laden with fluffy bread, fresh fruit, and vegetables. It looked less like a meal and more like a work of art.

“Shall we begin?”

“Ah, yes. I will.”

There were several maids around him. Prima, who had brought the food, posed the question, but Arl realized he had no utensils. They hadn’t even set any out for him.

Prima deftly scooped some of the golden soup. “Well then, Master—say ‘ahhh’…”

“…”

“Say ‘ahhh’, please.”

“…Ngh.”

His resistance was futile. Arl accepted the spoonful of soup. The maids watched, holding their breath, hanging on his every move. Not just the servers—an entire row of maids stood at attention against the wall.

“How is it?”

“It’s… delicious—”

The moment the honest praise left his lips, several of the maids at the wall began to tremble.

“Y-You heard him! He said it’s delicious!”

“Our service… it’s worthy of our Master’s palate…!”

“Ah… I can die happy…!”

Arl’s eyes went wide as he heard them weeping with emotion. “Wh-What’s going on…?”

“Those are the maids who prepared your breakfast,” Prima explained, nodding with satisfaction as if this were perfectly normal. “This is the first meal we’ve had the honor of serving you. To receive your praise… their tears of relief are understandable. Please pay them no mind. Come, time for the next bite.”

“Is that how it works…? Wait, no, that’s not the point.” Arl held up a hand as Prima went to scoop another spoonful. He’d been letting this happen since breakfast began.

“This is… a little embarrassing, isn’t it?”

“What are you saying? You only just returned to the capital, Master. You must be exhausted. It is a maid’s duty to feed her tired Master. …I’m definitely not thinking, ‘There’s no way I’m losing to that Princess,’ or ‘This is my chance to feed Master!’ Not at all.”

“You’re not even trying to hide it, are you…”

“Did you… not like it?” Prima looked up at him, her eyes wide and pleading. He could almost see a phantom puppy whining. ‘Silver Wolf,’ my foot…

“Ghk—No, it’s not that…”

“Great! Omelet is next!”

“…I knew she was doing that on purpose,” Arl muttered to himself. “Why did I fall for it…”

“It’s a bit late to ask,” Arl said, trying another tactic, “but… are all the other maids okay with this?” Even Arl, who had served as the Imperial knight, was stunned by the high level of professionalism in the maids’ every move. “I mean… being suddenly told to revere a total stranger as your ‘Master’… it has to be confusing for them.”

“You’re too kind, Master, but there’s no need to worry!” Prima beamed. “I’ve spent the last five years compiling all of your great deeds and noble words into the ‘Knightly Sutra.’ I simply preach from it daily to show them how amazing you are. It’s only natural they’d all be devout followers!”

“…That sutra… is it really necessary?” Arl looked, slightly weirded out, at the row of maids. They all bowed in perfect, unwavering unison. The sight was impressive, almost oppressive in its total devotion. Still, he couldn’t just ignore their loyalty. “…Thank you.”

This, of course, only caused several of them to swoon, clutching their chests. Arl was completely at a loss.

—And then…

A sharp, prickling sensation ran down Arl’s spine. “—!”

A stare. An intense stare. He glanced around. It wasn’t the maids. An intruder? He tensed, remembering last night. But then… he saw it.

In the corner of the room, the closet door was open. Just a crack. A crack as dark as an abyss… from which a single, bloodshot eye was staring right at him. It was pleading, screaming a single, passionate word.

‘J… E… A… L… O… U… S…!’

“GKH—!”

“Master!?”

Arl choked, desperately trying not to spray his food. He looked again. It wasn’t a mistake. His junior knight, Kei, was crammed into the closet, sending him psychic daggers.

‘I… WANT… TO… FEED… YOU… TOOOOO…!’

“What is WRONG with you!?” Arl mentally shouted.

“Oh no! Master is delirious! Someone, fetch the smelling salts!”

As Prima fretted over him, Arl flashed back to his conversation with Kei last night. ‘I’ll work from the shadows, Senpai. Don’t worry, I’ll be watching over you. Always.’ He hadn’t realized she meant literally! His junior knight had become some kind of stalker-goblin in his closet. All that elite stealth training, being put to such a… pointless… use.

But… she was his attendant. And revealing her would cause a scene. Arl shot a desperate, pleading look at the closet. ‘Please, just stay quiet.’

The eye stared back. ‘RO… GER… THAT.’

I really hope we’re on the same page, he prayed.

After finally finishing breakfast (all while keeping a warning eye on the closet), the other maids filed out, leaving Arl alone with Prima. (And, of course, the closet-goblin.)

“Now then, Master, I have a report on last night’s arrests.” Prima held up a document.

This was the real reason Arl was here. Last night, <Fenrir> had won the brawl and secured the prisoners. To fulfill Eilfina’s mission, he needed to understand the organizations, so he’d followed the victor.

“Ah, right. I heard you managed to secure the criminals in the end.”

“That’s right!” Prima said with a cheerful smile. “We sent the Guild and the Academy packing!”

It was a disturbingly violent claim from someone smiling so brightly. The three-way battle had apparently lasted late into the night.

“We captured seventeen in total,” Prima continued. “Most were just a rabble of unaffiliated thugs, the usual types we see trying to make a quick buck. But… we got one ‘big fish’ mixed in.”

“A big fish?”

“He’s low-ranking, but… we’ve confirmed he’s a member of the Serpents of the Sordid Garden.”

At those words, Arl’s eyes widened. “The Serpents. That is a big fish.”

“Indeed! The largest criminal organization on the continent, worshippers of monsters, our mortal enemies! They say the Serpents are behind every major incident in the capital. They’re the root of all evil!”

Arl knew she wasn’t exaggerating. The Serpents were the Imperial Knights’ enemies. He’d lost countless nights of sleep hunting them. But he was more worried about Prima.

“…Are you okay? Given your past… the Serpents are… personal for you, aren’t they?”

“Thank you for your concern, Master!” Prima smiled, her cheer unwavering. “But I am your maid now! <Fenrir>’s purpose is to clean your garden—the capital. This includes the ‘trash’ that plagues it. The Serpents are just… the biggest pile of trash. We will not overlook them!”

“…I see. Well, in that case… capturing even one of them is a major accomplishment.”

“Ehehe! We’re interrogating him now. We’ll use this chance to clean them out and make your name echo through the capital! …So… um…”

“Hm?”

“It’s… it’s incredibly presumptuous, but… might I ask for… a reward?” Prima twisted her fingers together, looking down. “I know, I’m a bad dog for asking… it’s unbecoming of a maid… but… my… my love for you is… I can’t hold it back…” She looked up, her eyes shining with hope. He could see the phantom tail wagging. ‘Praise me! Praise me!’

He had been the one to call it a major accomplishment. He smiled. “Of course. What would you like? I just got back, so I don’t have much to offer…”

“Then please let me serve you!” Prima leaned in, her eyes intense. “There is… a special service I’ve been studying, just for this! To heal my tired Master! I want you to experience it!”

“A ‘service’? How is that a reward for you?”

“Yes! I… I need you to see! To see if I’ve become… the kind of girl you can love!”

Her declaration from last night—‘I will confess and we will be bound!’—rang in his ears. Her devotion was so earnest… Arl could feel his neck flushing and looked away, embarrassed.

“If… if that’s really what you want… then, fine.”

“! Thank you! I’ll go get ready right now!” She was gone like a shot.

Arl was left with a sinking feeling. Did I just… imagine that… or did her eyes just flash with a really dangerous light?