novelzi Chapter 136
Chapter 136
『Lilith has reached Level 11!』
It’s the morning after Ethan and I encountered thieves while standing night watch during our camping, and cooperated to dispose of them.
Fortunately, the sudden attack at midnight ended with just that one incident, and I didn’t have to wake up again to kill more thieves and bury some bodies.
...Even for someone like me, it’s not possible to be completely unaffected by killing people, so my sleep was a bit restless. But fatigue outweighed that, so I did manage to get some sleep in the end. [GalaxyTL/Axiomatic]
If I’d just killed monsters, I wouldn’t have minded much. However, this was the first time I had directly killed living humans. Even though these guys were no different from monsters wearing human skin, they were still people, after all.
Fortunately, there wasn’t only bad news, but good news as well. The fight with these thieves filled up the tiny bit of XP I was missing, resulting in my leveling up.
I was too tired to check last night, but when I woke up in the morning and checked my status window, I saw that I had reached level 11, and I could easily confirm that various other stats had grown a bit as well.
『Name: Lilith Rosewood
Title: Ethan Richard Blackwood’s Exclusive Maid
Current Level: 10 → 11
Attack: 28 → 31
Defense: 41 → 45
Intelligence: 31 → 34
Charm: 89 → 98
Luck: 9 → 10
Current HP: 113 / 113 → 124 / 124
Current Mana: 2033 / 2033 → 2236 / 2236』
I had already gained about 1,000 XP from the evaluation match with Luke, so I was already very close to the next level up.
The fight with the group of thieves last night was enough to push me to the next level.
Thanks to those thieves, I could finally say goodbye to single-digit luck forever. Of course, it still couldn’t be called a high number.
Also, for some reason I’m not sure of, my title had changed from ‘Brave Exclusive Maid’ to ‘Ethan Richard Blackwood’s Exclusive Maid’.
...Well, this is probably just a temporary thing.
It didn’t particularly bother me since it’s true that I’m currently Ethan’s exclusive maid. Once I graduate from the academy and become independent, that title with ‘exclusive maid’ attached will probably change to something else.
Meanwhile, as for the current state of Ethan, who had fought the thieves with me last night and took charge of disposing of the bodies...
“Young master, aren’t you tired? It seems you haven’t slept at all since you took over from me.”
“...I’m fine. I slept well before the shift change, so I’m not that tired.”
“I seeeee~... If you say so...”
He was sitting around the campfire with slightly darker circles under his eyes and a tired look.
It’s understandable that he’d be tired. Even for Ethan, this wasn’t an incident he could just brush off easily.
“Miss Lilith, you must be tired from driving too, so it would be good to rest soon today. Your arrival is also a call for celebration, so you can use the large bath with Miss Isabel later. Of course, that would be after the Young Master has relieved his fatigue first.”
“...Thank you, head butler.”
...Is this really Dittmeyer? Was he always this kind?
Until just before I entered the academy, he seemed like an annoying person who would subtly irritate me whenever we met, but meeting him after a long time and suddenly receiving warm greetings and words of understanding about my hardships made me feel strangely at ease.
Maybe because of all the annoying people I met at the academy, my brain has adjusted to think that someone like Dittmeyer is quite decent in comparison. [GalaxyTL/Axiomatic]
A lot has happened, indeed. There were tiring things, but also a lot gained in return.
“When Master Harold was active on the battlefield, he once camped out for weeks in the cold Silverwood, so you, young master, should be old enough to endure a day or two of camping.”
“Hmm, that’s right.”
“...And unless you encountered a group of thieves or something, it can’t really be called trouble. Hahaha.”
“...Y-Yes, that’s right.”
“That’s... right...”
He seemed to be making what he thought was a joke, but for Ethan and me, who had actually encountered a group of thieves, it was awkwardly difficult to respond.
Meanwhile, Isabel, who didn’t even know that thieves had attacked us, was laughing along, and what broke this awkward atmosphere was the sudden appearance of a skinny maid with pink hair.
“Miss Lilith! Isabel!”
“Senior Catherine!”
Isabel and Catherine, who hugged each other tightly as soon as they met, presented a pleasant sight of two pretty and cute girls embracing, which would still be nice to see even if their genders were reversed.
...Though I felt a bit shy about joining in, so I moved my steps a little slower.
“It’s been a while, Senior Catherine.”
“Did you enjoy the academy, Miss Lilith?”
“Yes, it was enjoyable. Many things happened, too. Your expression seems to have improved quite a bit as well, Senior Catherine.”
“Yes. I can’t keep relying only on Miss Lilith and Isabel forever.”
Compared to when we had that tearful farewell just a few months ago, Catherine’s appearance had noticeably changed. It was hard to believe she was the same person who used to tremble in fear when I raised my voice a little in the preparation room in the kitchen at dawn.
In fact, I was quite worried about her before leaving, but I felt relieved to see that she seemed to have grown unexpectedly well.
“Shall we gather in your room later and chat together, Catherine? I have some snacks and tea I bought as gifts anyway.”
“I’m all for it, Miss Lilith!”
“I told you, you can just casually call me Lilith.”
...It seems the ‘Miss’ title is still valid even though her personality has changed.
But, well, she definitely seemed better than her past self, who was only timid. I’m not sure yet what exactly changed her mindset. [GalaxyTL/Axiomatic]
Although many things had changed in the Blackwood Mansion, there was one thing I could feel for certain as soon as we arrived.
At least, for me now, there was no place more comfortable than home sweet home.