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The faint moonlight seeped through the branches.

Taking advantage of the darkness, they successfully slipped out of the castle and moved stealthily toward the northern forest.

*Thud.*

Blanshe leaped into the air and landed gracefully on a snow-covered branch.

Her agile movements were as if she weighed nothing. The snow on the branch she stepped on didn’t even fall, showing how stealthy and untraceable she was.

Though not something to boast about, she was once a legendary assassin in the underworld. Movements like this were as easy as walking for her.

At that moment, Blanshe caught a handful of snow falling from above with her hand.

“Helga. You’re pouring too much magic power into your ankles.”

“Sigh… Who do you think doesn’t know that? I’m trying my best here, okay?”

About 5 meters above Blanshe, Helga was precariously standing on a branch.

“To even think of climbing a tree in those shoes… That’s so like you.”

“Shut up… This is my combat uniform.”

Helga, who said that, was wearing high heels. It was impressive enough that she managed to climb a tree in such shoes, especially on a narrow branch.

Of course, her ankles were trembling as if she were having a seizure, but that couldn’t be helped.

Blanshe caught the falling snowflakes one by one with her hand and said, “Stop being stubborn and change your shoes.”

“No way… The Count might see my legs at any moment, so heels are a must…”

“Are you seriously saying that again?”

She’s really impossible. Tristan wasn’t even looking at her legs, let alone her.

In fact, he was making good use of what Blanshe had taught him.

The most important skill for an assassin’s stealthy movement is the ability to distribute magic power effectively. It’s about constantly applying a braking sensation every time your foot touches the ground, allowing you to move without leaving a trace.

The principle or concept itself is simple, but mastering it completely requires a lot of time and is a high-level technique.

Helga, who had risen to the position of deputy commander of Aslan, and the maids who inherited the combat abilities of the Killing Dolls, learned stealthy movement fairly quickly.

On the other hand, Tristan was born without magic power due to a curse. Recently, he managed to store magic power in a self-made ring-shaped artifact, allowing him to use magic to some extent… but it was nothing compared to those who had been handling magic since birth.

However, Tristan surpassed Blanshe’s expectations. After seeing her demonstration once, he began to mimic it perfectly.

He moved between the trees with his usual arrogant expression, showing no signs of clumsiness.

Now I understand why Bella praised his talent so highly after sparring with him once.

Compared to him, Helga… is still struggling.

“Anyway, don’t be a burden. You’re the Count’s bodyguard knight, after all. You can’t be worse at stealthy movement than the Count, who’s doing it for the first time.”

“Huhu… You’re right. That amazing person is my master.”

“Why are you so proud of that…? Hurry up and change your shoes.”

“No. I need to wear these every day so they absorb my scent properly.”

“Isn’t that just foot odor…?”

“Don’t talk nonsense. For a woman like me, it’s called a scent. This is a secret, but I’m going to give these shoes to the Count as a surprise gift later. Hehe… He’ll be so surprised. Definitely.”

“…He’ll definitely be surprised.”

For some reason, I could picture Helga getting scolded by Tristan in the future.

But Blanshe found herself envying Helga’s cheekiness.

It’s not necessarily good to be so casual with one’s master, but she thought there was something to learn from it.

Unlike Helga, Blanshe had too many reservations. She understood and acted according to the master-servant relationship. While it’s good to know one’s place, those reservations often became invisible walls.

Even her master, Bella, had expressed disappointment at Blanshe’s overly businesslike attitude.

Watching Tristan and Helga’s relationship, Blanshe even thought about trying to be a bit like them.

“By the way, I wanted to ask yesterday, why did you suddenly wear such a revealing outfit?”

“…This isn’t a revealing outfit, it’s a charming one.”

“Huh?”

Helga tilted her head and carefully scanned Blanshe’s attire.

Blanshe, who preferred quick movements, wore minimal armor. Her current outfit was inspired by what she wore during her assassin days. It consisted of leather armor, cloth, and a full-body suit made of stretchy material underneath.

Of course, the full-body suit was mainly to cover her skin from ‘him.’ It was an outfit designed to minimize exposure, far from being provocative.

“Hmm… It still looks revealing to me.”

“It’s charming.”

“No. Why can’t you just admit it’s revealing?”

This was strange.

The more Helga said it, the more embarrassed Blanshe felt about her current outfit. She had covered everything that needed to be covered. Yet, there was an inexplicable, lewd emotion in Helga’s gaze as she scanned her body.

“……Are you saying ‘revealing’ in some… obscene way?”

“Huh?? No. Blanshe, what are you talking about?”

Helga looked a bit hurt.

Blanshe couldn’t even tell if she was acting or not.

“It’s not obscene at all. Revealing is just revealing. It can’t be replaced by any other word.”

“But that’s not an appropriate… expression, is it?”

“Ha. Who told you that?”

“I did.”

“Gasp?!”

Suddenly, a voice came from behind, startling Helga, who missed her footing and fell from the tree. However, a hand quickly caught her ankle mid-fall.

“I came because you were late.”

The one who spoke was a woman in black armor. A sinister-looking woman was staring at them intently.

Her gaze was so cold that even Blanshe, who didn’t feel the cold, felt as if the surroundings were freezing.

She was Tristan’s new form, Trinity.

“Is there a problem?”

“N-no, not at all.”

Overwhelmed by the atmosphere, Blanshe instinctively tried to kneel but realized she was on a branch and instead bowed her head.

“I’m sorry, Count. I was spacing out for a moment…”

“No need to apologize.”

“Right, Blanshe. No need to apologize for something like this.”

“You apologize, Helga.”

“Ugh…”

Helga, hanging upside down in the air, had her skirt flipped up, revealing her panties under her stockings.

“Kyaa! How embarrassing!”

“If you’re going to act, do it properly. Do you even know what shame is?”

“Aww, you’re so mean. But since you’ve seen my panties, you have to take responsibility, right?”

“Take responsibility for my eyes that had to see your hideous figure.”

“Hmph. Fine. I guess the only way to take responsibility is for me to marry you…”

“…Did you even hear what I said?”

“Ah! Since the Count is a woman now, it’s not marrying but being married, right?!”

Without hesitation, Tristan let go of her hand.

Helga fell from the tree and plunged headfirst into the snow below.

“Huhu…huh.”

Blanshe couldn’t help but laugh at the sight. Realizing it was rude, she quickly composed herself.

“I-I’m sorry.”

“No, it’s fine. It’s rare to see you laugh, so it’s a bit surprising.”

Blanshe was also surprised.

It’s true that she rarely laughed.

Hiding emotions was a given. Whether as an assassin or a bodyguard knight, it’s generally better not to show your emotions. That’s why she always maintained a blank expression.

But the fact that she had laughed like this left her confused. She couldn’t believe what she had done.

Trinity, in her sinister form, seemed to read her mind and smiled.

“May I ask why you laughed?”

“Well… I was a bit envious.”

“…? Do you want to fall too?”

“N-no! It’s not that, it’s just that you two…”

The words stuck in her throat.

She truly envied their relationship.

But there was one more thing in Blanshe’s heart.

‘I also… want to be a bit closer to the Count, not as much as Helga, but still…’

Even if she said it honestly, what would change? It would just be a slip of the tongue, so she swallowed it.

“…Blanshe?”

What should she say?

This kind of thing was very difficult for Blanshe, who wasn’t used to it.

What saved her was the shadow that appeared before them.

“Young master.”

As the hood was lowered, the face of Cynthia, a member of the Annihilation Maids, wearing glasses, was revealed.

“What’s the matter?”

“We’ve found demons.”

*

“Hauum…?”

Wendy, who had been asleep, woke up groggily.

“My, my, you fell asleep too early and woke up too soon.”

“Master…?”

On the table, the tricolor cat, Myohail, was grooming himself with his tongue.

Wendy was about to ask where the Count had gone, but she closed her mouth when she saw the coat she was covered with.

‘I thought I could see him off today…’

Tristan had left abruptly to take care of some business, leaving only the coat he had been wearing behind.

Since coming to the northern region, Wendy had been unable to resist the drowsiness that came with sunset.

Her duties, as an exclusive maid, were focused on serving her master. She followed Tristan around, checking on his needs, assisting him, and preparing meals with the other maids.

At the mansion, numerous servants handled the work, so it wasn’t a problem, but here, only Wendy and the Annihilation Maids, a total of five people, had to do everything. And it was surprisingly hard labor. Unlike the tireless maids, Wendy quickly ran out of energy and was almost completely drained by evening.

Moreover, she hadn’t yet adapted to the cold and unfamiliar environment. Wendy, who was sensitive to the cold, felt her body slowing down after coming to Northern Garden.

Sometimes, waking up like this was also due to the lack of warmth.

The reason she slept with Tristan’s coat as a blanket was to feel the warmth he had left in it.

Wendy hugged Tristan’s coat tightly.

The coat was already cold.

It was proof that he had been gone for quite some time.

Meaning, if she waited a little longer, Tristan might return.

‘Then, in the meantime…’

With that thought, Wendy got up and began packing her things.

Sensing her movement, Myohail finished grooming and asked, “Hm? Where are you going, my disciple?”

“I-I’m going to wash up…”

“Why bother? It’s such a hassle.”

“I fell asleep early and forgot to wash up…”

“Hoho… Humans are such a hassle.”

“A-and the Count will be back soon… so I should wait… and also to wake up…”

As she spoke, Wendy felt a bit embarrassed, as if she were a wife waiting for her husband.

Seeing this, Myohail sighed.

“Kkk… It’s too early by ten years…”

“Huh?!”

“Just a thought.”

“N-no, it’s not ten years…!”

“Don’t worry. In my experience, ten years pass quickly.”

Having lived for so long as a sage, Myohail stroked his beard and added, “Well, by then, the Count will probably have a family.”

“Master?!?”

“Giving up makes it easier, child.”

“N-no! I-I won’t give up!”

“Kekeke… Sure, sure. Do as you please.”

“Ugh…”

Wendy bit her lip at Myohail’s teasing attitude.

It was truly frustrating, but no matter what magic she used, she couldn’t match a sage, and no matter what she said, she couldn’t even scratch the sage’s tough mentality.

But Wendy knew.

The magical word that could defeat Myohail.

The word that could even make a sage step back.

Wendy shouted at him with all her might.

“M-Master, I hate you…!”

“Hmm… Is that all you’ve got…?”

“I’ll keep hating you…”

“You think that’ll work…?”

“I’ll hate you…”

“Ugh… This old man was wrong…”

Like a grandfather who had been scolded by his beloved granddaughter, Myohail’s expression drooped.

Though he usually looked like a cat, making it hard to guess his age, at this moment, he looked like an old cat to anyone.

“Ugh… Don’t hate me…”

“T-that depends on what you do, Master!”

“Gah…”

Wendy had spoken strongly, thinking she was being angry, but in reality, she had already calmed down, so it just looked like cute撒娇.

But for Myohail, who had just been mentally attacked, it was just the final blow.

“I’m going to wash up, so wait quietly.”

Leaving the abandoned grandfather-like figure behind, Wendy left the carriage.

Walking through the cold wind, Wendy made her way through the snowfield. She soon found a fairly large snow house not far from the carriage.

At first glance, it looked like a commander’s quarters, but it was actually a temporary bathhouse.

The bathing facilities and tools brought from the Ruelberta Family had been installed here, making it an extravagant luxury. Only the Ruelberta Family would bring such things to a battlefield.

In any case, it was originally prepared for Tristan’s exclusive use, but Wendy, as his exclusive maid, also had the privilege to use it.

Of course, she had never used it until today. She thought it was a place unbefitting her status.

*Gulp…*

Wendy paused in front of the bathhouse.

Normally, she would have just used Cleanliness Magic to remove the dirt, but today, she felt like getting properly clean.

Meeting Tristan when he returned, looking neat and tidy, was surely the duty of an exclusive maid… right?

‘Y-yes, that must be it! Right!’

Having convinced herself, Wendy opened the door to the bathhouse.

The first thing that greeted her was the warm air. The heat from the bath inside seemed to reach the entrance.

Wendy undressed in the changing room, neatly folding her clothes. Then, covering herself with a towel, she entered the bath.

“Wow…”

Before her was a space that was ridiculously large for one person. The huge bath in the center made her jaw drop.

It was hard to believe that this was a temporary bathhouse.

Though not as luxurious as the one in the mansion, it was still extravagant for a place like this.

But… there was already a guest in the bath.

“Huh…?”

“Huh?”

The guest, recognizing Wendy, frowned.

The guest was none other than her classmate and the emperor of this country… Luna.

 

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