Strongest Maid In Another World

The was filled with the sounds of plates being scrubbed, and the joyful murmurs of the chefs as they discussed Loraine’s promotion, happy that their star cook had finally received a promotion and was recognized as a proper maid.

Loraine carried a small smile on her face as she worked, fully focused on her task. Her [Clean] Skill proved invaluable in this setting, as every plate and utensil she clean sparkled, becoming so clean that they practically shined.

’Strange, it’s almost as if her hands are magical. Are maids really good at cleaning whatever they touch?’ Christine thought, a suspicious glint in her eye as she watched Loraine work, amazed by how efficient she was at her job.

"What are you gawking at?" Loraine asked, noticing the young cook stare at her with intrigued eyes. She knew that Christine was analyzing her, her [Clean] Skill wasn’t meant to be this good, even if it’s main purpose was to make cleaning easier.

The Skill’s efficiency was too powerful in Loraine’s hands, as well as her cooking abilities.

"Are my hands really that eye-catching for you to be staring at me like that?"

Christine blinked, snapped out of her thought as a small flush creeped up her cheeks, a surprised expression settling on her face as she stared at Loraine. She quickly cleared her throat, trying to hide her embarrassment.

"I’m just watching our Head Chef perform is all, you telling me I can’t take notes?" Christine asked, a smug smile on her face as she received a plate from Loraine, proceeding to rinse them off and dry them with a cloth.

Loraine stared at her with a raised brow, her features sinking with a questioning stare at Christine’s words. "Are you serious? It’s just dishes, there’s literally nothing to take note of!" Loraine said, a boisterous laugh escaping Christine’s lips.

"That has to be the dumbest lie I’ve ever heard," She said, shaking her head in disappointment as she handed Christine the last of the plates.

Christine merely found Loraine’s distress funny, a small giggled escaping her lips as she smiled at her. She suddenly remembered what happened yesterday, her mind jogging back to the rewards she had received from the Vincent family’s Leon.

"Say, do you have some time after this?" Christine asked Loraine, finishing drying the last of the plates as she packed them away. "I’ve got to give you something." She said, Loraine blinking in surprise.

’She has something to give me?’ Loraine thought, raising a brow. ’Is this her way of congratulating me?’

Loraine smiled with a nod, "Of course I’m free, what is it you want to give me?" She asked, turning to fully face her as she raised a brow. Christine walked up to her, grabbing her hand as she began to lead them out of the kitchen and away from the rest of the cooks that were present.

"Let’s go somewhere private, wouldn’t want anybody knowing about this." Christine said as she turned her head over her shoulder, placing a finger on her lips with a sneaky glint in her eyes, Loraine’s face flushing as a blush bloomed on her features.

She sighed, but still allowed herself to be dragged away anyway. They arrived at a corner in the mansion, standing in an empty hallway devoid of any maid. Christine finally let go of Loraine’s hand, turning around to face the white haired maiden.

She reached into her pockets, pulling out a small pouch as it jingled in her hands. Loraine’s eyes widened in surprise, wondering if Christine was going to give her money, a weird feeling settling in her chest at the suddenness of it all.

"Wait-!" Loraine said, pushing out her palm to stop Loraine in a ’no’ gesture. "You can’t just give me money like that, it feels even more suspicious that we’re doing it in an empty hallway." She said, but Christine merely laughed at her antics.

"No Loraine, I’m not giving you money." She said, but soon corrected herself as she awkwardly rubbed her shoulder. "Well, I am, but this money’s not exactly mine."

’....Are we serious?’

Loraine remained silent for a moment, slumping over as she sighed. "You stole it....?" She asked, Christine’s eyes widening as she quickly tried to clear the situation.

"No no no! Of course not!" Christine clarified quickly as she shook her head, she took a deep breath, exhaling slowly to calm her nerves as she prepared to explain the situation to Loraine.

"Yesterday, shortly after you had left, we were all summoned back into the dining hall." She started, recalling the situation to Loraine. "There I was awarded for preparing the dinner the family ate, even though I wasn’t the one behind it all." She said with a sigh.

"Margret forbid me from mentioning you at all, and with no other options I was forced to lie and take the credit for everything you did." Christine said, her words sincere as she bowed her head.

"So these Items aren’t mine, but are rightfully yours, even if you weren’t present to claim them all." She said, handing over the pouch of silver coins to Loraine, along with the [Experience Crystal] that was present inside it.

Loraine was astonished by the amount of money she had received, feeling the pouch sink in her hand with the weight of it all. She could also feel the presence of another item inside it, but she would unravel it later.

’She kept these safe for me, even though she could’ve taken It all for herself if she wanted to.’ Loraine thought to herself, a warm feeling blooming in her chest as she was touched by Christine’s kindness and integrity, a new grown respect settling in her heart for this brown haired woman.

"Thank you," Loraine said, smiling warmly at Christine. "I really appreciate you giving these to me, Christine."

Christine felt a wave of happiness envelop her at Loraine’s smile, a proud smirk settling on her lips as she placed her hands on her hips. "Don’t worry about it, I’m just returning these to their rightful owner." She said, turning around to leave. "I’ll see you later, be sure to enjoy that [Experience Crystal] while you’re at it."

Loraine blinked in surprise as she watched her go, her jaw dropping in shock as she glanced at the pouch in her hand.

’[Experience Crystal]!?’ Loraine thought to herself, reaching into the pouch to pull out the Item.

The [Experience Crystal] was a bright, sharp crystal that shone with a bright golden color, it’s size nearly taking up her entire palm. Loraine could feel the magical energy brimming within the Item, and while she had never heard of it, from it’s name alone, she could guess what it was capable of performing.

But even with that, she still wanted to see the Item’s description, her eyes shining with a bright blue glow as magical symbols appeared in them, [Eyes Of Appraisal] being activated.

[Item: Experience Crystal]

[Rarity: Rare]

[Effect: Grants The User A Set Amount Of Experience Points Upon Absorption.]

[Description: A Magical Crystal Obtained From Slaying A Monster. It Allows The User To Gain Experience Points Upon Absorbing It, The Experience Going Toward Their Base Level And Skill Levels. The Amount Of Experience Varies With The Monster It’s Obtained From, But It’s Chances Of Forming Within A Beast Is Rare, Making It Highly Valuable.]

"Not bad..." Loraine said to herself, a small smile blooming on her lips. She glanced over to where Christine disappeared off to, being thankful that their friendship was shaping up to be a great one, even though they hadn’t known each other very long.

She turned her attention back to the [Experience Crystal], studying It for a moment as she pondered how to absorb it. This was something she was new to, as unlike learning Skills that required either reading or being taught to be able to comprehend, this was something else entirely.

"....I should’ve asked Christine for help." Loraine said with a sigh, facepalming as she felt rather stupid for not asking her earlier. Now that her secret of being awakened was revealed, she didn’t really need to hide her abilities anymore.

’Great, now I’m going to have to go ahead and find her. Great use of your brain, Loraine.’ She said to herself mentally, inwardly mocking herself in a sarcastic tone as she began to move.

The pouch in her hand was enveloped in a warm blue light, as both Items were stored inside her [Ring Of Storage], preserved for later. For now however, Loraine turned her focus back onto her Daily Quest, the tasks still incomplete, and her mind contemplating what her first rewards could be with this new upgrade.

’Well whatever it is, It sure is getting me excited!’

[Daily Quest]

[Quest Description: A maid’s duty solely lies in servitude, catering to their home and ensuring complete adequacy. To ascend in the maid rankings one must prove their worth and rise above mediocrity.]

[(Incomplete) Sweep the Great Hall (1/1)]

[(Incomplete) Attend To An Area In The Garden (0/1)]

[(Incomplete) Bathroom and Lavatory Duty(1/1)]

[Incomplete) Laundry Duty(0/1)]

[(Incomplete) Clean The Study (0/1)]

[(Incomplete) Sweep The Upper Floor (0/1)]

[(Incomplete) Storage Management (0/1)]

[Due to the user’s promotion, the difficulty of the quest had been reduced and additional ones have been added.]

[The drop rates for earning items from the Daily Quest had been increased, as well as the quality of items.]

[Experienced gained from the Daily Quest has been greatly increased.]

[Consequently, failure to complete the daily quest will result in a great loss of experience points. An additional punishment shall be rewarded to the user if the quest’s deadline hasn’t been met for the day.]