Chapter 26 : Chapter 26
Chapter 026
As I returned to my quarters, I naturally ran into one person.
“Dilen!”
The clear voice made my steps stop on their own.
A welcome person had called my name. When I turned, I saw Arwen smiling brightly at me.
Perhaps because so much had happened lately, it felt as though I had not seen her in quite some time.
At first, she had been a complete stranger to me, but after all the help I had received from her, and perhaps because I had been moved without realizing it by the kindness she showed me, it now felt as though she had truly become my friend.
I raised a hand and smiled back.
“Are you on your way to the banquet hall?”
“Hm? How did you know?”
Because her clothes were different from usual. Instead of the white apron maids normally wore, she was dressed in something neat, almost like women’s formalwear.
I only knew because I had gone into the banquet hall myself a few days ago. At the time, the maids had all been dressed like that.
“No reason. It is just that you look nice.”
“Ah!”
Arwen’s face reddened. She gave an awkward smile and lowered her head.
Hey, do not do that. When you act like that, foolish men start imagining that you like them. The ones who move quickly would probably be thinking about marriage already.
Of course, Arwen was very pretty. She was my type too.
But the Martial World was full of masters. There might be women even more beautiful somewhere I had yet to see. For example, Young Lady Sapiela of this mansion was said to be so beautiful that she carried the nickname of the greatest beauty in the kingdom.
If a man had the ability, then he ought to be able to choose his mate.
If I was going to make one of them my girlfriend, then rather than Arwen, Sapiela would be...
Ah, right. This was not Korea. It was another world.
Then there was no particular reason to insist on monogamy. Hm, in that case, would Arwen be better suited as a second wife? As for the principal wife, Young Lady Sapiela would naturally be the appropriate choice.
At some point, I had become exactly the foolish man I had just been mocking.
“Where are you headed?”
Arwen seemed to have recovered from her strange condition. Her flushed cheeks were gradually returning to their usual color. Letting out a small laugh, I pointed toward the end of the corridor.
“A few days ago, I was sent out to support the banquet and barely got any library work done. I am on my way to do some extra work. Since I am already working hard, I may as well make a good impression on my superior.”
“I see. It is late. You are working hard. Shall I bring you a snack?”
“I am fine.”
Had I turned her down too firmly? A slight disappointment showed itself on Arwen’s face.
“By the way, I heard something impressive happened a few days ago. The rumor has spread among the maids too.”
“What rumor?”
“The sparring match. The one where you had it out with Beron.”
“Ah. That?”
So even the maids were talking about that now?
Then again, while the mansion was physically vast, human relationships within it were remarkably narrow. It was a rather closed world, in its own way. That was why the daily lives of the Butler Apprentices and the maids, who stood in roughly similar positions, were often shared between them.
Since the subject had come up, the maids occupied a rather ambiguous position. It had taken me some time to understand it at first. In truth, I was not even sure whether I understood it completely even now.
Though they stood in a position similar to Butler Apprentices, at times they could occupy a higher place still. If they were chosen by one of the Young Masters or by the head of the house, they could become honored guests almost overnight.
And if they went so far as to bear a child, then it would truly be a reversal of fortune. The very image of a dragon rising from a stream.
As long as that possibility existed, then no matter how low their formal position might be, they could never be treated carelessly.
“I just loosened my body up a little. I did not like the way that bastard behaved anyway. From what I heard, he had been bullying the others too.”
“That is why everyone was so happy. Or maybe excited is the better word? He used to act badly toward us too.”
“When you say us, you mean even to you?”
Because I asked in a grave tone, as though angered, Arwen smiled and shook her head.
“I am always with Young Lady Sapiela, so nothing like that ever happened to me. But my friends...”
“If anything like that happens from now on, tell me. I will discipline anyone for you.”
“Even if it is the Head Butler?”
“Of course.”
“Fufu. Then I should go tell Lord Yanrof.”
Arwen covered her mouth and laughed. She had been born into a common household, but moments like this made it clear that she had been raised well. There was something about her that made one feel the warmth of a harmonious family.
“In any case, it is amazing. I think I would already be exhausted just from working. I cannot imagine making time to train on top of that.”
“You do not need to train. You already have an extraordinary weapon.”
“A weapon?”
I ran a hand across my face as though brushing it. It was a gesture pointing at her looks. She stared blankly for a moment before finally understanding what I meant, and then she flustered.
It seemed as though she still had something more she wanted to say, but instead Arwen turned and almost fled.
“I-I should go first!”
“Arwen.”
The moment I called her, she halted with a start.
Suddenly, I found myself curious. I wanted to know how the emotional part of her Status Window had changed.
It was not simply that I had thrown her a few sweet words to win her favor. This was more like an experiment.
Before, her Status had been Pine Tree’s Trust, the same as Rohan’s, but over the past few days she had shown me little signs of affection, and after today’s encounter, I had the feeling something must have changed.
The first condition for seeing a Status Window was physical contact with the other person.
So I tried a natural piece of contact.
“There is something in your hair.”
“Ah?”
“There. It is gone now.”
The moment I brushed her hair back, blue letters scattered across my vision. In an instant, her Status Window was completed.
Just as I had expected.
○ Arwen Lefebvre
Rank: ★★★
Level: 8
Traits: Cooking A, Taste A, Handiwork B, Sewing B, Nursing B, Cleaning C, Eloquence C, ???
Status: Spring Breeze’s Flutter
[Not Unlocked]
[Not Unlocked]
......
Her emotional state had changed.
Spring Breeze’s Flutter. It sounded very much like the sort of expression one would use for someone falling in love. And some of the skills that had been hidden behind question marks—Sewing, Eloquence, Nursing—had now been revealed.
From that, I learned several things.
This was only a hypothesis, but depending on the emotional state the other person held toward me, I seemed to be able to see more of the hidden portions of their Skills or Traits.
In Arwen’s case, for example, I had never known she possessed a Nursing Skill. If her emotions deepened even further, I might eventually come to know every side of her.
How exciting.
Arwen, Rohan, and all the people I would meet from here on.
The fact that I could look into the Status Windows of every one of them.
And the fact that the deeper my relationship with them became, the deeper a side of them my ability allowed me to see.
From Rohan and Arwen, I had already learned one thing clearly. Even when people possessed Skills, many of them had no idea that those were their actual talents.
The place where I had lived had been like that too.
No, anywhere people lived would be the same. There were many who either failed to recognize their own gifts, or lacked the circumstances needed to bring them out.
If that was the case, then I could help them with my ability.
When I first opened my eyes in Dilen’s body and saw Arwen’s Status Window, I had already thought that she might be better suited to working in a dining hall rather than as a maid.
Because both her Cooking and Taste were A-rank. And she had the Traits to support them as well.
In truth, the favor I had wanted to ask Chef Ramsay for was exactly that. Whether he might teach Arwen how to cook.
It would not be a difficult request. Some maids were assigned to dining halls and handled related work from time to time anyway.
Putting all of that together, it meant this: using the Status Windows I could see, I could help bring out the hidden potential in other people.
Which meant that even if I did not continue with butler work, whatever I chose to do later, this ability would still be useful.
It really does feel like some sort of character-raising simulation game.
“Dilen?”
Perhaps I had lost myself in thought for too long.
Arwen, tilting her head, was staring at me. I let it pass with a smile.
“Hahaha. I was just thinking about something else for a moment. You should go. Work hard.”
“Mm. You too.”
Just look at those wistful eyes.
Did I overdo the sweet talk today? It felt as though, if I confessed soon, she might actually accept it. But romance was forbidden for Butler Apprentices, so I needed to be careful.
Every time I saw rules this ridiculous, the desire to become a full butler only grew stronger.
In any case, I continued on in the direction I had originally been heading.
A little later, I arrived at the library, where Stewart—the great butler who had once lent me the tailcoat—was working at the desk.
I considered thanking him for lending me the tailcoat, but if I brought it up carelessly, it might create trouble for Chef Ramsay, so it seemed better to pretend ignorance.
As I approached, he looked at me with approving eyes.
“Have you come to read again today? You are truly diligent.”
“No. I still have work left.”
“Hoho. I feel as though I have said this several times lately, but an apprentice like you truly is rare. Any other apprentice would have put today’s remaining work off until tomorrow.”
“You flatter me.”
Now that I had offered the appropriate bit of sweet talk, it was time to bring out the Overnight Leave Pass I had tucked away in my clothes.
“This is rather sudden, but a little while ago the Training Officer awarded me an Overnight Leave Pass. Might I use it tomorrow? There is somewhere I very much wish to go.”
“You were rewarded? Ah, now that I think of it, I heard you knocked down one of the strong apprentices in a spar. Was it because of that?”
“That, and I also took first place on the stamina test.”
“My, that takes me back. I too had such days once. In any case, after coming here at this hour to finish your remaining duties, how could I possibly refuse? Go and enjoy yourself with an easy mind.”
I took the Overnight Leave Pass from inside my clothes and handed it to Stewart. He accepted it readily enough.
“But if there is somewhere you wish to go so badly, where is it?”
“I am thinking of going down to the village. I heard there will be a festival there.”
“As I thought. It will be worth seeing. It is a festival with a fairly long history.”
I know. Which is why Young Lady Sapiela will surely go out there and wave to the people of the territory.
“Thank you for telling me. Then I will go and do some organizing in the stacks.”
“Yes. Make it splendid.”