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After finishing my tea and getting a bit more of Mr. Henry’s lecture on the Heroic Chronicles, I left the temple.

I’d learned a lot more than I expected… or maybe too much? There was so much information that my brain could barely keep up! Yeah, I should probably sit down and organize all of it before it slips away.

Well, no need to rush. I’ll take my time when I can, and if something’s unclear, I can always ask Mr. Henry again later.

Still, though— the Hero’s Hill… or rather, the Hill of Lamentation, huh? I hadn’t known about the existence of such a place.

He said it was about thirty meters across, an open clearing with no trees. Now that I thought about it, there was a spot like that north of Station One. I remembered there being a straight path leading out from the station to there.

Oh… that explains it. Kids aren’t allowed past the safe zone, and even during night patrols, no Demonic Beasts ever show up there. I just assumed it was one of the designated battle points, so I never paid it much attention…

But that is where the Hero and her Companion first appeared.

According to Mr. Henry’s searching spell, something like a circular stone platform is buried underground, almost like a three-dimensional ring of arranged stones. So basically… an underground Stonehenge? That’s suspiciously summoning-circle-like, isn’t it?

And the fact that it’s in an open area where the forest and Demonic Beasts won’t go near…

Come to think of it, the place where I first woke up in this world…

That day, I realized for the first time that I shared an unexpected connection with the Hero.

◆◆◆◆◆

By the time I reached home, lost in thought, I’d been walking for quite a while.

It appeared I had stayed longer at Mr. Henry’s than I’d planned… it was likely past four already. Anne-Marie was standing by the front door, waiting for me.

She must’ve been worried, I was supposed to be back earlier.

When she spotted me, her face softened into a relieved smile. I smiled back, and before I could even reach the door, she’d already stepped forward and opened it for me. I thanked her as I stepped inside. From the kitchen came the clatter of dishes and the sound of running water, the start of dinner preparations.

(Phew, made it just in time!)

Dinner hadn’t really started yet. When I entered the kitchen, Miss Elrose was setting out the cooking tools, and Mama Sonia had just pulled out the Jackalope meat —already rested— I’d brought back earlier to start preparing it.

(That really cut it close!)

The ingredients were just about to meet their fate under Mama Sonia’s knife!

“Oh, welcome back, Susie. You didn’t have to rush, you know? You could’ve taken it easy and rested a bit longer.”
“No! I really want to cook this properly so that Papa Howard can enjoy it! So I’ll do it myself!”
“…I see. Well, Howard will probably be happier if you’re the one who cooks it anyway. All right then, I’ll be your assistant. Do your best, okay?”
“Yes! Thank you, Mama Sonia! I’ll do my best!”
“So, you’re making Jackalope sauté, right?”
“Yes! I’ll use the thigh meat for the sauté. Then I’ll make a soup with the rib meat and some root vegetables. I also brought back some groundnuts; they should make the soup rich and hearty.”
“I see. You’re refining the dish you made during your trial, aren’t you?”
“Yes! I’d love to hear your thoughts on it!”
“Hehe, that sounds wonderful. I’m sure Howard will love it too.”
“I’ll do my best!”

Thanks to the help of Mama Sonia and Miss Elrose, the cooking went smoothly.

Anne-Marie kept trying to lend a hand, too, but every time she reached in, Miss Elrose would stop her, so she ended up just helping with the cleanup. Honestly… I got a dangerous vibe from her whenever she was near the kitchen.

Could she be the “perfect girl who’s terrible at cooking” type? No way… right?

Anyway, the dishes turned out to be a big success.

Papa Howard kept saying how delicious it was, and even went for seconds, multiple times, on the soup. Mama Sonia complimented me too: “Using that spice here is quite an interesting choice.”

Her praise left me glowing with satisfaction, and the after-dinner tea tasted all the sweeter thanks to that.

That night, before bed, right after my bath, Anne-Marie offered to give me a massage in my room.
Apparently, there was something called Mana Stiffness. She explained that people with strong magic built up tension in their bodies, and if they didn’t get it relieved regularly, it could cause trouble without them even realizing.

I’d never heard of that before, but hey, I didn’t mind massages, so I agreed.

And, well… let me just say… it was amazing. Like, ridiculously amazing. Way too good. Dangerously good.

It was an oil massage, with a towel spread over the bed, and oh my gosh, it felt so good.

I practically melted. Like, seriously melted. Liquid Suzy. I might have… kind of… lost my composure a few times.

I tried burying my face in the pillow to muffle the sounds, but… I was pretty sure some of them escaped. And then there was… um… a small incident…

Anne-Marie casually changed the towel with a spare one afterward, very discreetly. So, yeah, she definitely noticed. Her ability to quietly ignore things… that was what I called real maturity.

She said I should have this done regularly, maybe every two weeks. I wasn’t sure if I should be looking forward to that or scared of it…

Anyway, that night I was a bit fidgety before bed, but I slept like a rock. I didn’t even dream, and woke up feeling totally refreshed. So maybe it was actually good for my health?

However… while I was peacefully asleep, something was already beginning to stir behind the scenes.

That same morning, before the sun had even risen, a messenger from the knight order arrived at the Amukham House with a message for Papa Howard.

***

“Su, who’s this?”
“I am Lady Susie’s maid, Anne-Marie. Good morning, Lady Mia.”
“A maid… huh?”
“M-Mia? Why are you hugging me… like that?”
“So she’s your maid…”
“Please take good care of the young lady, Lady Mia.”
“Mia? You’re… squeezing kind of hard.”

“Su belongs to me, you know.”
“Uh, Mia? Too much strength…”
“Please look after the young lady for a little while, all right?”
“She’s mine, though?”
“Um, Mia? I-I can’t breathe—”

“I’ll entrust the young lady to you for just a little while.”
“She’s mine!”
“Mia…?”
“Only for a little while, okay?”
“Mine!!!”
“Um… Mia?”