Chapter 55

“So, what’s going on?”

As soon as I entered the guest room, Yulia seated me and began to pour tea slowly. The aroma of black tea filled the room, soothing my mind and body. After briefly collecting my thoughts, I calmly started the conversation.

“Yulia, can other people detect the power of transfer?”

“Well, I wouldn’t know. I’ve never seen anyone else with Divine Power besides myself.”

…Right. That makes sense. Of course, there wouldn’t be anyone else in this world with Divine Power or magical power apart from Yulia. After pondering for a moment, I slowly drew my sword. Yulia looked at me with a hint of surprise on her face. As expected, when I unsheathed the sword, the vital energy that had settled near my heart began to stir.

That’s why my mana didn’t move when I got hit by Charles Garington just now; it was because I hadn’t drawn my sword. Since the mana I obtained was from training with my sword, it seems I could only use it when in motion with the blade. Holding the sword, I turned to Yulia and said,

“Yulia, hit me once.”

“Huh? Wait, what?”

“Don’t think it’s strange, just hit me.”

Yulia stared at me for a moment, looking confused, and then, with a nervous expression, she raised her hand. But then she hesitated, and I moved in closer to encourage her. Yulia shut her eyes tightly and shouted,

“Wait, you’re serious? You’re really going to let me hit you?”

“Yeah. Give it your all.”

“Okay, here goes!”

Yulia’s palm quickly flew towards my cheek but ricocheted off before it even reached me. She swung with all her might, and yet her hand bounced back, leaving her staring blankly at her palm.

“W-what was that?”

“I thought I’d ask because it felt strange. Does this feel like Divine Power to you?”

“No… It doesn’t seem like Divine Power. It feels more like mana to me.”

“Right?”

If Yulia thinks it’s mana, the chances are quite high. Thinking that, I sheathed my sword, and Yulia tilted her head.

“Why did you draw your sword in the first place?”

“Because mana doesn’t move unless I draw it.”

“I see, so that’s why you just took a hit from Charles Garington without a fight?”

“Yeah, I couldn’t just whip out my sword in the middle of the street.”

Nodding in understanding, Yulia seemed to get it. Honestly, she really didn’t know, though. I shifted my focus back to the vital energy settling near my heart and exhaled slowly. Why do I have this energy? I couldn’t figure it out.

I mean, just because I’ve swung a sword a lot doesn’t explain it. There are plenty of people who swing swords more than I do, just at the Imperial Palace alone. Even among the maids, they’ve probably swung more swords than I have. But I’m the only one who’s developed this ability.

Could it be that I’m a soul from another world? There were such rumors. That after ancient times, people stopped being able to use mana because of a curse. Of course, the Church denies those rumors.

But deep down, I thought those rumors were false. Yulia is definitely a person of this world, and nothing has manifested in Lilian, a person from Earth. Plus, if I were a soul from another world and that’s why I had this ability, shouldn’t it have manifested since childhood?

All the hypotheses swirled in my mind, only to fade away. While I was lost in thought, Yulia suddenly poked my cheek with a “Hey!” Startled by the sudden finger on my face, I looked up to find Yulia looking back at me with her usual sunny smile.

“What are you thinking so hard about with me right in front of you?”

“I’m just thinking about how I got this mana.”

“…Are you saying you were actually thinking about me? Catherine, you really don’t understand a girl’s heart, do you?”

She said this playfully, and I could only nod seriously in response. After all, what would a guy like me, who’s never been in a relationship, know about a girl’s heart?

“Uh, maybe.”

“…Were you taking that too seriously? Catherine, you’re a girl too!”

Finding my response amusing, Yulia chuckled softly as she spoke.

“Actually, that just makes it even harder to understand.”

As long as hormones were in play, my personality must have shifted a bit towards femininity, but I still had no clue about a girl’s heart. In fact, I never really intended to think about it. The only heart I cared about was my master, Lilian.

Outside of Lilian, I had pretty much no interest in anyone else in the House of Portus. The gardener Tom, my fellow maid Nevia, the butler Harto— they were just familiar faces I greeted now and then. I didn’t even know their personalities or work ethics. At this point, I could hardly recall their faces well.

My world felt alarmingly small. Having locked Lilian, my grand white dwarf star, behind a door, I now noticed how enormous and radiant she used to be. With the dusk of her existence approaching, she shone all the more brightly.

She vanished a few months ago. While another soul from Earth is holding onto her body, it was clear her spirit wouldn’t return. Yeah, I’ve thought that for some time now. Perhaps the lady had really disappeared. Maybe she flew away like a bird escaping its cage, dreaming of freedom.

The narrative inside me has reached a conclusion. My star extinguished, and in its wake, a small clump of dust began to gather. Even though it shared the same components and transformed into the same shape, that clump could never become my lady. Only then did I feel ready to let go of my lady.

The girl who was beautiful since childhood, who craved her parents’ attention more than anything. She’d cause all sorts of trouble just to catch their eye, but the more she did, the colder their gaze turned, met with nothing but annoyance. Yet, even amidst it all, she saved a dying child on the street.

The girl who gave me life, purpose, and meaning. Only now do I realize that she’s truly gone. I didn’t shed a tear. Was it because my facial muscles had long since withered away? I wanted to laugh at how I couldn’t even cry, but naturally, laughter wouldn’t come either.

Yulia fell silent as she observed me staring blankly at my teacup. Only the sound of tea being sipped filled the space.

“…Thank you.”

“What for?”

“Just… for being here.”

She must have noticed something was off with me, but Yulia waited in silence. Looking at her, I quietly took a sip of my tea. The small world that had only contained Lilian was slowly being filled by her presence.

“I’m going back to the Academy tomorrow. Is there anything you haven’t done yet?”

“I have too many things.”

Honestly, I hadn’t planned to enjoy myself much. What I’d done here mostly included night raids, running away, and fighting. Oh, I did have a sort of date with the princess in the meantime.

“Uh-huh, I see.”

Yulia smiled brightly, but this time it was different from before. Comparatively, her earlier smile was sunny, and this one? It felt somewhat menacing. Or maybe spine-chilling?

“Are you mad?”

“Mad? Why would I be mad that Catherine is out there on a date with the princess?”

I thought so too, but her expression was genuinely scary. I really was scared, you know?

“I just thought it seemed a bit unfair. Hmm, how about you take me on a date? Since you have nothing to do today.”

Actually, I had thought about serving Lilian when I got back, but now, with my mind somewhat clear, I wanted to keep my distance for a while, so I simply nodded. A date with Yulia would just mean hanging out together as friends anyway. She hadn’t openly declared that she liked me like a princess would.

“You really will?”

“Yeah. Anyway, like you said, I have nothing to do today.”

“Great! Then….”

Yulia rummaged through her bag for a moment and pulled out a dress. It was a modestly decorated dress with a refined look. When I tilted my head at the unexpected clothing, Yulia smiled brightly and handed me the outfit.

“Go change into this.”

“…I could wear a maid outfit, you know.”

“That’s not going to fly with me. Who wears a maid outfit on a date?”

That’s a fair point, I guess? Reluctantly, I took the dress and headed to the bathroom to change. Lately, it felt like I had been taking off my maid outfit a lot. When I was at the House of Portus, I hardly took it off except when sleeping.

After putting on the dress, which clung slightly to my body, especially my backside, I stepped outside. Yulia was waiting for me, now dressed herself. Unlike me, she wore a pure white dress, looking like the embodiment of innocence. A radiant smile graced her face, and I could almost see a halo behind her. As she reached out her hand to me through the white glow, she said,

“Shall we go?”