Chapter 1837: Golden Encounter ⑤
Aria-san, who came from the Demon Realm to the Human Realm due to an extremely rare accident, began speaking with a nostalgic expression on her face.
[I was a Demon who lived in a small village on the outskirts of the Demon Realm. Since I was a Unique Demon, I didn’t have parents, but our village itself was small, so I felt more like the villagers were my family. When I was about 2000 years old though, I was caught up in a s.p.a.ce-Time Distortion and arrived in the Human Realm.]
[You said that s.p.a.ce-Time Distortion was quite a rare accident, but how frequently did it happen?]
[It happens about once every 1000 years. Furthermore, it’s rare for anyone to be caught up in them, and I’ve never met anyone else who experienced the same thing, so it really must be quite the rare occurrence. Well, anyhow, I accidentally ended up in the Human Realm, and at first, I didn’t know where I was or what was happening. Fortunately, the people in the rural area I found while exploring were kind to me, so I was able to understand my situation relatively quickly.]
If I’m not mistaken, the establishment of the Treaty of Friendship had made it so that the travel between the Demon Realm and the Human Realm was easier, so it would be safe to say that returning from the Human Realm to the Demon Realm was quite difficult until then.
Aria-san mentioned earlier that the time she spent living in the Demon Realm and the time since she came to the Human Realm were about the same, so she probably arrived in the Human Realm about 2000 years ago.
[At that time, there was no Archlesia Empire, and the rural area I ended up in belonged to a country called the Valhand Empire. However, this empire was quite oppressive, and the people in the rural areas were suffering greatly. It was truly coincidental, but at that time, I ended up repelling the imperial soldiers who came to collect taxes from the village. Magic was rare in the Human Realm at that time, so as a high-ranking Demon, my power was overwhelming compared to Humans, so I was able to drive them away…… but that led to a strange situation……]
[A strange situation?]
[Yes, at that time, the discontent with the Empire had reached its limit among the people, and a revolution had happened…… and somehow, I ended up joining their revolutionary army…… or rather…… I kinda ended up leading them……]
The last part of her words was too quiet for me to hear clearly, but it seems that the revolutionary army won and established the current Archlesia Empire.
[Well, I watched over the situation until the country stabilized, and then I planned to return to the Demon Realm……. but one way or another, I grew attached to them, and ended up settling in the Human Realm. Of course, I often return to my village in the Demon Realm to talk about this and that, and I still visit occasionally.]
[I see…… Even so, it’s amazing how your life’s full of ups and downs.]
[Fufu, it’s just a story of my immature days when I was just being swept along by circ.u.mstances, so I’m quite embarra.s.sed……. but even with this and that, I’m satisfied with my current life, and I think things had turned out well…… There was a miscalculation where I somehow ended up having a strange image attached to me but……]
[A strange image?]
[Ahh, no, just like how Kaito-sama mistook me for a n.o.ble, I naturally learned many things as I studied as a maid, so just like Kaito-sama did, people who don’t know me back then mistake me for someone of n.o.ble birth…… Yes…… That’s why stores like this had somehow ended up not fitting my usual image, so I had to secretly visit in my private time.]
[Ahh, I do understand that feeling. I’ve also got lots of people misunderstanding me…… No, there are some that aren’t misunderstandings, but there’s a part of me that feels embarra.s.sed when others see me as being more important than I actually am.]
Especially since I also ended up being teleported to a place I’m unfamiliar with, I can relate to Aria-san’s situation quite a bit. I’ve been saved quite a bit of trouble thanks to Alice manipulating various pieces of information for me…… but still, the fact that I’m almost recognized by n.o.bles, both by face and name, makes me a bit wary of places and events where such people gather.
[……Ahh, Kaito-sama is a celebrity after all.]
[Ahh, so you did know about me after all?]
[Yes, as a maid, I often hear discussions related to n.o.bility, and I’ve heard about Kaito-sama’s countenance and the rumors about you as well. And so, I was quite surprised when you first approached me.]
[Come to think of it, you did seem surprised when I first approached you.]
[That had been quite a coincidence…… but you turned out to be surprisingly easy to talk to. and I’ve come to realize that one really can’t understand someone’s character without actually talking to them. With just the information about you being acquainted with the Six Kings and the Supreme G.o.ds, one might tend to perceive you as someone authoritative like a King.]
[Ahh~~ Now that you mentioned it…… However, it would still be best if that misunderstanding had been cleared up though.]
Indeed, if all one knows is the information about being a.s.sociated with the pinnacle of each world, one wouldn’t grasp much about personality……
With such thoughts in mind, we continued our lighthearted conversation, enjoying fries, nuggets, and each other’s company.
Alexandra (Real Name: Aria)
A Unique Demon, approximately 4500 years old. Originally lived in a village on the outskirts of the Demon Realm, but ended up in the Human Realm’s Valhand Empire (later known as the Archlesia Empire) due to s.p.a.ce-Time Distortion.
By chance, she found refuge in a rural village with the help of kind farmers and a.s.sisted with tasks like hunting. However, when her benefactors were about to be harmed by arrogant imperial soldiers, she single-handedly defeated the soldiers who had come to the village.
At that time, Aria’s power, close to that of a Peerage holder, was overwhelmingly powerful for the Human Realm of that time, so people who witnessed her power began calling her the “Apostle of G.o.d” or the “Savior who Appeared to Save the People Suffering Under Tyranny”. Before she knew it, she found herself leading the revolutionary army and effortlessly crushing the Valhand Empire’s forces, achieving a successful revolution.
And upon the request and under the condition of “until the country stabilizes”, she consented to becoming the First Emperor of the new country. Due to her original name lacking majesty, she adopted the name “Alexandra” during her reign as Emperor.
Being diligent and detail-oriented, although not of n.o.ble birth, she quickly mastered manners and acquired the refinement and elegance akin to a natural-born n.o.ble.
After serving as Emperor for about 100 years, as they had initially arranged, she stepped down from the throne. She had intended to return to her homeland using the Teleportation Magic she had perfected during those 100 years, but she had somehow developed an attachment to Archlesia Empire. Thus, while shuttling back and forth between her hometown village and Archlesia Empire, she ultimately decided to settle in the Archlesia Empire for good.
She had no intention of involving herself in matters of the throne, but due to the manners and knowledge she acquired during her reign, she naturally became involved in educating the imperial family and eventually found herself working as a maid. Due to her meticulous nature, she mastered various maid techniques, naturally becoming the Head Maid.
During the Demon Lord’s invasion of the Human Realm 1000 years ago, at the request of the Emperor at that time, she was temporarily entrusted with a military force and joined the frontline. After a fierce back-and-forth battle, she defeated the Demon Lord’s No.2 Viscount-rank Demon, along with a large force of Demons, who were entrusted with the invasion of Archlesia Empire, but her battle with them took too long, so she had almost no involvement with Neun and the other members of the Hero Party.
Until around this era, doc.u.ments inherited solely by the imperial family conveyed her role as the First Empress and a sort of guardian of the nation, but these doc.u.ments were lost during a civil war over the succession to the throne 800 years ago. Coupled with her reluctance to discuss the matter, the notion of her being the First Emperor became somewhat of an urban legend.
She is said to possess seven vocal cords and utilizes her voice and sound in combat. Capable of altering her voice at will, she adopted a cool and dignified tone upon becoming the First Emperor to exude authority, while her natural voice when conversing as Aria is cheerful and friendly.
She’s adept at toggling between her ON and OFF-work personas, striving for perfection as Alexandra while working diligently as a maid, while during her downtime, she reverts to her natural self as Aria, indulging in hobbies like leisurely strolls and such.
Although it bothers her that “Alexandra” is known as “Super Maid of Technique” and is perceived as someone extremely high cla.s.s, so she can’t show her true self on a regular basis, she’s gotten used to it to a certain extent.
Her favorite food is fries, and her hobbies during her off-time include short trips and exploration. Even though she naturally exudes kindness and tranquility during her off-time, while working as Alexandra, she adopts the demeanor befitting that of a Super Maid.