The sky transformed from blackness to a faint indigo.
Dawn seems to have broken.
Underneath the cold daybreak, there gathered one boy and three girls.
Yuuki, Arina, Mist, and Princess Rosé.
While gazing in amazement at the traces of the hard battles here and there around the Isky residence, the four at least rejoiced in each others’ well being.
“… Princess Rosé, are you really alright?” asked Yuuki.
“Yes”
Rosé smiled and nodded.
” ‘Arina saved me when it was about to get dangerous‘ ”
She emphasized the last part meaningfully.
Yuuki tilted his head, dubious, but he didn’t think too deeply about it.
“That so? Good on you Arina”
He pat Arina’s head.
Arina gladly received it and smiled, “ehehe”
Seeing how she behaved like a small animal in front of Yuuki, Rosé who knew of her true colors made a complicated face. Because Rosé was prohibited from telling him about Arina’s action by a strong suggestion, she could not tell Yuuki about her real character.
As Yuuki was patting the head of the murdering demon, he asked.
“Then what happened to that Glenn?”
“Glenn was…”
Rosé gave the collapsed cavern a fleeting glance.
Nikka an Glenn were left as they were, crushed under the rubble.
Rosé acted slightly pained, but she explained.
“He ran away with his accomplice Nikka. They were probably scared of Yuuki-san and Arina-san’s power”
“I see…. d.a.m.n them, I’m not letting them go scot free!”
The thought that Rosé might have abused and killed him probably never crossed his mind.
“I’ll show him my new killing technique the next time I see him!”
Yuuki hit his own fist in anger.
“Yuu-kun, it’s only the first day from us coming to this world, right? How are we going to look for him?”
“Uuuh”
Having nothing but determination, Yuuki had no words to answer Arina’s tsukkomi.
Rosé watched the two with a meek expression.
From her languid face, it looked like she wanted to say something, but she took back her words. She once again resolved herself and called out to Yuuki.
“…… Yuuki-san….., I, I, to Yuuki-san —,”
“Princess Rosé”
Yuuki interrupted her.
“— Everything was Glenn’s doing. Princess did nothing wrong”
Rosé was going to apologise for what she did to him in the dungeon.
Even though she was manipulated, she did spit at him and tell him to die.
Depending on the person, it’s even possible that she would never be forgiven.
But Yuuki foresaw Rosé’s apology and already forgave her.
“B, but, umm…!”
“Princess did nothing wrong, and I don’t want to see you crying again. …. It’s probably harder for you if I tell you not to mind it, but I’m not angry and I’m going to be troubled if you apologise to me”
“……..”
Rosé was speechless and hung her head.
“W, what happened, Yuu-kun? Did Princess do something?”
“Nothing to do with you”
Yuuki brushed off Arina who was poking her nose in.
“Ah, right, this isn’t the time to be doing this! Marquis Isky was captured, we have to hurry and help!”
Accompanied by Arina, he hurried back in the residence.
Rosé looked at their backs, not knowing what to do.
Her feelings will surely be resolved in time.
“— Even though he himself say so…”
There, the girl who was one of the main people rolled up in the affair talked to her.
The Isky House maid, Mist.
Her name did not go down in history — in all likelihood, she was just one of the many people who fell victim to Glenn and Nikka’s ambitions — but thanks to Arina’s intervention, she gained the power to transform into a mist monster and became the girl who led to the resolution of the situation.
“Yuuki was as good as dead for a while because of what Princess said”
The maid Mist glared fearlessly at the Princess, Rosé Vosne-Romanée Grand Cru Ivan, who held status way above her own.
“….. what are you telling me to do, then?”
“Nothing. No apology, no consolation, he doesn’t want any of that. I only want you to remember it. The truth that that person wanted to die because of what you said”
“——……….”
Making a pained face, Rosé said as if swallowing a bitter pill.
“All right. I will carve it onto my heart”
She replied.
Mist nodded.
“Pardon my insolence”
She gave a respectful bow as befits her station.
“That and one more thing”
“What is it now?”
Mist made a grin.
“I won’t lose to the Princess who makes pa.s.ses at him while clinging to him like a dog”
“Excuse me,” she bowed once again and went after Yuuki.
“…………… d …….. dog ……., making, pa.s.ses…..”
Left behind, Rosé was reeling from the shock of her last words, she stood in a daze with her mouth open for a while. All the more because she knew what she was talking about.
“………………………………………”
There, without anyone to hear her, Rosé muttered.
(d.a.m.n you vomit-spewing maid, I’ll have you hanged for lèse majesté)
She then took a deep breath.
“That part just now must have been Arina-san’s influence, yup”
Feeling refreshed, she shifted the responsibility to another person and chased after Yuuki.
†
There was a girl watching them all enter the residence from its roof.
The rising sun shone on her maid-use ap.r.o.n dress.
Her long, beautiful silver hair fluttered in the morning air.
Her pet.i.te looking body seemed no older than ten years of age.
She was the maid who attended Madam Welsh and took her a.s.sault.
The wounds on her face had completely recovered and she looked as if she was unruffled by it all.
“She took down my Dry County. What is that girl?”
She played with her long, shiny hair, and now looked up to the sky.
The sky where the monster was blown to pieces by Arina’s fist.
“I don’t know. But she is incredibly strong”
She said as if having a conversation, but there was no one else but her there.
“Hey, me. …. what is it?”
She was talking to and answering herself.
“I wonder if that girl is going to grant my wish.
I don’t know.
Nikka-san’s studies are no use, huh.
Nikka-san was a liar.
I shouldn’t say something like that.
But it’s true.
Let’s bet on that girl this time.
That’s right. But I have to prepare.
I have to make a new Dry County.
That’s right. This is exciting. Yes!
……. Hey, — me”
Then the girl made an enraptured face and hugged herself.
“I love me.
— Yes, I love me too.
Fufufu…….”
“Tch, Chaser!!”
An intruder appeared.
…… it was Tris.
“Y, you b.a.s.t.a.r.d, how could you send in the Marquis’ impostor!? What about your plan to have the monster mix in with the maids!?”
“Tch,” the girl called Chaser clicked her tongue.
“But that’s what Glenn-san wanted”
“Liar!! …. eeei, it doesn’t matter now! Think of something to help Glenn-sama!”
Chaser then stood up.
“Hey hey, me. What? There’s an intruder. Yeah, it’s irritating”
“Huh!? You, what are you…”
“I don’t need him right? No, don’t need”
Chaser nodded twice.
“What are you talking about, listen here”
Tris’s talking stopped.
He became speechless after seeing the thing that suddenly appeared before him.
… it was Tris.
““What … are you?””
The two Trisses trembled and glared at each other.
“W, what are you you b.a.s.t.a.r.d!!”
“What are you you b.a.s.t.a.r.d!?”
“E, eeei, Chaser, don’t try to confuse me with this fake!”
“You‘re the fake!!”
“What did you say” “you” “b.a.s.t.a.r.d” “d.a.m.n you?”
““Aaaaah!!!””
The two Trisses wrestled each other, missing their footing, and fell to the ground.
One of them suddenly vanished, leaving only one corpse rolling on the ground.
“Ah – ah. Why can’t he love himself like I do. Poor thing. Do I really think so? … I lied of course. Oh me. Ufufu. Ahahaha.”
As she made two laughing voices, Chaser put on a pair of shadow wings and flapped to the sky.