Sven and Lutheria had already put distance between themselves and the village. They were two kilometers away, with only one kilometer left until they reached the city limits.
"Why Mia?" Lutheria asked.
"Because the Goddess decreed it. Besides, people might recognize your old name," Sven said.
Of course they'd find her out, Sven thought. A Lutheri sect gets wiped out, and suddenly a girl named Lutheria appears out of thin air? Too suspicious.
"I understand, Master," Mia said.
I need to make her my maid, just like in the original story. A week ago, my mother mentioned that if I found any candidates for a personal maid, I should bring them to her, Sven recalled.
"Do you know how to run a household?" Sven asked.
"Me? Yes, I can cook and clean," Mia replied.
Good. If I phrase it right, they'll select her as my personal attendant.
Sven and Mia entered the city governed by the Laocards. Mia gazed around in sheer awe; the towering structures and floating buildings were truly a marvel to someone seeing them for the first time.
"This city is so massive... and so foggy," Mia remarked.
I've grown used to the fog over the years-the way it wraps its tentacles around everything in the city's Fourth Ring.
Sven led her by the hand, noticing how her head kept spinning from side to side.
Right. She's never seen anything modern because she lived in that hyper-isolated sect. Maybe I should give her a small tour? Not because I feel sorry for her, but because it will strengthen our bond. Besides, Mother gave me permission to stay out until evening.
"Let's walk for a bit," Sven said.
"Let's!" Mia agreed.
Sven led the way, and Mia followed close behind, hanging on his every word. They headed for the city center, where the ground floors of massive skyscrapers had been converted into storefronts. These surrounded a sprawling shopping mall that, from the outside, looked like an ordinary residential block.
"This is the trade center," Sven explained. "It's one of the three pillars our worker-city is built around."
"Can we go inside?" Mia asked.
"Of course."
They wandered through the mall. Mia was beaming with joy as she looked at the clothes and the technology, while Sven walked beside her with a faint, knowing smirk. After Mia had peered into every boutique, Sven pulled her into an ice cream parlor.
"What flavor do you want?"
"Strawberry, I think," Mia said.
"I like that one too," Sven noted.
He opened the back page of the menu and used a pencil tethered to the book to write: Two strawberry ice creams topped with vanilla caramel. Five seconds later, the writing vanished. Within five minutes, an orc in a uniform approached their table and set down two bowls of strawberry ice cream.
Mia froze in astonishment. "How did they know that's what we wanted?"
"I wrote it on the back of the menu," Sven said, taking a bite.
"But it was blank!"
"The ink disappears five seconds after you write. If you order something that isn't on the menu, the request just vanishes into nowhere," Sven explained. He flipped the menu page over to show her the underside, which was covered in a complex array of geometric shapes and runic symbols. "If you write something without these patterns underneath, it won't work."
"Wow... do you know how it works?" Mia asked.
"I'm not very good at Runic Magic," Sven admitted.
"What are you good at then?"
Sven paused to consider. "Fencing and basic incantations. Essentially everything except meta-magic and runes."
"So you're really powerful?" Mia asked.
"Of course," Sven replied, a hint of pride in his voice.
They eventually left the mall, Mia still finishing her ice cream.
"It's 6:07 PM. We need to get home," Sven said.
"Okay!" Mia chirped with a smile.
"Aren't you worried at all that my parents might not accept you?"
"Nope. You're with me, my Messiah," Mia said brightly.
God, even I'm nervous, and I'm the one who's certain they'll take her in.
By the time they reached the estate, it was half-past seven. As they crossed onto the grounds, Herman appeared out of thin air before them.
"Welcome back, Master Sven. Might I ask the name of your... friend?" Herman asked.
And here I thought he was in love with Bo Wu or Sarra Jurgal, Herman thought, a single tear of pride escaping his eye. It turns out he has a girlfriend. He wanted to sacrifice himself for valor... he truly is a gentleman.
"Er, this is Mia. My new maid," Sven said.
"And her surname?"
"She doesn't have one," Sven replied.
He's decided to make his girlfriend his maid because he can't legally marry someone from the slums outside the Fourth Ring, Herman concluded, and a second tear of pride rolled down his other cheek. "Of course. I shall inform your mother that you have found a suitable candidate. However, I must take your friend now to test her domestic skills."
"Fine," Sven said.
As Mia started to follow the butler, Sven used Awakened Mind to beam one final instruction directly into her brain:
[Do not mention the Lutheri religion. Not for anything. Understood?]