Inside a room with a large desk positioned right beside a window where sunlight could freely pour in, stacks of papers covered almost the entire surface. Work. Endless work.
On top of the desk sat a small nameplate.
"Ard Le Ventias."
A long sigh escaped Ard's mouth as he rested his head against the desk. Then another sigh followed after it.
"Did something happen?"
"Yes..." Ard answered weakly. "I no longer have the energy to do anything."
"You are exaggerating as usual. You only taught two classes and accompanied Saintess Tiffany afterward."
"That is exactly the problem. If it was only teaching, I could still move around normally. But listening to Tiffany talk drained all of my energy."
"You really want to avoid the Saintess that badly?"
"I only want to avoid her endless chatter. Besides..." Ard slowly lifted his head from the desk and sat upright. "Why are you here?"
A woman with black hair tied in a ponytail stood nearby. She wore a maid outfit, glasses resting neatly on her face, with a beauty mark beneath her lips. At a glance, she looked like a perfectly professional maid.
"Lutra."
That was her name.
"I am your personal maid. Naturally, I follow you wherever you go."
"What kind of nonsense is that? The academy shouldn't allow something like a personal maid unless it's under special circumstances. And what do you mean by my personal maid?"
"I already discussed it with the Headmaster."
'Elisha?'
"And she granted me permission to become Professor Ard's assistant." Lutra showed him a badge that proved her status as an assistant professor.
"Wow. How did you even manage that?"
"That is a secret between women."
Hearing that made Ard slightly irritated, though he quickly chose to focus on the positive side instead.
"Well, I'm glad you became my assistant. That means I can hand some work over to you. Though you still haven't answered my question about the whole personal maid thing."
"Lady Anna seems to be planning something involving you."
"How do you kno—... forget it."
'Even though she looks like an ordinary maid, she's actually highly skilled in infiltration and gathering information. Well, that makes sense since I personally chose her.'
"I also heard a rumor..." Lutra continued, telling him about the story Claire had shared regarding Ard taking on a mission alone with nothing but a sword.
Ard could only laugh bitterly hearing it from someone else's perspective. He never realized the incident sounded so terrifying to others.
'Back then I was simply starving. And when I locked myself inside my room afterward, it was because I ate too much and slept the entire day.'
"Well, I don't really care about that. More importantly, you still haven't answered my question."
"The Headmaster has summoned you to the instructors' meeting hall. Immediately. Right now."
"That can wait. You still haven't answered my—"
"I was called by an acquaintance of mine. Please excuse me."
The moment she finished speaking, Lutra disappeared instantly.
"Hey! You still haven't answered my question!" Ard shouted, trying to stop her, but he could no longer sense her presence.
Ard clicked his tongue in annoyance.
"That woman..."
---
Despite his irritation, Ard still headed toward the instructors' hall. He still had responsibilities to fulfill.
Just before reaching the hall, he encountered Tiffany at a hallway intersection.
"Oh, Ard!"
'She still hasn't gone home?'
"Why are you still at the academy?" Ard asked while holding his forehead.
"I'm attending the meeting too."
"But you're not an instructor."
"I don't really know either. I'm simply following the Headmaster's orders."
'Elisha?'
"Well, since we're already here, let's walk together."
"No. Thank you. I refuse."
Ard immediately increased his pace toward the hall.
"Eh~ why?" Tiffany effortlessly matched his speed. "I wanted to talk while walking too. Don't you want to hear it?"
"Yes."
"How cruel."
"Yes."
"But I—"
"Yes."
"..."
Tiffany fell silent for a moment while thinking.
Then she spoke again.
"Ard."
"Yes."
A strange grin slowly appeared on Tiffany's face.
"Bread."
"Yes."
"You like bread?"
"Yes."
"You like tea?"
"Yes."
"You like Elisha?"
"Yes, very much."
"..."
"Wait."
Ard abruptly stopped walking.
"I didn't mean it like that! That was a misunderstanding!"
"But you answered it so honestly." Tiffany covered her mouth, trying to hide her smile.
"That's because of you!"
"I'll make sure to tell the Headmaster. Hahaha~"
Tiffany immediately ran toward the meeting hall at full speed.
"What?!"
Ard's face instantly turned red from embarrassment.
The moment he heard Tiffany say she would tell Elisha, he immediately chased after her.
"Oi! Wait!"
---
After running for a while, Ard finally arrived at the meeting hall while gasping for breath. He leaned against his knees briefly before straightening himself again and looking around.
Many instructors had already gathered there.
"Sorry I'm late. I was chasing a cat that stole my food."
"Ah... no wonder you look exhausted. Did you catch the cat?"
Ard politely walked toward his seat.
The hall itself was enormous, lined with seats for instructors on both sides and a massive stage at the front that dominated the room.
"No. I believe it ran this way."
"Really? I didn't see any cat enter. What kind of cat was it?"
"...Basically a noisy yellow cat wearing clothes like a Saintess."
The man paused for a moment, trying to imagine such a creature.
"Ah, right. May I know your name?"
"I'm Roman."
"Hello. I am Ard Le Ventias."
"You don't need to be so formal. We're around the same age."
"You became an instructor before me, so that technically makes you my senior."
"Forget formalities. I dislike that kind of thing. Just relax, Professor Ard. More importantly, are you really going to keep searching for that cat?"
"Of course. I have to catch it."
"Why are you so desperate over a cat?"
"...Because it carries my entire life."
His tone suddenly turned dramatic and serious.
"I-I see..." Roman laughed awkwardly.
"If my life gets handed over to someone else, I'll move to another continent."
"I still don't understand what you mean, but please don't do that."
"Ugh... I seriously need to catch tha—"
"Catch what?"
A woman's voice came from behind Ard.
"A noisy and troublesome cat with yellow fur wearing Saintess clothing from the church."
"Wow~ does a cat like that really exist?"
"Of course it doe—AAAAAH!"
Ard screamed in shock the moment he turned around and realized it was Tiffany.
She stood there smiling innocently, her hands gently clasped together.
"Professor Ard. Why are you so startled?"
"T-There it is! That's the cat!"
"My goodness. You're comparing me to a cat? How rude, as always."
Tiffany maintained the gentle smile expected of a Saintess, which only irritated Ard further.
"It's true! You're an annoying cat! You talk too much, prank people, never stop chatting—"
Ard continued ranting loudly with his eyes shut.
"Yes, exactly. Professor Ard was just saying—"
Ard immediately opened his eyes.
Tiffany was whispering something directly into Elisha's ear.
Elisha, who had just arrived, slowly turned bright red.
'I want to die.'
At that moment, Ard genuinely wished he could disappear from the world.
Tiffany silently laughed to herself while watching Ard's empty expression. His eyes looked completely devoid of purpose.
And just like that, the meeting finally began with Ard mentally unconscious.
Thankfully, Roman and Celi helped support him.
---
Several hours later, night had already fallen.
Moonlight illuminated the academy grounds wherever the clouds failed to cover.
Inside his room, Ard sat comfortably in a chair. His right hand supported his head while his left hand held an open novel.
Occasionally, he grabbed snacks from the table in front of him while sipping tea.
The atmosphere felt peaceful.
Moonlight entered through the window while the cold night breeze slipped through the air vent above it.
"This is what true happiness feels like."
Ard quietly hummed to himself.
He preferred having at least a little sound rather than complete silence. The melody he hummed came from songs he loved in his previous life.
"I like medieval music... though not all of it."
He could have used his favorite vinyl records, but there were only a few songs he truly enjoyed, so eventually he grew bored of replaying them.
"Lutra."
"Yes, Young Master."
Lutra suddenly appeared behind him.
"How are 'they' doing?"
"...They are doing well. Though they said you should visit more often."
Lutra paused briefly while processing Ard's vague question.
"..."
Ard silently turned another page.
"Is she still doing it?"
"???"
Lutra looked confused.
"Claire. Is she still swinging her sword?"
Ard could hear the sound of Claire's sword cutting through the air alongside the cold aura surrounding her.
Lutra, however, could not.
Ard's instincts and senses were simply abnormal.
The training grounds were quite far from his room, and his room itself was located high above the academy.
"Ah... yes. She still is."
Lutra sharpened her senses further and finally noticed it herself.
"How long has she been doing that?"
Ard closed his book and grabbed another snack.
"..."
Lutra remained silent because she genuinely did not know.
"...Forget it."
Ard let out a quiet sigh, realizing his question itself was unreasonable.
"My apologies. I will work harder."
"It's fine. Don't push yourself too much. I'm simply abnormal for being able to sense things from this far away."
"Even after serving you since childhood, Young Master... you still continue to surprise me."
Ard turned toward her with a snack still hanging from his mouth.
"Do I really surprise you that often?"
"Always."
"That's bad for your heart. You're already getting older, so I should try not to surprise you so much. Wait... do I seriously do that many surprising things?!"
Ard sounded genuinely concerned.
Meanwhile, Lutra became slightly irritated after hearing him mention her age.
"It is rude to talk about a lady's age."
A vein slightly twitched on her forehead.
"A lady?" Ard raised an eyebrow. "More like someone in her thirties. You may look twenty-five, but you're actually over thirty."
Lutra's smile visibly twitched.
"You should already be married with children by now. If you had one, they might even be one of my students already. Honestly, do you know what confuses me?"
"No. I. Do. Not. Please. Explain."
Although Lutra smiled, the twitching in her face and clenched fists made her irritation painfully obvious.
Unfortunately, Ard remained completely oblivious.
"I can't decide whether to pity the man who marries you or congratulate him. I mean... imagine thinking you married a beautiful twenty-five-year-old woman only to discover she's already over thirty. Wouldn't that feel deceptive? Though some men probably like older women too. Especially since you still look young, I'm sure—"
Ard suddenly stopped speaking.
"Lutra... don't tell me you..." Ard stared at her with widened eyes. "You like women?"
In an instant, Lutra grabbed his ponytail.
"Ow!"
"I could not hear you properly. Could you repeat that?"
"What is wrong with you?! I was simply worried because you still aren't married! Isn't it normal for me to think about things like that?!"
"I never once said I dislike men. Where exactly did you get such a ridiculous assumption from?"
Her smile remained perfectly calm as she tightened her grip even more.
"It was speculation! Speculation! Alright, I'm sorry! Please let go! My hair feels like it's about to rip off!"
Eventually, Lutra released him, though her irritation clearly remained.
"Oh come on. Why are you so angry?" Ard rubbed his aching scalp while trying to smile awkwardly.
"..."
Lutra simply turned her face away.
"Oh come on, Lutra. I was only worried about you."
"Thank you for your completely unnecessary concern."
"How cruel!" Ard scratched his scalp again. "But seriously. I worry about you. Why don't you retire already and start a family?"
"Are you dismissing me? Do you no longer need me? Am I useless now? Is that it?"
With every sentence, Lutra moved her face closer toward Ard.
Ard instinctively leaned farther back with nervous sweat on his face.
"C-Calm down first, Lutra."
Finally, Lutra returned to her normal posture.
Ard sighed in relief.
"You've been taking care of me since I was little. I truly appreciate that. Honestly, without you, I probably would've struggled a lot."
Lutra proudly puffed her chest slightly.
"But really... I'm grateful to you, Lutra. Without you, life at the mansion would've been difficult for me back then. When I couldn't even dress myself, you helped me. You taught me how to read and write. You knew my favorite foods. You even spent your own salary buying snacks and fulfilling my stupid requests whenever we visited town."
"..."
The atmosphere slowly turned nostalgic.
Ard smiled while reminiscing, while Lutra quietly listened.
"My father, mother, and older brother were kind to me... but you were no less kind than them. Out of all the servants in the mansion, you were the one willing to stay beside me."
Back then, many servants refused to care for him simply because he was a demon.
Thinking about it now, Ard had only been seven years old.
Even so, Ard fully understood his situation. Although his body belonged to a child, his mind and soul were already mature.
That was why he never cared whether someone would become his personal maid or not.
Then one day, Lutra appeared before him.
She knelt down before the young Ard and lowered her head respectfully.
"Hello, Young Master. My name is Lutra. From this day onward, I will serve as your personal maid. I will protect and care for you. I may still lack experience in many things, but I will do my very best."
That day, Ard and Lutra's eyes met.
And from that moment onward, a strong bond between master and maid was formed.
A bond that still remained even now.