Atelier Tanaka

Great Holy Land (2nd)

[Sophia-chan’s point of view]

Why did I think this was a good idea when I’ve never been to this city before?

I’m completely lost.

“….”

I left the inn around midnight and had been wandering around town ever since then. I was doing whatever I could on my own to find the Elf-san. I asked every person I passed if they had seen someone matching her description, but I had found nothing yet. Before I knew it, I realized I was walking down an unfamiliar street with no clue how to get back to the inn. The dawn is just beginning to break.

It’s my fault for not even learning the name of the inn I’m staying at.

I have no clue where I am.

I keep walking down the street in the hopes I’ll recognize something, but there’s nothing here.

“…what am I going to do? I’m starting to get sleepy.”

I’m currently walking through a neighborhood that bears no resemblance to the downtown area we were originally staying at. The splendor of the buildings was gradually increasing with each step I took. Doubt began creeping into my mind, not for the first time today, and I wanted to turn back.

As I was considering this, I could hear the sound of a horse-drawn carriage approaching me from behind.

There are a number of carriages traveling the roads of this neighborhood. I quickly jumped out of the way and bowed as the carriage passed me. This may not be the Penny Empire, but I’m still a commoner. It’s more important than ever for me not to stand out.

The carriage turned off of the main road and entered into a courtyard through a grand gateway. As the gate opened and closed, I caught a glimpse of a vast, well-kept garden with a large mansion that sat within.

The mansion was huge. Even after the gate closed, I could still see the top floors towering over the tall hedges that lined the gate that surrounded the estate. The roof came to a peak and it was the most distinctive feature.

“….”

I would love to live in a place like that without a need to worry about anything.

Just the sight of such a majestic manor would make anyone wish for it.

I didn’t even notice my body moving on its own as I approached the gate. I had been walking around town all night and both my mind and body were completely exhausted. I felt like my mind was a little hazy and I couldn’t think straight. This was probably why I was walking straight up to the gate of the mansion as if I was being summoned there by the house.

“….”

I wonder what the Dragon-san and Goggoru-san are up to? I’m sorry for causing you two trouble. I wanted to help, but now I feel like I’ve become a complete burden. I need to at least find Tanaka-san or I don’t think I’ll be able to face those two.

But I’m so tired and I can’t even think straight. I want to take a nice hot bath and go to sleep on a soft bed. If that’s all I wanted, I should’ve never asked to go to Kalis. Dragon City has all of that.

“…Tanaka-san, where are you?”

I placed my head against the bars and looked out over the grounds in dismay. The same headache you get after pulling an all-nighter was all I could think about. I don’t think I can take another step. I looked up at the windows of the mansion through the gate and fantasized about the rooms that lie within.

“….”

I want to take a bath.

I want to sleep in a bed.

I want to give up.

Just as I was about to allow myself to collapse, a voice called out to me from behind.

“There’s no time for you to slack off! Get back to work!”

“…eh?”

I turned around and spotted a woman wearing a maid’s outfit.

She looked to be in her mid-thirties and had shoulder length brown hair. The calluses on her hands suggested she had been a maid for a long time and I could see several fresh cuts on them.

She’s carrying a large bag in both of her hands. Maybe she’s heading home for the day.

“Don’t just look at me with that dumb face! Get a move on already!”

“M-Me?”

“Who else could I be talking to?”

“…ah.”

I am still wearing my maid outfit.

I’m sure there’s been a misunderstanding based on this.

There’s no other reason.

“Are you listening!? Get back to work or….”

As the unknown maid took a step closer to me, she stopped and her expression changed to openly show disgust.

“…you really stink. Make sure you clean yourself before you return to work. Okay?”

“….”

I can’t even argue with what she’s saying. I’ve been wearing this same outfit ever since the dinner party with Misa. I haven’t even changed my underwear. Even though I consider it gross, it’s still surprising to be told straight to my face that I stink.

“Umm, I-I…..”

“Don’t talk back to me! You’re paid to do a job!”

“Ah, wait….”

The gate opened and I received a shove in the back as I was motioned toward a doorway leading to a kitchen.

I had no time to explain myself.

I was taken inside the mansion without saying a word.

***

[Sophia-chan’s point of view]

I was led to a room within the mansion and every attempt I made to explain myself was ignored.

The same maid I had met in the street assigned me to clean this room before the Master returned.

The only good thing that came of this was I had a chance to wipe my body off. I also changed into a new maid uniform provided to me. I was finally able to change out of the maid uniform from Kalis. My entire being was feeling refreshed.

The maid uniforms of this city are plain in design and color compared to the uniform of the school dormitory. It almost resembled a nun’s outfit if not for the incredibly short skirt. I have my doubts that it will cover much of anything.

It’s still cute though, so I don’t mind.

“….”

Despite me being dressed and ready to work, I’ve still been up all night.

It’s impossible for me to do my job properly in my current state. I wonder who the master of this place is. Seeing the extravagantly decorated room couldn’t help but make me wonder. The school dorm rooms and the airship were all lavishly decorated, but this is on another level.

As I was exploring the room, I spotted an interesting painting.

The frame looked expensive while the painting itself was of four people that I didn’t recognize. The scene in the background was of a castle that I also didn’t recognize.

They were all smiling or laughing and seemed very close with each other. There was one man with three women. I wonder if it’s a harem.

“…hmm?”

As I looked closer at their faces, a strange sensation came over me.

One of the women seemed strangely familiar. She was the only woman standing somewhat off on her own. She was wearing a robe with a hood pulled up to cover most of her features. However, I could still see her mouth and this reminded me of someone, but I couldn’t quite put my finger on who.

“I’ve seen her somewhere before….”

Where do I know her from?

I feel like I’ve seen them recently too.

“Well, these things happen.”

It’s not uncommon for your mind to convince you that two different people are the same based on a few similarities in their faces.

Considering this painting is being displayed in such a grand manor, there’s no chance that one of the people in the painting would be my acquaintance. There was still a lingering doubt in my mind, but the lack of sleep made me give up on it quickly.

In fact, even if I wasn’t tired, I’ve never been the type to stop and properly appreciate a painting. My sleepy mind couldn’t help but wander for a few moments before finding its target. A large bed against the opposite wall.

“….”

Even the bed is luxurious. Its canopy is made from a silk material.

I’m sure it’s incredibly comfortable, but it would be divine given how tired I am.

The sheets were still pulled tight across the mattress after the maids had made the bed this morning.

“…aah.”

I can’t resist.

The pull is just too strong.

My feet started to move on their own.

“…aaah.”

I collapsed onto the bed and was enveloped by the mattress.

The crispness of the flattened sheets followed by the soft springiness of the mattress was ecstasy. I just want to fall asleep here. It’s nearly irresistible.

However, it would be terrible if the master of the house were to find me here.

With such an extravagantly decorated room, the owner must also be of equal standing.

If someone of that status found me, I’d lose my head.

“But, i-it feels so good….”

I just want to go to sleep.

I wiped off my body and changed my clothes. The next logical step is to go to sleep. My body knows this. I could feel my consciousness slowly fading. I haven’t stayed up late like this in a long time, so my body and mind are demanding a return to normalcy.

Just as the lights began to fade and the faint background noise began to be drowned out by the sweet silence of sleep, loud pounding footsteps were charging down the hall toward the door of this room.

“Eh!?”

I quickly snapped back to my senses and started to panic.

I couldn’t think of anything else to do, so I hid myself in a nearby wardrobe.

I was merely a maid cleaning an empty room and I had no reason to hide, but I felt guilty for almost falling asleep on someone else’s bed. I was tucked away in the wardrobe before I even noticed what I was doing. Almost at the same moment the door to the wardrobe closed, the door leading to the room from the hall was thrown open and slammed into the wall.

I should have just told them I was cleaning and quickly excused myself.

Now I have no choice but to stay here.

I guess whoever lives here is back.

If I were to reveal myself now, I’d also reveal that I’m a useless maid.

Not long after, I’d be a useless, headless maid.

“….”

My only choice now is to hide here and be as quiet as possible.

Quiet. Don’t even breathe.

What followed was the voice of whomever had returned. A voice that must belong to a young woman. She was yelling and her shouts were clearly audible even through the wardrobe doors. She sounds young. Is she my age? Could someone like that actually live here?

“How can this be happening!? It’s impossible! That damn Elf can’t be alive! And she came here with the man I summoned! A-Are they here to kill me!?”

Something had happened to scare her. I can’t see her, but the mixture of anger and fear in her voice is clear. I could also feel the wardrobe vibrating as she was stamping on the ground.

If she were to find out I’m hiding in here, I wonder how I’d be punished? I guess that wouldn’t even matter if I inadvertently wrinkled the sheets when I was lying on the bed. That’s a cardinal sin for any maid and I’d be exectured on the spot. I’d never be allowed to go home.

I’m really in trouble.

“Why are they doing this!? How much has she told that man!?”

The hysteria in her voice struck fear in my heart.

My armpits are already sweating.

“Why is it always her!? Why!? Why!? She’s always the one that gets in the way! Even after all the others are long dead, somehow, she still survives! All I wanted was my own private army!”

Her shouting subsided before a soft thud sounded.

She probably just fell onto the bed. There was a dim bit of light filtering in through the crack in the door. The sounds of the young woman were so loud, it didn’t take much imagination to figure out what she was doing. I tried to catch a glimpse of her through the crack, but there was nobody there.

“….”

There was a long silence after she fell onto the bed.

What’s going on? Did she fall asleep? No, there’s no way she could fall asleep that quickly after being so worked up. The silence was unnerving.

My heart started pounding as I expected the door to the wardrobe to open at any minute.

“…no, I’m looking at it wrong. This is an opportunity.”

A voice unlike anything I had heard before, spoke in a hushed whisper. The tone was completely different and I doubted that the same person could possibly be speaking. I’ve heard that people that have sudden mood changes are dangerous.

The master of this house is a dangerous person.

“I’ll capture that elf and force her to watch as I bring that man over to my side. He’s said to easily outpower even Professor Journal. Such a power as that is wasted on the Penny Empire. Maybe brainwashing him would be simpler. Aah, but if what I’ve heard from Academy City is true, it won’t be that easy….”

She was monologuing about an evil plot.

This is the type of thing that gets a maid killed if she overhears it.

“Yes, I’m a victim that deserves her revenge. I had someone precious to me stolen away and now she’ll learn exactly how that feels! I’ll never forgive that horrible bitch for what she did to me!”

She seems obsessed with that other woman.

I’m glad I can’t see her. I think her face would haunt me for the rest of my life.

“Nevertheless, I can’t help but feel anxious. Aah, I can’t even sit still. But it will work out this time. It would all be fine if that damn elf wasn’t here. Does she enjoy watching me suffer? I have to kill her. This time for sure, she’s staying dead.”

“….”

I wish I wasn’t hearing any of this.

I need to pee.

“Aaaaaaaaaahhh, I’m going crazy! I need more…more power to protect myself! The elf is just one problem! Even those disgusting commoners are out to get me! Surrounded by snakes on all sides! It can’t be helped! Those in power come to expect this!”

Whoever she is, her paranoia is at its peak.

I’ve heard that the royalty and nobility as well as wealthy merchants and high-ranking priests are always targeted by hostile actors either for their lives or property. This is called a ‘faction rivalry.’

I was even a witness to one first hand when that person tried to kill Ester-sama in the dormitory. I’m sure stuff like this happens everyday.

I recall events in the past where nobles were even being targeted by their family’s members. They became so paranoid that they refused to even eat and eventually starved to death. I’m sure the person in this room is close to that point.

There was a knock at the door after a brief momet of silence.

A visitor?

This could be good for me.

If she’s drawn out of the room, I might have a chance to escape.

“Excuse me.”

A new voice followed the knock at the door.

It sounded like a woman that was a little older than myself.

“Yes, what is it? I don’t recall asking for a maid.”

I guess another maid is here.

There was a drastic shift in tone as she greeted the maid. Her crazed voice was gone entirely and now a more refined tone more fitting of someone that owns this manor. For her to so suddenly change her personality, she must be accustomed to switching up her persona at a moment’s notice. Having overheard both versions of her, I really can’t let her find me now.

I’m too scared to even move.

“We have just received message from one of our knights that a heretic has been captured.”

“Ara, really now? Then, we must go to the dungeon immediately to greet our guest.”

“Of course.”

“It continues to amaze me that so many can fail to walk the correct path. I stand ahead of them as a beacon of hope lighting their way and yet they continue to stray. There is no act that could insult a saint more.”

“We’ve also received new tools that are awaiting you….”

“Is that so? What wonderful timing! I’ll have you bring those out to try first.”

“As you wish.”

“Aah, right, please, send word to the Heroes that –”

Slam

The sound of the door shutting cut off her words.

Two sets of footprints faded down the hall accompanied by two strangely ecstatic voices. I guess the mast has left with her maid. I cracked open the wardrobe door slightly further to see out into the room.

“….”

Okay.

It doesn’t look like there’s anyone here.

“…this is my chance.”

This place is clearly too dangerous.

I need to get out of here now.