The bed was covered with scattered bread crumbs, but cleaning them up wasn't difficult.
The blonde loli's throat seemed much more comfortable now. As I swept up the crumbs, she opened her small mouth and struggled to weave together words.
"Ana... Ana... stas..."
"Anna."
I finished cleaning the bread crumbs from the bed and corrected her with a smile.
"Everyone calls me Anna. You can call me that, too."
The blonde loli nodded nervously, so I made my voice as gentle as possible.
"I'll go buy some delicious food later. Stay home and don't wander around, okay?"
"Oh..."
The blonde loli gazed out the window, her eyes full of confusion at the unfamiliar environment.
"Where... is this...?"
"Rothschild."
"Roths... child...?"
"It's perfectly normal that you haven't heard of it. Rothschild is a small village under Count Montefeltro's jurisdiction. There are many similar small villages throughout the Kingdom of Michel."
The blonde loli tilted her head in confusion, a big question mark practically appearing above her head. She probably had no impression of Rothschild at all.
Found severely injured and collapsed in the forest near Rothschild, yet knowing nothing about Rothschild at all.
When I explored the forest yesterday, there was one suspicious point that concerned me greatly.
The trail of blood appeared suddenly, but the surrounding forest was completely undisturbed with no signs of battle—clearly not the original crime scene.
I had no clue who had severely wounded her, but regarding the suspicious blood trail, I could find an explanation through my knowledge.
It was either spatial transfer magic or the use of a [Scroll].
[Scrolls] were items created through the combined efforts of magic masters and skilled craftsmen who had raised the "Inscription" skill branch of the [Scribal Arts] skill to the maximum level. They inscribed magic in written form onto high-grade parchment capable of bearing the load, allowing even those completely ignorant of magic to use spells through [Scrolls].
However, the prohibitively high cost of [Scrolls] was a difficult problem to solve. Ordinary paper couldn't withstand magical energy—only the highest-grade parchment could bear it. Combined with [Scrolls] being single-use consumables and the magic they produced being somewhat weaker than the original version, they occupied an awkward position. Those wealthy enough to buy many didn't really need them, those who could afford them with difficulty found them not worth the cost, and those who couldn't afford them were the ones who actually had a need for [Scrolls].
She had most likely used a [Scroll] inscribed with spatial transfer magic to escape to the forest near Rothschild... but where had she obtained the scroll? Her appearance didn't suggest she came from a wealthy noble family that could afford scrolls.
"Rest well. When you've recovered enough, I can take you out to look around."
I gathered my thoughts and placed my hand on her small head, gently stroking her smooth blonde hair.
She didn't push my hand away—a good sign.
I stood up, picked up the tray, and prepared to leave the bedroom with the trash.
When I reached the bedroom door, I suddenly heard the blonde loli's childish voice from behind, mustering all her courage.
"An... Anna-onee-sama!"
*Thud!*
Ow... I bumped into the door frame. How could I make such a basic mistake...
What did she just call me?
Anna... onee-sama?
I didn't know whether to cry or laugh. In the past, children would call me "big brother" and such, but now it has changed to "big sister"? I was having some trouble adjusting.
But I'd have to force myself to adapt from now on. How should I put it—I felt my cheeks warming slightly. Whether it was pure embarrassment or resistance to something important slipping away from me, I couldn't tell the difference myself.
"...Do you need something?"
I quickly adjusted back to normal. That was really unseemly of me.
"I want to... thank the lord here..."
The lord?
Oh, she must have misunderstood. My outfit was standard maid attire, and the elegant style of the bedroom gave a glimpse of the whole picture—you could tell the house's owner had a certain status. She probably thought I was caring for her under the lord's instructions.
"I'm the only one living here."
"Eh?"
"I don't have a master right now. I'm a wild maid."
"Then... Anna-onee-sama was the one who saved me?"
"I suppose so. When I found you, you had collapsed in the forest outside Rothschild, so I brought you back. Don't worry—there are no bad people in Rothschild."
My efforts finally paid off. After hesitating for a moment, the blonde loli spoke up again, stammering.
"Amar... yllis..."
"Is that your name?"
"Yes."
"Amaryllis? A beautiful name."
"Anna-onee-sama can call me Lily... Can I... can I call you Anna-onee-sama?"
You've been calling me that all along, though.
Receiving my approving nod, Amaryllis—Lily—finally showed the pure, innocent smile a child should have. But as if fearing it was all an illusory dream, Lily's smile vanished like a short-lived flower.
Come to think of it, if I had a master, whether I should extend a helping hand to Lily wouldn't be up to me. It would be like how no matter how much you love cats and dogs, once your master dislikes them, you can only release them or entrust them to others, no matter how much you care.
I'd need to be mindful that my words and actions don't bring shame to my master's face, always considering and trying to understand my master's thoughts and intentions.
If the Young Miss were still my master, I believe she would have permitted my actions.
But when I brought Lily home, I wasn't thinking from the perspective of the Young Miss being my master.
Saving Lily... was my own decision, with no one interfering. My personal will made the choice.
For someone like me, who had lived as a servant since childhood, it was quite a novel experience.
Translator's Corner
So I just learned this recently, but there is likely no proper ending for the story. There are still 500 chapters, and I will translate until the end unless it really loses me.
Happy reading.
-Ruminas