I like secret passages.
The very name “secret passage” is overflowing with romance.
As I followed Barkel-nim, I took the shotgun out of my subspace pouch and waved it gently back and forth.
“Ravina-nim. We’re going to the secret passage.”
“Heeey... le’s gooo...”
- Is that a fishing rod...?
Ravina-nim trailed after me with vacant eyes.
I maintained a distance where she could almost, but not quite, catch it.
“Heee... gimmeee...”
“I’ll give it to you if you follow me properly without losing sight of me.”
“Okaaay...”
- She really turned into an idiot...
- Raa’s seriously a total baby now lolololol
- A maid who ruins people...
Roll, roll, tumble-tumble.
Why was Barkel-nim insisting on rolling around with only his head?
I was curious, so I asked.
“Barkel-nim. Couldn’t you guide us after restoring your body?”
“Correct.”
“Then why are you rolling around with only your head?”
“This is efficient.”
“Aha.”
- (flabbergasted wizard emote)
When we entered the spire following Barkel-nim, I saw an incredible number of gargoyle statues.
There were more than three hundred just within sight.
- Wow look at the number of statues;
- How strong would you even have to be to break through this by force?
- As strong as Yuyeon-nim
- How do you do that
Were each and every one of those statues actually gargoyles in disguise?
The gargoyles suddenly seemed amazing to me.
They had to wait perfectly still until an intruder appeared.
Wasn’t that something impossible without extraordinary patience?
If it were me, I wouldn’t have lasted even five minutes.
“Barkel-nim. What do gargoyles usually do while living here?”
“They sleep until intruders come.”
“Huh.”
A truth of the world I had suddenly learned.
Gargoyles were sleepyheads.
“Then do you usually communicate with one another?”
“There is no particular need to communicate.”
“Why?”
“To explain it in a way you can understand.”
Barkel-nim straightened his head upright and looked at me.
“Communication is something done because each party is different. To ask about what one does not know, share what one has felt, and understand one another.”
“That’s what it was?”
“Should you not already know that?”
“I just communicated because I like communication.”
“I see. To continue, from the moment we are born, we share the same purpose and make the same judgments. Therefore, there is no need for us to communicate. At least among ourselves.”
Ah. Barkel-nim’s head tilted slightly, so I straightened it for him.
“Then, Barkel-nim. How do you feel about communicating with me?”
“It is very interesting. I never imagined an existence like you would exist.”
“VV.”
“What exactly is that V?”
“It makes you feel good when you do it.”
“I see.”
Papapat!
After restoring his upper body, Barkel-nim copied my hand gesture.
It was a gargoyle majesty double peace sign.
“How is it?”
“I do not know what it means to feel good. Still, I have learned something new.”
- Never thought I’d live to see a gargoyle doing double peace signs...
- This too must be the grace of God Yuyeon...
- VV
- W
Barkel-nim detached his head again and rolled away.
After watching him, I started wanting to roll around too.
But I had to hold it in. Ugh. I had to endure. For the sake of dignity.
I followed after him, firmly suppressing my instincts to preserve my dignity, and Barkel-nim spoke again.
“Han Yuyeon. Let us make a deal.”
“Oh. I like deals.”
“I am saying this after careful consideration, so I would like you to listen seriously.”
“I’m always serious.”
- ???
- Hmm...
- Is that so...?
Gasp. Ravina-nim almost snatched the shotgun from me.
I focused a little more and waved the shotgun this way and that.
“We were made so that we cannot leave this place, but I have come to think that we may be able to leave by using your power.”
Sway, sway.
- Gi...
「You have acquired Maid Points.」
“Take us to the world of humans. Then we will help protect that which you wish to protect.”
Flutter, flutter.
- Gyu... uu
「You have acquired Maid Points.」
“Are you listening?”
“Yes. But Barkel-nim. May I ask the reason?”
“I have become curious about a life of communicating with humans.”
“Then sure.”
“You decide quickly.”
“Because communication is a good thing.”
Oh. I think his expression changed ever so slightly.
“Do you not think I might betray you? I have already betrayed the True Ancestor once.”
“Gasp. Are you going to betray me too?”
“I will not.”
“Why?”
“Because I have no reason to betray you.”
“Ah, but wait a moment.”
Where should I take the gargoyles?
Servein? Or Earth?
First, let’s hear Ravina-nim’s opinion.
“Ravina-nim. In Servein, the gargoyles—”
“Heeeng... gimme the shotguuun...”
“???”
- She’s an idiot...
What do I do? Ravina-nim has really become strange.
It seems Earth would be better than Servein.
“Barkel-nim. There’s a place where I used to live. I’ll bring you out there later.”
- What...?
- Huh...?
- Yuyeon-nim, wait a second
- We’re scared of gargoyles;;
“What sort of place is it?”
“It’s a good place to live. And it’s a place that will become even better from now on.”
“You sound very certain.”
“Because I’ll make it that way.”
- ......
After a moment of silence, Barkel-nim asked again.
“In that place, how many more existences like you are there?”
“A huge number. There are also many people more amazing than me.”
- Ueeeng...?
- There are people more amazing than Yuyeon-nim...?
There really were many amazing people on Earth.
The person who developed bungeoppang without putting any crucian carp in it must surely be the genius of the century.
“Ah, is this what is called a joke?”
“I don’t know how to joke.”
- Is this for real...?
- Could it be me...?
- Is it you...?
- Who even are you
- Han Yuyeon-nim’s master
- Me too?
- Is it you too...?
Barkel-nim’s voice turned deliberately serious.
“...There are many existences more amazing than you?”
“Yes.”
“I had no intention of betraying you to begin with, but I will absolutely never betray you. Believe me.”
“Okay. Let’s get along.”
Papapapat!
The gargoyles who had been disguised as statues flew down one by one and landed in front of me.
I was deeply shocked here.
Because the ones I had been certain were statues were real gargoyles, and the ones I had been certain were gargoyles were nothing but statues.
The gargoyles stood before me and performed triumphant double peace signs.
I responded with a maid dignity double peace sign, but before the overwhelming difference in numbers, my peace signs gradually lost strength.
“Hing-ing-ing.”
In the end, I had no choice but to lose.
***
[The Gargoyle’s Core (B) has been stored in subspace.]
After spending some time storing the gargoyles’ cores in subspace, we moved again.
- The mood feels like the stream is about to turn off soon...
- Yuyeon-nim, this stream was short, so are you going straight to the 9th floor?
- She used too much energy managing us, so she’ll probably rest
- Ah
- Han Yuyeon, turn off the maid’s management!!!!!!!
“???”
What was that? It feels like someone called me.
- Yuyeon-nim, when will you turn on the next stream?
- Pretending not to see chat pretending not to see chat pretending not to see chat
- You can see our chat!!!!!!
- Communicate with us...
- It’s okay if you take a break, so please just tell us when you’ll turn it on...
Must have been my imagination.
I think I’ve collected everything I need, so let’s go to the secret passage.
I followed Barkel-nim again for quite a while.
As we slowly walked through the vast interior of the spire, we made all sorts of small talk.
- You won’t communicate with us, but you communicate with a gargoyle? We liked you first, we cheered you on first
- So you like gargoyles better? So you like gargoyles better? So you like gargoyles better?
- From now on, gargoyles had better not let me see them...
- Guys, a gargoyle emote came out
- ?
- (Is communication difficult? gargoyle emote)
- The emote factory’s gone crazy
- (I’ll kill you... swordsman emote)
- Aaaah, at this rate the stream will turn off
The secret passage we arrived at after chatting was, just as I had expected, a passage connected to the underground.
Ah. But I probably can’t go in there.
Gloom. The fate of having to skip the travel again and go through the rest floor was sorrowful.
As the passage responded to Barkel-nim’s mana and opened, an alert appeared saying the trial had been cleared.
「You have cleared the 8th floor of the Tower of Trials.
- You have subdued Arch Gargoyle Barkel.
- Ravina has survived.
- You were not ambushed by the gargoyles even once.
- You discovered the secret passage.」
「You will be moved to the ‘Rest Floor’ in 10 minutes.」
「Nothing will be provided on the Rest Floor. Please prepare any necessary supplies yourself.」
“This passage is connected to the Banquet Hall of the Red Moon. You can avoid the True Ancestor’s followers and reach the core area directly.”
“Barkel-nim. Please refrain from spoilers.”
“Why is this a spoiler?”
“A secret passage is most fun when you don’t know where it leads.”
“I see. Then I will not tell you what comes next.”
“Thank you. Be happy.”
“I cannot feel the emotion called happiness.”
“Oh dear. I hope the day comes when you can feel it someday.”
As promised, I put Barkel-nim into subspace.
“I’ll see you later, Barkel-nim.”
“Very well.”
[Arch Gargoyle Barkel’s Core (A) has been stored in subspace.]
Now let’s check the rest of the evaluation.
「Total Evaluation: S」
「Ability Points +5」
「Additional reward options are provided to you for setting an example.」
「1 - Mind’s Eye (E)」
「2 - Absorption (E)」
「3 - Maid’s Management (D)」
Is S-rank the end for this evaluation? I’m curious whether EX-rank exists.
Even though it seems the route changed because I discovered the secret passage, EX-rank still didn’t appear, so maybe there is no EX-rank.
What kind of reward would A-rank give? Would it give fewer ability points?
I want to check the rewards for below S-rank without setting an example, but that was impossible after all.
Because it made no sense for me, the very embodiment of a model maid, not to receive S-rank.
First, I checked the skills.
「Mind’s Eye (E)
- You become able to see ahead even with your eyes closed.
- You become able to see what cannot be seen.」
“!!!”
There was no need to look at anything else.
I immediately chose Mind’s Eye and closed my eyes.
“?”
I can’t see.
Oh. When I think that I want to see, I can.
Well, if I saw even when I didn’t want to, my eyes would get way too tired.
I had become able to perform the maid dignity narrow-eyed peace sign.
With this, I wouldn’t be pushed back later even against the gargoyles’ combined peace signs.
“Ravina-nim, Ravina-nim. I can see ahead even with my eyes closed now.”
“......”
“?”
Ravina-nim’s eyes were strangely cloudy.
“Ravina-nim. Are you all right?”
Even though I hurriedly took the shotgun out again and placed it in her hands, Ravina-nim’s eyes were still clouded.
“Ravina-nim?”
“...... Ah?”
Oh. The light slowly returned to her eyes.
Ravina-nim stared at the shotgun with slightly dazed eyes, and soon her cheeks turned red.
“Wh-what disgraceful behavior have I been showing until now...”
Very demurely, in a delicate voice, she averted her gaze and returned the shotgun to me.
“I showed you such an embarrassing side of myself. I’m sorry. This won’t happen again...”
“???”
“The shotgun is all right. It’s something I can’t handle...”
“?????”
“Ah, it’s been far too long since I last offered a prayer. Excuse me for a moment...”
Ravina-nim, who suddenly felt sacred, seemed incredibly unfamiliar.
Ravina-nim knelt down, made double peace signs, and recited a prayer.
At the unexpected surprise peace signs, I had no choice but to lose once again.