A flexible awakening.
Enjoying the privilege of a maid who never gets dirty no matter where she sleeps, I opened my eyes—
“?”
Where am I?
I was definitely sleeping on the walking path, but when I opened my eyes, I saw an unfamiliar ceiling.
When I checked the time, it was 5 a.m. on May 3rd.
I had about twelve hours of free time left, so I should do something.
First, I should call Lady Elena—
“!”
Wait. Isn’t calling someone at 5 a.m. rude?
I didn’t want to add more tiring work for Lady Elena, who was already exhausted from having so much to do.
If I was going to call her, I’d do it after at least 10 a.m. Then, where exactly am I?
“......”
I didn’t want to get out of bed.
What is this? It’s so soft.
Of course it is. Beds are usually on the soft side.
But after lying down just anywhere all this time, lying on a bed made the difference feel too huge.
At this rate, I’ll become one with the bed.
I was swallowed by a bed so enormous that even when I stretched my arms and legs out in a big X, there was still space left.
How much would a bed like this cost? How was it made?
I think it would be nice to set up a rest area in the maid café and put several of these in there.
That’s right. I have a mission.
I had a reason why I had to get up and move without losing to the bed.
If I want to open a maid café, I have to work diligently.
“VV.”
I’m going to become a maid master.
I got up flexibly and checked my outfit.
Next, dignity check. Flexible thinking check. Quick acceptance check.
When I tried to open the door and leave, I sensed someone’s presence outside.
To think I only noticed their presence now.
The bed’s power was that strong.
I always wanted to show only a flawless, perfect, and dignified appearance.
Judging from the presence, the person outside the door probably sensed me wriggling around in bed the whole time.
Feeling embarrassed, I knocked.
“Let’s communicate...”
“... Doesn’t knocking usually go from outside to inside?”
“Gasp.”
I made another mistake like this. I became even more embarrassed.
So the person outside was Sir Yohan.
At the familiar voice, I opened the door and came out.
Had he been outside the door the entire time I was sleeping? I felt so sorry.
“Did you perhaps not sleep because of me? I’m sorry.”
“No. I slept a reasonable amount as well. And simply being here like this is rest for me.”
“Ing.”
“There are things I prepared for you, Lady Yuyeon, since you gave me time to rest. Would you accept them before you return to the Tower?”
“???”
Come to think of it?
He said he had prepared bungeoppang and other banquets too.
But I only ate chicken, went for a walk with Lady Ravina, and fell asleep.
How could I be so shameless?
Thinking that all the food must have gone cold doubled my guilt.
“I-I eat cold things well too. I’ll accept them gratefully.”
“I kept them stored in subspace, so you don’t need to worry.”
“!”
What a relief. Sir Yohan is incredibly thorough. I was simply grateful for his kindness.
“There’s a bit too much to take out here. Would it be all right if we moved locations?”
“? But Sir Yohan, do you have a subspace ability too?”
“Hoho. I wish I did, but no. There is a maid named Han Iseul whose subspace ability is S-rank, so I asked her for a favor.”
“Then if I’m going to receive it, shouldn’t I contact Iseul?”
I was worried because I wanted to avoid contacting her early in the morning, but Sir Yohan added,
“She will likely be waiting with longing. Lady Iseul in particular said she wanted to talk with you, Lady Yuyeon.”
“Really?”
“She also said she wanted to have a serious maid talk with you.”
“!!!”
Maid talk!
At those thrilling words, I wanted to communicate with Iseul as soon as possible.
“I will contact Lady Iseul.”
“Could I contact her? I want to greet her myself.”
“Will you? Then I will give you her contact information.”
Ooh. I received Iseul’s contact information.
I hurriedly tried to call her.
VV— VV—
Even the ringtone sounded like my voice. Why on earth?
As I waited, click—! The call was disconnected.
“Ing. It got disconnected.”
“Hmm? It seems she rejected it by mistake.”
“Aha.”
I tried calling again.
VV— click—!
This time, my double peace only came out once before it cut off.
Dejected. I did a double peace in its place.
“VV...”
“Hoho. Would you wait a moment? I will contact her.”
“Could she be sleeping?”
“Probably not.”
Sir Yohan called Iseul, and it connected in one second.
— Yes, Sir Yohan...! This is Han Iseul...!
“Were you asleep?”
— N-no...!
“The number just now was Lady Yuyeon’s phone number.”
— Eh? Yes? Ehhh??? W-wait a moment...!
“I will hand you over to Lady Yuyeon.”
“?”
Sir Yohan passed me the phone, so I carefully accepted it and greeted her.
“Hello. I’m Han Yuyeon.”
— Huaaagh...!!!
“???”
— I’m sorry...! I’ll go there right awayyy...!!!
Thud—! Crash, bang—!
I heard an incredible sound from somewhere.
“Oh dear. Please come slowly. I’m fine.”
— No, someone like me wouldn’t dare waste Lady Yuyeon’s time!!!
“You’re not ‘someone like you,’ Iseul. And I don’t think the time I spend waiting for you is a waste.”
— Uwaaah, Lady Yuyeon, I love you!!!
“Thank you. Be happy.”
— I’ll get there as fast as I can!!!
Hehe. I was looking forward to maid talk.
***
The Tower Gallery’s registered user, WhyAmIAmaid.
As her nickname suggested, Han Iseul was a maid who had lived while denying her own class.
Her father was a swordsman. Her mother was a swordsman.
Not only that, but her parents were swordsmen who had cleared the 60th floor on Hard, and from childhood she had received training in the sword.
She had also been born with talent for the sword, and she even had a record of killing goblins that came out of an E-rank Gate before she entered the Tower and was given a class.
Because of that, she thought there was an extremely high chance she would be granted the swordsman class.
Believing the saying that the class granted by the Tower was most likely the class best suited to the climber’s aptitude, she waited only for the day she would awaken as a swordsman, but...
‘Why am I a maid?’
When she was dragged into the Tower, granted the maid class, and received no starting weapon at all.
When she realized she had to proceed through the trial wearing nothing but a maid uniform, Han Iseul cursed the Tower and stubbornly chose Hard.
Because she believed in her own talent, thinking that as long as she could somehow get a sword, she could make it to at least the 60th floor like her father and mother.
And so, the 30th floor.
When she cleared the 30th floor on Hard, which most people could not even reach, Han Iseul felt despair.
Because she had no choice but to admit that this was the limit of a maid.
‘I could have gone higher.’
If she had been a swordsman instead of a maid, she could have reached the 60th floor.
Perhaps she could even have gone beyond that. Thinking so, she denied the possibilities the maid class possessed.
That was why, after returning to Earth, she always passionately argued on the Tower Gallery that maid was a trash class, but...
She saw Han Yuyeon, who was only ten years old, subdue an entire horde of ghouls on the 1st floor of Hell difficulty without any weapon at all.
Then she saw the overwhelming martial power of someone who had completed seven years of closed-door training and could operate mana circles and an aura core at the same time.
When she saw the “giant hexagon” that even handled healing arts skillfully and performed supply duties perfectly, she realized that maid was a great class.
The strongest swordsman in humanity? That was Lady Yuyeon.
Even if her swordsmanship could not reach EX-rank because of the penalty of the maid class,
Even if she did not have “Swordsman’s Edge,” which enhanced the power of the sword, Lady Yuyeon’s swordsmanship had a different depth.
Her flowing and flexible soft sword, so graceful it could not be ranked by skill grade, had purely reached the destination of the sword.
The strongest magician in humanity? That was also Lady Yuyeon.
There was no magician on Earth who could cast Maid Cosmic Triple Flame Tornado Peace, or cast Star Peace alone.
Including martial arts and healing arts, and even support, Han Yuyeon was overwhelming in every field.
The dazzling light, so brilliant one could only admire it, bewitched people and left them no choice but to worship.
‘I want to become strong like Lady Yuyeon too.’
Maid is not a weak class.
Maid is the most perfect class, capable of doing anything.
Now that she had realized it was she herself who had decided her own limits, she wanted to repay Lady Yuyeon, who had given her that realization.
It was the first time her S-rank subspace felt so useful.
“Hello, Lady Yuyeon...! I’m Han Iseul...! I’m truly a fan...!”
From the moment she finally faced Lady Yuyeon in person, her mind went completely blank.
She couldn’t tell what she was saying, nor whether she was properly taking items out of subspace.
Perhaps understanding how she felt, Lady Yuyeon suddenly hugged her tight.
“I hugged you...”
“?!!?!?!?”
“I returned it...”
The world spun round and round.
It felt as if her vision had overturned from being soaked in ecstasy.
It felt as if her soul, which had been stained with negative thoughts, was being purified.
“I-I want to operate mana circles and an aura core together someday too, like you, Lady Yuyeon...!”
“You want to become a magic swordsman master?”
“...... Yes!”
Now that she thought about it, only a maid could be a magic swordsman too.
Because the only class that could learn both magic and the sword was maid.
When she nodded fiercely, Lady Yuyeon looked at her with transparent blue eyes.
“Then I’ll help you form mana circles and an aura core.”
“......?! Is that possible?!”
“I don’t think there’s any reason it wouldn’t be. I’ll pour mana and aura into your body, Iseul, so try forming the circles and core according to my guidance.”
“What if I fail...”
“Your heart will probably burst, but it’ll be fine. I’m a master of healing arts.”
“Aah...!”
So there wasn’t even a risk of failure for Lady Yuyeon.
If her heart burst, she could just heal it and try again.
“When you become stronger, what do you want to do first?”
“I want to clear Hard difficulty up to the 100th floor... and become as strong as possible, so I can protect people too.”
Her father and mother had both died fighting to protect people.
She did not resent her parents for dying that way.
Because if she had been in that place, she would have acted the same way.
She simply thought that she did not want others to experience this sort of loss.
When she told Lady Yuyeon even the things she did not have to say, Lady Yuyeon hugged her tight again.
“Then I’ll cheer for you, Iseul.”
“......!”
She could feel mana and aura entering her body from Lady Yuyeon’s embrace.
Even in the pain that made her feel as if her heart, accepting the two powers, would pound until it burst and her consciousness would cut off, Lady Yuyeon’s voice was clear.
How to form a circle, and how to form a core.
How to control mana, and how to explode aura...
When her heart repeatedly burst and regenerated, and she went through endless pain and realization again and again.
「You have acquired Mana Circle (E).」
「The ‘Magic Power’ stat has been unlocked.」
「You have acquired Aura Core (E).」
「The ‘Aura’ stat has been unlocked.」
She was able to obtain the power she had wanted so desperately.
Even though they had started early in the morning, when she came to her senses, it was becoming evening.
“Our time is up. I have to return to the Tower now.”
“Ah... Because of me... did you waste too much time...”
“I don’t think the time I spent with you was a waste, Iseul.”
5 p.m. on May 3rd.
Lady Yuyeon took a short sword out from between her cleavage and prepared to return to the Tower.
“This is a gift. Please become a wonderful magic swordsman master.”
“Thank you, truly... But... Lady Yuyeon... why are you taking it out of your cleavage...?”
“? Come to think of it, Iseul, you took things out of your hand?”
Lady Yuyeon made a puzzled expression, then showed her a double peace.
It truly was a dignified double peace that could be called the model of a maid.
“I can’t take them out from my hand. Maybe the conditions are a bit different because it’s EX-rank.”
“Aha...”
So that was why.
She had always wondered why Lady Yuyeon took things out from her cleavage.
“Lady Yuyeon... I’ll be cheering for you...”
“Thank you. I’ll go win everything again this time too. Sir Yohan, Lady Elena, I’ll see you next time as well.”
“I wish you fortune in battle.”
Flash—! Looking at the empty spot where Lady Yuyeon had returned to the Tower, she made a peace sign.
The maid dignity double peace was truly a highly difficult technique.
***
I am Han Yuyeon. An authority on flexible maids.
In theory, I thought it would be possible to help someone else form mana circles or an aura core, so I tried it, and it worked.
It took quite a long time, but the important thing is that it succeeded.
Later, when I have more time, there will be many people I can help like this.
After entering the rest floor, the first thing I did was look up at the sky.
“Father. Mother. Grandfather. I’m back.”
[Many Constellations gaze upon you.]
[The Sage of the Star Library bestows a blessing upon you.]
— You look happy. What happened this time?
“I became rich. I received a ton of gifts, all sorts of things. There were famous foods from Earth too, and I received soft beds and furniture.”
[Many Constellations gaze upon you fondly.]
“When I tried lying on a soft bed, it was nice. Ah, and there was something I needed to tell you.”
They had misunderstood chicken, so I should tell them this too.
“Chicken was truly a good thing.”