My name is Aurica.

Aurica Flaireim.

I am a maid serving at the mansion of my master—Jirou Ayase-sama.

It has already been many days since Danna-sama was trapped inside that mirror.

Everyone is desperately searching for a way to repair it, but so far, nothing has been found. Still, Rebecca-san and Priestess-sama are helping look for a solution. I'm sure it will be found soon.

That's why I decided to do what I can.

A maid's true duty is to protect the mansion. And right now, my job is to support everyone who is doing their best here.

First—cooking.

Of course, I prepare meals for everyone in the mansion, but I also properly make my master's portion.

Food can be sent to the other side. So every day, I cook nutritious meals and send them over. Danna-sama eats them properly and returns the dishes.

It's not that there's no food in his world—but that's a different matter entirely. I can't imagine not making Danna-sama's meals.

As long as he's eating, I can at least feel relieved.

If anything, I'm more worried about Diana-sama. She barely eats at all.

According to Shamash-san, since the barrier that maintains spirit energy is gone, even a High Elf would have difficulty remaining active without eating. But regardless of race, I think you simply have to eat properly.

In that sense, Marina-san is admirable.

She must be suffering too, yet she still acts so energetic. Ion-san says that she's pushing herself too hard in training—so much that it's actually unhealthy—but still…

Ion-san works hard at maid duties too, and she learns quickly.

Apparently, she has an incredible vocation—something like a triple job of [General], [Paladin], and [Mage].

I don't understand why someone so amazing is working as a maid in this mansion, but she's stunningly beautiful, so I'm sure there's some kind of complicated backstory.

In any case, thanks to Ion-san joining us, we have a lot more breathing room in our work.

What I can do...

Right... there is one more thing I can do...

I'm going to ask everyone to help me move forward with it.

* * *

On the day of the parade, I had arrived at the venue early as part of Danna-sama's support staff.

A simple party was scheduled to take place in the central square of Erishe after the parade. As entertainment, there was a mock battle planned between the Knight Order and a summoned beast called forth by Shamash-san.

Since everyone else—including Ion-san and Etowa-chan—was participating as part of the female Knight Order, only Danna-sama and I were left to handle the behind-the-scenes work. A small part of me thought it might have been fun to participate, but I was with Danna-sama, so being backstage was no problem at all.

I set up the venue, lining up the snacks and alcohol Danna-sama had brought from "Japan," along with the dishes Ion-san and I had prepared.

Danna-sama said he would be a little late, but he never showed up.

He had mentioned some business had come up, so I figured it couldn't be helped.

Everyone had been briefed on the ceremony, and we'd done a rehearsal the day before. Even if Danna-sama couldn't make it, things would be fine... or so I thought.

In the end, Danna-sama never came.

The parade itself was a huge success, and the party and entertainment went off without a hitch. The food and snacks were popular, and the Knight Order looked so cool receiving their commemorative badges from the Mayor.

Of course, I don't think everyone accepted a female Knight Order immediately.

Even at the venue, I heard murmurs like, "Women becoming knights?" or "They even have demonfolk and Tark tribes—no different from lowly mercenaries."

Still, the majority of people were at least outwardly friendly.

I don't know what the future holds for the Knight Order, but Rebecca-san said she'd already secured some jobs for them. Just as Danna-sama said, maybe things really are changing—slowly, but surely.

As we were packing up after the parade, a suspicious-looking man dressed like a merchant approached Diana-sama. He was accompanied by several escort warriors and wore a gaudy amount of jewelry—clearly a wealthy merchant of some sort.

Talking with a smirk, the man seemed to be an acquaintance of Diana-sama. However, it clearly wasn't a good relationship, as Diana-sama looked visibly displeased. A masked Hetty-san stood right beside her, casually listening in. I wondered if Hetty-san knew him, too.

I was curious, so I crept closer to eavesdrop. It seemed the merchant was showering Diana-sama and the Knight Squad with praise.

"With a Knight Order this magnificent, there would be plenty of opportunities for you in the Imperial Capital or in Marishera. I could make it happen. If you like, I could even recommend you to the Emperor for official deployment as a formal knight order...?"

He was spouting what sounded like a dream.

The Emperor? A formal knight order?

I wondered if he was really that important. He didn't look like it.

"Even if you tell me such things, it is of no concern to me."

Diana-sama replied coldly.

This was her 'I'm truly not interested' pattern. Diana-sama is someone who is genuinely uninterested in things outside her circle—she's actually quite strict with outsiders. On the flip side, she's almost too kind to those close to her.

"This Knight Order belongs to my Goshujin-sama nodesu. Including myself."

"Hoh? But Princess Diana. What happened to your Slave Crest?"

"I temporarily released the contract for the sake of this parade. Does that matter?"

"Ho, ho. I see, I see. In that case, you don't belong to anyone in particular. Am I wrong?"

The plump merchant delivered that line with a "cool" face as if he were about to wink. I could see the goosebumps rising on Hetty-san's arms.

"A slave contract is irrelevant nodesu. Both I and the Knight Order belong to Goshujin-sama."

"Heh... then it seems I need to have a word with this 'Goshujin-sama' of yours. And where might this Master of yours be?"

The man looked around with exaggerated, theatrical gestures. He felt very unpleasant.

"He is running a bit late today due to business."

"Late? Even though the parade and the party are already over?"

"...What are you trying to say?"

"Oh, nothing. It's just that I've heard this area has been dangerous lately."

The man sneered. It was a horrible look.

"...Well, that doesn't matter. Princess Diana, how is that 'Guidance' of yours coming along? I'm here as a representative of the Solo family, so even putting the Knight Order aside, I'd like you to complete your Guidance sooner rather than later. If you can't achieve it, we'll have to take matters into our own hands..."

"The Guidance should be completed soon."

I knew about Diana-sama's special Guidance because Marina-san and I had eavesdropped on her and Danna-sama talking in the garden late at night a long time ago.

Diana-sama had left home to achieve that Guidance, and two years had already passed. Her meeting Danna-sama was apparently related to it, too.

"Well, that's good to hear then."

The man shrugged.

Hetty-san was tapping her fingers irritably against her crossed arms.

"However, the Solo family isn't exactly overflowing with patience. We can't let you play around forever with a man who isn't even connected to your Guidance... This 'Goshujin-sama' Diana-sama is staying with... he has nothing to do with the Guidance, does he?"

"...No, he is the one nodesu. There is no mistake."

"I see. But I wonder why he couldn't make it today?"

"What are you implying?"

"Oh, nothing. But if—just if, mind you—that man were to die... then that would simply mean it was the fate decreed by the Guidance, wouldn't it?"

"That... that is absolutely impossible."

Unable to endure the merchant's cryptic taunting any longer, Hetty-san drew her sword at a speed the eye couldn't follow and stopped the tip right at the man's throat.

His guard warriors couldn't even move.

"...Who do you think you are? How dare you be so rude? Do you know who I am?"

Without even glancing at the blade at his throat, the man glared at Hetty-san and raised his voice.

"Of course I know. You're the younger brother of the head of the Solo family—the one who kidnapped the daughter of the Barbacro Company and usurped the business, right?"

"Y-You...! That voice...!"

The man gasped.

When Hetty-san removed her mask and revealed her face, the man turned pale instantly. They were definitely acquaintances.

"H-Henrietta...! Why are you here...? No, brother told me you were dead..."

"Fufufu. As if I'd die that easily. By the way, I'm also a member of this knight Order. So, Uncle—do you still want it?"

"D-Don't be ridiculous...! Who would be stupid enough to invite the Reaper into their home?!"

"I thought so... Now, Uncle. You're filthy rich thanks to the Barbacro Company, so it's strange that you'd want a Knight Order like this now, isn't it? They're talented, sure, but you could hire as many as you wanted, couldn't you?"

"That's not true... good talent is hard to find."

"Heh... liar. Your target is Diana-sama, isn't it? I wasn't sure what you were after at first, but thinking about it, there's no other reason for you to move personally."

The man's face turned even paler. She had hit the mark.

"That's why I was staying on this side, too... but I was careless. Tell me, Uncle. What did you do to my Jirou-sama? You were saying some very interesting things. Depending on your answer... pop... okay? I've been itching to kill you for a long time anyway."

Wow... Hetty-san is amazing.

I'd heard she was once a famous mercenary, but her presence—her aura—was on a completely different level.

Even the slave guards, who were supposed to protect the man, could only watch helplessly.

"I-I don't know! I didn't do anything!"

"Playing dumb won't work. Answer me."

Hetty-san said in a bone-chilling voice.

"I don't know what I don't know! I have no idea about a man who didn't even show up here!"

The man was sweating profusely, desperately insisting he knew nothing. He seemed genuinely terrified of Hetty-san.

"But you were planning something, weren't you? Something like killing Jirou-sama and sweet-talking your way into stealing everything? Honestly, the men of the Solo family are always so petty. Just thinking I share blood with you makes my skin crawl."

Hetty-san spat the words with genuine disgust.

K-killing...?

Was Danna-sama really being targeted?

Then the reason he didn't come today was...?

"Don't be stupid... why would I use such methods against a country merchant? I figured tightening the screws a bit and handing him a bag of gold coins would be enough!"

"Hmm, I wonder if that's true. Becky, what do you think?"

Hetty-san directed the question toward Rebecca-san, who had been watching from a short distance away. Rebecca-san simply shrugged, indicating she didn't know.

I didn't know either. But it seemed he had been planning something, and the likelihood that this man was responsible for Danna-sama being late seemed very high. But I suppose they couldn't just kill him on a hunch.

"Well, fine. I'll let you go today. I want to hear the story from Jirou-sama first. Besides, I don't want to stain the Knight Order's debut with your blood. ...But remember this: if I feel like it, I can kill you anytime, even if you are my uncle."

"Damn it...!"

As soon as Hetty-san withdrew her sword, the man fled with his guards.

"H-Hetty...? What you said just now... G-Goshujin-sama is...?"

After the man left, Diana-sama, who had been acting brave, asked Hetty-san with trembling lips.

"I am so sorry, Diana-sama. I never thought he would target Jirou-sama directly... No, the possibility was certainly there, and it was my responsibility for leaving him alone... To be honest, I thought as long as I arrived before that man, I could handle whatever happened. I even entertained the thought of luring him out and killing him. I can't deny I had those unnecessary thoughts."

"Stop! Stop it! Goshujin-sama is fine nodesu...! He has to be fine...! I even gave him the Substitute Bracelet..."

"I don't think he'd be taken down so easily, but... no, we need to confirm. Whether something's already been done—or if it was still about to happen."

Eh...?

What? Does that mean Danna-sama really was attacked and might have been killed?

No way...

He's okay, right...?

Marina-san always bragged about how strong Danna-sama is...

Hetty-san explained the situation to everyone, and we decided to head back to the mansion immediately.

"...It's because I wasn't careful enough... If only I had left Marina as a guard... I was just... too excited about the Knight Order and the parade."

"It's not Captain's fault. It's Marina's fault de-arimasu... Marina decided she would never leave Aruji-dono's side, and yet..."

"What is wrong with you two?! Goshujin-sama is fine! He's just a little held up with business on the other side today! I'm sure... I'm sure that's all it is...!"

Everyone had a look of agony.

The parade had gone so well, and we were just about to celebrate, so the shock was enormous. We didn't know what had happened yet, but human life can be unexpectedly fragile.

In my village, a child my age died in the blink of an eye from a fever. People like Rebecca-san and Hetty-san, who have lived in a world of violence, probably feel that even more strongly than I do.

* * *

Just outside Erishe, Diana-sama let out a scream. A patch of the road was stained a deep, dark red.

"Spirit energy residue... it looks like the Substitute Bracelet was used here..."

"Then, this blood... is it Ayase-kun's?"

Diana-sama explained that she had given Danna-sama a "Substitute Bracelet," which would shatter in place of the wearer if they received a fatal blow.

There was evidence it had been used right there. That meant someone had attacked him here and dealt a lethal wound.

But Danna-sama was nowhere to be found.

"Ah! It's Kuro! Kuro de-arimasu!"

A horse came galloping toward Marina-san and nuzzled its nose against her.

It was Danna-sama's beloved horse, Kuro. There was no rider. Kuro let out a low whinny and stared at us with sad eyes.

"...Let's just get back to the mansion. And... be careful on the way."

Rebecca-san said.

'Be careful on the way'. Did she mean Danna-sama might be lying collapsed somewhere?

I shook my head, trying desperately to drive away the bad premonition. I hadn't even begun to repay my debt to Danna-sama. A parting like this was completely unexpected.

When we reached the mansion, Diana-sama screamed again. Shamash-san was also surveying the area with a grim expression.

"W-What's wrong?"

For a second, my heart leaped, thinking they had found Danna-sama's body. But that wasn't it. Apparently, the barrier around the mansion had been broken. I couldn't tell, but Diana-sama and Shamash-san could.

We ran inside.

A window was smashed. We searched the entire house, but no one was there.

Only one room remained.

And that was where Goshujin-sama was.

The magic mirror had been cruelly shattered, and he was trapped inside one of the fragments.

* * *

The girl who had presumably attacked Goshujin-sama and shattered the mirror was standing still at the scene.

Her eyes were hollow, and she just stood there, staring blankly into space.

Shamash-san restrained the girl—though she didn't resist at all—and without hesitation opened her back with a loud crack.

"This child is an Automata," Shamash-san explained. "An artificial doll that moves using Spirit Stones or Magic Stones as a power source. It seems she was used as an assassin. Well, since we've just come into possession of a Spirit Stone, this is perfect timing."

When Shamash-san pulled the Spirit Stone out of the girl's back, her eyes closed and she collapsed onto the floor. She was an incredibly well-made doll.

I heard later that these Automata are relics from the Spirit Civilization era; even Shamash-san had only ever seen one once before. When given a Spirit Stone or Magic Stone for power, they act as loyal servants that follow their master's orders to the letter. Since one was here, it seemed likely it had been sent as an assassin.

Still, the doll just looked like a small, innocent girl. Could Danna-sama, who trains so hard, really have been defeated by this? Perhaps he let his guard down. Considering she looks like a cute girl, that might be exactly what happened.

While I was thinking about that, the Spirit Stone was handed over to Diana-sama. She looked so pale I thought her soul might have left her body; she simply couldn't process the shock.

At Shamash-san's urging, Diana-sama began to chant. She intended to use Spirit Magic fueled by the stone to repair the mirror. I had heard that Diana-sama could only use magic in a limited capacity, but...

The dim basement was suddenly bathed in brilliant light as Diana-sama's Spirit Magic was unleashed toward the mirror.

"Ah..."

However, the mirror did not accept the light. Instead, the magic burst into dozens of glowing spheres and vanished.

"...It didn't work. I didn't think it would outright reject the magic. It would be fastest to find the creator, but with an item of this caliber, it's almost certainly a relic of the Spirit Civilization... Repairing it is..."

Shamash-san shook her head.

"It... it's no good? Even Princess can't fix it?"

Marina-san cried out, clinging to Diana-sama's shoulders. Her deep purple eyes were swimming with large tears.

"It'll be okay... right? Look, Aruji-dono is watching us right now! If you look so sad, he'll... ugh... waaaah!"

"I don't... I don't want this... how could this happen...?"

And so, Danna-sama and the rest of us were separated between this world and that one.

A single, tiny fragment of the mirror became the only thing connecting us.

* * *

For a while after that, Diana-sama and Marina-san spent their days in tears.

Eventually, Marina-san stood back up, declaring that she had to "get much, much stronger to protect Aruji-dono for sure," and began training from dawn until dusk.

Diana-sama hasn't left the mansion once, never letting the mirror fragment out of her sight for even a second.

Shamash-san, determined to solve the mystery of the mirror, spends every day conducting research. She has figured out that the mirror is intricately woven with both Spirit Arts and Sorcery, but she clutched her head in frustration, saying that's as far as her understanding goes.

Shamash-san tried various ways to communicate with Danna-sama on the other side, but nothing worked. Fearing that being too reckless might cause the mirror to shatter further or lose its remaining function, Diana-sama eventually stopped letting Shamash-san touch it.

Shamash-san also redrew the mansion's barrier to be nearly identical to the original. It's a powerful barrier that prevents anyone but Clan members from entering; indeed, when the villagers tried to deliver vegetables or fodder, none of them could reach the house.

She said the previous barrier was woven with extremely advanced magic that even she found difficult to replicate. She laughed self-deprecatingly, saying she realized just how clumsy she was, but I was strangely impressed to learn that even someone who can summon dragons has things that trouble them.

Rebecca-san and Hetty-san are out searching for a way to fix the mirror. Aside from that, they apparently decided to kill that flashy merchant from the other day. They are currently summoning "Hetty-san's old mercenary comrades" and are in the middle of slowly cornering him.

However, Rebecca-san has reportedly put a stop on Hetty-san actually finishing him off, because she wants Danna-sama to kill him with his own hands. She said, "As far as the experience of killing someone goes, this is an unparalleled opportunity."

Rebecca-san is a kind older sister when she's with Danna-sama, but in reality, she is quite strict and terrifying.

'Never make Rebecca-san angry.'

That's something everyone in the village knows.

Ion-san handles the housework while also helping Marina-san with her training. It seems to be incredibly intense; she comes home every day exhausted, but because she's so diligent, she tries to do the chores too, so it's a struggle to make her stop and rest.

Still, I'm worried about Marina-san being alone, and Ion-san is the only one who can keep up with her right now. I'm glad she's here.

Elepipi-san and Etowa-chan are looking after the shop in Erishe.

They've postponed the opening of the new store for now. They wanted to open while the excitement of the parade was still fresh, but they felt a disciple couldn't open a shop without the owner.

They have quite a bit of stock for the original shop stored at the mansion, so they'll be fine for a while. However, Etowa-chan was worried that it will eventually run out, and we'll need to think about what to do then. Our entire livelihood depends on the sales from the shop in Erishe. It will still be some time before the Knight Order can earn an income.

If... if things stay like this, will I no longer be able to stay at this mansion?

The debt for my Spirit Stone might be cleared, but I don't care about that.

I... just wanted to serve Danna-sama.

Danna-sama used to help me with my studies during his free time at night. "Japanese", the language of his homeland, was very difficult. Since there were no dictionaries, I had to write down every single word in a notebook to make my own.

I'm still not good at it at all. Even though I received a Guidance to 『Master a foreign language.』 Even though my Vocation is [Secretary].

"Ah...! That's it..."

—I'll write a letter to Danna-sama.

That thought suddenly struck me.

Danna-sama can't read Rusad script, and he can't speak the language well. But through Japanese, we can communicate. I hated myself for not realizing it sooner.

But surely, the Great Spirit granted me this Vocation and this Guidance for exactly this moment.

Once I decided, I acted quickly.

I still didn't know enough Japanese to properly write a letter. Knowing words was one thing—forming sentences was another.

But complaining wouldn't help. I had no idea what Danna-sama was going through on the other side. Besides, I might get a reply from Danna-sama.

Deciphering it might be difficult, but I should be able to do it.

"Alright...! Ion-san, Marina-san. May I ask you something?"

I explained the situation to the two of them and asked them to take over most of my chores.

I needed time to write this letter. I couldn't just do it in my spare time like before. They both readily agreed, but in exchange, they asked me to include messages from them. I had intended to do that from the start, so I agreed. I decided to collect messages from everyone.

It took about twenty days to finish the letter. It's almost entirely in hiragana, but I think it turned out well. I just hope the meaning gets across...

Marina-san had already collected the messages from everyone else, so those were included too. Now, all that was left was Diana-sama's part.

* * *

"U-Um... Diana-sama."

"What is it, Aurica?"

"I... I wrote a letter to Danna-sama in Japanese. About what's been happening, and how everyone is doing well..."

"I'm aware."

"And, I've collected messages from everyone... so yours is the only one left. What message would you like to send to Danna-sama?"

Diana-sama smiled gently, but she had grown thinner over the past month. She looked fragile and beautiful, like a flower on the verge of wilting.

I thought that if she got a reply from Danna-sama, she might feel a little better.

"In that case... could you write this?"

I wrote down Diana-sama's message.

Alright, now all that's left is to hand it over—

"Also, Aurica. May I write something myself?"

"Eh? But Diana-sama..."

"I know. Just a single phrase."

Lady Diana added a single line—written in Rusad script.

—A declaration of love.

Even from my perspective, the two of them had always been inseparable.

They were always together, always smiling.

...Now, both of them were suffering deeply.

It was a small repayment—but I hoped this letter would bring Danna-sama even a little happiness.

I sealed the finished letter and wrote on the front:

『To Danna-sama — From Aurica.』

I briefly wondered if I should write "From Everyone," since it included everyone's messages...

But this felt right.

The letter had to be delivered by hand. Every so often, Danna-sama reaches his hand through the mirror, so I just had to wait for that timing.

As I asked Diana-sama to help me deliver the letter, a small girl suddenly appeared in the air with a pop.

"Ah! E-Eh?!"

I'd heard about this from people who had completed a Guidance before. They said the Spirit holds a wand, has curly blonde hair, wears a cute hat, and floats around with tiny fluttering wings. The small girl in front of me was exactly that.

"A-A Spirit...? Then, that means...?"

"Yes. You worked very hard, Aurica. Congratulations on completing your first Guidance."

"Eh? But I haven't really 'mastered' it yet..."

"If you can properly convey your feelings through words, then you can say you've mastered it. Now, this will be your first Spirit Stone. Use it well."

With a pop, the Spirit vanished. In my hand was a transparent Spirit Stone.

Without hesitation, I chose to send that stone along with the letter. This way, I can repay a bit of my debt. They say a single Spirit Stone can support a person for a year. With this, we'll have more of a buffer until the mirror is fixed.

I breathed a sigh of relief as I watched Danna-sama accept the letter and the Spirit Stone.

Now then, there's plenty of mansion work piled up. I have to work hard on that too!