Chapter 232 - The Bath and the Ambush

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"Um, if you could just lend me the tools, I can wash myself..."

I answered as calmly as I could, though this was perhaps the most flustered I had been since coming to this world. The maids all shook their heads in unison.

"No, this is our job."

"I am afraid we cannot allow that..."

"Please, have a seat here."

Saying that, the three of them lined up beside the tub with wooden round stools and thin cloths. They even had what looked like hand buckets. Surely they did not intend to wash my body with those thin clothes? With fabric that thin, it would be almost the same as touching me with bare hands.

"Um, could you at least limit it to just my back? I am not confident in my appearance, so I feel rather embarrassed."

I answered haltingly, and the maids exchanged glances. Then, all of them wore knowing smiles.

"...We had taken you for a very gallant person, but our impression has changed somewhat."

"She is quite the adorable one, is she not?"

"Hehehehe..."

The maids' eyes gleamed like carnivores that had spotted their prey, and they crept closer to me step by step. I felt a sense of danger incomparable to when I had faced the Elven King.

If I used force, escape would be easy enough. However, the maids' job was to welcome and entertain guests. I could not very well interfere with their duties just because I felt shy.

"...Please be gentle."

Having given up, I muttered that in a small voice and sat down on the stool.

***

The next morning, the dazzling morning sunlight streamed through the window and woke me. I had left the curtains open so I would know if anyone appeared, and apparently, nothing had happened.

That said, I had set an electric current outside the room that would cause full-body convulsions and unconsciousness upon touch. Since the current originated from a lightning orb placed in the corner of the room, it was still flowing.

Well, the current only ran through the door handle, the center of the wall, and the window frame, so no one would accidentally get shocked. After all, the butler and maids would not open the door without knocking.

Thinking that, I slowly rose from bed to prepare for the morning. Rubbing one eye, I walked across the room and sat before the luxurious vanity. The mirror was adorned with gold, silver, and jewels around its frame. When the sunlight hit it, it reflected beautifully.

"...One could probably build a house with this alone..."

I thought as I gazed at the overly extravagant mirror. I prided myself on having a commoner's sense of money.

Looking into the mirror, I saw my usual self—though with less bedhead than usual. I blinked several times in surprise at that and froze.

In that instant, the memory of the previous night's ordeal vividly resurfaced in my mind. I shuddered involuntarily and hugged my own shoulders.

"...!"

The half-naked maids before me, their cheeks flushed and wearing fierce smiles. And the six hands—thirty fingers—groping all over my body. The terrifying part was that despite their overwhelming pressure, they had performed a proper body wash.

They had quickly scooped water to rinse me while giving me a body scrub, then applied floral-scented foam with soft cloths and washed every inch of my body. They had even massaged me all over with what seemed to be body oil. They'd carefully massaged even between my fingers, and frustratingly enough, it had felt wonderful—by the time I soaked in the tub and got out, I had felt thoroughly refreshed.

And now, here I was in the mirror, with my bedhead tamed despite just waking up. At this point, I could hardly bring myself to be angry at the maids, given how well they had taken care of me.

"...Do they use some special shampoo or hair product? If I could achieve this just by washing myself, I would like to take some home. I hope they sell it."

I muttered that as I set about fixing my hair, which would normally be a bird's nest of tangles. Compared to the usual cotton-candy state, this was infinitely easier. I used both water and wind magic simultaneously to quickly fix everything, then finished by running a comb through it. In no time, it looked the same as usual. My hair even seemed to be more lustrous than usual.

I absolutely had to ask the maids later whether they sold their products somewhere. With that resolve, I finished getting ready and dispelled the lightning magic.

The lightning orb in the corner of the room gradually shrank, and the discharge subsided.

In just over a minute, the orb vanished completely. The massive current must have all discharged into the ground.

"Now then, I wonder if Headmaster Glenn is all right."

I had also run current through the door and walls of Glenn's bedroom via the ceiling, so he was likely fine.

Thinking that, I opened my room's door and stepped into the hallway.

The moment I did, I noticed the figures sprawled on the floor.

"...Are you intruders?"

I asked, but the people on the ground did not move at all. They seemed to have completely lost consciousness. There were five people in total. For reasons unknown, they had all collapsed in front of my room. No one seemed to have fallen in front of Glenn's bedroom.

All five wore black attire. They had robes over their clothes, but beneath them appeared to be light armor.

They looked exactly like night raiders.

As I approached one of the fallen figures to check their face, a voice came from the bottom of the stairs.

"...Good morning. Is it safe to touch those people now?"

The butler greeted me as he ascended the stairs.

"Good morning. What do you mean by 'safe to touch'?"

When I asked, the butler gave a wry smile and extended one hand to indicate the fallen figures.

"Well, I heard noises in the middle of the night and came to investigate, and I witnessed the one at the front collapsing. Then the one at the very back suddenly convulsed and fell, and the three in the middle moved to help the two who had fallen, but the moment they touched the fallen pair, all three convulsed and collapsed as well. The convulsions continued for some time, so I assumed it must be a lost curse magic from the past and took shelter."

The butler said that with a completely straight face, making it difficult to gauge his true intent. Despite intruders having broken into this building, his reaction was strangely subdued.

Given that guests could have been put in danger, one might have expected a bit more alarm.

Or perhaps this was some sort of test to measure the visitors' capabilities.

As I was thinking that, the butler quietly bowed and spoke.

"...To have allowed suspicious individuals to infiltrate this facility is deeply shameful. In truth, we are magicians who meet a certain standard of ability, and we have maintained a barrier covering this building in rotating shifts. Until now, we have never allowed a single outsider to breach it. And yet, to have five slips undetected... My, my, this is quite a setback."

After saying that, the butler raised his head. His expression, contrary to his tone, was extremely stern. He pressed one hand to his face as if to hide his expression, then muttered in a low voice.

"...The most likely possibility is betrayal. I was the one who selected the maids. I will see to it properly, so please rest assured."

The butler's eyes, as he spoke in that menacing tone, gleamed with a dangerous light. His pride as a butler must have been wounded. Judging by his attitude, he truly seemed to have no connection to the intruders.