"Ah~ mm~!"
Liya stretched lazily while yawning.
Dragging her half-asleep body, she slowly walked out of the bedroom.
As soon as she opened the door, before her eyes could fully open, a flash of white drifted past in front of her.
Liya, "?"
Her drowsiness instantly vanished. Confused, she leaned forward, looking in the direction that figure had gone.
When she finally saw who it was, Liya froze slightly.
It was a girl wearing a black-and-white maid outfit.
Had their household ever hired a minor?
Following the maid outfit downward, Liya's gaze stopped on the girl's lower body.
There, poking out was a… White tail!?
Liya was completely stunned. Her brows knotted tightly. No matter how she thought about it, she couldn't figure it out.
Since when did they have a demi-human maid at home?
'Wait!'
It seemed… she really had brought back a catgirl yesterday.
And the cat-eared maid in front of her, her fur color was exactly the same as the one she brought back yesterday.
Just as she was about to call out to the catgirl maid ahead of her, a gentle voice cut in before she could speak.
"Good morning, Miss Liya."
As if she had sensed Liya in advance, she turned around, looked at Liya, and gave a very respectful bow.
"...?"
Liya was completely overwhelmed.
She held her head, countless questions filling her mind. For a moment, she didn't even know how to think.
"You… can talk?"
'No, wait, demi-humans can talk anyway.'
What she should be asking is how she learned human language.
She really woke up too abruptly.
Liya's head was still foggy. She had dealt with demi-humans for over ten years. More than anyone, she understood the wildness they were born with.
Living in the wild made them extremely hard to tame.
That's why, other than Halnarsen, whose long lifespan allowed him to stay at the old estate as a butler, no other demi-human could ever become a maid.
Their nature simply made them unfit to serve others.
In her daze, Liya heard the catgirl in front of her begin to speak.
That soft, gentle voice slowly drifted over, healing her mind instantly, "You may call me by my name, Vanilla."
"This is the name my master gave me."
'Vanilla? Master?'
A spark flashed through Liya's mind, instantly, she thought of Viktor.
'He really knows how to play… No, wait, how on earth did he do it?'
Still bewildered, Liya waved for the catgirl maid to come closer.
"Come here a moment, Vanilla."
"Yes, Miss Liya."
Vanilla stepped forward on her own and moved beside Liya.
Liya lowered her head, examining her closely.
Catfolk were generally small, especially female catfolk, who were even more shorter.
The white-furred girl before her barely reached Liya's chest.
"Incredible…"
Liya's shocked voice sounded slowly.
She remembered how exhausting it was to educate those demi-humans.
Just teaching them to read and speak normally took her nearly two years.
Not to mention all the other knowledge.
And yet she had only casually sent this catgirl to Viktor's bedroom.
In only one night, not only could she fully understand human language, she could even politely introduce herself.
Demi-humans never understood what "manners" were.
Even Liya's subordinates were only respectful toward her, and that was already the limit.
But now, every action and gesture of the catgirl in front of her was completely identical to a normal human maid.
"Magic truly is astonishing…"
She could only attribute all of this to the power of magic.
All she could say was, Vanilla's performance had far exceeded her expectations.
Therefore, with curiosity rising, she asked the question she was most interested in, "Can you use magic now?"
"You know, like, pew! and then boom, firing off a huge fireball…"
Vanilla simply raised her gentle face, smiling as she watched Liya's exaggerated gestures.
Only after Liya started feeling embarrassed did Vanilla lower her head respectfully and say, "My apologies, Miss Liya. I am currently studying very hard."
"Master told me that becoming a mage is not something that can be achieved overnight. It requires talent, and it requires constant effort."
"Uh… ah, okay... you're right."
Liya never thought that one day she would be lectured by a demi-human.
And by a catgirl so much smaller and younger than herself.
She really had been too impatient.
Wanting a demi-human mage in the household had been nothing more than a sudden whim.
Even if Viktor failed, she wouldn't blame him.
Suddenly, two soft little hands gently held her own.
Liya blinked in surprise, but in the next second, Vanilla lifted Liya's hand and pressed it against her own soft cheek.
A gentle softness spread from Liya's palm straight into her heart.
'Were all catfolk faces this soft?'
Vanilla nuzzled her cheek against Liya's hand for a long moment before finally lowering it.
"Please don't mind it, Miss Liya."
"Master said this kind of gesture can make unhappy people cheerful again. I felt your emotions were not very good, so I acted on my own."
"Eh, ah… thank you."
Liya looked at her hands suspended awkwardly in the air. She clenched them slightly, feeling the lingering softness, and felt strangely empty.
"There is no need to thank me, Miss Liya."
After speaking, Vanilla bent down and gave a very respectful bow.
"Your kindness in saving us is something we will never forget."
"You may call for me anytime, and use me anytime."
Listening to her words, Liya could only let out a helpless smile.
She reached out and placed a hand on Vanilla's head, rubbing it gently.
"How old even are you? You don't need to act so mature."
Vanilla purred softly, clearly enjoying the petting.
Catgirls also had moments of sadness, and Liya would comfort them sometimes.
Liya smiled softly, her eyes filled with affection.
"See?"
"You're still just a child who needs someone to rely on."
———
"Viktor?"
Liya suddenly pushed open Viktor's bedroom door and stepped inside.
She saw the half-open window by the bed, the morning breeze whistling through the gap.
Viktor was sitting in a chair by the window.
A complex, difficult magic book in his hand, which he was reading with intense focus.
The breeze lifted his clothes gently, making him appear hazy and elegant in the morning light.
This was an elegant, noble earl.
Liya stared at Viktor, stared a little too long.
"Hm?"
Viktor slowly lifted his head.
Feeling his gaze, Liya suddenly felt a bit embarrassed.
"Did I… disturb you?"
The moment she said it, she regretted it.
She had never cared about this before.
No matter if Viktor was asleep or not, she would always barge into his room without hesitation.
Now that she said it out loud, she felt awkward.
But Viktor didn't mind. He simply lowered his gaze.
The book shimmered faintly, turning into specks of starlight and disappearing from his hand.
"It's fine."
Hearing Viktor's response, Liya let out a small breath.
"Ah, right."
"How did you do it?"
Viktor knew she meant Vanilla.
The catgirl she brought back yesterday.
In reality, she had already become one of Vega's believers.
'Mm… Vega's third believer.'
As an evil god, altering someone's mind was one of the easiest things in the world.
Even Angus couldn't stop Vega from turning him into a fool and forcibly altering his belief.
Let alone a little catgirl who didn't even have her own self-awareness.
Vega gave her a mind, gave her knowledge, and allowed her to skip all the complicated stages of enlightenment.
But Viktor wouldn't tell Liya that.
So he spoke with a deliberately deep tone, "The power of magic."
"Do you find it amazing?"
Liya nodded, barely accepting the explanation.
Immediately after, she asked the next question she had been waiting to ask, "You and Gwen were supposed to return together, right?"
"Where did Gwen go?"
The incident Viktor caused in the North had long reached the capital.
Angus was killed by Jaxiu, and Jaxiu was then killed by Viktor and Gwen working together.
The entire event was dramatically absurd.
Although Liya didn't understand, Viktor only beat Angus a little, so why did Angus's son also want to kill him?
'Was Uncle Angus really hated that much?'
But Liya didn't really mind. Except for Gwen, she never liked anyone in that family anyway.
Viktor looked out the window and said calmly, "Gwen?"
"She was summoned by the emperor. She returned to the capital ahead of us."
Liya blinked, confused.
'Why would the emperor summon her?'
Before she could ask more, a maid arrived at Viktor's door.
She was panting heavily, face flushed, clearly in a hurry.
The moment she saw Liya, she quickly adjusted her breathing, patted her chest, and said anxiously, "Miss Liya, I finally found you."
"Ah, Master..."
When she saw Viktor, she froze. Her words stuck in her throat.
Liya noticed her hesitation and waved it off, "You don't need to worry about him anymore. Just speak directly."
"Y-yes… yes."
The maid lowered her head nervously and continued, "Lady Leon has sent news. She said..."
"In the group of 'children' rescued yesterday… a… an elf was mixed in."
Liya's eyes widened instantly.
"An elf?"
"That is what Lady Leon said."
Liya rubbed her forehead, troubled, sinking into thought.
As nature's favored children, elves could not be casually captured.
If anyone tried to threaten or capture an elf, nature itself would punish them.
Moreover, the Empire had strict laws. Internationally, elves were considered friends of the Empire.
If anyone dared capture an elf and word got out, the Imperial army would arrive at their door the next day.
As for Cocotte? She didn't count.
She signed a contract with the Clavenna family. She was an official employee.
Free to oppress.
Liya stroked her chin and muttered, "So those Lesser bastards… they really have guts, huh."
After all, the batch of cargo they seized was originally going to be delivered to the Lesser family.
Now she understood why an ordinary demi-human slave shipment needed a fourth-rank warrior escort.
So they were hiding such a huge secret.
"And then? What about the elf now?"
Hearing Liya's question, the maid lowered her head, hesitantly reporting, "Everything is fine at the moment, but…"
"But?"
Liya frowned, signaling her to continue.
"That elf lady keeps saying… she wants to find the elf queen her country lost many years ago."
"Ah? The elf queen lost many years ago?"
———
[In the capital, not far from Briston]
[Viktor's Mansion]
In the flower garden, a scantily dressed, sleeping elf who was sprawled across a cloud, suddenly woke up and sneezed.