After having my breakfast, spoon-fed in turn by the jolly maids, I waited patiently.
Of course, I was nervous as I waited. That wet dream I had... part of me was telling myself it wasn't a dream at all. And to confirm everything, including that, I needed to see Miranda first.
Knock, knock!
The door cracked open, and two figures entered.
No, only one—with the other, Frau acting as guide, staying outside the room. Only the little beauty walked to my bedside, smiling like a saint.
She should've been training with the knights, if Frau's words were to be trusted, but I didn't see even a single drop of sweat on her.
"Master? You called for me?" Miranda asked, her smile unwavering.
"Yeah..." I nodded, a bit hesitant.
"Actually, I want to ask you something. About the stampede..." I took a deep breath, staring into her eyes without blinking. "Did you stop it by yourself? And why didn't you report it to Father?"
No matter how I thought about it, that was the only explanation for the situation.
If Father had become aware of the Stampede, then the current leisurely atmosphere around the mansion wouldn't be fitting at all. This also meant no help from the knights had come, since if they helped, Father would've heard about it—and the same applied.
That only left one unbelievable conclusion.
That Miranda had somehow stopped the stampede all by herself, reached the surface before the search squad was formed due to the time limit, and brought me to safety.
"Ugh..."
But now that she was in front of me, my body started feeling weird again.
As if... something was being sucked out of me.
This didn't happen when Miranda wasn't here, so... was this also her doing? The questions I had for her kept increasing.
"Yes, I did."
Disregarding all the thinking I'd done, Miranda admitted it easily. She didn't even try to mislead me and just confessed outright.
"To save Master Rex, I had to kill all those pesky insects who dared to touch you," she continued. "And after I killed the queen ant, the stampede ended naturally. As for why I didn't report it to Sir Viscount, since it was already over, I found no need to."
"Y-You..."
Did her character change a bit...?
No—a lot!
What the fuck is this girl saying? She's a maid, so reporting everything to the patriarch, or at least to the head maid or butler, was the rule!
"Not reporting is a bad move, isn't it?" I asked. "That's like hiding things from Father. He wouldn't like it if he discovered the truth later."
"I believe so..."
Miranda nodded, agreeing with my view.
However, she didn't stop there. "But it also wouldn't be for Master Rex's benefit if the Lord found out how you almost died due to a stampede."
"That's..."
A week ago, I was kidnapped and almost died. Then, after recovering, I went to the dungeon in a picnic mood and nearly died again.
If Father learned about this... I'd definitely be grounded for a long time!
"I see... I understand." I muttered. "So you were thinking for my sake and kept quiet about it. Thank you for your consideration, Miranda."
"No, it's an obvious choice, Master."
Her smile didn't budge as she curtseyed. "I even kept the fact that you know how to use magic a secret, just in case. Was that the right call?"
"...!"
H-How did she know...?
I don't think I used flashy magic in front of her... ah! The last healing spell...!
If not for that spell, I definitely wouldn't have made it back alive. But even if it was to save myself, I messed up. Miranda saw it and learned that I can use magic!
At this point, I couldn't weasel my way out with words anymore.
"Y-Yeah... Don't tell anyone, okay?" I said, placing a finger to my lips and winking awkwardly. "That's a secret only my little sister and my master know. So it's a small secret between us, yes?"
"Sister... Master...?"
Miranda whispered so softly I almost couldn't hear it. Her smile vanished for a moment, and I felt a chill run down my back. What the fuck was that...?
Anyway, she answered my questions without lying.
Now, the only curiosity I had left was about her status. She ended a Stampede in a beginner dungeon—there was no way her skills hadn't improved. It should've reached at least Father's knight's level for that to be feasible.
I focused on the window floating beside her and read the values slowly.
---
Name: Miranda von Icarus
Age: 10 years
Title: Rex von Grendel's Slave
Status:
STR: B (6⬆), AGI: A- (6⬆), INT: B-
END: B+ (6⬆), MP: S (3⬆), LUK: S
Skills:
Noble's Etiquette Lv. 40 (11⬆)
Dancing Lv. 100 (max) (10⬆)
Unique: Waltz of the Grim Reaper Lv. 1 (new!)
Fencing Lv. 100 (max) (88⬆)
Unique: Mortal Sin (Greed) Lv. 1 (new!)
Talents:
Dancing
Precision
Sword Princess
---
"..."
It goddamn evolved...
Let's ignore her stats rising so suddenly for now.
But wait—dancing reaching max made sense since it was close, but Fencing jumping to 100 in one go?! What the fuck?! No, more than that—she got two unique skills!
Waltz of the Grim Reaper and Mortal Sin (Greed)... both sounded dangerous.
They were obviously derived from Dancing and Fencing. But how did they morph this crazily? This shouldn't be possible, right...?
Normally, it should be an "upgrade" of the previous skill, like my Appraisal unlocking Akashic Records upon reaching max level.
Anyway, I can't leave her alone now.
Using Akashic Records, I inspected both skills and saw their effects. First was the unique upgrade of Dancing...
[
Waltz of the Grim Reaper
- Movement Speed bonus (+50%)
- Attack Speed bonus (+100%)
- 1% chance to inflict Instant Death
]
At first glance, it looked like a basic buff-type skill—but that last line... Instant Death? Scary as hell!
Next was the one unlocked after Fencing reached Level 100... or was this the reason it reached max? Either way—
[
Mortal Sin (Greed)
- Mana Absorption (5 meters) (5% per minute)
- Stat Increase Multiplier (10x)
- Skill Level Increase Multiplier (10x)
- Permanent state: Greed
]
This skill definitely explained the sudden rise in both stats and skill levels. But if it appeared before Fencing reached max... then where the fuck did this unique come from?
Did she just acquire a unique skill?
That was possible—but the chances were absurdly low. Winning the lottery would be easier.
'Anyway—Mana Absorption!'
This was definitely the reason why I fainted, and why my mana ran out so fast. It absorbs mana from everything within five meters of the holder... just like right now.
The reason I currently feel like something was getting sucked out of me was because Mortal Sin (Greed) is absorbing my fucking mana!