Chapter 105: Did I mention I hate Slimes?

Chapter 105: Did I mention I hate Slimes?

Saoris face paled, her red eyes wavering as she heard the information I received from Aurena, the origin goddess Id decided to be the champion for. She stood there, massaging her temples as she silently contemplated my words.

Saor- I started to say but was swiftly silenced by my troubled friend.

S-Sorry, not now, Hestia. I need a moment to think this through, she replied, now beginning to pace throughout the bedroom I was borrowing inside Ellaines family mansion. Tasianna and I could only awkwardly glance at each other, as we werent sure what to say to Saori in this situation. She was supposed to be the cool-headed one among us and was usually there to reassure us if we were troubled.

I could see Tasianna wanted to say something, as she started to stand up multiple times but faltered before she walked over. I was also confused about what exactly I was supposed to say; I thought it sounded nice that people she may know were here in Peolynca with us, but looking at Saoris grim face, my mouth couldnt release those words.

Why is she acting so weird, shouldnt this be good news? I thought about the situation. I know Aurena was being pretty cryptic about it, which made me suspicious, but from how nonchalant she was, I didnt believe it was too troubling. The only thing I was concerned about is how she wasnt the one who summoned them and, subsequently, Saori herself.

Eventually, Saori calmed down and sat back on her chair. It looked like she had finished pondering it. Hestia, when you spoke with Aurena, were you able to ask her about her other champions and saints? I believe Lady Ellaine mentioned her brother saw Aurenas chosen heroes?

Wait, now that I think about it, wasnt that one of the things I wanted to ask Aurena?! Oh shit, I forgot!

It has been nearly three weeks since Ellaine randomly mentioned the fact the capital of this kingdom was hosting heroes chosen by Aurena herself, among them being two saintesses. Back then, I questioned why she could have multiple champions when she was planning something with me, but then I thought, Wouldnt it be better to have multiple people working for her? I disregarded it afterward, and as time went by I simply forgot about it as my focus was mainly on my concert.

Apropos, couldnt I have asked Aurena why my dragon parents even left me in that stupid forest in the first place? Why was my egg left there and why did nobody come back to help me? Couldnt Kargryxmor have done something as the god of dragons? Verdammt! From all that anger I had for Aurena, I lost the chance to ask some seriously important questions!

You know, for somebody with a fractured memory, I really wonder why Im not making notes. Maybe I should start a diary?

...Im sorry.

Urgh, it is alright, if you forgot about it then it cannot be helped, Saori responded, stroking her chin as she returned to mulling over the situation before snapping her fingers. Hestia, could you ask Ellaine if her parents could investigate the heroes for me? I want to know their names, appearances, and from where they came from. Her father should receive our status boards before her letter, so I do not think he will deny us once he learns the truth.

Sure, I can do that, I said, before tilting my head in confusion. Although, why are you so interested in them? Werent you just now more worried about the other people who came to this world with you? Actually, I wanted to ask you this but, are you alright? You dont seem very happy despite the good news.

Saori mumbled, good news? as she winced at me. The thing is, Hestia, I do not think its good news at all, she stated.The initial instance of this chapter being available happened at N0v3l.Bin.

When my face contorted into confusion, Saori nodded, telling me she guessed I wouldnt understand it and decided to explain her thoughts to me, Do you remember those fantasy novels you told me about, the ones where people were transported into another world? When I heard what Aurena told you, I was more afraid than joyous. Hestia, I think youve forgotten this but this world is not exactly safe, especially not for people from our world who never once in their lives left civilization. If they are people I once knew, then I have this extreme dread inside my chest, telling me it is either my senpais or students, as they were the closest to me when I died at work.

In this case, she was probably talking about those isekai novels where a whole class of students would be transported into another world to be turned into heroes. It would sound pretty farfetched, even for me despite being literally reborn into Peolynca, were it not for Aurenas info.

I really thought Saori would be delighted to have people she knew in this world, but I guess she was right to assume they could be in danger. The positive influence Saori had on me after we met made me assume everything to be optimistic, but seeing as how often our party was put in danger until now, I guess my thoughts were too nave.

Hey, hey, Hestia, it is ok, you do not have to look sad. I know you meant well, Saori reassured me as she noticed me feeling frustrated over my blunder.

Miss Saori, is it too presumptuous to believe you assume those Goddess Aurenas chosen heroes are the people you once knew? Tasianna questioned to make sure, earning her a confirmation from Saori. Then the solution is clear, no? Once it is confirmed they are the people you know, we can travel to Griffonpeak where Lady Ellaines brother mentioned they are. This also coincides with Lady Hestias goal.

Tasiannas suggestion made our next goal clear. Whether they were Saoris acquaintances or not, it was irrelevant to my meeting with Aurena at the capital of the Kingdom of Artorias. Of course, I do hope they are the people Saori was assuming as that would quell her worries.

Ill report this to Ellaine during dinner and ask her for the favor. Whatever we do afterward will depend on her intel.

While we were still discussing the plan, the sound of a bell ringing suddenly came from outside our door. From the time I spent with Ellaine at her mansion and at the different accommodations we stayed at during our trip to Firwood, I now understood what the meaning of this sound was. In the home of a noble, bells were the usual way for people to call each other, whether it was a noble calling for a servant or a servant announcing themself and requesting to enter a room with a noble inside.

Saori, having gotten used to it during the trip, stood up and walked to the door to open it after confirming who was behind it. After greeting each other, Saori welcomed two maids into my room. Tasianna was already standing behind me before those two entered, keeping up appearances whenever we werent amongst ourselves.

Lady Hestia, as you remember, this is Miss Manuela, the head maid of House Helvass mansion in Firwood, Saori presented, introducing a dark blue-haired young woman in her mid-twenties. She has come to inform us about the dinner plans.

In her highly decorated maid dress, clearly contrasting the simpler design of the maid behind her, Manuela bowed before me with the other maid and spoke, May the goddess bless you on this peaceful RestDay, Lady Hestia. As Miss Saori just said, I am Manuela. As the head maid of House Helvass Firwood mansion, I welcome you and your two attendants in our Lords name. As the humble servants of Lady Ellaine, please, use us however you may, your word is our command.

Thank you very much, Manuela, you two may rise I responded politely, only continuing speaking once they raised their heads. You are here to speak about dinner? Is something wrong?

Confidently, Manuela kept up a smile as she gave me a short head shake to my question. There isnt, my Lady. Dinner will be at the same time Barathan informed you, and I will come to escort you once the preparations have been made. I am here to guide your attendants to the kitchen and also inform them how to operate inside the mansion. Lady Hestia, as you only have two attendants, the whole servant staff will act as your hands during your stay.

Coming from a decently wealthy family, Im used to having people taking care of the housekeeping, instead of doing it myself. My mama did do the cooking and participated in the cleaning, but, in general, my nanny was responsible for most of it while we also employed cleaners. Only now that I was living with Saori and Tasianna have I started taking care of the household, although Tasianna was the one who did most of it, to be honest.

Taking care of a small cave or a farmers house was one thing, totally doable for three girls, however, a large mansion was a whole other beast. There is a reason why a mansion owner must employ so many people to keep it maintained. Although I wasnt exactly super useful as a housekeeper, I was still an extra pair of hands for my two friends, but during our stay here, theyll probably have to take care of my room, clothing, meals, and other tasks, which wasnt feasible for only two people.

I was a guest at Ellaines, but visiting nobles were expected to have servants and attendants take care of their own meals. Receiving a celebratory or welcoming feast was acceptable, but during an extended visit, the visitors had to cook for themselves to show-off to the hosts chefs. The ingredients would be provided by the host as a sign of hospitality, though.

A good thing about these things was their ability to make both pee and poop smell good. It comes out of you and the smell instantly turns into that of a flower or herb. So, despite my hate for going to the toilet, I still enjoyed this luxury whenever I turned my head off for a moment.

Ahhhh, feels better now.

After using a fine towel to clean myself, I left the toilet to see Svena using [Ignite], a basic custom fire spell to heat up the bath, now filled to the brim with fresh blue water.

She said the full chant and Ive memorized the magic circleI think. If I cant get [Fire Magic] from the SP store anymore, I wonder if I can actually learn fire spells like Master Kush told me. Itll be useless but I should test this theory.

Knowing it would take too long with her small fire, I took out one of my heater balls and poured mana into it, then told Svena to stop so I could throw it inside the bath. The water quickly began to bubble, at which point I took the heater ball out of the bath. Svena was worried Id burned myself but telling her I was a dragonewt and that most fire couldnt even hurt me seemed to have persuaded her.

Once the bath was ready, I was about to take off my robes before Svena stopped me, asked me to come behind a divider, and began undressing me without my permission. Lady Hestia, please raise your arms, I will now take off your coat. I will also be wary of your horns and tail.

Bit by bit; my robe, my jacket, my vest, my turtleneck, my boots, my skirt, and finally my underwear was removed with finesse in that order. Svena did it so fast and gracefully that my mind didnt even register that I was naked for a moment. It seems I had still had much to learn when it came to being a noble lady, but hopefully, I wouldnt have to with Saori and Tasianna at my side.

When she saw my sun core, she widened her eyes. It was obvious without her saying anything that she was surprised. Unfortunately, I couldnt avoid it. Svena looked adamant about bathing me that I couldnt do anything but show it to her. Well, time to use my silver-tongue.

Svena, this is a private matter for me, so I dont want you to speak of it to anybody. Not Barathan, not Manuela, not Lady Ellaine, not even Lord Helvas himself. Please, keep this to yourself, I hope I can trust you. Ok, time for a shower~

Strangely enough, she looked a bit shaken when I said that. Did I say something wrong? Before I could think about it, Svena guided me to the shower. While it might seem weird to see a shower during medieval ages, the shower itself was actually a manatech with a blue crystal-like ball in the middle, where I could pour my mana into to let warm water flow out. I didnt know how it actually worked, but when I used [Mana Eyes] on it at the previous mansions, I understood both water and fire was being produced through a sigil-like rune to make the shower work. I have to learn how runes work, Id thought to myself at the time.

Svena then took a blue pendant hanging from the showerhead and asked me to pour mana into it. Once she put it on, a water-like aura coated her whole body, designed to not protect her from damage but to keep her dry. With the pendant on, she entered the shower with me and I, reluctantly and with a big blush, activated the shower.

Please, use this. I dont know what conditioner or shampoo you are using but I like these, I told Svena after taking out the shampoo and conditioner Tasianna made for the three of us. I remembered Ellaine mentioned shampoo and conditioners were elven luxury products, so I made sure to give Svena clear instructions on how to use them.

After showering and cleaning myself, I then entered the still steaming bath. It seems nobles from the Kingdom of Artorias have a habit of showering and then bathing. Water creation was all done through either magic or manatech, meaning there wasnt a cost behind them after the tools were bought. It was easy and not a hassle, so the nobles enjoyed it without care.

Mama taught me to shower first and then bathe due to her Japanese habits, so it wasnt much of a problem for me. Saori also loved it, so we seriously enjoyed them when we stayed at the other mansions.

After the bath, Svena realized she didnt have any clothes for me to change into, but I simply took out the dress I wore during the dinner with Count Helvas. It fitted then, so I thought it would fit again. Ellaine also wore these long dresses, so it shouldnt be a problem.

After my relaxing, although pretty embarrassing, bath, Manuela returned to escort me to the dining hall. On a grand dining table, I sat on the opposite side of Ellaine and we waited for our meals to come while making small talk. Once they arrived, she asked all servants to leave the room aside from Barathan and Manuela, while Saori and Tasianna would stay at my side.

Now dropping her faade, Ellaine chuckled for a bit before forming a teasing smile. Hie hie, Barathan gave me a detailed report on everything youve done, Lady Hestia. Now, I am pretty sure youve mentioned that you werent a priestess, right?

Unable to ignore her words, I could give a wry smile and shrug in defeat. Hey, when I told you that, I really wasnt. I didnt lie to you, honest. ButI cant say that now.

Dont worry, Lady Hestia, it is merely a jest, hie hie. If what Barathan said is true and if you also admit to it, then my father will have nothing to fear. Honestly, as a dragonewt and worshipper of Kargryxmor, it should have been obvious, Ellaine then pressed her hands together, gave me a short prayer as she spoke in a congratulatory tone. May your souls be blessed by the Goddess of Light, Lady Hestia. Congratulations on being recognized by Goddess Aurena herself. Now, are you a champion or saintess?

I knew she was trying to get some information out of me with that last question, probably to use for her houses advantage so I simply smiled and told her to wait. After that, Ellaines face became serious and told me to stay inside the mansion until my IDs were ready, to prevent the church from finding me.

It seems my little meeting with Aurena caused a stir with the white-robed priests and priestesses, even to the point where the nobles even went back to the church due to it. Ellaines spies reported they were currently trying to find me but couldnt due to Barathan stopping all information leaks after what happened. Even the guards I met today were silenced by the Marquis document.

Im telling you, that document is super scary. It can even silence people!

Apparently, the church wanted to bring me into their midst, while Ellaine wished to keep me outside their influence. Despite technically being Aurenas priestess, they knew I wasnt affiliated with the church itself as I always denied it whenever they asked me. Simply being a priestess didnt mean I was part of the church, as Aurenas religion had many different churches, especially with all the different subordinate gods. Interesting.

If theyre that much trouble, I could probably blow them up, I stated, causing Barathan to turn deathly pale as he quickly shut my idea down. Saori and Tasianna, too, joined in, telling me to not even joke about it as I could cause some serious trouble if I did.

To keep her word of being truthful with me, Ellaine explained an ID wasnt just a way to identify ourselves, but also a way to show ones allegiance to a certain faction. While emblems can be easily removed, the design of a card cannot, and it could attribute any future achievements I made to the church.

When I mentioned the fact her kingdom could do the same, Ellaine answered she wasnt sure what her father and king would do but that I should trust them until then. She informed her father about todays report with a messenger bird, but it seems he hasnt received it yet. I had to be patient, she asked.

I told her I would agree to her request if she could have her family investigate the heroes at the capital. I didnt mention that Saori was the one who wanted the information, only that I wanted to know their names, appearances, and where they came from. As this was a favor for a favor, I didnt have to worry that I would owe her house in the future.

Truth be told, I didnt think I would be involved in politics the first day I entered Firwood. I was already hating it, but I guess this did fit with Aurenas request to learn about her church and also this worlds culture. I guess Ill just suck it up and be a hikikomori for the next three days. Lorenas and Rulds wedding wont happen until LightDay, which is in five days.

Miss Saori. Miss Tasianna. I will require your aid to protect Lady Hestia, so I will be eternally grateful if you could support me with a plan, Barathan told my two friends, which they agreed to.

And just like that, schemes and plans were happening around me while I was stuck in my room, simply practicing magic and training as I had literally nothing better to do. Just like that, three days passed.