“Who are you?” [Ryouma]
“A maid, Young Master. I was instructed to attend to your and their needs.” [Black-Haired Maid]
What appeared under the gentle caress of the moonlight was a maid with sleek black hair.
For some reason, even though there was plenty of space were the ground was paved, this maid revealed herself from under the shadow of a tree where the ground was not.
She spoke with confidence, but I found her suspicious.
One reason was because she was hiding at a place like that, but more than that…
“I don’t recall ever seeing you before, though.” [Ryouma]
“It’s a big manor, Young Master. Nothing strange about not recognizing a face or two.” [Black-Haired Maid]
“Perhaps, but you’re not a maid, are you?” [Ryouma]
Apart from the young maids the other day, who were merely hired for extra help, the only maids permitted to appear before guests are those who have received sufficient training. Arone-san the head of the maids, Rurunez-san, and Riviola-san all knew how to interact with guests.
But this woman? She claims to be a maid, and yet she has neither named herself nor bowed her head. Now, I don’t have a hobby of getting people to bow to me, but when I told her I hadn’t seen her before, there was a tinge of provocation in her voice when she replied. It’s evident that she’s not acting like a maid, and while she might be playing the fool, it doesn’t seem as if she’s actually all that keen in hiding her identity.
“If I’m not a maid, then what do you think I am?” [Maid]
“The House Haunting Fairy.” [Ryouma]
When I said that, the woman didn’t deny it and instead smiled.
But not the sweet sort. No. It was a suggestive smile. Regardless, it didn’t seem like I was wrong.
“Since when did you notice me?” [House Haunting Fairy]
“I have always felt your presence.” [Ryouma]
Ever since I found out about the House Haunting Fairy, I figured that that might be the presence that I’ve been sensing all this time, so I decided not to mind it too much.
And now, there’s no mistaking it. I’ve felt this same presence too many times since coming here.
…The only thing is that I never really thought that the fairy would reveal herself to me.
“Those four were acting strange too.” [Ryouma]
They may have spoken naturally, but we never actually talked about eating out here tonight.
And yet the four of them came prepared with drinks and food.
Besides, why in the world are we eating outside? They never showed any interest in going inside either.
Moreover, even though it’s already gotten so dark and I haven’t returned yet, no one’s tried to check up on me.
The people here are all busybodies, so it’s really strange that no one’s come.
“Do you always eat food brought by suspicious people so calmly?” [House Haunting Fairy]
“I was certain that the food hadn’t been drugged or poisoned. I checked it when I took out my slimes when we were preparing to eat.” [Ryouma]
That time I brought out a lot of my scavenger slimes from my Dimension Home to deal with the trash, I also brought out a poison slime and a medicine slime.
“Poison slimes and medicine slimes love to eat poison and medicine, so I figured that since they’re not reacting, the food must be okay. It was nothing more than a passing thought, though.” [Ryouma]
I mean I never really felt like I was under any threat. In fact, that holds true even now.
I just checked to be doubly safe, and everyone else just nodded too and didn’t say anything either.
“I was sure you didn’t use Identify, so that’s how you checked the food, huh.” [House Haunting Fairy]
“Well, to be honest, I just thought it up on the spot. It’s a great idea, though, if I say so myself. Using slimes to check for poison and medicine. That’s de finely one avenue worth researching.” [Ryouma]
“Yes, I’m sure the nobles would love to hear more about that, but… You tend to prattle when talking about slimes, so let’s not go there.” [House Haunting Fairy]
…I actually want to talk about it more, but okay. I’ll just let it go this time.
“So, in the end, what exactly is your true form?” [Ryouma]
“You got it half right. It’s just that while the people of this place might call me a house haunting fairy, I am not house haunting fairy, but merely a fairy that happened to settle down here.” [Resident Fairy]
Looks like she was never really all that keen in hiding her identity. She quickly admitted to being a fairy too.
There’s a new question, however.
“Are fairies and house haunting fairies different races?” [Ryouma]
“The way we’re born is similar, but house haunting fairies and fairies that attach themselves to tools are existences that are very close to the undead. They are merely beings that benefit humans.” [Resident Fairy]
She taught me gently.
According to her, fairies are born from the abundance of natural mana in the world and are existences that have a real body. Fairies by nature are pure and free-spirited. Usually, they just live wherever they are born, but in rare cases, there are some curious ones who travel a long journey out of curiosity and lose their way in human towns. They look like small humans and are cute, but they possess strong mana and specialize in fire and ice magic.
In contrast, house haunting fairies or fairies that dwell in things are born from the mana and thoughts leaked by the owner of the house or the item. They don’t possess a real body and can’t stray too far from the object that has been deeply dyed with mana. The personality of such fairies have been deeply influenced by the owner of the house or item they are attached to, so some of them are helpful to people while others are harmful. In other words, they are what we refer to in Japan as artifact spirits (tsukumogami).