Chapter 1: 1

Chapter 1

translator / editor: astralmech

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Slap—

The sound of something slapping against someone’s cheek rang out.

[Maid] “You should be digging up weeds in the woods. What place do you have coming into the Duke’s home?”

A high pitched voice screeched in people’s ears, and all the watching servants gasped in shock. They thought something might happen on a day like this, and it was apparently happening right now.

The sound was coming from a maid who was speaking harshly. Just across from her was another woman, covering her cheek with her hand.

Rise. That was the woman’s name.

She had glossy red hair, curling down her back and reaching her waist, the color reminiscent of the sun’s light in the moments before it rose.

Just beyond her pale and soft face were her neatly done eyebrows, below which were dark green eyes, echoing the sentiment of a summer forest. Her lips were full and a light pink color, which were rare to find in the common villagers. Her teeth were well kept and white, and she was the perfect height, neither too tall nor too short.

Rise was a beautiful woman, one you would most certainly take a second glance at if you passed her in the streets.

Staring fiercely at Rise, the maid spat at her in a angered voice.

[Maid] “The Duke will be returning soon, so will you try and seduce him as well? I suppose the villager men weren’t enough for you, but you should really know your place.”

But despite the harsh words, Rise only quietly listened, and the maid saw such blatant apathy to mean she was ignoring her. Enraged by her attitude, she pushed harder.

[Maid] “You’re so shameless, giving birth to a filthy witch, too…….”

Slap—

Before the maid could even finish her words, a heavy slapping sound came out once more. The maid’s head was pushed to the side, and her cheek was newly reddened—Rise had slapped her in the face.

[Rise] “You dare.”

A voice, filled with anger, seeped from Rise’s mouth. She had been completely silent up until a moment ago, but now she was filled with rage.

[Rise] “I told you. I wouldn’t let things go if you spoke ill of Karin.”

[Maid] “Ah, you…..”

The maid with her cheek all red trembled in anger.

After Rise entered the mansion as a temporary worker, this maid never ceased her torment. She would trip her, mix dirt in with her food, and while Rise worked, she would throw mud at her head from behind.

But never once did Rise show any kind of response, and that just infuriated this maid all the more.

What should I do about her, she thought. This is the Duke’s mansion and I am an official maid. Meanwhile, she’s just some wanderer we brought in because we didn’t have enough hands. She should be living like the dead.

That was the maid’s thought at least. But now, the quiet and reserved Rise had just slapped her in the face.

When the situation slowly became more clear to her, the maid felt unbearable anger.

[Maid] “Oh, you—!”

But Rise’s hands were much faster.

Slap—

The maid’s head was slapped in the other direction, and now, there were clear reddened hand prints on both sides of her face.

[Rise] “The earlier blow was payment in kind for what you did, so think of this as interest. If it’s not enough, I can supply more. Just let me know.”

The other servants watched with their mouths agape.

They all assumed Rise was a weak woman because she remained silent even as they tormented and harassed her. But the Rise in front of them now seemed ferocious, more feral than a cornered rooster.

Did Rise always have this kind of personality?

[Maid] “You crazy bitch!”

Having been slapped twice, the maid’s expression twisted. She screamed and attacked Rise, grabbing onto her beautiful and coveted red hair. In an instant, that lovely corner in the garden that was Rise became a total mess.

But Rise didn’t pull back, either. She grabbed the maid’s hair, and none of the onlooking servants tried to stop them. Their daily lives were rather boring, so this sight was interesting and fun. Next came a ripping sound, and a button came loose from one of them, rolling across the ground—a sound so subtle, only the sharpest of folk would notice.

Thwip, rustle—

But in truth, those sounds were coming from Rise’s hands. Though the scuffle seemed evenly matched on the outside, the maid was the only one getting roughed up by it.

Every time the maid tried to grab at Rise’s clothing, Rise would just narrowly escape her grasp.

Then someone shouted.

[Servant] “The housekeeper is coming!”

At the shout, the gathered group of maids jumped like mice and scattered. But though the maid and Rise ceased their fight, they didn’t loosen their grip on each other’s hair.

The maid was the one who eventually fell away first.

[Maid] “You’ll see. I’ll make you regret this.”

Rise smirked, tapping the maid’s foot with her own.

[Rise] “You’re free to try.”

With her final words said, Rise turned and quickly ran to the courtyard behind the mansion as the sound of the housekeeper’s footsteps grew louder.

And then, once the housekeeper arrived, not a single soul remained, leaving behind only a single button that had lost its owner.

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[Rise] “Awful woman.”

Rise muttered under her breath as she drew water from the well, sticking her hand in it and feeling the cold water against her skin like ice. She scooped up some of the water with her hands, carefully putting it against her face.

[Rise] “Ow!”

When the cold water met her cheek, it burned and throbbed.

[Rise] “Just yell at me. Why must you curse Karin, too?”

Rise continued to mutter. In contrast to Rise’s beautiful appearance, harsh words never ceased to flow from her when she was upset.

[Rise] “If it weren’t for Karin, I would’ve finished it.”

But she had no choice but to stop. She promised them both that she would keep her temper in check so long as she was within the Duke’s mansion.

[Rise] “I promised her. It can’t be helped.”

Rise sighed, remembering Karin, the young girl with tan skin who lived with her.

Dark skin was not welcomed within their country. To the people here, tanned or dark skin was considered a symbol of paganism, and those who had those traits were called heathens.

Though they believed in the protection of God, the people’s fear and prejudice made them reluctant to allow those with darker skin to enter the villages.

[Rise] “But I know what Karin would say. She would click her tongue and ask me why such things still bother me…….”

Rise tilted her head back, glancing at the mansion behind her—a massive white stone mansion reflected under a pure blue sky.

This was the mansion where the Duke lived. But as of right now, it was not a mansion to be lived in, it merely existed. The Duke was on his way back, returning from his long absence for the subjugation battle.

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[Rise] “I suppose the Duke must be returning soon.”

The Duke Erte.

The hero and savior of Vievari.

Aside from the current king, he was the only immediate member of the royal family left in this country. The one and only Duke.

And the man who would soon become King.

All of those lofty words and expressions were adequate ways to describe him.

[Rise] “I guess this means we’ll be safe from the monsters for a little while, right?”

The monsters that appeared around Vievari were all unique.

Demonic creatures of all manner of shape and size attacked villages across the land. Everyone was filled with fear, quickly abandoning the land they had lived in since they were children if only to escape with their lives.

There were knights who had enough skill to protect them and defeat the monsters, but the common folk were of no concern to them. They only fought to protect the nobles’ castles and their territories.

They did not listen to the cries and pleas of people seeking refuge.

Will we all die like this? They all thought in their despair. They wandered aimlessly, having lost their homes and their lands, gradually losing more and more hope, too.

And that was when Duke Erte returned.

It was the Duke who had defected to the Empire long ago. Unlike the other nobles, he did not try and save himself, instead standing at the front of the army. He and his men prioritized protecting the villages where the common folk lived rather than the estates of the nobles.

A year after that, when he finished subjugating the beasts, the people of Vievari hoped he would become their King. And the servants of his mansion were all very proud that a man such as he was their lord.

They’re so proud, one might think they were the Duke themselves.

Rise could not understand the servants of the Duke. It was the Duke who fought against the tides of evil, so why were his servants acting so high and mighty about it?

But there was something else that Rise inwardly thanked the Duke for other than defeating the monsters. It was his order to restore the mansion, which had been neglected for so long.

While he was in exile in Imperial territory, the Duchy was left abandoned in his absence. The restoration efforts were a momentous task, something that his servants alone were not capable of completing.

The Duchy gathered all the people with able hands, capable of work. The mansion was big, but it was not large enough to accommodate all the people necessary for work, so the servants of the mansion preferred to hire people from nearby villages with homes of their own to sleep in.

On the day they were recruiting people, the villagers grumbled as they stared at Rise, standing in line. Within their glares was a clear question of why the village’s biggest source of trouble was here.

When Rise was selected for work, someone shouted.

[Villager] ”She’s not a villager! She’s a wanderer with a witch daughter!”

Seeing the recruiter’s face twist in an instant, Rise immediately started to beg.

[Rise] ”No, Karin dedicates her energy to reading and enjoying biblical tales more than anyone else. Just because her skin is dark, you can’t—”

Then, another voice was heard.

[Housekeeper] ”It’s been years since His Majesty banned discrimination and prejudice against the people of the east, and yet you all still speak of paganism.”

[Recruiter] ”Oh, it’s the housekeeper.”

The recruiter stood up, bowing to her as she came in.

Based on both how she dressed and her poise, she did not appear to be a simple maid. Desperate, Rise bowed her head—Please, she needed this work!

Looking at Rise, the housekeeper tilted her head.

[Housekeeper] ”Do you live nearby?”

[Rise] ”Yes. I live in a cottage, just across the four mountains.”

[Housekeeper] ”Then that’s all that matters.”

The housekeeper turned around.

No one could complain now that she had passed her judgment. The recruiter told Rise when and where to be so that the wagon could come pick her up and take her to the Duke’s residence. Then, he gave her a week’s worth of advance payment.

That was already two months ago and now today……Today was the last day Rise would be working.

[Rise] “It’s a shame.”

Rise whispered as she looked over the peaceful mansion under the blue sky, the clouds listlessly floating overhead.

[Rise] “I really thought I would remember something.”

There were two reasons why Rise was desperate to get work in this mansion.

The first reason was the high pay, but the second was one she dared not say to others.

[Rise] “I never thought I’d see the same mansion as the one in my dreams….But I guess a dream is just a dream.”

This mansion had actually been appearing in her dreams for quite some time now.

[Rise] “I know it’s just a dream, but……..”

In that very dream, Rise blissfully wandered around the mansion to her heart’s content. Specific parts of the mansion were blurry and faded out, lost in the haze of her fantasy, but she remembered feeling very happy when she was there.

And after she woke up without her memories eight years ago, all Rise had left was this dream.

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Eight years ago, Rise opened her eyes in a strange place.

Taking a look around, an older couple was looking at her, but this wasn’t the only thing that she was uncertain about.

Who she was, where she was, and why she was here—she couldn’t remember anything from before she opened her eyes. Only one single thought still remained with her.

Rise.

That was her name.

Once she came to consciousness, it was only after a few months that Rise was able to get up. Her body was covered with wounds and even walking brought her so much pain. When she told the older couple that she could not remember anything other than her name, they threw glances at each other.

[Couple] ”You are our daughter. While searching for herbs, you lost your footing and fell from a cliff.”

Rise believed in those words.

After she recovered, she climbed the mountains for the older couple, digging around for herbs. Strangely enough, she knew much about many of the herbs that grew within these mountains.

I’m certain. I’m sure I’m their daughter.

Whenever she could feel the anxiety creep up because she knew she didn’t look like them or that they felt unfamiliar to her, Rise pushed those thoughts aside, steadying her mind.

They were her parents, and they must have felt more anxious than anyone at the fact their daughter almost died. So for their sake, she needed to work harder.

Rain or snow, Rise went to the mountains. The more the older couple remained at home, the busier Rise’s days became. Though her clothes remained the same, Rise felt satisfaction when she could present them the new clothes she’d bought using the money she earned from the herbs she gathered.

While the older couple slept in a bed stuffed with goose feathers, Rise still slept in a pile of hay. Still, Rise did not feel the need to complain. She only wondered if this simple life of living in the mountains would continue.

As she thought like that, that was when she heard news coming from the village.

—A demon appeared nearby.

—Apparently, it’s massive.

Frazzled and frayed nerves spread through the village and across the mountains, settling like an early morning fog. And just as people said, that’s when ‘they’ appeared.

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T/N: “Erte” is a French name, and should be pronounced like [Air-Tay]

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