64. I Want to Surpass Humanity! Euclid!
The palace of the Great Yng Empire was absolutely quiet during the evening “rest time.” This was not only due to the queen’s understanding, which provided everyone with a clear “off-duty time,” unlike those nobles who were no different from necromancers , forcing people to work even when they were unwell.
Moreover, it benefited from the almost empty scene within the palace; when the queen was resting, there would be no patrols stomping around in boots. What seemed like lax security was, in fact, fraught with hidden dangers. After all, the Great Yng Empire was never short of warriors and high-level mages who looked half-buried but had fists as big as mortar bowls. With their presence, there was really no need for inefficient and disruptive patrols.
However, today, something unexpected caught Queen Louise IV’s attention as she was in her chamber, finishing a day’s work and preparing to rest.
It was a very… unintentional feeling. When Louise IV felt an inexplicable “tension” in her heart, she indeed sensed an extra presence behind her. For a moment, she thought it might be Moriarty or the head maid with some urgent matter , but the next moment, Louise IV realized: this feeling was unfamiliar.
It was a stranger!
She immediately turned around, and sure enough, a figure had somehow evaded the watchful eyes of the palace’s numerous high-ranking servants and appeared abruptly before her!
“You are… Miss Nilu, Kephir’s maid, right? Is there something you need at this late hour~?”
With an innocent smile, she asked, but Louise IV had never felt that her “idol smile” was as difficult to maintain as it was today. The only sensations coming from within and without her body were two words: danger.
More importantly, in this moment of a private meeting, the maid before her seemed completely different from the impression she had of her!
“Aren’t you going to ask me why I’m here?”
“Haha~ I usually don’t think that deeply about such questions~”
After all, asking the other party wouldn’t yield an answer, so it was better not to ask, to avoid exposing her own nervousness. However, this maid—Miss Nilu, whom she had only noted down out of “necessity”—now seemed like a different person altogether. She appeared to harbor no anger or hostility, but Louise, who might be of the same ilk, had already sensed something called “disguise” from her.
The next moment, Louise’s confusion was resolved.
“Your Majesty.”
The maid before her bowed and, without making any extreme moves, simply addressed her, “I am here to retrieve something from you. There are some things that do not belong to you; please return them to me.”
The disguise vanished in an instant, and Louise understood immediately the meaning behind the words of this “mere maid”! Because from the very beginning, something on her side had already been “stirring,” and “this” indeed did not belong to her .
“Now I see…”
The queen let out a bitter laugh, then picked up the crown from the table. “Ignis.”
In an instant, the crown transformed into a swirl of black mist, which spread and dissipated, ultimately revealing within the shadows a dark-skinned, silver-haired fairy, resembling a silent, childlike figure.
“Thank you for your protection all this time.”
“…”
The dark-skinned fairy nodded, then turned towards Nilu without a hint of hesitation, using the simplest words to fulfill its purpose.
“Ignis now serves you once more.”
The dark fairy Ignis, although the powerful mages within the court were already aware of what resided within this crown, and Louise herself could sense the presence of the other, perhaps due to her own lack of talent, or perhaps her unpleasant nature, or maybe simply because she lacked the qualifications, Ignis had never once responded to her. At most, she would appear as a weapon when necessary. This was the first time Louise had seen her true form.
Ignis seemed capable of transforming any object into a weapon, with its strength determined by the user’s talent. Perhaps… it was simply because she was too weak.
“Sigh~”
Thinking of this, Louise suddenly felt no regret at all. “How nice, Ignis, you won’t have to be with a scheming woman like me anymore~”
“…”
More than these thoughts, Louise was now more concerned about the maid before her—Miss Nilu. From Ignis’s attitude towards her, it was clear that Miss Nilu was originally Ignis’s master. In other words, her identity… how could she possibly just be a maid?
Wow—who would have thought, Kefiel was one thing, but it turned out this one was the “great hidden danger” beside Ougilid. Long accustomed to her instincts as a queen, Louise felt a vague sense that she had just released a terrifying monster . But what could she do now? It was as if Nilu could see right through her intentions, quietly waiting for her. Louise decided to pretend she hadn’t noticed.
After all, this should be the best course of action for the Great Yng Empire.
“Don’t worry about it, Miss Nilu. There are plenty of treasures in the Great Yng Empire that can replace it~ But if possible, I would like to know why you must take Ignis from me.”
“You needn’t concern yourself, Your Majesty.”
As she stiffly dismissed Louise’s question, Louise clearly saw the change in the maid before her.
“You… are not qualified to worry about anything.”
Some people’s transformations truly happen… in an instant!
Ignis’s strength is determined by her master’s talent! And at the moment Ignis returned to her hand, transforming into a sword, Louise realized that the maid before her, even in her own perception, had suddenly become terrifying!
“Hahaha~ This is truly something to congratulate you on, Miss Nilu.”
The palpable aura of “strength” immediately attracted the head maid and a group of maids from outside, but Louise quickly stopped them! She had a feeling that even the seventh-tier retired head maid, who was specifically responsible for serving her, might not be a match for this little maid.
“Your Majesty!?”
“It’s nothing. She’s just an acquaintance of mine, visiting late at night. Miss Nilu, would you like me to send someone to escort you back?”
“No need, thank you for your understanding, Your Majesty.”
Was this a way to spare her life? Huh—who would have thought that as the queen of the Great Yng Empire, she would also have a day of being threatened.
Under the protection of the maids, Louise IV watched with a bitter smile as the maid before her departed.
“Your Majesty, how could that possibly be someone you know… I’m sorry, I was careless and let her…”
“It has nothing to do with you. You should have felt how dangerous she is.”
The head maid fell silent.
Louis IV quietly clenched his fists: “It’s good that you know, no need to blame yourself too much.”
“It’s just… he seems to be in quite a bit of trouble~”
——