Maou Reijou no Kyouiku Gakari - Chapter 5 – The Mystery Hut and the Mystery Maid –

Chapter 5 – The Mystery Hut and the Mystery Maid –

I’m such an idiot….

I walk through the woods late at night with a lantern in my hand, with self-deprecating thoughts.

In the forest where the trees are so thick that even the light of the stars doesn’t reach me, I just rely on the coordinates written in the letter and keep going towards my destination.

To be honest, I’m curious why I took such a suspicious letter seriously, but I was so curious about it that I couldn’t help myself anymore. I’ve never been able to successfully suppress this curiosity since long ago.

As I walked further towards my destination, the occasional cry of a beast I had never heard before echoed through the forest.

I’ve never heard of a demon appearing in this area, but it’s probably best to be careful just in case.

I check my waistband. To see a single sword inserted, the only memento I inherited from my father.

It would be best not to use this, but the worst case scenario is that not only the demons but also Arius and his henchmen, who can’t even stand the thought of me still being alive, will attack me in the dark.

If it’s those guys, they should be able to handle a dozen or so people coming at them at once.

「It’s supposed to be around here, but….」

If the compass I’m using isn’t broken, this area should be my destination based on the time I walked.

Slowing down my walking speed, I look around and see a gap in the trees a short distance away and something further back.

「A hut….?」

As I approached further, I saw a wooden hut in an open area that seemed to be the only place the trees were avoiding.

When I saw that, I knew intuitively that this was the place described in the letter.

The entrance to the hut, which feels somehow nostalgic, illuminated by the moon and the stars, seems to invite me in, just like the intense presence that the letter was giving off.

I slowly approach the hut with caution.

It may be a short time since it was built, but even if I look closely, I don’t see any of the clinging plant ivy or sprouts peeking out of the cracks on its exterior walls, as is typical of old huts.

I put my hand on the door and put my strength into it.

The door opens slowly, making a dull sound as the wood creaks a little.

I walked into the hut, gripping the sword hilt with my other hand, just in case anything happened.

「I’ve been expecting you.」

At the back of the hut, a small but clear voice comes from the pitch blackness.

I’ve never heard of this woman’s voice before.

「Who are you?　Did you send me that stupid letter?」

I keep my hand on the handle and speaks into the darkness.

It’s an eerie event, but I’m hardly shaken, thanks to the fact that I’ve come after predicting every possibility.

「Yes, that’s right」

The owner of the voice answers that clearly.

There’s a disgusting sound of wood creaking and the owner of the voice slowly steps out of the darkness towards me.

I raise the light a little higher to match it, and its entire body is exposed under the light.

Just like the sound of her voice, it was a woman.

The first thing that caught my eye was her beautiful silvery white hair.

It’s shoulder-length, reflecting the scarlet light emanating from the lantern, and it’s so dubiously attractive that it creates the illusion that it’s shining on its own.

Next is she has a distinctive appearance.

To put it simply, it’s an old-fashioned maid’s outfit that looks like she works in some mansion.

However, this commonplace outfit, combined with the strange location of the hut deep in the forest, further accentuates the woman’s strangeness.

The woman is staring at my face as if waiting for my next words.

Her face is expressionless, as if she were a doll made by the hands of a god.

The flickering light flickers in her eyes.

「Who are you?」

「My name is Rose. From here on out, you’re welcome.」

The woman said her name as she bowed elegantly like a mechanical doll.

A faint, perfume-like sweet scent wafted from her body as she moved.

「What do you want? Did Arius send you?」

I continues to ask questions, but I still don’t let my guard down.

It was completely dark outside the hut, and anything could come from anywhere at any time.

I put strength into both the hand holding the lamp and the hand holding the sword hilt.

「No, I’m here tonight to offer you a job, Frey-sama.」

「….Ha? A job?」

「Yes.」

Rose’s expression as she said that still didn’t change, except for her mouth.

「….Is this some kind of joke?」

I’ve never heard of a job offer coming to a place like this.

If there is one, it must be a delivery of dangerous goods or an assassination request, but of course I’m not in a position to be asked to do such a thing.

「No.」

Rose replied shortly, without changing her expression.

It’s more of a situation where it’s impossible to be suspicious, but somehow the words coming out of those little lips don’t seem to be lying.

「So what’s the job description…?」

It’s not that I trusted her.

But even so, I can’t suppress the curiosity that is growing larger and larger in my mind.

「Become a Teacher.」

「A Teacher!?」

I couldn’t help but let out a loud, goofy yell because the words were the exact opposite of what I expected.

Rose is not at all fazed by that and continues further.

「I have sent that letter for you to become the teacher of my Lord’s daughter.」

Your lord’s daughter?　Some nobleman’s daughter?

No, then he wouldn’t have approached me, who was fired from the academy for misconduct, with a story like this.

So, a different country?　Or–

No matter how much I think about it, I’ll will never get to the answer.

The only person who knows that is this doll-like woman in front of me.

「Do you know that I was fired from the academy?」

「Yes, I know. And I know it was a conspiracy of your colleagues.」

「――！！」

I was immensely disappointed to hear the words come out of Rose’s mouth.

I know that everyone knows I was fired.

But the only people who knows the cause of it being a conspiracy by Arius are me and the two people who set me up.

That’s why I was fired from the academy and persecuted by the people of the city without even being allowed to protest.

「You…. who are you?」

The only thing I can think of is the possibility that they are Arius’s servant, but it’s hard to imagine them revealing the story so easily.

「My name is Rosé. Henceforth, you are welcome.」

I get the exact same answer I got when I first asked the question.

Is this woman kidding me?　Or is it really just a doll that can only receive certain responses?

「Who is your master?」

Then I change the question this time.

「I’m afraid I can’t answer that question right now.」

For the first time ever, the answer was clearly refused, blithely and politely.

「Not here?」

「Yes.」

「So what do I have to do to get you to tell me?」

「I can only offer you two options at this time, Frey-sama.」

Rose slowly moves to a spot diagonally in front of me to my left as she says this.

「One choice is to continue out of the hut through that door and return to your life as if the fox had tricked you for what happened tonight.」

And then, in the manner of a maid to guide you through the house, she points her right hand behind me, towards the exit of the hut.

「And what’s the other one.」

「The other choice is through the back door here.」

With a very slight smile on her face, Rose pointed her left hand toward the back of the place where she had been standing a moment ago.