49: A Lifesaver and a Rabbit Apple
Liz returned from greeting the visitor, accompanied by… a wolf beastman in a dark blue coat with gold epaulets. Lathus.
He raised a hand in greeting.
“Hey. How are you feeling?”
“Ah, my lifesaver is here.”
“You refer to the savior of my master’s life.”
“The savior of Master’s life.”
I, Samarkand, and Liz all chimed in.
“I didn’t expect to be greeted with a chorus of ‘lifesaver.’ Your unit is… unique.”
“We appreciate the compliment.” Liz smoothly offered Lathus a sturdy, oversized chair designed for Samarkand, and he sat down heavily.
“That wasn’t a compliment. So? How are you feeling?”
“How am I feeling?” I looked at Liz, who was standing by the bedside.
“Hey, why are you asking her? It’s your own body.”
Lathus frowned, his voice laced with irritation. He had a point.
“I just woke up, and I’ve been working since then, before you arrived. Listening to reports and such.”
“You should take better care of yourself.”
“Bed rest seemed sufficient. —Liz, so?”
“The doctor said you should rest for a week. The bandages are just a precaution. They should come off in three days if there are no complications.”
It was as I’d expected. A rather long period of bed rest, but I wasn’t a warrior.
I could just laze around. A perfect job for me.
“Great! That means I can be spoiled by Liz! It’s good to be injured sometimes.”
“Are you sure you didn’t hit your head?”
“That’s a terrible thing to say to an invalid.” His bluntness was… refreshing.
“So, Liz, could you peel this apple for me?” I pointed to a basket of apples on the side chest.
“…Fine. I am a maid, after all.” Liz grumbled, but she efficiently retrieved a plate and fork from the drawer of the side chest, along with a fruit knife.
“[Cleansing].”
A seemingly simple, everyday purification spell. But it was no exaggeration to say that such magic was essential for the demons living in this land.
Though my use of [Create Ooze] hadn’t been anticipated.
“Liz, could you make it into a bunny?”
“Certainly.”
Liz expertly cut the apple into eight sections, removed the seeds, and carved the peel into the shape of a cute bunny. As expected of an assassin maid. Her knife skills are impeccable.
“I wasn’t very useful this time…”
“Taking down two out of three intruders by yourself is more than enough, even if this one did deliver the final blow. Besides, aren’t you supposed to be a precaution against assassination?”
“Thank you, Lathus-sama. —But it’s not enough.”
Liz continued working with the knife, her movements precise and deliberate. Even if her current target was an apple bunny.
“I should have been able to eliminate Master’s enemies without fail.”
“Liz, could you feed it to me?”
“Oh, right.”
Liz speared a piece of the bunny apple with the fork and offered it to me. I ate it, peel and all. I appreciated the fact that all produce here was organically grown.
“…Could you two stop flirting in the middle of a serious conversation?”
“F-flirting?!”
“Mmm, it tastes so good when Liz makes me a bunny apple and feeds it to me.”
I placed a hand on my cheek, feigning delight, just to tease her. Liz’s face flushed, and she exclaimed,
“We are not flirting!”
“Yes, you are.”
“Definitely flirting.”
“…Perhaps.”
Lathus, me, and Samarkand were in agreement.
“Even Samarkand…” Liz sighed, then declared,
“This is simply proper etiquette between a master and servant! Nothing more, nothing less!”
“Is making bunny apples part of ‘master-servant etiquette’?”
“Well, it’s not something I’d object to.”
“What if I asked you to sleep with me?”
“…Well, it depends on the security requirements.”
“What if I asked you to bathe with me?”
“That also depends on the security requirements…”
Lathus muttered,
“Just get together already.”
“Lathus-sama! Master and I are both women!”
“Oh, right.”
“That was kind of rude.”
“My bad. I just can’t see anyone without ears and a tail as a woman.”
“That wasn’t an apology.”
Lathus suddenly turned serious.
“You two. Could you leave us alone for a bit?”
Liz looked at me.
“Alright. Could you two step outside? I’ll call you if anything happens.”
“But… I…” The incident with the beastmen, who’d nearly killed us, was probably still weighing on Liz’s mind.
“‘Nothing happened.’ Besides, it was Lathus and the Beastman Army who saved us. Liz, Samarkand—please leave us alone for a bit.”
“…Yes, Master.”
“As you wish.”
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