Kays Translations
Just another Isekai Lover~
Chapter 17: Knight Attendant (Tsukaeshi) ⑤ – Munieka
At the end of the second floor corridor was a guest room.
I was led into the room that Munieka-san was renting.
Bookshelf, closet, bed. Perhaps because it was only a borrowed room, there were no personal belongings in sight.
Beside the bed sat a worn white trunk.
“There’s nowhere else to sit, so please use the bed.”
“Y-yes.”
I did as she suggested and sat on the bed. Munieka-san stood in front of me.
Then, as she went to kneel down on the floor, I hurriedly stopped her.
“W-wait, what are you doing!?”
“As a maid, it would be disrespectful to sit above my master.”
“T-that’s… ah, fine, do as you like.”
Munieka-san gave a small nod and sat in proper seiza.
“Now then, regarding what I wanted to talk about. I believe you’ve already noticed, but at present, I do not serve anyone. Not even in the matter of bodyguard duty.”
“You already quit being Leold’s guard, right?”
“I was originally one of the ‘Four cut.’ A bodyguard was unnecessary. It was merely for appearances.”
“‘Four cut’?”
“One of the top executives of Coon Hunt. The right hand of Alweld von Rütvelt.”
“Ahh, like one of the Four Heavenly Kings.”
I knew she was strong, but I didn’t know it was to that extent.
“Appearances?”
“He may not look it, but he’s the third prince of this kingdom.”
“H-he is!?”
That shabby old man?
“He renounced his claim to succession. A prodigal prince.”
“…Still royalty though, huh.”
“I’m bound by confidentiality, so I can’t say much. But he does his work properly in his own way. Anyway, back to the point. I submitted my resignation during the attack on Coon hunt’s headquarters.”
“I heard about that.”
“Even without that, I would have resigned. I believe you know the reason why.”
Munieka-san removed her hair ornament and stared at me with her violet eyes.
Bewitching violet eyes—the proof of the supreme race, the Edda.
Because they drew attention, she had always hidden them behind that hairpiece.
I voiced my doubt.
“Why me?”
“Because I felt it was destiny.”
“That’s—”
“At first, it was curiosity. When I heard rumors that the witch had taken a disciple, I was shaken. And when I learned it was a man, I truly thought the end of the world had come.”
“T-that far…?”
“I don’t think you can imagine it. The witch has always been the deepest recluse among First-Class Explorers. Always alone. Everyone thought she would remain so forever. But it wasn’t true. What do you think those who have admired and worshiped her all this time would feel?”
“You too, Munieka-san?”
“I didn’t worship her, but I did respect her. Just a little. I wanted to live strong in solitude. I don’t know why. But the thought of living together with someone—I could never imagine it. I even struggled with that fact.”
“Then why become a maid?”
Serving someone is the complete opposite.
And… isn’t she revealing something very deep about herself here?
“Maybe that’s exactly why. Because I realized I couldn’t live alone. Yet even so, I still thought I couldn’t live together with someone either.”
Perhaps deep down she did want to live with someone.
She wanted to, but couldn’t.
That suffering was hers alone to bear.
“The hardest time was with Shardina. Four years ago. When I was 21, I thought being a maid was my true calling. Since then, I’ve been one. I learned the joy of serving. But even so, I could never truly form a master-servant bond.”
“Eh…?”
Munieka-san looked up at me and spoke clearly.
“The first person I’ve ever called ‘Master’… is you.”
A tremor ran through me. My body and heart shuddered.
“W-why… why me?”
Unbelievable. Why is it me?
Why does everything special keep happening to me?
When I thought about it, I couldn’t help but suspect—
I didn’t want to think so, but maybe the reason I was being liked, chosen, was because of [Generous].
“Master?”
“Munieka-san. I’m not the kind of person who deserves to be special.”
“―――Master. Do you remember when we first met?”
“Yes. At the headquarters of ‘Dragon Fang Row.’”
“That time, you found the hidden room and discovered the vault. I was impressed by your skill. The witch’s disciple… I had to acknowledge it.”
“That was just the Relic. I’m nothing special myself.”
“A Relic is also a strength. What are you afraid of? What drew me was you yourself.”
They were words that should have made me happy, yet I grimaced. Could that really be true?
“…Munieka-san, do you know about [Generous]?”
“Yes, of course. The god of the Edda. I am, after all, from one of the Six Houses of Edda—the Eldorado family—so I have more connection to it than others. Why do you ask?”
I invoked [Generous]. My hair and eyes turned violet.
I looked at Munieka-san. I expected surprise, but instead, I was the one shaken.
She remained completely composed.
“Y-you’re not surprised!?”
“I have seen it once before. At that time, I was surprised.”
“Once before…?”
“In other words, I already knew.”
Munieka-san spoke calmly.
If that’s the case, then maybe it’s fine. I let out the thoughts that had been piling up inside me.
“I couldn’t help but think… maybe it’s not me people like, but [Generous]. That means, in truth, there’s nothing to me at all.”
“I see. So that’s what you’ve been worried about.”
“If that’s true, then I—”
“Not in the slightest. [Generous] doesn’t govern such effects or Relics. Of course, being a god, there are worshippers. There are those like Narcisus. But [Generous] isn’t like that. Besides, a pseudo-god Relic only lets one resemble a god—it doesn’t make you become the god itself.”
“I… see…”
Relieved, the tension drained from me. But I couldn’t honestly feel happy.
Sensing that, Munieka-san gently asked:
“Master, why did you become [Generous]?”
“…I’m not really sure myself. But if this thing is the reason, then—since you’re Edda—you’d be drawn not to me, but to it. I thought I should tell you that, Munieka-sa—”
Suddenly, Munieka-san hugged me.
As if by reflex, without thinking, purely instinctively, she pulled me into her arms.
“…I’ll tell you the truth, but only in secret, just between us…”
It was her voice—but different.
Not her usual tone. Whispering in my ear.
She pressed me tightly to her chest, warm and soft, faintly fragrant of flowers.
“R-really?”
“…Would you believe me if I said it was love at first sight…?”
“I believe you.”
I answered without hesitation.
Even if she said it like a joke, in this state it didn’t sound like one at all.
Rather, I felt as though I had touched the depths of her heart, and I was convinced.
When Munieka-san slowly pulled away, she smiled adorably.
“That part of you, husband… is what’s amazing.”
W-what part!?
No, wait, that’s not the point.
I had bared everything—ugly, pathetic—and still, Munieka-san answered me.
She, too, revealed the depths of her heart.
I wanted to answer her in kind. I wanted to face her properly.
“Um, Munieka-san. Is… is it really okay for it to be me?”
“It is precisely because it is you.”
“Then, um… I’ll be in your care. I’ll do my best too.”
“Yes, husband.”
“‘Master’ is good enough, please…”
And so, I entered into a master–servant bond with Munieka-san.
Before Lunch
Munieka-san was preparing the meal.
Chive-san, for once, had gone out to work.
Shiro-san was napping in the resting room.
I was using the crescent-moon canteen to brew some tea for the first time in a while.
And then, the witch returned—
“Pakira-san!? And… Haiyaan…?”
“Well, well. So this is the witch’s dwelling.”
“It’s been a while, Wof.”
For some reason, Pakira-san and Haiyaan were together.
As I stared in surprise, Pakira-san looked around and muttered:
“So many women.”
“Why, it’s a paradise!”
“Silence, fool.”
“Why are you here, Pakira-san?”
“It’s been some time, Wof. I heard you’ve had quite a rough time. I even came to see you when you were bedridden. I’m glad you’re safe.”
“Thank you.”
“And what about me?”
“Oh, you were here too?”
“Wha—!?”
A cold response was unavoidable.
Because—it’s Haiyaan.
“The truth is… I need your help. We’ve been struggling to investigate a chimera subspecies.”
“…Struggling?”
What happened…?
And why did Haiyaan come along?