The Runaway Maid is Loved by the Archmage - Chapter 39
At Lutan’s words, Maili widened her eyes and stared at him.
“Master of all magic? What does that mean?”
Maili asked with a puzzled expression, but Lutan only looked at Roina and didn’t give her any attention.
“Eek! Just because you’re an archmage, is that it? Since yesterday, you’ve only been looking at Roina! Why are you ignoring me? I’m the eldest daughter of the Amasto Marquis family!”
“…Lutan, what does that mean?”
Roina glanced at Maili and then asked him. In truth, she instinctively felt that this expression was perfectly reasonable. All the magic was bowing its head and waiting for only her commands, so if she wasn’t the master of all magic, then what was she?
Lutan nodded lightly at Roina’s question. The ignored Maili made a frustrated expression.
“An archmage—it’s a trait of the stars.”
He waved his hand carelessly. Suddenly, the space in the room twisted and shimmered with a blue light, and fantastical blue butterflies flew around Roina before vanishing.
“Anyone with the talent of the stars, after awakening as an archmage, can use all their powers freely. This is common knowledge, so you probably already know.”
Lutan pronounced the word “common knowledge” with emphasis and briefly glanced at Maili. This time, Maili looked a little guilty. She probably hadn’t been interested before.
“As archmages, once we awaken, we can use nearly all magic without restriction and receive help from the mana that is spread everywhere. That’s why we use the term ‘master of magic.'”
Roina briefly stared at Lutan. Though she hadn’t known him for long, she had often sensed that this mage was hiding something. Even now, she could feel that he was deliberately not saying something.
What was Lutan hiding?
“Uh, Lutan.”
Roina spoke quietly.
“You said that part of my body is made up of fraud.”
Even as she thought about it again, her chest tightened, and the urge to vomit rose. Roina suppressed the nausea and held it in.
“So, what should I do?”
She was in pain. Now that she was conscious of it, she could feel the black energy lurking within her body. The instinctive revulsion made it hard to breathe. It felt as though Roberto’s traces had been left on her body, which was horrifying.
“I can’t live like this…”
She said, trembling.
Seeing that Roina’s condition seemed to worsen again, Lutan hurriedly grabbed her hand. His mana touched hers, giving a refreshing cool sensation, and only then did she take a deep breath. Tears welled up in her eyes.
“It’s okay. Roina, it’s not like there’s no way.”
Lutan said that and then turned his gaze slightly away from Roina, looking at something else. Roina felt a sense of déjà vu again.
“I can return your body to its original state. Don’t worry, just rest for now.”
“…Yes.”
Once again, Lutan was hiding something. He looked troubled.
After saying that, Lutan briefly checked Maili’s wound, then hurriedly finished up and left.
‘What is he hiding…?’
“How annoying.”
Maili’s voice was heard. Roina turned her head towards Maili. Maili looked a bit sulky. Roina felt a bit of unrest in her heart.
“…Um, Maili.”
“Yeah?”
“Why did you do that?”
Maili heard the question and pressed her lips together tightly. The way she tightly closed her mouth looked stubborn.
“Just because.”
A gentle breeze passed between them. Maili had tied her golden hair messily, and her appearance was far from what one would expect from a young lady who used to dress elaborately as a palace maid. She wore a white linen shirt like the male knights and black trousers, making her look unmistakably like a young knight.
This appearance of Maili was unfamiliar. But at the same time, it seemed to suit her better than any other look Roina had seen before. This outfit was much more natural on her. The way she lifted her arm to rest it on the windowsill and propped up her chin was a casual, unpretentious gesture, free of her usual affectation.
“The Crown Prince… that bastard. He’s so annoying.”
“But Maili…”
She wanted to say, you wanted to be Empress, didn’t you? But Roina swallowed those words. Maili was grinning mischievously as though she knew everything.
“I thought about it, and I think it would be more fun to kill the Crown Prince and take the crown rather than marry him.”
Roina was startled by those words and reflexively looked around. It was such a dangerous thing to say.
“And at the same time, rescue the princess.”
“I’m not a princess, though. And Maili, you don’t have any claim to the throne.”
Roina said, feeling a bit taken aback. Maili arrogantly lifted her chin and shrugged her shoulders.
“That doesn’t matter.”
“Excuse me?”
“What matters is that you asked me for help.”
“…”
“I don’t know. It just didn’t feel like someone else’s problem.”
Maili said the last part a bit awkwardly.
“So, you’re saying you’ll take responsibility. It’s your fault.”
“Excuse me?”
“You’ll take responsibility and become my friend, Maili Amasto…”
Maili said that and slightly blushed. Roina, seeing that side of Maili, thought it would be alright and couldn’t help but smile softly.
“I’ve been thinking this for a while, but you’re really stubborn and selfish. How about trying to make a friend for the first time?”
“What?!”
“Still, thank you.”
Roina said that and, for the first time, smiled with a kind expression, one that had a touch of playfulness mixed in.
“I’ll try. Maili’s friend.”
“…Hmph!”
Seeing Roina like that, Maili’s face turned bright red.
“Consider it an honor!”
Maili turned her head away coquettishly. Roina couldn’t help but laugh when she saw that her ears were red. She was the first friend Roina had made since coming to this world.
