The voice reached the ears of someone nearby, who turned on her heel and walked toward where the group was. Her long, twilight hair danced behind her, and her expression became a scowl when she realized what was happening.
“Just what do you think you’re all doing?!”
Eve and Miliasha jerked as if they’d had cold water dumped on them, then slowly turned around to find Team Diamond’s master, Puseri, standing there. Her expression was so terrifying that the two others and Isuka immediately turned pale.
Puseri, as upset as she was, had joined the group in washing the remaining dishes. Eve’s ears drooped sadly from the harsh scolding she had gotten, and she muttered “But... I didn’t do anything...”
Although Puseri had yelled at her, that strange atmosphere from earlier was gone, and the dishes were getting washed faster. The sun was nice and warm now that it was past noon. Eve began to get bored, so she started a conversation while working on the rest of the dishes.
“Have you all gotten used to living here by now? Personally, I like it a lot better here because of the food.”
“Agreed,” Isuka said. “We get a nice bath here, and the view is great. It would be perfect if we also got paid.”
Puseri perked up. The twilight-haired master of Team Diamond wore a maid outfit like the others despite her standing. But she claimed it didn’t bother her, since she had been used to serving for some time now. She had her hair tied back, and the style suited her.
“I wouldn’t make you all work without compensation forever,” she said. “We are already charging for staying at the mansion and the food at the campgrounds.”
“We’re already making money? I figured you’d like that sort of money management stuff. How’s the business so far?” asked Isuka.
Just then, Puseri put a plate down and smiled. She had a bad habit of wanting to spend money, but she was still the master there and someone of high importance. Though, there seemed to be a hint of greed in that smile.
“What would you think if I told you that you could stay overnight for free outside of this second-floor hall?” she asked.
“Uh, I wouldn’t want to. It’s just a normal part of the labyrinth outside of here. It’s dark and cold, and you can hear weird screams out of nowhere. But here, you get to soak in a bath,” said Eve.
“Yeah, you’d have to be crazy to want to stay anywhere besides here,” agreed Isuka.
Puseri pointed a finger at them as if to say they were spot-on. No one would choose to stay at a place like the labyrinth. “Many considered it normal before, but once someone experiences comfort, it’s difficult for them to revert. There isn’t a single person out there who would willingly sleep in the labyrinth by now.”
Most raid teams stayed at the campgrounds for cheap, but the raid on the third floor would soon start. How would they react when they found out there were accommodations for lodging packages that included food, drinks, and a bath? Moreover, there wasn’t a single competitor to deal with. Puseri explained this to the others, and the dark elf’s eyes widened.
“Oh man! We’re gonna make so much money!” exclaimed Eve.
“Ha ha, indeed. We will bring guests here with Wridra’s movement skill. Once they have an unforgettable experience here, they will help us gain more customers through word of mouth. It all depends on our efforts, but we are set up for success,” added Puseri.
Since the raid teams could go from the raid location to the mansion immediately, it would eliminate the need for someone to stand watch at night or carry heavy cargo. The rations that had once been the army’s pride and joy had sat abandoned for some time, and piles of them remained forgotten in their old headquarters. On the other hand, Wridra could freely obtain food ingredients from distant lands and didn’t have to worry about keeping stock.
It was important to note that many raid team members were quite wealthy. When word got out that women of Team Diamond would serve them, men fought over reservations before the grand opening, even though no one was aware of this.
“S-So, I think we’re all wondering...” said Eve, “how much are we getting paid?”
“I was planning on bringing this up during dinner tonight, but it will be about double what you were getting. And once the third-floor raid is successful, you will all receive a bonus. Perhaps we will get some first-class furniture when that happens.”
The maids all gasped at once. Now that they were free of Zarish’s control, the members of Team Diamond had become top earners. Members of the raid team were paid according to their performance, so the skilled women of this team had been getting paid extremely well. Considering their high pay would double, Eve couldn’t help but smile and start listing the things she would buy.
“Nice, Puseri!” she said. “I’m so impressed! I thought you were a hopeless aristocrat who wastes money all the time. You did a great job negotiating with Wridra!”
“Ha ha ha, it was an easy task for someone of my― Hmm? Hopeless aristocrat?” remarked Puseri, tilting her head. She soon forgot about that as Eve patted her on the shoulder.
Just as they finished cleaning the plates, Puseri rose, dusted herself off, and turned around. She then gave an authoritative look as their head maid and master. “Everyone, we have a request from none other than Wridra. We are to welcome some very important guests tonight. I expect no less than top-quality work from all of you as my elite team.”
She smiled boldly, as if they were about to ride into battle against a floor master. There wasn’t a hint of nerves in the women around her, and the demon girl casually responded, “Yes, boss.”
On the roof and beyond the fence, other members of her team had their eyes blazing bright. Seeing her dependable team gathered there, the lady of black roses chuckled. “Whether it be a raid or maid work, Team Diamond shall handle any mission perfectly. Now, it’s time to welcome the guests.”
The maids smiled at once as Puseri gave the order. They looked ready to handle any task, even if that was to wipe out a raging horde of monsters.
§
No one had yet figured out the identities of Team Diamond’s mysterious guests.
A young girl woke up and sat in a guest room, touching her surroundings but failing to find what she searched for and sighed. Then a black cat trotted through the open shoji sliding door with a pair of glasses in its mouth. The girl turned to the meowing and felt the glasses touch her finger.
“Thank you,” she said in a language foreign to this world, then put them on. “Wha... Ah...”
Small, childlike fingers came into view as the girl held her hands up to the sunlit shoji for some time. As she sat there, the futon she had been sleeping under slid off of her naked body. She looked down and gasped at the sight of her slim frame and smooth, bare clavicles.
“No way...” she whispered, eyes wide.
The girl hadn’t dreamed of being a child again for some time. She’d also often dreamed about flying when she was younger, but even her dreams had become realistic as an adult. She thought perhaps that was what it meant to grow up.
And what would an adult do in a situation like this? Maybe they would dismiss it as a silly dream. Instead, she reached for the shoji, her heart racing with excitement and curiosity. The door slid open, and she saw a well-maintained rustic garden in the dazzling sunlight and a Lizardman with a gardening tool in the distance. He was talking to a woman with cat ears in a maid outfit, both of their tails wagging as if they were in a good mood.
“Wow...” she said, breathing. “Amazing.”
She immediately recognized that this wasn’t Japan, but a fantasy world. The verdant greenery and small flowers along the walkways painted a completely different scenery from the one she was used to. Even the sky was more blue than she had ever seen, and a dense forest was visible in the distance.
Her heart raced, and she knew her face burst with excitement, but she couldn’t bring herself to rise from her curled-up position. The color of her eyes faded slightly in the sunlight, settling into a shade of indigo. She told herself that this must be a dream, yet she couldn’t stop her heart from throbbing from anticipation. In front of her was a world of fantasy that she could never encounter in Japan.
Meanwhile, a boy lying on the futon smiled. The girl was a married woman, despite her appearance, and the boy couldn’t look at her in her current state. As a fellow adventure enthusiast, he knew exactly how she felt by hearing her voice.