“I need Master Light to review this document, but I myself can sign off on this one,” Iceheat murmured to herself. She was alone in Light’s executive office on the bottom tier of the Abyss and busily engaged in paperwork.
Iceheat was performing the tasks Mei would usually have done if she hadn’t at that moment been leading a manhunt for Doc, a Master in the Demonkin Nation, while Light himself was off on a different mission revolving around another Master, Gira. Since Iceheat was the Abyss’s deputy head housekeeper, she had been tasked with taking over Mei’s role as chief maid and dungeon administrator in her absence, a job that included doing a lot of paperwork. When she reached a good place to pause, she took a sip of the tea she had brewed for herself and sighed deeply.
“Left behind again,” she grumbled. Her best friend, Mera, had teamed up with the Mohawks on an ongoing mission to drive off demonkin infiltrators from Human Kingdom border villages, and Jack and Suzu were part of Mei’s operation in the Demonkin Nation, which left Iceheat as the sole Level 7777 warrior still in the Abyss.
She knew she was just as powerful and skilled—if not more—as her three other Level 7777 cohorts, yet her abilities never seemed to be the best fit for any of the missions. The fact that she had been relegated to a backroom role in the Abyss had nothing to do with Light being dissatisfied with her performance, yet even so, she couldn’t help wondering.
“How long do I have to wait before I get another opportunity to prove my loyalty to Master Light?” Iceheat asked herself.
Her last achievement, if the term even applied, was when she captured the twin White Knight elves, Nhia and Khia, at the Great Tower. Since then, Iceheat had either been sidelined from a mission, or if she did end up participating in an operation, her specific assignment invariably went awry for one reason or another. She had even gone as far as collecting a bunch of good luck charms after consulting Mera on the topic, in order to turn around what she considered to be an unnaturally long streak of bad luck. Yet she still saw no signs of her fortunes improving.
“No, this is no time to think about that!” Iceheat yelled in an attempt to rouse herself. “Showing loyalty isn’t limited to battling up on the surface! Running the Abyss smoothly and flawlessly in Master Light’s absence is every bit as valid for showing your loyalty as anything else! There’s no difference!”
From where she was sitting at the adjunct’s desk, Iceheat gazed across the office at the executive desk, where Light would usually sit. I’m performing Miss Mei’s work of doing the administration for the Abyss, and Miss Mei was the first to be summoned by Master Light, thought Iceheat. I wonder what would have happened if I myself had been the first to be summoned instead...
Iceheat’s mind drifted off into a fantasy where she was the first summon, protecting a young Light from the nightmarish monsters prowling around at the bottom of the Abyss. In her daydream, they spent all their days together, just the two of them in the biggest, deadliest dungeon in the world, with Light’s power level still in the low double digits. Just imagining such a heavenly scenario gave Iceheat an intoxicating rush of euphoria.
But in all honesty, I don’t think I would’ve possessed the strength of character to advise Master Light to forge a kingdom in the Abyss in order to get his revenge on those who wronged him, Iceheat thought. Not like Miss Mei did back then.
Of course, a first-summon Iceheat would have known Light would need an army if he was going to make good on his vow for vengeance, meaning it couldn’t have just stayed as the two of them alone in the dungeon forever. However, the temptation to keep Light all to herself would have been dangerously overwhelming for Iceheat, and for that reason, she held Mei in very high esteem for selflessly suggesting to Light that he build a kingdom. This respect came from Iceheat’s perspective as Mei’s subordinate and as a fellow maid.
Miss Mei disregarded her own desires to serve Master Light faithfully. She really is the leader among maids! Iceheat thought to herself. I myself should dedicate more of my time to mastering her maid’s code so that I can become more like her...
Iceheat was deep in contemplation when an unexpected voice interrupted her reverie: “Mroow!”
Iceheat shot up from her chair, screaming like a teenage girl. With her heart still pounding fast, she addressed the unannounced visitor.
“M-Miss Aoyuki! You gave me a shock,” Iceheat said. “I was this close to blasting you by mistake.”
“Rroww mroww!” Aoyuki protested, pointing to the door.
“Huh? Oh, so you did knock?” Iceheat interpreted.
“Mew,” Aoyuki confirmed.
In other words, Aoyuki had knocked at the door several times, but when she didn’t get a response, she took the liberty of entering the executive office. Iceheat realized she had been so engrossed in her daydream, she had completely failed to notice that someone was at the door, so she immediately apologized to her superior.
“Please forgive me for my lapse in attention,” Iceheat said. “I myself will take care not to repeat the mistake again.”
“Nmrrow mrrow,” Aoyuki purred gently, as if to say, “Don’t sweat it.” In the same breath, the SUR warrior handed Iceheat a sheaf of documents.
The grappler maid took it from her with both hands. “I thank you for your leniency. I also thank you for these documents.”
“Mroww.” Aoyuki smiled and waved at Iceheat, signaling that her work here was done, then she turned to leave the office. Iceheat paused, then decided she had to speak up now, since like her, Aoyuki was usually passed over for surface world missions.