The Royal Cabinet’s head maid Shiro was born in a village that was famous for its slave trade. It was in a remote region of the continent where beast hybrids were many in number. Their bodies were strong and their senses keen. Among the beast clans, one known as the Dog-Eared Clan ranked among the most valuable. And their loyalty to their masters was unshakable.
One problem was that their prejudice toward their masters was too strong.
This also caused difficulties when choosing their masters.
Members of the Dog-Eared Clan believed that those close to them were their masters whom they should devote their loyalty to. It was common for them to devote themselves to their birth parents or the heads of their households.
Therefore, newborn members of the Dog-Eared Clan were isolated from others from a young age.
They were given food and training, and then they were tested.
They were ranked by their strict instructors, and the most outstanding out of the clan were selected.
Lastly, an incantation called Inugami was cast upon them.
Only the ones who survived this final process earned the right to work for the royal family…
“Princess Ecstasia!”
I exited the Grand Bench and ran after my master.
I never lost the scent of my beloved master. I did not stray as I found my way back to her.
“I shall accompany you, Princess!”
I said this as a matter of course. I could not be separated from her in her time of crisis.
“Shiro, I told you. You have to stay with those two. Listen to what Mr. Akuto says.”
“B-but, then…” I felt an impulse to bite off my own tongue. It was unthinkable for a retainer to defy their master’s orders. “You will be judged, Princess Ecstasia.”
“Please, close the door.”
Without looking at me, my princess got into her official vehicle. Her attendant closed the door for her.
On the other side of the tinted glass window, I sent her a telepathic message.
<<Princess Ecstasia, I will protect you!>>
<<What I must do now is apologize and provide reparations. It’s not something I need your protection to do. Mr. Akuto and Miss Judge need you more than I do right now.>>
I sensed movement inside the vehicle. It changed gears.
I jumped in front of it.
<<Please, wait… I must protect you at all costs, Princess!>>
Protect.
I repeated myself like a fool.
<<Do whatever Mr. Akuto says. If you don’t listen to him, I’ll never talk to you again.>>
<<Wh-what?!>>
Snap. I felt the Telepathy Spell end. She had cut me off.
My vision wavered. It was as if the earth beneath me was crumbling. I felt pain as the skin on my knees split open.
I fell to the ground as if I’d been shot in the head. My knees started to bleed onto the asphalt.
Vwoom. The vehicle began departing.
“Ah!”
Of course, I chased it.
If I remove some of my physical limitations, there’s nothing I can’t keep up with.
I kept chasing after my princess until night fell.
Princess…Ecstasia…
Donning her tiara on her small head, she visited people related to the incident all over the kingdom and bowed in apology.
She wouldn’t let me get close to her. All I could do was watch from afar.
If only I had been a more perfect servant.
Guilt. Guilt. Guilt.
I felt myself driven forward, like my brain had become nothing but a flickering red light.
Find a way. Find a way. Find a way.
Before I knew it, I found myself standing inside the Public Prosecutor’s Office.
“Eek! Shiro…your legs are covered in blood!”
It was Prosecutor Ileana. I had to stop her.
“What is the status of the preparations for Princess Ecstasia’s prosecution?” I asked.
“Uh, what? Oh, of course, I’m giving it my all! I have been tasked by Miss Judge, after all. The entire staff of the Public Prosecutor’s Office is working on the case!”
“…Is that so?”
Even fueled by this rage, I didn’t think I could take on the entire staff of the Prosecutor’s Office.
“Wait! Shiro, you don’t look very well at all!”
I left her and began following Princess Ecstasia’s scent once more.
But I knew that beloved face would never again look me in the eye.
And she was going to quit magic, even though she loved it so much and did it only to help others.
How has it come to this…?
Crunch! I heard a strange sound.
“Eep! It’s the Royal Watchdog!” someone screamed.
Under my feet, I saw a crushed guardrail. Apparently, I had stepped on it without noticing.
Creak! I twisted it back into place. Disrupting the public landscape would upset the princess.
“Huh…?”
Something was different than usual. There were fewer people.
The monitors on the streets that were abuzz with images until yesterday had gone blank.
Everyone was afraid. They feared that something could collapse at any moment. That building. Or that one.
In the span of one day, the Japanese buildings that had been praised so much were now being shunned.
And a single trial was threatening to bring down the entire royal administration.
“What should we do…?”
I didn’t know. I couldn’t think of any way to resolve this.
Tsukasa Wagatsuma and Akuto Satou came to mind. My princess had summoned them from another world called Japan. And currently, they were designated as my new masters.
Tsukasa Wagatsuma was a judge. Her techniques of law were the highest in the kingdom, and she was an expert in resolving legal incidents. But she had declared that she must “punish” my princess. Her resolution was to judge and punish her. I wasn’t going to stand idly by while that happened.
Akuto Satou was an average Japanese boy, and one year older than me. While he was skillful overall, he had no abilities that stood out. However, he quickly became accustomed to life in this world and his position as court assistant, and he exhibited a broad viewpoint and strength in a support role. The princess had been fond of him ever since his summoning.
I believe he had been working silently in the background, contributing greatly to the resolutions of their major cases thus far. Their first trial, and the Hero’s Case. Even though he was from another world, our people loved him.
Akuto Satou… Perhaps he will be able to help me.
Or so I thought, for a moment. But I shook my head.
Just as I was my master’s servant, he was his sister’s brother. If I relied on him too easily, I might come to regret it.
This was an emergency. I needed to get my priorities in order.
Protecting the princess came first. Without question. I rejected everything else.
I rejected Master Akuto.
And I rejected the loyalty and trust that had begun to grow while serving him.
Sting. I felt a pang in my chest.
Is this…my conscience?
I remembered the concept of “conscience” I learned while following him. But…
I am accustomed to stifling my emotions.
This thing that bubbled up in my chest on its own. This pain that bore no visible wound.
The more emotion, the weaker the maid.
Emotions caused one’s decisions to falter.
They were nothing but a hindrance to my work. So I stifled them. Like I always had.
Then…
“I must make Akuto Satou call off the trial.”
…I reached a decision.
“Oh-ho? In that case, I shall teach you a method that will surely stop him.”
I received words of counsel.