None of the otherworldly characters, including Maito, make an appearance. (There are flashbacks, however.)
The perspectives are varied, in order:
– Arianne
– The gatekeeper of Deichemoore
– The gatekeeper of Eitzol
– A noble who is a poison aficionado
– Glida
“Lady Arianne! It’s terrible! On the southern hill of the temple, there’s a giganticโ”
The priest who rushed in said so, but I couldn’t imagine the Demon King marching forward without telling me anything.
Therefore, it could be any number of other forces, or even the Demon King’s downfall, that were conceivable.
And I also thought that none of these would move in a good direction.
“Thank you. I’ll go and see. Just in case, please prepare some knights.”
Taking the staff that was leaning against the desk, I left the room. A voice from behind tried to stop me, but if you’re serious, then stop me for real.
“Ah, Lady Arianne, that is!”
Upon reaching the lookout tower, its form was clearly visible.
…Indeed, it closely resembled that gigantic warrior who was with the Demon King and his party before.
…However, that gigantic warrior…
“Do not worry, that one bears no hostility.”
Seeing it, I felt a sense of relief.
Oh well… Was it waiting for me to come?
“No, I think so too… but, why?”
The gigantic warrior gently showed a huge sign it was holding.
“Maid Doll Village: Planned Construction Site”
Approaching the gigantic warrior, I noticed many little fairies at its feet.
The fairies floated up to me and stopped in front of my eyes, offering a small piece of paper.
“Is this a letter?”
However, the fairy shook its head slightly.
…Then what is it?
Unfolding the paper, it read:
“Maid Doll Village Grand Opening: Everything for 5 copper coins!”
Below, there were illustrations of various unusual foods, followed by brief descriptions.
…Are these fairies planning to open a food stall here?
“That’s fine. This land is not mine. It belongs to the goddess. And I’m sure the goddess would allow it. Good luck.”
After saying this to the fairy, it leaped a bit in the air and then flew away happily.
…Though it was a fairy I had never seen before… There are wonders indeed.
…Maybe I’ll come back here when I get some time off next time.
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That day, I was stationed at the gate.
Well, that’s what being a gatekeeper is all about.
More idle than usual.
Standing around on such a nice day feels a bit wasteful… but, well, that’s the job, sigh.
As I was lost in thought, a colleague nudged me.
Looking up, I saw about five small… girls? Fairy-like creatures flying towards us.
“Hey, you fairies there, stop.”
Being my job, I stopped them.
Then, they stopped.
…Seems like they understand us.
“Um… This is the town of Deichemoore. …What brings you here?”
The fairies tilted their heads, looking at each other as if conversing.
They seemed to be talking, but I couldn’t hear their voices.
“Um…”
As I was becoming increasingly perplexed, one of the fairies handed me a piece of paper.
The paper seemed to be one of many stored in a basket-like container they were carrying.
Upon unfolding the palm-sized paper, it appeared to be… an advertisement.
“Maid Doll Village Grand Opening: Everything for 5 copper coins.”
It seemed to be an ad for a food stall, offering various unusual dishes I had never seen before.
“…Are you here to promote this?”
When I asked, the fairies nodded vigorously.
Pleased that their message was understood, they seemed… brighter, somehow.
“What do we do?”
“Well, what do you mean, ‘what do we do’?”
Even asking my colleague doing the gatekeeping with me didn’t yield any useful response.
After all, it was unprecedented for fairies to try to enter the town through the gate, of all things.
“…Alright, understood. You may pass. But don’t cause any trouble, alright?”
After discussing with my colleague, we decided to let them through.
They didn’t seem like they would cause any harm, after all.
When we allowed them, the fairies bowed their heads and passed through the gate.
…And then, they disappeared into the crowd.
I took a good look at the paper in my hand.
…The location is south of the temple. It wouldn’t take long to get there if I took a carriage to the temple.
Maybe I’ll visit on my next day off…
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Today, as well, I served as a gatekeeper, thinking of that woman.
The whereabouts of Miss Rosemary, whom I could not save due to my powerlessness, remain unknown.
What could she be doing now, and where?
I wonder if she’s been subjected to any cruel treatment.
Or maybe…
“…Hey, something’s coming.”
Snapped back to reality by my colleague’s voice, I saw… fairies that somehow reminded me of Miss Rosemary’s presence approaching.
Looking closer as they approached, even their attire resembled Miss Rosemary’s clothes.
…As I stared, the fairies tilted their heads in unison.
Such adorable fairies.
“Welcome, fairies. This is the royal capital Eitzol. What brings you here?”
I wasn’t sure if they would understand, but I tried speaking to them anyway.
Then, one of the fairies confidently approached and handed me a piece of paper.
I unfolded the paper.
“Maid Doll Village Grand Opening: Everything for 5 copper coins!”
Below the headline were drawings of dishes and descriptions.
…It seems to be an advertisement for a food stall.
“Did you come here to distribute this?”
When I asked, they all nodded at once.
Catching my colleague’s eye, he also nodded slightly.
They don’t seem to be suspicious monsters, and their purpose is modest and charming.
“Alright, you may pass. Straight ahead is the square in front of the Colosseum. There will be people gathered there.”
As we allowed them through, the fairies bowed one by one as they passed.
…However, it’s hard to imagine fairies running a food stall.
There have been instances of fairies interacting with humans in the past, but such a large-scale venture suggests the involvement of a greater fairy or a spirit-like being…?
…Thinking up to that point, it suddenly dawned on me.
Perhaps, these fairies are under the service of Miss Rosemary.
If so, Miss Rosemary… must have been a high-ranking spirit visiting human towns incognito.
That makes sense; everything adds up.
Miss Rosemary was playing the role of a slave, but the attitude of the young men, presumed to be her masters, towards her did not seem fitting for a slave.
Indeed, if the roles were reversed, it would make sense.
So, if Miss Rosemary is a high-ranking spirit, it’s understandable that she had foreign young men under her command.
…Or perhaps… they were heroes led by a goddess, and Miss Rosemary… was the goddess herself.
…I would very much like to meet her again.
If I visit this “Maid Doll Village,” could I meet her again?
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Our rising star has returned to a distant world.
As I gaze upon the collection bequeathed to us at that time, I often find myself wishing we could have shared more conversations.
Lord Shachi was a remarkable individual.
His love and knowledge of poisons surpassed anyone else’s, and even I, who have been in this field for a long time, was shown poisons I never knew existed by him, truly a person beloved by the god of poison.
And how beautiful his way of fighting was.
We admired him like maidens smitten by a knight on a white horse, for his perfection in handling poison, not just for the efficacy of his toxic substances, but also for his precision in earth magic and his graceful movements.
However, Lord Shachi, upon returning to his homeland, donated his vast collection to us at the “Poison Magic Research Organization.”
While it was certainly a collector’s dream… I felt a much stronger sadness at not being able to meet Lord Shachi again than joy.
Surely, someone as magnificent as him will never appear in this world again.
Thinking so, even having met him for just a moment might have made my life exceptionally fortunate.
…For an old man like me, the remaining time might indeed be short.
I wish I could have spent a little more time with him, who added vivid colors to my faded and dry days.
…I found myself thinking of a friend who existed for only a brief while.
As I contemplated this, savoring wine with just a drop of poison added, the window was tapped.
This mansion has guards.
And, as I am a noble, in principle, no impolite visitor who greets through the window should be able to come through.
…Suspicious, I looked at the window and saw… a fairy.
The fairy continued tapping on the window.
…Perhaps it wants to be let in.
Upon opening the window, the fairy floated into the room, bowed elegantly (yet ever so charmingly), and presented me with a paper it was holding.
“For me?”
When I asked, the fairy nodded.
Carefully taking and unfolding the paper, it read:
“Maid Doll Village Grand Opening: Everything for 5 copper coins!”
Accompanied by the headline were various unusual dishes, each with an illustration and description.
…It seems I have stumbled upon something quite interesting.
Looking up, the fairy was already gone.
Surely it had returned home. Fairies are such creatures, after all.
…It appears there are still many colorful events left in my life.
I promptly decided to arrange for a carriage.
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Hey there, Tokoyo, how are you?
Oh, sorry about that. If I move too much, the tent might collapse, huh?
…But still, it hasn’t been long since we started advertising, and look at this already, huh? Isn’t it amazing?
You guys are really mysterious…
Even though Maito is gone, why are you still going about?
And what’s this? The “Maid Doll Empire Plan”?
…Huh? Oh, yeah, I guess that’s right, humans do say that.
The quickest way to win them over is through their stomachs, huh?
…Hmm, planning to slowly invade by charming the humans?
Interesting, really interesting.
Maybe I should just stay here forever. I don’t necessarily have to go back just because he called me, right?
…Eh? You’re happy about that? You.
You’re just too cute!
…So, you want to serve fish dishes too.
Then leave it to me! Fish, right? The sea isn’t too far from here. I’ll bring back plenty of fresh ones!
…Ah, got it.
He’s the meat supplier, huh?
Wow, not bad, Tokoyo. How did you manage to sweet-talk Ketorami? You’ll have to teach me later.
But, he finds Tokoyo cute, huh? Haha, you do have your charming moments.
…Oops, looks like he’s back. Probably brought back some amber deer.
You should go check on him.
…Ufufufu, do your best, Tokoyo.
If you’re going to do it, might as well make this whole world yours. It’s sure to be interesting!
And so, the Maid Dolls began their invasion of this world.
