Swordsmaster Fox-girl

“Oi, Esty, it’s time.”

‘Esty….?’

Not going to lie, I loved that nickname. B-But it was only because Nira said it, o-okay?

Anyways, I woke up to Nira running her fingers through my hair. I purred and nuzzled my face in her neck.

“What time is it?”

“Just after noon.”

“Nnnn….”

I stood up and stretched my arms. Nira was still in bed when I finished dressing up. I walked to the door and placed my hand on the handle.

Hesitating for a bit, I turned back to look at Nira.

“Come on, not even a goodbye kiss?”

“Fine, you needy bitch.”

Nira chuckled and made her way toward me. She pressed her lips against mine for a long moment before disappearing.

{I’ll be sleeping again now. Call me if you need something}

“Nn!”

–

 

I made my way to the dining area of the inn, but the lady at the reception desk called me over.

“You’re Miss Esther Raze, right?”

“Indeed….”

“Someone left a message for you.”

I silently received the piece of paper and read through it.

-Ma’am, it’s me, Jeanne. Since Ms. Dinva and Mr. Schimitel cannot write, I’m writing this letter in their stead. First off, I would like to apologize for trying to steal your stuff when we first met. I really do! You’re probably wondering why we decided to leave you a letter, so I’m not going to delay it any longer!

Mr. Schimitel has discussed it with us and we decided that we would leave this city to make your choice easier. He realized that it would be too selfish of him if he influenced you to choose our group instead of a stable future at the Viscount’s estate.

I really enjoyed my time with you, and so is Mr. Schimitel and Ms. Dinva. 

We three want to tell you that if you’re ever bored of your servant life and ever come across us again, we’ll happily welcome you.

May we meet again

 

P.S: Dinva wanted me to tell you that Schimitel did it but she’s actually the one who paid for your room-

 

“Ah…. Stupid fucks.”

I chuckled to myself and opened my locket. Then, I carefully folded the piece of paper and placed it inside.

‘Those idiots…. But I can’t blame them.’

Commoners who had never experienced noble life like them probably thought that being a servant of a noble was something very great.

In actuality, everything had its ups and downs.

‘Hehe, really, you’re lucky that I decided to join the Viscount on my own.’

If I didn’t, I’d probably be really pissed. 

I snapped myself out of my thoughts and flicked the receptionist 5 Silvers as a tip. Then, I exited the inn and looked at the sky.

I still had some time left before the deadline. So, I decided to go get my hair cut.

‘Something waist-length is fine, right?’

My hair had already grown to my heels, so it was a hassle every time I wanted to take a bath. 

“Just get it trimmed please. Leave the fringes alone.”

“Ah, I see. The fringes will cover up your burns a bit.”

That wasn’t really my intention, but I decided not to comment on it.

“But don’t you want to get your hair styled? It’ll be—”

“Just trim it to waist-length, please. Styling my hair every morning will be a hassle.”

“But it’s a good trade-off for being beautiful!”

Well, she was right. But unfortunately for her….

“I’m the type to be beautiful regardless.”

It was pure arrogance. Fortunately, the hairdresser seemed to be swept up by my confidence and did as I asked.

Since my hair was so long, and the hairdresser insisted on being meticulous, I knew that it was going to take at least an hour.

I closed my eyes to rest. When I opened them again, everything was done. I stared at myself in the mirror and nodded in satisfaction.

“Ah, Miss Fox-girl, before you leave!”

The hairdresser took out a bottle full of some weird elastic bands.

“These are for tying your hair. Don’t worry about the cost, it’s free!”

“I see….”

Unfortunately, I didn’t know how to tie my hair. Maybe Nira did, but I’d have to ask her when she woke up.

“Can you do it for me?”

“...! Of course!”

It didn’t take a minute for the hairdresser to tie my hair up into a beautiful bun. I gave her 20 Silvers as tips and left her store.

I still had ample time left, but since I didn’t have anything else to do, I decided to go to the Southern gate right away.

“Oh! I knew you’d come!”

The viscount shouted as soon as he saw me. He waved me over, so I did. 

“So….”

“Ahaha, don’t worry too much for now. We’ll discuss the details once we arrive at my estate.”

The viscount led me to a carriage that looked plained, unlike his own carriage. It still seemed a little too much for a mere soon-to-be servant like me, but I wasn’t complaining.

He then gave me a map of his territory.

“I suggest you study this map as we go. It’ll be useful.”

I gave him a curt bow while lifting the hem of my skirt.

“Thank you, master.”

“Ohoho, how elegant. Are you sure you’re just a simple Mercenary?”

“Everyone has a past, master.”

“Mmm, if you say so.”

The Viscount respected me and withdrew from my carriage. As soon as the door closed, a smile crept up my lips.

“Hehe~ I guess my years serving Emelia didn’t go to waste.”

I was definitely more suited to act as a butler. Of course, having been Emelia’s servant and interacting with more maids that I’d have liked to, I picked up a thing or two here and there.

My carriage shook. The horses started to move. I looked outside the window and watched the orange glow of the setting sun for a bit before unfurling the map the Viscount gave me.

“...Interesting.”

Though, a bit confusing. The Viscount’s estate was situated on top of a cliff, which was a bad idea if he wanted the place to be safe.

If some bad guys decided to attack his estate, there would be nowhere to run.

But I soon ignored the estate and directed my attention toward the settlements in his territory. There were only four settlements in total, and they were all villages.

Two of them focused on farming, one on hunting and selling monster parts, and one on fishing.

Honestly, this guy should’ve been a Baron, not a Viscount. His territory looked so poor that I had to wonder if he actually had enough money to pay the salary he promised.

“Eh, I can just run to the capitol and report it to someone if he really doesn’t pay me as promised.”

And with that assurance in my mind, I leaned back against my seat and hummed, enjoying my last moments before entering the Viscount’s estate.