Sarina closed the door that was in front of her. She had just given some advice to the young master of the Fang family. This was a fortunate opportunity for her; Sarina thought her luck was pretty good this time. To be able to share some of her capabilities outside of being a simple maid was something she had been looking for.

  Jinto, the young master of the Fang family, would value her as a reliable asset in the future if she continued to demonstrate competence, and in turn, her reputation and standing within the house would soar. As of now, it could be said that she was the lowest, for being the youngest in the household. Promotions regularly went by seniority. For example, if the matron were to resign, the next in line would be Lisa, the most senior maid out of Sarina and Kylina.

  Sarina walked over her short hallway, passing by two doors and heading downstairs. She arrived at the kitchen, which, within the house, was about double the size of a servant’s room.

  On the short side of the kitchen, there lay a counter made out of marble with swirls of greyish-black forming an intricate pattern. At its left corner, there was a concave space filled with water to put dirty dishes. Next to the counter was a stove made out of bricks. At the bottom, there were five squarish holes to place charcoal, each forming a compartment. At the top, a similar squarish hole sat in place; it was big enough to hold a medium pan. The holes contained metal bars to prevent the pans from falling in.

  To the sides, there were big racks that stored the cutlery of the household. Small, medium, and large plates could be seen, as well as forks, spoons, and knives, along with pans and pots that were stored upside down. Near the entrance, a cooler artifact stood tall, about the height of a normal adult male. It had two compartments—one for freezing and the other for storing food at a lower temperature—each with an appropriate handle to grasp. On its opposite side, a brick open oven revealed itself with a deep open compartment, making it perfect for baking bread.

  Sarina entered the kitchen, and the hot, fragrant air consumed her at once. By the stove, Lisa handled two pans—one containing fish and the other boiling vegetables. By the side, the matron had just finished taking a pie out of the brick oven. Kylina had yet to return from informing the other two young masters that the food was almost ready to be served.

  Sarina went to the counter where she had chopped slices of cheese and bread. There lay a chef’s knife and a serrated knife.

  “I’ve informed the young master.”

  “Good.” The matron nodded as she wiped the sweat that had accumulated on her forehead due to the oven in front of her. She then, with the oven mittens, arrived at the counter next to Sarina. The pie exuded steam, its lattice pastry crisscrossing horizontally and vertically, creating a surface with squares that subtly revealed the inside of the pie.

  Sarina walked to the side where the racks were and took out a large plate, about the size of a newborn child. She placed it on the counter and carefully laid the cheese slices in a pattern. The two cheeses had different colors, creating a stark contrast. Sarina arranged them so that the colors wouldn't repeat. At the edges, she placed pieces of the bread she had sliced.

  Once she was done, she asked, “Where's the cart?”

  Right at that moment, Kylina entered, pushing the cart with both hands.

  “Right here as you ordered, madam,” Kylina said sarcastically.

  “Took you long enough.” Sarina then placed the plate she had just neatly arranged into the cart.

  “Sarina, fetch some plates,” Lisa, who was at the stove, said. She saw that some of the food on the stove was about to be done, but she couldn't be bothered to handle it now, as she was occupied with cooking.

  “Got it.”

  While Sarina went to fetch the plates, Kylina arrived at the stove next to Lisa. She opened the lids of the dishes she was instructed to tend to the simmered potatoes in beef stock and stew with beef.

  With a towel, she grabbed the handle of one pan and placed it on the counter, away from the fire. She followed the same motion with the other one.

  The matron placed the freshly baked pie into the cart, along with some cutlery. Then, alongside Sarina, she carried some plates to serve the food that Kylina had finished preparing.

  Sarina arrived at the counter, spreading out four plates, and, with Kylina’s help, they plated the food. Each time they finished a plate, they placed it on the cart to free up space. The matron placed the stacked plates she had carried and helped Sarina and Kylina.

  Noticing that they were done, Lisa placed the pot and pan down and began plating on the counter. The other maids had already left the kitchen to transport the cart to the dining table, so Lisa just waited a bit until the matron and Kylina arrived to place the remaining dishes on the cart.

  “Finally done.” Lisa felt exhausted. She had gardened, cleaned, cooked, and organized all day. Now she just wanted to fall into temptation which was called sleep.

  Kylina exhaled in an exaggerated manner and said, “Yeah, at least the day is at its end. Soon enough, I'll say hello to my bed.”

  The matron clapped her hands. “No time for chit-chat, now it's time to finish arranging the table.”

  Kylina and Lisa rolled their eyes internally, but outwardly, they executed simultaneously, “Yes, Matron.”

  Kylina pushed the cart as the matron walked ahead, and Lisa was by her side. In a short while, they arrived at the long dining table. Lisa and Kylina arranged the plates from the cart.

  Teren, Kalser, Ralliere, and company from the household were already seated at the table, dabbling in small chatter as they waited for everything to be arranged.

  Sarina helped Lisa and Kylina arrange the plates as the matron stood behind the seat of honor, overseeing the maids quietly.

  “Let us begin,” Teren said as he scooped up his fork.

  The maids stood by the side, watching the family eat.

  Jinto picked up his fork and knife. He was about to slice a piece of the pie in front of him and place it onto the small plate beside his larger one. As he sliced the pie, he heard:

  “Jinto, I’ve heard you've been training diligently at the training grounds. Although it is good to do so, remember not to push to the point of excessiveness. Even water, at large rates, can be deadly.”

  Jinto nodded. “I’ll take your words to heart.”

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  “And even if effort is put in, sometimes the heavens will betray you, ultimately leaving you with an undesired outcome,” Teren said as he poked a potato from his plate into his mouth.

  “Yes, but you don't need to worry. The chances of heaven abandoning those who put in effort are marginally small, though still possible. Even if it abandons me, so what? In the end, one can only depend on their own abilities.” Jinto swallowed his food.

  Teren spoke with deep meaning. While he was at the hotel’s restaurant, he overheard some youths discussing a supposed bet between his son and the young master of the Joto family. Although he didn't know its contents, he spoke those words, as a competition regarding magic would ultimately be determined by who had the better fissure. He wanted to remind his son that the world wasn’t fair. He didn’t outright mention the bet, as it wasn’t necessary—after all, it was a battle between juniors; the family didn’t need to know of it. Hearing Jinto’s words quelled his worries deeply. He knew his son wouldn’t say something unnecessary.

  Teren, slicing off a piece of beef with his knife, said, “It seems this old man still needs to learn.” He nodded satisfactorily to himself.

  “Why are these two talking so vaguely? If they don't want to say it, just keep it to yourselves!” Kalser wanted to spit out his tongue. He was curious but decided not to poke the beast. Instead, he spoke: “I heard wolves near the mortal villages have been killing cattle. If this continues, the prices of dairy and meat will rise. It seems another tide beast is lurking. Hopefully, the clan sends a team to exterminate them and find their lair before they cause any more ruckus.”

  Ralliere, picking up a piece of bread with cheese, nodded. “Has the mission been posted by the clan yet?”

  “It should be. Such matters are important,” Kalser chewed.

  “It seems this year’s beast tide is going to be a little bigger than last, or it could just be some wild animals. I hope for the latter.” Ralliere put forth his opinion on the matter.

  The maids by the side listened, a little shocked. Normally, every five or so years, mostly during winter, wild beasts would come to invade the estate for food. In the world, it was law, but seeing as signs were already taking place during spring was quite abnormal.

  After some more chatter, the maids began taking the plates back to the cart as the family had left to attend to their matters.

  …

  Night descended upon the estate. The bright moon hung in the sky as if it was overseeing the world.

  The maids were done for the day. The three of them gathered at the servant’s hall, a place in which domestic workers could spend their time. They would wait here if all duties were done for the day but remain attentive if things still needed to be done.

  In the room, there was a table with newspapers and books. In the front, a half-opened window sat on the wall. The wind from the night slightly came through, making the curtains move in response. The ceiling hung a device to place a candle to illuminate the room. Behind the table, there was an unassuming couch, dark blue in color, that could fit six people at a time. Sarina sat next to Kylina while Lisa stood behind the couch.

  “Close that window, it's a bit too chilly in here.” Kylina shuddered.

  “Don't move like that.” Lisa grew a little impatient as she restarted the line section of Kylina’s hair with a rattle comb.

  “Watch out, she might just rip your hair out.” Sarina smiled as she got up, took a detour from the table, and began to head for the window.

  Lisa smiled. “Now sit tight.” With the rattle comb, she made a line down the middle of Kylina’s hair.

  “Have you seen those dresses at ‘Night Owl’s’?” Kylina asked.

  Lisa responded in turn: “Yes, I’ve heard the store got quite popular amongst the ladies. Even the young miss, Melissa, talked about it.”

  Kylina smiled. “I've been saving up a little bit.” Then she sighed and said, “Although it sucks that we can only wear those ugly colors.”

  Lisa closed one eye to make sure the line she had just made was straight.

  “That’s unless you—”

  Kylina interrupted: “Marry one of the clan members.” She then clasped her hands and put them next to her face and daydreamed: “Just watch, after I leave this position, a prince from a kingdom will sweep me off my feet and make me his princess, haha. I promise I won't forget you guys!”

  Sarina sat back down, interlocking her hands and putting them between her legs.

  “Who has been feeding you delusions?”

  Lisa laughed lightly. After confirming that the line section was straight, she began to comb the left side of Kylina’s hair while she left the other section in a ponytail.

  “Who needs enemies when I have friends like this?” Kylina rolled her eyes. “Okay, maybe not a prince, but at least someone from the clan. Then I’ll have my own maids and not have to eat leftovers.”

  Mortals marrying into the clan was quite common. Clan members didn’t discriminate against beauty, after all. The clan emphasized population and even gave grants to those who had children—fifteen mana stones per child.

  “You hope to lure a husband with a dress, huh?” Lisa asked as she combed.

  “Of course, you should try the same.” Kylina tilted her head up. “You're getting up there in age; you don’t want to end up like the Matron, now do ya?”

  Lisa, unaffected by her words, said, “You think you are in a position to insult? Mind you, I have your hair.” She put her index finger on her chin and pretended to think: “Hypothetically, imagine if someone was to pull your hair off? Bald Kylina? Now, now, let's keep it nice.”

  “Big sister Lisa, you are truly the most splendid maid amongst the maids. I wish you millions of wishes!”

  “Bringing the conversation to kingdoms, the Almer Kingdom announced that they have finally given birth to an heir,” Sarina changed the topic.

  “Hehe, the king must be excited. After many years, his ‘seed’ has finally worked. Now he won’t have to bring in collateral relatives to fill the position.”

  “Kylina, with such a mouth, don't even think about finding an esteemed magician as your pair.” Lisa playfully scolded. She had finished combing her hair out. She then made a smaller triangular section, placed the rattle comb in her mouth as a placeholder, and began to split the subsection into three parts, interlocking them in a consistent manner.

  After some more chatter, Lisa finished working on Kylina’s hair.

  Grabbing the small mirror with her right hand, she looked at herself, overlooking the French braids: “Very good job, Lisa. Wouldn’t expect less from our personal hairdresser.”

  Lisa closed her eyes. “Yes, now this hairdresser will excuse herself to bed.”

  With goodnights plastered in the air, they all bid farewell as they arrived at their respective rooms.

  Sarina, with a lit candle for some visibility, switched out of her maid outfit, putting on her white nightgown. After neatly arranging her maid clothes into the cabinet, she then blew out the candle.

  In the darkness, she got down in a plank position and started to push against the ground. After she staggered to the ground in muscle failure, she got up. She began to run in place, simulating as if she was outside, but she ran stationary. After sweat had accumulated and she reached her limit, she then again got into a plank position and started to push. Then, she laid on her back against the floor and raised both of her legs to stimulate her core. She continued this routine for some time until she was exhausted.

  As of now, Sarina’s body was at its weakest since she had not awakened her fissure. Every night she would do this routine to reach an appropriate strength level. As a magician, it was required to have an appropriate level of fitness. Even if one didn’t specialize in close combat, magicians at the lower circles would often rely on their endurance and strength in battles.

  After she was done, she breathed heavily. Sweat no longer accumulated as she had opened the window that sat in front of her small desk. In the dark room, she stared at the ceiling, which, if visible, one could see the marking of the wood it was made out of. After spending about thirty minutes in silent, solitary darkness, she got up from her bed, bent down, and reached for what was under it. She put it on her desk.

  She grasped a bowl that was covered in cloth, it was the concoction she had made not long ago. She had let it ferment for a day, and the following night, late at night, she made her way into the kitchen and boiled the syrup into a solid mass. She wasn’t worried if she got caught cooking such a thing, as the excuse of brewing some tea to fall asleep could be used. She made sure to clean the pot she had used profusely. There could be no evidence left behind.

  With a tinderbox, she lit the candle once again, lighting the room in a soft, warm glow. In silence, she made her way to the cabinet, disregarded her nightgown, and put on her casual vestment, which was a long grey skirt accompanied by a blouse and a bodice. She made sure that the laces from the bodice fit appropriately, grabbed the bowl from the desk before blowing out the candle, and made her way to leave the house.