4th Day (4) | Well Then... Let's Build A Well! (4)

"I-I understand..." Anastasia complied with her butler's request.

The redheaded noble then focused her 'enhanced' mana-sensing eyes on the sight in front of her. Her vision was still filled with the same glow as before... and she was starting to question her butler's wish...

However, something caught her attention—!

There was a patch of land in the far distance where, instead of the same brown and dark green hues, this time, it glowed a different color...!

"W-what is that?" She hesitated, finding an anomaly among the anomalous. "There's something... different about that part of the land..."

"I see..." Sebas mused, a small smile appearing on his face. "Care to explain what you are seeing, my lady?"

"That part over there... is blue."

"Blue, you say?"

"Yes... an odd blue hue glow that is radiating and contrasting against the other glow around it," she noted, her voice wavering with a mix of awe and confusion.

"Is that so?" he asked, earning a nod from the mistress. "With that in mind, could you imagine why that particular patch of land is glowing blue, my lady?"

"W-what do you mean, Sir Sebas?"

"I'm just asking if you know why that would be blue instead of another color," he explained. "Then let me ask you another question: What color is the grass and ground emitting in your eyes other than that patch of land again?"

"A-ah, yes. The ground itself glows an earthy brown and... the grass is dark green, like a plant's color... wait—!" She quickly realized his intention! "The colors! It represents an element! Which means—!"

Sebas let out a smile of approval at her finding as she quickly scanned back to that particular patch of land once more.

"...Water!"

"Correct, my lady~."

"A-are you truly serious, Sir Sebas...?" she asked, her voice rising with the beat of her heart. "Does that patch of land... truly contain water...?!"

Sebas could tell the excitement that was apparent in her words, and it brought a smile to the butler. "Yep, that's water alright."

His approval brought a smile to the young noblewoman; the feeling of triumph welling up inside her.

Anastasia's heart raced with excitement, and without another thought, she rushed forward toward the glowing patch of land.

She lifted the hem of her long red dress, her steps quick and determined as her eyes locked on the destination ahead...!

"L-Lady Anastasia?!"

"M-my Lady?!?"

Her two female servants, Bella and Martha, exchanged a quick glance before darting after her, their footsteps frantic as they struggled to keep up.

"W-wait, my lady!"

"Where are you going, Your Grace?!?"

They hadn't expected their mistress to start running out of nowhere, especially not with such urgency.

Sebas, who had been watching with mild amusement, let out a soft chuckle at their frantic running. The butler wasn't really concerned, and instead, he walked casually after them.

The closer she got, the brighter the blue glow became, and she felt a surge of triumph in her chest... and finally, Anastasia came to a stop at the glowing patch of land...!

"This is it...!" she exclaimed loudly, as if she had discovered a hidden treasure!

Bella and Martha arrived at her side, breathless from their chase—especially the blonde maid, who had to take a moment to catch her breath, her hand resting on her chest.

"L-Lady Anastasia...! What's going on? Why did you run off like that, my lady?" Martha asked, her voice tinged with concern.

The mistress turned toward her two loyal servants, her face lit up with excitement, her eyes sparkling.

"This spot right here, Martha!" she said, her voice filled with confidence. "This is where we'll get our water!"

"H-huh...?!"

Bella and Martha exchanged puzzled glances, their confusion clear, before they turned back to the elated Anastasia.

"H-how can you be so sure, my lady...?" Bella asked, still catching her breath. "I-if I may ask, w-what makes you believe there's water beneath this spot of land...?"

"Allow me to answer your confusion, ladies~."

Just as they were about to voice more questions, the deliberate steps of their eccentric butler grew closer. As they all turned their attention to him, they were met with his usual grin.

"Our Lady Ana here can now see the glow of mana that's emanating from this godforsaken land, and it's no surprise that even the water, especially one that sits still and gets exposed to a ton of mana for a long time, would emit a similar glow."

"W-wait, what...?!" The knight was taken aback; never had she thought such a thing was possible. "Are you for real, Sir Butler?!"

Her skepticism was met with just a smirk of amusement from the butler.

"Exactly! The mana is the clue!" Her mistress suddenly chimed in, her excitement still overflowing. "This spot right here is saturated with the water's mana!"

Her two female servants stood still for a moment, still trying to process the whole thing—the butler's revelation and, especially, their mistress's enthusiasm.

They didn't fully understand how it worked, but seeing the certainty in Lady Anastasia's eyes made them trust her judgment.

"W-well, if my lady says so, then it must be true," Martha relented, nodding hesitantly.

"Ah, what~? You don't trust me, Miss Knight?" Sebas teased with a playful pout. "I thought you had been warming up to me..."

"W-wha—?! Don't get me wrong here, Sir Butler! This isn't about some trust issue!" She stammered, flustered. However, she then pointed an accusatory finger at him instead. "But even so—if you knew how to detect a water source yourself, why didn't you tell us in the first place?!"

"Hehe~, where's the fun in that if I just give you ladies everything from the get-go?"

"Y-you scoundrel butler...! Don't toy around with Lady Anastasia's life!"

Sebas merely let out a hearty laugh at her outburst, unfazed by her glare.

"Oh, don't be like that, Miss Knight~," he mused, waving a hand dismissively. "You'll hurt my poor heart."

"You damn butler...!"

She was about to shoot another retort, but... in the blink of an eye, that butler had pulled out a sturdy-looking shovel out of thin air!

"W-what, w-where did you—"

"Now then," he cut her off with a grin, resting the shovel over his shoulder. "Let's get to work, ladies. We're digging ourselves a well~."