46

Her name is Amy.

She's a worker who started working at Athena's mansion, captivated by Athena's noble charm.

Usually, she would be doing menial tasks around the mansion, but now—

'I… I can't believe I get to serve Lady Athena…!'

She was pulling the carriage carrying her mistress and the lady.

A carriage that, ordinarily, the coachman would have been driving.

But for some reason, the mistress had sought out a female servant who could handle the reins, and, having driven a carriage a few times in the past with her father, she found herself sitting in the coachman's seat.

Thump-thump—

Right behind her were the most beautiful lady in the world and the mistress she had respected all her life.

A situation that made her heart feel like it would burst.

But, knowing she couldn't afford a mistake from an overflow of emotion, she did her best to suppress her excitement and drive the carriage carefully.

After a considerable amount of time passed,

They finally reached their destination.

She halted the horses, stepped down from the coachman's seat, and gently knocked on the carriage door.

Knock, knock—

"Madam. We've arrived."

But all she got in return was an icy silence.

'…Are they asleep?'

She called Lady Athena again, but, again, there was no response.

Wondering if perhaps they were asleep, she leaned quietly against the carriage door to listen—

-Haa… Haah…!! Hyaaah…

The lady's excited, strangely enticing moans sounded from within.

'Co… Could it be… Is the lady unwell?'

An unsettling thought crossed her mind.

What if her poor driving had made the lady sick?

Her mind, clouded with negative thoughts, lost its ability to reason.

In the end, she opened door's box with her own hands.

Clunk—

"My Lady!! Are you alright?"

"Huh…?"

"Heuh?! Ah… Athena… There's… there's someone…!! Hyup…!"

Churrup— Chuup

"Hyup… Ah, wai…wait… Th-there's someone… Mhmm…!"

Smooch— Chuurrup—

She could only stare blankly at the scene before her.

The sight of two beautiful women entwined, their tongues mingling with each other.

The lady's face was flushed a deep red, her sweat glistening, adding to her allure, and Amy found herself unable to look away.

Thump, thump—

Eventually, as her mistress carefully pulled away, a thin, transparent line stretched between them.

"…Did I give you permission to open the door?"

The piercing gaze of her mistress sent shivers down her spine.

The spell cast by the lady's enchanting appearance was instantly broken by Athena's icy expression.

"I-I'm so sorry, Madam! There was no response, and I was worried, so I just…"

Without a word, her mistress seemed to notice something and, with a low growl, glanced downward.

"…You… how dare you…"

"Athena… let's just go outside, okay? I want some fresh air."

But before her mistress could continue, the lady intervened, stopping her.

After a long moment of watching her, the mistress finally sighed and stepped outside the carriage.

"This is why I chose a woman to drive us… Useless."

Only when her mistress and the lady walked away did she manage to look at herself.

Her heart was racing, her face burning.

And the mysterious liquid that dripped down between my legs and onto the ground.

"Uhhng!"

***

As soon as I stepped down from the carriage, I stretched out my stiff body.

Maybe it was from sitting all that time, but as I loosened up my tense muscles, a refreshed sound naturally escaped my lips.

I turned my head to take in the place we'd arrived at.

What came into view was a small town. It wasn't particularly impressive, but the bright lights and bustling atmosphere made it feel warm and cozy.

"Where are we?"

"Karman. It's a town near the eastern forest. We'll be staying here while we hunt the monsters."

"I see…"

For some reason, my heart pounded.

This was the first time I had been outside the mansion since practically becoming her servant.

The unfamiliar scenery, the new faces—everything felt fresh.

"Are we going to look for traces of the demons right away?"

Athena shook her head as she replied.

"No. It's already late. We'll go in the morning."

I secretly felt relieved.

After traveling all day by carriage, I was feeling a bit tired.

As if reading my thoughts, Athena spoke up.

"Let's head to the inn first. You must be tired, Hera."

…How thoughtful.

Sometimes, when I received Athena's kindness, I couldn't help but feel a warmth in my chest.

Feeling unexpectedly grateful, I interlocked my fingers with hers and gave her a cheerful smile.

"Okay!"

"The hero has arrived!!!"

"No need to worry about the monsters anymore!!"

"Ah…!! Thank goodness. I'm so relieved."

"We respect you, Lady Athena!!"

The whole town erupted at Athena's arrival.

Countless townspeople ran to her, looking at her with admiration.

Some reached out to shake her hand, while others knelt down on the ground, cheering.

For some, it would be an enviable sight. But to me, it looked rather overwhelming.

Yet, Athena walked among them calmly, as if she were used to it.

"Take us to the best inn here."

At her words, the townspeople eagerly led us to an inn.

In front of us stood a large building.

It was, indeed, the best inn; even from the outside, it looked distinctly different from other buildings.

It was grand in size, with well-maintained facilities. It was impressive enough that it wouldn't seem out of place even inside the Empire.

"I've never stayed at an inn before…"

Since I'd become possessed by this world, I'd never once stayed at an inn.

Even back in Drax, I'd always stayed at Dania's house.

"Huh… So your first stay will be with me?"

Athena spoke with a somewhat delighted smile.

'…It sounds a bit strange when you put it like that.'

Well, it wasn't wrong, though.

Just as we were about to enter the inn, Athena grabbed my arm.

"…Athena?"

I tilted my head, looking at her, and she smiled warmly at me.

"Hera. Could you wait here a moment? I need to speak to the innkeeper about the lodging fee."

A fee?

'Ah, is it about that?'

Once Robin was appointed as a hero, he no longer had to worry about money.

The cost of equipment repairs, lodging, meals—all of it was covered at no charge.

Since serving the hero brought great benefits to the town, there was no need to make him pay.

It seemed that Athena, being called the Empire's hero, received a similar privilege.

"Sure, I'll wait."

Athena, as if she found my answer endearing, patted my head and went into the inn.

Not even ten minutes later, she came back out with a soft smile.

"Yup. All done. Shall we go in?"

"..Mm."

But now that I think about it, was it really necessary to leave me waiting outside?

Did she discuss something important?

But since I wasn't particularly curious, I simply followed her into the inn.

"The rooms are mostly full!"

The innkeeper clasped his hands together and pleaded with Athena.

He was bowing his head in apology, sweating profusely as if he truly felt sorry.

So most of the rooms are full?

From the outside, this inn looked quite large. If it's filled to this extent, it must be incredibly popular.

Worried that Athena might get annoyed with him, I quickly spoke up before she could.

"Mostly full… does that mean there are still some rooms available?"

"Y-Yes, that's right. We have one single room left."

"Uh… well…"

"But… rest assured, the room is quite spacious! I guarantee it'll be comfortable for you."

The innkeeper looked at me with a pleading face, bowing deeply.

Is he really that eager for Athena to stay here?

Well… if we were in South Korea, she'd be a VVIP guest. I guess he doesn't want to miss out on this chance.

Hmm…

But even so, isn't a single room a bit too small?

It's two grown women staying, after all…

There'd only be one bed, right?

I felt a bit bad for the innkeeper, but it seemed like finding another place would be the better option.

The facilities here look nice, but since we'd be staying for almost a week, having a more spacious sleeping arrangement would be ideal.

"Still… I think having two beds would be better. Sorry."

"P-Please!! Please stay here! I promise to give you the best service! You won't regret it!!"

"Eek?!"

The innkeeper shouted in desperation, trembling as if he was genuinely scared of something.

Suddenly, he was frantically begging, his eyes filled with what looked like a trace of fear.

Athena, however, only smiled serenely.

"We'll offer complimentary meals, cover all accommodation fees, and even give you the finest liquor we have in storage!"

At this point, his fervent plea was becoming slightly intimidating.

His desperate gaze made me feel a little sympathetic.

'He must be struggling to make ends meet…'

Having worked part-time jobs here and there myself, I understand the struggles of business owners.

He must be doing this to protect his livelihood.

…If he's pleading this much, maybe it'll be okay?

I eventually decided to reconsider.

Looking at Athena, I asked,

"Uh… what do you think? I think it might be fine…"

But then again, even if I was okay with it, if she didn't like it, it wouldn't happen.

Athena's quite picky, so she'll probably decline.

"I'm too lazy to look for another place. Shall we just stay here?"

Huh?

And so, the two of us ended up sharing a single bed for the week.