[5] The Aozaki Residence

"Wear this set of clothes for now."

After returning to the residence, Roy found a shirt and a pair of trousers from a side room and handed them to Utaha. Seeing her shivering from the cold, he also gave her a down jacket.

"There aren't any clothes here that fit your age. I'll take you to buy some tomorrow. For today, just make do with these."

Utaha took the clothes and went to the adjacent room to change out of her dusty high school uniform and the torn stockings. She put on the classic office-style outfit Roy had given her.

Although it was a bit plain, it fit her size well enough. After putting it on, the chest area was slightly loose, as if it had been stretched by someone else.

"What should I do?"

After changing, she returned to the living room and asked Roy.

"Cleaning, laundry, and the like."

Roy sat comfortably at a kotatsu in the center of the living room, looking very relaxed.

In front of him were several paper documents. As he browsed through them, he answered Utaha's question.

"The yard is quite large, and since I live alone, cleaning is always a hassle. That's why I decided to go to the refugee shelter to find a servant. You'll be in charge of cleaning. You should be able to handle that, right?"

"I understand."

Utaha nodded and, following Roy's instructions, found the cleaning tools and headed to the yard to start cleaning.

"...You don't need to worry about the lawn. Just clean the open areas."

Utaha paused, then picked up the broom and began sweeping the fallen leaves and debris from the stone-paved ground in the open area facing the gate.

"...There's no need to sweep all the leaves into the dustpan. Just sweep them onto the lawn on the side."

Utaha's breathing hitched slightly, and she awkwardly brushed a strand of hair from her temple. Following Roy's instructions, she swept the leaves onto the grass on either side of the path.

If you looked closely, her grip on the broom wasn't quite right either.

Before long, her breathing became heavier.

Well, she'll figure it out on her own.

Roy turned his attention back to the documents in front of him.

"Guard duty mission and the farmland curse removal mission... The guard duty mission is more dangerous since it requires leaving the city, while the farmland curse removal is more labour-intensive..."

After some thought, Roy signed his name on the guard duty mission.

Not long after, Utaha finished cleaning the yard and moved on to the entrance and living room. After dusting, she carried a bucket of water to the hallway and began scrubbing the floor.

The sky began to take on a dusky hue, making the already polluted atmosphere look even more like a demonic realm.

Utaha sat on the tatami mat, breathing heavily. Sweat dripped from her forehead, down her cheeks, and disappeared into the hollow of her collarbone. Her shirt was soaked through, faintly revealing the outline of her undergarments.

She glanced around the residence, feeling a wave of helplessness wash over her.

After two or three hours, she had finally managed to roughly clean the front yard and the living room.

The bedrooms, kitchen, and storage areas were still untouched.

Surely she wasn't expected to finish cleaning everything today, was she?

She cautiously glanced toward the kotatsu in the living room but didn't see anyone there. Instead, the sound of a spatula clanging against a pan came from the kitchen, and the faint aroma of food wafted through the air.

Her stomach growled, and Utaha couldn't help but cover it, feeling both embarrassed and unable to resist her body's instincts. She swallowed hard.

She had been suddenly transported to this world, escorted back to the city by the guards, and hadn't eaten for a long time. After tirelessly doing work she wasn't used to, she was now both exhausted and starving.

"Let's eat first."

Roy came out of the kitchen carrying dishes and called out to her.

Shiyu didn't bother with unnecessary formalities and quickly sat down at the dining table. She was slightly surprised by the food on the table.

"Chinese cuisine?"

"The authentic kind. It's a personal preference."

Utaha looked at the table: braised pork chops, scrambled eggs with tomatoes, stir-fried three delicacies, and seaweed egg drop soup. Three dishes and a soup—not a lavish spread, but the aroma was enticing.

A short while later, the girl leaned back in her chair, her stomach noticeably fuller, her posture far from graceful.

She was certain now—it was indeed authentic.

"Tired?"

Seeing her lying there weakly, Roy didn't push her further. He picked up the dishes and headed to the kitchen.

"Just not used to it yet."

Utaha defended herself.

"Well, the house is quite large. Don't push yourself too hard. There aren't many people here, so it's fine to lower the standards a bit."

Roy's voice came from the kitchen, separated by just a wall. His tone was understanding and gentle.

"I'm a Frame-rank magus. This rank only allows me to choose one servant per month. This month, just get used to things. Next month, I'll find you a helper."

Having a helper would be a huge relief.

Utaha didn't respond, but she felt a sense of relief.

However, she also became curious about something else.

"Frame rank... is that a low rank? What kind of rank is it?"

"Literally the lowest. There are seven ranks for magi: Grand, Brand, Pride, Fes, Cause, and then Count and Frame. I'm the lowest, Frame."

He sounded quite frank about it.

Not the type to be overly sensitive about his rank or treat it as a taboo subject.

"Is it based on strength? Are magic levels divided the same way?"

Utaha felt she might have touched on something too personal and quickly added, "If it's something you can't talk about, then forget it."

"In the past, it wasn't something we could talk about, but now it's different."

Roy's tone remained as gentle as before, completely nonchalant.

"In the past, magi were more like researchers. Ranks were based on achievements in magical research—similar to academic levels like undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral students. There was also a strict confidentiality rule. If ordinary people found out about magic, there were even organizations dedicated to silencing them... But after the Great Cataclysm ten years ago, magi abandoned half of the confidentiality rules and reluctantly stepped into the spotlight. The criteria for ranks also started to include strength."

The reason he said "half" was because the confidentiality rules weren't completely abandoned.

To most citizens, magic was still at the level of an urban legend.

After all, as everyone knows, in the Type-Moon universe, the more people know about magic, the weaker it becomes. The total amount of mystery is finite, so the fewer people who know, the more one can control.

But in reality, during periods in history when the human population was much smaller, the existence of magic was almost common knowledge. This was because magic itself is a technique for manipulating concepts. If all of humanity forgot about magic, the concept of magic would disappear, and magic itself would naturally cease to exist.

So, to ensure the continuation of magic, a certain number of people must know about its existence and pass down the concept.

Now, with the global population less than 100 million, it's no longer necessary to enforce strict secrecy as in the past.

***

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