A Girl’s Burden and a Mercenary’s Hope

Mrs. Sanders chuckled softly. “There’s no need for repayment. Now that you’re alive, simply live well as a girl.”

‘Ah, could she perhaps change her request? This one felt rather challenging. Having never been a girl before, Iordera lacked any experience in the matter.’

Iordera’s lips parted, yet after much hesitation, the words remained unsaid.

“Now, listen to me…”

****

As night gave way to day, the caravan pressed onward, heading towards its next destination.

The warehouse, along with the rest of the caravan, journeyed through various cities, constantly moving from place to place.

Iordera closed her eyes, curling herself within the confines of the box, and began her long wait.

She required no oxygen and no sustenance when inactive, existing much like a truly lifeless doll.

‘That day, after the failed attempt to market me to the Count’s family, the Countess concluded that no noble below the rank of Marquis could afford my selling price.’

‘Consequently, she decided to take me to the final few stops, where she would introduce me to the powerful grand nobles who held sway over their own territories. Until then, I would no longer be put on display.’

These were Mrs. Sanders’s words to her that night.

‘In a few more days, we will reach a city called Juneburg, which will be the most suitable place for your escape.’

Until then, all she needed to do was fold her limbs and wait silently within the box.

“But it’s truly so boring.”

‘Iordera mused, Teacher Zhao Benshan (TL Note: A famous Chinese comedian) once said that life spans but a few decades; we bring nothing into this world and take nothing out. Only this small box, it seems, is your eternal home.’

‘Considering it, having a home in advance wasn’t so bad after all.’

She comforted herself with this thought.

It was late that night when Mrs. Sanders arrived at the warehouse with two maids—the very same ones who had helped move things last time.

“Hush, keep quiet and speak softly. And don’t be so quick to interrupt; listen carefully until I’m finished.”

However, her concern was clearly unwarranted; the two maids were yawning incessantly, their eyes barely open, utterly devoid of energy, and certainly in no mood to speak.

Mrs. Sanders couldn’t help but scold them. “Look at the two of you! Do you even resemble proper maids?”

‘More like two good-for-nothings who only know how to make rice more expensive.’

Nina, the elder of the two, though still not yet eighteen, replied with a hint of grievance. “We’ve truly tried our best, but there’s nothing we can do.”

“We just can’t muster the energy,” Yuna, the younger maid with a well-developed bust, added.

Mrs. Sanders was so exasperated she didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

“You two are the epitome of gluttony and idleness; your only redeeming quality is your good looks.”

“Isn’t that good?” Nina said cheerfully. “At least we have one advantage.”

“No one is perfect; having something good is enough.”

Mrs. Sanders let out an exasperated laugh. “Don’t think this is a good thing. I just received news that the Countess plans to sell both of you off in a few stops.”

Nina blinked. “Sell us to work for others? That’s fine, just moving to a different place to muddle through…”

“Sell you off as wives,” Mrs. Sanders’s eyes widened. “To become concubines for noble lords.”

The two maids instantly jolted awake, their sleepiness vanishing completely.

“No, that’s unacceptable! How can they sell us? Mrs. Sanders, are you joking?”

“Silly girls, this is a caravan, and the Countess is a merchant. Is there anything that cannot be sold?”

Nina’s mouth instantly pouted, and tears welled in her eyes. “No, we can’t! We only want to be maids our entire lives.”

Yuna nodded in agreement. “Maid’s body, maid’s soul.”

“You just want to idle away your days, making it sound so noble.”

Mrs. Sanders sighed. “I’ve found a companion for you two. In a few days, you’ll cooperate with each other and escape together. After that, you’ll have to stop idling so much and actually do some work.”

Nina paused, bewildered. “A companion? Who is it?”

Mrs. Sanders brought the box over and opened its lid, prompting the two maids to rush forward and peer inside.

The doll, with its limbs twisted and neck folded, exchanged glances with them—they looked at the doll, and the doll looked back.

It even blinked.

Nina, startled, plopped onto the ground. “Sh-sh-she’s alive?”

“I’m shattered,” Yuna murmured, slumping softly onto Nina.

Iordera climbed out of the box, attempting a friendly introduction. “Hello, it’s a pleasure to meet you. My name is…”

“Iordera, right? The Countess always said you were an alchemical doll that could move on its own; turns out she wasn’t exaggerating,” Nina interjected, having regained her composure. “A pleasure, a pleasure indeed.”

Yuna slowly sat up, pressing her palms together in a respectful bow. “No offense intended.”

Iordera choked slightly, feeling a touch awkward.

‘So, everyone already knows me?’

Mrs. Sanders explained, “These two occasionally come to the warehouse to help out. They’ve seen you before and have assisted with your cleaning and moving, among other chores.”

“Oh, I see…” Iordera scratched her head.

‘So her role here was akin to a Barbie doll, and everyone present had participated in her maintenance, was that it?’

“You’ll have a higher chance of success escaping with them, and then you can keep them to serve you. They might be a bit lazy, but they can handle everyday household chores, and they can manage simple cleaning if the house isn’t too large. I hope you won’t find them a burden,” Mrs. Sanders stated her purpose.

“Wait a minute,” Iordera said, feeling a little confused. “But I know nothing about the outside world, and I have nowhere to go myself.”

‘Moreover, being penniless, how could I support two maids? Was I supposed to sell myself?’

‘Though, I suppose I am quite valuable…’

Honestly, if she could help, Iordera was quite willing to assist the two maids.

It wasn’t because they were beautiful girls, but because if they didn’t escape, the two of them would be sold as concubines to noble lords, while she herself would be sold as a doll to a noble lord.

‘They might even be sold to the same lord, forming a complete ‘family bucket’ combo (TL Note: A humorous reference to a fast-food meal deal).’

Therefore, as fellow unfortunates adrift in the world, she would certainly help if she could, empathizing with their plight. However, she could barely protect herself at the moment and lacked the ability to do so.

Mrs. Sanders said, “You don’t need to worry; I’ve made preparations.”

She rummaged in a corner and produced a small, exquisitely crafted black box, adorned with a crystal.

“This is an energy detector. We tested you before, and you have some energy within your body, roughly around level seventeen. This level indicates that you can find work at the mercenary guild and earn money more easily than ordinary people.”

“I see.”

Iordera breathed a sigh of relief, realizing she possessed some strength after all, and was not merely an unarmed ordinary person.

‘Though her current level was not high, her future held great promise!’

Mrs. Sanders handed the crystal box to Iordera. “This is for you.”

Iordera grew excited. “I understand! This item will allow me to discern the strengths and weaknesses of enemies and monitor my own growth and improvement at any time.”

‘It’s just like the Pokédex Professor Oak gave Ash (TL Note: 小智, ‘Ash’ in the English version of Pokémon) when he left Pallet Town (TL Note: 真新镇, ‘Pallet Town’ in the English version of Pokémon)!’

She inserted a finger, and after feeling a tingling sensation inside, the crystal refracted one thick beam of light and seven thin ones.

‘Presumably, this indicated level seventeen.’

“You’ve misunderstood,” Mrs. Sanders said with a laugh. “There are many valuable items in the warehouse, but most are quite rare and easily traceable. Energy detectors are more common, yet still worth a good amount. You can take this one and sell it as a used item to the mercenary guild; you’ll at least get some travel funds.”

“Ah, I see,” Iordera paused, taken aback. “So if my level increases later and I want to check it…”

“You can check it anytime at the mercenary guild,” she replied. “When you accept a job there, they’ll test you.”

“Alright… So, how much money can it fetch?”

Nina, standing nearby, chimed in. “A used energy detector can probably sell for about twenty gold coins.”