The girl withdrew her scythe, the blade tracing a perfect arc as she elegantly positioned it at her side. That scythe's total length was actually several inches taller than the girl, yet she wielded it with ease, showing no inconvenience whatsoever.
Although she wore maid attire like me, the girl's maid outfit was very different in style from mine.
How should I describe it? Her collarbone and snow-white shoulders were completely exposed to the air, her full bosom was half-concealed and half-revealed; the corset outlined her waist to appear even more slender, while the maid skirt was so short that any slightly larger movements would easily cause exposure. The decorative lace trim was even more elaborate than mine; fine black garter stockings wrapped around her long, beautiful legs, and judging from the patterns on the edges of the garter stockings and long gloves, they were definitely expensive luxury items.
In other words, they were somewhat too extravagant for use on a maid. From this alone, you could tell that the scythe maid's master was of noble status, or perhaps showed particular favoritism toward her.
"Thank you very much..."
"Hmph, unable to handle such trash. As a fellow maid, I'm embarrassed for you."
The scythe maid swept her purple hair behind her ear, glaring with purple-red eyes, yet harsh words flowed from her thin cherry lips.
Speaking of which, the scythe maid's hair color was quite interesting—the tips somehow gradated to red, ultimately forming a color consistent with her pupils.
"Don't say that—Anna's already very tired."
Sigrdrífa couldn't help but speak up for me. The scythe maid paused, seeming to notice my severely fatigued state for the first time.
The scythe maid's expression softened somewhat, but she still glared at me unwillingly. Was it my imagination? Did she harbor hostility toward me? I was certain this was our first meeting.
"I have no obligation to praise you... Well, looking at it this way, it's passable—a passing grade, I suppose. You total... four people, plus one horse. Including the horse would exceed capacity, so abandoning it doesn't matter. That's decided then."
The scythe maid unilaterally decided to exclude Baron Trafalgar's mount, and a scroll appeared in her hand from thin air—she must have taken it from her storage space.
Seeing this scene, I decisively shot out chains.
"?!"
"You forgot to finish him off."
I explained to the scythe maid who had taken an attacking stance.
The scythe maid looked back to see that the adventurer who had appeared last—the one she had disemboweled with one strike—only died when hit by my chains.
That adventurer was probably the most skilled among this ambush group. The scythe maid's backstab was indeed a fatal wound, but stealth had a skill where after receiving fatal damage, HP wouldn't immediately drop to zero but would fall to 1, only reaching zero after some time or another attack. For adventurers with resurrection rights after death, this skill was especially useful, often allowing a final counterattack.
I saw his fingers move as if planning to attack, so I chose to strike first—it was just finishing him off anyway.
"Mind your own business! I could have handled it myself!"
"Sorry."
The scythe maid stomped her feet, seeming quite irritated by me.
"Anyway! You lack a refuge, correct?"
"Yes..."
"Be grateful! The brilliant, gentle, kind, and beautiful most noble big sister in the world has decided to extend a merciful hand and is willing to provide you with a place of shelter."
The scythe maid stated her purpose.
Sigrdrífa and I looked at each other, exchanging glances.
"May I ask, who is your big sister...?"
"I'll forgive your rudeness in forgetting to kneel and give thanks despite receiving big sister's favor. Big sister is big sister."
That's equivalent to saying nothing at all...
Someone who could afford to employ such a maid was most likely a person of considerable status and power. However, some adventurers had also become nobles, or were wealthy merchants. Given mine and Sigrdrífa's current state, if we accepted carelessly and walked into a trap, we'd be completely helpless.
The scythe maid seemed to realize our concerns, but she still didn't elaborate.
"I already said big sister is willing to protect you, even allowing me to use one of only two [Spatial Transfer] scrolls. Besides, you don't actually have the right to refuse—big sister didn't forbid me from using forceful means to take you away."
"Anna, more people are approaching."
If we continued to delay, the Black Eagle Mercenary Group would eventually surround us again.
The scythe maid had used the advanced magic [Shadow Dive] when she appeared, indicating she wasn't a maid with low combat ability. But even so, facing the Black Eagle Mercenary Group's overwhelming numbers, she couldn't hold out either.
Most importantly, the scroll in the scythe maid's hand... [Spatial Transfer]—it showed me the possibility of escaping to safety.
"Alright, we accept the invitation."
This was a desperate gamble with no other choice. I took Carol Cat while Sigrdrífa picked up Lily. She whistled to the horse, releasing temporary ownership. The legendary steed had the trait of an old horse knowing the way and would actively return to where its master usually stayed. I thought the Black Eagle Mercenary Group wouldn't specifically attack a legendary steed just passing by.
We stood beside the scythe maid as the [Spatial Transfer] scroll in her palm began to glow, and our group's figures immediately vanished from the wilderness.