[Good job with the cleaning!]

[Progress towards next level: 60%]

Fayette sighed as she heard the tell-tale ding of a system message. About damn time.

It had been weeks since she had last made any progress on her leveling, and she had started to get worried about stagnating. The message was however only a thin comfort—at this pace, there was no way she could make level 8 before the year's end. That would make me a laughingstock among the other maids. Should I be changing my approach somehow?

Fayette certainly felt that there was nothing wrong with her cleaning skills as she looked over the results of her labour—the now spotless garden patio. The [Lord] had announced that a garden party was due in a few days, and the manor’s servants had been put into a bustle. Fayette’s task was to make sure the outdoors of the estate were presentable.

This [Maid] however would not be satisfied with just achieving “presentable”. No, Fayette always strove to be thorough.

The wooden board flooring that had been smudged with mud now had a sheen finish. The table and chairs had been cleared of the leaves, pollen and other filth that had littered them, and they too now shone spotless. The dirt path had been evened out to make walking on it more pleasant, and Fayette had even trimmed the nearby bushes to make them more orderly.

She smiled with the satisfaction of a job well done—this place was now ready for any manner of event the [Lord] would think up. That however made her grimace.

Fayette never liked when her cleaning efforts were ruined by irritating highborn who did not appreciate her efforts one bit. She was certain that come the morning after the party, this place would be in a worse state than she had found it in. Ugh, spilled magical liquors are a nightmare to get off.

Shaking the glum thoughts out of her mind, Fayette returned to humming with satisfaction at her handiwork. At least I can enjoy this sight for a bit, nothing beats the feeling of properly cleansing something.

Just then, as if to mock her musings, a passing bird left a parting gift. The harmony of the image was shattered by bird droppings splattering on the freshly cleaned table.

Fayette stared silently at the droppings for a split second before a seething rage took hold of her. She crumpled her cleaning rag into a ball and threw it towards the bird with all the force of her anger.

“Curse you, you damned hellion!” She shouted, shaking her fist at the bird.

Her cleaning rag made a brave attempt at chasing the creature, but ultimately fell to the ground limp, after gaining only a few metres of height.

Fayette stared hatefully at the bird as it made its graceful escape from the crime scene, far off from her reach. After taking a few deep breaths to calm down, she sighed and went to pick the rag back up. Those droppings wouldn’t clean themselves, would they?

“It’s always like this, isn’t it? Day after day I sweep the dust, launder clothes and wipe off smudges, but what difference does it make? Things can never just stay clean!”

Fayette’s grumblings went unheard as she went back to cleaning.

After she had polished the table again, Fayette set off to her next destination: the ward artefact. The mansion was protected from would-be assailants by complex magical wards. In the past, the cores of such systems had been simple warded boxes, but the relative peace of recent years had seen them be replaced with extravagant works of art.

In this mansion, the previous simple ward core had been replaced with one in the form of a lifelike statue of the [Lord] himself. The guests always loved it, but Fayette certainly didn’t. Much harder to clean all the nooks and crannies on this one. I really wish we could have kept that old box—the thought of the twat’s likeness serving as protector of the manor is hardly reassuring.

On her way to the statue, Fayette spotted the [Guard Captain], Bernhard, talking with some of the [Woodsmen] employed by the mansion. They seemed abnormally agitated. Hmm, this looks interesting.

Fayette covertly used her [Eavesdrop] skill as she passed the men—life at the manor would be excruciatingly tiresome without some juicy gossip every now and then. She maintained a nonchalant expression as she began listening in on the conversation.

“You are sure? There are monsters lurking nearby?”

“Well, sir, there’s definitely something going on. The animals in the woods seemed unusually agitated. I even spotted some owlbears moving to different dens, further away.”

“I need something more concrete to get the [Lord] moving. Did you see any signs of the monsters themselves?”

“Nothing of the sort, sir. It was more the... mood to it. Wild animals have strong instincts, right? They can sense things like that – the coming of a storm.”

“But you don’t actually have any concrete findings?”

“No sir, but I’ve been a woodsman all my life. If the beasties are acting like this, something bad is coming.”

Fayette saw the [Guard Captain] scrunch up his face at that, seemingly displeased.

“I trust your instincts, but this will be a hard sell to the [Lord]. I’ll go see what I can do.”

Tuning out of the conversation, Fayette thought on what she had heard. She generally trusted the [Guard Captain’s] judgement—the man was sharp. To Fayette, he had always felt like a sturdy shelf that somehow never gathered dust. Well, that certainly seems ominous, Bernhard is rarely worried without reason. Hopefully he can persuade the [Lord] to act...

Fayette was not too worried about her own safety—the mansion was one of the most well-protected spots in the immediate region after all. It would take a small army to force the way through the wards.

She was, however, a bit worried for her childhood friend, Mireille. The young [Seamstress] was still a resident at the orphanage in the nearby town, which should be safe enough. The girl however had always been keen to wander about in the woods—much to Fayette’s worry.

I’ll have to ask Bernhard for details later. Better safe than sorry.

Fayette picked up a broom leaning against the manor wall and idly flipped it about in her hand. Lurking monsters huh? It feels like it was just yesterday when we still played at being [Knights] at the orphanage.

In a flight of fancy, Fayette imagined herself a glorious warrior and mimed a few beats of an intense battle with her broom. Her imaginary enemy was taking quite the beating, and just as she prepared for a decisive killing blow, Fayette heard a cold, chiding voice from behind her.

“Fayette.”

Just hearing her name in that displeased tone was enough to send shivers down her spine. In an instant, she activated [Maid’s Poise] and her bearing grew more balanced and graceful. Next, she performed a lightning-fast pirouette, spinning back towards the distinctly unimpressed looking [Head Maid] Clara.

“Ma’am! I have finished cleaning the patio and am now on my way to handle the ward core!”

The cold eyes on the stocky woman did not get any warmer. Fayette felt a bit of disapproval at the woman’s uniform—she was not wearing an apron at all, and some parts of her official uniform had been replaced with personal items.

“It took you all morning to clean that little patio? It only needed a little touch-up, girl. A proper [Maid] knows how to prioritise things.” The woman said in a cold voice.

Fayette kept her face steady—A proper [Maid] respected the hierarchy of the household after all. At least outwardly.

“I will take your advice to heart, ma’am,” she replied with a perfect curtsey.

Clara’s eyes narrowed, seeming to almost see through the facade Fayette was keeping up. After a moment of deliberation, she shook her head.

“Back to your duties, girl. You should work on that obsession of yours; things will never be as clean as you wish them to be.”

With one last intimidating glare, the [Head Maid] turned and walked off back inside the mansion. Once Clara was out of sight, Fayette exhaled a deep breath. She relaxed her posture and leaned against the mansion’s wall.

Gah, why does she always have to be so bothersome? Is that something that comes with having a few drops of highborn blood in you?

Fayette knew that there was sense in the woman’s words, but she did not feel too keen on following them. Oh, she could become a fine [Maid] alright if she compromised a bit, but she felt it would be left at just that. Becoming a fine [Maid].

Fayette didn’t want to just be fine—even alright and good felt too unambitious. No, she wanted to be excellent, outstanding, peerless. The standard [Maid] path could lead her to specialise and become a [Parlour Maid], or maybe even an [Expert Maid]. Those were standard paths though, many others had trod them and many more would do so in the future. Fayette wanted something of her own, something more.

She didn’t really have any grand ideas on how to do that, so she had chosen a simple method. If she lived as true to herself as possible, surely that would lead to her getting the most suitable class evolutions for herself, would it not?

I’ve always been fussy with detail and being thorough with things is also something I enjoy. Surely there’s some interesting class evolution behind that? Though my leveling pace has been so slow lately... Is standard cleaning just not working- oh, right. I did have work to do.

Fayette slapped her cheeks to focus herself, pushed off the wall, and set off back to work. Cleaning the grand statue would require a bit of preparation, so she first walked over to the tool shack and fetched a ladder. Next, she carried it over the short distance to the statue and set it against it. This was always bothersome as the statue stood 5 feet tall and simply had too much detail—The dirt really liked to gather in those creases.

Determined to make the statue glow as if it was new, Fayette climbed up the ladder and started wiping off smudges from the top. Her cleaning however could not truly begin before she noticed a concerning detail.

Hey, isn’t the ward’s power gem looking very dim?

Fayette stood in a deep curtsey at the door of the manor’s main study. [Lord] Castellani himself was seated behind his mahogany desk, while Bernhard was seated opposite him. Fayette had interrupted the pair’s conversation, but this was not a matter to be ignored lightly.

The [Lord] was a girthy man and his oily hands were always leaving prints all over Fayette’s hard work. She likened serving the man to emptying an outhouse—something you tolerated because it had to be done.

After gaining her [Maid] class Fayette had dreamed of serving an elegant [Lady] and hosting refined tea parties. Sadly, elegant [Ladies] were in short supply in this backwater holding, and orphans did not get much choice in their place of employment.

The still-unmarried-at-38 [Lord] Castellani was not quite the employer she had been hoping for. Fayette suspected that his sorry romantic affairs were not much helped by the crass parties he was known for holding. Still, a [Maid] needed a household, so she would make do.

The [Lord’s] face, now in a deep frown, turned to her.

“So? The power source is a bit dim, what’s the issue?”

Oh, right, I was here to report on that power gem thingy... Am I supposed to say something? Why’s he looking at me like I have the answers? Luckily, Fayette was saved from squirming more as the [Guard Captain] cut in.

“With respect, lord, of course it is an issue. The wards cannot be trusted to function properly without full energy,” Bernhard said, tone a bit frustrated. Evidently, he had not had much success convincing the [Lord] before Fayette’s arrival.

“Look outside, man. Doesn’t look too dim to me.” [Lord] Castellani said, voice nonchalant as he pointed out of the window. Sure enough, the shimmering blue barrier which went around the manor didn’t seem any different from normal. “Besides, the replacement stone has been ordered and should be arriving next week.”

“Wasn’t it supposed to be replaced a fortnight ago?” Bernhard asked, frowning.

“Bah, the Sullys were coming over on that day, so I had to delay it.” The [Lord] answered. “There is no issue as a new delivery was arranged for next week. Girl, you are dismissed.”

Fayette gave a curt curtsey and turned to leave. Well, not my problem anymore. Though those monster sightings do concern me...

Fayette lingered in the hallway just outside the study for a bit—she did not want to leave a matter like this hanging in uncertainty. Soon enough the door opened, and Bernhard walked out, face furrowed. Fayette waited for him to walk by her, then smoothly joined along next to him.

“Sir, how is the matter? Will things be alright?”

The man turned a side-eye to her but did not slow his walk. He always moved with certainty, as if he knew exactly where he needed to be. “There should be no issues as long as you lot don’t stray into the forest. Yes, the ward may have a bit less oomph to it than usual. It will still hold against any monsters you could encounter around here.”

Fayette felt a bit of relief at the reassurances, but another matter was still bugging her. “What about the town?”

“I’ve already sent word to them of lurking monsters. It should keep them from wandering outside the barrier for a few days. Not too many adventurous sorts out here.”

Fayette stopped by the cleaning cupboard while Bernhard continued on. Well, that should keep Mireille out of trouble. Clear mind, back to work.

The next day, the tolling of the clockwork alarm woke Fayette up at 5 o’clock sharp, as always. She generally took a bit more time to get up and dressed than the others, as she always wanted to have her bed and uniform in impeccable condition. By the time she was done getting dressed and making her bed, the thrum of the steam-powered laundry machine was already echoing through the servants' quarters. Seems Claudine got started early with the laundry.

Today most busywork had fallen on the other servants, so Fayette had more leeway in what tasks she could choose to undertake. The state of the mansion’s library had been bothering her for a while, so she planned to put the time she had today to good use. After eating a light breakfast, the [Maid] headed to her destination.

She opened the library’s vast oaken doors and revealed a dim room. Dust and cobwebs had gathered quite a bit here, but that did not darken her mood—Fayette knew that soon it would all be shining clean. The library was not huge, holding only a few lines of shelves filled with rarely read books.

Fayette sometimes spent her free time reading here. Technically she shouldn’t be handling the [Lord’s] collections for personal use, but servants deserved some illicit privileges, right? As long as such matters remained discreet, they were fine in Fayette’s eyes.

She lit the oil lamps in the room and got to work. Her trusty feather duster in hand, she started tackling the upper shelves and the books in them. It was a long process, as in her pursuit of thoroughness Fayette wanted to ensure that no book had one speck of dust left on it. Humming cheerfully, Fayette used her [Sweep Dust] skill liberally, making good progress.

Next, she moved onto the lower shelves. Once those were done, she moved to clearing the dust gathered on the floor with a broom. Fayette found cleaning to be hypnotic in a way—there was a steady rhythm to it. She was completely immersed in the moment, collecting the last bits of dust into one big pile.

So immersed was she, that the sound of a window shattering caught her completely off guard.

Turning from her sweeping, she saw that one of the room’s windows had been smashed, and a short green creature was climbing in through it. She froze still from the shock.

Huh? Is that... a monster? Here?

The creature pushed its way through the window and landed inside on its feet, which allowed Fayette to get a good look at it. It stood about four feet tall - a pointed, lizard-like face, a mouth armed with sharp teeth, hands ending in sharp claws and a tail that was swishing with agitation. Fayette recognized it from the stories: a kobold.

The monster hissed, then bounded towards Fayette. Its sharp claws started to glow green with the activation of some ability.

Fayette acted on instinct and did the most natural act a [Maid] could do: She used [Sweep Dust]. The pile of dust she had been gathering was thrown right in the kobold's face with precision, getting the stuff all over its eyes and mouth.

The kobold shut its eyes as it was sent into a huge coughing fit, which stopped its advance completely. Fayette did not let this opportunity pass by.

She looked over the mess the creature had made, the smashed glass and the dust now flying about everywhere, and a burning rage started to grow within her. Before Fayette knew what she was doing, the tail-end of her broom smashed into the kobold’s head with an ugly crack.

The monster was smacked down onto the ground, but that was only the first blow. Fayette did not let up, and smashed the creature on the head over and over again, each blow denting its skull further in.

“You bastard! Making a mess of my cleaning, I’ll show you!”

After one last blow, the life force of the monster finally ran out and its body burst like an overripe fruit. The skin, flesh, bones and other bits all dissolved into a mess of brownish-red blood, which was sent splattering throughout the room by that final broom strike. Only a dimly glowing monster core was left intact in the middle of the pool of blood.

It took a moment for the haze in Fayette’s head to clear, but eventually she noticed a familiar ding, which had been waiting at the periphery of her senses.

[One piece of trash cleared, well done!]

[Progress towards next level: 80%]

Wait, what?

Party Status:

Fayette

Class: [Maid]

Level: 7 (Tier 1)

Skills:

Housekeeping (2/4)

[Sweep Dust] - Rank III [Cleaning Tool Proficiency] - Rank II

Attendant (1/4)

[Maid's Poise] - Rank II

Capstone skills (0/0)

N/A

Free skills (2/2)

[Eavesdrop] - Rank II [Basic alchemy (Cleaning agents)] - Rank II