第１０７２堀：メイドが動く (Part2)
Zrubl likely wants to establish a track record before fully committing to the upcoming intercontinental exchanges.
"It seems there are no issues. In that case, I will contact Agil and the others, who will serve as the primary negotiators, and begin the preparations. Is there anything else you would like me to do?"
"I see. I'll leave the contact and guidance for Agil and the others to you. I'm going to head over to Zargis and the others to check on the status of the tools."
"Understood. I will contact you, Master, as soon as the preparations are complete."
"Yeah, I'm counting on you. In the meantime, what will you do, Show-dono?"
"Let's see. If it's not too much trouble, could you show me a map of the area around the Dafaio Kingdom? Preferably one that also shows the neighboring countries."
"Ah, I haven't explained the geography yet, have I? Right this way."
Yuki-sama then leads Show-dono toward the conference room. After seeing them off, I ask Sasari to prepare some tea and set out to complete the tasks I’ve been assigned.
First is Agil-sama. Aside from Yuki-sama, she possesses the best command ability among our current members and has served in a general's role, giving her the most experience in dealing with high-ranking representatives of other nations. It would be ideal for her to stand beside Yuki-sama and handle the various interactions.
Mikos-sama, while a noble, is the daughter of a baron and isn't well-versed in high society, and Enora-sama is merely a bishop of the Haire religion; their positions differ from those of state nobles. I, too, am technically the illegitimate daughter of the King of Gartz, so I suppose I have a standing of sorts, but my current status is merely that of a maid. It is better not to overstep my bounds.
Thinking this, I arrive at the laboratory where Agil-sama is located.
"Agil-sama, are you prepared?" I ask as I enter the lab.
If it were just a matter of contacting Agil-sama and the others, I could do it instantly via *Call*. However, Master likely asked me to go in person and guide them because he knows Agil-sama isn't the type to be ready on her own. Unfortunately, there are people in this world who can prepare and those who cannot. Agil-sama is the latter. Mikos-sama and Enora-sama aren't that type, so for them, it would just be a matter of specifying a meeting place.
Well, I hope the preparations go quickly...
"Ah, Kirue. Just a little longer."
I had thought as much, but Agil-sama pokes her head out from the breakroom next to the lab. The fact that she is preparing in the breakroom rather than her own quarters is a fatal sign that she doesn't even realize she’s doing things incorrectly.
"I have prepared your change of clothes here. What else could possibly be required?"
"Ah, thanks. Do you have any spare lab coats?"
"Of course. Now, could you please tell me what you are preparing?"
"Hm? Ah, sorry, sorry. I'm currently preparing for the water situation. Checking the tools and machines that Comet provided."
"I see. To think you were able to prepare them in such a short time."
I had assumed they would just use the core to generate water as a temporary measure and store it in a reservoir. Comet-sama’s technical prowess is truly fearsome.
"Well, the mechanism itself is simple. It converts magical power into moisture. That in itself isn't particularly rare. But it's a different story when you're trying to hydrate multiple villages. We haven't done any durability testing at all. We usually just dump out a massive amount of water using our excess mana, but that's a one-off trick. We've never built a system for continuous supply."
"But the Weed core does it constantly, doesn't it?"
"That core is a high-performance tool that serves as the dungeon's lifeline, possessing self-regeneration capabilities, not to mention its role as a water purifier. Compared to a tool that just supplies water, it's like night and day."
I see. Now that you mention it, that is true. My thinking was shallow. Agil-sama seems to be doing the best she can on her own.
"Is there anything I can assist you with?"
"Hmm, I've already arranged for Comet to send tools as needed... oh, could you call Mikos and Enora, who are scheduled to come along? I want them to carry the equipment with me."
"Understood. You are intentionally splitting up the tools, then?"
"Yeah, they're backups in case something happens, and there might be times when we have to go to many different villages separately."
This looks like it will take longer to prepare than expected. I’ll inform Master that it will take some time and get to work immediately. After all, important people require attendants. And when that happens, it’s only natural for a perfect maid to take action.
Come to think of it, I wonder who everyone imagines when they think of a "maid." I wonder what the origin of the "maid" archetype is for everyone in terms of manga and anime?