The system was rewarding her for this, even calling the man trash? Was this really happening, or had she lost it? The feeling was however unmistakable, gaining a level always sent a certain rush through your veins, and Fayette felt it.

Is this a joke? I was rewarded for smiting one of their chosen [Rulers]? He was treated no different than any of those monsters!

Her laughter began to grow hysterical, and she had to struggle to stay standing. It was just all too much. The message even cheerfully suggested she keep it up! It took her a full minute to calm down and look at her handiwork.

The [Lord] lay as a mangled heap in a pool of blood—a complete mess by all measures. Still, Fayette could not help feeling like the sight was the cleanest, purest thing she had seen in a long time. The man would never again bring harm to anyone or sully anything. The permanence to it felt oh so sweet to Fayette.

Usually after she got done with work, a vague nervousness would be in the back of her head, reminding her that soon enough she would have to return and do it all over. This was different. She did not have to think a second about this detestable man ever again! She was free!

Ahh, I could get used to this feeling. Is this what [Maid] work should really be? Maybe I should—

Before she could fall further into her reverie, a rustling in the woods nearby shook her out. The [Guard Commander] walked out with a blank expression on his face and a rapier pointed towards Fayette.

Oh, right. The consequences.

Standing over the bloody corpse of a [Lord] with lots of that blood on her shoes, Fayette knew she was in a rather compromising situation. She briefly considered making up some excuse, but she realised it would be futile. There would be no excusing this.

Instead, she chose to own it.

She turned to Bernhard with no hesitation and levelled a judging gaze at him. “Yes, I killed him. What are you going to do about it?” She said with a slight smirk. “Should have been done much earlier, would have saved a lot of lives from being pointlessly wasted.”

The [Guard Captain] did not respond, merely keeping up his silent stare. His outfit, a light officer’s armour decorated with the yellow of the house and the deep red of the country, had few creases or smudges on it. It was an outfit that had not seen much battle today. Fayette started to get angry.

“And you! You are a strong fighter aren’t you! If you had been leading, they could have held a narrow corridor like that forever against a disorderly mob of kobolds, but you weren’t there!” She shouted with growing anger and pointed a fork at the man. “So many died in your place!”

It all just felt like such a waste to her—this was not how a proper household should work. Guards protected the non-combatants, not the other way around. The thrill of killing the [Lord] was starting to fade, replaced by the realization of the scale of what had been lost. “You should have done what I did long ago!”

The way the man kept his silence and maintained that infuriatingly placid face started to really grate on Fayette. With a growl, she threw a fork at the silent man using [Cutlery Control]. “Why are you silent?”

The [Guard Captain] easily flicked the fork down with his rapier, then looked down at it.

“A skill related to moving cutlery, definitely a [Maid] skill...” he muttered to himself, then raised his gaze at the corpse. “And a corpse murdered with a cleaning rag...” His eyes shifted back to Fayette. “You did not renounce your class after all, but did that as a [Maid], didn’t you?”

He slowly lowered his rapier down, no longer keeping it up warily.

“What?” Fayette responded, stunned. She quickly traced a square over her chest, warding herself from the evil talk. “That was what you were worried about?”

The man did not look dismayed at all by the situation, he just turned to Fayette, still with that infuriating calm. "Many people in situations like these cannot resist temptation, and are led astray." His gaze grew even more cold for a second. "They have to be put down early. A [Murderer] can level very quickly."

Fayette just felt confused; this really was not the conversation she had been expecting. She looked down at the battered corpse under her. “This, oh this?” She said, gesturing at the corpse with a fork. “Why would I need to stop being a [Maid] to do this? The system even praised me for doing it! I gained a level!” She finished, throwing her arms out.

For the first time, some doubt entered Bernhard’s gaze, slightly fraying the calm. “That is... unusual. I have not heard of [Maid] classes leveling through combat before, though similar things do happen with some other [worker] classes.”

He thought for a moment, then continued. “However, you should know that it does not matter who a [Fighter] kills, as long as they fulfill their profession, they are under the touch of grace. Do not take the encouragement as truth, as justification for your actions.”

Fayette had not known that. All the stories always told of fighters leveling through righteous crusades, but did it really not matter at all? Then why am I leveling from this? I understand the monsters, as cleaning the devil’s creatures is surely looked upon with favour, but killing a [Lord]...

Deep in her thoughts, she almost missed Bernhard walking past her. Shaken, she looked at him with confusion.

“What? You’re just going to let me go? Not going to do anything?” Fayette asked, disbelieving. Slowly, she lowered her fork down.

Bernhard looked towards her, expression not moving one bit.

“I was a [Guard Captain] in the employment of [Lord] Castellani.” He explained, then nodded towards the corpse. “That is no longer the case. I am now free to do as I will until I seek my next place of employment.”

“So you walked away from that battle just because you were in his employ?” Fayette asked. Was that really all it took?

He levelled a calm gaze at her, not seeming shaken in the slightest. “The bonds of a [Ruler] and their [Fighters] go much deeper than mere servants. Surely you felt some of it today, it is much more for us.”

“Sod off with that! I managed to struggle through—you could have done it yourself when he was off guard!”

“You can detest me if you want to. There are many more like him—many much worse. Getting started on that..." His facade lifted for just a second, and Fayette thought she saw... regret? "It is not an easy path.” He finished, returning to the calm.

At that moment the man seemed different from his usual sharp self. The weariness in his voice told a different truth, and Fayette realised that she had misjudged him—what she now saw was an old dusty piece of furniture, stored away in a backroom far off from any meaningful use.

Fayette could not find the energy to keep being mad at the man. She knew her words would be meaningless.

“What are you going to do now? The kobolds are all gone.” Fayette said. She was getting confused about this whole situation. What is this conversation even?

“You said the manor should be mostly clear? Best we head back and make sure the others know the [Lord] died in a sudden kobold ambush. Make no mistake, this whole kobold stampede was no accident. Your little stunt will probably go unnoticed if it seems like the [Lord] died in the attack.”

Ah, true that.

“Will that really work?” She asked. Her adrenaline was fading, and she was starting to realize that she really did not have any plan at all.

Bernhard scoffed. “They won’t doubt my words. Besides, most will still be in shock. Quite frankly, it doesn’t matter much what’s said to the lot.”

The man’s cold outlook sent some shivers down Fayette’s spine, but the words made sense.

The man turned back without another word and headed back into the tunnel. Fayette stayed behind for just a moment. She had been gathering momentum all day since the attack began, and now it at last had come to a stop. She felt exhausted in all possible ways.

The forest was pristine—lively birds chirping about in the trees without a worry. It was quite a contrast to the bloody corpse laying in the clearing.

Fayette sighed, then grimaced as she noticed that she had gotten blood all over her outfit again. Shaking her head, she finally addressed the last system message, which had been waiting to enter her thoughts.

[Disarming Smile—The smile of a charming Maid sets hearts at ease! Calm nerves, ease apprehensions and dispel suspicions. The right smile in the right place can solve many of life’s challenges!]

I’m really not sure how to feel about this one...

Shaking her head, Fayette started heading back to the mansion.

She got to the tunnel entrance, stopped for a moment, then turned back. She hurried to the tree and collected the healing potion that had fallen there. Satisfied, she once again started heading back to the mansion.

Wait, why am I only taking this? Surely he’s got some other good stuff on him. It’s not stealing after all—I’m just cleaning away stuff that he won’t be needing anymore. It’s a [Maid’s] duty!

She ran back one more time to frisk the [Lord’s] clothes for any valuables. Handling a dead body was a bit unpleasant, so she made sure to put her working gloves on. Ugh, I really did a number on him. How much blood can you get out of one man?

Still, he had plenty of good stuff. She didn’t dare take his signet ring, as getting caught with that in her hands would be quite bad. She did pocket some of the coin he had on him—a girl could always use a few spare Livre. He also had some curious magical trinkets on him, but she didn’t dare touch them. They looked far too dangerous. Fayette was a bit disappointed at his lack of jewelry. Do male fashions really have to be so austere? I could use a few necklaces or whatnot.

Determined to take something valuable along, Fayette was pleased to find a small orb in his pocket. It was perfectly spherical and glowed with a calm green. It was clearly magical, but as it was not attached to any device, Fayette felt it would be safe. She had always had a habit of collecting interesting rocks for her alchemy purposes, so she decided to tuck it into her rock pouch.

She deserved some severance pay, right?