After finishing our battle with the Giant Skeleton, Ethan and I returned to the safe zone from the old battlefield.

As soon as we handed over the magic stones, which contained the core and body of the Giant Skeleton, to Professor Mamari, she looked at us with a surprised expression while carefully examining the stones.

“W-Wow... Is this really...?”

“It’s the core and body of the Giant Skeleton, Professor Mamari.”

“Because the spirit was so large, we had to split the seal into two magic stones. I hope you understand.”

“W-Wow... Hohoho...”

Professor Mamari held the magic stones in her hands, staring at them as if they were precious jewels. Then she carefully looked at us, clearly curious about the fate of the other party members.

“H-How did you... D-Did the two of you take it down? W-What about the other party members...?”

“It’s the monster Lilith and I took down.”

“Since there wasn’t anyone I was particularly close to among the other students, Ethan and I had no choice but to take on the hunt together.”

“......”

It was clear from the way Professor Mamari alternated her gaze between the sealed magic stones in her hands and our faces that she found it hard to believe Ethan and I had taken down the monster by ourselves. She muttered to herself in a strange, almost entranced manner.

“With materials like this... I might be able to create a high-level cursed potion in my next research... And the Giant Skeleton’s body could be used as material for a bone golem...”

“Professor Mamari?”

“Ah, hah...! Oh, I-I'm sorry... I must have held you up too long. You must be tired after traveling a long way today and taking down such a large monster.”

“It’s all right, Professor.”

“The assessment for the class will be given after you submit your assignment on the third day... But I must say, with materials like this, I think I can give you both the highest score for skeleton-type monster materials.”

Well, of course. After all, we had just submitted the material from a boss monster that wasn’t supposed to appear until the third day.

Ethan and I were about to leave Professor Mamari’s villa after submitting our results when she suddenly called us back in a somewhat urgent manner.

“All right then, we’ll be heading ba—”

“W-Wait, you two...!”

“Yes?”

“Where... Where are you planning to rest tonight? I know there aren’t any proper buildings around here besides my villa.”

“For the next three days, we’re planning to set up tents near the carriage. As you mentioned, there aren’t any villages around here.”

“Th-That’s... I can’t let such talents like you... Ah, ah, wait a moment...”

Suddenly, Professor Mamari started rummaging through her drawers. Before I knew it, she handed me a key, hurriedly explaining its purpose.

“This... This is the key to my fourth villa... It’s a place I don’t use often, but while you're taking the necromancy class, you’re welcome to use it...”

“What do you mean?”

“It’s the professor’s job to support talented students... There’s a bed in my villa, so please rest comfortably and bring me more great materi—ah, I mean, assignments tomorrow. Hehe.”

...That eerie laugh of hers is something I’ll have to get used to.

But, still, from what she was saying, it seemed like she was offering us a place to stay while we took the class. Considering we had brought her materials from a monster as big as the Giant Skeleton, she was probably hoping we’d bring her more top-tier materials over the next few days.

It was obvious what her intentions were, but there was no reason to refuse. It was much better to stay in a villa with a roof and a bed than to sleep in a tent on the hard ground.

“Thank you, Professor Mamari.”

“Yes... I look forward to seeing your work in tomorrow’s class. Hehe.”

Leaving Professor Mamari’s villa, Ethan and I made our way to the fourth villa she mentioned.

⁎ ⁎ ⁎

Screech.

“The inside is cleaner than I expected.”

“I agree. Given that she said it’s not used often, I wasn’t expecting much, but it’s actually well-maintained.”

The villa Professor Mamari gave us wasn’t as dusty or filled with insects as I thought it would be for a place that had been left unattended for so long.

I had expected to have to clean the place with a spell right away, but fortunately, that didn’t seem necessary.

As I stepped further inside, I got the eerie feeling that there was a maid stationed here to maintain the villa. That was when an ominous voice whispered into Ethan’s and my ears.

‘Welcome, are you guests of Professor Mamari?’

“Hiiiii?!”

“L-Lilith?!”

The moment a translucent maid appeared without warning, I instinctively screamed. At the same time, Ethan had prepared to draw his sword, thinking the ghost was a threat.

‘I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you. I just assumed that, as guests of Professor Mamari, you’d be accustomed to such presences...’

“...Who are you?”

‘I am the manager of Professor Mamari’s fourth villa. I handle the cleaning, maintain the facilities, ward off intruders, and guide any occasional guests, such as yourselves.’

“...A manager?”

From the looks of her, anyone would think she was a ghost-type monster.

I couldn’t quite grasp the idea of a ghost being able to physically manage a villa, but the translucent maid calmly explained, as if expecting my confusion.

‘To clarify any misunderstandings, I am not a monster. I am an ‘intelligent spirit’ created by Professor Mamari. I currently oversee the management of this fourth villa.’

“Created by Professor Mamari?”

‘Yes. As an authority in necromancy, Professor Mamari has created several inventions using materials from undead monsters. I am one such invention, made to manage this villa.’

...Now that I think about it, this reminds me of an episode from Luminor Academy.

It wasn’t from a necromancy class, but rather an episode in the fourth story arc called ‘The Haunted Mansion,’ where the mansion’s manager explained that she was created to manage the property, just like this translucent maid in front of me.

If this maid was made in the same way as that haunted mansion’s manager, her existence made perfect sense.

“Is there anyone else like you in other places? I mean, other than this fourth villa.”

‘I don’t know about those made after me, but I am aware of those made before me. However, I cannot disclose any of Professor Mamari’s private information. The only answer I can give is that such entities do exist.’

“...That’s enough of an answer.”

If there was only one person in this world capable of creating intelligent spirits, then the manager from the haunted mansion episode was probably another one of Professor Mamari’s creations, just like this maid.

Since her explanation didn’t seem like a lie, there was no reason to be overly cautious.

“I think it’s fine, Young Master Ethan. She’s not a ghost or a monster; she’s simply the villa’s manager.”

“...Really?”

“Considering how clean the villa is, I’d say it’s thanks to her. If there was no manager here, it would be much stranger for the place to be so spotless, don’t you think, Young Master Ethan?”

‘Thank you for the compliment, Miss. You truly have the insight of a skilled maid.’

I wasn’t sure what insight had to do with being a maid, but at least it didn’t seem like she had any intention of harming us.

And well, even though she was artificially created, her appearance as a maid made me feel a bit of camaraderie. After all, I had been a maid for the Blackwood family for almost ten years now.

‘May I ask for your names while you stay here? If you’re uncomfortable giving your real names, you may use an alias or any title that suits you.’

“...Ethan.”

“Lilith, Manager.”

‘Very well. I will serve you both as Young Master Ethan and Miss Lilith during your stay.’

...Young Master Ethan?

“Excuse me, could you refer to Young Master Ethan as ‘Lord Ethan’ instead of ‘Young Master Ethan’?”

‘...Oh, my apologies. I will serve you as Lord Ethan and Miss Lilith from now on.’

“Thank you, Manager.”

The manager quickly grasped the meaning behind my words, bowing her head like a proper maid would.

...Even if it’s just for three days, I couldn’t let anyone take the position of Ethan’s personal maid away from me.