CHAPTER 22: THE FLOOR MAID REINA

The person who entered the guest room was none other than Reina, the girl I got a sudden crush on, the girl I met at the sewing workshop.

"Re-Reina!? Why are you here!?"

I let out a surprised voice.

And once again, I was captivated by her charming appearance.

Her glossy and beautiful blonde hair, and her eyes like living jewels, were just as beautiful as when we met during that day.

Especially in her classic long maid dress, her entire body seemed to glow, as if radiating with light.

"I wanted to thank you for what you’re doing for us, Lord Seiou, no matter what."

"Thank you?"

"Yes. Thank you for protecting our sewing workshop, our only way of earning something to live on."

Reina bowed her head. Her hair, tied in a ponytail, bounced lightly.

It must be about protecting the workshop from those bastarded soldiers.

"I just only did what was necessary at that time."

"But you pushed yourself out of your limits just for our sake, until you passed out."

"It’s because my level is still quite low. Once I raise it, it won’t be much of a big deal. I’ll be able to use a lot of magic too for longer terms."

At my words, Reina looked down, seemingly lost in thought for a while.

"...Thank you for promising to rebuild the business too."

"Oh that hasn’t even started yet."

"No, that’s not true."

Reina shook her head slightly.

"Ever since you came here, Lord Seiou, everyone’s expressions have changed greatly. They’ve become surprisingly energetic and cheerful... It’s the first time I’ve seen everyone so happy and energetic and I also felt happy, and I couldn’t stay still."

My promise to rebuild the sewing workshop must have made her incredibly happy.

Additionally, setting a deadline likely played quite an important part. Humans are creatures who can endure tough tasks if there’s a deadline, but if there’s not, they’ll just laze out on it. Not having a clear goal is the hardest thing.

"I only did what was necessary."

Raising the morale of the team is one of a leader’s roles. It’s not something to be praised for.

"Um..."

Reina hesitated, struggling to speak again.

"What is it?"

"Is it true that you put your own body as collateral to secure funds, Lord Seiou?"

She must mean Morris’s collateral. Princess Ellis probably told her already.

"Yeah it’s true."

"But why would you do that, Lord Seiou?"

"Because it’s natural for a leader to take risks for the sake of his comrades."

Though it happened by mere circumstance, it’s still not a lie.

During COVID-19 in my world, business owners often used their homes and assets as collateral to borrow money from banks. A leader takes risks, and that’s why their team follows them.

"...Everyone is praising you, Lord Seiou. They say a good person has finally come to save them from all the misery and struggles. For some reason, that makes me even happier than if it were about me..."

Reina smiled, her cheeks flushing red. Even that gesture was adorable.

"They’re getting ahead of themselves. I haven’t even given reform plans or instructions yet."

Still, it’s a good thing that everyone’s morale has improved.

"Why do you go so far for us?"

Reina asked, looking up at me. That, too, held a captivating beauty inside.

"Because.... I wanted you."

Was it Seiou’s skill activating again? My mouth casually uttered such embarrassing hollywood 3rd grade level comeback lines. It seems when it comes to Reina, I lose control.

But those words were, without a doubt, my true feelings.

"Ugh..."

Her already flushed face turned even redder. Her eyes glistened with overwhelming embarrassment.

"W-Why me? There are so many other beautiful and cute girls."

It’s true there are other beautiful girls. But Reina was the only one who seemed to shine among them.

Why is that?

I didn’t fully understand myself either, so I answered honestly.

"You, raising your voice desperately for everyone, looked so dazzling to me. My heart raced at that moment, and a warm feeling spread from my chest through my whole body creating a rush in my feelings. I don’t remember much after that."

Reina’s face turned bright red as she caught her breath.

It seemed like my words confirmed something for her.

"Please make me a floor maid. Let me stay by your side, Lord Seiou."

She spoke with determination.

"Wasn’t the promise was that you’d become mine after the reforms succeed?"

Yes, the agreement was that Reina would make a decision after the reforms.

"I want to help make this country better with everyone. I don’t want to just make decisions. The best thing I can do is serve by your side. If it’s me, you can level up quickly and use lots of magic to help more people, right?"

Indeed, having Reina by my side would be more than I could ask for.

"....But why would you go so far?"

A maiden’s chastity should be as precious as her life.

At my words, Reina, her face still bright red, looked straight at me and answered in a firm tone.

"I heard from Princess Ellis that if there are no volunteers, you’d just hire girls from the brothel with money. When I heard that, I felt really bad."

Wait, does that mean she’s jealous?

"And then I realized something."

Reina gazed at me with strong eyes.

"To me, you’ve always looked dazzling, Lord Seiou. My heart races, and I’m always filled with warm feelings... even now."

What a thing to hear.

It wasn’t just my one-sided love at first sight.

A miracle of mutual love at first sight.

Was it Seiou’s skill at work?

Or was it the guidance of genes wanting to leave excellent offspring?

No, I want to believe it’s neither.

It must be what they call "fate."

"Please say the words you said at the sewing workshop again."

Reina stepped closer. Her small, perfect face looked up at me, pleading.

I took a small breath to steady myself and repeated the words from the sewing factory.

"I love you.... Will you be mine?"

This time, they weren’t words spoken unconsciously. Every single word was warmed in my heart, my own words.

Reina listened to each word, her eyes brimming with tears, her expression filled with anticipation, as if savoring them.

It was as if she was carefully storing them in a treasure box deep in her heart.

Then, taking a deep breath, she answered....

"Yes."

Perhaps too embarrassed to meet my eyes, she buried her face in my chest, clinging to me.

The soft touch of Reina’s cheeks and her glossy hair against my body sent a jolt of pleasure like electricity through me.

"I love you, Reina."

"Ugh..."

Unable to respond to my words, Reina closed her eyes, tears forming at their corners. When I wrapped my arms around her back to hold her, she silently tightened her embrace in return.

A warm emotion welled up from my chest, filling the space around us. It was a sense of happiness so intense that the world seemed to sparkle.

With her, I could overcome any hardship. Even hardships would feel dear.

Though it’s part of my duties as "Seiou," starting tonight, I’ll engage in intimacy with Reina to level up. Unlike obligatory acts with an unfamiliar girl from a brothel, this promised to be a supremely joyful time.

(Hm?)

Wait a minute..... I think I forgot something important.

"Reina, how old are you right now!?"

"Eh, I’m 17, but..."

That’s right, she’s underage. Damn, I almost got cancelled!

"Underage is not good!"

"Why not?"

"Because it’s forbidden by the laws of my world."

"I think the laws of your previous world don’t apply here..."

"Even so, it’s ethically wrong!"

Damn, I never expected such a pitfall.

"So if I turn 18, is it okay?"

Reina asked with a meaningful smile playing on her lips.

That’s right, I just have to wait until she’s 18.

"Then there’s no problem. Because I’ll turn 18 at midnight tonight."

It took me a moment to fully process what Reina meant, but I finally understood.

In other words, tomorrow is her birthday.

Princess Ellis had said, "She’ll be 18 soon," but I never imagined it would be so soon. What a coincidence, no, it can only be called a miracle.

"Then we’ll have to wait just a little longer."

Smiling shyly, Reina clung to me again.

But knowing Princess Ellis, she might have coached Reina to lie. So I need to confirm.

But how do I do it?

(That’s right, I can, with my ability.)

I quietly focused my magic in my right eye and used "Kink Scan" to check Reina’s status.

*Kink Scan*

[Reina: Virgin]

(Ugh!)

I shouted internally at the unwanted data displayed in my vision.

No, that information is actually very important, but what I want to know right now isn’t that, it’s her age. I focused my eyes to peer deeper into her status.

[Stamina: 99 (Full of stamina. Can go all night without a problem, youth is great, isn’t it? ♡)]

[Sensitivity: 20 (Top-quality material, but undeveloped. Develop her gently and thoroughly.)]

[Service Skill: 0 (She’ll happily do anything, but she knows nothing. Teaching her everything is part of the fun.)]

The displayed information was even more detailed personal data about sex.

And the comments that appeared were so vivid they made me uncomfortable even as a man.

(Damn it, why can I see everything except for her age?)

(Oh, there it is, the age status!)

I finally found the age status.

[Age: ■■ years]

But for some reason, it was blurred with a mosaic, and I couldn’t see it.

(Why is only age, the most part blurred!? What’s with this ability!)

To begin with, this country doesn’t have a registry. So now I had no choice but to trust Reina’s self-reported age.

"??"

Reina looked at me with a puzzled expression.

I couldn’t make her feel any more uneasy.

(Alright, once this country’s reconstruction is done, I’ll definitely establish a registry.)

I secretly made that resolution.

(But man she is cute)

"Hey, I’m thirsty. Want to have some tea?"

I meant for us to drink together, but Reina replied, "Yes, understood," gave a small bow, and quickly left the guest room.

(And a little bit too innocent...)