Mishaps and Mayhem
Over the next few days, Ceres and Lydia continued their volunteer work.
After eating the Western stew Commander Ceres recreated for me...
I got to see my mother again for the first time in ages.
She yelled, "You idiot! What are you doing here already?! You fool of a son!"
...
...
I'd been missing my mother's cooking, but I never dreamed I'd actually get to see her again.
Thank you for helping me remember her face! It means so much to me! This memory will give me the strength to keep walking forward!
Strange. I even recited the magic spell that's supposed to make food taste better, just like the guide told me to.
Perhaps I said it wrong?
Instead of saying "Become delicious!" with whimsy... Maybe I was supposed to say, "Become delectable!" with more authority...
You're in denial, Commander.
Incredible! You tore through this thick blanket with your bare hands.
I imagine you tore through the Voidborns threatening the West just as easily.
Ah, the inn will be closed until we can replace the bedding, so you can head home for today.
...
...
At this point, I wasn't sure whether this counted as volunteer work or acts of destruction and terror.
For the sake of not destroying any more of the town, we decided to take a short break at a cafe.
How many does that make now?
I stopped counting.
At this rate, the Western Liberators are going to be known as the Western Destroyers.
Are you still planning to keep doing this?
Strangely enough, I haven't had any nightmares these past few days.
If this continues, I think I may finally be able to free myself from the memories of my sister.
Lydia puffed out her cheeks.
...*Sigh* If it's actually helping, I can't exactly tell you to stop.
For all her complaining, Lydia really was worried about Ceres.
This is just as Besta's Perfect Maid Guide said.
Perhaps maids really do possess the power to blow away emotional wounds.
Meanwhile, my heart is being torn to shreds.
Then you should try this pose too, Lydia. It says it'll cheer up your master.
N-no!
At least give me a normal outfit to wear!
What you're wearing is an excellent maid outfit.
Seriously, Commander! Is the problem that book, or is it the outfit?!
Actually, there is a problem, Ceres.
What is it, Captain?
There's no one left asking for our help.
!
Why? I finally feel like I'm finding a way to move past my sister...
Do you really have to ask? We just ruined an inn.
Why would anyone give us work when we destroy everything we're asked to handle?
The whole "everything's fine as long as you're cute" thing might work in fiction...
But we're not in some novel or a comic.
To think Lydia and I only possess enough power to bring us this far...
Huh?! Leave me out of this! I did just fine!
The Pottery Workshop Lost to Darkness...
That was an unavoidable accident.
The Garden of Fire and Ash...
Kuku feels very sorry about that too.
The Charge of the Duck Farm Manure...
That one was just as much your fault, Commander.
The Squirrel Inn Laundry Massacre...
Fine! I'm sorry! I messed up! Happy now?!
Admitting your mistakes is the first step. Well done.
Commander, I think wearing that maid outfit has made you shameless. I'm getting angry.
Then we should follow Chapter 7 of the Perfect Maid Guide.
What's in that chapter?
Punishment for clumsy maids who fail at everything they do.
...Our masters forgave us. Do we still need to be punished?
You'll never become a perfect maid that way, Lydia!
*Sigh* Fine. What's the punishment?
Surprisingly, Lydia agreed to it without much resistance.
When I stared at her in surprise, she shrugged.
Look at what I'm wearing. I'm already being punished.
How much worse could it possibly get?
The punishment is a wish voucher that lets the master order the maid to do anything.
Lydia froze, her confident expression still plastered on her face.
You're giving a man a wish voucher like that?! Have you lost your mind?!
Who knows what the Captain might make us do?!
I don't know. But I'm certain the Captain would use it for something proper.
I still don't want to!
What if the Captain asks me for some weird favor?!
Weird...? Such as?
W-well, um...
Besta's rubbing off on you too, Commander! Why are you making me say it?!
Besta hasn't rubbed off on me at all.
Either way, no! Isn't there another punishment?
If you hate that one so much, fine. We'll use the punishment on the next page.
Phew... You should've said so sooner.
Ceres pulled out a suspicious black bag.
Commander, what's with that ominous-looking bag?
We'll punish ourselves with whatever's inside this!
Lydia went pale when she saw its contents.
A pair of very suspicious-looking handcuffs, some rope, and a candle whose purpose I couldn't begin to fathom.
And was that... a whip?
Please punish us hopeless maids!!
...What exactly am I supposed to do with all this?
It says to bind our hands, blindfold us, and do whatever you please with our bodies!
"A maid's vision is taken away, followed by her physical freedom."
"Overcome by fear and helplessness, the maid begs her master to release her."
"No matter how much she pleads, the master must not release her until fully satisfied"...?
This is...
Ah! It must be training to bolster a maid's loyalty and mental fortitude!
Does reading that book lower your intelligence? We really should burn it.
"The maid's heart pounds, chills run down her spine, and her body trembles. After enduring all this, she begins to quiver..."
W-wait! What are you reading out loud, Commander?!
Hmm? This seems to describe some sort of higher state.
"At first, there is only fear and pain, but gradually, amid these new sensations—"
Stop! Stop! Don't read that stuff out loud!
How strange. It says you've succeeded once the maid starts asking to be punished.
I don't understand what it means to crave punishment.
I suppose we'll have to experience it firsthand to understand.
What are you saying, Commander?!
Captain. Why don't you tie Lydia and me up right now, and then...
Stop!!
Captain. I'll give you my wish voucher. Please use it in a wholesome and ethical manner, all right?
Hurry, Commander. Throw away those handcuffs and give him yours too.
Hmm. And here I thought this was a chance to explore a new realm...
Hurry. Up.
Here is my wish voucher, Captain.
I received wish vouchers from Ceres and Lydia.
I doubted I'd ever have much reason to use them...
But if I did, I decided I'd use them only for Ceres and Lydia's sake.
What I didn't realize was that another disaster was already approaching.
A short while earlier...
Liberator. What exactly was the report we received?
Someone reported terrorists dressed as maids.
But those terrorists are supposedly... Commander Ceres and Deputy Commander Lydia.
Why would those two be terrorizing the West?
What should we do, Adjutant Besta?
Yes. I've been wondering the same thing.
(She must be devastated. The Commander and Deputy Commander she respects so much are acting unlike themselves...)
(And Deputy Commander Lydia is dressed so indecently...)
(Surely something even more interesting is about to happen.)
(But I'm reaching the limits of my self-control... I want to barge in!)
(Gh... Do I interfere? Or hold myself back?!)
*Huff* *Huff*
(Her breathing's getting heavier, and her eyes are bloodshot.)
(She must be furious over the humiliation they're being subjected to...)
Just then, Ceres' voice rang out.
Please punish us hopeless maids!!
(Ghk! To think a gallant girl like the Commander would utter something so shameless!)
I-I can't take any more...!
Adjutant Besta coughed up blood from sheer rage!
Um, wasn't that a nosebleed?
Nonsense! Nosebleeds don't gush like that!
What do we do now? Even Adjutant Besta has collapsed.
...Then we'll have to take matters into our own hands.
The Western Liberators will liberate our Commander!
Liberate the Commander!!