The next day.
I tried to wake up early like that time I went out to meet my maid for the first time, but unfortunately, I overslept a bit. I was supposed to wake up right before the sun rises, but when I opened my eyes the sun's yellow rays were already starting to light my room.
Well, one of the vacant rooms. Nola was sleeping in mine.
Nola also included these rooms in her cleaning agenda, so I had a good's night rest. She even replaced the bedsheets and pillowcases.
Not only does she deserve a raise, but she also deserves a promotion.
How do you promote a maid?
........
I guess I'll figure that out when she's all better now.
I was behind schedule, so I had to double time. After a quick shower and brushing of teeth, I checked on Nola.
She was exactly the way I left her last night. Fast asleep with a high fever.
Once again, I prepared a fresh towel and a basin of water and wiped down Nola's body. This made her wake up, but unlike her attitude yesterday, she complied and helped me clean her by rolling on her back.
"Good morning, Nola. How are you feeling?" I said, squeezing the water from the towel.
"My head still aches, my vision is blurry, and I feel very dizzy, master..."
"You need to rest for today, Nola." I placed the partially damp towel on her forehead. "Stay in bed today while I go outside to get ingredients for the medicine, okay?"
"But... Master..."
"I'll make breakfast. Wait here, okay?"
She nods.
After giving her a quick wipe bath I went downstairs to make breakfast. Since we were still lacking in ingredients, I've decided to make a simple meal.
The legendary egg sandwitch.
..........
In my defense, it's the only food I can cook properly. I really need to learn more recipes soon.
After the food was prepared, I placed it all on a tray.
I also prepared her a glass of water, but here I added another liquid into it.
It was a sleeping potion.
The issue of Nola getting up while I was outside without my consent was pretty dangerous, especially since the fever was reaching dangerous temperature levels. So, I decided to let her sleep for half of the day, not only to minimize the risk of accidents but also to give her body more time to heal itself.
I went upstairs and placed the tray on my lap.
"Here's your breakfast."
"Thank you, master."
Nola slowly sat upright and ate. I assisted her the whole time. Her arms were heavy and sluggish, so I had to bring the sandwitch near her mouth for her to chew. She also drank the sleeping potion disguised as water.
"You feeling good, Nola?"
"Yes... Master... Feeling... Sleepy..."
She was already fast asleep as I finished packing up. I placed the blanket over her and put back the towel on her head.
"...I'll be back soon," I whispered.
The potion's effects were only temporary, lasting only until lunch, so I have to be back home during that time.
Quickly putting on a t-shirt and one of my newly bought shorts, I went outside and jogged towards Sirvaelin.
...It has suddenly occurred to me that I was leaving a (pre-adolescent?) girl unconscious in my house, which gives almost no security aside from a few locks in my front door. I just left Nola in a really vulnerable state.
This gave me more reasons to have another person living with us in the mansion. It doesn't have to be a maid.
Right, I need to put up another advertisement on the town hall community board. I'll do that later.
"Late! I'm running late!"
It was morning, around that time where people would be cooking their lunch, that I was running across the cobblestone streets, weaving my way through the traffic to reach the town hall.
The job requests took longer than expected, and as a result, I was about thirty minutes behind schedule.
"Ahh. Welcome, Miss Ena - eeeeeeek!"
I busted open the entrance door and sprinted towards the counter where Cana was greeting me, placing my hands on the counter with a loud thud.
"Sorry to scare you, but no time to explain. Do you know where Lohre is?"
"U - Umm - "
"I think I heard someone call my name." A man approached me from behind. "Oh, what do we have here? If it isn't Hisami Enatsu, the Witch of Langle Field. You were looking for me?"
"Yeah," I turned around. " I need to talk to you about something."
This was Lohre Pilsoft, the current head, and manager of the Sirvaelin Town Hall. Tall, slender, dark hair, and an old face, he has been serving here for at least five years, if my memory serves me correctly.
"Well, I'm doing my monthly employee check at the moment, but I've got some time. So, what do you want to tell me?"
"It's about the job requests that appear in my mailbox."
"Yeah? What about them?"
"Umm... How do I word this properly..." I happened to glance at the clock at the wall, reminding me that I was crunched on time. " Ahh, screw it. I'll get straight to the point. Can you give me a job request break for a few days?"
"...Huh?"
Lohre had a confused expression on his face.
"Please, at least give me three days without any job requests coming at my mail."
"...I can do that, but what is your reason for this, all of a sudden?" He didn't seem mad. Rather, his tone indicated curiosity.
"It's my maid. She got sick and I'm nursing her at the moment. I'll be busy, so I'm hoping that you'll give me three days maximum."
"......"
Lohre was silent for a moment.
"Well, considering your history with this town, and the fact that you had greatly contributed to the social and economic welfare of Sirvaelin, I would be a fool to deny your request." Sure, I'll give you a three-day break."
"Really?!" I was shocked. I wasn't expecting him to agree to it this easily.
"Take as much time as you need. I'll deal with the paperwork."
"Thank you! Thank you so much!" I said, bowing repeatedly.
"It's nothing, really," He said, waving his hand. For some reason, he was looking in the other direction, a slight blush on his cheeks. "Well, I've got other agendas to deal with. Anything else you need?"
"Nope!"
"Alright. Give my regards to your maid," Lohre said, before disappearing behind the counter.
Nice. That was one problem taken care of.
"Poor maid... Contracting a fever days after being hired. Such unfortunate timing," Cana commented. Ahh, that reminds me.
"Hey Cana, can you do something for me? I'm pressed on time at the moment."
"Huh? Oh, sure. What is it, Miss Enatsu?"
I told Cana about my intention of putting up an ad saying that I'm offering a room to rent, good for one person.
"Got it. I'll work on it as soon as I can, so you can rely on me."
"Thanks a bunch, Cana. I'll be leaving now."
"Good luck, Miss Enatsu!"
Sprinting outside, I turned and ran towards my final stop of the day: The Sirvaelin Public Market Area.
It was already high noon by the time I've reached it. There were numerous vendors on both sides of the road attracting people to their stalls, and lots of shoppers loitering here and there.
Right. Now to find those ingredients.
These materials were not common, so I made my way to the section of the market where they sell rare items.
On my way, I reached into my pockets to double-check if the money I brought was enough to buy the ingredients. Maybe I could buy lunch on the way home so that I wouldn't have to cook.
.......
Hmm?
Strange.
Why did it feel like they were empty?
....Huh?
"Huh?!"
I frantically checked all my pockets, including the ones in my vest, dress, and breasts. I ran my hands all over my body, looking for the sound of coins jingling.
"No... Nooooooooooooo!"
Minutes after despreately looking for it, the haunting reality finally settled on me.
I left my money at home!!
