I Became a Druid in Another World

Ugh, this is so uncomfortable

El kept grumbling to herself. How long had it been since she had last worn a skirt? She had been wearing pants all this time. They were light, comfortable pants that prioritized ease of movement, and now this maid's uniform, with its layers of underpants, petticoat, and overskirt, felt unbearably restrictive.

How on earth did I ever live wearing things like this?

El clicked her tongue, adjusted the hem of her skirt, pulled down her hat, and picked up the tray as she left the room. She had glanced at a map of the castle, but Corin's castle was built thickly, like a fortress, and the paths inside were winding and complex. It would be all too easy to make a wrong turn, and if she made a mistake…

…naturally, it would raise suspicions.

Gulp. El swallowed dryly and walked down the corridor. Having once been a noble lady who lived with maids constantly at her side, she knew perfectly well how a maid was expected to behave. Wandering too close to Dawood's room would be a foolish move; anyone besides his personal maid or servant would immediately arouse suspicion.

But.

If there's any place I might find useful information, it would be Dawood's room.

Could she get in by claiming she was cleaning? Or perhaps by saying she was running an errand? The excuse of losing her way wouldn't work. In that case…

…I'll just have to use that "method".

Louis. According to him, this place had a lot of mice, so if worse came to worst, she could say she was here chasing one. She would claim a mouse ran off with something shiny, maybe even hint it could be one of Sir Louis's valuables.

El moved quickly. She turned left from there, followed the corridor until she reached the portrait, and then turned right again. She climbed the stairs in front of her and kept going until…

There it is!

A particularly heavy-looking door appeared. Thankfully, there didn't seem to be anyone standing guard. El crept forward cautiously while muffling her footsteps as best as she could.

It's probably locked.

But that was fine; her master had lent her the "key that could open anything". As long as she opened the door quickly and slipped inside, no one would be able to disturb her once the door was shut. The room's owner was away in the Sequoia Forest, so no one would dare enter an unoccupied room.

"..."

The corridor was silent with no one in sight. Hoo. El took a deep breath just like her master always did and then slowly exhaled before placing her hand on the doorknob. The door might just be unlocked, after all…

"What do you think you're doing there?"

Just then—

A sharp voice cut through the air, echoing down the hallway. El unconsciously let out a gasp and turned to where the sound came from.

"....!"

Her shoulders tensed. Damn, damn, damn, damn! Though El cursed inwardly, she kept a respectful posture. She narrowed her shoulders and bowed her head as if she were truly frightened.

"I-I'm sorry…"

The voice that had pierced the air like a needle belonged to a woman whose beauty hadn't withered with age. As if she took pride in it. El instantly recognized her face from her memory. She had seen this woman before, even in the lord's office. The woman who stood close beside him in the family portrait…

The wife of Lord Corin!

She had assumed that if someone showed up, it would be a guard or another maid, but never Lord Corin's wife. Cold sweat ran down her back. El bit her lower lip and started racking her brain. What should she do? Ah, her master would surely know!

Her master was a druid who had a special talent for lying; he would have come up with a lie on the spot. El thought hard and harder still, but beyond the lie she had already prepared, nothing better came to mind. Gulp. El spoke to the Lady of the house in a crawling voice.

"I was… chasing a mouse."

"Hah?"

It wasn't working at all! She was doomed! In a flash, El imagined a series of dreadful outcomes, recalling the tales her fellow maid Coco had shared of others' punishments. Some maids got whipped until their legs were bruised or their hair shorn off… oh, wait. Her hair was already cut, wasn't it? Anyway!

"I saw the mouse running off with something shiny in its mouth…"

"Something shiny?"

"Yes, so I… I thought perhaps it might be one of Sir Louis's valuables…"

"…Have you only recently come to the castle?"

"Yes?"

"The fact that you'd dare lie to me."

The woman's voice was so cold it could hardly be colder. It was a fairly convincing lie, so why wasn't it working? El looked at the lady of the house with a startled expression. The woman stepped closer, one deliberate step at a time, and then seized El's chin.

"My husband despises lies."

"….."

"And so do I."

"…It-it's not a lie…"

"Enough."

"….."

"Louis has no interest in baubles like jewelry."

She made a mistake. As a shadow fell over her face, El shut her eyes tightly. I'm so sorry, Master!

"Please stop, Mother."

It was then.

El cracked her eyes open again and caught sight of Louis gently holding his mother's arm.

"Louis."

"It's true; I was the one who asked her to do it."

"..."

"It's nothing important, just a button. But since it's only found in the capital, I asked her to look for it on my behalf."

At Louis's words, the woman's stern demeanor softened a little. She released El, then spoke to Louis in a slightly disapproving tone.

"If it's something you find important, I suppose I can't object…"

"Yes."

"But during times like these, be mindful of your actions, Louis."

"..."

"No matter how meaningless it may seem to you, you never know how others might interpret each of your actions."

"…I'll be careful, Mother."

Louis gave a slight bow. With that, the lady of the house cast a glance over El and Louis before turning and disappearing down the hallway once more.

"Are you all right?"

"Yes, I'm fine."

"Good. I was relieved to hear that; Mother's gaze looked intense even from a distance."

Tsk. El pouted before straightening her skirt.

"It's not wise to act so boldly."

"I don't think that's something I should be hearing from you."

"Did you learn that attitude from your master?"

"And if I did?"

El lifted her chin in defiance. After all, she too was the only daughter of the prestigious Reinhardt family, with nothing to feel inferior about when facing Louis Corin. And she certainly had no intention of humbling herself before anyone who spoke so carelessly of her master. Louis shook his head with a sigh at El's spirited look.

"The master and the student are quite a pair, huh…"

"Thanks for the compliment."

Ignoring Louis as he turned away, El pushed open the heavy door. Bringing the "key that opens everything" hadn't been necessary, as the door wasn't locked and swung open at her touch. A small gap appeared and El stepped through.

***

I took advantage of a moment when the mice were distracted with nursing their young and carefully slipped out of the mouse hole. Following the delicious scent, I crawled through a winding passageway and emerged into the bustling, brightly lit kitchen.

Wow, this kitchen is much bigger than I expected.

Then again, it made sense; this was a kitchen in a castle. With a space this large, cooking here would be a real pleasure. There were plenty of tools, ingredients, and even chefs bustling about.

I clung to a pillar and surveyed the entire kitchen. Ah, this area must be where they store milk and cheese. Oh, and over there, that's where they keep sugar, salt, and spices! There's the meat, and that refrigerator must be for the fish. Impressive, really; such excellent facilities. It seems that Lord Corin has a taste for fine food.

Of course, right now, he's stuck with a frozen soul…

That thought dampened my mood. I needed to rescue him as quickly as possible before he suffered any more…. I carefully climbed down the pillar and started to walk around the kitchen.

It wasn't just the cooks who moved in and out of the kitchen. The place was a bustling hub for all the servants, a space they could freely enter for anything they needed. Be it water, light refreshments, wine, or even meals. Since serving required many visits to the kitchen, the servants grew quite fond of the place, not to mention the occasional snacks they could pick up while they were there.

So naturally, in a place where people gathered, "rumors" were bound to gather too. Whether they were big or small, trivial or important.

I walked past a pot where stew was bubbling away. Mmm, the tomato smell was delightful. Did it have beef in it?

– Growl…

…Come to think of it, it had been quite a while since I had last eaten.

After a moment's hesitation, I secretly scooped up a spoonful of stew from a small plate that had been set aside for tasting.

Mmm…

It did seem like it had a bit of a meaty smell. More pepper and herbs would balance the flavor. Honestly, how could they forget something this basic!

I glanced around, grabbed a dried rosemary stalk hanging on the wall, and tossed it into the pot. Then, I threw in a few whole peppercorns as an emergency fix before moving on to the next workstation.

There, they were grilling fish, but again, I couldn't believe my eyes. Were they really grilling the fish just like that?!

Of course, if the fish were fresh enough, it might still taste good… but…

Still, if it isn't straight from the catch, it'll probably taste fishy.

I paused and hesitated. This looked like quality fish; just grilling it like that seemed like such a waste! Even if they planned to pour sauce over it later…

In the end, I wrapped my arms around a salt container as big as my torso and started salting the fish. The purpose wasn't just to season it. Adding salt would reduce the fishy smell and make the flesh firmer too!

There! Lemons; there's a whole stash of them!

So, I grabbed a lemon just as big as the salt container, squeezed the juice over the fish, and topped it off with a few rosemary leaves. Whew. Now that was satisfying! With just this much effort, it would taste so much better. You've got to put in the effort, really!

…Wait, this isn't the time for this!

I hadn't taken a job at Corin Castle as some ratatouille chef! What on earth was I doing? I really needed to rein in this meddlesome nature of mine! I threw aside the rosemary leaves I was still holding and hurriedly crossed the kitchen.

"Annie's mother came to the castle again today…"

Just then, I heard a gloomy voice coming from one side of the kitchen.