The time of the day was just past noon.

Naturally, we were sued for assault and intimidation by the baron.

Damn it. I haven’t even finished doing the laundry yet!

“Miss Daisy, you work as a maid for the Weatherwoods, and the person behind you is the head maid, is that correct?”

“That’s right.”

“I’m Officer Thomas. You two, please follow me for a moment.”

The maid and I were called to the investigation room. No, to be exact, the head maid answered only a few questions from the policeman and only I had to be called to the investigation room.

In the investigation room where I arrived, another man – not a police man- was sitting.

The man who caught the weird atmosphere flipped through the documents and finally opened his mouth.

“Nice to meet you, Miss Daisy Fager. Let me be blunt. I found a singularity in your status. I know it may be unpleasant for you, but we’re definitely going to have to address this.”

I could feel the man searching my face for a reaction through his keen gaze. I shrugged my shoulders to show I didn’t care.

“First of all, when were you employed by this mansion?”

“Ten days ago.”

“What did you do before you came to this city?”

But it wasn’t long before I had to shut up.

This question is troublesome. The reason why it’s troublesome is simple. It’ll take too long to answer.

I’m Daisy, a maid. But before I became a maid, I had a different name.

The sword of the king, Andert.

One of the heroes of the turbulent times who stood at the front lines of the decade-long Magic War and protected the fate of mankind.

That was me.

*

Ten days ago, the city’s human resource office.

“Next interviewee.”

When I raised my hand quietly, a woman with a strict expression and silver-rimmed glasses looked at me.

“Come on in.”

I followed her into the office. As I sat on a simple iron chair in front of the desk, the door closed as if it had been waiting.

In front of me sat a woman with a much stricter expression than the secretary who guided me, quickly rummaging through the papers.

I could feel the exhaustion she must be in because of the countless interviews by looking at her face as she sipped her coffee. I looked down at the number slip stuck on my chest.

“Interviewee No. 38.”

The number sounded exhausting enough.

“Nice to meet you. What a beautiful woman.”

The interviewer, who carefully examined me from head to toe, opened her mouth.

“What’s your name?”

That’s a good question.

“Daisy Fager.”

My name is Andert Fager.

In order to hide my true name, I chose an alias that sounded like a maid’s name to anyone.

I bet there are more than a thousand maids in this world named Daisy.

Daisy was a great disguise that could guide me to the world of terrible labor. No matter how well-versed the interview is, if you’re used to something, you’ll end up leaning into it in the end.

“That’s the same surname as the hero of the magic war. Although, I guess it’s a common surname throughout the tributaries. What about your family? Have any?”

That’s a good question as well.

“One younger brother.”

My brother died in battle while defending our hometown a long time ago.

His name was Andert Fager.

I have lived under my brother’s name for many years; turning my originally female body into a man’s through ancient magic. The name I received from my parents has long been abandoned. It’s been a very long time. Enough for me to not miss it anymore.

“Where are you from?”

This is also a good question.

My younger brother and I are from Queen, an island of bad luck that is no longer inhabited.

Queen Island, the southernmost island of the Imperial South, suddenly became a sea of fire one day. The Empire sent troops several times, but to no avail.

The main culprit was Mephisto, a  wizard who slaughtered tens of thousands of humans to gain the power of immortality.

Thus, the great wizard Mephisto became the enemy of mankind in an instant.

The Magic Coalition is an organization formed by 13 countries, led by the empire, to annihilate this vicious killer.

The winner of the decade-long war was the Magic Union, but the damage was enormous.

Four years had passed since the end of the war. The world was now overcoming the pain of the past and stretching towards a future where life prospers.

Even so, my burned-down hometown won’t come back.

“How tall are you?”

“170 cm.”

“That’s quite tall for a woman. It will be a clear advantage in the job you applied for.”

That’s a good compliment.

“We’re almost there. There are only a few questions left. You’ve never worked as a maid before, so what have you been doing before this?”

These questions are all really good.

“I was unemployed.”

I was one of the commanders of the Magic Union.

And I went around the battlefield with Raphael, a hero sung by the people in those troubling times.

“I can’t show my back to anyone but you, Andert. You’re the only one I can trust. I know it may sound funny, but often I think that If I ever had a long-lost brother, it would be you.”

Raphael, commander-in-chief of the Allied Forces, was the hope of the Magic Union and the salvation of mankind.

We defeated all our enemies and moved forward one step at a time, attracting precious friends and allies.

So, I finally stepped back into my hometown, which had turned into Mephisto’s base, but….

In the end, the fate given to me was death.

“Damn, don’t you dare let go of this hand. Wait! Stop right now, Andert! You can’t die! I won’t let you die this way! Come back now, Andert Fager!”

Yeah, I was definitely dead.

I stepped into the enemy camp by myself, and thought it was a noble sacrifice to make for mankind in my own way.

‘But why did I come back to life?’

It’s been four years.

Even the body of a man that I’d been using by ancient magic had disappeared. Only a weak woman’s body remained.

“Why did you apply for this position?”

Ah.

Now that’s a good question.

“Money.”

The answer is money.

Whether you’re a hero, an aristocrat, or a normal citizen – you need money to survive.

This truth also applied to me, who was lucky enough to come back to life after the decisive showdown with the great wizard Mephisto.

I needed money.

I needed money no more, no less than to live at least three more years.

“Last question. What kind of mansion would you like to work in?”

That is an important question.

“A mansion that is so hard to clean that maybe I’d die before being able to complete the task.”

“What kind of employer do you want?”

“A vicious employer who squeezes their employees.”

The interviewer gave me a look that said I was crazy. But only for a brief moment.

“Thank you for your hard work. This is the end of the interview. You’ll be contacted within a week, so get ready. And take this book.”

Did I pass? Before I left the office, I received a small book from the interviewer.

The art of fine speech.

When I looked at the title and raised my head, the interviewer’s eyes looked like they were looking at a golden pig.

‘Wait, why a golden pig?’ 

The answer to that question was not available until a week later.

When I got my second job in life, as a maid.

*

The human resources office contacted me a day later.

The interviewer who called me gave me a note with an unfamiliar address and added a short explanation.

“You’re very lucky. It’s rare to find a job in a day. Your place of work is a mansion on the main street of the city, and the owner of the mansion is the Viscount Weatherwoods. The Weatherwoods family is one of the most historic families in the empire. Being able to work for a family like this is an honor in every way.”

When I nodded and picked up the note, the interviewer, who clasped the paper tightly with his fingertips, said to me.

“I have one request for you. Endure at least a week and then quit. If you quit too early, the image of our workforce office will also be damaged.”

I nodded again, but the interviewer didn’t let go of the note.

“Did you read the book I gave you yesterday? A maid should be polite. Answer in words, not actions.”

I remembered the book I used as a pillow when I slept on a park bench last night.

Of course I didn’t read it.

“Yes.”

“In honorifics.”

“Yes.”

“You’d better answer a little more kindly. It wouldn’t be bad to add an ‘okay’. At least as a maid. Answer me again.”

The hard-nosed glasses interviewer said again.

I was upset, but I knew this was pure advice. Still, I kept my lips close for 5 more seconds and then I hesitatingly opened my mouth.

“Yes, sir.”

I don’t like to talk for long. Because this voice is not familiar.

It’s not just the voice. I was also unfamiliar with the reduced height, soft appearance, and softened skin.

For me, as Andert Fager, as Commander of the Magic Union, and a man for 10 years, the body of a woman seemed to belong to someone else.

The fact that I was a woman 14 years ago seemed unbelievable, and it felt like I was being forced to incorporate myself into an uncomfortable frame.

“Good job. Much better.”

But I cannot deny my own body forever.

Since I’ve gotten a job as a maid, it would be nice to get used to it slowly. Very, very slowly.

“Go. May you find Midwinterre to be your new home.”

After leaving the human resources office, I asked street vendors to find my new workplace.

“Oh, that one? It’s easy to find that mansion.”

The place where I got a job was so famous that it was very easy to find.

It was actually really easy.

in the midst of a bustling street.

The gloomy appearance of the mansion, similar to that of a haunted house, displayed a presence that could not be ignored.

~~~

Half this chapter is just daisy being like “hmm that’s a very good question sir”

An employer who squeezes their employees is someone who wants to get their money’s worth down to the last drop. they squeeze the work out of their employees.