Toya realized he was still standing there shirtless in front of the Princess and the Royal Instructor. His face turned beet-root red, and he scrambled away, retreating to the other room in a state of total embarrassment.
The three Goddesses—Ivory, Bellona, and Lustra—didn't even glance at Toya. Their eyes were locked onto Lilith, watching her every move with sharp, territorial glares.
At that moment, Kobi, Lilith's elven bodyguard, stepped forward and bowed.
"Your Highness, I have completed a full scan of the premises. There are no traps, hidden hostile spells, or any traces of killing intent within this mansion. It is safe for you to stay."
Lilith didn't look back; she kept her eyes fixed on the hallway where Haruto had disappeared. "Thank you, Kobi," she said, waving her hand dismissively.
"You are dismissed to the perimeter." Kobi bowed again and vanished into the shadows to begin his watch.
Finally, the doors opened. Haruto walked back into the hall, fully refreshed after his bath. He was no longer the sweaty, shirtless "beast" from the training room, but the air around him still hummed with that new, dense power.
Haruto walked into the hall, refreshed and wearing the Obsidian-Black gear Ivory had crafted. As he adjusted his sleeves, he saw Kobi heading toward the exit.
"Wait, Kobi! Where are you going?" Haruto asked, stopping him.
Kobi bowed deeply. "Sir Haruto, my mission here is complete. I've ensured the Princess's safety and secured the perimeter. I must return to my undercover post as a hotel guide to maintain my disguise."
Haruto wanted to stop him—partly because having a Level 78 ally around was a massive tactical advantage, and partly because he had Asobi stationed at the gate as a sentry. He didn't want Kobi accidentally bumping into his "secret weapon." But Haruto caught himself; if he pushed too hard, it would look suspicious.
"I... right. Stay if you want, but I won't force you," Haruto muttered.
Kobi turned to Princess Lilith for final permission. However, Lilith wasn't even listening. Her eyes were glazed over, staring intensely at Haruto's chest and shoulders. She noticed his black outfit perfectly complemented her own royal black attire. "Matching... we're practically a set," she thought, completely lost in her own world. Without even looking at Kobi, she gave a dismissive wave of her hand, signaling him to leave.
Kobi turned to exit, but as he reached the threshold, his sharp elven eyes caught a glimpse of something in the shadows. Asobi, who had been eavesdropping, hadn't had enough time to trigger her invisibility and was forced to manifest in her Humanoid Form.
"Who goes there?!" Kobi shouted, his hand instantly flying to his cap. He stepped toward the shadow, his gaze piercing. "I didn't detect you during my scan. Identify yourself!"
Asobi stepped out calmly, maintaining her mature, composed look. She hated the formal tone, but she remembered Haruto's instructions.
"I am Master Haruto's maid, sir," she said smoothly, her voice cool and untroubled.
Haruto watched the exchange with his heart hammering against his ribs. Even though Asobi despised the "Sir/Ma'am" drama of human society, she was playing the role of the housemaid perfectly—or at least, as perfectly as a dragon could.
Haruto noticed something fascinating about Kobi. The elf didn't carry a visible sword, but the red hat he had been wearing transformed instantly in his grip into a mystical staff. Haruto was impressed; Kobi had hidden his primary weapon as a "useless" piece of clothing right under everyone's noses.
Kobi walked up to Asobi, his staff glowing faintly as he performed a close-range scan. He couldn't find any hostile mana, but he was deeply confused by her appearance. Asobi wasn't wearing a typical maid's uniform; she was draped in a long robe that looked like it belonged to royalty, calmly taking puffs from her ornate cigarette pipe.
"She's my maid," Haruto cut in quickly, stepping forward to bridge the gap.
"She handles the... high-level maintenance of the estate. That's why she was at the gate."
Kobi lowered his staff slightly. "If you say so, Sir Haruto. But her presence is... unusual."
Lilith, hearing the commotion, finally broke her trance and walked over to inspect the "maid." Her eyes widened. She saw a stunning woman who looked to be in her 30s—mature, elegant, and possessing a face that was hauntingly beautiful. Her expression was a perfect, calm poker face. Lilith had never seen a maid who radiated the aura of a Queen.
Behind them, Ivory, Bellona, and Lustra were sweating. They knew Asobi's true nature and were terrified she might lose her temper and do something reckless. They were also shocked—this was the first time they had ever heard Asobi address someone other than Haruto as "Sir," even if it was just to fool Kobi.
At that moment, Toya ran back into the hall, finally wearing a shirt but looking incredibly tense. He saw Kobi and Asobi standing face-to-face and panicked. Haruto had specifically told him in the bath that Asobi's identity had to remain a secret, and now the Royal Bodyguard was interrogating her.
The atmosphere in the mansion was a chaotic mess of hidden agendas and psychic tension. Here is how everyone was positioned in that moment:
Lilith was completely "locked in" on Haruto, her eyes tracing the lines of his new black suit. She wasn't even thinking about the duel anymore; she was busy imagining how "aesthetic" they looked together.
Professor Vane kept his head down, staring at the floor. He looked like a man who had realized he was trapped in a madhouse. "How did I, a Royal Instructor, end up as a middleman for a teenage drama?" he wondered.
Ivory was working overtime, her eyes glowing faintly as she intercepted Lilith's erratic mind signals. She was relaying every ridiculous thought the Princess had to Bellona and Lustra via telepathy. The two of them were struggling to keep a straight face, hearing Ivory's mental commentary: "She's currently planning their wedding colors... now she's wondering if Haruto likes cats... this girl is delusional."
Toya stood in the corner, looking back and forth like he was watching a tennis match. He had no idea what the "vibe" was, only that if he said the wrong thing, he'd probably get blasted by one of the five powerful women in the room.
Asobi She remained the eye of the storm. She didn't care about the Princess, the Professor, or the duel. She just leaned against the wall, puffed a cloud of silver smoke from her pipe, and watched Haruto. To her, everyone else was just "background noise."
As Kobi finally walked through the gates, he didn't feel relieved. He felt more uneasy than when he arrived. He stopped just outside the mansion grounds and looked back at the closed doors.
(Kobi's Inner Thoughts): "That woman... that 'maid.' How is it possible? I am Level 78. My detection mana is refined to the point where I can hear a heartbeat from a mile away. Yet, she was invisible to me until I saw her with my own eyes. Either her mana is so weak it doesn't register... or she is so powerful that her control is beyond human comprehension."
He shook his head, pulling his red hat low over his eyes. He decided to stay extra alert. Something about Haruto's "household" was beginning to feel like a high-level dungeon.
Haruto stared at the spot where Kobi had been standing, his mind still reeling from the visual. "Wait, so that hat... it was actually his weapon? How does a hat even work as a weapon?"
Lilith looked at him, surprised by his lack of basic high-tier knowledge.
"You really didn't know? Kobi possesses a Weapon Spirit named Veltor. The hat is just its resting state—its natural vessel. It's part of his soul."
"So items can have spirits now? This world's code is getting complex," Haruto muttered.
Asobi, who had been leaning against the wall, looked down at her ornate pipe and let out a soft, trailing cloud of smoke. "Don't be so surprised, Boss," she said, her voice smooth but heavy with hidden power.
"Did you think my pipe was just for show? It is an extension of me."
Before anyone could blink, Asobi tapped the pipe against her palm.
*SHHH—BOOM*
In a flash of violet energy, the small pipe elongated and thickened, transforming into a massive, terrifying staff. The craftsmanship was ancient, and a thick, suffocating purple smoke began to swirl around it like a living serpent. The sheer pressure coming from the weapon made the air in the room vibrate.
Lilith's jaw dropped.
"Magnificent... that is a masterpiece of art. The power coming from it is insane! Haruto, is your 'maid' some kind of legendary bodyguard in disguise? There's no way a regular servant has a weapon of that caliber!"
Haruto rubbed the back of his neck, trying to play it cool despite his own shock.
"Her level is... way up there. Honestly, she hasn't even told me the full story. She has some kind of deep wish or 'desire' that she's working toward. Until that's fulfilled, she won't even reveal her true HUD or her full level."
"What kind of desire?" Lilith asked, her curiosity piqued as she studied the regal maid.
Haruto shrugged. "I don't even know that myself."
Asobi gave a faint, elegant smile toward the Princess, her eyes unreadable.
"Princess, please pardon my silence. I cannot tell you just yet."
Then, Asobi let go of the staff. Instead of falling to the floor, the staff began to glow and shift. The wood and metal morphed, expanding into a humanoid form right there in the middle of the hall.
The figure stretched, its joints popping as it let out a long, weary yawn. "Haaah... such a long sleep. Finally, some fresh air."
Ivory sat in the corner, literally face-palming as she watched the chaos unfold.
(Mental Broadcast):"I specifically WANTED her not to do anything reckless, and what does she do? She releases a living, sentient Spirit Weapon in the middle of the living room. These 'Dumb-Heads' really love to flex at the wrong time and place."
While Ivory was annoyed, Bellona was leaning forward, her warrior instincts buzzing with curiosity. She had heard of living weapons, but seeing one manifest so casually was a different story. Professor Vane was practically trembling with professional envy; a Royal Instructor like him had spent his whole life trying to find a Weapon Spirit, and here it was, serving tea and blowing smoke.
Lilith backed away, her eyes wide with a mix of fear and greed.
"Haruto! This is impossible! I need this maid in the Royal Army immediately! Do you realize what an Awakened Spirit is?!"
Haruto, leaning back and enjoying how "cool" his team was looking, smirked. The game was finally getting interesting.
"Explain it to me, Princess. What's the big deal about 'Awakened' spirits?"
"An Awakened Spirit," Lilith explained, her voice shaking,
"means the weapon doesn't just amplify the user. It is a Living Weapon. It possesses its own powers, its own consciousness, and can fight independently of its master. It's a Tier-SSS rarity!"
As the purple smoke cleared, the humanoid form finally solidified. Haruto's jaw almost hit the floor. He expected a knight or a traditional spirit, but what stood before him was a punk-style guy with messy purple hair and glowing purple eyes.
He was wearing stylish, "delinquent" clothes—heavy boots, a tattered jacket, and chains—looking like someone straight out of a modern street-fighting game from Haruto's original world.
(Inner Thoughts): "Holy... no way. He looks like a character from a 2026 cyberpunk title. The drip is insane! I never thought a tiny cigarette pipe could hide something this hardcore."
The punk spirit stretched his neck, his joints popping like small explosions. He looked at Haruto with a lazy, sharp grin. "Yo. So you're ?"
Lilith was vibrating with curiosity. "What rank is he?! Asobi, what is his name and rank?!"
The punk guy looked at Lilith
"Names are for contracts, girl. Just call me Smoke.."
The atmosphere in the room took a sharp, jagged turn as the punk-styled spirit, Smoke, stood there with his hands in his pockets, radiating an attitude that was way too "modern" for this fantasy world.
"Smoke, where are your manners?" Asobi's voice dropped an octave, turning cold and dangerous. She didn't look like a maid anymore; she looked like an apex predator.
"I did not give you permission to manifest, and I certainly didn't give you permission to speak with such a filthy attitude."
Smoke glanced at Asobi, seeing the genuine fury in her eyes, but he just shrugged lazily. He turned his glowing purple eyes toward Haruto, scanning him up and down.
"Level 4?" Smoke let out a dry, mocking laugh.
"Whoa... what is this? Asobi, since when did you start living near trash like this? This is pathetic."
The words hit Haruto like a physical blow. His ego took a direct hit. Lilith's face also twisted in anger—she might be confused by Haruto, but she wouldn't stand for some "delinquent" weapon spirit insulting him.
But before Haruto could even respond, Asobi moved.
WHACK!
A heavy smack echoed through the hall as Asobi slapped the back of Smoke's head so hard his knees buckled. "You idiot! He is the one I serve! If you call him 'trash' again, I will snap your vessel in half. Now apologize!"
Smoke rubbed his head, grumbling, but then he did something he should have done from the start: he stopped looking at Levels and started looking at Connections.
Smoke closed his eyes, his spirit senses expanding to map the mana threads in the room. What he saw made his jaw drop and his soul shiver.
The Web: He saw that everyone in the room—except for Vane and Lilith—was connected by invisible, unbreakable mana threads to this one "Level 4" boy.The Scale: He scanned the entities attached to Haruto:
Three entities with power levels so high they broke his internal scale (Level 99+).
Asobi radiating the energy of a Level 90 Combat Spirit.
Toya herself, a Level 60+ force of nature.
Smoke realized that this "Level 4" boy was literally the Owner of a small army of world-ending entities.
Ivory watched him through narrowed eyes, knowing exactly what he was doing. She didn't stop him; she wanted the punk to realize exactly whose house he was standing in.
Suddenly, Smoke's legs gave out. He began to tremble, realising that he—a mere Awakened Spirit—was standing in the presence of a "Master" who controlled beings that could delete the entire kingdom. He started to bow, his forehead nearly touching the floor.
"I... I misunderstood! I'm sorry! I didn't realize...!"
"Relax," Haruto said, reaching out to pat him on the shoulder, trying to stop the awkward bowing. "It's not a big deal. Levels are just numbers in a glitchy system anyway."
Asobi didn't wait for the apology to finish. She raised her hand, and with a snap of her fingers, the punk spirit was forcibly sucked back into the pipe. Smoke's voice trailed off, shouting "Sorry! Sorry!" until he was nothing but a flash of purple light.
The pipe returned to its small, ornate form in Asobi's hand. She took a calm puff of smoke as if nothing had happened.
"Pardon the interruption, Boss. The equipment was... malfunctioning."
Professor Vane was physically shaking. His legs felt like jelly as he retreated toward the couch and slumped down, his eyes darting between Haruto and Asobi. "What kind of monster is this kid?" he thought, his mind racing. "A maid who casually carries an Awakened Spirit in a smoking pipe... that's something even the Royal Archmages haven't achieved. I'm supposed to be 'teaching' him? I should be asking him for an internship!"
The room went deathly silent. Toya leaned forward, his eyes sparkling with excitement. He knew Haruto was special, but this was next-level "Final Boss" behavior.
Haruto looked at the small, ornate pipe in Asobi's hand and then at his team. He let out a confident smirk. "One thing is for sure," Haruto said, his voice echoing with authority. "I will never let anyone who possesses power like this stay away from me. You're part of my good list now."
The moment those words left Haruto's mouth, a competitive spark ignited in the eyes of the three Goddesses. If Asobi was getting all the attention because of her Awakened Spirit, they couldn't stay behind. They were the Goddesses of the System, and their pride wouldn't allow them to be outdone by a "maid."
The tension in the room was thick enough to choke a dragon. Haruto's simple statement about his "good list" had turned the living room into a divine battlefield of egos.
Lilith, seeing even the maid flaunt their legendary spirits, felt her royal pride flare up. She wasn't just some bystander; she was the Princess of this Kingdom! She stepped forward.
"Don't think I'm unarmed, Haruto!" she declared. She reached into the air, and a shimmering, elegant Rapier manifested in her hand. The blade glowed with a soft, rhythmic light.
"My weapon, Rose-Thorn, hasn't 'Awakened' into a humanoid form yet, but its spirit is ancient. If we're showing off, then I'm in this game too!"
Meanwhile, Professor Vane had officially reached his limit. He didn't say a word. He just turned around, walked over to the nearest velvet couch, and sat down with a heavy thud. He put his head in his hands, staring at the floor in total silence.
(Vane's Inner Thoughts): "Get me out of here. Please. Goddess of Mercy, just let me go back to the Academy. I'm supposed to be the Royal Instructor, the top tier of human magic... and I'm sitting in a room where even the maid has a weapon that could level a city. Princess, what kind of monster's den have you dragged me into?"
He looked like a man who had realized he was no longer the teacher, but the most under-leveled person in the building.