Chapter 7: That Shapeshifter, On Guard

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A maid’s typical day began two hours before dawn.

Yoka switched the candles in the rooms and corridors with new ones, chopped firewood and drew water from the well. After that, it was time to start boiling dashi and making noodles.

One of the souls she once consumed belonged to a talented ramen chef, so pulling the noodles into neat, thin strands took no time at all.

Yoka even made a few different varieties of noodles just in case the young mistress decided to be picky today.

After that, it was time to tend to the castle gardens to make them they’re presentable. Kii had plucked the vegetable garden bald recently, so today, the withered stems had to be removed and more seeds had to be planted.

The trees also need trimming and had to be watered before the young mistress woke up—there would be no time to run outside once Rin was awake.

As Yoka made her way to the wisteria pavilion, she heard movement by the guardhouse.

She tilted her head imperceptibly and enhanced her hearing to identify its source. The freeloaders were all asleep at this time, so there should be nobody else moving around in Shin-Karatsu Castle except for her.

A faint smile tugged at the corners of her mouth.

Was today going to be another entertaining one?

Yoka finished trimming the vines and slowly moved on to the trees nearer the guardhouse. There was a shed beside the guardhouse that was filled with Yuzuru’s mechanical contraptions. It used to be the stables that housed the daimyo’s horses, but the young mistress hated animals, so it was turned into one large shed for storage.

The shadow of the shed cast by the rising sun was dark, but Yoka’s shapeshifter eyes could see every blade of grass that moved against the morning breeze.

A single intruder.

‘Why did you come alone, assassin-san?’ Yoka asked the shed.

The grass stilled.

‘There needs to be more of you if you want to have a chance of getting out alive.’

[Read the full story at novelconbini.com!]