Chapter 3: The Armoured Girl and Her Friends from the Ceiling

The old castle Monette lives in may seem like it’s deteriorating

given that no one’s cared for it in a while, but it’s still a well-constructed

building.

It’s pretty convenient to use since there’s lots of s.p.a.ce,

and as it is an old castle, it has a unique atmosphere thanks to its olden

feel. At night, you can see a night sky full of stars from the balcony, and in

the morning, a refres.h.i.+ng breeze carries along the scent of the forest. If the

path to the castle was properly maintained and the inside was cleaned up, it

would no doubt become a fancy inn.

Monette was having dinner with Alexis and Percival in one

such room of this castle, a large hall.

Naturally, her armour is still on. Obviously, her face is

covered by her helmet as well. Her mouth is all properly covered up by iron,

but she’s still eating in a dispa.s.sionate manner.

“… Lady Monette, how do you work?” says Percival, looking at

her suspiciously.

“What do you mean by that?”

“How does your body work?”

“I will not answer any questions pertaining to s.e.x.”

“What are you talking about?”

At Monette’s response, Percival’s brow furrows. It’s

obviously an expression of confusion, but Monette just c.o.c.ks her head to the

side with a grind. She doesn’t know what he’s asking.

Regardless, Monette manipulates a fork with a silver

gauntlet-clad hand and brings a mouthful-sized piece of meat to her mouth after

dipping it in sauce. After she fills her mouth with the food, Percival and

Alexis seem to be staring at her.

She doesn’t understand them at all. It doesn’t feel good to

be stared at. Her hand naturally begins to tremble – the trembles reverberate

through the gauntlet to the fork, which begins to slightly tap against the

plate, making a tapping sound.

“It is rude to stare at someone while they’re eating.”

“Oh, I’m so very sorry. It’s just that the only thing I saw

was a bizarre spectacle - a lump of iron absorbing food,” says Percival flatly.

Alexis, who eats next to him, lets out a sigh at his words. He

internally laments that his underling and the n.o.ble girl who resents him don’t

get along well.  

“Monette, I want to ask you how you’re eating,” he says, as

if he’s acting as a mediator.

“How I’m eating?”

“Yes. We cannot see your mouth at all – and yet you’re

eating normally.”

At Alexis’ explanation of what they found strange, Monette

nods in understanding. So that was what they meant, she thinks.

It’s true that it can’t be helped if they think it’s strange

that her food is disappearing even though they can’t see her mouth at all. As

Monette barely ever eats in front of others – in fact, she hasn’t for years – she

forgot about how bizarre she looks when she eats.

“My armour was made in a special way. And I’ve also cast

magic so others can’t see.”

“You’re very thorough,” notes Alexis. His voice is somewhat

subdued, almost like he feels bad.

He probably thinks himself responsible for making Monette go

this far. So in front of her thoroughly hidden appearance, he probably feels

guilty.

Monette feels no need to make him feel better. She returns

to her meal. She has no desire to tell him not to worry about it and saying that

it isn’t his fault would be a lie.

So as Monette continues eating, ignoring Alexis’ dispirited

state. Perhaps worrying about Alexis’ mood, Percival speaks up and changes the

subject.

“Are there no maids in this castle?”

“Yes, there are no maids or even gardeners. Naturally, no

guards too.”

“There really is no one but you, Lady Monette.”

“That’s right. I’m all alone. Occasionally people who are lost

in the forest stay the night, but that only maybe happens once a month at most.”

“I see.”

“Oh, but my friends often come over to hang out,” says

Monette, glancing up as if she had just suddenly remembered this fact.

“Friends?” Percival and Alexis say in unison at the

unexpected statement.

Apparently it comes as a shock to them that an armoured girl

cooped away in the old castle has friends. Their reaction does make her fairly

angry, but she tells herself that she won’t complain, calming herself down…

then at the soft scuttling noise she hears from the ceiling, she looks up.

Speaking of the devil, it looks like one of her friends has

arrived.

“Since you’re here already, I’ll introduce you,” says

Monette, extending a hand upwards with an open palm. It’s almost as if she’s

introducing someone on the ceiling.

But obviously, no one is there. Percival and Alexis look

confused.

At that moment, a single spider smoothly descends down from

the ceiling.

“This is my friend Robertson.”

The instant she introduces him, a shrill scream echoes through

the hall. Alexis stands up, looking pale, and Percival draws the sword at his

hip.

The two had become defensive in a moment. Monette glances

between them and Robertson, making a clanking noise as she does. The way her

iron helmet turns from left to right at an even tempo makes for a rather

surreal sight, but sadly no one sees it.

“What is it? You don’t like spiders?”

“It’s a s – spider… A poisonous spider!”

“How rude. Robertson is not poisonous. Right?” says Monette,

addressing Robertson. At her words, he slightly sways at his stationary

position at a reasonable height.

A plump body and eight legs – he’s most definitely a spider.

It’s true that his appearance may be frightening, but he’s not poisonous.

When Monette makes to tell the two of them that he poses no

danger because of that, a second spider smoothly descends down from the

ceiling.

“A friend of yours, Robertson? Pink and yellow stripes –

what a fas.h.i.+onable friend you have.”

“It’s obviously a colour scheme that means that it’s

poisonous!”

“How rude, Prince Alexis. No matter how fas.h.i.+onable its colours

may be, that doesn’t mean it’s poisonous… wait, it is? It is? Apparently it is

poisonous.”

“Lady Monette, please go take that spider somewhere else!

The prince will be bitten!”

“Percival, you’re being rude as well. No matter how fas.h.i.+onable

its colours may be and no matter that it’s poisonous, that doesn’t mean it’s

going to bite… oh, it is. It is going

to bite. Oh I see,” Monette says, now talking with Robertson and his

fas.h.i.+onable friend.

Hearing that, Alexis lets out a scream and Percival readies

his sword with an even grimmer expression than before. The atmosphere from back

when they were having dinner has disappeared.

“It’s alright. It looks like it doesn’t really feel like

biting right now,” says Monette, trying to calm them down.

But Alexis, who has evacuated to the table, just shakes his

head vigorously, still looking pale.

“Listen to me carefully Monette, my bad luck is out of this

world…”

“Is that so.”

“In this past year, I’ve been bitten by non-lethal poisonous

creatures once every three days!”

“It’s impressive that you’re still alive.”

He’s pretty tough despite his bad luck.

Even as Monette admires his toughness, she glances at

Robertson and his fas.h.i.+onable friend. They had descended down from the ceiling

with their silk and were still stationary midair.

At this rate, dinner would be put permanently on hold.

“I’m sorry Robertson, but could you and your friend go to

the bas.e.m.e.nt today?” asks Monette apologetically, lowering her head.

Understanding her words, Robertson and his fas.h.i.+onable

friend smoothly return to the ceiling, climbing up their threads. Then they

scuttle over the ceiling and the wall to leave the hall. They’ve probably

headed to the bas.e.m.e.nt. Monette mentally apologizes to them for having to go to

the bas.e.m.e.nt even though they came all the way to the castle. She hears Alexis

and Percival’s relieved voices as they think that the danger has pa.s.sed.

“If only Prince Alexis and Percival went to the bas.e.m.e.nt

instead,” she mutters unthinkingly in her helmet.

“I can hear you, you iron lump,” a resentful voice shoots

back.