Jester was still trying to process the overwhelming amount of information. The very first maid introduced had already left his mind spinning.
She was a parasite?!
The body standing before him was not even her real body. There was another creature controlling it, and...
At this point, Jester honestly felt a little sick. He clearly remembered that this Pearl was also the one who had fed him grapes!
No wonder those grapes had tasted a little off.
But... was the body being controlled by this parasite still alive?
He checked the description again, and it clearly stated that yes, the body was still alive.
Like... seriously?
"Who's the original owner of her body?"
Igrio immediately lowered his head in a respectful bow. "The original owner is the daughter of a minor noble family with very little influence, Your Highness. She was highly skilled in magic, particularly spells meant to enhance her body and support close-range combat. As a result, Pearl is able to make use of some of those abilities as well."
"What if... Pearl decides to leave this body?"
Igrio stayed silent for a brief moment before quietly answering.
"If Pearl decides to change hosts, the current host may remain alive for a short time. However, after being under her control for so long, the body has become completely dependent on the parasite to function. Without Pearl sustaining it, the chances of survival would be extremely low. At best, she might survive for a few days before her vital functions begin to fail."
Okay, Jester got the main idea now.
Pearl really was a parasite that took over other people's bodies. At this point, he did not even know whether he should refer to Pearl as she or he because... well, judging from the name, Pearl was probably a woman, right?
Jester simply gave a small nod, and the maid immediately understood. She stepped back after giving another respectful bow.
There was actually one strange thing about Pearl if anyone paid close attention. She barely blinked.
Thinking about it, if the host was still alive, then the eyes should still need to blink, right? Maybe the body's pain receptors had already been suppressed, or perhaps the parasite had enhanced the host's original body somehow.
But if even a maid here possessed this kind of level… Then this was honestly confusing.
Why had that idiot Caelan not simply brought Elora and Pearl with him? Or perhaps the other maids, who might be just as powerful?
At the very least, their strength was on par with the average knight.
Wasn't it obvious? These maids would be far more useful if they were deployed on the battlefield. With their level of power... and with such unique races...
Okay.
Jester forced himself to stop overthinking and moved on to the next page instead. He opened it and found the name Shade.
She was a woman with long, straight black hair tied high above the back of her head. Her skin was unusually pale, carrying a faint grayish tone, while her eyes seemed strangely lifeless.
Even so… Jester had to admit she was still beautiful.
The woman stepped forward and calmly introduced herself before giving a respectful bow. Like Pearl, she wore the same short-skirt maid uniform.
Jester lowered his gaze and began reading the details written beneath her profile.
[Name: Shade]
[Race: Nightshade]
[Unlike ordinary beings, a Nightshade possessed a living shadow that acted as an extension of its own body. That shadow could move freely within a certain range, allowing it to scout, conceal objects, restrain enemies, or strike from unexpected angles.]
[Their greatest ability, however, revealed itself whenever darkness completely enveloped them.]
[Once swallowed by darkness, a Nightshade would merge with the shadows themselves, becoming nearly impossible to detect. While in that state, they could travel through connected shadows, silently appear from another patch of darkness, or remain hidden until the perfect moment to strike.]
[As long as darkness existed around them. A Nightshade was never truly alone.]
Alright… This one was just as mind-blowing.
This girl was practically the perfect assassin, someone who fought from within the darkness itself. Even her shadow could be controlled and used as an extension of her own body.
She was exactly the type of scout who could gather information, infiltrate enemy territory, and eliminate targets without anyone ever realizing she had been there.
Jester could already picture countless ways to make use of her abilities.
His curiosity only grew stronger. He continued scanning through the records, eager to learn about each of them one by one.
You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.
But... hold on. Before turning the page...
Why did the first two maids both have such dark themes?
The first one was a parasite. The second one was a being born from living shadows.
"Hm..." Jester quietly rubbed his chin.
Maybe the others would be more normal. After all, they all looked completely human on the outside.
He moved on to the third girl. Her name was Donna.
Finally... someone whose name at least sounded normal. Or so Jester thought.
His eyes paused on the description beneath her profile.
[Name: Donna]
[Race: Doll Witch]
"Doll Witch?"
Like... an actual doll?
Jester looked up at the girl standing before him.
Out of everyone introduced so far, she was probably the most ordinary. She seemed like nothing more than a cute young girl, with soft platinum-blonde hair tied into two playful ponytails that only added to her youthful appearance. Her porcelain-like skin was flawless, and her delicate features made her appear no older than her mid-teens.
She seemed less like a maid and more like a refined young noble lady who had somehow wandered into the wrong place.
Jester lowered his gaze and continued reading.
[A rare existence that exists primarily as a soul, without a permanent physical body of her own.]
[A Doll Witch can inhabit specially prepared porcelain dolls, using them as physical vessels and moving through them as naturally as if they were her own body.]
[If her current vessel is destroyed, her soul can simply leave it and inhabit another prepared doll, allowing her to continue living as long as a suitable vessel remains.]
The girl gracefully lowered herself into a polite curtsy, lightly lifting the edges of her skirt as she offered him an unbelievably sweet smile.
"Your Highness, I am grateful to be by your side once again. I will continue doing everything I can to serve you faithfully."
Her voice was bright and cheerful, overflowing with warmth and sincerity. Yet somehow… The smile on her face looked completely lifeless.
No matter how gentle it was, no matter how perfectly it was shaped, it felt more like the expression of a beautifully crafted doll than that of a living person.
Well… What else could he expect? She was a Doll, after all.
Parasite, Shadow, and a Doll… What's next?
At this point, Jester was ready to accept whatever absurd race the next maid turned out to be.
The next woman stepped forward.
She had long silver hair that flowed neatly down her back, soft lavender eyes, and pale skin that gave her an elegant, almost ghostly beauty. She was fairly tall, carrying herself with quiet grace.
Jester lowered his eyes to the record in his hands.
[Name: Karisse]
[Race: Carrapax]
"...Damn."
Alright. Jester was no longer surprised by whatever race appeared on these profiles. At this point, he would probably be more shocked if one of them turned out to be an ordinary human.
A Carrapax He continued reading.
[An extremely rare humanoid race born with a natural armored shell covering parts of their body, granting them extraordinary physical defense, endurance, and strength.]
[A Carrapax possesses an unusually dense body protected by natural armor that becomes harder as they mature. Beneath the shell are multiple sharp limbs that can extend outward when needed, turning their body into both a powerful shield and a deadly weapon.]
[With her combination of exceptional durability and multiple bladed limbs, Carissa is particularly dangerous in close combat, capable of protecting her allies while tearing apart anything that gets too close.]
Jester slowly let out a quiet breath, doing his best to maintain his composure.
Surely Caelan should have known every one of these maids inside and out... right?
Or... maybe not?
Had that idiot prince really gathered all these bizarre creatures and kept them here simply because of some strange hobby?
But then again… Wasn't Igrio the one who had brought them all together? If that was true, then wasn't Igrio the truly impressive one here?
The whole situation felt completely backwards.
An incompetent prince… And subordinates who should have been far more capable than the man they served.
Even while casually speaking with Igrio and quietly piecing everything together, Jester managed to catch an interesting hint.
According to Igrio, no one besides the Eighth Prince, Caelan, was supposed to know the true nature of these maids.
That meant… To everyone else in the palace, they were nothing more than ordinary maids.
No one knew they were parasites, living shadows, doll witches, or armored creatures with razor-sharp limbs.
Alright. Jester was still far from satisfied. If anything, his expectations had only grown higher.
There were still six maids left standing before him.
And after everything he had seen so far, he was fully prepared for each of them to be even more unbelievable than the last.
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