The Most Arbitrary Wizard

At Catherine's signal, the Guard opened the city gates.

With a portion of their memories erased, the Eleanor Sisters slept like babies as they were spirited out of the city overnight under Catherine's orders.

By the time they woke, they were already in the borderlands.

Instead of a ceiling, their eyes opened to the roof of a tent.

And an old woman dressed in a worn-out Wizard Robe.

The tent was small, like a portable one for camping, with just enough room for a bed and a table.

A cauldron simmered over a wood fire in the corner, where the old woman was currently brewing a potion. Apparently hearing the stirring on the bed, she tilted her head slightly and asked, "Awake?"

Her hood failed to contain her messy, graying hair, which spilled out to frame a wizened face covered in wrinkles and scars. It looked like the hacked-up bark of a decaying tree, and her voice was so hoarse it barely sounded human.

Elise jumped, frantically pulling her sister with her as she shrank back into the corner of the bed. "Who... who are you?"

The old woman let out a dry, hoarse laugh. "The person sending you to another world."

"Another world?!"

Elise was aghast. She quickly raised a hand, conjuring a blue Fireball. "I'm warning you, Old Witch, don't try anything! We're Grand Mages!"

"And another thing, do you have any idea who we are?"

"If you kill us, the Church Court will hunt you down!"

The old woman was silent.

The old woman knew at once that the girl had misunderstood.

'But bringing up the Church Court to hint at her connections... that's actually quite clever.'

'Still, she didn't appreciate being called an "Old Witch."'

"Young lady, when you're out in the world, you should learn to respect your elders. Otherwise, you might find that your mouth gets you into trouble."

As she spoke, the old woman waved a grimy, wrinkled sleeve. Elise's eyes widened and her mouth fell open, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't make a sound.

Eleanor's expression flickered. "What did you do to my sister?"

"Just a minor silencing spell. No need for alarm."

"Consider it the price for her insolence. A small punishment."

The old woman continued, speaking as if to herself. "You don't need to ask who I am; you don't need to know. In fact, you don't need to speak at all. Just listen quietly. Remember everything I'm about to tell you, and do not make any mistakes once you get there. Otherwise, you will never have the chance to return."

Eleanor shielded her sister, watching the old woman warily. "Please, go on."

The old woman appreciated the respectful tone. "Wouldn't it have been better if you had spoken that way from the beginning?"

"Don't forget your place. You are being sent to be Maids. As a Maid, you must have the proper mindset. Always use respectful language when speaking to others, no matter the time or place. This is the most basic rule of etiquette. If you don't know how, I have a book for you. Take it, and study it well on your journey."

She held out her hand, and a book, just as old and worn as her robe, materialized in her palm.

The old woman tossed the book to the Eleanor Sisters. When Eleanor caught it, she was surprised to see its cover was trimmed in gold, with the golden seal of an Iris Flower stamped on its four corners. It was a book from the Church Court. Though dilapidated, the gold-thread accents still radiated an air of stern nobility.

But then she saw the title—

Court Maid Manual

Eleanor was speechless.

'For a second there, she'd thought it was something incredible.'

'But this woman knows the purpose of our journey, so she must be an ally, right?'

At this thought, Eleanor relaxed slightly. 'It's a good thing she's on our side. Otherwise...' She glanced at the old woman. 'With the power to silence my sister Elise—a Grand Mage—without a sound, the two of us together would likely be no match for this elder.'

'They say a Grand Mage is so powerful they can fight a thousand men. But she and her sister hadn't even had a chance to show off their strength before running into someone even more terrifying. This breakthrough to a higher Tier... felt completely underwhelming!'

'It was as if she hadn't advanced at all; she was still on a lower rung.'

What Eleanor didn't know was that this old woman had once been the head Maid of Hesinra Palace, appointed by the Pope himself. But she had later committed a grave error: she was discovered having a rendezvous with the Holy Son during the Day of Abstinence and was reported to the Pope. Fortunately, Diana had intervened to save her. Otherwise, for the combined crimes of insubordinately seducing the Holy Son and violating the sanctity of the Day of Abstinence, a single death would not have sufficed. Her fate would have been far worse than merely having her face destroyed and being cast out of Hesinra Palace.

In truth, the incident hadn't been her fault at all.

The so-called "seduction of the Holy Son" was merely the Church Court's official phrasing; in reality, the Holy Son had forced himself on her.

But no one listened to her explanation. No one would "believe" her.

'After all, she was just a head Maid. How could she possibly compare to the exalted Holy Son? Hah.'

But that was all water under the bridge now. Best not to bring it up.

Eleanor didn't want to waste any more time on the topic of being a "Maid." While she and Elise had never received professional training, they'd seen enough to know the basics. Besides, the person they were meant to serve was Sean—Mr. Blake. That name alone was enough to ensure they wouldn't dare step out of line...

"Ma'am, please get to the important matters," Eleanor said.

The old woman glanced at Elise, who was pleading with her eyes, but paid her no mind. "Then listen well," she said.

"First of all, when I spoke of sending you to another world, I wasn't talking about killing you. I was referring to the 'farm.'"

"The 'farm' Her Highness the Saintess mentioned is not some patch of wilderness as you might imagine. It is a world completely different from this one, and it is right beneath your feet."

Eleanor blinked. "Huh?"

'Beneath our feet??'

She instinctively glanced down.

'A world in the center of the earth?'

The old woman didn't elaborate. Once they arrived, the two girls would understand her meaning soon enough.

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