<h4>Chapter 136 Five maids</h4>


    If you were in a slight shock, and someone might have just been surprised by the scene where over a hundred maids were screaming and squealing, and some even whistled in support, then don''t worry, everything''s fine. Well, probably...


    To put it briefly and directly, as previously mentioned, every Sunday the maids hold a meeting where they report to Ekaterina, and then they discuss topics and achievements for the week. Then there''s a question-and-answer session where the maids ask questions to their superiors and more experienceddies, and they provide answers. This way, they exchange information, and knowledge, and simply have a good time, getting closer to each other. But at the end of this meeting, there''s a show, ahem, and it''s quite unusual.


    "I don''t even know why this became a tradition," mumbled Ekaterina, her facial muscles rxed, maintaining an impassive expression, although her eyebrow was raised a few centimeters.


    Seeing that her boss was in a state of self-reflection about her life through philosophical questions, Chloe just smiled, slightly opening her eyelids, revealing her beautiful brown eyes. Looking at her colleagues who were thoroughly enjoying the show and smiling brightly, the woman with short chestnut hair smoothly shrugged her shoulders, and her index finger twitched.


    "Yeah, in the beginning, I was fascinated by it too, but now it''s all much more familiar. It''s even scary to realize that we''re keeping an eye on him. Like stalkers or something," she chuckled.


    "Stalkers? Where did you even learn that word? You''re... oh, right. You''re also a fan of the Lord, so you study his words as if they were sacred scripture. Yes, now it makes sense."


    Chloe looked indifferently at her boss, with whom they were also good acquaintances. The woman was left speechless because the dark-haireddy didn''t even let her speak and answered her questions! Although... Chloe shook her head and sighed, shifting her gaze to the huge projection created by the magical stone.


    "This technology dates back to ancient times and is considered top-notch. Some countries are even ready to sell themselves for it, but they use it to view semi-nude photos of our Lord," she said, looking at a new slide where Adam was doing paperwork in a double-breasted suit, also wearing round-framed sses. Thisbination left many maids defenseless, and those who called themselves Adam''s ardent fans barely held back tears of joy.


    Chloe just smiled and proudly puffed out her chest, as most of the photos were taken by her or Ekaterina.


    Although theyined the most about the maids'' behavior, the women themselves didn''t mind such a show, which could help them rx after a long workweek.


    However, even such a pleasure for the maids as viewing semi-nude or just sexy photos of Adam was temporary because, to their great disappointment, everything had its end as the meeting gradually approached its logical conclusion. Most of them wore expressions of disappointment and a strong desire to continue the show, but, to their great regret, everything had its end. However, those who had already started to stand up suddenly discovered that Ekaterina was making a silent gesture for them to sit.


    "Senior maids - stay, and junior maids, we ask you to leave," Chloe announced with a caring smile.


    Exchanging nces with each other, the maids folded their hands on the lower part of their abdomen and sat down again, maintaining an elegant appearance. As ordered, junior maids and those under 30 years old were escorted out of the hall.


    Surveying the rows, Ekaterina quickly ran through all the maids, checking if they were sitting and listening attentively. When all these criteria were met, she nodded faintly and took a step forward. The sound of the chief maid''s heels echoed on the floor, and then...


    "Maids... I have a task for you."


    Her voice was loud, as if she were using a microphone, so thedies were quite surprised, but soon returned to the main topic. Ekaterina continued, "The morning of today brought the sad news of a brutal massacre in a remote vige in one of Avalonia''s vassal kingdoms. Over a thousand peaceful vigers fell victim to demons, and their blood stained the ruins of their vige in crimson. It was a horrifying scene that we hesitated to broadcast even in our news," she reported the dreadful news, which the maids were somewhat familiar with. Therefore, thedies quicklyposed themselves, although some, due to their younger age, couldn''t contain their emotions, but no one paid special attention to them.


    Each maid remained silent, watching Ekaterina''s every move with attention. Suddenly, she pulled a small square-shaped violet stone from her cleavage, which somewhat resembled a sapphire in color and radiance, though it wasn''t.


    "This stone is often called a spy stone. You need not judge it by its appearance, as its external features can change depending on the situation. It serves the function of tracking and live broadcasting from the ce where the stone was previously nted," Ekaterina exined, narrowing her eyes. Suddenly, the stone began to glow, a result of the woman infusing it with her magical energy. "And it is still operational at the moment, despite some defects caused by wild animals biting it."


    A soft humming sound filled the air, and soon, all the radiance emanating from the stone converged into a square-shaped screen, which was the same size as movie theater screens (25.2 meters wide). Immediately, everyone''s attention was drawn to the gruesome image, which horrified the maids. Some couldn''t bear it and reacted with a particr zeal, showing what they had for lunch that day.


    "Ugh."


    "Aah! ra, hold on... I''ll heal you with magic in a moment."


    What was on the screen...


    Mutted bodies, pieces of flesh, and blood-soaked soil. Right in front of the "camera"y a disfigured corpse, whose eyes stared directly into the camera''s "lens." Although he was dead and his face unrecognizable, only dangling eyes and a skull with bits of flesh remained from what used to be a "face."


    Naturally, for many, this sudden image caused shock and even a gag reflex. Even if they were senior maids with a military past and had witnessed many wars, few could withstand such a gruesome sight. Fortunately, they soon regained theirposure, and even with pale faces, the maids eagerly awaited Ekaterina''s further words.


    "Good reaction. Five of you couldn''t handle it and showed us what you had for lunch today with great enthusiasm. Eighteen simply paled, while forty-five of you didn''t even flinch," Ekaterina smirked, showing a different emotion for the first time, and looked at the 45 women who were attentively watching the screen. "You are ruthless soldiers who were once the cause of thousands of deaths, but in the end, your paths led you to the slums, thanks to our Lord''s mercy."


    The senior maids nodded, not attempting to say anything in their defense. Most of them were either former assassins, mercenaries, or soldiers from long-gone countries. Their hands were stained with blood, and they were haunted by vengeful spirits.


    "Out of these forty-five who could handle this image, the five strongest maids will be chosen. You will apany our Lord on his journey to that vige. The main qualities required are the ability to fight, protect, search, and be observant. Raise your hand if you meet these criteria."


    After Ekaterina''s speech, more than ten hands were raised, including Chloe''s, who smiled sweetly with closed eyes. Because of this smile, many maids felt a shiver down their spines, but no one lowered their hand. The head maid narrowed her eyes and began pointing at four people from the front row.


    "You."


    "Yes!"


    "You."


    "Hooray!"


    "You."


    "Oh yeah!"


    "And you."


    "Thanks for choosing me~."


    Ekaterina nodded and turned to Chloe, who was looking at her with semi-open eyes. Feeling Chloe''s strong desire to participate in this event, the head maid slowly turned away and tossed a ck token in her direction.


    p.


    "What''s this?" Chloe asked in surprise, catching the flying token.


    "It''s the leader''smunication token. You''ll lead these four and be our Lord''s right hand on this journey. We don''t tolerate mistakes, understood?"


    "Uhm..." Chloe was surprised but in the next second...


    "HURRAAAAAAY!"


    ***


    Early in the morning, Adam and five maids were in his office.


    "So, I believe Ekaterina exined the minimum requirements for the trip to you?" Adam began the conversation, setting aside his documents. Yawning, he looked at the women who were gazing at him with radiant eyes. Upon hearing his question, they simply nodded. "Well, that''s perfect. This trip isn''t very dangerous since the demons have long abandoned that ce, but it still requires some attention."


    Before him stood five maids. Chloe - whom you already know, and...


    A maid with dark green hair cascaded down her slender back and reached her firm and shapely buttocks. She had bright blue eyes and a polite, pleasant smile. Her name was Natalia.


    A maid with shoulder-length ck hair and emerald-like green eyes named Cecilia. She had a slender build and a tall stature, 187 cm.


    A maid with fiery red eyes like mes and brown eyes - Ruby.


    And finally, thest maid - with long gray hair and equally gray eyes. She had an indifferent expression.


    They had all been selected to apany Adam to a dangerous ce, all for one purpose - to acquire the second part of the map he had received from Juliet. The day before, with the help of Amarantha, they had managed to uncover clues about the locations of the remaining pieces, as if it had been nned that way.


    To be continued...