Maids VS Apocalypse

Author note: Mass Release (Chapter 3/5)

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As he got out of the bathroom, Mark thought about how he should test more places to see if the requirements changed. He also wanted to ask his new squadmates about the ways one could raise their Soul and Focus stars.

Ramsay told him that it takes training, but Mark had trouble guessing how to train for non-physical stats.

’Would I need to read more books?’ He thought. ’Or should I meditate for a couple of decades?’

Holding his chin, he asked himself an important question.

’Should I really be thinking about summoning other maids right now? Wouldn’t that triple the amount of AP I would need?’

In the battle against the Red Hoods, he used almost all of his AP to raise Lara’s level so she would be able to stand her ground against their mysterious assailant. Despite that, she had only reached level 19.

Ramsay has been stuck at level 27 for four years now. He had told him that things get pretty stale after level 25, and having a rough idea of how much AP it takes to level up, Mark guessed that gathering it becomes more difficult at that stage.

Knowing that, Mark was faced with a dilemma; should he summon more maids so he could grind more AP, or should he focus on himself and his current maid, raise their level as high as possible, and then summon others after?

"Hm?" Just as those thoughts ran through his head, Mark looked up and saw the maid in question. "Lara? What’s wrong?"

The girl with long silver hair was sitting on the couch in and stood up the moment she saw him exit the bathroom.

Mark guessed that she had something important she wanted to discuss with him, considering she waited all this time for him to be done with his bath.

’I was in there for quite some time...’

"Can’t sleep?" He asked.

"No, I..." Lara started, but the rest of the words didn’t leave her mouth.

Though it was subtle, her expression showed a little unease. She held a hand to her chest as her eyes swam from one corner to the other, and her body was turned away from him as if she didn’t want to face him directly.

Just when Mark began to wonder if something had happened, her ruby eyes twinkled and she turned to him with a serious look.

"Master, would you like to rest on my lap?"

"Absolutely." 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

Though his reply was instantaneous, it was only after that he noticed what he had been offered. His brows shot up and he stepped back involuntarily.

Lara’s expression remained stoic. He understood that she was referring to the talk they had when he woke up, but even though he was thrilled at the prospect of getting to enjoy her lap pillow, Mark wasn’t so dense that he wouldn’t recognize that something was up.

"Lara, what’s going on?" He asked.

"It is already past midnight." Her tone was even as she spoke, but the look in her eyes seemed a little intense. "I thought it would be for the best if we proceed with it while we have the time. There is no way to tell what might happen during the day."

Mark could recognize an excuse when he heard one, but figuring out why his maid would need it was an entirely different challenge.

’Is this really the time for such an event?’

First, it was the bath, and now a lap pillow. A frown twisted Mark’s face slowly as he thought of how this would lead to yet another fan service scene set up by the author.

’Two in a row?’ He thought to himself. ’Didn’t they get to read about her bathing not that long ago?’

A small flame of anger ignited in his heart as he realized other people got to see the maid’s charming figure while he was stuck talking to his drunk superior.

’Wait, since this is a webnovel, wouldn’t that mean they only read about it?’

The flame died out in an instant. He found some solace in knowing that everything he and everyone else go through would be recounted by an author whose skills couldn’t possibly portray a vivid enough image of the scenes trying to describe.

’They can’t even watch.’ His lips slowly curled up. ’They can only read and imagine it in their heads!’

"Alright. Let’s get it done with."

Mark decided to enjoy the experience even if it was to spite the readers who get off on his suffering.

"Understood." Pausing, Lara turned to glance at the door to the bedroom. "Would you like to do it on the couch, or should we use the bed."

Mark’s knees buckled on their own and he collapsed to the floor.

"Master!?"

"I... I’m alright..."

Mark stared at the reddish-brown wooden planks while kneeling with his hands on the floor. He quickly took hold of his emotions and did his utmost to calm them down.

’Hold it! You know what this is about!’ He told himself. ’You can’t fall for a cliche trope such as this!’

He quickly gathered himself and stood up to his feet. His maid gave him a confused look, which told him she had yet to figure out how one might misinterpret what she said.

"Let’s go for the bed."

Lara has already made it clear that she has no intention of engaging in any illicit relationship with him, she couldn’t possibly have changed her mind in a single day.

This could only mean it’s one of those scenes where the male character thinks he’s getting some action but the reality couldn’t be more different. Mark knew better than to fall for the same trope.

’Screw you, author!’ He yelled in his mind. ’I’m not falling for your tricks!’

There was a little issue with his thought process, however. Even if he was well aware of the reality of his situation and knew not to expect anything, he couldn’t stop his body from reacting.

When all is said and done, Mark is still a teenage boy who has yet to know the touch of a woman. He might act calm and collected, but when push comes to shove, he can’t stop his natural urges from affecting him.

’I’m not pitching a tent, am I?’ He felt like a wooden puppet struggling with its creaking joints. ’Good thing I let it all out earlier...’