Allen successfully used his own unique yuri aesthetics to utterly bewilder Marianne.
He let out a long sigh.
“Phew, why can’t everyone understand the beauty of yuri?”
At that moment, Allen noticed a red-haired maid not far away, who was snacking on sunflower seeds and watching the scene unfold.
He smiled and waved, “You, come here.”
Hearing Allen call other servants over, Marianne instantly sobered up.
She shook her head vigorously, trying to shake off the strange ideas Allen had just fed her.
Then, she sized up the red-haired maid, instinctively becoming alert.
As the Chief Maid of Laval House, Marianne hadn’t seen this maid before.
This red-haired girl was clearly a newcomer who had joined during Marianne’s absence.
Yesterday, Marianne and Allen had just left the Inquisition after a series of events: a mercenary attack, a Laval Family House Meeting, a secret alliance meeting late at night, Allen’s breakdown and recovery, among other things.
With so much happening, Marianne naturally hadn’t had the energy to fulfill her duties managing personnel.
She felt a pang of regret—how could she have let a suspicious person into the Laval House?
What if a spy sabotaged things and threatened the Old Master and Master?
What if Master got tangled up with this woman?
Master was such a kind soul; it would be hard for him to refuse a troublesome woman like this!
It was all her negligence!
The more Marianne looked at the newcomer, the more suspicious she became.
They were about the same age, but their professionalism was worlds apart.
The red-haired girl, as a maid, didn’t work properly—snacking on sunflower seeds and watching her master’s antics as if it were a show.
Clearly, she was either a fresh maid who hadn’t been beaten down by society yet, or she came with a mission, such as…
Monitoring Allen’s every move!
Marianne’s expression grew cold.
She was an enemy!
Such a parasite had to be eliminated!
“Don’t be nervous, Marianne,” Allen soothed when he saw the murderous look in her eyes.
“She’s from the Inquisition.”
“Huh?!”
Marianne glared at Allen.
“Master, you know she’s from the Inquisition, yet you still let her watch you all the time?”
Allen smiled mysteriously.
“Don’t worry, she’s no threat.”
The red-haired girl finished her sunflower seeds, tucked away the empty bag, and reluctantly jogged over.
“You need something? I’m busy, you know…”
Her tone was rather rude, even a bit impatient.
“How dare you speak to Master like that!”
As Chief Maid, Marianne’s professional instincts flared up immediately!
What did it matter that she was from the Inquisition?
If she was wearing a maid’s outfit, Marianne was responsible!
Allen quickly held back the rampaging Chief Maid and asked with a smile, “Hard work, huh?”
“Very hard.”
“Did you eat breakfast?”
“Yeah, your cooking isn’t bad, just not enough.”
“Are you comfortable living here?”
“I have a private room, better than the dormitory.”
“Got your wages yet?”
“Yeah, I thought I wouldn’t.”
“What do you think of me? Suspicious?”
The red-haired girl studied Allen and shook her head.
“Not suspicious.”
“How’s my swordsmanship?”
“Never seen it, but you’re pretty good.”
Marianne watched her master treating this maid like a playful dog, and the girl answered all his questions naively.
If Allen asked what color underwear she wore today, she would probably tell him honestly.
Marianne was at a loss for words.
No wonder Master said she wasn’t a threat—so that’s the reason.
Allen was having fun at this moment.
This clumsy spy with flaming red hair had a cute, slightly baby-faced appearance.
Her amber eyes were full of unhidden curiosity, confusion, and happiness, always looking at people with the sincere and focused gaze of a small animal.
If Marianne gave off the impression of an elegant, mysterious black cat who occasionally bared her claws,
then this girl was a golden retriever, curious about the world but a bit clumsy.
She had no aggression, was sincere to the point of transparency, honest and adorable, instantly winning people’s affection and making them want to pet or feed her.
Feeling that continuing to tease would delay serious matters, Allen changed the subject.
“How’s the Inquisition doing lately?”
The red-haired girl didn’t notice the trap in Allen’s question and answered honestly:
“Same old, catching heretics. They say I’m too dumb and slow, so they sent me here.”
“Sent you how?”
“Well, they said working as a maid in the Laval House comes with free room and board and good food, so I came.”
Allen was speechless.
When Marianne was away, the old butler managed the servants.
He probably noticed this girl was from the Inquisition, but since she was so honest, he openly let her become a maid.
“Huh? Did I blow my cover?” the red-haired maid realized belatedly.
“You didn’t,” Allen laughed.
“I need someone from the Inquisition here to prove my innocence. If the cultists come back, you can call for backup.”
“So I can keep eating here?”
Her eyes lit up.
“Eat as much as you want, no limits!”
“Really?!”
Her eyes sparkled.
Marianne facepalmed: this silly girl…all she cared about was food?
Allen was quite pleased with this naturally airheaded foodie.
He definitely didn’t want a scheming Inquisition spy coming to condemn him.
This guileless Inquisition contact was the best kind.
Allen introduced himself politely, “Let me introduce myself: I’m Master Allen de Laval. What’s your name?”
“I’m Anna, uh, an Armed Nun from the Inquisition?”
She spoke with the Empire’s accent, and red hair was a classic Empire trait.
Curious, Allen asked, “Are you from the Empire?”
“Probably? When I was little, my drunken father lost me in a bet, and I was sold to the Kingdom. The Church rescued me from traffickers.”
Anna recalled her past, but her tone was so calm it was like she was talking about someone else.
Marianne pondered the suffering beneath Anna’s plain words and fell silent.
If it weren’t for Livia von Stern stepping up and eliminating the bandits attacking their village back then, Anna might have been trafficked to a foreign land and become the lowest slave in society.
It was thanks to Livia that Anna got the chance to meet Allen.
“Later, I grew up in a convent. I’ve been strong since I was little, but clumsy and a big eater. Everyone thought I wouldn’t make a good nun, so they recommended me to the Inquisition.”
Anna proudly patted her well-developed, eye-catching chest.
“My first mission, I punched a fleeing…uh, what do they call them? Fake Mark Knights? Anyway, because of that, I became an Armed Nun! But…” she tilted her head in confusion, “I only use my fists, so why am I called an ‘Armed Nun’? Where’s my weapon?”
Allen and Marianne were instantly stunned.
She punched a Fake Mark Knight to death?
Those were elite enforcers of the Crimson Spiral Cult!
No wonder her colleagues disliked her!
This wasn’t a nun, it was a walking human weapon!
The Inquisition knew she wasn’t fit to be a spy and still sent her?
This isn’t surveillance, it’s a ticking bomb left at my doorstep!
She exposed herself, but I, Allen, am the one in danger!
Damn it!
These guys just dumped their troubles on me!
I’ll throw the boomerang right back at them!
Anna didn’t notice their shock and kept pondering the disguise issue.
“By the way, how did you find out I’m from the Inquisition?”
She twirled the hem of her maid dress and looked around.
“I think my disguise is pretty good? I even asked other nuns how to be a good maid. They taught me a bunch of poses!”
Allen’s forehead darkened with three lines.
Poses?
What poses?!
What exactly do the Church’s nuns teach each other?!
Although…
Ahem, he was a bit curious!
“Too many flaws,” Allen counted on his fingers.
“First, most Laval servants avoid me, like I’m a troublemaker. Second, you’re the first maid other than Marianne who dares to stare at me all the time!”
“Oh! That’s why!”
Anna’s eyes widened with innocent clarity.
“So, are you a bad guy?”
The word “bad guy” flipped a switch and instantly activated Allen’s villain mode.
“Muahaha!”
He laughed his signature villain laugh, chin raised.
“Exactly! I’m the most terrifying villain in this world…Ow! Ow! Marianne, why are you pinching me?”
Marianne withdrew her hand and turned her head, voice tinged with reproach, “That kind of talk is enough just with me! How can you say it to outsiders?”
Allen: Even the villain role is denied to me?!
Life is impossible!
Ignoring Marianne’s protests, he continued putting on his villain face, confidently saying, “The most crucial point: you were snacking on sunflower seeds just now.”
Marianne and Anna were both stunned.
“What’s wrong with eating sunflower seeds?”
For ordinary people, it was probably hard to see anything wrong with Anna snacking.
But Allen, a detail fanatic, quickly noticed that sunflower seeds—a perfectly normal modern snack—didn’t fit the worldview of Starshine Serenade.
Sunflower seeds come from sunflowers.
In the original timeline, sunflowers were only introduced to Europe in the early 16th century and were regarded mainly as ornamental plants for a long time.
In this otherworld without a great age of exploration, where would sunflowers come from?
The answer was obvious—
The Church!
Anything out of place with the historical setting could be pinned on the Church!
Since the Church monopolized spices, it made sense they’d monopolize other economic crops too.
If the Scripture and Lorraine Royal Founding History were accurate, the Church probably preserved seeds from the last cycle of the world’s destruction.
Allen hadn’t yet seen potatoes or corn—high-yield crops that greatly boosted productivity and social development.
He didn’t believe the Church didn’t keep them!
The Church was so cold-hearted.
They feared rapid societal progress, so they deliberately maintained this backward agricultural society.
But how many people had starved in the past thousand years?
Could anyone count?
If the Church promoted high-yield crops, how much suffering would humanity be spared?
Those cold-hearted bastards!
What right did they have to pretend to be compassionate?
Thinking of this, Allen’s anger burned.
As God’s messenger, once he rose to the head of the Church, he’d whip those slackers’ faces hard!
Putting high-yield crops aside for now,
people of this era didn’t yet know sunflowers were edible or could be used for oil, but the Church knew very well.
So when Allen saw the sunflower seeds in Anna’s hand, he immediately realized she was connected to the Church!
“Sunflowers are very rare in the capital, and no one knows sunflower seeds are edible,” Allen explained seriously.
Then, to verify his guess, he asked Anna, “Those only grow where the Church has a monopoly, right? Does your convent grow sunflowers?”
“Yeah!”
Anna’s eyes brightened, happily nodding.
“The Old Nanny’s roasted seeds are so fragrant! After I left the convent, they often sent me some!”
Allen couldn’t help but ruffle her soft red hair.
Anna closed her eyes comfortably.
“Hehe, everyone loves petting my head.”
“Because you’re a dummy,” Allen said with a smile.
Marianne was like a proud, aloof cat; this one was a goofy, loyal dog—pretty good.