Chapter 1: A Change of Pace
The world's a funny place.
And no, I am not talking about the ha-ha funny, I'm talking about the strange kind of funny. The kind where you would stare at an empty spot on a table and say 'That's funny, I thought left it here.' Of course, it wouldn't be strange at all because you probably misplaced it or someone else took it, but the world's different. There are millions of things in this world that can't be explained by normal means and yet we don't question it, why is that? Why is it that fairies can't get stronger, no matter how they try? Why is it that we fairies are born into this world just to serve as cannon fodder for the other, stronger beings? It makes no sense. Sure, having a carefree life is fine and all, but it gets tiring after a while. Get shot at, die, revive in the morning, play a little, get shot again, die again, revive the next day. And the cycle repeats itself over and over.
That's why I immediately accepted the offer to become a maid at some mansion that one day simply appeared near the lake that I lived on the shore of. It seemed that the ones that lived in the mansion were strong enough to extend our lifespans past their usual length. They fed us, gave us maid outfits, and assigned us roles to clean the mansion. They even gave us names. None of us had names before, only the stronger fairies and the sprites got names. It was strange, living our lives as just another group of background characters then suddenly someone fed us, clothed us, and gave each of us a unique name. It made us feel important to an extent, but we were pretty much only around to give the mansion a lively feel.
I, along with a few hundred other fairies, lived as a lower ranking maid in the Scarlet Devil Mansion from that point on. I was part of Group 2B, one of the groups assigned to the second floor of the west wing. Today, my role was that of a window cleaner. Truthfully, I never liked cleaning so I let my body go on autopilot whenever I start my duties. I would get the job done, but I would tend not to pay much attention to anything, which works fine since the group leader usually doesn't bother me during work unless I'm doing something wrong. Then again, maybe it's just because I tune her out. I wonder if she actually talks to me a lot while I'm working and I just respond on autopilot as well. If she does and I've been ignoring her this entire time, I'd feel bad.
"Carol!" The leader's voice cut right through my daydreaming and called my wandering mind back to my body.
I quickly snapped to attention upon hearing my name and immediately apologized to the group leader. "Sorry!"
"Sorry for what?" She gave me a strange look then shook her head as if to dismiss the thought. "Someone from the library group came down with an illness and couldn't work today so we're sending you as relief."
"The library?" I honestly had no idea that this mansion had a library. Generally, we fairies never wandered out of our sections and if we did, we'd get lost in such a huge mansion.
"Yes, the library. Now go quickly, I hear they're having a busy day today." She said while pushing me down the hallway.
"Wait, but where's the library?" I tried to resist her, but she was stronger than me.
"Just go to the east wing, someone will probably help you there. Wouldn't want to keep them waiting, would you?"
I tried to find the library and ended up getting lost. I asked one of the other maids, but all I got was a poorly-drawn map of the mansion. The map was no help at all so I wandered until I found myself in an empty corridor.
"Shouldn't you be working?" A low voice from behind me pierced the silence of the hall.
I spun around to see a silver-haired girl in a blue maid's uniform standing a few feet away from me. How did I not notice her sneak up on me?
"I-uh, I'm supposed to go to the library as relief for a sick maid, but it seems that I got lost."
She gave a slight nod. "I see. Very well, I shall lead you to the library. Follow me."
I followed her down various empty halls in silence, her heels clicking against the ground was the only sound that resounded throughout the endless corridors. She stopped in front of a set of large wooden doors.
"Beyond this door lies the library. To see what you must assist with, you should look for the librarian, Patchouli Knowledge. Now, if you would excuse me."
"Oh, thank you. Miss- Huh?" I was distracted by the intricate design carved into the doors and when I turned to thank her, I was met by an empty hallway. She even disappeared without a sound. I decided not to dwell on the topic for too long and pushed open the doors.
Almost as soon as I stepped through the doors, I suddenly felt some mysterious force attempting to crush my body. It was as if the air itself had become some kind of heavier material. I could barely take a few steps before I had to lean against a wall to rest.
"This library is saturated with a large amount of magic, it's only natural to be disorientated when suddenly exposed to it." Came a voice from above. Her long red hair flowed behind her as she glided down with her bat wings.
I slowly straightened myself to a somewhat neutral posture, with some difficulty.
"Are you well enough to walk?" I nodded. "Good, then follow me. Miss Patchouli would like to perform an experiment before you start."
She led me around the outer wall of the library to a door that led outside. On the porch was a chunk of wood carved into a vaguely fairy-like shape.
"For this experiment, we'll need you to fire danmaku at this dummy. We're going for single powerful shots, try your best." She produced a small notepad and pen from her pocket and looked at me expectantly.
I didn't get it at all, but I might as well just do as I'm told. I held my arms out in front of me with my palms forward and concentrated.
"N2, not bad."
I had no idea what it meant, but from the nonexistent damage I did to the dummy, I can only assume that it is bad. Frowning, I followed her back into the library. I completely forgot about the magic contained in the library and fell to the ground as I entered.
"Oh, I forgot about that. The magic only gets stronger toward the center of the library, how about I carry you the rest of the way?"
I didn't think I would be able to move if the magic got any stronger so I swallowed my pride and nodded. To my dismay, she scooped me up as one would carry a princess.
"You're a fairy so you absorb magic at a faster rate than anything else. Your body should adjust to it the longer you're exposed, don't worry." I couldn't help but admire the sheer amount of books that lined the towering shelves that built the labyrinth of a library. "Ah, I almost forgot to introduce myself. I am Koakuma, Miss Patchouli's assistant."
"My name's Carol. I came from Group 2B."
"Carol? That's a nice name. I expect we'll work well together. Oh, and don't worry about this experiment, we aren't planning to do anything to you like the other one."
Other one? I had a feeling that I didn't want to know what that entailed so I kept quiet.
"We're here." At the center of the library was a single desk with piles of books stacked on and by it. An oversized chair seated someone who I couldn't see clearly. "Miss Patchouli, we've arrived."
The person who I could only assume was Patchouli silently stood from her chair and hovered toward us, her long violet hair flowing behind. She was… the opposite of what I expected her to look like. She wore what appeared to be a lavender nightgown and appeared to be at least a head shorter than Koakuma.
"I'll assume that you cannot stand currently, so I'll hold off with the magical analysis until tomorrow." Patchouli lightly coughed. "Nevertheless, welcome to the Scarlet Devil Mansion's library. I am Patchouli Knowledge, a magician and the librarian."
"I'm Carol. It's a pleasure, Miss Patchouli." I attempted to introduce myself with grace, but the way Koakuma was carrying me didn't help at all.
"Would you mind taking her to the maids' quarters, Koakuma?"
"As you wish, Miss Patchouli." Koakuma bowed slightly as Patchouli floated back to her desk.
A few minutes later, I was lying in one of the beds in the attached maids' quarters. Now that I finally had time to relax, fatigue from the day began to set in. I shut my eyes, hoping to get some rest before the inevitable work that I'd have to do and whatever a "magical analysis" is. It's not all bad though, a change of pace is good every now and then.