I Revived My Maid, Now She Hungers for My Blood

“This is a pain in the ass,” Poppy suddenly grumbled, running her hands through her fiery red curls. “Running into a specialty Anomaly right off the bat—talk about a crap start!”

Pandora tilted her head, genuinely curious. “Are Anomalies like the ‘Gateway to Heaven’ really that out of the ordinary? Is there actually a ‘normal’ and ‘abnormal’ split for things that are already anomalies?”

Ophelia Sterling glanced over. “While ‘Anomalies’ are by definition aberrations in a Fragment World that need to be purged, there are definitely more common, ubiquitous forms, and then there are the atypical forms that experience tells us are rare.”

“Generally speaking, Anomalies with a single, tangible physical form—like that ‘Usher Angel’—are the standard. On the flip side, something like the ‘Gateway to Heaven’, where the main body is ambiguous and the form is uniquely bizarre? Much rarer, and significantly more troublesome to deal with.”

Pandora nodded in understanding.

Just then, her ear twitched. Faintly, she caught a muffled pop. A gunshot.

Tight on the heels of the gunshot came the agonizing, lung-tearing scream of a young man. The sound drifted up from one side of the campus below, carried on the wind to the rooftop.

Ophelia, however, acted like she hadn’t heard a thing, continuing her earlier thought. “As for why we didn’t act just now... for one, the thing was in the sky. None of us can fly, so our options were limited.”

“For another, that thing was definitely on the stronger end of the Anomaly spectrum. Even that ‘Usher Angel’ it birthed was sitting at the top end of Rank-3, let alone its unknown main body.”

“As strangers to this world, the best and most appropriate approach is to take it slow, get a feel for the terrain, and start by clearing out the easy anomalies.”

“Fair enough,” Pandora nodded. Even though she wasn’t part of the cleanup crew, Ophilia Sterling’s logic was solid and appropriately cautious. The girl had top-tier talent but zero of the arrogant bullshit that usually came with it. No wonder she’d actually translated that potential into peak Rank-3 power.

“...So, if I’m tracking this right, the inverse is also true.” Pandora tilted her head, a smirk playing on her lips. “If we run into an Anomaly that’s relatively common, one we can actually reach, and its power level is unremarkable... you guys would just pull the trigger, right?”

Ophelia went quiet for a few seconds. “Depends on the situation,” she eventually said. “As a cleanup crew, we have to carefully heed the lessons left behind by veterans who took on similar Academy commissions. But, if you’re talking about...”

Ophelia paused.

Bang!

Another gunshot. This time, it was noticeably clearer, echoing from the campus below. Just like before, it was punctuated by a short, shrill scream.

Poppy cracked a grin, a spark of excitement lighting up her face. She exhaled a pale blue smoke ring, watching it slowly dissipate in the air. “If it’s the guy down there, wouldn’t hurt to stretch our legs a bit.”

A predatory glint crept into her eyes. “Conveniently, besides ‘Sterling’, we’ve got two more Rank-3s. The four of us can have a little contest—see who can dispatch it the fastest!”

Her gaze swept over Pandora and Elsa. After their little chat, it seemed she was finally coming around to accepting the two “uninvited guests.”

Ophelia’s expression stayed frozen, but a microscopic flicker of anticipation danced in her eyes. She gave a curt nod. “Fine.”

“I’ll pass,” Pandora chuckled, stepping to the side. “But Elsa can give it a shot.”

“Three? Works for me!” Poppy waved a hand dismissively, her gaze suddenly sharpening. “No time like the present. Let’s go!”

The words barely left her mouth before this unofficial, privately agreed-upon match officially kicked off—courtesy of Poppy’s blatant false start!

She took a massive, heaving breath and exhaled. Thick plumes of pale blue smoke poured from her nose and mouth as if alive, surging frantically down the rooftop stairwell door. A blink later, she vanished entirely into the churning vapor.

“Keep a lid on it. Don’t let too many people notice we’re here,” Ophelia frowned at the overflowing smoke, calling out a reminder.

“Of course~” Poppy’s breezy reply drifted back from the ethereal mist, already rapidly descending.

Ophelia turned her head, her flat gaze sweeping over the six Apprentices who were standing around looking a bit lost. “Go scout the perimeter. Log everything you observe. Figure out our optimal action plan while you’re at it. Once we’re done dealing with the situation downstairs, we’ll...”

She shifted slightly, her gaze clearing the edge of the roof to land on a sturdy, grey, curved-roof building in the campus. “...meet up there.” She pointed at the gymnasium.

Without waiting for their acknowledgment, she turned back to Pandora with a subtle nod. Then, just like Poppy, she took a step forward and melted into the lingering pale blue haze, vanishing from sight.

Both of them had taken off, diving into the building below. Only Pandora was left, taking her sweet time.

“My Lady,” Elsa leaned in, whispering in her ear. “Shouldn’t we hurry down? That Anomaly probably isn’t that strong, right? If those two Rank-3s run into it, won’t it just be over instantly?”

There was a trace of confusion in her voice, alongside a distinct stubbornness about being left behind.

Pandora just shook her head with a smile. “No rush. It’s just a friendly match. If they win, they win.”

Her tone was relaxed because, logically, the endgame of this little contest wasn’t the victory itself—it was sizing each other up, feeling out the competition.

Poppy proposing it obviously had that exact motive. And Pandora agreeing to it harbored similar thoughts. Poppy had been on high alert from the get-go, which was totally fair. On one hand, Pandora’s “temporary boarding” excuse was sketchy as hell. On the other, going from a fresh rookie Apprentice to Rank-3 in just two years was a speed that was wildly disproportionate to the “weakling” act she’d deliberately put on back then.

On its own, Poppy could probably rationalize either factor. But stacked together? Her persistent suspicion and her attempts to prod at them made total sense.