Looking at the cute maid who's getting intoxicated with my scent, I ask, "Mia, why did you ask for permission to enter the room? Even thinking I might be unconscious?"

"That's an order from the miss; she ordered me to treat you the same way I treat her. So even if you couldn't hear, I still need to maintain this formality," Mia replied without even bothering to stop sniffing me.

Finding amusement in how her actions conflict with her response, I can't resist teasing this little pervert. Lowering my gaze to see her eyes, I say, "Hm, so you also hug and smell Sophia? I thought I was special."

As if my words gave her a shock, Mia in the blink of an eye snaps out of it and quickly explains herself, fearing I might misunderstand her, "NO, DEFINITELY WE DON'T HAVE THAT KIND OF RELATIONSHIP," she continues with an unusually loud voice, "I'M ONLY DOING THIS BECAUSE IT'S YOU. I'VE NEVER HAD THIS LEVEL OF CLOSENESS WITH ANYONE BEFORE."

It didn't surprise me to see Mia explaining herself with such fervor. As I walked towards Mia, who was on the floor terrified of my murderous intent, I saw myself in the mirror on the wardrobe door and confirmed that my body was still the same.

Not just Mia, any other woman would feel attracted to me. My long scarlet hair and blood-red eyes create a perfect contrast with my pale skin, a skin that would make people think I'm sick if not for my imposing physical stature of 6,4 feet tall and a muscular body of impeccable proportions.

My body, combined with the sense of danger that naturally exudes from me due to the numerous deaths for which I was responsible, is fatal for women and intimidating for men.

But knowing that there are more reasons for Mia to become so attached to me, I ask, "And what led you to have this level of closeness with me?"

As if she were already prepared to answer this question, she says, "It may seem strange since you just woke up and it's the first time you've met me, but I've been taking care of you for a whole month. And during that month, you were the only one I could rely on. Whenever the other maids played tricks on me, I could come here and vent to you. Even if you didn't talk to me, your peaceful expression while sleeping calmed me. And before I knew it, I was coming here just to look at you while you slept."

Embracing Mia's head against my chest, I say, "I already expected there to be a story like this behind it, given that you were taking care of me. But it still surprises me that you, the personal maid of the duke's daughter, are going through this kind of problem. Has Sophia done nothing to help you?"

With her voice muffled by having her face against my chest, she says, "I didn't tell miss anything; she already has her own problems, I can't burden her with my own."

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"Oh, and what kind of problem could the count's daughter have in her own territory?" I ask while stroking her hair.

Mia responds with a clear disdain, "When you have trash like the count as a father, it's normal to have problems. The one who takes care of all the administration processes is miss and her mother, the countess. The count is just an imbecile who drinks day and night."

Surprised by the news, I ask, "Is it okay to reveal that? Wouldn't it be some kind of secret or something?"

"Yes, it's not like it's a secret that the count is useless. In fact, even in the capital, he's known as an incompetent drunkard."

Pondering for a moment, I ask, "Although I don't know much about the nobility hierarchy, I know a count isn't just anybody. How can someone with a status like that be so useless? Doesn't the royal family worry that the nobles' image might be affected because of it?"

Nestling even closer in my embrace, Mia responds, "Well, he's always been useless. He only became a count two years ago when his father, the former count, died; and as the only heir, he got the position. The royal family has great respect for the former count; Delarosa Territory is the southern guardian of the kingdom. We border the Black Forest and the Verxalia Kingdom. Our Zephyria Kingdom has never gotten along with Verxalia, so there have been many wars over 300 years, and the former count never let the enemies pass through the walls. Be they monsters from the Black Forest or soldiers from Verxalia." Mia pauses for a moment to think before continuing, "And regarding the hierarchy of nobility, from lowest to highest: Baron, Viscount, Count, Marquess, Duke, and King. But it's not easy to climb the hierarchy. Even though they managed to protect the kingdom for 300 years, the Delarosa's only moved up one step in the hierarchy. They went from viscount to count."

As Mia spoke, two things caught my attention: the lifespan of the former count and the difficulty of climbing the hierarchy.

"At what age did the former count die? And why did he only move up one position in the hierarchy if the royal family holds him in such high regard?" I ask.

Mia, somewhat thoughtful, responds, "If I'm not mistaken, he died at the age of 380; he could have lived another 20 years if not for a battle injury that reduced his life expectancy. And as for the hierarchy..."

"WHAT?? HOW IS IT POSSIBLE FOR SOMEONE TO LIVE 380 YEARS?" For the first time since I arrived in this world, I couldn't control my surprise.

With a stunned look, I stare at Mia, awaiting an explanation.

Seeing my exaggerated reaction, Mia chuckles and begins to explain, "He was an aura master; his life expectancy is 400 years. And about the royal family, it's not that they didn't want to reward him with a higher position, it's just that to be a marquess, someone in the family needs to possess the level of a grand aura master. And the Delarosa family doesn't have it; the most powerful we had were the former Duke Nicolai Delarosa and the current chief of the knights, Mr. Vladimir, both at the master aura level. But don't underestimate a master aura, even if it doesn't make the house evolve to marquess, a master aura can still easily kill some animals like the Demon Bear or the Silver Fang Wolf barehanded with just one blow."

When the last sentence entered my ears, it was as if lightning had struck. On Earth, I reached the limit of what the human body was capable of. And even at the limit, it still wasn't possible to face a bear without a weapon and proper protection, and now I heard that it's possible to acquire that level of strength and even surpass it.

With trembling hands from excitement, I grab her shoulders and say, "MIA, how can I become like them?"

As if she realized something, Mia widens her eyes and asks, "Don't you know what mana is? Where are you from?"