This Clueless Hero

My thoughts about the maze unconsciously left. And like a light, I fell asleep.

But...

Once sleep overtook me, I found myself back in the maze. I continued to dream about this elusive diagram.

However, my body was being piloted on its own. My mind was just an observer. There was something different in the way my body moved. It seemed... more calm and composed.

If I had to compare the two of us, my method was like a first-timer scrambling to finish before a deadline, while my body moved as though it had done something like this hundreds of times before.

My body leisurely walked down a path, observing the surroundings along the way. Although the pace was slow, it was at a speed faster than I could memorize.

Perhaps if it was going five times slower, I would be able to just barely memorize it. As such, I refused to believe it was possible for my 'other' self to be memorizing it.

...But that was when I realized there was something in his hands.

One hand held up a piece of paper, while the other had a feather tipped with ink. He was slowly drawing out the pathways as he crossed.

After some time, my 'other' self had traveled through a fairly huge chunk of the maze. Then, he tucked away the paper before pulling out a new one and began drawing again.

Except... this time he was going back the way he came.

He meticulously retraced each step without taking a shortcut. Then, he brought out both papers and compared how they looked.

They were mirror images of each other.

My eyes flashed open. I found myself back in the bed, back in reality. I took a peek outside to see the dark orange of the setting sun. It was getting close to night.

My first instinct was to try what I learned in my dream.

Drawing the spell diagram on a piece of paper.

...But how do I get this paper, and ink for that matter?

My knuckle rubbed against my temple.

...This was going to be an issue, to say the least.

Perhaps Mildred would have some answer?

With a bit of hesitation, I walked towards the door of Mildred's room. As for whether she was even inside with how busy she was, I didn't know.

Nonetheless, I rapped my knuckle against the door a few times.

...I heard a faint yawn coming from inside. I thought Mildred was going to come soon, so I simply waited.

But it was silent for the next five minutes or so.

Thickening my skin, I knocked once more. There was a faint shuffling sound, as though somebody was stumbling all around the place.

After a few moments, the door opened.

"Why are you waking me up so early in the morning? Hmm~"

Mildred appeared, but she was a little... different. Her hair was messy when it was normally straight. Her eyes drooped as though they could hardly remain open.

Mildred was using the doorknob to support herself, barely remaining upright. Her neck did little to support her head, letting it dangle.

She gave a light shove with her free hand, pushing me a meter or so back.

My hand scratched the back of my head.

"Um... Mildred?"

Mildred giggled faintly.

"Hehe... that's my name!"

Mildred's image in my mind, and the Mildred in front of me, clashed within my thoughts. The strange dichotomy was... really jarring.

I coughed awkwardly.

"...Are you ok?"

Mildred twisted her head up, throwing her hair to the side. She looked at me with a dreamy smile on her face.

"I'm so ok! Right now I just feel..."

Mildred raised her free hand high in the air, as though she was using her hand to imitate flying.

"Wooooo~"

Mildred erratically pushed the door back and forth. She was stumbling back and forth, clearly not stable on her feet.

My eyelid twitched.

Mildred... seemed a little off.

An apprehensive smile appeared on my face.

"Erm... do you know how I could get some paper and ink? Oh, and also the feather to write with?"

Mildred slammed her hand onto my shoulder. A grimace of pain unconsciously appeared on my face, but I forcefully suppressed it.

Mildred mumbled a few things to herself, inaudible to me.

My eyes blinked a few times.

"Sorry, what did you say?"

Mildred's head suddenly raised upwards. She pushed against my shoulder hard, but kept a tight grip on it.

"Hmm... Ela has some but she will be suuuuuuper angry if you take it! You could also waste your hard earned money to go buy it from those scammers~"

Well, I didn't want to upset Ela. Especially considering I was residing in her home. So that leaves...

Money?

But I didn't have any money.

Mildred continued rocking back and forth, shaking me along with her. She was holding onto my shoulder tightly, causing me quite a bit of pain.

I decided to pretend everything was fine and cleared my throat.

"How can I get money?"

Mildred giggled dreamily.

"Mmm... with pain!"

My brows furrowed.

"Pain?"

Mildred laughed freely.

"Money only comes with pain! So much pain!"

...I was beginning to feel a little unsettled.

Mildred let go of the doorknob and began twirling around me, using my shoulder as a pivot point.

"Unless you're damn royalty! Then there's no pain at all!"

She giggled with a touch of insanity.

"You can get all the money you want! But that's just the tip of the iceberg!"

Suddenly, Mildred grabbed both my shoulders and violently shook me around. My head and shoulder felt like they were clobbered with a sledgehammer. Mildred was far stronger than I thought she was.

Suddenly, Mildred stopped. Her breathing got heavy.

It could just be my imagination...

...but she sounded angry.

"The royalty are even bestowed with people! Like sheep, these slaves have to follow everything the royalty wants! Everything! Absolutely everything!"

She let out a long laugh.

"Those that try to rebel are either killed or locked up forever! Yet all the royalty think they're so great!"

Mildred grabbed my chin with a little too much strength.

A crack rang out.

She dislocated my jaw.

"They always say they never support slavery! Yet here they are, buying slaves one after another! Bullshit! It's all bullshit!"

Mildred let go of me and began twirling around with her hands in the air.

My hand hurriedly held onto my jaw and slowly pushed it back. With a grimace and clear snap, I pushed it back into place. As I began panting, Mildred hummed a song to herself.

She giggled softly.

"But no matter who, alcohol treats everyone fairly! It doesn't matter if you are royalty or not, you feel better anyway!"

...Honestly speaking, I was a little afraid of Mildred right now. My shoulder would've been dislocated as well had she decided to pull on it for a few more seconds.

I decided to remain silent.

As for Mildred, she hummed with dissatisfaction.

"But only if I didn't have to do work..."

Then, she froze.

Mildred turned to me like a serial killer that found a new victim.

"You!"

She rushed over and grabbed onto my shoulders. Her fingers cut into my skin.

"You want money, right?"

I nodded with trepidation.

"Y-Yeah?"

Mildred snickered.

"Well, I have a deal for you! In the wee hours of the morning, you work on the farm! Make sure eeeevery crop is watered, the lands are hoed, and the crops get harvested! I will give you..."

She put a finger on her chin.

"Fifty coppers for each day! Then I can wake up late!"

Mildred giggled to herself.

"Haa... If only you could do the cleaning as well! But I have to keep up appearances..."

Suddenly, she snapped to attention.

"So? What do you think?"

The corner of my lip twitched. I didn't have the slightest inkling of how the currency system worked, so fifty coppers sounded like an elusive concept.

I would've asked for more clarification... but Mildred was twisting one of my shoulders painfully.

Beads of sweat formed on my forehead.

"It's a deal! Please... let me go now."

Mildred cheered.

"Alright!"

She pushed hard against my shoulder, dislocating it. I subconsciously let out a grimace of pain.

Mildred gasped.

"Oh, sorry, sorry! Let me fix that."

She pulled on my shoulder hard, stretching out the flesh that held it together. My eyes widened.

"AAAAHHH! AAAH! Ah... Ah..."

Mildred furrowed her brows.

"Hmm... does it go like this?"

She grated the bone of my arm against the bone of my shoulder.

My pupils darted erratically in all directions while my mind nearly blanked out from the pain.

I pushed Mildred away.

"I got it! It's fine, don't worry!"

Mildred giggled.

"What are you talking about? Of course you're not fine! Don't be so stubborn and let me look at it!"

Mildred slowly walked over to me with an uncanny smile on her face.

I ran.

Without looking back.