Chapter 42 : Chapter 42

Chapter 42 : The Smart Housekeeper’s Former Name - Little Workhorse

“Welcome home, Master”

That was the flat smart housekeeper greeting me as I opened the door, loitering at the entrance.

Was this thing that idle?

Didn’t wandering around waste magic power?

I quickly checked the villa’s total magic power gauge.

This was the power supply for the entire place!

If it ran out, how would I charge my phone?

Was I supposed to beg a senior sister to recharge it for me?

I couldn’t bring myself to do that, treating someone like a charging bank?

Who’d agree to be that sucker?

But I got curious.

Freshmen, after a few years of study, still couldn’t effectively control magic power with mental strength.

So how were we supposed to recharge the villa?

I crouched down to check the gauge.

There were just over 300 units of magic power left.

I wasn’t sure how it was measured.

Was one magic power source equal to one unit?

After some rummaging, I found a curled-up instruction sheet.

It explained how to store magic power, and I sighed in relief.

It was automatic, but I had to act as the “generator” supplying the magic power…

Fine, whatever.

Over 300 units should last a while, right?

One big problem was solved.

Now it was time for a major cleanup of the entire villa!

When I first moved in, I only tidied my bedroom.

The rest of the place hadn’t been touched.

This was a big project: a three-story villa!

Sure, most of the top floor was an open terrace, but that needed cleaning too.

“Master, are you planning to clean the villa?”

As I cast the cleaning spell, the smart housekeeper rolled up to me and asked.

“Yup, that’s right. So move aside,” I said, picking it up and setting it to the side.

“Master, Master, keeping the house clean is my job. You can leave all the cleaning to me.”

“Leave it to you? You’re a floor-cleaning robot. How are you going to clean walls, windowsills, ceilings, and furniture?”

I meant to shut it down, but I quickly realized how naive I was…

A familiar energy radiated from the smart housekeeper!

“No way… cleaning spell?”

My eyes widened in disbelief.

Was this something a floor-cleaning robot should have?

After the initial shock, I remembered Bai Yu mentioning that this thing was a magic-driven alchemical product.

I swallowed hard.

This was cheating!

They solidified a cleaning spell onto a cleaning robot?

What about me?

I’d just been smug about getting this spell…

I stared at the still-scooting robot.

Its cleaning spell covered an area, swiftly cleaning as it went, working tirelessly.

Then I saw it head back.

“Hey, where are you going? Since you’ve got a cleaning spell, clean the whole villa,” I said, my confidence shaken.

I was ready to let this smart housekeeper take care of me.

“Master, my magic power reserve is depleted. If I don’t go back, you’ll have to carry me to recharge…”

The smart housekeeper replied immediately, its voice sounding weaker.

“Out of magic power? Does your cleaning spell use that much?”

I asked, following it, my tone perking up.

“Yes, Master.”

“How much is your full capacity?”

“1 standard magic power unit.”

“1 standard unit?”

I wasn’t sure if it was the same as gauge’s units?

One recharge cost one unit?

“Yes.”

“How much magic power would it take to clean the entire villa?”

I finally asked the key question, hoping to regain some ground.

This little thing better not be too energy-intensive, or I’d rather do it myself.

“About ten recharges.”

“Ten standard units?!”

I exclaimed.

So, cleaning the villa thirty times would drain all the magic power here?

And this villa had more than just this one energy-hungry device!

No, no, this couldn’t go on!

I only had one magic power source, and I didn’t even know its recovery rate.

I didn’t want to be stuck here as a “generator girl.”

“Smart housekeeper, you’re not allowed to use the cleaning spell anymore! Only clean if something’s really dirty. And stop wandering around to save energy!”

I blurted out a bunch of commands, unsure if it was understood.

“Understood. Entering energy-saving mode. Major cleaning task canceled…”

Hearing it comply, I sighed in relief.

It could understand human speech.

I hadn’t noticed this villa had such an energy hog.

Were there other devices like this?

“Smart housekeeper… hm, do you have another name? Calling you ‘smart housekeeper’ feels clunky.”

“No. Please name me, Master, or randomly select a former name.”

“You have former names?”

I looked at the little thing.

It was second-hand?

It made sense that this villa must’ve housed countless senior sisters before me.

“Yes. Would you like to activate one?”

“Go for it. Let’s see what names the past senior sisters gave you,” I said, curious.

“Activated former name: Little Workhorse.”

“Huh? What? You’re called what?”

I couldn’t believe it.

That was the name?

“Little Workhorse.”

“Pfft… haha! How do you have a name like that?!”

I couldn’t hold it in and burst out laughing, unsure if some senior sister named it for fun or what.

“Haha, Little Workhorse, pfft… haha.”

“Master, I’m here.”

After laughing, I calmed down.

I didn’t change the name, it added some joy to my mundane life.

I hoped my yet-to-meet roommates would like it.

Since Little Workhorse wasn’t reliable, I’d have to clean the villa myself.

It’d be tiring, but the sense of accomplishment would be worth it.

I started with the first floor.

The outdoor lawn was none of my concern for now.

I didn’t have the tools to trim it.

I wasn’t about to crawl around pulling weeds.

But I had to admit, the cleaning spell was incredibly convenient.

It’d be perfect for washing dishes way faster than by hand.

Cleaning the villa was also a chance to explore every area.

I lived here but didn’t visit every spot.

In case of need, I should know what’s where.

During cleaning, I found dust and grime in many overlooked corners.

Looks like Little Workhorse missed some spots too.

I had to use the cleaning spell multiple times to clean those areas.

Seems like past senior sisters relied on Little Workhorse to keep the villa clean.