Mission in another world with my transformed best friend

After the words, which carried a hidden meaning, were spoken, the maid stopped in her tracks, her expression becoming increasingly calm. Beneath that calm lay a turbulent undercurrent, and the atmosphere in the air suddenly shifted, becoming one of crisis.

Zhang Lan had actually sensed something was wrong before the other party even said the last sentence. After thinking for a moment, her shy expression slowly returned to calm, and she looked seriously at the maid in front of her, with whom she had spent a month or so. After pondering for a moment, she decided to test the waters.

“I remember just now, according to Miss Lin, it was because President Hani personally requested that you be allowed to enter the fifth floor on this special day and be ready to receive my instructions at any time. However, the contract clearly stipulates that all arrangements and changes within the ‘Alchemy Pavilion’ must be personally confirmed by me… Hani actually arranged for an ‘outsider’ to enter here without notifying me. Could it be…”

"Yo, hehehehe..."

The maid suddenly burst into wild laughter, clutching her forehead with her hand, and a murderous aura instantly emanated from her.

“That old man Hani follows the contract in everything he does, not even a single word of it... No wonder he’s been the ‘President of the First Chamber of Commerce’ for decades. Saintess… no, Miss Alice, you are indeed very smart, but sometimes being smart can bring danger sooner, do you understand?”

Having already sensed the danger and made preparations in advance, Zhang Lan immediately uttered the word "flame." A flame appeared on her raised hand, but instead, a gust of wind rushed towards her, instantly dissipating the fireball that hadn't yet formed in her palm. Her wrist seemed to be caught in an iron clamp, twisting in the opposite direction, and the figure that had been standing in front of her had already flashed behind her...

"Intelligence is only in the mind, not in the body... After observing her for over a month, Miss Alice is more of a 'novice mage' than an adventurer, and her registered adventurer rank in the Adventurers' Guild is the lowest, 'F-rank.' Who would have thought that behind the world-renowned 'Reclusive Saintess' identity lies such mismatched strength..."

"It seems there's no rule that low-level adventurers can't be 'Hermitage Saintess.' As an assassin yourself, there's no rule against you being a maid, and it doesn't even hinder you from performing maid duties exceptionally well. What I'm curious about is why you've been quietly lurking here for almost two months, choosing this moment to make your move. Could it be related to tomorrow's 'Lafite II' launch event…?"

"Bingo, you are indeed clever. I also have a question for you, 'novice magician.' Why did you choose to fight back immediately instead of begging for mercy after sensing danger?"

"It's very simple. If Miss Lin came here with the intention of taking my life, she would have had countless opportunities to do so during this time. Secondly, if you don't fight back in the face of danger, you will lose even the slightest chance to save yourself..."

As soon as he finished speaking, Zhang Lan pinpointed the approximate location of the person behind him, mustered all his strength, raised his leg, and kicked backward. At the same time, he simultaneously used the back of his head to "bump" backward...

Regardless of where she was being pushed, she aimed to launch a surprise counterattack. After breaking free from the restraints, Zhang Lan didn't even have time to adjust her position before running towards the door. Just as she opened her mouth to shout "Come...", her clothes were firmly grabbed, and with tremendous force, her entire body was pulled in the opposite direction, crashing heavily onto the bed...

"Cough cough...fire!"

Before Zhang Lan could even prop herself up on the bed, and before she could even utter a single word of her magic spell, a hand gripped her neck tightly. At the same time, a heavy object rolled over and pressed down on her, leaving her unable to move her other hand.

"Not bad, judging from your reaction, you really don't seem like a teenage girl. But no matter how much you resist, in my eyes you're still a pitiful little prey struggling for your life..."

Zhang Lan opened her eyes and found herself sprawled on the bed, her opponent sitting down, using their weight to pin her down while simultaneously pinning her hands down with their knees and one hand... But that wasn't all. The maid used her remaining hand to pull a gleaming bayonet from under her skirt and began brandishing it in mid-air...

"What exactly... do you want to do! Cough cough..."

With her throat pressed down, Zhang Lan managed to squeeze out a few words and twist her body a few times, but under the other party's extremely professional suppression methods, her entire upper body was completely immobilized. Even though she kicked her legs a few times, she couldn't kick anything on the soft bed.

“Miss Alice, don’t waste your energy. If I didn’t need you to lead the way in a moment, I would have already broken your slender arms and legs… Tsk tsk tsk, your eyes are still pretty good, without a trace of fear or resigned despair. If I didn’t have a mission, I might actually like to slowly torture you until you despair…”

After struggling for a moment, Zhang Lan fully understood the difference in strength between the two sides, temporarily gave up resisting, and began to quickly consider countermeasures after calming down.

"You've finally behaved yourself, haven't you? The right choice! I won't waste any more words. Miss Alice, I'll loosen my grip on your neck a little, if you dare to scream..."

As she spoke, the maid's bayonet plunged downwards with a "thud," embedding itself in the bed beside Zhang Lan's head, the blade completely submerging to the hilt...

Zhang Lan thought for a moment and nodded. As the grip on her neck loosened, she was able to breathe normally again, taking several deep breaths without making a sound.

"Good, cooperate well. I didn't intend to hurt you..."

"Cooperate...what kind of cooperation do I need?"

"It's simple. I need you to take me to the storage room on the bottom floor..."

"That's where the 'Lafite II' samples are stored. What's your purpose there?"

"It's not a specific purpose, just a small request: you just need to quietly put the contents of this bottle into the 'Lafite II' storage containers numbered 2 and 4."

As she spoke, Lin produced a crystal bottle filled with a brown liquid, as if by magic. The bottle was small, only about the thickness of two fingers. Zhang Lan glanced at it and asked.

"Are you going to poison them?"

"I don't need to explain to you. Keep this safe. This potion is, so far, the only item that can guarantee your safety..."

As she spoke, Lin rubbed the crystal bottle against Zhang Lan's face a few times, then tucked it down her neck and into her close-fitting bra, before gently patting it.

Accompanied by a strange sensation, Zhang Lan was helpless and could only slightly turn her face away. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw her hand, which had been stepped on and sunk into the bedding, with the back of her hand facing down. Suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck her, and she activated a small amount of magic…

"What kind of magic is Miss Alice planning to use? She hasn't given up resisting even at this point. It seems we'll have to resort to some tricks. After all, having a mouth that can cry for help at any time could bring unnecessary trouble..."

As she spoke, the maid took out a small bottle, uncorked it, and brought it to Zhang Lan's lips.

A strange medicinal smell hit Zhang Lan's nostrils, and she was unwilling to open her mouth obediently.

The maid sneered and pinched Zhang Lan's neck slightly. The pain caused Zhang Lan to reflexively open her mouth, and a cool, strange-tasting medicine was poured in.

"It's not poisonous, so don't worry, it's just a 'silencing potion' that will temporarily prevent you from speaking... It's the most effective 'imprisonment' method for mages who need to chant spells and for people who don't need to speak! The effect should appear soon..."

"Cough cough, woo woo?"

In just over ten seconds, Zhang Lan felt a numbness in her throat, which quickly spread down her neck to her chest, as if she had been given anesthesia. When she opened her mouth, she could only utter a mute, whimpering sound...