Chapter 23
Rustle, rustle!
Every time Alicia’s sword moved, a golem, barely shorter than an adult male, was cleanly split in two. Even while wielding the gigantic sword, her transitions into the next move were smooth and swift.
One, then another.
She conserved her strength with minimal movements, ruthlessly slicing through her foes. The gentle glint in her eyes vanished without a trace, replaced by the fierce intent of a predator like a bird of prey.
“What the… she’s not a beginner, she’s amazing…?!”
Emily, watching the scene unfold, gaped as her thoughts tumbled out about Alicia.
It was clear just by looking that Emily had some serious biases against Alicia.
With her delicate appearance, she must have underestimated her. The hardships Alicia had faced were beyond anything Emily could imagine.
‘Who would have thought she could wield that giant sword as freely as a kitchen knife?! Plus, her aura is so stable!’ That’s definitely what Emily was thinking.
Currently, Emily could manage auras, but she was struggling with precision and maintaining form. Stat-wise, she didn’t have much going for her except for a decent agility.
It’s no surprise that someone who looked so sweet and innocent, like Alicia, could be better than her and experienced in battle.
Well, it was jarring to see sweet Alicia transform into a fierce beast cutting through golems the moment the fight started.
Whoever turned her from that gentle girl into this powerhouse deserves a round of applause.
Well done.
Just then, a breeze brushed past her ears.
Swoosh⎯⎯⎯⎯!
Despite the considerable distance, the vibration in the air struck like a thunderclap against her eardrums. The culprit was Serena, swiftly loading her next arrow and preparing for another strike.
With the aura surrounding Alicia’s sword, Serena’s arrows had a density remarkable enough to pierce through golems’ heads one by one without disrupting Alicia’s movements.
She was tactically picking off her targets in an order that posed a threat without getting in Alicia’s way.
Alicia was targeting them in an order that seemed threatening but wouldn’t interfere with her movements.
Her accuracy was remarkably high, with most arrows leaving her hands either passing through or sticking into golems.
Serena, who hadn’t uttered a single word—no exclamations or yawns—began to take action as the golems started to swarm in.
Her gaze barely shifted, yet she was executing the difficult orders I had given as the team leader smoothly.
Despite the quite tricky instructions, Serena seemed to nod in agreement, maintaining her position.
Indeed, this girl was useful just as she was now.
‘If I were to call them useless.’
“This guy…!”
From a bit further away, I could hear another male teammate grunting.
Finn, fighting with a longsword. There was no aura. Not weak, but completely absent.
A few times his blade skimmed the golem’s body, but it caused virtually no damage. Just a few scratches that didn’t lead to any fatal wounds.
“Ugh!”
On the other hand, Finn’s own body was increasingly covered in small wounds, and he seemed to be losing stamina.
His labored breaths were getting more rapid.
‘That guy…’
“……”
He was just staring at another teammate with a gaze full of various emotions, doing absolutely nothing, like a stone statue.
“What are you standing there blankly for? If we don’t free the hostages soon, this play won’t end.”
As Emily fell deep in thought, I urged her.
I couldn’t overlook the fact that she was dawdling instead of doing what needed to be done.
Then, Emily’s gaze, which had been lost in the distant battlefield, returned to her original position.
In this training scenario, Emily was currently assigned the role of rescuing the hostages.
It was teamwork training happening with weapons chosen from the armory, aimed at improving the group members’ camaraderie and teamwork.
“Don’t you consider how your inaction will affect others? Everyone’s fighting those golems, drawing attention while you’re too lazy to free the hostages.”
“H-hey, I was doing it…! It’s not laziness. …And you, why are you so confident while sitting on your butt…?”
Feeling displeased with me sitting on a familiar maintaining a black chair form, Emily retorted back.
Such a senseless person.
“Do you even think? If I were to step in directly, it would end too easily before I could even assess the team’s skills. How foolish.”
“Exactly. Why do you act like you’re the only one who can judge…?”
“This is surprising…”
Truly surprising.
I put on a face of disbelief, something I rarely did to maintain my dignity.
But here it came out.
“Who would have thought you’d be ignorant enough to compare yourself to me.”
“…Ugh.”
Emily gritted her teeth after hearing my words but tried her best to keep from showing it.
She tried hard not to show it, even though she was biting her lip.
The problem is that it was obvious to others, but I’ll let it slide as the generous person I am. There’s a proper attitude to take when facing things like this.
“Well then, fine. You seem more clueless than I imagined. I’ll just have to show you directly so you’ll obediently follow through with future tasks.”
As I detached myself from the Familiar, the black chair that had been maintaining its form returned to my shadow.
“Just keep trying to pick the prison door over there. I’ll be back quickly.”
“But then…!”
“You’d better hurry. If you can’t even pick a single lock after I’ve solved everything else, it means that’s your worth.”
“…It’s not like I can’t do it…”
Leaving behind the rather rebellious Emily, I walked towards the group of Golems.
Animals like Emily shouldn’t be dealt with by words. It’s better to show them directly.
Maybe they’re hoping I’ll mess up or get embarrassed right now. It could also give them a reason to climb over me.
….
But, well.
I guess the outcome is pretty obvious.
*
“Are you okay, Emily? You don’t look well…”
The sudden end of the unity session, brought on by Vargan, left the group hurriedly changing back into their uniforms in separate dressing rooms for boys and girls.
Alicia approached Emily, who was slumped against the cabinet, looking as if she had lost a screw, and spoke with concern.
“If you’re pushing yourself, I can cast a healing spell for you. I could take you to the infirmary as well.”
“Oh, I’m fine, Alicia. I was just… thinking about my worth as a person.”
“Eh? Um… I don’t quite understand, but if you’re having a hard time, please tell me. I’ll do everything I can to help.”
Emily looked into Alicia’s bright eyes.
It seemed like a pristine area that had no trace of foreign matter at all. It was so different from her just moments ago when she was mercilessly slashing at the Golems.
Emily straightened her staggering body and faced her. Alicia also straightened up and waited for her to speak.
“Alicia, you said you’re Vargan’s… Young Master’s servant, right? Was he always this outrageous?”
“Ah… so it’s related to the Young Master. Um… Are you asking about his magic or his personality…?”
“Both.”
As soon as Emily answered, Alicia showed a slightly troubled expression.
Then, even though she seemed skeptical about something that shouldn’t be there, she glanced around and lowered her voice, covering her mouth so only Emily could hear.
“He’s always been like that.”
“Just as I thought.”
Emily let out a hollow laugh, as if she expected it.
“You have it rough.”
“No, it’s not that hard.”
“Honestly, since that person isn’t here anyway, you can speak freely. It seems like a tough road ahead, though. What gives?”
“I do it because I like it.”
“Y-Yeah…?”
Alicia raised her volume again, flashing a soft smile.
Emily couldn’t believe Alicia’s statement, but her reaction seemed so genuine that she began to feel confused.
So it’s important not just what is said, but also who is saying it and in what manner.
“How can you be so positive working under someone like that? If I were that person’s servant, I wouldn’t last and would have run away by now.”
Emily wrapped her arms around herself, shivering just from imagining it.
Noticing something, Alicia kindly but firmly adjusted Emily’s crooked ribbon while saying she was sorry for the intrusion.
“He may be harsh, but he’s a good person. His intimidating presence and some misunderstood words make him seem that way, but he’s really warm inside.”
“That person…?”
Emily’s reaction seemed to say “Don’t lie to me like that,” but Alicia gently stood her ground.
“I believe you’ll understand naturally as you spend time with him. I was only scared of the Young Master at first, but now it’s completely different.”
“What about now?”
“Well… I’m not sure how to explain this.”
Alicia, having straightened the ribbon, wore a satisfied smile and added to her answer.
“Respect, trust, gratitude… something like that, I suppose?”
Emily was left speechless by Alicia’s warm smile that shined like sunlight. It felt like she understood what kind of person he was without needing a long conversation.
“You’re amazing in so many ways, Alicia.”
*
Alicia and her group emerged from the changing room and headed to the waiting room. Inside, one team was currently engaged in combat, being broadcast live, while other group members watched.
However, two standing figures stood out in particular.
Emily saw one of them and involuntarily smiled, preparing to greet him, but as she got closer, she sensed something wasn’t right.
The person she was about to greet was her childhood friend, Liam. The bright expression he always wore was replaced by a strange look.
Facing him was a man.
“What’s the matter? Why are you grabbing me like that?”
Vargan showed clear displeasure at Liam placing his hand on his shoulder, implying he wanted to control his actions.
But Liam, devoid of his usual playful demeanor, didn’t back down with a serious attitude.
Though he sounded slightly tense, he spoke confidently.
“Vargan, let’s talk somewhere else for a moment.”
Without a moment’s hesitation, Vargan responded immediately to Liam’s proposal.
He shot a contemptuous glance as if looking at a worthless creature.
“No.”
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