Chapter 3 – Eliaernes Eustetia

As I had done for the past five years.

I woke up in my bed, under the fluttering pink canopy, then ran straight to the training grounds to work up a sweat.

After removing all my sandbags and wiping myself down with a wet towel Sara handed me, I returned to my bedroom.

And, as usual, I headed straight for the bed—

Thud

But I couldn’t throw myself onto it.

“Let go.”

“I cannot do that.”

My personal maid, Sara, had grabbed me firmly under the arms, holding me up as if I were a kitten.

She always does this.

No matter what else she tolerates, Sara simply cannot allow me to get into bed without bathing after training.

She’s also the one who insists on tying my hair up in twin tails.

“Ugh, why? I wiped myself down with a wet towel. Now, put me down.”

I flailed my arms and legs while dangling in midair, but only my pink twin tails swayed. Sara’s arms didn’t budge an inch.

“Sigh… Fine. I won’t get into bed, so put me down.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, really.”

With a thoughtful hum, Sara carefully lowered me to the ground.

Immediately, with my excellent reflexes, I made a dash for the bed!

“Hup!”

Thud

“As I expected.”

Failed again.

My small, light body was once more caught in Sara’s iron grip.

How is she so fast?

And so strong?

Of course, I’m pretty strong and quick compared to other girls my age… well, girls my age.

But no matter how small and light I am, how can she hold me midair without even a tremor? Her arms don’t budge no matter how much I struggle!

It’s weird. There’s no way she’s just a normal maid. But whenever I ask her, she insists she’s an ordinary person.

Is this just a basic skill for servants these days?

“You’re really damn quick.”

“Miss Ellie.”

“What?”

“A young lady of the Eustetia family should not use such vulgar language. If you continue, I will have no choice but to report you to Lady Julie.”

“Report? Fine, I get it. Now put me down. I really won’t try to get into bed this time.”

“Understood.”

This time, Sara seemed convinced that I wouldn’t dive for the bed again, and she set me down right away.

I could probably make another dash and succeed this time, but I didn’t feel like it.

I’m not a child, after all. One round of playing around is enough.

“Haaa…”

So, instead of running to the bed, I just lay down on the floor.

Not on the bare floor, but on the rug beneath the bed.

Sara’s sharp eyes twitched slightly at this, but she quickly returned to her usual calm expression.

“What would you like for breakfast?”

“Meat.”

“Beef, lamb, pork, chicken, veal—”

“Anything.”

“Understood. Shall I assist you with your bath—”

“As I always say, I don’t need help with that. Just help me dry my hair. You know that, Sara.”

“Understood.”

Sara bowed her head and backed out of the room quietly. I watched her silently.

“Sara.”

“Yes, miss? Is there anything else you need?”

I had a concern, but I wasn’t sure whether to bring it up.

If I did mention it, could Sara offer a solution?

Then again, sometimes people with no experience in a particular area offer the most unexpected answers.

Like that chimpanzee did in the past.

“I have a problem.”

Sara’s eyes gleamed with curiosity, and she silently walked back over to me.

“If you wouldn’t mind that I may not have the perfect solution, please, tell me your problem.”

For Sara, this was quite an assertive statement. It startled me a bit, but I decided to speak up.

“I think I’ve stopped growing. No… I have stopped growing.”

Yeah. Right now, my growth has stopped.

In my previous life, when I was around 15 as Ronan, I was already stronger and more tireless than most adults, let alone kids my age.

But now, I’m not even half as strong as I was back then.

I get that the circumstances are different now—my body is smaller, and I’m a girl—but that’s not the only issue.

Swords, spears, axes, hammers, shields, bows, daggers, and so on.

I haven’t gotten any better at handling these weapons. I can’t get used to them. They don’t feel right in my hands.

In my past life, as embarrassing as it is to say, I was called the Weapon Master.

I was Ronan, who decapitated countless demons with all sorts of weapons.

And now, just because I’m stuck in this tiny body, I’ve hit a wall in my growth.

Even with the memories and sensations of my past life—not just 15-year-old Ronan, but 34-year-old Ronan who had been killing monsters and demons for years—I’m still stuck. Damn it!

I’m weaker too.

And you know what?

I can’t even feel that unity with weapons that Paulo used to talk about.

Does that make any sense?

How can someone who fought so fiercely back then, someone who remembers all the moves and techniques perfectly, suddenly be incapable of doing what once came naturally?

Well, to others, I might still seem pretty skilled.

I could probably take down a mediocre knight without much trouble.

But that doesn’t satisfy me.

It goes beyond dissatisfaction—it feels uncomfortable.

Like wearing clothes that don’t fit.

The only silver lining is that my mana flow, control, and unique mana cultivation method have been steadily improving.

In terms of speed, quality, and affinity, I’m far superior to my past self.

But even that feels a bit strange.

It feels like… like my combat style is starting to resemble Arisa’s.

That chimpanzee was strangely terrible with weapons. She’d fumble around whenever she picked one up.

The only thing she excelled at was controlling mana.

Her precise control was so impressive that even Paulo, the strongest of us, couldn’t keep up with her.

And now, I’m the same way.

This… this mana control and movement feels similar to Arisa’s.

Of course, it’s probably not.

It absolutely can’t be.

There are plenty of skilled fighters in the Eustetia family, including many from the branch families.

In a family with so many skilled users of swords, spears, bows, axes, and shields, there’s no way I’d be the one with a knack for martial arts, right?

No way. Absolutely not.

Enough of those creepy thoughts.

Anyway, that’s the situation.

My physical abilities have stopped growing.

And it’s been a long-standing concern.

So, what will Sara have to say about this?

I glanced over at her.

Sara was scanning my body with an unusually serious expression.

Well, it makes sense. To assess physical ability improvement, you need to examine muscle shape, flexibility, and elasticity.

As expected, Sara’s no ordinary maid.

“Sigh.”

After a long silence, Sara swallowed hard and finally spoke in her usual dry tone.

“If I may say so… Miss Ellie, you are already quite excellent.”

“I don’t feel that way.”

“That may be, but in my eyes, you are.”

Sara took a deep breath, carefully choosing her words before continuing.

“That’s why I think, rather than comparing yourself to others, it would be best to focus on the excellent qualities you already have. In other words, focus on your strengths, Miss Ellie. If you do that, I believe you’ll find satisfaction… eventually. I had a similar concern myself once, so my words might be of some help.”

You had the same problem as me?

So, Sara does have a hidden past.

Then her advice might actually be useful.

Her words carried weight, after all.

Instead of comparing myself to others, I should focus on my strengths.

Hmm.

Now that I think about it, that’s not a bad approach.

Until now, I’ve been comparing myself to who I was in my previous life. I’ve been relying on those past movements and sensations.

Since my body’s different now, it might not be a bad idea to try a different path.

At least my mana-related abilities are far superior to my previous life, so I should focus my training on that.

So, what would be the best way to do that?

I don’t even need to think about this one.

The best way to train with mana is through sparring.

An opponent? There’s no shortage of those.

The Eustetia Knights are stationed in the annex just ten minutes away.

The only concern is that I’ve never actually seen them train.

Weirdly enough, every time I’ve visited, they’ve always been on break.

But since they’re called the “Spear of the Empire,” their skills should be pretty decent, right?

Feeling like I’d finally found a way to tackle my problem, I smiled brightly at Sara.

“Thanks, Sara. I feel a little better now.”

In response, Sara’s expression brightened as she bowed.

“I’m glad to hear that, Miss. Now, I’ll go prepare your meal.”

“Oh, and make today’s meal half the usual size. Add a salad too. You can pick the dressing.”

If I eat too much before sparring, I might throw up.

But if I don’t eat enough, I won’t have energy.

In those situations, a light salad is the best choice.

Sara nodded and withdrew silently, with a small smile.

Five years ago.

After Miss Ellie fell ill with a high fever.

She completely changed.

Starting with the loss of her affectionate personality.

Instead of her sweet smile, she now laughed heartily like a seasoned general who had seen countless battlefields.

She insisted on wearing sturdy shirts and pants instead of lively dresses.

Rather than cute underwear, she now opted for plain, practical ones. Sometimes she didn’t even wear a bra.

Instead of sitting quietly to read or strolling through the gardens, she spent her time swinging weapons in the main house’s training grounds or running with sandbags strapped to her.

Oh, and her language has gotten a bit rough as well.

Aside from turning into someone who hunts monsters for a living, not much else had changed.

Not that it’s a bad change.

Miss Ellie has grown more mature, her thoughts deeper, and she’s developed incredible drive in whatever she does.

She just no longer acts like a noble young lady.

So, I thought.

Miss Ellie must have started to admire the Heroes’ stories and wanted to become like them.

She wanted to resemble the founder of our family, Arisa Eustetia.

That’s what she must have longed for.

And now, this Miss Ellie…

“I have a problem.”

When she said that in such a demure voice, alarm bells went off in my head.

I immediately stopped walking and approached her.

“If you wouldn’t mind that I may not have the perfect solution, please, tell me your problem.”

What could be troubling Miss Ellie?

I silently hoped that it would be something that reminded me of the old Miss Ellie.

Then, in a sorrowful tone, she said:

“I think I’ve stopped growing. No… I have stopped growing.”

In that moment, a huge wave of emotion crashed through me. It swept through my heart and completely scrambled my thoughts before receding.

Stopped growing.

That could only mean one thing.

Miss Ellie.

Miss Ellie was, in fact, dealing with a very girlish concern.

And that terribly sad expression.

It was clear that this worry had been weighing on her for a long time.

I have to answer this well.

I mustn’t let Miss Ellie feel hurt.

I need to say something that will wipe away that sad look from her face.

Something that will bring back Miss Ellie’s sweet smile once more.

I need to give a perfect answer.

Beads of cold sweat trickled down my back as I swallowed nervously.

Then, I slowly lowered my gaze to look at my own body.

The mountain peaks swelled beneath my white apron, far larger than most.

Nothing else was visible below them.

Then I glanced over at Miss Ellie.

Her shoulders rose and fell slightly as she breathed, and I could see the faintest hint of a… well, not a mountain, or even a hill… more like a mound. No, even smaller…

A tiny little sandcastle was trembling there.

Above it were her delicate shoulders and neck.

What about below?

Thanks to five years of intense training, she had a slender waist and hips that flared elegantly like Lady Julie’s.

Her soft-looking thighs were more developed than her upper body and quite sturdy, while her calves were lean.

At the very bottom were her small, cute feet and wriggling toes, which looked too pretty to have been training for so long.

It didn’t take long to take in her entire figure.

Miss Ellie was quite small for a 15-year-old girl.

So, how do I break this to her?

“Sigh.”

The sigh I had intended to keep to myself slipped out, and Miss Ellie’s eyes filled with anticipation.

I steeled myself and began to speak.

“If I may say so… Miss Ellie, you are already—”

Pretty. Beautiful.

But that’s not what Miss Ellie wanted to hear.

So, as her loyal servant, what must I say?

The answer was clear.

“—quite excellent.”

“I don’t feel that way.”

Her expected rebuttal didn’t faze me.

I continued speaking naturally.

“That may be, but in my eyes, you are.”

At this point, I needed to strongly express my opinion.

And then…

It might be a bit presumptuous, but as someone older than Miss Ellie… not as Maid Sara, but as Sara the person.

As Sara, who has lived ten years longer, it was time for me to step up as a senior in life.

“That’s why I think, rather than comparing yourself to others, it would be best to focus on the excellent qualities you already have. In other words, focus on your strengths, Miss Ellie. If you do that, I believe you’ll find satisfaction… eventually. I had a similar concern myself once, so my words might be of some help.”

Yes. I went through the same thing.

When I was 15… no, even earlier, I had a body much like Miss Ellie’s.

But look at me now.

My body turned out just fine.

So, if Miss Ellie doesn’t lose hope and keeps her spirits up, she’ll end up with a wonderful body, just like Lady Julie’s.

I wonder if my answer was good enough.

Carefully, I glanced over at Miss Ellie.

She was smiling brightly.

Perhaps even more sweetly and charmingly than I had ever seen her smile before.

“Thanks, Sara. I feel a little better now.”

I instantly felt a wave of relief as I bowed my head.

I wanted to hide my expression.

It would be embarrassing to show Miss Ellie this kind of smile.

“I’m glad to hear that, Miss. Now, I’ll go prepare your meal.”

“Oh, and make today’s meal half the usual size. Add a salad too. You can pick the dressing.”

Miss Ellie wants to eat less?

And she’s asking for a salad of her own accord?

Miss Ellie has no excess weight to lose, but this means she’s now paying attention to her appearance.

I happily agreed and quickly withdrew.

I wanted to share this good news with Lady Julie as soon as possible.

Noon.

In the Eustetia Knights’ training grounds, a bright red warning light that had never been used before blared into life.

The warning lights—green, yellow, orange, and red—were normally triggered whenever Eliaernes Eustetia, the Cherry Blossom of Eustetia, approached.

But never before had the red light come on.

However, every member of the knightly order knew exactly what the red light meant.

And they knew just how urgent this situation was.

“Captain! Th-The red light’s on!”

“I can see that! Hurry, put away all the weapons! Take off your armor! You, you, and you! Use magic to fix the broken ground! You, heal the injured—no, just pour high-grade potions on them! And you! Contact the Duke immediately! Lastly, Yurasia, go out and greet Miss Ellie. You have the most important role. We have ten minutes! No, make that five!”

“Yes, sir!!”

The knights moved swiftly and efficiently, carrying out their captain’s urgent but precise orders.

At the center of it all, Karon, the captain of the First Knight Squadron, was drenched in cold sweat as he peered into the magical device that displayed the grounds outside the annex.

There, he saw Ellie, her pink twin tails bouncing like cherry blossoms in the wind, skipping toward the training grounds.

She was holding an armful of short wooden swords and various other pieces of equipment, her bright smile lighting up her face as she approached.

Her short legs were moving in bouncy steps as she made her way to the training grounds.

Oh no, she’s carrying a bunch of short wooden swords and other equipment!

And she’s smiling so brightly as she comes this way!