episode_0044

“What nonsense is that? Battle!”

How can Lily, with her small, cute, pretty, delicate body, be involved in a battle!

“Um… Are you trying to protect Amelia?”

Saying that with such an expression is cheating.

But a battle? I remember studying about it at the academy. The field of battle is where adventurers, knights, and those preparing for war go.

Moreover, the field of battle is where the most injuries occur. No matter how talented and strong Lily is, she’s still only 12 years old.

I can’t help but worry. If Lily were to get hurt…

“Don’t worry. I’m strong.”

It’s as if Lily read my mind and comforted me.

I know she studies and trains diligently with Camilla and Helena, but I can’t help but think that battle is unpredictable.

There’s always a first time for everything…

I want to suggest changing fields right now, but Lily looks so confident, striking a pose that says to trust only herself.

If she even gets a little hurt, I’ve decided to persuade her to change fields.

Right now, I need to push Lily.

No, wait. I heard that there’s a combat skills assessment among the new students, right?

Maybe because it’s the field of battle in a fantasy world, there’s been training since the entrance ceremony. Lily must be prepared, right?

“Instead… You must not get hurt at all! I can’t bear to see Lily get hurt.”

“Then. If I don’t get hit once and come first in the training, will you give me a reward?”

“A reward?”

-Nod.

Lily’s eyes are filled with anticipation as she nods. In reality, there’s not much I can do for Lily as her maid. After all, I’m Lily’s maid.

I thought of a reward that I used to give and receive a lot when I was young.

“In that case, how about a daily pass?”

“A daily pass?”

“Yes, a pass to spend a day with me… Oh, I keep saying that all the time.”

“That sounds good!”

“Yes? A daily pass? But we’re together all day already?”

“Instead… You don’t need permission for skinship…”

I didn’t understand Lily’s words at first, but then I realized that I had recently set a condition that she needed permission to touch me.

But even though I set that condition, Lily didn’t touch me. Of course, the intensity has decreased significantly, but to say such a thing…

Still, I nodded, thinking that she would work hard if there were rewards and prizes. Lily smiled brightly and energetically walked to the combat training grounds.

Upon entering the training grounds, I saw various races and people holding their weapons, looking intimidating.

-Gulp.

I had just received a refreshing energy until we arrived here, but now the air feels heavy.

Leaving Lily in such a scary place and going up to the stands…

“Lily, are you okay?”

“Don’t worry.”

I was about to go up with the intention of leaving Lily by the river, but I covered Lily with my big body first to help her feel stronger.

Since we were in a corner, Lily wouldn’t be visible to others.

“Amelia?”

Lily looked up at me with a questioning expression, and I gently stroked her head, allowing her to bury her face in my chest, which she likes.

Lily’s head twitched for a moment, then she relaxed and rested her face comfortably on my chest.

“Ah… Hoo…”

“Hoo…!”

Lily’s warm breath tickled my chest.

“Amelia, energy recharge complete!”

Lily lifted her head with a bright smile.

As I went up to the stands, a person who clearly looked like a combat instructor appeared.

He was a man in his mid-thirties wearing a short-sleeved shirt and shorts, and his exposed skin bore numerous scars that proved his veteran status.

The audience seats were far away, so I couldn’t hear what he was saying, but it seemed like he was announcing that he would start sparring from now on.

The practice sparring that began like that was conducted in a tournament format. Lily was placed towards the end.

I watched Lily’s sparring while cheering for her in my heart, observing the sparring of other participants.

‘Wow… Oh? What’s that? Wow. It’s amazing.’

As soon as the student entered the sparring arena, the arena changed in an instant. From a white space to a battlefield.

Each sparring session brought about a random battlefield, with various battlefields appearing, and the sparring, with its diverse student personalities and various angles visible on multiple monitors, was more thrilling than most fantasy movies.

I was craving for popcorn.

Flying students, disappearing students, students breathing fire, and various battles continued, and despite the numerous sparrings and the passage of time, it was never boring.

Beams shooting from hands, sword energy flying from swords, how could it be boring? After several students’ sparrings, it was finally Lily’s turn.

Before entering the sparring arena, Lily waved her hand at me, and I waved back at her.

-Swish, swish.

Hmm… I should be careful even when waving hands.

Lily’s opponent seemed to prefer an adventurer’s attire. He wore leather armor, emphasizing agility, and held a one-handed sword.

Wait, even though it’s a practice sparring, since it’s an important sparring, one’s combat attire and weapons are all allowed.

So far in the practice sparrings I’ve seen, students sparred with their own weapons and equipment, and I don’t remember seeing Lily grabbing anything.

As expected, Lily’s appearance on the monitor showed no change from when we parted ways earlier.

Lily!

“Why doesn’t that student have any equipment?”

“Don’t even mages usually carry a staff?”

“Who is that sparring like that?”

In the audience seats, there were not only maids and servants but also various professors and people from different fields, all looking at Lily with doubts.

Me too.

No matter how talented Lily is, going into a sparring like that without any equipment seems dangerous.

As soon as the sparring began,

-Thud.

The opponent student fainted.

“Huh?”

“What’s going on.”

“Is that student sick? Why did he suddenly faint?”

The sparring in the arena is not just about facing each other and fighting one-on-one, but in a large arena with randomly generated battlefields, the positions of each other are randomly determined.

Clearly, Lily and the opponent student couldn’t see each other, and didn’t know each other’s positions, but as soon as the sparring started, the opponent student fainted.

The judgment was, of course, sparring impossible.

It was Lily’s victory.

Naturally, several professors who had doubts about this sparring checked the fainted student and confirmed that the student had been affected by a fainting spell, and acknowledged Lily’s victory.

As a result, the surroundings became very noisy.

Even though Lily’s fainting spell was cast without being seen and knowing where it was, it was understandable.

“Haha, our Lily has a talent even dragons would acknowledge.”

I felt a little relieved.

The surroundings began to be cautious of Lily.

Nevertheless, Lily defeated all the opponent students and advanced. Of course, the opponent students who were aware of the fainting spell consciously avoided fainting even when affected by the spell.

However, Lily’s other spells also fiercely attacked the opponent students, even though they couldn’t see her, and all the opponent students lost in the sparring without seeing Lily.

In the end, the opponent students lost in the sparring without even seeing Lily. That’s how Lily made it to the finals.

The final opponent was a student who looked like a nobleman, and Lily was given some time before the final match.

At that moment, the nobleman student approached Lily.

Feeling anxious as he looked like a troublemaker, Lily didn’t know what to do.

Seeing the man’s mouth moving vigorously, it seemed like he was saying something to Lily.

As the man continued to speak, Lily’s body flinched after a while.

“Oh, Lily is angry.”

Although his facial expression was not visible from a distance, having served as Lily’s maid for four years, I immediately recognized that Lily was angry. The gestures and trembling were clear indicators.

Unaware of this, the nobleman student in front of Lily casually continued speaking, raising both hands suddenly and making a gesture as if brushing something in the air.

“How dare that bastard harass Lily!? That despicable scoundrel…!!!!”

Although I wanted to tear that bastard’s cheek off for harassing Lily, I couldn’t do it.

Lily also seemed to feel ashamed as her body trembled.

And seeing that the bastard didn’t say anything even though Lily was being harassed, the situation worsened.

With his tongue wagging and swaying his hips, the man, who was now a bastard in my eyes, displayed vulgar behavior that made my eyebrows furrow.

The bastard’s vulgar behavior was put to an end by the professor, signaling the end of the match preparations.

Both of them ascended to the battlefield to begin the match.

I hoped Lily would crush that bastard mercilessly. How dare he harass our small, cute, and pretty Lily…!

The battlefield this time had a post-apocalyptic vibe, reminiscent of something from an apocalypse novel. Moreover, with the fog enveloping the battlefield, visibility was poor.

Perhaps because of this, Lily, who usually cast spells even when the enemy was not visible, did not make any move.

“Is it because of the fog…?”

Seeing Lily’s behavior, which was completely different from her usual actions during the match, I felt uneasy.

Suddenly raising her hand and slashing downwards as if tearing the air apart, Lily then inserted her hand into the opening.

As Lily withdrew her hand from the space, something was held in her hand.

“A gas mask…?”

As Lily put on the gas mask she had retrieved, black rain began to fall on the battlefield.

“She’s really angry…!”