episode_0216

A few days ago.

Yuri visited the Bewitching Forest with Nari.

Rustle- rustle-

The sound of crushing grass tickled her ears for about an hour or two, and as they soon reached its deepest part, Yuri’s eyes widened.

“Wow…”

The Spirit’s Sanctuary.

To those who cannot sense mana, it looks like an ordinary forest. But it’s different for those who can sense mana and use magic.

The life force of the spirits, mana, shines in various colors all around. In the lake at the center, blue mana bubbles. Yellow and green mana gently flows from the grass and leaves scattered throughout.

Yuri, in particular, has high mana affinity. For her, who achieves everything through effort, it’s her only talent. According to Nari, the mana she possesses easily surpasses that of an ordinary mage by three times.

Yuri herself didn’t initially understand it well. No matter how much she heard about her affinity with water mana, it was difficult to grasp.

It was even more so when she was younger. When she heard “familiar water,” she first thought of the water used to rinse rags in a bucket or the water used for laundry.

But the moment she stepped into the Spirit’s Sanctuary, she realized. That the blessing she received at birth existed beyond life and her parents’ love.

Yuri knew. There are realms that cannot be reached through effort alone. There are things that cannot be done no matter how much one struggles alone.

Fortunately, she was reborn through Nari, receiving a great blessing too immense for her small body to contain. Whenever she hits a wall through hard work, Nari always shatters that solid ceiling.

Just like now.

“It’s…like that day.” “The day Yuri became mine?” “Yes, the day I became Your Highness’s.”

The sight of the world shining in vibrant colors is not something Yuri is seeing for the first time.

The happiest day of her short life, without a doubt. Longing, loyalty, love… a day when she received a proposal from a single person filled with profound emotions that couldn’t be expressed with mere words.

Yuri and Nari briefly visited another world at that time.

While symbolic, it may not be factually incorrect. Having activated mana perception to the extreme and peeked into the other side of this world together, they physically went to another world.

Perhaps that was the turning point. How could a mere human not change after experiencing such a beautiful world with their whole being?

By unconsciously opening the mana core within her body wide, recalling that memory alone dramatically increases her magical efficiency. It was the best and most unforgettable memory for Yuri.

Swish- rustle-

Yuri unconsciously undressed. She took her arms out of her jacket, unbuttoned her shirt, and pulled down her skirt and panties. As she fumbled with the clasp of the bra on her back, Nari approached and casually unfastened it.

Plop- thud-

Naked, she slowly approached the World Tree.

Nari didn’t stop her. From her perspective, Yuri was like a butterfly. She looked just like a butterfly just emerging from its chrysalis, spreading its wet wings. Nari couldn’t interrupt her.

Whoosh- whoosh- swish—

A cluster of lights gathers around Yuri. They are lower and intermediate-level spirits. The curious spirits will probably not be able to take their eyes off Yuri. Because a clear and beautiful blue color like the lake overflows from her.

Whirr-

Finally, Frida, a high-level spirit, appeared and began circling Yuri.

“Narita, Narita! Here, a blue-blue human is here!” “Shh- Frida, be quiet.” “Shh- shh-! Quietly!”

Frida flew through the air of the forest and landed on Nari’s shoulder. At her small and cute scolding, other intermediate and lower-level spirits moved away from Yuri.

Thanks to this, Yuri reached the lakeshore without any disturbance or second thoughts.

Splash- plop- plash-

Her white bare feet begin to submerge in the lake. It looks as if they are being sucked in. Her toes, instep, ankle, and gradually her shins are filled with water.

Splash—!

Yuri threw herself into the lake. The icy water cuts into her skin. But it didn’t feel that cold.

Because half of her physical sensation had changed into a sense of mana. Rather than feeling like she had entered the water, she felt filled with the water mana enveloping her whole body.

Even though the water temperature would normally make her shiver, Yuri moved her arms and legs to slowly move forward.

Nothing stopped her. The lake water, an intermediate state between water and mana, was as comfortable as a soft bed. No matter how hard she kicked her feet, she didn’t feel the exertion she felt when swimming in the sea.

She moved as she wished. She swam through the mana lake as she pleased. Each time, the lake’s life force itself seeped into Yuri.

There were no water spirits who didn’t show her interest. The high-level spirits, possessing strong wills, watched quietly from the side. On the other hand, the intermediate and lower-level spirits, unable to restrain their curiosity about Yuri, became hers as their instincts commanded.

She soon reached the bottom of the lake.

Yuri softly placed her feet on the bottom and tilted her head to look at the surface.

The brightly lit outside world. Somehow, it just felt uncomfortable. The lake of life was so comfortable that she wanted to stay here forever.

The roots of the World Tree emitted a soft aurora-like glow. Yuri slowly reached out and caressed the root. Her mind slowly scattered, giving her a soaring sensation.

“…This far.”

Yuri instinctively felt that if she continued to savor this feeling, she would lose her physical body. She didn’t want that. She didn’t want to lose the soft and smooth body that Her Highness loved.

Yuri pushed off the ground again and soared towards the surface.

She enjoyed the dreamlike feeling, so it was time to return. To the uncomfortable world of reality. A world full of pain and sorrow, but at the end of it, there was Her Highness’s embrace, as warm and comforting as the spirit world.

To where she should be.

Whoosh—

Yuri poked her head out of the water. The cool air touching her skin made her feel the chill for the first time.

Plash- plop- splash- splash-

She came out, pulling her soaking body. Nari, enveloped in a light, was waiting with Yuri’s neatly folded clothes on her lap.

“Did you have a nice dream?” “Yes, it was a dream I didn’t want to wake up from.”

Soon, a warm wind flowed from her hand, drying her wet body. Because it was unusual water made up of half mana, it dried quickly.

Yuri slowly approached Nari and threw herself into her arms. She nestled against her like a baby, resting her soft buttocks on her lap.

“But why did you come out?” “…You know.”

Her Highness, looking down at her like the sun. Yuri pressed herself close to Nari’s chest, softly embracing her. She could feel the soft texture even through the shirt and bra.

She wrapped her arms around her neck, tightened her grip, and pressed her lips to Nari’s, as if she didn’t want to forget the afterglow of her dream.

A sweeter taste than the sweet dream lingered stickily on her tongue.

“This is better…♡”

Yuri, having reached a higher level physically, couldn’t contain the excitement boiling throughout her body.

A cluster of light enveloped them. It was a little early, but the curious intermediate and lower-level spirits had received sex education.

. . .

Smack-

Yuri licked her lips, savoring the taste. The feeling from before was still vivid.

Rustle- rustle—

The presence of nearly 50 people nearby. Yuri’s soft expression hardened and began to take shape.

She felt two emotions.

The first was displeasure. Her happy moment of reliving her dream with Her Highness was interrupted. Normally, she would have hidden such feelings. She didn’t have the qualification, the strength, or the position or personality to express them.

But now it’s different. The memory of swimming in the lake of life. Just recalling that memory made the mana in her body surge like a tide. She felt like she could cut down any enemy now. Especially if it was Her Highness’s enemy.

“Huu…”

But when she thought about it, this experience, this feeling she was recalling…it was all because of this situation. If Her Highness’s prediction had been wrong and they hadn’t been attacked, she wouldn’t have had this opportunity to excel.

Therefore, the second emotion Yuri felt was ‘gratitude.’

“Inh-”

She took a short breath and channeled strength from her thighs to her toes.

Mana-enhanced physical strengthening. Nari had consistently taught this to Yuri. From the time she first awakened her mana, to this day, while attending the academy together.

But its power has changed. The already vast amount of mana had increased further. Since she had mastered and improved her mana breathing technique and its effectiveness, her magical power had doubled.

This time, she shot water mana towards her palm. Since she was first recommended image training, she had diligently practiced increasing water pressure.

A blue dagger. The magic sword in Yuri’s hand now is the epitome of that training. Her sword, infused with the water spirits, having reached a new level, showcased a sharpness capable of slicing a large rock like paper.

Flick- whoosh-

She freely cut through the air, assuming a fighting stance. Despite being in the magic department, Yuri was proficient in dagger fighting.

It began when she had just become a maid. She received training from Her Highness in the ‘Swordsmanship Hall’ when she was young.

It was partly due to Yuri’s tantrum. She couldn’t stand by as a servant while Her Highness was doing dangerous things alone.

However, her learning speed wasn’t particularly outstanding compared to other skills. Just average. She herself judged it not to be something she could use or show to others.

But… Was that really the case?

Yuri’s view of Her Highness’s swordsmanship had always been high. Anything short of perfection was incomplete; that was her judgment standard.

She couldn’t show her incomplete swordsmanship to others. It would be an insult to Her Highness, who taught her.

But today, she had permission.

“Just do as you’ve been taught. Don’t push yourself.”

Although incomplete compared to Her Highness’s sword, Her Highness judged that she had reached a certain level. Yuri found this gratifying.

Moreover, somehow…

Today, she felt like she could wield the sword just like Her Highness in her memory.