《Being a hero [Isekai, GL]》 Chapter 1 - Im used to it. [Ahhhhhhn!] A dark room in a slightly bigger house in the residential part of a city. [Ahhhhn! Too rough! More Gentle!] Nee-Naw, Nee-Naw, Nee-Naw. [¡­.] The sounds of several sirens could be heard, getting louder and louder, overpowering the voices coming from the loudspeaker. Several vehicles were travelling at a relatively high speed along the road, passing the house. Although the speed limit on the road was 30 km/h, the speed of these vehicles was well above that limit. Nee-Naw, Nee-Naw, Nee-Naw. After almost 30 seconds, the sirens faded as the distance between the house and the vehicles increased. [Oohhh! Yes! I''m close!] In front of a monitor, the only source of light in the room sat a human-like figure on a chair. A pair of dark, lifeless eyes, belonging to this figure, stared at the screen. Their legs were spread on the armrests, their left arm between the teeth, and their right between the legs. Inside the monitor, two slender women were rubbing their genitals together. [Ahhh! YES, YES, YEEES, CUMMING!!] The figure applied more pressure to the bite on the arm and closed its eyes tightly, enjoying the coming climax. After a dozen seconds, the eyes opened and the figure, releasing the arm from their mouth, turned off the monitor and closed their eyes again, falling asleep. *** *Bam!**Bam!**Bam!* ¡°Rina!¡± *Bam!**Bam!**Bam!* ¡°Rina! Dammit, open the door!¡± *Bam!**Bam!**Bam!* Rina, the figure in the chair, opened her eyes, let out a soft yawn, and made her way to the door while rubbing her eyes with both hands. Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. Noticing the floor creaking with each of Rina''s steps, the person on the other side of the door yelled: ¡°Finally you''re awake! Now open the damned door!¡± Click. After opening the door Rina saw, for her taste, a beautiful, slender woman of the same height as her with shoulder-length black hair and asked her: ¡°What is?¡±, while staring into her eyes. The woman shuddered for a moment after being stared at with those dark eyes. Usually at this distance, you could see your reflection in the eyes of the opposite person. The woman however cannot remember ever seeing her own reflection in Rina''s eyes. When her gaze went down and saw the state of Rina''s lower body, that thought went out of the window and she clicked her tongue. ¡°Tsk, if you have time to shack your groin over the whole weekend, go outside and look for a boyfriend.¡± Ignoring the sarcastic remark Rina went back to the centre of the room, picked up her panties and a skirt from the floor, and put them on. Seeing her provocation not working, the woman clicked her tongue again. ¡°Tsk, don''t you have work? Piss off, my boyfriend is coming over, and I don''t want him to get eye cancer from seeing a pig like you.¡± Still ignoring the woman Rina finished dressing up, picked up her bag, went past the woman, and wordlessly left the house. Clap. After the front door was closed the woman clicked her tongue for the third time in irritation. *** After leaving the house Rina made her way to the nearest bus station. Her destination? She did not know. What she did know, was, that the destination was not her workplace. The reason for that is, she quit the company not long ago. After finishing high school with good grades, she visited an internationally renown university. Then with a rather good degree, she joined a well-known company and worked there for relatively good pay. As the company had good prospects for a high career and as Rina thought of herself as an intelligent and hard-working person, her future seemed to be set. And now at the present, not even half a decade later, Rina wandered aimlessly around the city as an unemployed person because she had voluntarily quit her job. Even though her superior literally begged her to stay and even offered her a pay rise, she still decided to leave. Why? She did not know. She just calculated, that with her savings from working those few years, she could last for two to three years. She also had already planned what to do after she had run out of money. Whether or not she could see her plans to an end though, she did not know. After arriving at the bus station she just sat on the bench and stared into the sky, not noticing, or maybe noticing but ignoring the glances the people around her gave her. Unfortunately, it did not stop with only glances. Some of the people, no, quite a few of them giggled and whispered to each other when they were in groups. But fortunately (?) Rina was already used to such reactions so she did not mind. She just continued sitting there for hours until the sun went down. Only then Rina stood up and made her way home. On the way back she noticed a car not belonging to her parents parking in front of the house. Rina concluded it may be the car of the boyfriend and contemplated whether she should go in or not, remembering the malicious words from the woman earlier. After a few seconds lost in thoughts, she opened the door and went in. ''We won''t see each other if I go straight into my room.'' When she saw nobody in the corridor, she wanted to go straight to her room as fast as possible. But when she heard loud laughter from multiple people in the living room, she stood still. ¡°Hey on my way here I saw a ridiculous fat and ugly thing sitting at a bus station. Hahaha! I can''t say whether it was male or female.¡± The unknown male voice continued. ¡°It even attracted quite a crowd, many people even took photos of it, hahahaha¡± The unknown voice continued laughing for a while until three more voices joined him, two female and one male. The new voices though sounded a little awkward. Afterwards Rina''s feet moved again and she went towards her room leaving the creaking sounds of the floor caused by her steps behind. In her room, she locked the door behind her, undressed herself, and lay down on her mattress. She grabbed her phone and started to read her favourite smut novel while burrowing her free hand between her thighs. Only five orgasms later she put her phone aside and closed her eyes trying to suppress the tears slowly forming in her eyes. ''I''m used to it.'' Chapter 2 - It doesnt hurt at all. On the next morning, Rina woke up early, way earlier than usual, and prepared herself to go out. Since she quit her job, she usually spent her whole day at home on her phone or PC reading novels. Some of them were smut. Most of the time she read those novels because she just wanted to fantasize about the romance in them, she had never experienced before. But there were also times when she just wanted to relieve herself while reading the spicier scenes of those novels. There were special occasions, however, where just reading was not enough for her. At those times she would watch videos to support it. After she finished preparing herself, she left her room and made her way to the front door. Before she could reach it, however, she heard shouting from the living room. ¡°Dammit, how often do I have to repeat myself? DO SOMETHING ABOUT HER!¡± ¡°Why should I be the only one? I''m not the only parent, you also should do something! You''re supposed to be the father!¡± The origin of those shouts was Rina''s parents. ¡°YOU KNOW THAT I AM F*ING WORKING AND THAT EDUCATING THEM IS YOUR F*ING JOB! DO YOU WANT TO EMBARRASS US FURTHER?¡± ¡°B-But I did! L-look at Nina! She grew into a respectable woman! *sob*¡± Sobbing could be heard from the woman, Rina''s mother. ¡°*murmur* They are supposed to be twins, how could they be so different? *sob*¡± ¡°DAMMIT! CAN''T EVEN HAVE A BREAK FROM MY DAY OFF!... I''m going out!¡± After an enraged shout from the male voice, Rina''s father, Rina could hear loud steps closing into the door of the living room. *BAM* A tall blond man could be seen stepping out of the room. He wore a black suit with many rings and accessories around his fingers and neck, seemingly already dressed up for going out. From his slightly open jacket and the shirt underneath you could see signs of a well-built chest of a man who had lots of muscles. When he saw Rina standing close to the front door his face twisted in rage and stormed in large steps towards her while raising his right hand into the air and forming it into a fist. As soon as Rina saw what her father intended to do, she shut her eyes close and wanted to raise her arms to protect her head but stopped and tanked her father''s punch with her face. *Thud* After getting hit she fell on her butt. Luckily she did not protect her head with her arms which would have definitely triggered her father to become more aggressive. In the past, he had conditioned her not to defend herself when she got abused. While fighting through the pain on her face she slowly opened her eyes to see that her father had stretched out his right hand to her. A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. Wondering what her father was doing Rina looked up, only to instantly avert her face and look down again. As a teenager, she had always had trouble looking at other people''s faces, and that had not changed until now. For some reason, this also included her parents, especially her father. As far as she could remember, he had always had a grim, angry look on his face when she saw him. Rina was afraid of him. The only exception was her twin sister Nina. As children, they had a quite good relationship with each other. Unfortunately, the relationship deteriorated over time to the point that Nina would openly insult and treat Rina like garbage. Luckily (?) if other people except for their parents were present, Nina would simply ignore her. ¡°Keys.¡± Rina''s thoughts were interrupted by her father''s grunt. Before she could understand what he wanted, her body had already reacted. Again, because her father had conditioned her to do everything he ordered. So her hand instantly went to her pocket, grabbed her keys, and placed them in outstretched hand. ¡°Leave!¡± Again Rina''s thoughts were interrupted. Her father had dropped another bomb before she could realise what her, or rather her father''s, previous action had meant. That is why Rina unconsciously looked up and met his eyes. This time however she did not evert her eyes because her mind was too occupied with other thoughts, for example, what the heck was happening right now. Even though she rarely looked into other people''s eyes, she could perfectly perceive how they look at her. Generally, there are two types. The first type had their eyes shaped like a quarter moon but rotated by 90¡ã degree so that the reflecting and thus visible part of the moon is on the top. Rina concluded, that those people were mocking her appearance, personality, everything about her, her entire existence. The second type was rather hard to describe. If she could summarize their appearance with one word, it would be ''cold''. Each time Rina felt those eyes on her she instinctively shuddered and wanted to distance herself from those people. If those glares could kill, she would have already died countless times. The pair of eyes that were currently looking at her belonged to this category. While Rina could more or less ignore the first type of eyes on her because mostly only strangers looked at her like this, the people that were included in the second type concerned her more. They included relatives, former friends and colleagues, and her parents, unfortunately. *Beeeep!* Again, for the third time, Rina''s thoughts were interrupted. This time, however, it was not her father but the horn of a car. Because of her father''s order to leave, Rina was already mindlessly wandering around and was now standing in the middle of a street disturbing the traffic. Embarrassed Rina gave a quick bow to the drivers and left the street. Unfortunately for her, her actions ended without any consequences. After a while, she felt her stomach grumbling and remembered she had not eaten anything for two days, so she made her way to the next convenience store. There she grabbed a sandwich, three lunch boxes to-go, and four bags of potato crisps. She sighed in despair when she noticed that she could not grab a carry bag but had to ask for one from the clerk at the cash register. Rina inwardly hoped that the clerk would offer her a bag during the payment process but her hope was crushed as the clerk did not say anything. After the payment, Rina mustered all her courage and muttered quietly: ¡°C-c-c-can I h-h-h-h-have a b-b-b-b-bag?¡± The clerk visibly confused tilted her head: ¡°Excuse me, did you say anything?¡± Rina paled but tried it again nevertheless: ¡°C-c-can I h-h-have a b-b-b-b-bag?¡± ¡°Can you repeat yourself a bit louder please?¡± By now all of the courage went out of the window, so Rina could only mutter in an even fainter voice than before: ¡°C-can I h-h....¡± Even then she failed to finish her sentence and only looked down. Now the clearly annoyed clerk got louder and started shouting. ¡°I CAN''T UNDERSTAND YOU AT ALL!!¡± Rina flinched at the outburst and could only stare at her feet while standing still. Only after a few seconds she grabbed the sandwich and two lunch boxes and left the store, leaving everything else she already paid for and an astonished-looking clerk behind. Afterwards she roamed around for a while and only paused when her stomach grumbled again. She then decided to go to the nearby park to eat. In the park, she searched for a free bench. When she found one, she sat down, opened the sandwich bag, and began to eat. After chewing for a while Rina noticed something weird in her mouth and spat the contents into her hand. In her hand, she could see the remains of the sandwich with red colour mixed in it, even though the sandwich should not have anything in it with that colour. There were also two yellow-white things that look like teeth. Only then Rina felt two gaps between teeth in her mouth and instinctively touched her face, precisely the nose area. The damage dealt was apparently more than only two lost teeth. ''It doesn''t hurt at all.'' Chapter 3 - It was too salty. ''It doesn''t hurt at all.'' That was what Rina initially thought. But after she touched her face, she felt a stinging pain from her nose to her mouth and panicked internally. She stood up and went to the public bathroom of the park, looking for a mirror to inspect her face. After seeing her face a sigh escaped from her mouth. Rina hated mirrors, that was why she had none in her room. She avoided mirrors with her best abilities because she did not like what they show her when she looked in. Rina thought of herself as a human. Or at least she was still believing that she was a human. That was why when she stood in front of a mirror she would expect to see something human-like. But what it showed instead was an abomination. A perfectly round ball with four limbs attached to it and another, smaller ball on top of it. Thinking about it logically, the smaller ball should have been the head. But head and body were usually connected by a neck, but the version of the human when Rina looked into the mirror, had no neck. What was worse was, that each time she looked at the small ball in detail she would get the urge to vomit. But she had always managed to suppress said urge because she knew it was her own face. This time however Rina was confident that she would have vomited if her stomach was not empty. Today''s version of her face with a big bruise on her cheek, a visibly broken nose, and two missing front teeth would have been too much. Rina took a towel and wiped out the blood on her mouth and left the bathroom towards the bench. She still had not eaten yet and had left her food there. ''Hopefully, nobody has taken it, I don''t want to go to that convenience store again to buy new food. Well, considering, that I wasn''t long in the bathroom, the people around should know that the food belongs to me. So there''s no literal way that somebody took it! They would rather kill themselves before they eat food that was touched by something like me, hehe'', Rina jokingly thought to lighten up her mood. And indeed, the rest of the sandwich and the two lunch boxes were still on the bench. After taking a seat Rina picked up a lunch box and began unpacking. She could not continue eating the sandwich without the two front teeth after all. The box contained rice, five pieces of small omelettes, and some vegetables. It came with a pair of disposable chopsticks so Rina should manage somehow. When she finished unpacking her lunch, she started eating while contemplating about what had happened. She picked up the first omelette piece with a bit of rice and put it in her mouth. Yesterday Rina was kicked out of the house because the boyfriend of her twin sister was visiting. Rina did not even know that her sister had one. Well, it did not surprise her as she stopped caring about Nina and their parents ages ago. *Gulp* After swallowing the omelette she picked up a second one. But only because she stopped caring about them, it did not mean that she did not love them. In fact, Rina still loved her family, especially her twin. Even her father had a place in her heart despite only having bad memories of him. *Gulp* This time she picked up rice with some vegetables. But she knew they would shun her as soon as they know about her disposition, so she started distancing herself from them hoping she could hide her disposition when she was a young teenager. Unfortunately instead of just being shunned, her relationship with them developed into something much worse. *Gulp* A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. She put the third omelette piece with some vegetables in her mouth. Fortunately, *Gulp* This time again a piece of omelette with rice. roughly *Gulp* Rina scooped up the remaining rice and vegetables in her mouth while feeling her face heating up. As children, she and Nina were very close. They did everything together, from playing to sleeping to bathing. They wore the same clothes, often swapping them and sharing their toys and food. When Rina was crying because their father had hit her, Nina was always there to console and hug her. Sometimes when Nina saw that their father was about hit her sister she would even try to stop him risking being hit herself. *Gulp* After putting the last omelette piece in her mouth Rina put the empty box aside and unpacked the second lunch box. She could not help but feel scammed when she saw that this box only contained three pieces of omelettes. Their relationship changed however when both hit puberty. When they were bathing together Rina noticed that her twin''s body was getting more and more feminine. At first, she was only proud that her sister would become a beautiful woman in the future but as time passed and her sister developed more curves, her thoughts changed drastically. When they bathed together Rina''s body never failed to heat up which muddled her mind with dangerous thoughts. *Gulp* She picked up the first omelette piece of her second lunch box while noticing her cheeks getting wet. Rina''s instinct had told her to get away from her sister. She had hoped that she would not destroy their relationship due to some impulsive actions she could not understand at that time. So she distanced herself slowly but surely from Nina. *Gulp* She picked some rice and vegetables while a water drop fell into her lunch. She stopped bathing with her, denied Nina''s requests for swapping clothes, and requested her mother for a separate room. Looking back Rina could only laugh at her stupid actions back then. Of course, would Nina would feel betrayed by that. *Gulp* She next put an omelette, rice, and vegetables in her mouth. Like her mother, Nina started insulting, mocking, and blaming her for unreasonable things each time they see each other. Since then the appearance gap between them widened at a fast pace. On the one hand, Nina grew more feminine and beautiful each day, Rina felt herself becoming more and more ugly while growing horizontally. *Gulp* Rina stopped reminiscing about the past and concentrated on the happenings from yesterday. ''Nina had a boyfriend...'' She stuffed her mouth full of the remaining rice and vegetables while more water droplets were falling onto the last omelette piece in her lunch box. He had probably visited for the first time. Maybe Nina wanted to introduce him to their parents? When Rina came home at dusk, he was still there. Her parents, Nina, and Nina''s boyfriend were laughing loudly after all. From what she could hear, she was pretty sure they were laughing about her, though the boyfriend probably did not know that he was mocking his lover''s sister. To the rest in the room though it seemed obvious that it was about Rina. When morning came her father ''asked'' her for the keys and told her to leave. Rina did not need to be a genius to know what it meant: she was kicked out of the house, naked - well except for the clothes she had on at the time - without anything. She knew that everyone in the family had seen her as the black stain of the family but she could have never imagined that they would kick her out like that. They were after all things considered still family, they still shared the same blood. If she had the courage and could see herself succeeding, she would have grovelled before them begging for forgiveness for distancing herself from them, especially Nina, a long time ago. With her chopsticks, she picked up the last omelette and ate it. But now they kicked her out, seemingly not wanting to see her again, not caring about how she would survive from now on. She shook her head slowly and took a deep breath to clear her head from the current thoughts. Then with the sleeve she carefully, not wanting to hurt herself because of the broken nose, wiped her face which had gotten quite wet for some reason. Afterwards, she picked up the empty boxes and dumped them into the trash bin. She was quite content with the taste of the first lunch box she ate. After all, it was quite delicious for ready-made convenience store food. However, she was not pleased with the second box. She did not even mind that there was less food in it that in the first one. What she did however mind, was the taste. ''It was too salty.'' Chapter 4 - Interlude 1-1 - Determination overshadowed by schemes *Breath**Breath**Breath* A woman was running in the middle of a bustling street at a high speed, dexterously evading all passers-by while her long silver ponytail hair was fluttering behind her. The long ears and her dark skin indicated that she was a dark elf. *Breath**Breath**Breath* She wore a military knight uniform. The symbols engraved on her shoulders showed that she had a pretty high rank. Those who knew her though could only smile wryly at that assumption because that person was known as Milia, the vice knight commander of this country. Usually, only nobles could become knights. But due to the need for military strength for upcoming events, more and more commoners gained the privilege to train and become knights. That way they could even get a noble title. Unlike their noble counterparts, their titles were non-hereditary. As they were however only meant as cannon fodder for the event, becoming a knight was the last step on the military career ladder. All that only made Milia more special because she was the first commander with a non-hereditary title. When she became the vice-commander the higher-ups assigned her an adjutant who would teach her noble etiquette so she would not embarrass herself and the country. An undignified commander would make the country look bad after all. That was why her adjutant would cough up blood when she saw Milia running in the middle of the street. Luckily Milia was so fast that the untrained eye of a civilian could not perceive her if they did not concentrate on her movements. And even if her adjutant found out about her undignified actions, Milia would escape scolding this time. She had a good reason. Important information to be delivered to the king as fast as possible. Arriving at the royal palace she ignored the saluting guards and made her way to the audience hall. Without knocking she opened the large door to the throne and audience room hall, walked in, and kneeled down in front of the throne. On the said throne sat an old man with white hair. Even though it was apparent that he was in the last part of his life, he still had a gentle and dignified expression on his face. Seeing Milia his mouth formed a subtle but affectionate smile. In contrast, however, the ministers who stood around the king all grimaced and twitched their eyes in irritation. Before they could complain Milia spoke up. ¡°Your Majesty, I have an important message from the temple to deliver.¡± Milia glanced around her and saw that she succeeded in stopping their intention to complain as they kept quiet. ¡°Umu, then let us hear the message.¡± ¡°Haaah!¡±, Milia continued, ¡°The High Priestess had found a person with the highest hero affinity so far.¡± ¡°¡±¡±Ooooh¡±¡±¡±, her surrounding was clearly excited. They had seemingly forgotten that they were supposed to be irritated a few seconds ago. ¡°That is excellent news! Vice commander Milia, bring him in so we can enroll him in the knight academy.¡± Milia looked down, hesitated for a second, then looked back up at the king. ¡°Sadly, that person is in another world.¡± The king frowned when he heard this. After a few seconds, Milia continued, ¡°The High Priestess has a solution. She concluded that as long as the connection to that world is not cut, she may open a portal to it, so we can fetch the hero candidate. However firstly, the ritual to open the gate will take at least one week. Secondly,...¡±, Milia took a deep breath to calm herself, ¡°she will never be able to cast magic again afterwards.¡± While the king grimaced, his ministers around him could barely contain their joy. ¡°We cannot have that! The High Priestess is one of the most important persons with her powers in our country. We must look for another solutio...¡± This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. ¡°Ahem, your majesty!¡±, one of the ministers interrupted him. Milia was irritated that they would always scold her for being ''undignified'', but on the other hand, they would interrupt the king when they want. Unbeknownst to her thoughts the minister went on, ¡°I can understand your concerns. Even though I will not be able to sleep at night because of it, we have to do the ritual. It does not only concern our country but also the whole world! Sacrifices like the magic powers of the high priestess must be made!¡± Upon hearing this Milia could only cough up blood internally. ''Of course, they won''t be able to sleep at night. After all those old bastards would celebrate all night when Fran loses her powers.'' For the ministers, the elite of the noble society, High Priestess Fran with her enormous magic powers was a thorn. To solve to oncoming crisis the current King Thor Miriculan XXXVII, known as the ''Wiseman'', made education free for all including commoners, and allowed them to visit the renowned military academy. Furthermore, he invented non-hereditary noble titles, allowing commoners to become knights, thus weakening the nobles while strengthening the commoners. Unfortunately, the king was too popular, so the nobles could not stop him from doing as he liked. As a result, Milia rose to the top of their military while Fran was now the official leader of the temple. So the ministers could barely hide their joy from showing when they learned that High Priestess Fran, a former commoner, would lose her powers. They had no doubt, that without her powers, the current High Priestess would lose her position. After thinking for a while the king asked Melia, ¡°Is there anything else we should know?¡± ¡°Yes, your majesty. The High Priestess told me four people will be able to cross the portal. Furthermore, she estimated that she should be able to uphold the portal for around two to three days. But she also told me as soon as the fourth person crossed it the portal will close automatically.¡± ¡°Do you have a suggestion?¡± ¡°I think we should send one person in to fetch the potential hero. We have to guard the portal and the High Priestess with our knight orders until that person comes back with the candidate. A strong person should go though. We have no information on the other side of the portal after all.¡± ¡°Umu,¡± the king nodded and stretched out his hand, ¡°Knight Commander Rick will go and pick that hero candidate up. Tell him to prepare! And also tell the High Priestess to start with the ritual immediately!¡± ¡°As you wish your majesty.¡± Before Milia could stand up and leave one of the ministers spoke up. ¡°Wait!... Your majesty, I think it would be wise to send a second person with the knight commander!¡± After thinking a bit the king visibly frowned but nodded his head nevertheless. ¡°I see. You want a person to guard the portal on the other side to prevent it from closing¡± At that assumption the minister, no, all ministers smirked. ¡°As expected from you, your Majesty! They don''t call you the ''Wiseman'' for nothing! If I may be so rude, I would like to suggest vice knight commander Milia! She can rival Knight Commander Rick in fighting prowess and should be viable to guard the portal on the other side.¡° Upon hearing that Milia gritted her teeth. She was not stupid and knew the risk of only sending one person but still inwardly hoped for the luck that nobody on the other side would see and cross the portal. She was also sure that the ministers would try getting rid of her that way. Well in fact they just did. The king seemingly not knowing any alternatives looked in Milia''s eyes with a sad face and bowed his head. Normally it was unheard of if a king bowed his head to one of his subjects, but considering what he was about to order Milia, he was not overly concerned about norms. ¡°Vice Knight Commander Milia, I order you to go with Knight Commander Rick and fetch that hero candidate. Please, save our world.¡± Milia closed her eyes and took a deep breath. After calming down she looked with a smile at the king at saluted, ¡°As you wish, your majesty!¡± She stood up, gave a deep bow, and left the hall with determined but slightly wet eyes. And so she left the royal palace and looked for her friends and family to say ''Good bye''. She would never ever see them again after all. Even Milia could see whether she or the knight commander was more important to the country. *** In a castle on the highest mountain in the world, a woman dressed like a maid walked along a wide corridor. She had two black thin wings sprouting out of her back. A bit further below them, a long thin black tail with a heart shape at its end swayed left and right as she went forward. When she arrived at a big door with a red round magic sigil with a diameter of two meters, she stretched out her hand and poured her Mana into the sigil causing it to dissolve. Afterwards, she opened the door and stepped inside. In the centre of the room was a king-sized bed with a little girl about one-meter height lying on top of it. Except for the two small horns on the left and right side of her head above her pointy ears that girl looked like a human child. The maid walked up to the bed and kneeled down. In that instant, the eyes of the girl shot open. She straightened up stretched her small, short arms into the air, and let a drawn-out yawn escape her mouth. ¡°*yawn~* Is it time already?¡± ¡°Yes, milady. The Valkyria Kingdom has found a potential hero that could kill you.¡± ¡°Kukuku, well then, proceed as planned.¡± ¡°Haaah!¡± The maid bowed and left the room. When she was alone, a small smirk formed on the face of the little girl. ¡°Kukukuku, I can''t wait... finally!¡± Chapter 5 - Interlude 1-2 - Wasted efforts A large crowd had gathered around the main temple in the capital of the Valkyria Kingdom. Their size was estimated to be in the tens of thousands. While most of them were spectators, citizens of the capital, the closer you got to the centre, the more knights you could see guarding the temple. Inside the temple at the centre of the main hall, a woman was kneeling down on a slightly elevated platform. Both of her hands were clasped in front of her chest forming a praying gesture. Her eyes were closed and her head was tilted upwards facing the sky, well or rather the ceiling of the building, causing her open, long and blond hair to touch the ground. Her name was Fran. She was the current High Priestess of the temple. Around her, approximately a hundred knights were watching their surroundings. Among them was Vice Knight Commander Milia. Over the last week besides saying goodbye to her family and friends, Milia spent nearly the whole time guarding High Priestess Fran during her ritual and tending to her daily needs. The ritual to open the portal to the world where the hero candidate was, was about to be completed, so the security was especially tight today. ¡°Hnnggh!¡± With a light groan, Fran drew all eyes of her surrounding on her. A massive amount of Mana left her body gathered in front of her. Normally only those who are sensitive to magic could see the Mana flow of a magic cast but with that amount, even an untrained civilian eye could perceive the Mana. Fran did not reach the top of the temple despite being a commoner for nothing after all. After swirling around for a few seconds the Mana slowly formed a slightly transparent, dark-coloured gate. It was about three meters high and two meters wide. Rick looked around and when he confirmed that nobody was moving, he made his way to the portal, closely followed by his vice. When he crossed the portal, Milia stopped and glanced towards Fran. She was breathing hard from having to uphold the portal. Seeing that Milia suspected that the longer the portal stayed open the more detrimental it would be for Fran''s health. She and Rick had to find the hero candidate as fast as possible. She turned towards the gate again and as she was about to step in, she heard a commotion around her. Before she could perceive what was happening, someone had grabbed her hand and pulled her away from the gate. The person who also wore a knight attire but with a helm sprinted towards the gate and stepped in. Panicking, she looked around to see that the knights were also confused about what had happened. Milia approached the gate again while inwardly cursing her colleagues for not stopping that knight beforehand. Now that two persons had already passed the portal, it could only carry two more. One of them should of course be the potential hero while the last one the knight commander. But now as an unknown person was on the other side instead of her, Milia had only two choices. The first one was to stay back and hope that the unknown intruder was actually a nice person who just wanted to spare Milia from the gruesome fate of being stranded in the other world for the rest of her life. It was clear to her, however, that that knight had malicious intentions. It was possible that Rick could kill the potential saboteur and carry out their plans alone, but was it worth risking the fate of the world for that hope? This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. No, they had to bring the candidate to this world at all costs. So the second option was for Milia to enter the portal nevertheless stranding both the knight commander and herself in the other world. With no choices left Milia entered the portal,... or rather tried to enter the portal as somebody once again pulled her back and jumped into it. This time the person was too fast as Milia could only perceive a shadowy blur crossing the gate. As she looked around again she could only see dumbfounded faces. This time however she could not reproach them internally because that figure was even for her eyes too fast. Now she, the surrounding knights and the world can only pray for Knight Commander Rick and hope that he would see their mission to the end successfully. *** After stepping out of the portal Rick placed his right hand on the handle of the two-handed sword on his back, carefully observing his surroundings. There were four walls around and a ceiling above him which indicated that he was in a room. Noticing a man standing in the corner with a knife hiding a woman and two little children behind him while trembling, Rick could only smile fondly under his helmet. He also had a family at home and could imagine himself doing the same. Well, it was not needed anymore as his children were already adults and had offspring themselves. He let go of the handle, raised both hands into the air, and slowly walked up to them to show that he had no ill will. When he wanted to speak up to see whether or not they could understand him, he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his abdomen. Looking down he saw a magic-infused sword coming out of his stomach. Before he could grab the sword with his hands, it disappeared causing him more pain. Afterwards, he was kicked on his back which resulted in him tumbling forward. With his combat and pain-handling experience, he managed to prevent himself from falling over and turned around to see a person in a knight attire holding magic infused sword that had sliced through his armour like butter. Leaving no openings, the assailant thrust the sword forward piercing Rick''s chest, who had barely managed to tilt his body resulting in the sword missing his heart by only a few centimetres. Clenching his teeth to bear the pain, with his left hand he quickly grabbed the hand of the assailant while gripping his two-handed sword on his back with his right hand. Summoning all his strength, the Knight Commander swung his right arm down and split the attacker in half. ¡°¡°Kyaaaaa!¡±¡± Ignoring the scream from probably the children or the woman Rick slumped down while fighting over his pain. He had to prevail here and bring back the hero candidate to save the world where his beloved family lived. As he was about to calm down and tried to get up to leave the house in search of the hero candidate, a female voice rang behind him. ¡°Hoho? As expected of the Knight Commander of the Valkyria Kingdom, the strongest human alive. You are tough ~...¡± ¡°!!!!¡± Rick reached for his sword but before he could swing in backwards, a hand burst out from his chest. He only managed to look down to see a hand grasping a heart before he lost consciousness. ¡°...~ but unfortunately not tough enough.¡± Pulling the hand out of the corpse of the former Knight Commander the figure glanced at the present people confirming they were cowering in fear in the corner of the room. She then concentrated her Mana in her hand and formed a small seal on her palm. Afterwards, she slammed her hand on the floor and pasted the sigil on it. Without any comments, she made her way to the window and jumped out. Landing outside she walked away from the house for a while before... *Kabooom* ¡­it exploded leaving only debris behind. After concentrating on her sensory senses she confirmed that no souls were left in the ruins and continued with the mission given to her by the demon lord. As it was currently dark outside she concluded that nobody here could recognize her exact form so she put off her invisibility cloak revealing a pair of black wings and a thin tail with a heart at its end to the world. In her world, she belonged to a special demon race that was famous for its sensor skills, the succubi. Once again she concentrated her Mana on her sensory senses, this time she searched for a soul that had the potential to kill her master. Fortunately, there was only one soul in this world that met the condition, and it was nearby, so she quickly jumped onto the roof of the nearest building and made her way to the soul. A few minutes of roof-to-roof jumping later, she was standing on top of the building facing the house where the soul she was looking for resided. Spying through the window she could recognize a somewhat plump woman on a chair relieving herself. In contrast to her actions though, the eyes of that woman did not reflect any pleasure at all. In fact, they reflected nothing at all. It was as if they were the eyes of a dead fish. The strangeness caused the succubus to activate the second layer of her sensor skills which allowed her to see the attributes of souls. Upon seeing them the succubus'' mouth formed into a wide, fierce, and thirsty grin. ¡°Milady will be very satisfied by this¡±, she murmured while wiping out the drool from her mouth. Chapter 6 - They just dont stop flowing. After discarding empty packages in the trash bin, Rina sat down on the bench again and sighed internally. What should she do now? Where would she live? Renting an own apartment? No! It was impossible. She could not even talk to the clerk normally, so could she imagine negotiating a contract with a landlord? What a joke! What about staying with a friend? ''Hehe, what is a friend? Can you eat it? Is it tasty?'' What about her former colleagues? It was not too long ago since she had quit her job. Although it took almost two years before she was able to converse normally with some of her colleagues, Rina was also aware of how they perceived her. They all dumped their work on her, and as they saw that Rina managed to get it done on time, they gave her more and more. As Rina was very efficient at what she did, she ended up doing practically all the work that four or five people would do, all by herself, until she finally quit her job. So again... what about her former colleagues? Rina shook her head to clear her mind of that thought. Then what about going back home? Maybe if she grovelled at her father''s feet, he would forgive her for ... whatever she had done wrong. ¡°Hehe, stupid Rina, save your dreams for sleep!¡± She was positive that his fist would find its way to her face very quickly! So, ¡­ *Drip**Drip* ...with seemingly no way out... *Drip**Drip**Drip* ¡­of her current situation... *Drip**Drip**Drip**Drip* ¡­what else was left for her to do... ¡°Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah...¡± This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ...but to wail in despair? And so she cried, her face tilted up to the sky, her eyes rolled in the back of her head, tears falling down to the ground like a waterfall, snot running from her broken nose to her mouth. The emotions she had held in all these years burst out of her like a dam. ¡°...waaaaaaaaah...waaaaaaaaah...waaaaaaaaah...¡± Ignoring all the eyes of the people around her she kept wailing, as if she had to get all the bad stuff out of her system. The shame she suffered when people laughed at her. The helplessness she endured when she could not even mutter a word when talking to strangers. The physical pain she experienced when her father had hit her. The regret she felt when she distanced herself from her sister. The pain in her heart when her mother had blamed her for all the bad things. And most of all, the hatred she felt for her entire existence. Why could she not be like other people? Why did she fall in love with her sister? Why was she unable to make friends? Why could she not converse normally with strangers as others could? And why was there no one in the world, not even herself, who had loved her? So she kept on crying... for hours... until dusk came. ¡°*sniff**sniff*¡± Even then she was still sobbing, but at least she was calm enough to see that it was getting dark. Usually when she was too stressed out or needed to settle down from a stressful event she would either firstly, well, relieve herself while reading a smut novel, or secondly eat lots of food, or lastly escape into an imaginary world of a novel. The first choice was, due to obvious reasons, currently out of the question. The second was not viable for Rina either. Mostly, when she was eating, she had never had negative thoughts. Her mind was usually focused on stuffing her mouth with food after all. Today, however, eating had the opposite effect. One depressing thought after another poured into her head, as if there were no tomorrow. In the end, for the second time in her life, she even cried while eating. Once, when she was nine years old, her father had punished her for a reason that she was no longer able to remember. He had forbidden her to eat for seven days. Halfway through when Rina could not endure her hunger any longer, her twin Nina gave Rina half of her food when her father was not looking. As Rina ate and thanked her sister with tears in her eyes, Nina wiped them away with her sleeve and comforted her in a soft, almost motherly voice. "Rina, eat slowly, don''t cry. Don''t you know? If you eat and cry, you won''t be able to eat when you grow up. So stop crying. You can do it later when I hug you. Looking back at this memory she could not help but notice how mature her nine-year-old sister was at that time. Nevertheless, in Rina''s heart, it was one of the fondest memories of her life, even though she was starving at the time. From that moment on, she never cried while eating again. Until today, that is. So the only option left to her was the last one, to escape into an imaginary world. She took out her phone and searched for a novel about her favourite subject: heroes. As far as she could remember she had always looked up to them. Those who are strong in body and mind and would always come to the rescue of those in need. Those who give their all, even sacrificing their own bodies, to protect young children, asking only for their smiles in return. Those who can bear any injury with a smile, so that those they protect behind their backs will never lose theirs. And those who will never cry, so that those who look up to them will not despair. But Rina did more than just admire them. She aspired to be a hero herself. She who was confident in her mental strength because she had managed to live through her life so far. She who took all the blows from her father to keep him from targeting her twin. She who could smile even with a broken nose. Were it not for that last fact, she would have all the qualities needed to be a hero. It was just those tears, ''They just don''t stop flowing.'' Chapter 7 - Its not that I was hopeful anyway The most important trait for a hero was to never cry, no matter the pain he was going through. Otherwise, the people they were supposed to protect would lose hope. As Rina''s tears kept pouting out of her eyes, she was automatically disqualified from becoming a hero herself. It was close though, were it not for the last point, it would have been possible for Rina to become a hero.............. NOT! ¡°Hehe.¡± Rina could only chuckle at herself as she really believed in delusion for a long time. As if she had any of the traits a typical hero in those novels had! She was confident in her mental strength, because of what she had experienced so far? Did it still count when she had escaped going insane by eating, masturbating, and reading hero novels? Her physical strength? With her body? ¡­ She had surrendered her body as a punching bag for her father to protect Nina from that fate? As if! Nina was, in contrast to her, loved by her parents. They would never do anything that could hurt Nina. So Rina had sacrificed nothing and protected nobody. She was only her father''s outlet for stress relief and could do nothing about it. What about smiling while enduring pain to bring hope to the surroundings? In the past, during her father beating session, she had always had a small smile on her face. Ironically, this was misinterpreted by her father and the beatings became more severe. So does that count? If her mechanical dry smile combined with dark, dead-fish-like eyes filled with despair can give hope to the protected, then sure, why not? Rina shook her head at that thought. She knew it all along, she just did not want to realize it until now. She never had any traits, attributes, or affinity whatsoever to be a hero, and never will. Not, that it would matter. Even if she had all of the listed hero traits, she would not be a hero. Why? Again, Rina knew it all along. She kept telling herself how nice it would be to become a hero. Deep down though she had never aspired to be a hero. Even if a gun was pointed at her and she was threatened to become one, she would refuse. Why would she want to use her body to protect strangers from danger while asking for nothing in return? That would be beyond stupid. Not only for her but probably also for the rest of the world. But that was a problem for her. It would mean that there were no heroes in reality, that they were only products of someone''s imagination. But... this also meant there were no heroes who would pull Rina out of her misery. That''s right. She never wanted to rescue, she wanted to be rescued, but she kept telling herself otherwise. After all, only people with noble hearts deserve to be saved. So she started sobbing. After one minute it developed into crying. After five into wailing. And so she kept on wailing for one hour,... two hours,.. three hours,... until... ¡°Miss, are you okay?¡± ¡­ a soft female voice interrupted her. In an instant, she stopped crying and looked up. What she saw, caused her mind to stop working. A woman with long, waist-long, black hair stood in front of her. She wore an office suit which indicated that she was on her way home from her late work shift. Even though her suit had probably multiple layers of clothing, Rina could clearly see her slender figure. The woman''s breasts were neither too small nor too big and the curves on her waist were just right. Frankly put, that woman in front of her was absolutely her type. Unaware of the mayhem in Rina''s head, the woman approached and wiped the tears and snot from Rina''s face with a handkerchief. ¡°Ouch.¡± The stinging pain brought Rina back from her dazed state when the handkerchief touched her broken nose. ¡°I''m sorry, did I hurt you?¡±, the office lady apologized in a slightly panicked voice. ¡°N-n-n-n-o, I-i-i-i h-h-h-have a b-b-brok-k-ken n-n-n-nose.¡± ¡°I see. ¡­ Why is your nose broken?¡± ¡°M-m-m-m-my f-f-f-f-father h-h-h-hit m-m-me.¡± After hearing that, the woman''s killing intent flared up for a fraction of a second. Luckily she managed to suppress it instantly before Rina could notice. Looking at the plump girl''s state, the woman could not imagine what Rina''s upbringing had been like, as her eyes were darting around nervously, clearly uncomfortable with the current situation. This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it Not being able to stand it anymore the lady grabbed Rina''s hand and spoke softly: ¡°Come with me for a bit.¡± Meanwhile, Rina''s mind was entering the next phase of haywire: ''W-w-w-what is happening? Where is she leading me? Ahh, her hands are so soft... N-n-no what are you thinking Rina?! Ahh, she smells so nice... Stoop it!!'' Since discovering her sexuality, Rina had never had any contact with girls. Thus she had never had the chance to build up any resistance to physical contact with other women. So as Rina was now, even h*lding h*nds was enough for her imagination to go wild. As a result, Rina''s expression alternated between blushing, paling, and shaking her head the whole way the lady led them. She had even failed to notice the ''Love Hotel''-sign on the building they were entering. Rina would be in a daze forever, ¡­. *Clap* ¡­ were it not for the loud clap of the office lady which pulled her back to reality. Looking around Rina could see that they were in a small room. In the middle of the room was a red, heart-shaped bed with two red heart-shaped pillows on it. ¡°W-w-w-where a-a-a-are w-w-we?¡± ¡°Hmm? You didn''t notice the sign when we entered? We''re in a love hotel room!¡± ¡°W-w-w-why?¡± The office lady tilted her head. ¡°You were having a hard time in that park, so I brought you here... Am I bothering you?¡± The unsure look on the woman''s face prompted Rina to instantly shake her head. ¡°Great. Well, wait for me for a bit. I want to take a bath first before we do it.¡± ¡°D-d-d-do w-w-w-what?¡±, Rina asked confused. ? ¡­ It took a while for Rina''s brain to start working again. Sex. Never in her life had Rina heard a word that had such a beautiful ring in it. What could it mean? The woman made it sound like it was an activity. Was it something that could only be done in heaven? Was she in heaven already? ¡­ She was joking, obviously. Of course, Rina knew what it meant. It just made no sense for her. Why would someone so beautiful like the office lady want to have sex with her? Could it be that she wanted her? Of course not. She just wanted to mock Rina, because of her plump body, because of her ugly face, and because of her naivety. Rina did follow a stranger absent-mindedly after all. Maybe ''taking a bath'' was just the woman''s pretext to get out of Rina''s sight for a while. For example to call her friends to come and harass, maybe even torture Rina together. But it''s okay. Rina just had to bear it. After all, it was not the first time she had found herself in such a situation. And on the bright side, it meant that she would not have to sleep outside. *Clack* After a while, the bathroom door opened and the woman stepped out, this time wearing a seductive, semi-transparent negligee that covered only the most important parts of her body. Looking at Rina, who was bright red, she licked her lips and slowly walked towards her. ¡°I''m ready. Now let''s have fun ?¡±, the woman whispered into Rina''s ears, while pushing her down on the bed. ¡°W-w-w-w-why m-m-m-me?¡± ¡°I fell in love with you at first sight! Your cute face, your plumb belly, those thick thighs! I want to make you mine.¡± the lady said as she ran her hands over Rina''s body as she lay beneath her. ¡°L-l-l-lies.¡± That was all Rina could mutter, which caused the woman above her to frown. ¡°It''s not nice of you to accuse someone of lying, who had just confessed her love to you.¡± ¡°...¡± After seeing no response from Rina, she continued, ¡°Well, then let me prove it to you.¡± With that, the woman skilfully undressed Rina layer by layer until she was naked. Then with a swift movement, she spread Rina''s legs and with an outstretched tongue moved closer to the now-open groin. ''She is going to lick me down there!'' To Rina with more than twenty years experience of being a virgin, sex was more than just giving physical pleasure to each other. It''s the act of showing the ugliest part of oneself to someone while accepting their entire existence. As someone who was starving for love, she was confident that she could accept anybody. Be it her sister, a friend, a stranger, a thief, a rapist, a murderer,... or even a man, as long as they would love her, she could manage somehow. But such a person does not exist, that was what she had thought,... until now. That was why this situation was so special for her, that she stopped thinking straight. She closed her eyes. Before she could feel physical pleasure, her heart was already filled with joy. She was going to be loved! There was salvation for her after all! And her partner was an extremely hot woman! It was finally time for her to become happy! What would their future look like? She seemed to be an office worker who had high pay, but Rina thought that she should have some income too. Maybe her old workplace would accept her again? After all, they knew that Rina was a very hard-working person who never shied away from overtime. And so, while imagining the future with her soon-to-be wife, she waited for the tongue to touch her pussy. One second elapsed. ¡­ Then five. ¡­ Then thirty. ¡­ ¡°Pfffff, hahahahaha, what is with that face? Hahahahaha! *cough**cough* Ahhh, I''m dying from too much laughing.¡± ¡°...¡± ¡°You are too obvious, piggy. You should do something about your delusions! As if I would have sex with someone, no, something like you! Hahahaha. KNOW YOUR PLACE!¡± ¡°...¡± ¡°Ahh, YES, that''s the face I wanted to see. There is nothing more delicious than the despair of someone who just thought they had won the jackpot!¡± ¡°...¡± ¡°Now then...¡± The woman stepped next to Rina, who lay motionlessly on the bed, pierced her torso with her arm, and pulled it out again. ¡°... maybe you have better luck in your next life, piggy,¡± With that, she left the dying Rina behind and left the room through the window. ¡­ This should not be surprising anymore, should it? Rina was right all along. There was no one on the whole planet who had some love for her. That woman was just a honey trap to despair and to kill her. But why? Had her father commissioned it? Who knows. But it did not matter anymore. She was going to die soon. It''s just death. Nothing to be sad about. Who was to blame? Nobody but herself. That''s what she got for having expectations. That''s what she got for hoping for something good to happen. That''s what she got for longing for love. You should not wish for something that is out of reach. It will only disappoint you. As Rina felt her consciousness fading, she thought as if to convince herself for the very last time: ''It''s not, that I was hopeful anyway.'' Chapter 8 - We love you, Rina. With one last look at the dying Rina, the woman in the negligee jumped out of the window onto the roof of the neighbouring building. After confirming that nobody was present to witness her, she deactivated her magic spell. Two black wings slowly sprouted out of her back and a long, thin tail with a heart-shaped end grew out of her rear, while the negligee she was wearing, transformed into a maid''s outfit. Her name is Serena, a loyal retainer and personal maid of the Demon Lord. To inform her master of the success of her mission, Serena formed a small seal with her index finger and held it to her right ear. After a few seconds, a child''s voice came out of the seal. [Serena?] ¡°Milady, it''s done.¡± [And?] ¡°You will be highly satisfied, Milady¡± [Kukukuku], laughter rang out from the seal, [That''s good to hear! Give me a moment, I''ll summon you back to our world.] ¡°...¡± [Serena, if you want to say something, then do it.] ¡°Milady, would you please wait a bit?¡± [Why?] Serena clenched her left fist. ¡°There is someone I have to kill.¡± [¡­] [Serena.] ¡°Yes, Milady?¡± [You know, that it''s mainly thanks to him?] ¡°Yes.¡± Serena could perceive a loud sigh coming out of the seal. [Very well. You have my permission. I give you thirty minutes. After that, I''ll summon you no questions asked. Are we clear, Serena?] ¡°Yes, Milady. And thank you.¡± [¡­ Be careful.] With that, the seal on Serena''s finger disappeared and the connection to her master was cut. Immediately after, she activated her senses to locate her target and headed for it. Her destination: Rina''s former home. *** The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. Meanwhile in the Valkyria Kingdom. Milia was kneeling before the king, surrounded by a bunch of high-ranking nobles. She knew her future was grim, as all the nobles around her were grinning from ear to ear. Two days had passed since the incident during the ritual to retrieve the hero candidate from another world. A few minutes after Knight Commander Rick and the two intruders had entered the portal, it suddenly dispersed which caused High Priestess Fran to collapse and fall into a coma. As a result, the potential hero could no longer come to save this world. Since then the king and his ministers had gathered to discuss how to proceed, and how to punish Milia. As one of the leading figures who had organised the security for the ritual, she had no doubt that she was one of the most responsible for the failure. As the political situation of the Valkyria Kingdom was now, she would not come out of this unscathed. In this country, the king usually held all the power and had the last word in every decision, whether it was making laws, judging crimes, or commanding the military. However, after the failed ritual, the tide turned in favour of the aristocrats. As the two remaining protagonists, Vice Knight Commander Milia and High Priestess Fran, both commoners, only came to power through a law enforced by the king, he was also partly responsible for the failure. Thus, Milia concluded, the king was no longer able to protect her from the noble''s ploy, who had undoubtedly forced their verdict concerning her on the king. She was sure the gallows awaited her. ¡°Vice Knight Commander Milia, I will announce your verdict.¡±, the king spoke up in a monotonous voice. ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°You have failed in your mission to fetch the hero candidate and thus made our chances to overcome the upcoming crisis considerably worse! ¡­ You are hereby dismissed as the Vice Knight Commander! You are to go to the Royal Knight Academy to train our new recruits as a teacher! Redeem yourself by training our future soldiers!¡± Shocked Milia looked up at the king. She was not the only one though. The surrounding nobles were quite surprised as well, probably not expecting him to ignore their suggestion. ¡°Your majes...¡± ¡°Furthermore¡±, the king continued before any minister could object, ¡°High Priestess Fran will be not accounted for the failure whatsoever. I will take full responsibility.¡± He paused and took a deep breath. ¡°Thus, I, King Thor Miriculan XXXVII, hereby step down as the king and pass the throne to my son, Crown Prince Loki!¡± *** At the same time as King Thor Miriculan XXXVII denounced this throne, a new life was born in a small temple on the outskirts of the royal capital. A sister carried the newborn baby to its mother, who was breathing weakly on the bed and laid it on the pillow next to her. "Madam, congratulations. It''s a healthy girl," said the sister, who received a slight nod in return. Afterwards, she stepped back and waited quietly in a corner of the room. The fact that the baby was not crying, was strange, but since it was breathing, she did not mind. There were more pressing matters at hand after all. The woman, the baby''s mother, was dying after giving birth, so she had to give them some time to communicate for the first and last time in the baby''s life. The baby''s mother slowly turned her head towards her child. With all the strength she had left in her body, she lifted her hand and gently poked the cheek of her daughter, while the tears welled up in her eyes. It broke her heart to think that this child would have to live without her parents, but she could no longer hold on to life. She had always had a weak body, but her condition worsened after her beloved husband died in a demon attack while protecting her and their child, who was already in her womb at that time. Nevertheless, she fought through the depression of her loss and the physical pain her body had caused, and held on to life to this day so she, their, baby could see the world. But any longer was already impossible. So, with tears streaming from her eyes, the woman summoned all her strength for the last time in her life to tell her daughter everything that was on her mind. ¡°Dear... I''m so sorry... that neither your father nor I are here to see you grow...Please, dear...¡± ¡°...eat well and sleep well... it''s important for your health...¡± ¡°... don''t forget to study... and train your body... you will need knowledge and strength to survive... *cough*¡± She spat out blood. ¡°... make lots of friends ¡­ *cough* ¡­ hold on them and protect them... because this seemingly gruesome world... is much, much more beautiful with them... *cough* *cough* *cough*...¡± ¡°...find a good boy... fall in love... find someone you can share your life together with... *cough* ... but look out for bad guys... as you will be at least as beautiful as I am... hehehe... a lot of them will flock around you... so be careful... *cough*¡± ¡°...by the way... girls are fine too, hehehe... your mother appreciates love in all forms... *cough**cough*...¡± ¡°...don''t give in to bullies... you don''t need to endure it... if you have to defend yourself, then do it...¡± ¡°... please be happy... laugh a lot... cry a lot... worry a lot... experience all kinds of emotions... *cough*¡± ¡°... and dear... I''m sorry that I have to leave you alone... but always keep in mind... your father and I...*cough* *cough* *cough*...¡± She caressed her daughter''s cheek. ¡°We love you, Rina.¡± Chapter 9 - After all, knowledge of the world is essential for survival. In a forest near to the village of Mousa on the outskirts of the royal capital, a small, thin, malnourished-looking girl was hiding on a tree. With her blazing red eyes matching her shoulder-length hair, she stared down at the boar on the ground, that had chased her just moments ago. She took out a small knife that she had stol... *cough* borrowed from a tool merchant in her home village, jumped down from her tree onto the boar, and stabbed it in the neck, killing it instantly. Opening her palm she gathered a small amount of Mana which formed into a small black-coloured seal and slapped it on the boar. She then lifted the animal, which by the way looked like it would weigh about 100 kilograms, with both slender arms and headed for her home. Usually her actions were an impossible feat for a seven-year-old child like her. It was only possible because she possessed the memories of her past life in which she, funnily enough, was also called Rina. But it was not that she was particularly knowledgeable, skilled, strong, or overpowered in any other way in her previous life. Quite the opposite. She was a fat-ass shut-in who knew nothing about the world. It was her mature mind that allowed her to perceive the world around her much earlier than normal children, giving her a head start in practically everything. For example, from the sisters in the orphanage talking, she learned that magic existed! So from very early on she regularly sneaked into the local temple''s library to learn as much as she could about this world called ''Yggildos'', such as the language, the history, and most importantly, the magic system. While she mastered the language very quickly - there was only one language in Yggildos - it was the latter two that intrigued her more. Beginning with the magic system, it was divided into six different main elements: Fire, Water, Wind, Earth, Light, and Dark. Each of these could be further broken down into sub-elements such as Thunder in Wind or Ice in Water. Generally speaking, specialised magic was harder to cast than its basic counterpart, so ice-based spells were harder to use than water-based spells Activating a spell usually involved three steps: In Yggildos, every living being has a certain amount of Mana, which always restores itself after usage over time. The first step, also called Loading Phase, was to gather the Mana inside the body and pour it out through a body part. While most could only use their hands, there were some special cases where they could use other parts of their body for that, such as their mouths. There was a famous noble family of knights, all of whom could breathe fire with their mouths instead of shooting fireballs with their hands in the Valkyria Kingdom. The second step was to imagine the spell and form its magic circle with the Mana. Usually one would have to chant the spell because it helped tremendously in creating the seal, but thanks to the memories of her past life, Rina could easily skip this part. In fights, it would prove beneficial for her, because chanting the spell would give the opponent information about the next attack. The fact that the scholars called this the Chanting Phase indicated that it was not yet known that the chanting itself was not essential at all. The third and last step was the Activation Phase. As the name suggests, this is where the magic is activated, and was generally considered the easiest of the three, as it required no further ''work'' from the user. However, while most spells don''t require any Mana input at this stage, some continuous spells do in order to remain active. As stated earlier, every creature had a Mana source inside them. However, this did not automatically mean that everybody could cast all spells. The ability to activate a specific spell was tied to two conditions. Firstly, you had to have the right affinity to cast a particular spell. For example, a knight who only possessed the Wind element would never be able to use Fireball. Secondly, you had to be able to successfully process all three phases of the spell. If you did not possess the required amount of Mana or did not know the exact formula of its magic circle, the cast would ultimately fail. So in the end, it all depended on whether one was born with the innate abilities needed and was willing enough to learn the magic formulas or not. What Rina also managed to learn during her early childhood, was that the element of a spell and the colour of its magic seal seemed to correspond to each other. From what she had seen, she concluded that red circles belonged to Fire, blue to Water, green to Wind, brown to earth, yellow to Light, and black to Dark. This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. As for their use, while the first four elements were obvious to her, and while she suspected that Light probably had something to do with healing, she could not completely grasp the Dark element, even though she was able to use it herself. The only thing she knew, for now, was that her magic had probably something to do with gravity manipulation since she had used it to reduce the boar''s weight. After all, none of the records she had read, had mentioned anything about Dark magic, except that it was an element exclusive to demon races and Light element only to human races. But that did not mean that she was a demon. Immediately after learning about that, she had looked up her family tree in her parents'' house and confirmed that she was, biologically speaking, a pure-blooded human. And from what she had read in her mother''s diary, it seemed unlikely that her mother had cheated on her father, as they were both deeply in love with each other. What it did mean, however, was that she had to refrain from using her Dark magic in public at all costs. Only witch-hunts and death would await her if anyone found out her affinity, as they would undoubtedly accuse her of being a demon in disguise. For now, she concluded, she needed other ways to defend herself in public. At first, she thought that magic might still be possible if she had an affinity for a second element, but later she learned that this was impossible because every living being can only use one element which was determined from birth. So at that time, she had left the decision-making of how to defend herself in the presence of others to her future self. Apart from her self-taught magic lessons, she had also looked up the history of Yggildos, or rather of the country she was currently in, the Valkyria Kingdom... and could only groan at it. Seven years ago, around the same time of her birth, the policies of the Valkyria Kingdom suddenly changed in every conceivable way, when King Loki Miriculan XXXVIII ascended the throne. He reversed every law that his father, King Thor, the Wiseman, had created to strengthen the commoners, and made the country once again centred on the nobility. Since then, the situation of the commoners gradually grew worse. Now it had reached the stage where young girls and women had to sell themselves for food, while boys and men had to work themselves to the bone for nothing worthwhile. Not to mention the newborns and orphans who were killed as soon as food became scarce. Rina only survived because she was born a few years earlier and because she escaped from the orphanage some time ago when she saw her fellow orphans being murdered one by one. On the other hand most, of the aristocrats, about 90% of them, had grown tremendously widthwise, especially the men. Rina had seen one once when he had visited the village of Mousa to collect taxes. It somehow reminded her of her old self, when she was still on Earth... it was a horrible sight. While there might still be some decent nobles, it was apparent to her that most of them were corrupt and only thought of their own gain. She could only shake her head inwardly when she thought of the downfall of some of the western countries on Earth during the Middle Ages. Back to the main topic. The root cause of King Loki''s law reversal was probably the failed hero summoning ritual seven years ago. He and the nobles used the fact, that the two main responsible for the failure, Milia and Fran, were commoners to propagate against the former king''s laws. In the end, he succeeded. Even the common folk turned away from Thor at that time. It only showed how much the success of the ritual weighed on their mind and how much hope that potential solution gave them. Despair always comes after expectations. ¡°Well, it was not like this was a surefire way to avert the incoming doom.¡± Rina could only roll her eyes at that development when she had read about it in the past. Continuing with the impending crisis. Ancient records that she had looked through, mentioned a Demon Lord, who would appear a thousand years after his death and gather all demon races and monsters under his banner to terrorise the human races like the High Elves, Dark Elves, and Humans once again. The last time such a being emerged was nearly a millennium ago. At that time a man named Gaius Miriculan killed the Demon Lord and founded the Valkyria Kingdom next to the Demon Lord''s domain as the first line of defence for the future. Thanks to this, he is now known as Hero King Gaius Miriculan I. As the threat approaches once again, King Thor developed several countermeasures to prepare for the incoming invasion. The most prominent and controversial of these was without any doubt the opening up of education and military training, which had previously been exclusive for the nobility, to all. Former King Thor''s aim was to have as many competent people as possible available to stand against the demonic forces. And indeed it worked. Countless capable people among the commoners graduated from the academies, among them, a High Elf named Fran. With her extensive knowledge of magic and her enormous capabilities for it, she rose to the top of the temple in record time and devised a solution to the impending crisis, by bringing in a potential hero with the skills to kill the demon lord from another world. As already mentioned, unfortunately, that plan had failed miserably. Now under the new leadership, all nobles in the country were looking for those with magic affinities to take, or rather force, them under their tutelage as their own private force. The stronger they were, the greater the chances of their aristocratic family surviving after all. So over the last few years, nobles have raided orphanages to look for talented children. This left orphans with only two fates: to be used as sacrificial pawns for their noble caretaker or to starve on the streets. Luckily, Rina had been quick enough to learn about the circumstances of this country and had avoided the aristocrats before they discovered her and her abilities. Well, with her affinity for the Dark element, they would kill her on the spot as soon as they found out about it, but still, she was happy that she had researched about the Valkyria Kingdom and Yggildos as soon as she could. ''After all, knowledge of the world is essential for survival.'' Chapter 10 - Im going to the Royal Capital. proteinaceous food ¡° Her former life ended with a lot of regrets. She had led an insignificant life without being loved by anybody and more importantly without caring enough about anyone ¡° solved If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡° ¡° whisper to each other. While some were loud enough for the young girl to hear, others were not. ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° Chapter 11 - Your daughter has grown into a fine girl. ¡° ¡° ¡°*cough**cough*¡± ¡° ¡° ¡°*cough*¡± The young woman smiled, ¡°That''s enough... Now I can go in peace...,¡± and closed her eyes, this time for the very last time in her life. ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡°Y-yes!¡± The nun''s sudden loud yell caused the poor, confused little girl to twitch and to jump up. ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡°*hick*!¡± ¡°*hick* I can''t wait.¡± ¡°*hick* ...she even cleaned herself up for us¡± ¡° ¡°*hick* Now I''m popping a boner as well.¡± ¡°*hick* Well, her daughter has to work hard for it then.¡± ¡° ¡° Chapter 12 - I feel sorry for him. ''Hmm, with the remaining distance, I will need at least two hours until I reach Valhale.'' After staring at the way sign on the dirt road leading towards the Royal Capital, Rina looked up to the sky. The sun was already on its way to going down, causing the girl''s surroundings to get dark. Because of it, she decided to stop for the rest of the day. So she walked several hundreds of metres off the road to a nearby tree at the edge of a forest and sat down, preparing to sleep. Thanks to her upbringing she was already used to camping outdoors and her experience of the last night, the first time she had camped outside of her village, proved that she wasn''t having too much trouble resting in the wilderness. With her hand she formed a small black magic circle and stuck it on the ground, multiplying the gravitational force around her to protect her from monster attacks. She then laid down in the middle, where the force was not applied, and closed her eyes. However, even after lying still for almost half an hour, she couldn''t fall asleep. The cause: her whole body was itching from the two days worth of sweat from walking. ''I want to take a bath.'' Determined to get rid of the itch, the girl got up and set off in search of a water source. Fortunately, she didn''t have to go too far. After walking several minutes into the forest she ended up in a clearing with a small lake in the middle, reflecting the rising moon. After confirming with a quick glance that nobody was around, she took off her clothes, folded them, and slowly entered the water. Looking down, she perceived the reflected moon and beneath it the reflection of her own body. In contrast to the ball-like figure she had in her last life, this one was like an extra thin bean sprout. If you looked closer, you could even see traces of her ribs lurking out from her malnourishment. On top of her body, this time actually connected by a neck, was a head, that might even resemble that of a human being. Her new face might have looked better than her previous one, but in her opinion, she was still as ugly as she had been in her previous life. The main cause for that was without any doubt, her slightly upwards slanting eyes, which gave her a very nasty look. Her well-shaped but thin nose certainly did not help her in that regard. But that was life. You have to live with what you are given after all. ¡°And don''t forget my red hair and eyes, for some reason they''re considered bad here,¡± she muttered to no one in particular. Although she had mixed feelings about her appearance, she was quite content with her newfound fitness. She had never known that it was possible to do physical activities for an extended period without having problems breathing afterwards. In fact, except for when she was plagued by hunger, she quite liked running around and climbing trees very much. That might have even been the first time that she had enjoyed anything in her both lives combined. So, did it mean that she was changing? Maybe. To a better person? Not necessarily. Would her second life have a meaning? You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. It depends. ¡°Can I find someone who might love me this time?¡± Rina shook her head, swaying her wet hair left and right. No. She had already decided that she would not chase after an unattainable dream. Hope will always lead to despair. She had to learn that the hard way after all. She had despaired enough. So she was done hoping. If you don''t expect anything, you can''t get hurt or sad. But it did not mean that she was done with the world. Quite the opposite. This time, instead of concentrating on her own happiness, she would like to see the people around her smile. By doing so, she would become happy as well. A typical Win-win situation. But for that she needed strength. That was why she was on her way to the Royal Capital to train. Perhaps that was why she was given a relatively fit and strong body, not to mention her unique magical abilities. The girl immersed her whole body, up to her neck, in the water and washed off the dirt. After relaxing for a while the girl left the water, and as she was about to pick up her clothes to put them on... *Rustle* ...a rustling from the bushes in the forest interrupted her. Because of that she let go of her clothes and focused her eyes on the direction of those noises. After a few seconds, a dark figure emerged from those bushes and approached the girl. With the distance between them shortening and with the moonlight reflecting Rina could soon see the shadow on that man retracting. Out of it stepped a middle-aged man, she might have seen before in the village of Mousa. ¡°You are from the village of Mousa, aren''t you?¡± the girl asked to confirm that thought. ¡°Eh? Ah! Yes. Ahem... I have also *hick* seen you there before. So, what are you doing here alone? And at night at that?¡± ¡°I''m on my way to the capital. But as it''s already dark, I was cleaning myself up before I rest for the night.¡± ¡°Hehehe, I can see it. *mumbles* Hmm? No hair? Well, of course... at that age... Hmmm... For a kid''s body, this really looks good hehehehehe, this will be fun *mumbles*¡± His eyes roamed all across Rina''s body multiple times as if inspecting it for something while he muttered something inaudible to her. Although his questionable actions made her feel a little uncomfortable, she managed to ignore them. After all, she could have never guessed, that her body would arouse anyone. ¡°Are you also on the way to the capital, Mister?¡± she asked, tilting her head which snapped him out of his daze. ¡°Yes! Yes. We- *cough* I''m also on my way there. What do you say? We could continue our journey there together. If you want I could even help you find a place to stay. Hehehe...¡± ¡°A-are you sure about it?¡± Rina pulled her wet hair from her back to the front to show it. ¡°You don''t mind? I thought you are uncomfortable with my presence because of my appearance and my hair colour.¡± ¡°Eh? Y-Yes! Of course. No Problems. Now put your clothes on. *mumbles* Or else I might attack. The others won''t be pleased by that *mumbles*¡± At the part of the response Rina could understand, she smiled like a blooming flower, followed by a blush as she realised that she was still bare naked in front of a stranger. ¡°I-I-I''m terribly sorry that you had to see that.¡± The girl bowed her head. ¡°I will put them on now. C-c-can you turn around? I-i-it''s kind of hard to change when someone is watching.¡± ¡°Ehh? Yes of course.¡± Even though he was surprised for the third time already in this short period, this time by that girl''s innocence and naivety, he still turned around. ''What the hell is going on? Are all children as dumb as her? It''ll be too easy to trick this brat. Damn, I should tell the others that we should do this more often.'' Unbeknownst to the mayhem in that man''s mind, Rina was quite a bit confused herself. Why was someone in her village suddenly so friendly to her? Wasn''t everyone, except for Sister Baal, supposed to hate her due to the colour of her hair? She couldn''t quite remember whether or not that man was one of those who had looked down on her, but since pretty much the whole village shunned her, it was very likely that he did too. So why did his attitude suddenly change? While the memories of her past life did indeed help her with survival on the streets, she unfortunately was a complete noob when it came to social interactions. So at that time, even though she felt uncomfortable with the man''s presence, she tried not to let it bother her too much. So, without suspecting anything bad at all, she went to sleep in the spot she had chosen before, with that man tagging along. In the past, whenever she went to sleep, she had always set up a protective barrier around her consisting of gravity magic, that would pull assailants to the ground. This time, however, she refrained from doing so because of the man''s presence, as she still had to hide her Dark magic abilities. Besides, the man had been kind enough to offer to stay awake and guard her while she slept. So why should she refuse? After all, it wasn''t very often that other people directed their goodwill towards her. So, satisfied, and even a little happy with the current development, the girl closed her eyes. But still, there was something about this man, that worried her. More precisely, she was a bit worried about him. She did not know how to put it, but somehow... ''I feel sorry for him.'' Chapter 13 - Alright, do as you want. ¡° ¡°*cough* little girl...¡± the man spoke up slightly irritated by the girl''s choice of words. ¡° ¡° *grumble* ¡° ¡° ¡± ¡° ¡° I''m waiting for my companions to arrive tonight, and thought you could help me pass the time.¡± ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. ¡° ¡° ¡°*mumbles* Let''s see if you can still smile like that after seeing hell.*mumbles*¡± *Thud* ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° her body. ¡° Chapter 14 - I have a bad feeling about this. ¡°Why Father? I have already told you! I don''t want to get engaged. I want to enter the Royal Knight Academy.¡± ¡°Clara, I have already told you. We need their strength in order to survive the demon invasion. So I need you to marry their son! This is my final decision!¡± In a house, which was rather small for an aristocratic family, on the edge of the noble residential district, two people were arguing after dinner. On one side was a blond man in his prime who stood over 180 centimetres tall. His broad chest and shoulders, as well as his thick arms, indicated that he was not afraid of physical activities. And indeed, the uniform he was currently wearing showed that he served the Valkyria Kingdom as a knight. Opposing him was his ten-year-old daughter Clara. Like her father, she was also quite tall for her age, as her height measurement was well over 140 centimetres. Her long, blue dress, adorned with accessories, and her waist-length, blonde, curled hair literally screamed to the world, that she was a young noble lady. Usually, she was someone full of pride, but her current appearance proved otherwise, as tears were forming in her eyes due to the fight with her father. It was not that she was particularly opposed to getting engaged. She was a noble, after all. It''s her duty to marry and give birth to offspring at some point. The problem was the family she was supposed to marry into. Since the policy had changed as the new King Loki ascended the throne, many higher aristocrats had been taking in commoners with a magical talent to use them as sacrificial pawns during the coming demon invasion. This, however, rubbed Clara the wrong way. Nobles had to be proud and strong, and they had to be the ones doing the fighting and protecting, not the other way around. So she did not like the idea of hiding behind commoners for safety at all. After all, that was her late grandfather''s way of life, always fighting on the front lines and helping those in need. Although he had died when she was very young, she was still able the remember clearly, how her grandfather had taught her about noblesse oblige. Her belief only strengthened further when she found out about the cause of his death a few years ago. At the suggestion of some commoners, her grandfather, at that time the Knight Commander, was sent to another world to fetch some random guy to help defend the country against the demons. To make matters worse, it was even the fault of those commoners, who had risen to the top because of the former king''s laws, that the plan had ended in a failure, resulting in her grandfather''s death. Clara could no longer understand the world. Why would the king allow some plans made by weak, uneducated commoners to be carried out? Why was a commoner in charge of this plan? Why should they hope that some random guy from another world will become the saviour of this one? Why did her grandfather participate in such a plan? Was he forced to? Why did he have to die for that? Why was her family also demoted for that failure? And why would her father insist on connecting with a family that has no pride as a noble at all and hides behind commoners? Isn''t this the same as trampling on her grandfather''s teachings? This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. Clara can''t let that happen. She was still very young when her beloved grandfather, whom she looked up to, who had taught her about noblesse oblige... so this is her only remaining memory of him. She had to protect it at all costs. So, she was determined to enter the Royal Knight Academy to become a knight, and eventually, a commander herself, to fight for those who couldn''t. But at the thought that her feelings couldn''t reach her father, all she could do was cry. ¡°I hate you! You are no longer my father¡± With tears dripping down her face she stormed out of the house. Not caring that her actions were completely unbecoming of a growing noble lady, she just kept running as far as her legs carried her. Only half an hour later she come to herself again to notice that she was in an area of the capital she had never been to before. It seemed to be a market square for the common folk. The stares she received from passers-by indicated that her dress, full of accessories, was sticking out like a sore thumb. Fortunately, or unfortunately, her mental state had more pressing matters than worrying about the commoners around her. So she walked over to a bench by the side of the main road and sat down to catch her breath and to calm herself. Looking around her, she noticed that there were already a few guards, disguised as civilians, in the vicinity to watch over her. Though her family was demoted, she was still the daughter of a viscount. Of course, her father had sent guards to follow and protect her from the shadows. They would probably take her back home sooner or later, but for now, it seemed that her father had ordered them to let her calm herself down at first. But still, the anger at her parent did not subside. ¡°Stupid Father... *sob* I miss you, Grandfather Rick... why did you have to die because of weak commoners?¡± Although she was known to be especially wise for a ten-year-old child, she was, in the end of the day, still a child. There was no way she could understand what was going on in her father''s mind, that he had to abandon his, and his father''s way of life to protect his child and his family. That an alliance via marriage with a stronger family would increase his house''s odds of survival. So, Clara could only inwardly reprimand her father for betraying her, and blame the commoners for failing the ritual and thus killing her grandfather as result. ''There''s no way a commoner can fight against demons... As expected, I don''t like them at all..'' And her image of them certainly didn''t improve, as she surveyed her surroundings. In her eyes, all the people passing by were so weak, that most of them would lose even against her, a ten-year-old girl, in a one-on-one fight. While some of them did indeed look physically strong, she doubted that they could fight properly with a sword or cast any powerful magic. After all, brute strength was not everything. Besides, their appearance and behaviour also bothered her. While some of them wore dirty or too-revealing clothes, others had bad manners like eating while walking, something that was considered vulgar in the noble ranks. The only exception was the little girl, probably two or three years younger than her, who just walked past Clara. Although her red, dress-like clothes were quite simple from an aristocrat''s point of view, they still were of high quality when compared to the attire of the other commoners. The girl''s clear, red eyes, which matched her red hair, and the well-formed, somewhat childish, yet nonetheless cute face literally drew the eyes of everyone around her. Clara was no exception. ''Fufufu, her face literally screams ¡°I''m a country bumpkin!¡±'' Clara thought, delighted at the expression on the younger girl''s face as she explored the town. Unfortunately, her joy didn''t last long. ¡°Dammit, shitty brat, hurry up!¡± The reason was a vulgar man, who was probably the girl''s father. He had suddenly pushed her, causing her to fall to the ground, when she walked too slowly in front of him. ¡°I''m sorry.¡± The red-haired girl stood up immediately, not losing the happy expression on her face. ''Is this how commoners treat their own?'' Clara couldn''t help but be shocked at how commoners would treat their children. This thought only made her heart ache, for she had always been treated like a treasure by her father. The blonde was well aware, that her entire family and even the servants adored her. She was treated like a princess despite ''only'' being the daughter of a viscount. So she couldn''t help but feel a bit of sympathy for the child when she saw the difference in treatment they both received. ¡°I should return home soon and apologise to Father. But before that...¡± Clara got up and stealthily followed the father-daughter pair (temp.), curious about their relationship and why they behaved as they did. After stalking them at a safe distance for a while, as dusk fell, the man suddenly yanked at the red-haired girl''s arm and dragged her roughly into a dark alley. The expression on his face, which Clara managed to catch, was very close to the greedy, lustful, selfish, and vulgar ones of some of the nobles she had met at social gatherings before. So, concerned for the younger girl''s safety, she followed them into the alley. ''I have a bad feeling about this.'' Chapter 15 - Its impossible. Shes already done for. ¡°Alright, do as you want.¡± Rina closed her eyes and relaxed her body as she muttered these words. ¡°Hehehe, putting up a brave face, aren''t we? You guys, go first, don''t be gentle! I love unmoving bodies the most!¡± At the urging of the man behind her, the others closed on Rina, each one groping different parts of her body. Though she shuddered inwardly at each touch, it was nothing, that she couldn''t bear. The only problem was, what they would do with her afterwards. It wasn''t hard for her to reach the conclusion that they would probably try to get rid of her so that she couldn''t tell the authorities about their crime. So while the men''s hands were roaming all across her body, she mustered up all her mental strength to secretly place small magic circles infused with gravity magic through skin contact on them. That way, as soon as they tried to end her life, she could remotely activate the seals with her Mana to increase the weight of the men, pulling them to the ground and rendering them immobile. ¡°Shit, this brat isn''t moving at all? What''s wrong with her? Is she really a child?¡± After a while one of the men seemed to get fed up with Rina''s lack of reaction. ¡°Forget it, just go for it. She''ll start crying as soon as the pain gets too much for her.¡± ¡°Aye.¡± But before he could remove his pants, one of the others shouted, ¡°W-what''s that? L-look at the door!¡± At the surprised voice, even Rina couldn''t help but open her eyes to look at the entrance, only to see the wooden door slowly burning down. After the fire had died down, a girl could be seen behind it. From the dress the girl was wearing, it was obvious that she belonged to the nobility. With a slightly haughty expression, full of an aristocrat''s pride, the newcomer stepped into the house with her arms crossed. After she looked around the room, swaying her blonde, curly hair side to side, her face twisted at first in confusion, then in shock, and then in anger, when she saw the state Rina was in. ¡°Y-you lowlifes! W-what are you doing to that girl? Let her go! Right now!¡± She pointed at the men, but it was apparent to the people present that she was frightened as she trembled slightly. Noticing that one of the men grabbed a nearby knife and slowly approached the blonde with a nasty grin, ¡°Hehe, or what? If you want you can also join the fun. It may even lessen the brat''s burden... hehehe.¡± ¡°No! Run! They want to do terrible things! I can manage somehow, but you must run.¡± Overwhelmed by the sudden turn of events Rina shouted at the girl who didn''t quite seem to understand the current situation. In contrast to her, the noble girl was a normal child without memories of a past life after all. Rina then turned to the men. ¡°Please, let her go, as I said, you can do what you want with me!¡± Unfortunately, or fortunately, Rina''s plea only calmed the blonde down, who looked back with strong-willed eyes. ¡°I am Clara Dragonherz, daughter of Viscount Eric Dragonherz and granddaughter of Rick Dragonherz. As a noble, I cannot permit what you lowlifes are doing to this poor child! Furthermore...¡± Clara turned her head towards the man approaching her. ¡°... I will see your words directed at me as a will against the nobility and will hereby execute you!¡± With the declaration she then opened her mouth and formed a red magic circle with it. After a few seconds... ¡°[Fire Breath]¡± ¡­ a red medium-sized flame came out of her mouth, setting the advancing man on fire. ¡°AHHHH! HEEEELP ME. IT HUUURT.¡± He shouted as he writhed and turned on the ground in pain. The others and Rina were so shocked that they could only watch as the man burned to crisps. A few minutes later, after the fire had died down, leaving only the black remains of a burned body behind, they all turned their eyes back to Clara. ¡°Haaaaah, haaaaaaah, haaaaaaaah...¡± The girl in question was breathing heavily from Mana exhaustion after casting the spell. ''Oh no! She is out of Mana.'' Coming to the same conclusion as Rina, the men let her down, each grabbing a knife and closing in on Clara. ¡°Damn you bitch, you killed our friend!¡± ''I have to do something, They''re going to kill her. Should I activate the magic seals I''ve put on the men?'' Activating them would mean, that she had to show that she was capable of using Dark magic. Rina wasn''t entirely sure what would happen to her if that fact was revealed. Would the public condemn her as a demon and hunt her down? Or would she only be kicked out of town? After all, she didn''t know what it meant for a human to be able to use Dark magic. But on the other hand, was it worth risking the safety of an innocent girl, who had even risked her life to protect her, just to hide her own magic affinity? ''No! I have to stop them... and upon closer look... the girl is really cute...Nononono, what are you thinking stupid Rina? This isn''t the time for that... And besides, she looks ten to twelve years old, that''s too young for my over thirty-year-old mind... NOOOOO, that''s not it! It''s not that I don''t have any chance with her anyway...'' In contrast to the seriousness of the situation though, Rina''s mind was in a state of mayhem. A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. Nevertheless, she managed to calm down a split second later and stuck a large black magic seal on the floor. As a result, the black magic circles on the men, who where just were about to grab the blonde, started glowing and pulled them to the ground, rendering them immobile. ¡°W-w-what is that? I feel heavy?¡± ¡°Dammit! What is happening, I can''t move!¡± ¡°Hiiiiiiih. H-help!¡± They cried out pathetically, unable to understand what was happening. ¡°Now, you, run! As long as they can''t move...¡± Before Rina could finish her sentence, however, several men in civilian clothes, but with swords hanging on their waists stormed into the house. Three of them stepped up to the men lying on the floor, unsheathed their swords... ¡°W-w-w-wait please don''t kill m...¡± and stabbed them through their hearts. Afterwards, another man, this time in a knight''s attire, entered the house and kneeled before the blonde girl. ¡°Lady Clara, please refrain from such actions in the future. Lord Eric is sick with worry.¡± ¡°I am sorry. Thank you for your help. But I had to intervene. As a noble, I can''t allow such atrocities to happen to her.¡± The blonde responded in a calm tone and pointed towards the still-naked Rina. ¡°I see... Then what should we do with her?¡± ¡°Let''s take her back at first. She has to recover from th...¡± ¡°W-w-what is this?¡± Clara was interrupted by one of her guards who suddenly screamed as he pointed into the air in the middle of the room directly above the corpses of the men. Dark mist flowed from them and formed a cloud that was gradually growing. ¡°Calm down. It seems a demon is about to spawn! Everyone, get into battle formation.¡± The man in the knight uniform in front of Clara stood up and gave orders to the men around him. ¡°Protect Lady Clara at all costs!¡± Rina, however, didn''t notice the panic of her surroundings at all. Her eyes were drawn to the dark cloud that was forming. ''This is bad! I have to stop it!'' Her instincts were screaming to her to prevent the process from finishing at all costs. But how? What could she do? As she was about to get closer to inspect the mist, the knight grabbed her shoulder and dragged her back. ¡°What are you doing? Are you insane? Don''t touch it!¡± He shouted at her angrily. ¡°What do you mean? What will happen if I touch it?¡± She looked at him into his eyes, waiting for him to answer, but he only returned her gaze without saying anything. Their staring contest was promptly interrupted when Rina''s vision was suddenly obstructed by blonde, curly hair. ¡°Ahem!... Captain, why are you staring at the naked girl.¡± The young noble girl had placed herself between Rina and the knight. ¡°Give me your cape!¡± ¡°Ah, excuse me.¡± At Clara''s command, he cut his cape with his sword and handed it to her, who then turned around and wrapped it around Rina''s naked body. ¡°Here you go. You should have a bit more modesty, especially in front of men!¡± ¡°T-t-thank y-y-you,¡± was all, the red-haired girl could mutter, blushing like a ripe tomato, as she saw the blonde''s face only a few centimetres away from hers. Although she was able to speak normally to people in this life, it was the first time she had ever spoken to a girl of around her age (biologically seen), and a very cute one at that! Based on her experiences in her previous life, Rina thought that her taste lay in eastern-looking girls with long, straight, black hair. But now, she might have changed her mind. ''Western-looking girls are nice too...'' Unbeknownst to Rina''s inner problems, Clara''s worry gradually grew. ¡°Are you all right? Don''t worry, those men are dead. They won''t hurt you anymore.¡± Fortunately for Rina, the blonde seemed to have misunderstood the stumbling. ¡°Y-yes, I''m fine. A-again thank you for saving me.¡± Unfortunately, though, the fact that a girl was being nice to her, didn''t calm her down at all. So all sorts of fantasies were running wild in her mind. They didn''t hold for long though, as the seriousness of the young noble''s voice snapped the red-haired girl back. ¡°As for your question earlier... I''ve never seen it myself, but it seems that if you touch the dark cloud, you''ll lose all your reason.¡± ¡°You''ll lose all your reason?¡± Clara nodded. ¡°Yes, your behaviour would suddenly change in another direction after touching the cloud. For example, kind people would become extremely violent. Others would get a mental breakdown and cry the entire day. There were even cases, where some have committed suicide.¡± Hearing the blonde''s explanation, Rina shivered and couldn''t help but be grateful to the knight who had stopped her. But when she looked up at the mist again, she still couldn''t shake off the ominous feeling it gave her. So she turned back to Clara. ¡°So what are we going to do about this thing? We can''t just leave it alone.¡± This time, the blonde shook her head. ¡°We do nothing, just leave it to the guards. After a while, the cloud will turn into a demon monster. Then they''ll deal with it. It''s not like you can help anyway. Now come, let''s leave this place.¡± In fact, in Rina''s mind, she could do a lot to help. For example, she could place her Gravity magic on the ground to pull the beast down, as soon as it spawns. That way the knights or guards or whatever they are, would be able to kill it without taking any risks, just like they did with the men earlier. But unfortunately, this meant that her ability to cast Dark magic would come to light. After all, it seemed to her, that neither the girl named Clara nor her guards had seen her activating the magic seals on the now-dead men, which suggested that her secret was still safe. So she nodded to Clara and prepared to leave the house with her. ''But before that, I should probably disable my magic on these men at first. Otherwise, the guards will be suspicious, as soon as they dispose of them.'' Under the cape, Rina formed a black magic seal with her hand to normalise the weight of the dead bodies, but at the same time, the black mist suddenly began to move. ¡°C-captain! Dodge! The cloud is moving towards you!¡± At the shout of one of the guards, the only man in the knight uniform quickly jumped aside to avoid the rapidly approaching mist. But soon after his face paled as he realised that his lady and the commoner girl who had been behind him, were now defenceless. ¡°Lady Clara, dodge it quickly!!¡± Unfortunately, the girl in question was frozen in place due to the sudden turn of events. So without thinking, Rina stood up and pushed the blonde away. A split second later, the cloud clashed into the red-haired girl''s body, causing her to scream in agony. ¡°AAAHHHHHH!?!¡± ''What is this? It huuuurts!! It''s like my body is being torn apart from the inside!'' As if to fight off the pain, Rina crouched over with both arms on her stomach and threw up everything she had eaten today. ¡°W-w-w-what''s happening to her!?¡± Clara panicked upon seeing the younger girl crying out in pain and wanted to rush over but was held back by one of her guards. ¡°Lady Clara, it''s dangerous!¡± ¡°W-w-we have to help her!¡± The guard closed his eyes and shook his head. ¡°It''s impossible. She''s already done for.¡± Chapter 16 - Will you serve me? ¡°Ouch!... Where am I?¡± A sharp, stinging pain in her head woke Rina from her sleep. ¡°Woow... this bed is so soft.¡± Feeling the softness on her back, she concluded that she was currently lying in a bed, a really high-quality one at that. Since her rebirth, she had always slept on either dirt ground in the forest or on the wooden floor of her old, half-burned house. This being her first time on a bed, she couldn''t keep her comment about the softness of it to herself. Unfortunately for her, the experience was somewhat dampened by the pain she felt all over her body. So the girl mustered all her willpower to fight off the soreness and sat up to look around the room she was in. The size of the room, the decoration, the furniture, the canopy over the bed. All of these left Rina with only one conclusion. ¡°Is this a noble''s home?¡± The face of the blonde girl came to her mind. It was obvious that she stemmed from an aristocratic family. Hadn''t she announced that she was the daughter of a viscount? So was Rina in this girl''s house right now? ¡°No, more importantly, did she, or rather they, see it when I activated the black magic circles back then?¡± The thought made her face pale and she held her head in her hands. ''T-t-t-this is bad! Really bad! Is that why they brought me here? To kill me? But It doesn''t make sense, because shouldn''t I be in a prison cell instead of this luxurious room if that was the case? A-and what was that black mist? It came from those men... Was it because I have put my Dark magic seals on them? B-but this has never happened before. Is that what those knight-like people and the blonde girl think?'' The more she thought about how and why she had ended up here, the more she panicked because she couldn''t come up with any answers at all. Then, as if to mock her confusion, the door of the room opened slightly and a head with blonde hair peeked through the crack as if to see if Rina was already awake. And indeed, upon eye contact, the newcomer opened the door completely and entered the room gracefully. It was the blonde girl, who had called herself Clara. She walked up to the side of Rina''s bed and greeted her. ¡°Did you sleep well? Do you remember me?¡± ¡°Y-yes... t-thank you for asking. You said you are Lady C-C-Clara D-Dragonherz...¡± ¡°That''s right, so you remember... AH!... Ahem! Forgive me my rudeness...¡± The blonde grabbed the hem of the long skirt of her blue dress, pulled it up a little, and gave a slight bow. ¡°Allow me to introduce myself again. My name is Clara Dragonherz, daughter of Eric Dragonherz and granddaughter of Rick Dragonherz. Nice to meet you,¡± ¡°...¡± ¡°...¡± ¡°...¡± ¡°... Can you please tell me your name?¡± ¡°Eeehh!? S-s-s-s-s-sorry. M-m-m-my n-n-n-n-name i-i-i-is R-R-R-R-Rina.¡± When the girl on the bed, who had been completely stunned by Clara''s graceful introduction, was brought out of her daze, she could only revert to her old personality and stammer at every word. The combination of shock, the flowery scent of an expensive soap mixed with the natural odour of a girl, and the fact that Rina had no resistance at all to talk to kind girls, had completely turned her brain to mush. Clara, on the other other hand, mistook the stuttering for fear of the nobility and was dejected by the reaction as a result. After all, there were plenty of aristocrats who would feel offended by the slightest mistake made by a commoner. In fact, she had been one of them until she met the red-haired girl. No, she still is, it''s just that the girl in front of her was an exception. For some reason, she felt that whatever happened, she would never be angry with the younger girl. She would even go further and want to be on friendly terms with her. ¡°You don''t have to panic. I, no, the Dragonherz family won''t do anything to you. So please rest assured.¡± To underline her words, Clara gave the friendliest smile she could muster, only for the redhead to look away. This only deepened the blonde''s misunderstanding of the situation. ''As expected, she seemed to fear me.'' But since there currently were more pressing matters at hand, Clara shook off her dejection at being feared by the younger girl out of her head and motioned one of the maids standing outside of the room to bring her a chair. Once seated, she spoke. ¡°You said your name is Rina?¡± This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. ¡°Y-yes.¡± ¡°Where are your parents?¡± At this point, it was clear to Clara, that the man who had accompanied the girl was not Rina''s father. And if he was, then he would have deserved a much, much more painful death, than a single stab to the heart. ¡°T-they are dead.¡± ¡°I see. I am sorry about that.¡± Rina shook her head, to show that she didn''t mind it. ¡°Where do you live?¡± ¡°I w-was living in a village, three days'' walk away from here.¡± ¡°...Was?¡± This time, Rina nodded. ¡°Y-yes, I came to the c-capital to earn money and t-to train myself for the i-invasion.¡± ¡°That''s... very noble of you.¡± Hearing that from a girl who looked younger than she was, Clara couldn''t help but feel a little conflicted. As the daughter of an aristocrat, she led a very luxurious life. And as the only princess of her parents, she was naturally spoiled to death by them. So she can''t imagine, what it must be like to be on your own at such a young age. The girl in front of her had even left her village to earn money and train, and was attacked by some men as a result. ''!?!?'' At sudden realisation Clara jumped out of her chair and slammed her fists on the bed, her face pale like a ghost. ¡°Y-y-y-you! D-d-d-don''t tell me you s-s-s-sold your b-b-b-body to those men for m-m-m-m-money!?!?!¡± ''No wait! Was this even her first time? Maybe she has already done it multiple times before?! N-noo...'' The further the blonde thought about this, the more colour left her face. But when she looked at Rina''s face, she was met with a really confused expression. ¡°W-what do you mean?¡± ¡°Ehh?¡± ¡°Eh?¡± ¡°...¡± ¡°...¡± After a few seconds of silence, a now bright-red Clara sat back down on her chair, visibly relieved. ¡°F-forget what I asked.¡± ¡°...¡± ¡°...¡± ¡°Erm, Lady D-Dragonherz?¡± This time, Rina interrupted the awkward silence. ¡°Just call me Clara.¡± ¡°Lady C-Clara?¡± ¡°Well, I guess that''s fine for now... Yes? How can I help?¡± The blonde replied, once again slightly dejected. ¡°W-what happened to me? I c-can remember that the black mist was suddenly floating towards us.¡± ¡°Ah yes. But before it could reach us, you pushed me aside...¡± ¡°I''m t-t-terribly sorry for that!¡± Before Clara could finish her sentence Rina had slammed her head on the bed, ignoring the fact that her body was still hurting. ¡°Eh? No, that''s not what I meant, when I mentioned it.¡± The blonde waved her hand and shook her head frantically as if to show that Rina had misunderstood her. ¡°I''m grateful for what you did. You saved me back then.¡± This time Clara bowed her head. ¡°Excuse me for the delay... Thank you for saving me from the mist. Without you, I might not be here right now.¡± ¡°N-no need to t-thank me. My b-body just moved as a r-reflex...¡± Unused to being thanked at, Rina''s voice faded with each word she muttered. ¡°I think it''s admirable that your body moves reflexly in a situation like that.¡± The young noble straightened her back again. ¡°Now back at the topic at hand... After you pushed me aside, the cloud collided with you and was sucked into your body.¡± ¡°...¡± ¡°Afterwards you suddenly screamed out, like you were really in pain.¡± ¡°Y-yes, that was the last thing I can remember.¡± ¡°The guard captain, from whom the cape I gave you came, expected you to turn violent afterwards. But you didn''t. You just fainted after a few minutes, and now you''re talking to me with your mind intact. Normally it should be impossible after touching the dark cloud... Now let me ask... What did you do? Why are you still able to talk to me normally? Why did the cloud get sucked into your body?¡± ¡°I d-d-don''t know.¡± Rina wasn''t lying as she was as clueless as everyone else. After all, it was the first time that she had seen such an ominous cloud. ¡°Haaaaah, okay, fine... After you fainted, I had my guards carry you back to my home to help you recover.¡± ¡°T-thank you, L-Lady Clara.¡± Rina smiled at her and bowed her head. ¡°N-no need to thank me for that. I only did what was expected of a noble.¡± Blushing slightly, the blonde turned away. ¡°H-how long was I unconscious?¡± ¡°Not long, for about twelve hours I would say.¡± ¡°I s-see... once again... t-thank you for saving me. N-not only did you nurse me back, y-you also saved me from the men...¡± At Rina''s words, Clara couldn''t help but feel conflicted, once again. In noble society, it was quite common for family heads to marry off their daughters for the sake of connection and influence as soon as they reached the age when they could bear children. As the daughter of a viscount herself, Clara had been taught a few years ago, what her duties as a nobleman''s wife would entail. So she could understand what those men wanted to do with RIna back then. But for some reason, the thought irritated her so much that she felt her blood boil. She glanced at the red-haired girl''s face, only to instantly look away again. The irritation had disappeared as if it had never been there in the first place. Instead, she could now feel her face heating up. ''I can''t let her go back alone again... But what can I do?'' After a few minutes of silence, Clara nodded at herself as if she was convinced of something, and turned to Rina. With her kindest smile on her face, the blonde held out her hand and asked, ¡°Will you serve me?¡± Chapter 17 - Yes, allow me to be by your side. While Clara was talking to Rina, two men were also having a discussion in the office of Eric Dragonherz, Clara''s father. Looking at how the two were situated, even an outsider would be able to recognize this scene as a conversation between an employer and an employee. ¡°Once again, thank you for escorting my dear daughter back.¡± The employer, and owner of this mansion, who was sitting in a chair behind his work desk, spoke up. ¡°And sorry for the delay. It was already late yesterday when you came back.¡± ¡°No, Lord Eric, I was just doing my job.¡± On the other side of the desk was a man of about the same age as his employer in a knight uniform. Looking at him closely, one could see, that the cape that was usually part of the outfit, was missing. After all, at the behest of his Lady Clara, he had to cut it off to give it to the commoner girl, who was naked at that time. ¡°You''re stiff as usual, Arland. Didn''t I ask you to talk to me as usual, when we''re alone?¡± ¡°Well, then Eric... wasn''t it you who just greeted me politely?¡± The man in knight uniform, Arland, smiled wryly. ¡°Ahem... Well, how is she?¡± Eric coughed and forcefully changed the topic. ¡°The girl has just woken up... Lady Clara is currently talking to her.¡± Arland didn''t mind it and answered his employer''s question. ¡°And how is the state of her mind?¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± The knight brought his right hand to his chin, trying to recall the bits of dialogue he had managed to hear through the door when he had passed the room where the girls were. ¡±As far as I could tell, she seemed to be sane, but also quite confused by her current situation. She stumbled over her own words quite a bit when she spoke the Lady Clara.¡± ¡°Ohhhh! That commoner girl has potential. After all, she was instantly charmed by my cute princess, hahahahaha...¡± ¡°... Stupid doting father... We all know that that''s not the case.¡± ¡°H-hey Arland, you just said it out loud... I''m still practically your boss...¡± At those words, the knight gave a deep bow. ¡°Oh my! Excuse. It was on purpose.¡± ¡°...¡± ¡°...¡± ¡°¡±Pfff...BWAHAHAHA¡±¡± After both had a good laugh for a while, they calmed down and the mood turned more serious. ¡°Now Arland... is what you said yesterday true?¡± ¡°Yes, there is no doubt.¡± Hearing the answer Eric leaned back on his chair and massaged the bridge of his nose with his fingers. ¡°Dark magic, huh?¡± ¡°Yes, I saw her forming a large black magic circle on the ground, when those men were about to attack the young lady.¡± ¡°What happened to them?¡± Eric had been informed the day before that his daughter had almost been attacked by commoners, otherwise, he would probably have exploded in anger. ¡°They were suddenly pulled to the ground and couldn''t move anymore, as if their bodies couldn''t support their weight.¡± ¡°You say she can change people''s weight inside that magic cirlce!?¡± ¡°Not only that. When we stepped into that magic circle, nothing happened to us. Her magic only affected those men.¡± ¡°So that means that either she can precisely pinpoint the targets of her area of effect spells or...¡± ¡°...or the magic seal she placed on the floor was only to activate the seals on their bodies she had placed before when they had groped her.¡± Arland finished the sentence that Eric began. ¡°Either way... she must be a genius to cast such spells...¡± ¡°What should we do?¡± ¡°Hmm... I''m thinking of offering that girl to Duke Lumi¨¦re in exchange for an engagement between his eldest son and Clara. They do collect people with a magic talent after all...¡± You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. ¡°The young Lady will be crestfallen by that. Have you already forgotten that she ran away because of that yesterday? Not only that, the young Lady seems to have taken quite a liking to that commoner girl.¡± ¡°...¡± ¡°Eric... I have a suggestion.¡± ¡°Hmm? Let me hear it.¡± The viscount perked up his ears. ¡°How about making her Lady Clara''s servant and bodyguard?¡± ¡°...¡± Eric''s eyes widened at those words. ¡°If we train her, she could become very strong... at least strong enough to protect the young lady during the demon invasion. After all, she has already protected Lady Clara twice...Then you won''t have to marry your daughter off against her will for her happiness.¡± ¡°...¡± ¡°And don''t forget, you wouldn''t have to give up Lord Rick''s way of life.¡± ¡°That''s enough Arland. What is going on with you? You seem to be quite in favour of that girl. That''s unusual for you. So... why?¡± After some hesitation, the knight answered the question. ¡°That girl, she looks much younger than Lady Clara, but still, she didn''t even show any fear when she was about to be raped.¡± ¡°Maybe she just didn''t know what was about to happen to her?¡± Arland shook his head. ¡°No... when the young lady intervened, the girl had shouted that those lowlifes were about to do terrible things, so Lady Clara had to run away as quickly as possible.¡± ¡°I see...¡± ¡°And when I later looked into her eyes, they didn''t reflect any fear or panic or whatsoever at all. Those eyes are usually on people that had seen the pits of hell. They said that she would never despair, no matter what. I can''t imagine what had happened to her still young life, but I think a person with that mindset around Lady Clara will be very valuable in the future.¡± ¡°...¡± ¡°... and I don''t want to imagine what the Lumi¨¦res would do to such a strong-willed girl like her. They are known for their sadistic and perv...¡± ¡°That''s enough!... Arland, don''t talk like that about a ducal family, that even holds the prime Minister''s seat... I don''t want to see you hanged for this if they hear you.¡± ¡°Excuse me.¡± The knight bowed deeply once again, this time more sincerely. ¡°... I understand your standpoint... let me think about it. At a later point, I''ll talk to her myself later and decide afterwards... You can go for now.¡± ¡°Alright, see you later.¡± *Clack* As soon as Arland had left the room, Eric relaxed in his chair. On the one hand, he wanted to live out his family''s credo and follow the rule of noblesse oblige... those who have power and strength should use it and take responsibility for those who don''t. On the other hand, as the head of a traditional aristocratic house, he had to protect his subjects, his family, and first and foremost his beloved daughter... even if she ended up hating him. Unable to find an answer, he looked up to the ceiling, or rather through the ceiling, to the heavens where the soul of his idol and hero rested. ¡°What should I do, Father?¡± *** ¡°Will you serve me?¡± ¡°...¡± ¡°I want you to be my personal maid, helping me in my daily life. Then, in a few years, I want you to accompany me to the Royal Knight Academy and assist me there.¡± ¡°...¡± ¡°In return, I offer you, besides a maid''s salary, a place to sleep, an education that is usually reserved for nobles, and my protection from any danger. Incidents like that from yesterday will never happen to you again. And I promise that I will never mistreat you.¡± ¡°...¡± ¡°So, what do you say? I think it''s a good offer for you.¡± At first, Rina was doubtful, as the offer was too good to be true. After all, in both lives combined, especially with yesterday''s events, she had gathered more than enough experience of getting into ''too-good-to-be-true'' situations and getting hurt by them as a result. But didn''t she already decide that she wouldn''t mind getting hurt, abused, or whatsoever anymore? After all, she was about to let those men do whatever they wanted. So why not direct that attitude towards the cute, blonde girl instead? That way she could even be at the girl''s side, something that she had never experienced, even in her previous life. Wasn''t this the epitome of a win-win- situation? When Rina looked up at Clara, she was met with a gentle smile, crystal-clear, blue eyes, that brimmed with honesty, and an outstretched hand as if to signal to her to take it. ¡°An angel...¡± Rina muttered unconsciously. The fact that Clara was standing between her and the window, through which the morning sun was shining, created the illusion that Clara had just descended from heaven to reach out to her. Especially when her blonde hair reflected the sunlight, giving the impression that she was embraced by a holy hue. Thinking back to the day before, it was Clara who had appeared out of nowhere and saved Rina from being raped. Although it was bearable, Rina did feel disgusted by the hands that were groping her body at that time. No, that was putting it too lightly. Back then, she had to be careful not to throw up every time one of those men''s fingers crawled across her skin. Wouldn''t that mean that only hell awaited her, once those men entered her? Was it really possible for her to endure that? Maybe. Maybe not. In the end, she was glad, that she didn''t have to find that out. So she was very grateful to the noble girl. And now, the girl had stretched out her hand and asked Rina to serve her. Looking at the blonde and her angel-like illusion, Rina could feel her face heating up. Of course, she knew what it meant. ''I''m already in love with her, aren''t I?'' She was too familiar with this situation. In her previous life, there were several girls at school who had directed their goodwill at her. When Rina had dropped a pen once, the girl sitting next to her picked it up for her... When she was carrying a heavy trash bin, a girl passing by offered to help her lift it... When she was on class duty and had to clean the classroom, a girl who was also on duty helped her... When she was talked to by a girl... When she was smiled at by a girl... Every time, without any exception, Rina fell in love with them, imagined being together with them, got hurt when she realised that there was no way her fantasies would come true, and cried herself into sleep. She hated that she was able to fall for multiple girls at once. She hated that she could fall in love so easily. She hated how cheap she was. She hated that she was so starving for love. That''s why she had distanced herself from all the girls in her past life. To protect herself from getting disappointed, from getting hurt, and from despairing that no one had ever returned her feelings. This time, too. Rina was already in love with the girl called Clara. Isn''t everything repeating itself again? No. Things had changed. Rina''s mindset had changed. She no longer wished for her feelings to be reciprocated. So this time, she wouldn''t run away from girls anymore. Instead, she wanted to see the girls she had fallen in love with to be happy. So Rina looked back at Clara... and grabbed the outstretched hand that was patiently waiting. ¡°Yes, allow me to be by your side.¡± Chapter 18 - Interlude 2 - The birth of The Voice ¡°Hmm ?, hmm ?, hmm ?¡± After leaving the room Rina was resting in, Clara skipped to her room, while humming happily to herself. Although it took her a moment to recover from the initial surprise, caused by Rina''s ambiguous words, she was very pleased that the younger girl would be her personal maid from now on. ¡°Oh my~ Clara, my dear... you seem to be in a good mood.¡± ¡°Ah, yes greetings Mother. I actually am!¡± The person who just talked to Clara, was her mother, Lauren Dragonherz. Looking at her it seemed clear why Clara was already over 140cm tall at the age of ten, because Lauren''s height was well over 170cm, which was quite unusual for women. Like Clara, or rather the other way round, Lauren had blonde, waist-length, curly hair. It was obvious to those around them, that Clara adored her mother and thus wanted to copy her appearance. Even though Lauren was already in her mid-twenties, due to her youthful look, if both of them stood side by side, one couldn''t be sure whether they were sisters or mother and daughter. ¡°Does that mean that Eric has decided to drop his idea of the engagement?¡± ¡°Mother, I don''t know anyone with that name. Who is that?¡± Unfortunately, Clara''s good mood was ruined when her mother mentioned her father. ¡°Haaaah, Clara, dear, you shouldn''t be too hard on him... well, enough about that. So? Why are you in such a good mood?¡± The girl''s face frowned at that question. ¡°Mother, you mean ''Why ''were'' you in such a good mood?'', don''t you?¡± ¡°Haaah.¡± Lauren sighed loudly again. ¡°Let''s go with that. So?¡± ¡°Do you remember the red-haired girl I mentioned yesterday? I asked her to be my personal maid and she accepted!¡± Clara smiled brightly, forgetting that she was supposed to be in sour mood moments ago. ¡°Have you already talked to Eric about this ?¡± ¡°...¡± Now the young girl suddenly remembered her sour mood again. ¡°No.¡± ¡°Dear... you can''t just decide such things without your father, didn''t I teach you that?¡± Lauren looked sternly at her daughter, who flinched slightly. ¡°B-but he doesn''t think about my wishes at all. In the end, he will just ignore them.¡± ¡°Clara! You will go to your father''s office and talk to him about this matter!¡± This time her facial expression was much more severe than before. In the past, every time she looked at her daughter like that, Clara would become obedient. This time, however, to her surprise, Clara didn''t follow her order at all. She just stood there motionlessly and looked at the ground. Seeing for the first time, that her usual approach to her princess'' stubbornness wasn''t working, Lauren crouched down, so that she and Clara were at the same eye level. Then she put her hands on her daughter''s shoulders and looked her in the eyes. ¡°Dear... Let''s go to your father''s office and tell him about your wish. I will accompany you. If your reasoning is right, he will undoubtedly grant your wish. And if he doesn''t, then I''ll help you to convince him, is that okay?¡± After thinking for a bit, Clara looked up at her mother and nodded. Then they both walked towards Eric''s office. Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. ''Knock* *Knock* ¡°Enter.¡± Hearing Eric''s voice, mother and daughter opened the door and entered the office. Upon seeing them, Eric''s face morphed into a wide smile. ¡°Oh, welcome both of you. It''s unusual for you to come here together!¡± He walked over to his wife and gave her a light peck on her lips. Then, when he moved to hug his daughter, he was met with a cold shoulder. ¡°Hmpf...¡± The girl in question turned her grumpy face away, showing her father, that she was still mad at him. ¡°Oh, my~... Clara, is this how you treat someone from whom you want a favour?¡± ¡°...¡± ¡°Ah, it''s fine, Lauren. I probably deserve it for forcing my will on her.¡± The head of the family walked back to the chair behind his word desk and sat down. ¡°So? Even though I say I deserved it... If this is about the engagement, I won''t change my mind.¡± Only after a few seconds of hesitation, Clara finally faced her father and spoke up. ¡°What is your plan with Rina?¡± ¡°Hmm? Rina?¡± Eric was slightly confused at first but soon started to connect the dots. ¡°Ahh... you mean that commoner girl.¡± Clara nodded. ¡°First of all, do you know what that girl is capable of? Arland has told me about it. He saw that girl forming black magic circles... she can use Dark magic.¡± Clara clenched her fists at those words. She already suspected that Rina could use Dark magic. After all, she had seen it in front of her eyes. A large black magic circle had appeared under the feet of the men, who were about to attack her. Not even that. The seal had even pulled those men to the ground, something she had never heard that magic could do. From that moment on, Clara knew that Rina was someone special who could cast very powerful magic. But that was exactly why, she had hidden Rina''s magic affinity from her father, hoping that neither Arland nor the rest of her guards, who were present at that time had noticed it. But unfortunately, they did. They even reported it to her father. ¡°That fact alone makes that girl special. But not only that... according to Arland, she even touched the demon-spawning cloud while staying sane and completely dispersed it. I have never heard that such a feat is possible¡± ¡°But Rina said, she doesn''t know how she did it!¡± ¡°Even so! With the current situation, all nobles would be eager to get their hands on her.¡± Eric quickly countered Clara''s words and continued, ¡°I will offer that girl to Duke Lumi¨¦re in exchange for him accepting our engagement proposal.¡± ¡°You mean your proposal!¡± Clara glared at her father with teary eyes. ¡°That decision is final! I will not accept any disagreement!¡± Clara was aware, that her father wanted to connect with the powerful Ducal Lumi¨¦re family. The reason for this was that the Lumi¨¦re family had built up a considerable private army in the years since King Thor''s abdication. In the entire Valkyria Kingdom, they were the most famous for collecting commoners with magical talents... to train and use as pawns in the demon invasion. Thus, their survival chance was considered to be among the highest. So, for several months, her father had been begging them to accept his proposal of engagement between Clara and Lumi¨¨re''s first-born son. Fortunately for Clara, they had always refused, seeing no reason to do otherwise. But things might change in the future. It does not take a genius to predict Eric''s next steps. Of course, now that he had a child with a powerful Dark magic affinity in his hands, he would propose the engagement once more. This time, with said child, Rina, on the negotiation table, the Lumi¨¨res would surely accept. Thinking about this, Clara felt tears welling up in her eyes, as that would be the worst possible outcome for her. After all, she did neither want to marry into the Lumi¨¦re family, which she hated to the core nor did she want to give away the girl she was so fond of. Seeing no way to persuade her father, she turned to her mother for help, who just shook her head in silence. This only meant that Clara had to come up with a solution on her own, one that would produce the best results for her. So, for herself and the girl with the red hair and bright, red eyes, she suppressed her tears, clenched her fist even tighter and racked up her brain to think of a way to convince her father to abandon his initial plans and to accept Rina as her servant. After all, didn''t she promise Rina that she would protect her? Who knows, what the Lumi¨¦res, who were also known for their perverted and sadistic nature, would do to a cute girl like Rina? Clara closed her eyes and took a deep breath to think. Seeing this, Eric felt proud of his little girl''s growth, as he had expected her to throw a tantrum. Now his daughter was trying to calm herself down to think of convincing arguments. But unfortunately, he had made his decision. He had to protect his family, especially his daughter, even if he would be scorned by them in the end. Nevertheless, he waited patiently until his daughter finished thinking. After a while, when she had probably found a way to persuade him, she opened her eyes and looked at him. Even Eric, a seasoned noble and politician (all nobles could be seen as politicians), who was very used to the social antics and tricks of aristocrats, couldn''t help but shudder under Clara''s gaze. The charisma and pressure she emitted, was not something a normal ten-year-old girl could do. At that time, he couldn''t possibly know, that he just witnessed the first baby steps of a being, who would be feared and avoided by the enemies, and admired and loved by the allies as ''The Voice'' later on. Chapter 19 - Have I done something strange? *Knock* *Knock* ¡°Rina? Are you already awake?¡± ¡°Lady Clara? Yes, I''m awake. Please wait a moment, I''ll open the door.¡± With that Rina was about to jump out of the bed and head for the door, but was stopped by the voice on the other side. ¡°No need. Coming in.¡± The door opened and the girl with the blonde, curly hair entered the room. ¡°Good morning Rina, did you sleep well?¡± ¡°Good morning Lady Clara, yes, thank you.¡± ¡°Does your body still hurt?¡± At the question, Rina stood up and moved her body to check whether her body was still sore from touching the dark cloud four days ago. ¡°No Lady Clara, the pain is almost gone. Once again, thank you for your help. From now on I will serve you as best as I can!¡± Rina bowed to Clara and pumped her fists in determination. ¡°Good to hear.¡± The blonde gestured to the maids who then promptly pushed a cart with food inside into the room and left it afterwards again. ¡°Well then, let''s eat breakfast together. Please get ready, Rina, in the meantime I''ll set the table.¡± The day after Rina had touched the black cloud, she had agreed to become Clara''s maid and assistant, so she was reluctant at first to let her master prepare the table. But as she was still recovering, Clara insisted on doing it instead, so Rina didn''t say anything further. Since then, Clara visited the red-haired girl every day and they had all their meals together. After Rina had finished washing herself up, she walked over to the prepared table, sat down across from Clara, and enjoyed her breakfast with her. Usually, it was unheard of for a commoner and a noble to eat together at the same table. Even Rina, who had never had any contact with aristocrats before, knew that. But since the blonde had visited her practically every day over the last three days, they had spent about ninety percent of their time together, apart from sleeping, of course. From an outsider''s point of view, these girls already seemed to be like friends (although it would still take a while for Rina to agree with that). So, at Clara''s behest, Rina didn''t mind their difference in social standings when they were alone. Of course, in the presence of others, she still had to behave like a maid. What that entailed she would learn later. When they had both finished eating, Clara spoke up. ¡°Rina, are you nervous?¡± Of course, they didn''t spend their time together in silence. During Clara''s visits, Rina had told Clara everything about herself, well except for the fact that she was reincarnated and capable of casting Dark magic. She had told her about how she had lived in an orphanage until the age of four, how she had left it to protect herself from harm, how she had lived alone in the house of her deceased parents afterwards, how she had left the village of Mousa and how she had met the men who were going to rape her when Clara appeared. On the other hand, Clara had also disclosed her information to Rina. After all, at that time, she was hell-bent on keeping the redhead on her side for as long as possible. Was there any better method, than to tell the other party about herself, too? So she had explained to Rina how she admired her grandfather, how her family had been demoted as a result of the failed hero summoning ritual, and how her father wanted her to marry into the Lumi¨¦re family. When she had mentioned the last point, Clara could have sworn she saw the younger girl''s face twitch for a split second, but she quickly dismissed it as a hallucination. Surely it was just her hopeful mind playing a trick on her! Anyway, for her father to accept Rina as her maid, she had agreed to certain terms during her negotiation with him on the first day after Rina was brought to the mansion. One of those terms was that her father wanted to talk to Rina first. Though, he hadn''t told his daughter, what this ''talk'' would entail. Clara feared that the girl in front of her, who didn''t seem to be used to nobles, was nervous about talking to Eric today. Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. But contrary to her concern, Rina shook her head and smiled. ¡°No, I''m not nervous, Lady Clara.¡± ¡°I see. Well, it''s not like he''s going to bite you.¡± The blonde hesitated for a few seconds before continuing. ¡°I''ve already talked to him... so I''m pretty sure that he will accept you as my maid as long as you''re yourself, but still...¡± She looked at Rina with serious eyes. ¡°... please answer my father''s questions honestly later.¡± Seeing the gentle Clara with those eyes, Rina couldn''t help but feel a little complicated. She still didn''t know whether she should tell them about her Dark magic affinity or not. Even though she had told herself over and over again, that she wouldn''t hope or expect her love for Clara to bear fruit, she was still afraid of being discarded, especially when she had become so attached to the blonde over the past few days. So all she could do was nod weakly with her eyes downcast at the words of her would-be master. Unaware of Rina''s inner turmoil ¨C Clara just took the weak nod as confirmation ¨C she continued, ¡°And also, I''m sorry for the other condition.¡± The blonde''s words, however, made Rina look at her again. ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°I''ve promised you that I would protect, but...¡± ¡°Ah no, it''s fine Lady Clara.¡± Rina shook her head and waved her hands frantically in front of her. ¡°Please don''t mind it. In fact, I''m quite happy with that condition.¡± Another term for Clara''s father to accept Rina as a maid was for her to learn how to protect her mistress from harm, especially with the impending demon invasion. Although it seemed to her that the blonde was rather unhappy with that, considering that Clara had promised the other way around, Rina welcomed it. After all, her original goal in going to the capital was to learn weapon masteries to be useful during the invasion. And now, the opportunity for that had presented itself. ¡°I see, now then, I''ll come back in half an hour to fetch you. Then we''ll go to Father''s office, is that all right with you?¡± After receiving a nod from Rina, Clara left the room. *** As the blonde had announced, exactly thirty minutes later Clara came to the guest room where Rina had been staying over the last few days and they both went to Eric''s study. After knocking on the door, a voice from the other side told them to come in, so they did. Upon entering the office Rina saw a blonde man in his mid to late twenties sitting in a chair behind a desk and a blonde woman of about the same age, Clara''s mother, standing next to him. *Clack* Hearing the door close behind her, Rina turned around to see a man in a knight uniform standing behind them. On a closer look, she recognised him as the one who had given Clara the cape to cover her four days ago. Apparently, he was some sort of captain of the Dragonherz'' private army. Rina couldn''t help but chuckle inside her head at the scene in front of her as it seemed to be very similar to a hiring process of a company in her former life. Well, that thought wasn''t wrong though as it was technically a hiring process. So, under the mustering glare of the blonde man who was Clara''s father, Rina stepped forward, grabbed the hem of the skirt of the dress Clara had lent her, pulled it up slightly, and bowed deeply. ¡°I am grateful for the opportunity to meet Viscount Dragonherz. My name is Rina. Please forgive me that I can''t tell you my surname as both of my parents were commoners.¡± At the sight of Rina''s actions Clara nearly opened her mouth in shock. At first, she had intended to teach the red-haired girl noble manners and etiquette when she had learned that her father wanted to talk to Rina. After all, first impressions on manners and graceful movements were very important to aristocrats, including her father. But she had changed her mind, as it had taken her years of practice to reach her level of noble etiquette, so it was impossible to drill its basics into a girl, who had previously lived on the streets in just three days. And now said girl had performed a greeting expected from a noblewoman. It was clear to Clara that Rina had copied her movements when she had introduced herself three days ago. But was it possible to recreate it, just by seeing it once? Not to mention, it all happened while Rina was being glared at by an intimidating noble like her father. She herself would even flinch under such pressure. Nevertheless, Clara was very pleased with the positive surprise. Meanwhile, Eric''s mind wasn''t in an any better shape than that of his daughter''s. He had not expected the greeting and did not know how to react to a commoner introducing herself like a noblewoman who had the noble etiquette down to the T. She spoke in a soft voice as if she was singing a lullaby, her bow was deep enough to show that she was of a much lower status than the other party, her bright-red and crystal-clear eyes showed that she was not to be underestimated, and her gestures were without any wasted movements. In his eyes, the girl, no, the child in front of him carried out everything perfectly. All that resulted in him staring at the girl unconsciously until his wife next to him pulled him out of his daze. ¡°Dear, I know what is happening to you right now. I''m also quite surprised, but can we move on? Your gaze can still be intimidating after all.¡± ¡°Eh? Ah! *cough* Yes, of course. I don''t know what just happened.¡± Hearing such an answer from her father, which was quite usual for him, Clara couldn''t help but chuckle slightly. Seeing how the family reacted, Rina could only look up and tilt her head in confusion. The blonde man, who had been staring at her, was somehow scolded by his wife, which prompted Clara to chuckle. When she turned around, she saw the knight with his mouth wide open as if he was waiting for birds to build a nest in it. It didn''t seem that he would close it soon. Why? ''Have I done something strange?'' Chapter 20 - Is there anything else we need to know? ''Have I done something strange?'' Seeing how the entire Dragonherz family reacted, Rina could feel sweat forming on her forehead. She knew from the few job interviews she had visited in her previous life that first impressions are very important. Of course, she couldn''t just apply the rules of general etiquette from her former life here. Fortunately (?) Rina had been a loner on Earth. That was why she had developed the habit of observing people''s gestures in every possible detail and became very good at it. So she had used that skill, memorising Clara''s every move and practising it as much as she could when the blonde was not with her. It certainly helped that Clara was proud of being a noblewoman and, thus, had already perfected the manners expected of a noblewoman. But now, seeing the couple''s strange behaviour, Rina thought that her introduction copying Clara was a mistake. So, just as she was about to bow her head in apology, Clara''s father suddenly cleared his throat after being scolded by his wife and spoke up. ¡°Excuse me for the display earlier. As you''ve already said, I am Viscount Eric Dragonherz. Next to me is my dear wife Lauren Dragonherz. You already know my daughter... behind you is our guard captain Arland.¡± ¡°Thank you for the introduction Viscount Dragonherz,¡± Rina repeated her gesture of grabbing the hem of the dress and bowing. ¡°... You seem to have already mastered the manners necessary to serve an aristocratic house. I''m not one to brag, but were it not for my daughter, you would be the child with the most graceful movements I''ve ever met so far. You have my compliments.¡± Ignoring Clara, who was smugly puffing out her chest at his praise, Eric smiled at Rina. ¡°Your parents have taught you well.¡± He had expected the red-haired girl to be bashful, or at least to smile at his praise. After all, not every commoner had the chance to be complimented by a viscount. But the reaction he received instead shocked him so much that his brain stopped working for a moment. Tears dripped down Rina''s face for the first time since her rebirth in this world. Seeing that Clara first panicked and then angrily turned to her father. ¡°F-Father! She is an orphan.¡± ¡°... I didn''t know that.¡± Eric didn''t know how to react to that, which earned him a reproachful glare from his wife next to him ¡°Dear... I don''t think this is the right reaction after hurting a child.¡± Fortunately for Rina, the Dragonherz family had mistaken her tears for those of grief for having no parents after Eric had mentioned them. In fact, Rina herself didn''t even know why she was crying. Perhaps these were the famous tears of joy that Rina had heard about in her past life? After all, in front of her were people, even though they were still strangers, who had seen the effort Rina had put in to achieve something. It had never happened before. Even in both lives combined, she had never ever been praised for anything she had done. It was even the opposite. In her previous life, every time she did or tried to do something, people got angry with her. When she brought snacks and tea to her father in order to help him relax... ¡°Who asked you to that? Damn, now my day is ruined after seeing your ugly face.¡±... she was kicked and punched out of the room. When she reported to her parents that she had graduated from high school as the top student in her year... ¡°Did you take all the intelligence from Nina when you were both in the foetus? You shouldn''t have existed in the first place.¡±... she was only met with disdain. In the later years, when Rina gave her twin a hand-knitted scarf... ¡°What do you want me to do with this shit?¡± ¡­ it was torn up and dumped into the trash bin instead. At work, when she put in extra hours to exceed her targets... ¡°Oh, nice. Then can you help me with this project, too? On second thought, you can do this alone... see you later!¡± ¡­ her colleagues only gave her more to do. Even in her new life, during her time in the orphanage, when she had given away her share of food to the other starving kids... ¡°Those eyes and hair are disgusting!¡±... she was bullied and isolated in return. Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. So it was the first time she had ever been complimented. It was not that she wanted to be praised or the like for her action. No, she had already discarded the hope and expectation to get something since her rebirth. All Rina wanted, was to prove to herself that she existed and that the pain and horror she had gone through in her past life was not for naught. Over the last few days, Rina had found it hard to process what was happening, with Clara''s goodwill suddenly directed at her. In the end, she just chalked it up to ''good luck'' and the fact that Clara was an especially nice and kind girl, who helped Rina in her time of need. All of that already made Rina unbelievingly happy. But now, with the sudden praise from Eric, and with Clara and Lauren chastising Eric for seemingly hurting her, her emotions exploded, causing her to cry. She had never felt anything so warm and fuzzy before. ¡°R-Rina, please stop crying, my father didn''t know about your situation.¡± Clara took out a handkerchief and wiped away Rina''s tears. Afterwards she led the crying girl to a chair and sat her down. Only when the tears had finally stopped after five minutes, Rina got up from her seat and bowed to the people around her. ¡°I apologise for my unsightly behaviour earlier. I hope you can overlook it and forgive me.¡± At first, even after Rina had calmed down, Eric wanted to comfort her and postpone the talks. She was still a seven-year-old child, after all. He couldn''t imagine the sadness a child must feel after being forced to remember her dead parents. But after her words, he discarded his idea. It would be unbecoming of him to wave off the girl''s determination and maybe even hurt her pride in the process. ¡°Alright, I won''t mind it... Then, shall we begin our talks?¡± Receiving a nod of confirmation from Rina, all of those who were still standing except for Arland (Lauren, Clara, and RIna) took their seats. Eric then asked Rina all sorts of questions about her life up to the present day, all of which she answered truthfully. Luckily, none of his questions were about magic, so Rina didn''t even have to lie. To her surprise, the Q&A session even went very smoothly. It seemed that her crying earlier had a very considerable impact on Eric. ¡°Fine, I''m willing to let you work as my daughter''s maid... but I have one condition,¡± he spoke up when he had finished asking. ¡°Father! That''s not what we have agreed on!¡± Instead of Rina, Clara complained to her father, jumping out of her seat. ¡°You didn''t mention any more conditions!¡± ¡°Of course, after all, I just came up with it.¡± ¡°Then you''re breaking our deal!¡± ¡°Clara! I''m talking to the girl right now. Don''t. Interrupt.¡± Under her father''s intense gaze, Clara flinched and sat back down in silence. ¡°What is your condition, Viscount Dragonherz?¡± ¡°I will employ you, for now. But I want you and Clara to take a test together in two years when Clara is twelve and you are nine. If you fail, you will be let go.¡± Eric had shot a glare at his daughter before she could interfere again, so Rina asked the question both girls had on their minds instead. ¡°What kind of test will it be?¡± ¡°It will be a test to see if you can work together to solve problems. That''s all I can say for now.¡± At these words, Rina glanced at Clara, who nodded her head in return. Afterwards she faced Eric again and answered, ¡°I would like to agree to your terms.¡± ''Hooooh? She wasn''t sure how to react, so she confided it with her future mistress first. Not bad.'' Eric was, once again, impressed by Rina''s actions. With a satisfied look on his face, he took a sheet of paper out of his desk drawer and handed it to Rina. ¡°This is the contract. Sign it if the conditions are fine for you.¡± Normally, he wouldn''t give a seven-year-old a contract to read, because they usually - who would have thought - couldn''t read. However, during their conversation, Rina mentioned that she had read many books to learn about the world when she was younger. Eric suspected that Rina might be even more intelligent than his cute princess, but immediately shook the thought out of his head. Impossible things were impossible after all! Rina took the paper, checked it, signed it with the quill on the desk, and gave the contract back to her new employer. ¡°I have received it.¡± Accepting the signed contract, he smiled at the girl and held out his hand. ¡°Please take care of my daughter in the future. Also, call me Eric from now on.¡± Shaking Eric''s hand, Rina smiled back at him. ¡°Yes, Master Eric, I will also be in your care from now on.¡± She decided that it would be appropriate to call her employer as ''Master'' instead of his title. And indeed, a nod from the person in question confirmed her thought. ¡°Your sword training will begin next week. Arland, the man behind you will be your instructor. As for your maid training... let''s see... I will assign you a teacher in the next few days.¡± ¡°Thank you very much.¡± ¡°Hmm... Your etiquette and manners already seem to be passable for a maid, but I think it''s a good idea to have someone oversee it first.¡± He conveniently ignored the muttering of his wife next to him, which sounded like, ¡°Passable he says... if that was passable, then 99% of the nobles'' manners are catastrophic at best¡± ¡°Yes, Master Eric. To be honest, I think I also need a teacher for that front, as I only copied Lady Clara''s behaviour. I don''t think, it is sufficient that I wouldn''t embarrass her in the future.¡± Rina, not hearing Lauren''s words, agreed to Eric''s assessment. ¡°Ohh! I see! That''s why all of your movements seem to be so graceful, after all, you had a perfect example right in front of you to observe!¡± Eric nodded in satisfaction. At that reaction, Lauren and Arland had the same thought. ''Stupid doting father.'' Now that the conversation seemed to be over, Rina was visibly relieved that the subject of magic hadn''t come up. After all, there was no way that she could hide her affinity for Dark magic from them, her benefactors. On the other hand, she had no way of knowing how they would react if they knew she could cast dark magic. So, in the end, this was the possible outcome for her. However, as if to mock her thoughts, Eric sharpened his eyes and looked at the red-haired girl before she left the room. ¡°I have one last question.¡± ¡°Yes?¡± Suddenly Rina had a bad feeling creeping up her spine. ¡°Is there anything else we need to know?¡± Chapter 21 - I wonder how theyre doing. ¡°Is there still anything we have to know?¡± Rina looked at Eric, who had asked the question. His blue eyes emitted an eerie feeling, that seemed to say ¡°No lies are allowed.¡± But what would happen if she lied either way? After all, they both had already signed the contract. At least for the next two years, she would have a place to live and be by the side of the person she loved. Secretly, Rina glanced at the blonde girl sitting next to her. But if she answered with the truth and told them about her Dark magic affinity, wouldn''t she be risking those two years? After all, who would care about her signed contracts if she was to be branded as a demon or worse? She shook her head to clear her thoughts. ''No! Didn''t I decide that Clara''s happiness comes first? Why am I thinking of myself again? It would be terrible if something happened to her because I hid my abilities from her and her parents... But wait, why didn''t he ask me this question before we signed the contract?'' She looked at Eric again, and as soon as her eyes met his, Rina got her answer. His accepting her as a maid for two years was his sign of trust. Trust that had to be repaid with trust on her part. If not, probably even if Clara and she passed their test in two years, Rina would probably still be dismissed. Apart from that, Rina was also quite sure, that Clara''s opinion on this matter played an important role. Otherwise, she couldn''t understand why a loving father like Eric would accept a random commoner girl to be his daughter''s maid. ''But... loving father, huh?'' For a split second, another blonde man who never treated Rina like a daughter came to her mind. A man, who had always punched, kicked, and insulted her on sight. Again, she shook her head to get her last thought from her mind and to concentrate on the matter at hand. She had to answer Eric''s question honestly. He had put his trust in her, so it was now her turn to repay it. With no other choice, the red-haired girl spoke up, ¡°Yes, there is actually something you need to know, but at first...¡± Rina glanced visibly towards Arland. ¡°... would you please make sure that nothing leaves this room?¡± Understanding the meaning of the girl''s words, Eric replied, ¡°Nothing spoken here will ever leave this room. In the name of Dragonherz, I will guarantee you that. Arland is loyal to me and me alone, you don''t need to worry about him.¡± Convinced by his words, Rina warned those around her, ¡°Please don''t be surprised, I''m going to use magic now,¡± and formed a black magic circle on her palm to pull the quill on the table to her hand. ¡°As you can see, I can use the Dark element.¡± Then she closed her eyes tightly and clenched her free hand as if to prepare herself for the worst and waited for a reaction. One second passed. Five. Ten. Only after what seemed like an eternity, but in reality, was only about 15 seconds, Rina slowly opened her eyes, to see two confused faces and a shocked one looking back at her. The mother-daughter pair were the confused ones, while the father was the latter. Seeing them like this, Rina timidly opened her mouth. ¡°I-Is there a problem??¡± Eric was the first one to return his facial expression to normal. ¡°What did you just do?¡± ''Didn''t Arland say that she could change the weight of things? And what about the chant?'' He then looked at the guard captain standing at the door, who also seemed to be confused. He turned his gaze back to the red-haired girl, who replied nervously, ¡°L-like I said, I used the Dark element.¡± ¡°Yes, I could see the black magic seal you formed, but what did you do? Why was the quill floating towards you?¡± Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. Before Rina could answer, Lauren interfered with the conversation in a stern, but gentle tone, ¡°Dear, don''t you think it''s inappropriate to ask about her magic secrets?¡± ¡°She will be Clara''s servant, of course, we have to know exactly what she is capable of.¡± ¡°No, you''re wrong, she will be Clara''s servant for only two years, for now.¡± Eric had no response to his wife''s words. After all, for magic users, their magic abilities were their lifeline in dangerous situations. Only those who were bound to each other for life, or trusted each other completely, would reveal the full extent of their magic abilities. What he had just done was to ask a girl, who was currently contracted to the Dragonherz family only for two years, to tell them what she was capable of. To make matters worse, the girl in question seemed to be clueless about the norm and even wanted to answer his question. If his wife hadn''t stopped him, the child might have endangered herself gravely by revealing her secrets to still strangers. In fact, when he had asked her, if there was anything she wanted them to know, he had only expected her to say that she had an affinity for Dark magic. He had never thought that she would even demonstrate her power, even if it wasn''t to its full extent. It was as if he had just tricked a small, unsuspecting girl, who was younger than his child. Feeling ashamed, he calmed down and faced the currently confused girl, ¡°I''m sorry, what I just did was unbecoming of me. I hope you can forgive me.¡± ¡°Eh? N-no, I don''t mind it,¡± were all the words Rina managed to say. She didn''t even have the brain capacity to realise how rare it was for a noble to apologise to a commoner, as she currently couldn''t understand the world around her anymore. At first, she had prepared herself for the worst, such as being kicked out, imprisoned, or even killed on the spot, when she showed her Dark magic. But nothing the like happened. Instead, Eric wanted the details of her power, and when she was about to answer, his wife interfered. And now Eric was apologising for some faux pas she didn''t know about. ¡°Hahaha, you seem to get confused very easily. Is it the already the second or the third time already?¡± Eric said in a good mood, when he saw the state Rina was in. Even though she didn''t know about the norm, the girl in front of him was still willing to share her information. It was clear to him, that she was afraid of isolation if people knew about her abnormality. Besides, although she seemed to be very wise for her age, she still lacked general knowledge. So it was possible to teach it to her, which would undoubtedly end in her being loyal to Clara and the Dragonherz family. Someone like her would become very powerful in the future, so his daughter would be safe with Rina by her side. Meanwhile, the girl in question blushed at Eric''s words. After all, everyone would react like that if they were seen through and had their feelings pointed out. Rina was no exception. Luckily for her, Lauren came to her rescue once again. ¡°Dear, I never knew that you were such an S. I''m slightly disappointed.¡± ¡°W-w-w-what do you mean?¡± Eric''s good mood was now replaced by panic. ¡°Well, you seem to like putting this poor girl in your shame play.¡± ¡°HAAAAAAAAAAH!? Sh-shame play, you say? Don''t say things like that in front of children!¡± ¡°Then how do you explain your behaviour towards her? First, you leered at her like a pervert when she introduced herself, then you questioned her about her deepest secrets, and now laugh at her, telling her how you can read her like an open book. I don''t have to tell you how embarrassing it could be, do I?¡± Lauren smiled sweetly at him, but her eyes didn''t match her smile at all. So with sweat running down his forehead, Eric backed away a little. ¡°D-don''t say such scandalous things! A-and for the last one, I didn''t say it like that!¡± ¡°Nothing but excuses. If you read between the lines, that was exactly what you said... You laughed at her, saying she was easy to read.¡± At Lauren''s words, both Clara and Rina nodded their heads vehemently, as if they couldn''t agree more. ¡°Besides, how many times have I told you that you need more tact towards young ladies? ...¡± While Lauren was scolding Eric, Clara approached the red-haired girl, brought her face close to Rina''s ear, and whispered, ¡°It''s a good sign, that my parents are...¡± However, before she could even finish her sentence... ¡°KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!¡± ¡­ the girl who was whispered to, Rina, jumped up squealing in surprise like there was no tomorrow, and looked at the girl who had caused it, dumbfounded. Then, a split second later, her face turned bright red matching her hair colour and she stammered, ¡°W-w-w-w-w-w-what?!?¡± In her defence, Rina was already aware of her feelings for Clara. Combine it with the fact that said girl had just breathed (whispered) in her obviously sensitive ears, it was a natural reaction. Perhaps. Unfortunately for Rina, her loud squeal had interrupted the Dragonherz couple in whatever they were doing, so the attention of the entire room was focused on her. Fortunately, Clara''s mother, Lauren, now also known as Rina''s saviour, once again, deflected the awkward situation. ¡°This father-daughter pair... you two have joined forces to embarrass this poor girl at all costs, haven''t you?¡± ¡°N-no, Mother! P-please, wait. It wasn''t my intention!¡± Clara desperately denied her mother''s claim, in vain. ¡°No. Excuses.¡± With that, the daughter voluntarily joined her father in being scolded by Lauren. Looking at the scene in front of her, with Eric and Clara being chided, cowering in fear, Rina couldn''t help but chuckle in her head. After all, what she was witnessing was the epitome of a happy, harmonious family... something she had never experienced before... and maybe would never experience for herself. Still, the scene made her think of the only family she ever had on Earth, even if they had never treated her like one. ''I wonder how they''re doing.'' Chapter 22 - Send Lady Fran a message! ¡°I''m sorry, that both my husband and daughter lack delicacy. I hope you can look past them.¡± With these words, after Lauren had finished scolding father and daughter, the girls left the office. Now that Rina was officially accepted as a staff member of the Dragonherz household, Clara had offered to give her a tour around the mansion, which Rina accepted. Still, Rina had always thought from novels in her previous life, that nobles were full of pride and would never apologise, even if they were in the wrong. But during the past hour, both the head of a noble family and his wife had asked for forgiveness from a commoner child like her. To make matters worse (?) their reason for doing so was that they had embarrassed Rina. So, she couldn''t help but suspect that the act of apologising was no big deal in this world. But as if Clara, who was walking in front of her, could read Rina''s mind, she looked back around and smiled brightly. ¡°You did a really good job, talking to Father. I think you made a very good impression on my parents.¡± ¡°Eh? Really, Lady Clara? I initially thought that I made a lot of mistakes. I mean, Master Eric did give me a two-year-long trial period.¡± ¡°Hmm, I think that it was meant more for me than for you. But that''s not my point. What I wanted to say was about my parents'' display earlier.¡± At that, Rina held her hand in front of her mouth and smiled mischievously, ¡°Ah you mean when Mistress Lauren scolded you until you almost cried?¡± ¡°N-no!¡± Clara shook her head, blushing like a tomato. ¡°Y-you... Ahem!... I meant when my mother scolded my father. That''s something you wouldn''t normally show a stranger. For you to be able to see something like that just means that they trust you.¡± Hearing these words, Rina felt her heart warming up. ¡°... It would be nice if it''s really the case.¡± ¡°It is! I guarantee you that.¡± The blonde stopped walking and turned her entire body towards Rina, causing her to stop as well. ¡°Once again, welcome to the Dragonherz household! I''m in your care from now on.¡± When Rina looked up at the girl, who was at least a head taller than her, she perceived a happy smile. Seeing this, her mouth unconsciously and naturally copied Clara''s expression, forming a wide smile as well. ¡°Yes! I''m also in your hands, Lady Clara.¡± *** After Rina and Clara had left the office, Arland closed the door and sat down on the couch across the Dragonherz couple, where the girls had been sitting before. Afterwards, Eric spoke up, ¡°Lauren, why did you interrupt us? Rina was about to explain her powers.¡± ¡°So you really wanted to exploit her?¡± ¡°...¡± Seeing her husband keeping silent, Lauren sighed. ¡°She may be acting like that, but she is still a little child at heart.¡± ¡°Child? No child behaves like her. Even Clara, who is much more intelligent than her peers, can''t compare to that commoner girl, who is two years younger!¡± ¡°She just had to grow up early in order to survive. That''s the environment she lived in.¡± Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. ¡°So, you actually believe her story? That she left the orphanage at the age of four and has been living on the streets alone ever since?¡± ¡°Yes. Those weren''t the eyes of a liar.¡± ¡°What if she was trained for this? What if she was a spy working for the new king keeping an eye on all the nobles or an assassin sent by the Empire?¡± ¡°Dear... your mind is already too accustomed to noble intrigues. Rina is, in my eyes, a child who just happens to be more intelligent than others. You don''t have to worry about such things with her. I''m sure of it.¡± ¡°Why are you so sure of it?¡± ¡°Call it a mother''s intuition! Trust in your daughter''s character judgement¡± Lauren puffed up her ample chest in pride. ¡°...¡± Returning to her normal posture, Lauren smiled affectionately at her husband. ¡°Just let Rina get used to this place and she will open herself up naturally without you having to force her. Is that all right?¡± ¡°... Haaaaah, fine, I''ll leave it at that for now.¡± ¡°Thank you~.¡± Lauren leaned over her husband and gave him a light peck on the cheek, completely ignoring the peanut gallery (Arland). ¡°Well then, I''m sure you both have still things to discuss about Rina, so I''ll leave you alone.¡± With that, she stood up and left the room elegantly, leaving an awkward silence behind. ¡°...¡± ¡°...¡± ¡°Eric.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°Why do I have to watch my employer and his wife flirting around?¡± Arland asked, somewhat (?) annoyed. ¡°...¡± ¡°...¡± ¡°Arland, what do you think of the girl''s magic powers?¡± Eric asked with a serious look on his face. ¡°Forcibly changing the subject, huh? Well, that''s fine, too.¡± The guard captain''s expression also turned serious. ¡°Hmm... Do want me to be frank or to put it nicely?¡± ¡°Let''s go with the ''nice'' version first.¡± Arland thought for a few seconds before continuing, ¡°After what I''ve seen today, I can''t understand her powers anymore. Just like Madam Lauren just said, gain her trust, train and educate her, and wait for her to give us the details of her powers herself... But, to be honest, I don''t know if it''s wise to keep her here.¡± ¡°Why?¡± Eric raised his eyebrows. ¡°I suspect that what we''ve seen today was only a fraction of her powers. I didn''t see her building up her Mana at all. So if the full extent of her power comes to light, people will be raiding this place to get their hands on her.¡± At these words, Eric brought his fingers to the bridge of his nose and massaged it. ¡°Arland, I asked for the ''nice'' version first.¡± ¡°That was the ''nice'' version.¡± ¡°... Then let me hear the other version¡± Arland closed his eyes and thought again for a few seconds. When he opened them again, there was a heavy glint in them. ¡°She''s an absolute monster. If she hadn''t warned us beforehand, I wouldn''t have even noticed that she was about to cast a spell. Zero time to build up Mana, no chant, and instant activation... if she wanted to, she could have killed us and we would have been none the wiser. In a fight, she might be unbeatable.¡± ¡°...¡± ¡°But I agree with Madam Lauren.¡± Arland continued when no word left Eric''s mouth. ¡±I think that the girl told us the truth. That would then mean, that she had taught herself the magic knowledge. I cannot imagine where she would be today if she had someone to teach her the theories.¡± ¡°We might be biting off more than we can chew if we keep her.¡± ¡°Does it mean, you''re going to hand her over Lumi¨¦res?¡± Eric shook his head at Arland''s question. ¡°No, they would aim for the world if they held such power. That''s out of the question.¡± Seeing how his friend and guard captain breathed out in relief at his answer, Eric went on, ¡°Well, we need more information about her first. And don''t forget that she''s still sane after touching the demon-spawning cloud. We also need to find out how she did it.¡± ¡°So what is your next step?¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± Eric leaned back on the sofa and looked up at the ceiling, a gesture he seemed to repeat quite often lately. After almost thirty seconds he straightened his back and looked at Arland again. ¡°Clara won''t like it, but it''s better than the alternatives I guess.¡± Hearing these mysterious words, Arland could only tilt his head in confusion. ¡°Arland!¡± The serious vibe of Eric''s voice stiffened him up. ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°Send Lady Fran a message!¡± Chapter 23 - Interlude 3 - Back then on Earth ¡°Hmm, it''s already dark. Nina, can we do it at your place? To be honest, cash is running low for me this month.¡± Illuminated by street lamps, a couple walked along a pavement with their arms linked. The couple consisted of a rather tall, slender woman with long, black, shoulder-length hair and an even taller, somewhat handsome-looking man. An outsider would agree that they were a good match in terms of the laws of natural selection. At her boyfriend''s question, the woman, Nina, thought for a few seconds, then shook her head. ¡°I''d rather not. Let''s go to a love hotel again.¡± ¡°But your parents reacted really positively yesterday when you introduced me to them. I don''t think that they will even care if we get loud.¡± In the past, Nina had always convinced her current and all her ex-boyfriends to go to a love hotel for their deed after a date. One reason for this, of course, was that she didn''t know how her parents, especially her father, would react. After all, despite already being in her mid-twenties, she still relied on her father for money. So she would rather not have her father angry with her. Luckily, it seemed that her parents took the introduction of her boyfriend very well. But there was still a second reason, why Nina didn''t want to return home for sex. That reason was called Rina, her twin. Nina wanted to prevent her lover from seeing such an abomination at all costs. She was quite sure, that even a thousand years worth of love would die out immediately if her boyfriend found out that she had a twin who looked like that. So, in order to stop her lover from meeting Rina, she refused his request. After all, at the time, she didn''t know that her sister had already been thrown out of the house by her father. Thus, Nina led him to a nearby love hotel, but when she was about to check in, she froze up. The reason was a lesbian couple standing next to them at the reception desk. It incorporated a black-haired, beautiful woman dressed like an office lady and a - nicely put - fat woman with missing front teeth and a swollen face. If this were a world with fantasy-like lifeforms, one could argue that the latter could be a female orc, a particularly ugly one at that. ''Why the hell is Rina here!?!?'' Fortunately, her twin seemed to be in some sort of daze, so Nina was able to check in unrecognised and led her lover to the room she had booked. ¡°Is something wrong? You were shaking quite a bit back then?¡± When asked by her boyfriend, Nina reflexively answered, ¡°My twin was standing next to us,¡± and instantly regretted it. She could only curse at the fact that her mouth was faster than her mind. ¡°Ohhh! As I''ve already expected, your sister is also hot as hell!¡± ¡°Eh?¡± Nina looked at him confused. ''Hot? That?'' ¡°Your twin was that office lady, right? I didn''t see her face, but her hair and figure match.¡± Nina just kept quiet and let her boyfriend keep this assumption. Once they arrived at their room, they went straight to business. *** When they were finished, the man sat up on the double bed and spoke up. ¡°For the next time, why not invite your sister for a threesome?¡± At these words, Nina''s mood, which was already at a low point as she, once again, couldn''t climax, got even worse. ¡°It''s impossible.¡± ¡°Hah? Why?¡± ''Because you''ll run away as soon as you see her, you dumbass,'' were the words she wanted to say, but couldn''t. So, uninterested in correcting her lover''s misunderstanding, she replied, ¡°We have a really bad relationship with each other.¡± If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. ¡°Hmm? Care to explain? Maybe I can help.¡± He was hell-bent on getting that threesome with the hot sisters. Not caring how her lover was thinking with his genitals, Nina continued, ¡°To me, she is just a stranger.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°I haven''t told you yet, but I don''t have any childhood memories. I have memories from when I was about twelve, but not before.¡± ¡°Amnesia? Did you get into a clich¨¦d accident or the like?¡± Nina shook her head. ¡°Nope. My parents were confused as well, as my behaviour suddenly changed completely overnight without any incident.¡± ¡°...¡± ¡°Even the doctors were baffled. They said it was as if a new person inhabited this body. Well, no one could know if I was the original owner of this body or just an intruder, but as long as I could keep it, I don''t really care.¡± ¡°Heeeh? That shit is deep.¡± He was completely disinterested in her story. ¡°What does it have to do with you having a bad relationship with your sister?¡± ¡°Well, whereas my parents bonded with me since I came to, my sister avoided me. As time went on, I learned to hate her to the core. *mumbles* And don''t forget her ugliness. *mumbles*¡± ¡°I see, so it''s beyond a repairable state?¡± Seeing how her boyfriend was disappointed, Nina looked at him and smiled. ¡°That''s right. So if you want to plug her, you''re free to do so. But never show your face in front of me afterwards again.¡± With these words, she called it a day and went to sleep. *** On the next morning, after they parted ways, Nina headed home in a very ill mood, not caring about the little commotion at the hotel. After all, she had been forced to think about the person she couldn''t stand the most the day before. Rina''s lifeless eyes, combined with the fact that Nina was often stared at by them for some reason, made her uncomfortable feelings towards her twin even worse. Fortunately, her parents seemed to hate her twin as well and made Rina''s life a living hell. To be honest, Nina was hoping Rina would finally despair from the abuse and kill herself so that she wouldn''t have to deal with her ugly sister anymore. Arriving at her home, she was pulled out of her thoughts by the sight of several police cars and an ambulance parked outside her house. On the trunk of one of the police cars sat her mother, crying, while being interrogated by an officer. As she closed in on the scene, another officer noticed her and approached. ¡°Are you Nina Hinazuki?¡± Not knowing what was going on, she just nodded. ¡°I see, then please go to your mother and talk to her.¡± He motioned for her to pass through the tape that had been put up to keep out strangers. After arriving at her mother''s, Nagisa''s side, Nina spoke up, ¡°Mum? What happened? Why are these people here?¡± When the crying woman looked up to see Nina, she jumped up to her feet and hugged her daughter. ¡°*sob* N-Nina, it''s terrible. W-when I woke up today, y-your father was lying d-dead on the bed... *sob*¡± ¡°...What?¡± Nina had problems understanding her mother''s words. Ignoring the confusion of her daughter, Nagisa continued, ¡°*sob* W-what are we going to do now? H-how are we going to live from now on? The house isn''t p-paid off yet... *sob*¡± ¡°...¡± Her mother''s words left Nina speechless. Not because her mother didn''t seem to mind her father''s death at all, but because Nina completely agreed with her mother''s words. Truth be told, even though Nina was quite fond of her father, she didn''t quite mind his death all that much. The only value she saw in him was, that he had a very well-paid job. As she was his favourite among the twins, she was given a very large amount of pocket money, much more than a full-time worker would earn. It was obvious that her mother was also completely dependant on him. And therein lay their problem. Now that their source of money was gone, how were they going to maintain their extravagant lifestyle? At that moment an idea struck Nina and she spoke up. ¡°Doesn''t Rina also have a good job? How about we ask her to take care of our expenses? After all, we are her family. There is no way she would abandon us.¡± Hearing these words, Nagisa calmed down a bit and shook her head afterwards. ¡°No, that''s impossible. Yesterday, your father kicked her out of the house, so, we don''t know where she went. ¡± ¡°... HAAH!?¡± Nina couldn''t believe her ears. Were her father still alive, she would be dancing with joy hearing that, but now it was nothing but bad news, as her only remaining possible source of income had disappeared. ¡°And even if we found her location, I don''t know if she''d be willing to support us... We weren''t very nice to her after all.¡± At least, Nagisa was aware of how she had treated her daughter Rina. ¡°No, Mum, that''s easy. She was starving for acceptance and our love, so let''s show her how sorry we are and she''ll be kissing our feet.¡± But before Nagisa could agree to Nina''s shameless suggestion, another police car arrived at the scene. A cop, who looked like a senior inspector stepped out of the car and spoke to some of the officers who were already there. One of them somehow pointed in Nina''s direction during their conversation, which prompted the newly arrived policeman to approach her. ¡°Are you Nina Hinazuki?¡± Hearing the question for already the second time today, Nina nodded. The officer then took a picture out of one of his pockets and showed it to her. It depicted a fat, unsightly woman with black hair and a naked crotch, who had a big hole in her chest. ¡°Do you know her?¡± Seeing this gory image, Nina could feel the blood draining from her face. ¡°Y-yes, she''s my twin sister R-Rina.¡± ¡°That''s right, we found her like that in the same hotel where you stayed last night. Please come with us to the police station...¡± The officer''s eyes glowed with anger. ¡°... We were able to identify several of your fingerprints at the crime scene. You are the main suspect in this murder.¡± Before Nina could even comprehend what was happening, she fell to her knees... knowing that the extravagant life she had been leading, had come to an end. Chapter 24 - As expected, Elves are truly beautiful. One month had passed since Rina was accepted as Clara''s maid. During that time she had been training under Arland how to fight with a sword and a hidden blade. The sword was for official fights when she had to defeat her opponents with the honour of her benefactors, the Dragonherz family, on her back. The hidden blade, on the other hand, was for the quick killing of enemies when her mistress''s life was in danger. From the family''s head maid, Rina learned the ins and outs of being Clara''s personal maid. Her duties ranged from waking her mistress up in the morning and combing her hair, to keeping Clara''s room clean, to simply accompanying her throughout the entire day. In other words, Rina had to stick to Clara like glue. In noble society, it was very common for aristocrats to have a person at their side to help them with everything. For example, what Arland was to Eric, was Rina to Clara. This kind of relationship made the red-haired girl really happy, especially when she could serve a kind and cute girl like Clara. Normally the duties of a personal servant would also include assisting their master or mistress with more personal matters such as dressing and bathing. Fortunately, or unfortunately (?), Clara had for some reason insisted on doing these types of things without her maid. Although it hurt Rina to see how vehement Clara was, she could still understand her mistress. After all, who would want to be seen naked by someone they didn''t like, even if they were of the same gender? Apart from her guard and maid training, Rina was also taught the etiquette and manners of the nobility so that she, so she wouldn''t embarrass Clara in social gatherings. Luckily, having already grasped the basics, it took Rina only two weeks of training to master the ideal of noble behaviour. So, at present, Rina''s maid and etiquette training had already been completed. Only the sword and hidden blade training were still ongoing. In fact, her combat training was progressing a little too slowly, as Rina still lacked a considerable amount of strength and speed. But it couldn''t be helped because she was still only seven years old and had been malnourished until a month ago. Well, even if her body was finished growing, she still had to keep up her combat training to not lose her fighting sense. All in all, the teachers, instructors, the Dragonherz couple and Clara were quite impressed with the speed of Rina''s growth. Of course, the redhead couldn''t have pulled it off if her motivation wasn''t unusually high. Rina looked at Clara, the source of her motivation, who was sitting across from her with her cheeks puffed out, pouting, and chuckled as a result. A little annoyed, the person, who had just been snickered at, glared at her maid. Clara''s mood couldn''t be any worse right now, so having someone laughing at her didn''t help at all. ¡°... What?¡± ¡°No, I was just thinking how cute you are, Clara,¡± Rina responded nonchalantly, thinking of Clara''s sulking face. ¡°Y-y-you dare to mock me? Have you ever looked in a mirror?¡± At this question, the red-haired girl tilted her head in confusion. ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°Nothing!¡± Clara crossed her arms and looked away. Seeing this gesture, Rina concluded that her teasing had gone too far. After all, this was the second time, that she was so close to another girl - with the first time being her twin Nina during her pre-teen childhood ¨C so had problems containing her good mood, which ended up in her being mischievous towards her target of affection. So, in order to restore the mood of her mistress, Rina apologised, ¡°I''m sorry Lady Clara, my words went too far.¡± The honest apology came so suddenly that Clara didn''t know how to react for a few seconds. ¡°N-No, you just misunderstood me... I wasn''t angry with you if that''s what you think.¡± During their time together Clara had noticed how the younger girl often put herself down and apologised for no apparent reason. She didn''t like it when Rina became like that and looked like an abandoned puppy, so Clara quickly explained her bad mood. ¡°Our magic instructor comes today, right?¡± ¡°Yes, Master Eric told me that she will come today. I think she will arrive in a few minutes.¡± Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. ¡°Has Father told you who it will be?¡± ¡°No, he didn''t.¡± Rina shook her head. ¡°I see... Our instructor will be that wretch Fran.¡± ¡°... Mistress Lauren would faint if she heard you saying such words... but you said Fran? As in ''Former High Priestess Fran''?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± At Clara''s confirmation, Rina facepalmed inside her mind. ''Master Eric!? Why would you have one of the two people your daughter hates most enter your home?'' Of course, she knew that the blonde girl hated Former High Priestess Fran and Former Vice-Commander Milia because they were the main reason for the death of Clara''s grandfather. So Rina couldn''t understand Eric''s decision to employ one of them as their magic instructor. But as if Clara could read her maid''s mind, she continued. ¡°Do you remember when I told you that I negotiated with my father whether you could be my maid or not ?¡± Rina nodded. ¡°At that time I also agreed that he could choose my magic instructor and that I would have to accept this person without any complaints.¡± The blonde said dejectedly. ¡°But I had no idea that he would choose that wretch.¡± Having her inner question answered, Rina sighed again at her mistress''s choice of words. ¡°As I already said, Lady Clara. Please refrain from using such words.¡± ¡°Who cares? We''re alone, so I can stay true to myself, and I trust you that you won''t sell me out.¡± Hearing this, Rina was at a loss for words, and could only look away from her crush while trying to keep herself from blushing... which, by the way, failed miserably if one might add. So, to cover it up, she spoke her mind. ¡°So, you voluntarily swallowed a bitter pill to have me as your maid?¡± In her previous life, Rina had distanced herself from her sister Nina, when she had found out about her sexual preference. Now, looking back, she could see that it had been a mistake. Not only had she hurt herself, but she had also wronged her beloved twin, who had been so kind to Rina back then. The fear of her being rejected, the fear that her body would act on impulse and do something irreversible to her twin, and the inability to accept her abnormality... all these combined had led her to the irrational decision to avoid everyone, including her sister, and to isolate herself. But now, things had changed. Rina herself had changed. She didn''t have to accept herself anymore. In fact, nobody had to accept her existence. After all, it wouldn''t change anything. She wasn''t afraid of doing irreversible things anymore, because this time Rina would bury her desires and wishes deep inside her heart, not letting them out, but still keeping them dear. She didn''t fear being rejected anymore, as she didn''t wish for acceptance in the first place. So, Rina couldn''t get hurt by rejection anymore, and even if she did, would it even matter? Not one would care, not even herself, if she was in pain. As long as her loved ones and those around her smiled, everything would be fine. She would do everything to keep them happy. Even though she no longer wished anything for herself, the feeling of being trusted and needed still made her incredibly happy, so much so that a natural smile appeared on her face. ¡°...That you trust and need me so much makes me very happy, Lady Clara.¡± Hearing these words and seeing that expression, Clara couldn''t help but be mesmerised by Rina and felt her face heating up. After staring at the younger girl for a few seconds, the blonde remembered what she was doing and stammered in panic, ¡°D-d-don''t misunderstand me! I-i-i-it''s not t-t-t-that I d-d-did it for you!¡± ¡°Hehehe, I know, Lady Clara, but I just wanted to let you know that I''m grateful to you anyway,¡± the red-haired girl giggled and stood up. ¡°I think our magic instructor will be arriving soon. We have to greet her.¡± At the thought of one of the two people who she hated the most coming, Clara''s face immediately cooled down again. ¡°The mood was so nice just now, why do you have to mention that wretch again?¡± She stood up and headed to the mansion''s entrance, closely followed by her maid. ¡°Hmmmm, Clara, my tongue might slip when I talk to Mistress Lauren and tell her about your choice of words if you keep talking like that,¡± Rina spoke up, while they were waiting for their teacher to arrive. ¡°Okay, okay, I''ll stop.¡± The viscount''s daughter gave in to her servant''s threat. ¡°Still you are the only one I allow to treat me like this.¡± ¡°I know, Clara.¡± ¡°H-hmpf!¡± The blonde crossed her arms and looked away from Rina, only to smile in delight afterwards. So they stood there for a few minutes, enjoying the pleasant silence and the, once again, good atmosphere between them, until a carriage arrived at the entrance. When it stopped in front of them, its door opened and a woman stepped out. If Rina had to guess the woman''s age by her standards, that woman looked in her late teens or early twenties. But her long ears, peeking out from her blonde, waist-length, open hair, indicated that this estimate was surely wrong, for elves had long life spans and look youthful for a very long time. In addition to that, the newcomer''s symmetrically built face and deep green eyes made sure, that Rina couldn''t look away. True, the blonde, ten-year-old girl standing next to Rina was a cutie, but still, Clara couldn''t hold a candle compared to the mature beauty standing in front of her. ''As expected, Elves are truly beautiful.'' Chapter 25 - Theyre way too obvious. Stepping out of the carriage, the woman approached Clara and Rina, and bowed briefly with a gentle smile. ¡°Hello, my name is Fran. At the behest of Viscount Dragonherz, I will be your magic tutor.¡± At the greeting, Clara took a step forward with her arms crossed, radiating an aura of haughtiness. ¡°... Clara Dragonherz. Even if my father hired you to teach us, I will throw you out at the slightest mistake. So know your place, commoner!¡± Seeing her mistress act like that, Rina couldn''t help but be a little surprised. Of course, she already knew that Clara hated the former High Priestess for suggesting the hero-summoning ritual seven years ago, but she had never imagined that her sweet and kind mistress could show her hatred so openly and even insult their teacher for being a commoner. Rina was also aware that Clara had a low opinion of commoners and thought of them as weak and stupid people who needed to be protected. At the question of why the blonde girl treated Rina differently, she just blushed and said, ¡°You''re special.¡± At that time Rina had thought that Clara was just shy and would treat everybody, including commoners, the same way. But when Rina saw Clara''s words towards Fran, she had to rethink that estimate. Back to the situation at hand, a little curious and also a bit fearful of how the former High Priestess, one of the most powerful beings in the Valkyria Kingdom, would react to Clara''s obvious, but cheap provocation, Rina stealthily glanced at Fran, only to feel the colour drain from her face. After all, the smile on Fran''s face was already crumbling, as it began to twitch. ¡°Oya, oya, Young Lady Dragonherz... I have already heard from Lord Eric that you harbour unfavourable feelings towards me because of the death of the old Knight Commander. But let me tell you something...¡± Fran grinned mockingly at Clara. ¡°He is the maker of his own death because he was too weak.¡± These words shocked not only Clara but also Rina. How could a mature adult use the death of a child''s loved one to respond to a provocation? Fearing that the situation would escalate even further, Rina quickly grabbed Clara''s trembling hand and turned her around so that she could look into her mistress''s eyes. Seeing tears already forming in those eyes, Rina faced back at Fran and spoke up. ¡°Lady Fran, this is not a good place to talk, so please follow us to the reception room.¡± At a nod from Fran, the three of them made their way to the reception room. When they arrived, the seven-year-old maid opened the door and motioned for the instructor to enter. ¡°Please wait here for a moment. I will bring tea.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± After Fran had entered the room, Rina closed the door from the outside and turned to Clara. ¡°Lady Clara, please pull yourself together. She is here to teach us. Have you forgotten your agreement with Lord Eric? Please don''t provoke her and please don''t let her provoke you.¡± Clara, who successfully suppressed her welling tears, murmured in response, ¡°I know, I just lost control back then... Thank you, Rina.¡± ¡°It''s my job!¡± Rina puffed out her non-existent chest at the appreciation but then turned serious again. ¡°Can you be alone with her for a few minutes while I prepare tea?¡± Seeing how worried the younger girl was, Clara could feel her heart warming up. Once again, she confirmed that she was very fond of her maid in front of her. So, in order to ease up Rina''s mind, Clara''s haughty, self-confident smile returned to her face. ¡°Of course. Who do you think I am? What you saw was just one of the very few moments of weakness that I had!¡± Relieved by these words, Rina opened the door for her mistress and then left to make tea. Five minutes later, she was back in the reception room, pushing a waggon with the tea and snacks. Inside the room, who would have expected otherwise, there was a cold atmosphere between the adult Fran and the ten-year-old Clara. It made Rina somehow wonder how someone like that could become the head of the temple. Still, Rina was glad, that the situation had not escalated further. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. So, the red-haired girl pushed the waggon to the table and placed a cup of tea each in front of Clara and Fran, who were sitting across from each other. Afterwards, she returned to her mistress''s side and stood behind her. ¡°You, little maid...,¡± the former High Priestess spoke up, after taking a sip of tea, ¡°...come here for a moment.¡± Rina briefly glanced at Clara. After receiving a nod, she walked over to Fran, who was sitting comfortably on the sofa. ¡°Hmmmmm.¡± ¡°Erm...¡± Rina felt a little uncomfortable at the stare she received from the elf. After all, she had only had very bad experiences with being stared at in her previous life. The eyes that had been directed at her, had always been full of either mockery, contempt, hatred, or disgust. So, as a reflex, Rina put her arms in front of her body, as if she tried to hide her ugly and disgusting self from being seen. ¡°Lady Fran, could you please stop staring at my maid? Can''t you see that you''re making her uncomfortable?¡± Noticing the state Rina was in, Clara spoke up in annoyance. Truth be told, she wanted to add ''That''s why I can''t stand commoners'', but had to stop herself so as not to make the situation worse. ¡°Ahem, I''m sorry about that.¡± Fran cleared her throat at Clara''s words but still kept her eyes on Rina. This time, however, she stopped her mustering gaze. ¡°What''s your name? How old are you?¡± ¡°Oh. Excuse me for the late introduction.¡± Rina grabbed the hem of her maid uniform''s skirt, pulled it up slightly, and bowed. ¡°My name is Rina, I am Lady Clara''s personal maid and will be studying magic together with her under you. I will become eight in a few months.¡± ¡°...¡± ¡°...¡± ¡°Cyuuu...¡± ¡°Cyu?¡± Rina tilted her head at Fran''s strange word and looked perplexed at Clara, who was smiling smugly. ¡°CYUUUUTE!!¡± Suddenly a strange scream came from the direction where Fran was sitting and Rina was lifted into the air, with her whole body pressed against something. ¡°What is with this incredibly adorable creature? Where did you find her?¡± The person responsible was none other than the former High Priestess. Somehow, she had suddenly ''teleported'' from her seat next to Rina, took the girl in an embrace, and rubbed her cheeks against Rina''s. Seeing how the elf had suddenly gone mad, Clara instantly lost her smug expression and cried out, red-faced, ¡°Wh-what are you doing to my maid!¡± She got up from the sofa and literally stormed towards them, grabbing Rina''s arm in an attempt to get her maid out of this predicament. ¡°Let go of my maid this instant!¡± Unfortunately, Clara''s actions caused Fran to tighten her embrace even more, slowly developing it into a bear hug. ¡°No! Give her to me! I want to take her home and make her my servant, and then... hehehehehehe.¡± At this point, the elf had a very perverted grin on her face and even started drooling. ¡°Y-you! Of course, it''s rejected! And wipe your drool off, it''s disgusting! Weren''t you supposed to be a High Priestess? The leader of the temple? What''s with this behaviour!?¡± Clara strengthened her grip on her maid''s arm and pulled harder resulting in Rina''s body leaning towards her. ¡°As the High Priestess I had to act prim and proper all the time. Now that I''m free of that burden, I can be myself again.¡± In response, Fran wrapped both arms around Rina''s small body, completely preventing Clara from freeing the girl. ¡°Consider your age, you HAG! Your age difference is too large.¡± Clara pulled even harder. ¡°HAAAAAH!? I''m not even in my thirty yet, and as an elf, I''ll stay like this for several centuries, so no problem on that front.¡± ¡°What are you even saying? You don''t make any sense! Now let go of my maid!¡± Slowly but surely reaching the end of her patience, the blonde girl used all of her strength in her arms to pull Rina out of Fran''s grip. ¡°Okay.¡± But to the girl''s surprise, Fran finally obeyed Clara''s command and let go of the red-haired girl. As Clara pulled on Rina with all her might, both girls lost their balance and fell over. *Thud* Needless to say, they were both in a pretty precarious position after the fall. Clara was lying on her back on the floor with Rina directly above her. Their faces were so close to each other that their noses were almost touching and they could clearly feel each other''s breathing. Not realising what had happened, they just stayed in that position and stared at each other. Who knows, maybe they would just stay like that for hours, enjoying this arrangement, were it not for a distinct cough that had interrupted them. ¡°Ahem!¡± Of course, the cough came from the elf. ¡°I know what I said earlier. Of course, it was all a joke to lighten up the mood. So, seeing this scene now, I can''t help but think that an illicit sexual relationship between two young children, moreover between master and servant, is something that neither I nor Lord Eric can approve of.¡± Only then did Clara and Rina really realise the state they were in. So Rina got off of her mistress''s with swift movements and they both straightened up, each of them looking in the opposite direction. Naturally, the mistress''s and the servant''s faces were beet red. After observing the whole situation after arriving here, and seeing how Clara and Rina behaved, Fran felt a headache creeping up on her. She had no idea how she would report their condition to Lord Eric, who had also commissioned her to monitor the girls. At this point, Fran already knew, how their master-servant relationship would end. After all... ''They''re way too obvious.'' Chapter 26 - Well then, prepare to say goodbye to your precious maid forever. Half an hour later, after Clara and Rina had regained their respective composure after almost accidentally kissing each other, all three of them, including Fran, returned to their positions before the whole ''fiasco''. Fran and Clara were sitting opposite each other and Rina, as a servant, was standing behind her mistress. Compared to the scene from over thirty minutes ago, it could be seen that the blonde girl was very wary of the elf. Clara had positioned herself the way so that her maid stood directly behind her. This was rather uncommon, as a servant''s usual position would be diagonally behind their master or mistress. It was as if Clara was a tiger who wanted to protect her cub from a predator. Seeing the blond''s caution, Fran couldn''t help but chuckle in amusement. ¡°Fufufu. You don''t need to be so wary. I won''t take her away from you... for now¡± ¡°Y-you...haaaah...¡± Fortunately, Clara had learned from her mistakes a few minutes ago and calmed herself down, not falling for another provocation. ¡°Seriously, I don''t know how someone like you could reach the temple''s top position.¡± ¡°I''m strong and know a lot about magic, that''s all.¡± The elf answered nonchalantly. ¡°I know, that''s why Father chose you to be our magic instructor. But before that...¡± Clara glinted her eyes and stared directly at her conversation partner. ¡°... I''ll have you explain your circumstances of the hero summoning ritual from seven years ago first.¡± ¡°...¡± ¡°...¡± ¡°... Alright.¡± After a short silence, Fran gave in to the ten-year-old girl''s tense aura. ¡°But first tell me what you know, then I can explain how things went in my eyes.¡± ¡°Fine... Seven years ago, out of nowhere, you told to the former King, that you have found a way to increase our chances of surviving the impending demon invasion. That was the hero summoning ritual. You hoped that a random strong man from another world would come to our world to help us fight the demons.¡± ¡°...¡± ¡°You and your Dark Elf friend then somehow got the lead roles in the ritual. You were in charge of opening the portal and your friend was responsible for security.¡± Clara clenched her fists tightly and bit her lip, before continuing. ¡°Then you dared to choose my grandfather to be the one to cross the portal to the other world to get that random guy!¡± ¡°...¡± Fran kept her eyes closed, waiting for the blonde girl to finish. ¡°But because of your Dark Elf friend, the security on site was very poor. So you had intruders sabotaging the ritual. And to make matters worse, you even failed to keep the portal open for long enough for Grandfather to return.¡± ¡°...¡± At this point, tears were already streaming from Clara''s eyes. ¡°*sob* Y-you have killed Grandfather Rick! *sob*¡± Seeing her mistress, the girl she had a crush on, crying from behind, Rina could feel her heart aching. She wanted to take the older girl in her arms and comfort her. But Rina didn''t have the confidence, that she would succeed with it. No, that wasn''t the problem in the first place. If Rina were to embrace and comfort Clara, she would be overstepping her bounds. ''Clara is my mistress, and I''m her maid. I must not forget that. I must know my place.'' So all Rina could do was stand there and wait for Clara to calm down. A few minutes later, when Clara''s eyes had dried up, she finally spoke up. ¡°Excuse me for my shameful display. Please forget it.¡± ¡°Mhm, It''s okay,¡± Fran answered. ¡°You lost a person dear to you, after all... But now I know how you see it, and I must say, it''s a pretty convenient version for you nobles, isn''t it?¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± Stolen novel; please report. ¡°It''s completely different from what really happened. Now let me correct your false version.¡± These words made Clara''s blood boil. ¡°You dare to...¡± But before the young girl could finish her sentence, the elf interrupted her. ¡°Lady Dragonherz... I have been silent while listening to your absurd side of the story. Now it''s your turn to let me speak, isn''t it?¡± Without a counter-argument, Clara calmed down and nodded, even though she still very was dissatisfied. ¡°Now then, let me start with your first misunderstanding... the ritual. You seem to think that I just invented the hero summoning ritual.¡± ¡°Yes, because you did.¡± ¡°No, I didn''t. In fact, I only found out about it after I became the High Priestess. This position gave me access to the most hidden documents of the temple. When I read through them, they revealed that the first king, Hero King Gaius Miriculan I, had a companion from another world to help him defeat the Demon Lord back then. That''s how I learned about the ritual. The first King himself had used it.¡± ¡°... WHAT!? That''s impossible! I''ve never heard or read anything like that!¡± Clara jumped out of her seat, looking very shocked. ¡°Of course, you didn''t. Nobody knew about it until I found out.¡± ¡°Didn''t you say it was written in the records of the church? Why didn''t the last High Priest suggest that method before you?¡± The young lady was somewhat sceptical about Fran''s statements. ¡°What can I say... none of my predecessors had bothered to dig through the old scrolls in the temple library. That was why nobody knew about it, not even the king, until I discovered that possibility. That was why I only told King Thor about the ritual at first. Afterwards, he had insisted on revealing this information to the kingdom, no, to the whole world, in order to spread hope.¡± ¡°...¡± ¡°And therein lay your second misunderstanding. It was King Thor who suggested sending Knight Commander Rick, your grandfather, to the other world to get the hero candidate, not me. In fact, it was your grandfather himself who even insisted on going through the portal, when he heard about it. Ask Lord Eric if you don''t believe me.¡± ¡°N-no... Why Grandfather...?¡± Crestfallen, Clara fell back onto the sofa. ¡°Why would you do that...?¡± ¡°Haaah...¡± Annoyed, Fran let out a loud sigh. ¡°Don''t you get it little girl? He had a family to protect. That''s why he did it.¡± ¡°But why didn''t Father tell me the truth?¡± ¡°Why should I know that? Ask him yourself.¡± ¡°...¡± ¡°Going on... your statement about the security is only half true. It was the Knight Commander who had primarily organised the security for the ritual. My friend Milia, the Vice Knight Commander at that time, only assisted your grandfather in it.¡± ¡°How should it work? My grandfather went through the portal.¡± ¡°Milia was also supposed to go through the portal... but as you already said, some intruders interrupted her just as she was about to cross it.¡± ¡°And you think I will believe you? Your commoner friend probably just got scared and is actually glad that she didn''t have to do it in the end, isn''t she?¡± At Clara''s words, the mood in the room suddenly turned grim, as the former High Priestess''s eyes flashed with obvious anger. ¡°Let me tell you something, little girl. Milia was determined to sacrifice herself by going through that portal and even staying on the other side for the rest of her life, to bring hope to our world. But after failing in that duty, she never forgave herself for it. Even now she blames herself for the failure... so, little girl, if you say one more bad word about my friend, who I am very proud of...¡± ¡°Well, what if I insult your cowardly friend anyway?¡± Clara still dared to slander Fran''s friend in the face of the threat, even though she was already trembling under the pressure the elf was exerting. ¡°... Stupid little girl...¡± With these words, Fran swiftly pulled a dagger out of nowhere and threw it at Clara. ¡°Lady Clara!¡± Seeing this, Rina shouted out in panic and quickly formed a black magic circle on her hand to alter the dagger''s trajectory with her gravity magic. Thanks to her swift action the dagger narrowly missed her mistress. But unfortunately, because she was standing right behind Clara, the dagger hit Rina in the chest area instead. ¡°Rina!!¡± With a ghost-like face, Clara jumped out of her seat to check on her maid. When she saw out of the corner of her eye that the dagger had struck the younger girl in the chest, she had prepared herself for the worst. But when she got a closer look at Rina, there was no wound to be found. ¡°... Ehhh!?¡± ¡°Lady Clara, it seemed to be a toy dagger, made out of cheap materials with a dull blade,¡± Rina explained after picking up the dagger. Although the impact was quite painful due to its fast speed, the dagger still was very light. So, fortunately, Rina had no visible injuries. After confirming that her maid was unharmed, Clara breathed a sigh of relief. A few seconds later, however, she turned angrily to the person who had thrown the dagger. ¡°You! Care to explain why you just did it?¡± But instead of answering the question, Fran just stared at Rina once again for a few moments. ''So this is Dark magic. Interesting. Is her insane activation speed a boon of Dark magic, or is this girl especially talented? ... Either way, she will play an important role in saving the world.'' Not amused ¨C to put it mildly ¨C by the elven commoner''s behaviour since her arrival, Clara finally ran out of patience and grabbed her maid''s hands, before heading for the door. ¡°I''ve had enough. You can go home and never come back here again. I will never accept you as our tutor... I will definitely see you hanged for this!¡± ¡°Now, now, young lady, sit down and hear me out. It''ll benefit you,¡± Fran spoke up again, as the girls were about to leave the room. ¡°Not interested. Now farewell, former High Priestess,¡± Clara replied with a sarcastic undertone. ¡°I see.¡± Fran was playing with the toy dagger that Rina had returned to her earlier. She threw it in the air, where it spun around its own axis three times, before she caught it again, only to repeat the process. Only after the fifth cycle, did she stop throwing the dagger again and look at Clara, who still hadn''t left the room. It showed Fran, that the young girl was at least curious about what she had to say. Seeing that, the elf smirked at Clara and said nonchalantly, ¡°Well then, prepare to say goodbye to your precious maid forever.¡± Chapter 27 - Interlude 4 - The biggest mistake of The Brain ''Demon-Spawning-Cloud'' This was the name of a black mist from which, as the name implied, demons emerged. It was made out of Mana. The more Mana it contained, the bigger the cloud was. The bigger the cloud was, the more demons would crawl out of it and the stronger they would be. And if somebody from a human race, such as Humans, Elves, or the Beast-folk, touched the cloud, they would lose their reason and, thus, cause harm to themselves and those around them. Sadly, up to this day, there was no way to cure someone who was in this state. So anyone, who had touched a Demon-Spawning-Cloud, would end up dead a few days later, be it from suicide, an accident, or because they were killed to be freed from their suffering. To make matters worse, even though the oldest records described the existence of these clouds, no one knew why, when, or under what conditions they appeared. Only one thing was certain. Each time such a cloud appeared, deaths in the double or even triple digits would follow, because the demons that emerged from it were so powerful that it would take more than ten veteran knights to subdue just one of those monsters. Fortunately, such incidents only happened once every few years. Unfortunately, however, they seemed to happen more often as the demon invasion approached. Well, all that was, what the human forces knew. But that knowledge about the cloud was not enough for Fran. It was clear as day to her, that the Demon-Spawning-Cloud and the impending demon invasion were directly connected to each other. So uncovering the mechanics of the cloud could give the human forces a significant advantage in the invasion. It might even provide a solution to preventing the attack in its entirety. So, since childhood, Fran had devoted herself to studying magic and learning as much as possible about the Demon-Spawning-Cloud. But instead, as she dug through the documents left by her ancestors, she learned about the hero summoning ritual. Not what she had initially hoped for, but still, it was better than nothing. After all, it presented a considerable increase in their chances of winning the battle against the demons. Unfortunately, no one knew about the ritual, and as a commoner, there was no way she could just nilly-willy walk up to the king and suggest it. So, with King Thor''s laws, she attended the Royal Knight Academy, showed off her magical talents to get famous, and eventually became the High Priestess. This position gave her the power to suggest the ritual and see it through. However, the ritual had failed catastrophically. Not only had the forces of humanity lost one of the most powerful individuals in the world with Knight Commander Rick''s death, but Fran had also fallen into a coma for several years. When she woke up, she had already lost her ability to cast magic, and with it her position as the High Priestess and her political power to change the world in a direction, where everyone could survive the demon invasion, not only the most privileged nobles. Basically, it meant, that Fran had sacrificed her whole life up to this point for the world. She had spent her entire childhood learning about magic, eating only the most basic food to save time and money for research, not pursuing any personal dreams or hobbies, and forsaking the possibility of finding love. But all of it was for naught. Still, Fran had not lost hope yet. While her friend Milia was now training new knights at the Royal Knight Academy to strengthen the human forces, Fran continued her research after recovering from her coma. And finally, her efforts bore fruit. Having studied the previous appearances of the Demon-Spawning-Clouds and the circumstances of the areas where they occurred, she was able to formulate a theory as to how they worked, such as why they existed and why they appeared in the first place. But unfortunately, knowing how the mist might function and having a solution to it were two different things. Then, a few days ago, she received a letter from Viscount Eric, whom she knew well. The letter stated that he wanted her to teach his daughter Clara and a talented servant the ways of magic and to supervise their relationship. Stolen story; please report. Even though Fran had lost her magic powers, she was still famous as the most knowledgeable scholar in the Valkyria Kingdom when it came to magic. Thus, even as a commoner who was responsible for the failure of the ritual, she was naturally sought after by nobles as a magic teacher for their children. But of course, she had better things to do, such as continuing her research concerning the Demon-Spawning-Clouds and how to prevent them. She also had still to uncover how they could be connected to the impending demon invasion. So, even though she was on good terms with the previous and even the current head of the Dragonherz family, she would have definitely refused this request. But she didn''t. The reason was the servant, Rina, who had apparently touched a Demon-Spawning-Cloud while keeping her reason intact. Furthermore, if Fran believed the contents of the letter, the cloud had disappeared after that girl had sucked it into her body. No demon had emerged from the cloud! If this was true, then observing Rina could help her research tremendously. Therefore, she agreed to Viscount Eric''s request to instruct Clara and Rina in magic and watch their relationship. Then, at the present, when Fran finally saw the girl in front of her, she couldn''t help but feel a bit disappointed. True, in her eyes, Rina was a cute, small, huggable girl with graceful movements, who would surely grow into a beauty in the future... but she was not what Fran had expected. Fran theorised that the Demon-Spawning-Cloud was a mass of dark energy. She thought that places where negative emotions such as anger, envy, hatred, fear, despair, and so on were accumulated, were more susceptible to a Demon-Spawning-Cloud appearing. That was also why everyone would become mad after touching the mist. After all, no human being could possibly endure the negative sentiment, that lay dormant in the mist. For that reason, Fran had expected to see someone who was mentally hardened by the cruelty of the word. After all, only those who had seen hell had the chance to face despair without going insane. But the little child in front of her didn''t seem like that at all. Rina''s eyes were brimming with life and she seemed to be very happy to be beside her mistress Clara. There was no way such a seemingly innocent and pure girl could endure the horrors of touching the cloud. Those facts left Fran with only two possible conclusions. First, Rina was already mentally broken. After all, if one wasn''t capable of feeling anything, then despair wouldn''t be an issue. So, to test this theory, Fran had tried all sorts of things like teasing and provoking the mistress-servant pair to see how they, especially Rina, would react. Unfortunately, in the end, it showed that Rina did have emotions. It was obvious to Fran that Rina was very fond of Clara. So, this guess was out. Only the second conclusion remained for Fran. Her theories about the Demon-Spawning-Cloud being a mass of negative emotions were wrong. But then she had to wonder. ''Why didn''t Rina get crazy like all the others?'' ''Why is she still able to talk happily to her mistress?'' ''Does Rina''s affinity for Dark magic play a role in this?'' ''Was she able to keep her sanity, because she has a talent for magic?'' After all, when Fran had impulsively thrown the toy dagger at Clara when her friend Milia had been insulted, Rina reacted in a flash, activating a seemingly complicated spell in a split second. Usually, it would take no less than a genius to gather the necessary amount of Mana, pour it out of the body, form a magic seal, and activate it so quickly. So Fran racked up her brain. She had to keep a close eye on Rina. In doing so, she might one day truly uncover the truth about the secrets behind the Demon-Spawning-Cloud and the demon invasion, in order to save the world. After all, should a dark mist appear again, all she had to do was get Rina to touch it and watch what happened with her own eyes. And while at it, she could teach Rina the best she can. Fran knew that a girl with such talent at such a young age would become very powerful in the future. Rina was someone the human forces needed on the front line against the demons. Either way, one thing was certain for the elf. Rina was the key to defeating the demons. That was why she had to make sure that Rina would devote her everything to the world, that Rina would touch every Demon-Spawning-Cloud around the world to prevent demons from crawling out and wreaking havoc wherever they were. It pained Fran in her heart, that such a young, sweet, and innocent girl had to live like that. But the life of one individual was no comparison to the survival of the human races. After all, Fran herself had also sacrificed her happiness for the world, so Rina had to do the same. So, the elf steeled her heart and spoke up to the girls, who were about to leave the reception room. ¡°Now, now, young lady, sit down and hear me out. It''ll benefit you.¡± ''Or else I will have to take Rina from you forcefully,'' Fran thought afterwards. ¡°Not interested. Now farewell, former High Priestess.¡± Even though Clara said this, it was apparent to Fran that the young blonde was interested. So, with a mocking smile on her face, Fran gave Clara the final push in the form of a threat. ¡°Well then, prepare to say goodbye to your precious maid forever.¡± She had to stay as close to Rina as possible to observe her. For now, becoming the girls'' magic tutor was the best way to achieve that. The first step was to convince Clara to accept her. *** Looking back on that moment much, much later, Fran, who would be called ''The Brain'' by then, could only wail in despair. After all, it was all her fault. Because she had misunderstood the situation at that time. Because she had failed to see, how broken the girl named Rina already was back then. Chapter 28 - Should I take off my clothes again? ¡°Clara, I have finished tying up your hair.¡± ¡°Mhm. Thank you, Rina.¡± Clara replied to her maid and looked in the mirror. ¡°As expected, you''re getting better at this.¡± At the praise, Rina smiled brightly like a blooming flower. ¡°Hehehe~ Even though I am untalented, I have to get better at this eventually after doing it every day for almost a year now... I can''t stay useless all the time, after all. So this is the least I can do.¡± ¡°Eh? No, I didn''t mean it like that!¡± Hearing her maid''s words, Clara panicked a little and spoke up loudly. She hated this part of Rina. Every time she complimented her on something over the past year, her maid would always add some negative nuance to the words to talk herself down. At first, she thought that Rina was just being humble, but as they spent more time together, Clara understood, that these were Rina''s true thoughts. Her maid was incapable of taking praise at face value. She would always find a way to interpret them in a negative way for herself. It was as if Rina thought that there was no good in her existence. That was why Clara instantly regretted denying Rina''s words in panic. She was sure that the younger girl would interpret them in a bad way once again. And indeed, Rina''s next words confirmed it. ¡°S-sorry, Clara, I''ve just misunderstood your words as praise. I will practise preparing your hair more until you are satisfied.¡± When Clara looked in the mirror, she saw her maid looking down, blushing from having misunderstood her words as praise. Although she found it incredibly cute how Rina squirmed in embarrassment, she couldn''t enjoy that expression at all. After all, her words to Rina were a genuine compliment, but once again, they failed to get through. So, frustrated and crestfallen, Clara got up, went to her bed, and lay down. Seeing her mistress''s actions, Rina stored away the tools she had used to comb Clara''s hair and prepared to leave the room. ¡°Then, good night Clara.¡± But before she reached the door, she was interrupted. ¡°Wait, Rina. Why don''t you stay here for a while so we can talk a bit?¡± ¡°Yes?¡± At the suggestion, Rina blinked thrice and tilted her head in confusion. In her mind, she couldn''t imagine what the blonde wanted to talk about. ¡°Is there a problem?¡± ¡°No... it''s just... since Fran became our teacher almost a year ago, our days have been filled with lessons. And when we didn''t have magic lessons, you were always training with Arland or doing maid''s work...¡± Hearing these words, Rina thought initially that Clara wanted to spend more time with her, but she instantly abandoned that speculation. After all, in her mind, she could not imagine, why the blonde would want to do that. It must have been a misunderstanding because of her feelings for Clara. So, shaking her head, the now eight-year-old girl tried to put her fantasies out of her mind and racked up her brain for the true meaning behind her mistress''s words. Meanwhile, Clara sighed in frustration as she watched her maid''s reaction. It was obvious that the red-haired girl had twisted Clara''s words in a strange direction to interpret them in a negative way, once again. So, to interrupt the younger girl''s self-harming thoughts, she spoke up. ¡°Never mind what I said. Thank you for helping me. You can rest now.¡± Now, when Clara thought more deeply about it, her wish to spend more time with her maid alone was a very bad one. After all, it was already past 11 PM. Her usual routine was to be woken up at around 7 AM in the morning, which meant that Rina would have to be up much earlier. Maybe 6 AM or even 5? Either way, the younger girl had to get up very early in the morning, so wishing her to stay up any longer would be extremely selfish. ¡°Okay then, Clara, good night.¡± This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ¡°Mhm. Good night, Rina.¡± So Clara was relieved when it looked like her maid was going to sleep. *** Stepping out of Clara''s room and closing the door behind her, Rina made her way to Fran''s room. After the rough first meeting between her mistress and the former High Priestess nearly a year ago, Fran somehow managed to convince Clara to accept her as their magic instructor. Well, to put it bluntly, Fran had threatened, that she would reveal Rina''s existence to the world otherwise. Although the girl in question didn''t understand why that was a threat in the first place, Clara gave in to it. To this day, this was a mystery that Rina failed to solve. After all, why would it be a threat? At first, Rina thought it was because of her ability to cast Dark magic. After all, she still feared that her affinity for Dark magic would be seen as something evil in the eyes of the public. So, wouldn''t that mean, that the Dragonherz family would risk being hunted for protecting her? True, she was very happy, that she could be beside her crush, but not if said crush''s life was in danger. When Rina brought it up and suggested that she would leave for the safety of the Dragonherz family, who were very kind to her, she was slapped by a crying Clara. Even now, she couldn''t help but feel that her mistress had overreacted. Why would her suggestion that she leave the family hurt Clara so much, that she cried? Rina couldn''t understand it. It was only later, when the magic lessons with Fran began, that she learned that having an affinity for Dark magic was not a bad thing at all. According to Fran, there were records, albeit very few, that had documented cases of individuals being capable of Dark magic. And not only that. Fran had even stressed multiple times during the lessons, too often in fact, that Rina''s powers were very important to win against the demons. Hearing that had made the young girl incredibly happy. After all, it wasn''t often, that she was needed for something, that she had a purpose in the world. So when Fran, who had moved into the Dragonherz mansion, offered her extra lessons, Rina accepted. That was why she was currently on her way to her instructor''s room. But because the time suggested by Fran for the extra lesson was so late and would last into the next day, Rina hadn''t bothered to inform her mistress about this. After all, she couldn''t imagine that Clara would be interested in what Rina would do after bedtime. After walking for a while through the dark corridors of the mansion, Rina eventually arrived at Fran''s bedroom, the location for those extra lessons. She then knocked on the door and entered the room after hearing a ¡°Come in¡± from inside. ¡°Welcome Rina, please sit on the bed as usual. You''re a bit late tonight, aren''t you?¡± Fran spoke as she sat in a chair, writing something in a document on the table. ¡°I''m sorry, Lady Fran. I know it''s rude... you even take the time to give me extra lessons.¡± Seeing the little girl''s reaction, Fran had mixed emotions building up inside her, because she felt like she was tricking a clueless, unsuspecting child. Well, in fact, she was, as she was actually trying to get Rina to dedicate herself to the world. But still, the end justified the means, even if it would cost the happiness and the freedom of an innocent girl. At first, after Fran had just moved into the Dragonherz mansion to tutor the mistress-servant pair, she tried several times to talk to the red-haired girl. Unfortunately, Rina and Clara were stuck together like glue, so each time she talked to Rina, she could always feel a pair of blue eyes from the blonde girl staring at her. It was as if Clara was saying, ¡°I''m watching you, so be careful what you do with my maid.¡± After the incident at their first meeting, Clara was extra cautious. Hence, Fran had to separate them so she could imprint her ideas on Rina and research the Dark magic. Therefore she had offered to give Rina private magic lessons, which the girl accepted. Then Fran had deliberately suggested those lessons at night time, hoping that Clara would be too tired to follow Rina. And it worked. Clara had been never present at those lessons. To the elf''s surprise, it even seemed that Rina didn''t tell her mistress about these private lessons. From what Fran had observed of the red-haired girl''s personality, she concluded that Rina had assumed that Clara wasn''t interested in how Rina spent her free time. Although, in Fran''s eyes, the opposite was true. But that was another thing the elf had managed to learn about the maid. Rina lacked self-confidence. The girl always thought that bad happenings were her fault, even if that was definitely not the case. Just like earlier. When Fran had commented that Rina was late, the girl immediately apologised, without giving any reason or excuse, as if she was aware of her mistake. But from past experiences Fran knew, that Rina was rarely really to blame for anything. This time was no different. It was obvious that Clara was the reason, why Rina was late. Still, it was a good thing for Fran that the little girl had this personality trait. That way, she could use Rina''s guilty thoughts to push her even harder to devote herself to the world. That''s why she put a soft smile on her face, and answered, ¡°Hmm... well fine, if you give your best later I''ll forgive you.¡± Hearing the elf''s words, Rina smiled happily and pumped her fists in front of her chest in determination. ¡°Yes, thank you! I will do my best!¡± Then she walked over to her teacher''s bed and sat down as she was instructed. ¡°Once again, thank you for your time Lady Fran. What are we going to do today?¡± ¡°You don''t get bored thanking me for this at all, do you? You have been doing it every day since we started the extra lessons nearly a year ago... Well, fine... Let''s see... how about practising the Loading Phase for other parts of your body besides your hands again?¡± ¡°Okay, Lady Fran.¡± At her instructor''s suggestion, Rina stood up from the bed again and guided her hands to the maid uniform she was wearing. After removing the ribbon around her neck that held the top of the uniform together, she stopped and looked at the elf to confirm her actions. ¡°Should I take off my clothes again?¡± Chapter 29 - Is your trust in me that low? ¡°Should I take off my clothes again?¡± Rina asked Fran after removing the ribbon, that held the blouse of the maid uniform together. It had been almost a year since Rina had taken private magic lessons from the former High Priestess. They usually lasted two to four hours and took place every day after her mistress had gone to bed. Since Rina usually accompanied Clara before bedtime at 11 PM and woke her up at 6 or 7 AM, this, unfortunately, meant that she only got a maximum of five hours of sleep a day. But this was nothing she couldn''t push through with willpower. After all, Fran had offered her the answers to her innate Dark magic abilities. So, since the beginning of the nightly lessons, Rina had told the elf everything about her magic, that not even Clara knew. By doing so, she learned that it was not only her elemental affinity that was abnormal. The facts that she did not need to chant and that she could draw Mana from any part of her body made her special, too. Before coming to the capital, Rina hadn''t known that each person was only supposed to be able to pour Mana out of only one place of their body. So, although she had noticed very early on that she could drain Mana from every body part through her skin, it felt more than uncomfortable to do it anywhere other than her palms. So she didn''t mind it. But during the lessons, Fran had insisted that she practised the other areas as well. So, when Rina had told her teacher that she felt uneasy doing so, she had been advised to exercise it without clothes first. Guiding the Mana to leave the body through naked skin was much easier than with clothes on. And indeed, Fran was right. Although Rina still felt unwell, it was much more bearable than before. So, for a few weeks now, her daily routine during the night training was to strip down to her underwear and practise the Loading Phase with Fran observing her and pointing out tips when necessary. That was why, Rina almost reflexively undressed herself when she heard the suggestion to continue practising the Loading Phase. Fortunately, she was fast enough to stop herself and ask Fran for confirmation. At the question, the elf seemed to be thinking for a few seconds with her hands on her chin, which was then followed by a subtle grin. Seeing her teacher''s behaviour, Rina had bad feelings creeping up her spine. Over the past months, she had learned that Fran could be very mischievous. The elf somehow loved to be very touchy-feely with Rina, especially when Clara was present. At those times, the blonde girl would always get angry at Fran. To make matters worse, Rina would also be yelled at afterwards for some reason. ¡°You must always be on your guard! Especially with that wretch nearby!¡±, she would be told. Unfortunately, it confused her even more, as she was always watching her surroundings to protect her mistress. Especially after Fran had once thrown a toy dagger at Clara when they first met. Ignoring Rina''s inner distress, Fran stood up from her chair and walked over to the bed. Then she hugged the small girl from behind and pulled her down so that Rina was sitting on her lap. ¡°L-Lady Fran!?¡± Even though it wasn''t the first time that Rina had been in very close contact with her teacher, it still caused her panic. After all, she was hugged from behind by a beautiful woman. In her previous life, when she had still wished for a wonderful love life, she had often imagined what it would feel like to be embraced from behind. So, when a fantasy from her past life came true, she couldn''t help but feel very distressed. ¡°W-what are you doing!?¡± While the redhead was still struggling to understand the situation, the person, who was hugging the little girl, raised her voice and spoke up loudly. ¡°Stay still, Rina. You''re tired from today''s maid work, aren''t you? No wonder, you''re still eight. Leave your body to me and let me undress you today. Just relax for a moment. You still have to sweat a lot later, after all.¡± These words made Rina''s head spin extremely fast. She didn''t know why, but she could feel her body heating up at an alarming rate. She knew very well from her experiences in her past life that she was rather weak when it came to sexual pleasure. After all, were it not for the fact that she had relieved herself several times a day in her previous life, she wouldn''t have been able to endure the hell back then. She knew that her urges would one day reappear in this life, but as she was still in a body of a child, there was no problem on that front yet. So, why did she feel so strange now? Was it because the elf''s hands were roaming all over her body, tickling her? It was by far no comparison to the disgust she had felt when the men had touched her body a year ago. Was it Fran''s strange choice of words, that made her mind imagine all sorts of things? Or was it Fran''s voice, which for some reason sounded overly seductive, albeit loud? Either way, Rina''s fantasies were running wild again, which caused her to stop struggling ¨C involuntarily, if one might add ¨C and let Fran do as she pleased. Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. Fortunately, or unfortunately (?) the elf was interrupted, as... *BAM* ¡­ a loud noise echoed through the room. The cause was the door being slammed open. When the elf looked at the entrance to the room, she saw a blonde girl in a pink nightgown standing there, glaring at her. ¡°W-W-W-WHAT ARE YOU DOING WITH MY MAID!?¡±, the newcomer shouted while pointing at Fran. Seeing how Clara was boiling with rage, Fran grinned even more mockingly and tightened her arms around the girl on her lap, who was still in some sort of daze, to provoke the young lady even further. ¡°Lady Clara, can''t you see that you are disturbing us?¡± Unfortunately for Fran, Clara had experienced enough teasing over the past year, so the eleven-year-old girl managed to calm down a bit, or so it seemed because her voice was still shaking. ¡°H-hooooh? S-so what am I disturbing you with if I may ask?¡± At the question, the elf brought her hand to the cheek of the girl in her lap, who, by the way, was still motionless, and caressed it. ¡°Don''t you see it?¡± Witnessing Fran''s actions, Clara nearly exploded again, but, fortunately, she managed to stop herself. So she turned to her maid, as talking to the perverted elf didn''t seem to be going anywhere at all. ¡°Rina!¡± When Rina heard Clara''s loud and clear voice calling her name, she immediately snapped out of her trance and panicked as she saw a pair of crystal blue eyes glaring at her. ¡°L-Lady Clara? W-what are you doing here?¡± The blonde crossed her arms at her maid''s bewilderment. ¡°Are you seriously asking me that? The question is why are you here?¡± ¡°I''m here to take extra lessons from Lady Fran. She told me that she could help me get better at casting Dark magic.¡± ¡°I see. But what does your current state have something to do with you learning magic?¡± Clara asked calmly. But a closer look at her revealed that she was on the verge of blowing up in anger, for her face was twitching uncontrollably. Only then did Rina look down and see that her clothes were dishevelled. Were it not for her immature body, and were she actually a beautiful person, she might have argued, that her own state could be considered somewhat erotic. To make matters worse, she was currently sitting on Fran''s lap while being held by her from behind. It was then that it dawned on Rina that the blonde girl had misunderstood the situation tremendously. So, she quickly explained in order to ease Clara''s anger(?). ¡°Ah, Lady Clara, you seem to have misunderstood it. For my usual training session, I have to take off my clothes. But as I seemed to be tired to Lady Fran, she was kind enough to offer to undress me instead.¡± Unfortunately, Rina only achieved the opposite, as, throughout her sentence, Clara nearly coughed up blood several times. ''W-what!? Undress!? Usual training session!? Is Rina always alone with that wretch at this time!? Naked!? How long have these sessions been going on? Since when?'' The longer the blonde girl thought about this, the more colour drained from her face as despair slowly but surely formed inside her. Eventually, unable to bear the horrible scenario that was building up in her mind, tears welled up in her eyes. Until... ¡°Pffffffffft... HAHAHAHAHAHA! THIS IS TOO GOOD! *cough* *cough* *cough* HAHAHA!¡± ¡­ a loud laugh echoed through the room. The source, of course, was the former High Priestess who had already let go of Rina. She was currently rolling on her bed laughing, occasionally choking on her own saliva. Seeing Fran''s reaction, Clara''s face regained its colour. She closed the door so that the naughty elf''s loud laughter wouldn''t wake anyone in the mansion in the middle of the night, went in, and sat down on the chair where Fran had been sitting before. It was clear, that Fran had just messed with her. But instead of getting angry again, this time Clara was visibly relieved because it meant that all her earlier imaginations regarding Rina were just that, imaginations. So, while Fran was still busy laughing herself to death, Clara took a closer look at her maid, only to immediately blush and avert her face again. The state Rina was currently in, was somewhat... too dangerous for her. ¡°R-Rina would you mind fixing your clothes?¡± The girl in question, who was confused by the strange behaviour of her mistress and her teacher, did as she was told. ¡°I''m ready, Lady Clara. I''m sorry that you have to see something unsightly because of me.¡± Usually, the blonde girl would have chastised Rina for those remarks again, but as her mind was somewhat preoccupied with trying to calm down, she just nodded on autopilot. So the awkward situation continued for a while, with Fran still rolling around on the bed laughing, Clara blushing and avoiding eye contact with her maid, and said maid standing in the corner observing the situation that clearly went over her head. It was only five minutes later that Fran managed to calm herself and spoke up, still chuckling, ¡°Ah, that was the best laugh I''ve had in a while.¡± Torn from her fantasies, Clara regained her composure and glared back. ¡°I can imagine. So, can you explain in all seriousness what you have been doing with my maid all the time?¡± ¡°Didn''t your maid already tell you? She is here, so I can teach her how to handle her dark magic.¡± At these words Clara looked at Rina, who nodded in return, confirming Fran''s words. ¡°Rina, why didn''t you tell me?¡± But instead of Rina, it was Fran who answered the question. ¡°She is not your lifelong servant, so why should she tell you about her magic powers? She is here to train and cast her Dark magic spells. Your presence here is tantamount to her revealing the details of her powers to you, don''t you see it?¡± But upon hearing this, Rina was quick to deny it, as Fran''s words might convey that Rina didn''t trust Clara enough to reveal her magic powers. ¡°No, that''s not it. It''s just... the time for the training is this late. Usually, you would be asleep by now. And I thought you wouldn''t be interested in what I do when I''m not with you.¡± Unfortunately, Rina''s words hurt Clara even more. ¡°... since when have you been doing this behind my back?¡± ¡°A-around ten months ago?¡± ¡°... I see, so practically from the beginning... Say, Rina?¡± ¡°Y-yes?¡± When Rina met Clara''s eyes, she could see those blue eyes getting wetter and wetter. Then, after a few seconds, the first tears dripped from the blonde girl''s face. ¡°Is your trust in me that low?¡± Chapter 30 - Youre a tough nut to crack, arent you? ¡°Is your trust in me that low?¡± Hearing her mistress say those words with tears welling in her eyes, Rina was so shocked, that her mind stopped working. In her mind, she had said nothing, that should have made Clara sad. But now, she stood there motionless, watching her crush trying to hold back her tears. Rina really wanted to take out a handkerchief to give it to the older girl, but refrained from doing so. Although she couldn''t quite understand why Clara was sad, she did know that it was her fault. So, it was definitely not her place to comfort her mistress. That was why Rina just stood there and waited patiently for Clara to calm down. ¡°Tell me, Rina. What is our relationship like?¡± Clara asked, noticing that her maid was just staring at her. But before Rina could answer the question, the blonde girl continued in a low voice. ¡°Is it a master-servant relationship? Is it a relationship where you do what I want and where you protect me with your body when I''m in any danger?¡± This time, Clara was actually waiting for an answer, so Rina nodded. ¡°I see... then what will you do when my father rejects you next year?¡± At the question, Rina clenched her fists. Until now, she had tried not to think about the fact, that her time at Clara''s side was only temporary. Next year she would still have to pass a test that would decide whether she could stay here or not. But she knew that it was not only the test, that could prevent her from being employed further. Her time until then surely also served as some sort of probationary period, during which the Dragonherz couple would observe her. She even suspected that Fran had been assigned to watch her as well. So, one mistake could be enough to separate her from her crush. And now, she had seemingly hurt Clara. Rina didn''t know why, but it was clear, that Clara was disappointed in her. Looking at the older girl''s facial expression, she was sure that her happy days had come to an end. One word from Clara to Eric was enough for Rina to be dismissed. Once again, before Rina could finish her thoughts to reply to her mistress''s question, Clara interrupted with a lonely smile. ¡°Hey, Rina... let me guess your current thoughts... You are probably thinking, that I will convince Father to fire you, aren''t you?¡± ¡°!... That''s-¡± This time Clara put her hands over Rina''s mouth, preventing her from finishing that sentence. ¡°No need to answer. It was a rhetorical question... Looking at your face, I can already imagine your answer... I''ve been watching you very closely for the past year, after all¡± ¡°...¡± ¡°Well then,¡± Clara took her hands from her maid''s mouth, walked over to the door, and opened it. ¡°I will not disturb you any longer in your training.¡± But before she left, she turned around and bowed to the elf. ¡°I leave her in your hands, but please, don''t undress her again.¡± Then, she left the room. *Clack* As the door closed again, Fran finally spoke up, having watched the situation unfold in silence the whole time. ¡°There you have it, Rina. From now on you have to practice the Loading Phase with your clothes on.¡± ¡°Nononono, I think there are more pressing matters to comment on than that!¡± Rina couldn''t help but retort to her instructor''s statement. ¡°Well, then what do you want me to comment on?¡± ¡°That you don''t have to teach me anymore from tomorrow onwards?¡± Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. ¡°... Wow. The young Lady really can read your mind... Is that what you really think? That you will be fired tomorrow?¡± ¡°Well if it''s not tomorrow or on one of the following days, I''m sure that I won''t be able to pass the test next year.¡± ¡°Because you hurt the young Lady?¡± The red-haired girl nodded at the question. ¡°I''m speechless... you''re really dumb for being such a mature girl.¡± ¡°Ehehehe...¡± At first, Rina blushed at the praise for her maturity, but then she realised that she was actually being insulted. ¡°D-dumb!?¡± ¡°Yeah, your reaction pretty much confirms it. Do you know why that girl was hurt?¡± ¡°...¡± Rina just remained silent, avoiding eye contact. ¡°...Haaaaah... Well, fine, let''s just end today''s lesson here. I don''t think you can concentrate today. Go back and rest. Think about your mistress''s words, figure out her feelings, and talk to her tomorrow.¡± ¡°... I understand... I''m sorry for the inconvenience I have caused you tonight.¡± With those words, Rina bid farewell to Fran for the night, stepped out, and went to her room. As Clara''s personal maid, it was situated right next to her mistress''s room. In noble society, this arrangement was quite common, so that in emergencies the personal assistants could rush to their master''s side as quickly as possible. This was especially important when the assistant also acted as a guard, like in Rina''s case. Once arrived in her private space, she changed out of her maid outfit into her sleepwear, which, incidentally, had been handed down to her by Clara. Of course, this was usually unheard of, as it would damage their esteem if nobles started giving their servants old, worn clothes. For some reason, however, the blonde had really insisted on Rina wearing her old clothes except for the maid uniform. At first, it seemed to Rina that her mistress wanted to be a bit more intimate with her. After all, from what she had heard in conversations, girls in her former life often swapped clothes with their best friends or lovers. She even did It with her twin several times during childhood. But it was clear to her that this wasn''t Clara''s intention. Rina suspected that the blonde was just kind enough to give her those clothes so that Rina wouldn''t have to waste money buying new ones. Still, regardless of Clara''s motives, Rina was just glad to be able to wear her crush''s old wardrobe. For her, this was still a symbol of intimacy. There was only one problem. Rina''s pride took a big hit, as the sleepwear had just changed into had been worn by her mistress when she was five years old. *** The following next morning, Rina opened her eyes as usual at 5 AM, prepared herself for the day, changed into her uniform, and walked over to the door leading to Clara''s room to collect her mistress''s laundry. Luckily, the blonde had a very deep sleep which was why her actions had never woken Clara up before. But strangely, when Rina entered Clara''s room, its owner was already up, sitting on the bed as if she waited for her. ¡°Good Morning Rina, you are already up?¡± ¡°Y-yes, good morning, Lady Clara. My day usually starts at this time.¡± Normally, when they were alone like right now, Rina would call Clara by her name without the ''Lady'' prefix. However, because of what had happened the night before, she wasn''t sure if it was still appropriate. But as if Clara could sense the thoughts that were swirling in her maid''s head, she spoke up. ¡°Won''t you call me as usual when we''re alone?¡± Those words instantly cleared Rina''s inner anxiety, resulting in her blossoming like a flower. ¡°Yes, if that''s what you wish, Clara.¡± Unfortunately, her smile was only met with a weak one from Clara. Seeing that, Rina''s mood soured again and she remembered the question from the day before. ¡°Is your trust in me that low?¡± she had been asked. Following Fran''s advice, the red-haired girl had spent half of the night thinking about these words and whether they had any deeper meaning. Sadly, she couldn''t reach any certain conclusions. She only suspected that Clara was disappointed for not being told about the secrets concerning her Dark magic. That''s why she could only hope that their relationship could be repaired with her next words, ¡°Clara, would you like to join me for the private magic sessions with Lady Fran at night?¡± Hearing that, a bit of happiness could be seen gleaming in the blonde''s eyes. ¡°Are you sure, Rina? It would mean that I might learn every detail of your magic.¡± ¡°Yes, I don''t mind it.¡± ¡°W-why all of a sudden? Give me your reason!¡± Clara couldn''t help but be a bit hopeful, that her maid would finally understand her. ¡°I trust you, Clara...¡± Hearing this, the blonde was about to jump out of her bed and hug her maid. But then the next words stripped her of her strength again. ¡°... I trust that you won''t go around telling people about my powers even if I failed the test next year.¡± ¡°...¡± ¡°Clara? D-did I say something wrong again?¡± Seeing how her mistress suddenly stopped in whatever she wanted to do, Rina grew anxious. ¡°... Haaaaah... I don''t know what I was expecting.¡± ¡°W-what do you mean?¡± ¡°... It''s just...¡± ¡°Just?¡± Rina tilted her head as she repeated Clara''s words. ¡°You''re a tough nut to crack, aren''t you?¡± Chapter 31 - Why is your dress red? ¡°R~i~n~a!¡± It was early in the morning, just a couple of minutes after the Dragonherz family''s usual breakfast time. Rina was currently in the courtyard of the manor, hanging the freshly hand-washed dresses of her beloved mistress up to dry, when she was interrupted by a clear, bell-like voice calling her name from behind. Of course, she knew who the voice belonged to. After all, it was the voice of her crush. She would recognise it at any time of the day. But before she could turn around to greet the newcomer, who had probably just finished breakfast, Rina was tackled and hugged from behind. ¡°What are you doing?¡± asked the person responsible. ¡°Clara... I''ve already told you multiple times... Your esteemed parents, especially Madam Lauren will get angry with you if they see you behaving like this.¡± ¡°I don''t care! Cuddling with you is more important!¡± As if to prove these words with her actions, Clara rubbed her face against Rina''s red, shoulder-length hair. ¡°...¡± Of course, this made Rina blush. Even though it was not the first time that Clara did something like this, no matter how often Rina experienced it, she couldn''t get used to it. For some reason, after Clara had discovered that Rina had been taking extra classes to train in her Dark magic a year ago, the blonde''s behaviour had suddenly changed by one hundred and eighty degrees. Before that, they had had a fairly normal master-servant relationship with clear boundaries. True, they had teased each other on a few occasions before, but it had still been within normal limits for that kind of relationship. Afterwards, however, Clara became extremely physical, imitating their teacher Fran when it came to skin-ship with Rina, hugging her or sitting close to her whenever the situation allowed. Unfortunately for Rina, her crush''s hugs always caused her heart to race. This time was no exception, so she couldn''t concentrate on her current task of hanging up clothes anymore. Seeing how her maid reddened with embarrassment, Clara smiled in delight. After all, this implied that her tactic worked. So, taking advantage, she grabbed Rina''s hand and pulled the girl along with her. Only then, Rina realised what was currently happening and spoke up. ¡°Clara? Where are we going? I still need to hang up your clothes to dry.¡± ¡°Eh? Oh, I''m sorry, Rina... I got a little excited.¡± Now it was Clara''s turn to blush as she let go of her maid''s hand. ¡°Heehee... No problem, Clara. Please wait for me. I''ll be done in five minutes.¡± Seeing her mistress''s facial expression, Rina couldn''t help but let out a small chuckle. Afterwards, she turned back to continue her current work, as she had declared. But that didn''t stop her from making small talk to distract her mistress from the boredom of waiting. ¡°By the way, Clara, why were you so excited?¡± ¡°Ah, the dress for my birthday and social debut party just arrived half an hour ago.¡± ¡°Oh! That is good news! Then your reaction means that it is as you have imagined?¡± ¡°Yes! I especially like its colour!¡± ¡°Well, then congratulations! But why were you so intent on keeping its design a secret, Clara?¡± ¡°To surprise you, of course!¡± At this response, Rina stopped her work for a few seconds and turned to Clara. ¡°To surprise me!? Why?¡± ¡°Fufufu... you will see~¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± Rina eyed her mistress suspiciously. ¡°Don''t tell me... you also want to hand it down to me in the future?¡± Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. ¡°Eh? Well, yes, that too...¡± ¡°''Too''? What do you mean by ''too''?¡± ¡°... Now, now, hurry up and finish your work, so I can show you the dress.¡± Even though Rina really wanted to interrogate Clara about those words, she still followed the order and continued hanging up the laundry. When she was finished a few minutes later, they both went to Clara''s room. As soon as they reached it, Clara turned to her maid. ¡°Wait here for a moment, I will try it on, so I can show you.¡± ¡°Have you already worn the dress in front of Lord Eric and Madam Lauren?¡± In Yggildos, regardless of country or culture, one was considered an adult as soon as they reached the age of twelve. Therefore, everyone celebrated their twelfth birthday as a coming-of-age ceremony. In aristocratic circles, these ceremonies were called Social Debut Parties. It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience for every aristocrat, on par with the wedding or childbirth. Therefore, the attire that the children wore on that day would be as important as a wedding dress. So, a child would usually show his or her appearance in these clothes first to those closest to them, such as their parents. That was why Clara''s next words were so surprising. ¡°No, I want you to be the first to see me in it.¡± Of course, Rina knew about the norms of this world, as they had been taught to her at the beginning of her stay in the Dragonherz Mansion. But because she also had the common sense of her previous world, she didn''t really mind her mistress''s declaration further and just acknowledged it. ¡°If you really wish for it, it''s fine by me.¡± ¡°...¡± That response, however, was very much to Clara''s dismay. In the past, whenever she had hinted in any way or another that Rina was very dear to her, the red-haired girl had never failed to get red and squirm in embarrassment. Clara very much enjoyed seeing her maid in that state. Unfortunately, it was not meant to be this time. ¡°Clara, can you put the dress on by yourself? Do you want me to help you?¡± ¡°NO! Absolutely not!¡± With a flushed face, Clara rejected Rina''s offer instantly and vehemently. ¡°Do you want me to get another maid to help you then?¡± ¡°Didn''t I already say I wanted to show it to you first?... Just wait here.¡± With that Clara went into her room, leaving Rina to wait in the corridor. *** Approximately ten minutes later, Clara''s voice rang from inside. ¡°Rina, you can go in now.¡± At this prompt, Rina opened the door and entered her mistress''s room. Only when she had closed the door behind her again, she turned towards Clara. Naturally, she instantly became speechless upon perceiving her mistress''s appearance in the dress. In the beginning, Rina didn''t think much of the whole Social Debut business. First, there was nothing like that on Earth. Second, Rina was not a noble herself. Even if she could theoretically celebrate her coming of age when she became twelve, she would never have to concern herself with a Social Debut. And lastly, Rina had never liked celebrations in general in the first place, because they always reminded her that there was no one else in the world to share the festivities with. Now, however, seeing her beautiful crush in front of her, wearing a custom-made dress, Rina couldn''t help but change her entire opinion of these celebrations. After all, it was thanks to them, that she could enjoy the sight in front of her. It just showed Rina once again how much she liked the blonde. Clara would turn twelve in a few days. In Yggildos it meant that she would officially reach adulthood and could legally get married. In fact, in noble society, it was not uncommon for girls to marry before the age of fifteen. In a world full of danger, especially where demons existed, it was important to have an heir as early as possible to ensure the survival of the bloodline. That was why the dress that Clara was wearing, had, in Rina''s eyes, a little too much emphasis on sex appeal, as the shoulders were wide open. It certainly didn''t help that Clara was physically very mature and had a very large chest for her age. To make matters worse (?), the dress was fitted very tightly, accentuating Clara''s figure even more. So, even without intending to, Rina stood there and stared at her mistress, enjoying the view. On the other hand, Clara was delighted upon seeing her maid''s reaction. Even she could perceive, that Rina''s eyes were literally drawn to her. But that was her goal. It was certainly worth it, sacrificing hours of sleep to practise putting on a difficult dress herself. So, with her self-confidence at an all-time high, Clara decided to even put on a little show, grabbing the hem of the skirt and twirling around When Rina saw her mistress''s actions, she felt even more mesmerised. Once again, it showed her how hard she fell for her mistress. So, even though she had decided to not pursue love, dark emotions still built up inside her when she thought about Clara''s Social Debut. After all, it would mean that the blonde would be looking for a husband in the future. Would Rina still have a place beside Clara when the time came? Rina shook her head frantically to get the depressing thoughts out of her head. Then, she looked at her mistress again. This time, however, without any hint of shyness or the like from before. There were currently more pressing matters at hand, after all. So, Rina took a deep breath. There were some comments about the dress she wanted to give since she first entered the room a few minutes ago. ¡°Clara?¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°If I remember correctly, it is very important to wear suitable clothes for noble parties.¡± ¡°Yes, that''s right.¡± ¡°And that goes double for important parties like your Social Debut.¡± ¡°That''s also correct.¡± ¡°And the norm for those dresses is that if you have an escort partner, then the colour of your dress has to match with your partner''s hair or eye colour.¡± ¡°Exactly.¡± ¡°But for your Social Debut and birthday party next week, you don''t have an escort partner... so your dress should usually have your hair or eye colour. In your case that would be yellow or blue.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Then... I really have to ask...¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°Why is your dress red?¡± Chapter 32 - B-but please... be gentle. ¡°Why is your dress red?¡± At Rina''s question, Clara tapped her chin with her index finger to show that she was thinking. ¡°Hmm... I wonder why... Because I asked for a red dress, of course¡± ¡°Clara, please don''t dodge my question. You know that''s not what I meant. Why did you order a red dress? Shouldn''t it be yellow or blue in your case?¡± ¡°It is, look.¡± Clara pointed to the ornaments and the small stripes on her dress that were in the colours mentioned. ¡°They only make up five to ten percent of your dress. Shouldn''t those colours be the majority on it instead of red?¡± ¡°Usually yes, but I like red. Red is my favourite colour.¡± ¡°Eh?¡± Rina was genuinely surprised at her mistress''s explanation. ¡°I remember you saying once that you liked blue the best.¡± ¡°Tastes change over time, and so do mine. Now, it''s red,¡± Clara said as she slowly approached Rina. Rina, on the other hand, seeing her mistress closing in with a mysterious smile, unconsciously stepped back as if to gain some distance from the blonde. But it was to no avail, as Clara continued to close the gap between them again. Therefore, Rina kept going back as if she wanted to escape. For every step Rina took backwards, Clara responded with a step forward. This continued for a few seconds until Rina reached the wall behind her, preventing her from retreating any further. As a result, her mistress was now so close to her, that she could even see Clara''s eyelashes clearly. So, as if to distract herself from getting embarrassed by the sight of the blonde''s beautiful, well-formed face at point-blank range, Rina resumed her questions. ¡°W-w-why d-did it c-change?¡± Unfortunately, her nervousness was at its peak at the moment. Thus, she could only stammer out those words. ¡°I wonder why...¡± Still smiling mysteriously, Clara looked down at her maid, who was over 30cm shorter than her. She then slammed her left hand on the wall next to Rina''s head and took several strands of the smaller girl''s hair with her right hand, stroking them. ¡°I really wonder, why I suddenly like red so much.¡± Unfortunately, Rina didn''t get Clara''s implications at all, as her eyes were spinning from the blonde''s actions. Or even worse, as it seemed that Rina had fallen into a kind of daze from overheating. Seeing her maid in this state, Clara wasn''t quite sure whether she should be happy, or not. On the one hand, it was obvious that Rina appeared to be somewhat conscious of her. On the other hand, the fact that her maid''s brain had switched off, meant that Clara had to stop her approaches for the time being. So she grabbed the still-stunned girl''s hand, guided her to the sofa, and sat her down. Then Clara settled into a chair across from her maid. Now all she had to do was wait for Rina to come out of her daze. Luckily, it only took a few seconds for Rina to regain her awareness. ¡°Awawawawawa.¡± Sadly for Rina, just because her brain had turned off from experiencing things that were too spicy for her, it didn''t mean that she didn''t notice Clara''s actions. In fact, it was quite the opposite. Because of her mistress''s behaviour, her mind was more in shambles than ever before, as she couldn''t understand the blonde''s actions at all. ''Why did Clara order a dress with red as the main colour? Why did Clara stroke just my hair? Was it because she now likes red? Is she only so kind to me, because my hair and eyes are also red?... D-d-d-don''t t-t-tell me... she d-d-developed her f-f-fondness for r-red b-b-b-because of m-m-m-e!?!?'' Rina glanced at her crush, who was sitting across from her, smiling back in silence. If Rina''s meager brainpower hadn''t been occupied with something else right now, she could have lost herself in that charming smile. ''N-n-n-no, stupid Rina, you know that''s impossible. Save your dreams for when you''re asleep!'' Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! Rina shook her head frantically, trying to clear her mind of her latest thoughts. Then, when she couldn''t find an answer to her questions and as if she wanted to divert her thoughts in another direction, she turned to Clara to ask something that had been on her mind for a while now... while pretending to be calm. ¡°C-C-C-C-C-C-Clara, I h-h-h-have a q-q-quethtion for you....¡± Needless to say, she failed miserably, even biting her tongue. ¡°Fufufu, no need to be so nervous~. What do you want to ask me, my cute little maid?¡± ¡°P-p-please stop teasing me!¡± ¡°Fine, fine, I''ll stop, for now... So? What''s your question?¡± Seeing how her mistress was still smirking at her, Rina couldn''t help but be still somewhat suspicious if Clara genuinely meant it. For quite some time now, Rina had been wondering if her mistress was really going to be twelve soon. After all, if Clara was actually that young, Rina had some explaining to do, like how she, someone who was supposed to be mentally in her thirties, was regularly being played by a girl in her early teens. From an outsider''s perspective, it might even look extremely easy for Clara, like taking candy from a baby. So, while Rina felt her pride as a grown woman (in mind) being crushed, she pushed the thought away and continued with the conversation. ¡°Clara, are you sure you want me to accompany you to the party venue?¡± ¡°Yes, I''m absolutely sure, and I won''t allow a refusal.¡± Hearing her mistress''s serious tone, Rina couldn''t help but feel a little uneasy. ¡°But isn''t it normally for your lifelong servant? I haven''t passed Lord Eric''s test yet.¡± ¡°It''s fine, you will, no, WE will definitely pass that test, so you don''t have to worry about it.¡± ¡°B-But wouldn''t it be bad if we failed nonetheless? As far as I remember, when a personal servant accompanies a noble in public, it''s supposed to be for life, right? S-so if I''m not allowed to stay by your side further, won''t it then damage your reputation?¡± ¡°Yes, but I still want you to accompany me to my Social Debut and birthday party... *mumbles* ...so that you being with me forever is finally a fait accompli. *mumbles*¡± ¡°Hmm? Could you repeat that sentence, please? I didn''t quite catch the second part.¡± ¡°Nothing! I just said that I want you to come with me, no matter what! Understood?¡± Although Rina was a little startled by Clara''s suddenly loud voice, she nodded in acknowledgement of her mistress''s wish. ¡°Okay, now with this out of the way, let''s go to your extra lessons.¡± Actually, for Rina, this subject was anything but ''out of the way''. There were still many questions to be answered. However, it was Clara''s wish not to continue this topic, so who was Rina to refuse it? Therefore, Rina pushed her remaining uneasiness to the back of her mind and joined Clara on the new topic. ¡°As for my magic training... are you sure that you don''t get bored watching me practice my magic all the time? You already know how my gravity magic works, so why do you still insist on accompanying me?... Ah! If you are worried about me not doing my maid work... I can ask Lady Fran to train me at night again.¡± ¡°No, it''s not boring and I''m going with you, no matter what! You never know what that perverted elf will do to you if I''m not watching...¡± At these words, Rina tilted her head in confusion. ¡°What do you mean? Lady Fran is very good to me, and I thought you don''t hate her anymore?¡± ¡°... Haaaah... if you don''t understand, then fine... Now wait for me outside the room for five minutes until I change out of this dress.¡± Then, Clara approached Rina, grabbed the smaller girl by her shoulders, and looked intently into her deep-red eyes. ¡°And absolutely don''t go to the elf until I come out, do you understand?¡± ¡°Y-yes, Lady Clara.¡± Feeling the pressure oozing out of her mistress, Rina tensed up and could only stutter her confirmation politely in return. ¡°Good girl, now wait outside.¡± It was only when the pressure had disappeared as suddenly as it had appeared that Rina was able to relax and headed for the door. But then, she remembered how vehemently the blonde had refused her assistance in getting dressed. It was obvious to her that Clara didn''t like being seen naked and in underwear by other people. So the red-haired girl had an idea of how she could get back at Clara for all the teasing she had received today. Therefore, Rina stopped halfway to the door, turned around, and looked at her mistress with a smirk. ¡°Clara, do you want me to help you change after all?¡± Of course, Rina expected her offer to be rejected. If not, she would be in trouble herself, as seeing her crush in underwear, or even naked, was definitely too much for Rina. She was sure that her head would explode from embarrassment in that case. And indeed, as Rina had already guessed, the blonde immediately turned red. Unfortunately, however, Clara had seen the smirk on Rina''s face and, thus, was able to guess her intention. So, Rina suddenly had a very bad feeling when she noticed that her mistress returned her smile with an evil grin. ¡°Rina, I never knew, that you were such a pervert!¡± Clara exclaimed theatrically while putting her arms in front of her as if to protect her body from something. ¡°Eh?!¡± ¡°But it''s fine... if you really want to see me naked, then come, I will strip... it''s my precious maid''s desire after all.¡± ¡°Ehhhhh!?¡± It went without saying, that the person spoken to, Rina, was as red as a tomato because she had not expected such an answer. To make matters worse, her mistress''s adorable gestures and suggestive words made her imagine all sorts of things. Of course, Clara was not the kind of person to let her maid get away with just that. So she started trembling, moistened her eyes, and looked with them upturned at Rina to go for the kill. ¡°B-but please... be gentle.¡± Chapter 33 - A-Are you getting married, Clara? ¡°Ahahahahahaha.¡± In the Dragonherz mansion, two people were currently walking down the corridor towards the room, where the former High Priestess was staying. One of them, Clara, was laughing out loud like there was no tomorrow. The reason for this was the girl with a beet-red face and eyes filled with tears behind Clara. ¡°C-C-Clara, I''m going to tell Madam Lauren about your unladylike behaviour!¡± After being utterly destroyed by her mistress, this was all Rina could muster as a last attempt at damage control. It went without saying, that Rina''s mind had stopped working after Clara had pulled the ¡°B-but please... be gentle¡± stunt a few minutes prior. ¡°Heeheehee... so what are you going to tell my mother?¡± ¡°...¡± Of course, it was just an empty threat. There was no way Rina could tell Lauren what had just happened in Clara''s room, that Rina had wanted to tease the blonde, only to be done in, instead. So, with no counter to Clara''s question, Rina just kept silent, while puffing out her cheeks. Unfortunately, this expression triggered Clara''s hidden switch even more. But luckily for Rina, they arrived at Fran''s room just as the blonde was about to strike again, so Rina was safe, for now. *Knock* *Knock* ¡°Come in.¡± Hearing these words, Clara opened the door and entered the room, dragging the girl behind her with her. ¡°Hello Fran, I will be intruding on your lessons again.¡± ¡°Fine, fine, I''ve already given up on being alone with Rina... speaking of whom, where is she?¡± At that question, Clara stepped aside, revealing the red-haired girl behind her. ¡°Here.¡± ¡°Hmpf.¡± The person in question turned her head away from Clara with her arms crossed, still pouting. Of course, Rina wasn''t actually angry with her crush. She never could be. She was confident that her fondness for the blonde would still remain even if she was betrayed, hurt, or even killed by Clara. Rina was only sulking because she still couldn''t cope with the fact, that she was no match for a soon-to-be twelve-year-old girl. ¡°... What''s up with her?¡± Obviously, there was no way, Fran could know what the redhead was thinking or what had happened. In truth, Rina really wanted to answer the question so that they could finally move on from the (mainly for Rina) embarrassing situation. However, she was currently supposed to be sulking, and people who sulk usually ignored their surroundings. So she just kept silent while hoping that her mistress would answer the elf''s question as ambiguously as possible. Unfortunately, the world was a cruel place, as five minutes later... ¡°BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA *cough* *cough* HAHAHAHAHAHAHA *cough* Bleergh, oh shit, I''m dying *cough* *cough* hehehe¡± ¡­the former High Priestess was rolling around in her bed, laughing, coughing, and whatnot, after Clara had explained what had happened earlier in every possible detail. ¡°You don''t have to laugh so much, that you start coughing.¡± Rina couldn''t help but grumpily comment on Fran''s behaviour. ¡°Ahaha, I''m sorry, but watching you two is really funny.¡± ¡°... I have the feeling that it''s mostly at my costs...¡± ¡°But real-talk, Rina, you shouldn''t challenge your sadistic mistress anymore in the future.¡± Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. ¡°Sadistic!?¡± The person in question couldn''t let that statement slide but was unfortunately royally ignored by both Rina and Fran. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°What, why? Your mistress is scary! In the beginning, I have managed to tease her quite a bit, but lately, I can''t do that anymore. She will return the teasing to me instead. And even if you ignore the more light-hearted situations, I don''t think that I could even win a serious debate against her. She will be really scary to reckoned with when she grows even further, so you need to stay on her good side or you''ll regret it.¡± ¡°I see... now that you mention it, even Lord Eric has a fair share of difficulties arguing with her.¡± ¡°Yeah, that''s what I''m talking about, so you''d better never try anything funny with your mistress again.¡± ¡°Yes! Thank you for your advice! I will keep it in mind!¡± Rina and Fran seemed to be on agreeable terms regarding this topic. ¡°Erm... you both do realise that I''m standing next to you, right?¡± ¡°Ehh!? C-C-Clara?¡± ¡°Of course, I know that you can hear us.¡± However, their reactions to Clara''s awkward interjection couldn''t have been more different. While Rina seemed to have completely forgotten Clara''s presence and panicked, Fran was well aware that Clara was here to hear the compliments/insults (?) and simply acknowledged it. ¡°Haaah, Rina do you understand that you just got played by that elf?¡± ¡°Eh!?¡± At her mistress''s shocking announcement, Rina turned robotically to Fran, whom she had just thought of as an ally. ¡°L-Lady Fran, d-did you also just t-tease me?¡± But instead of answering the nine-year-old girl''s question, Fran just looked away and feigned ignorance. In return, it was Clara, who then spoke up. ¡°Rina, I hope that you don''t think that she was your ally. She just tried to make you say bad things about me...¡± ¡°... With all due respect, Lady Clara, but I don''t think that you have the right to say that. You are the reason for this in the first place.¡± Hearing the change in her maid''s tone, Clara knew that she had gone too far. So while it was now her time to panic inwardly out of fear that she had upset Rina, the blonde approached her maid and stroked the smaller girl''s head. ¡°I''m sorry Rina, I''ll refrain from teasing you from now on... I''ll try... maybe... I can''t promise you though... So please, cheer up, okay?¡± Usually, hearing Clara''s words, Rina would have definitely retorted, as those words didn''t reflect any sincerity in her mistress at all. But with her head suddenly being caressed by the soft and warm hand of her crush, Rina didn''t have the mental capacity to do so. After all, she was too busy fighting off the embarrassment, keeping her fantasies intact, and etching the current sensation on her head deep into her memory. Unfortunately for the mistress-servant pair, there was currently a third party in the room. In fact, they were in the private room of said third party. ¡°Wow... watching this scene in front of me, I have so many comments that I don''t know where to start.¡± Upon picking up Fran''s voice, Clara begrudgingly turned her attention to the elf but still kept petting her servant. ¡°Do you have to interrupt? We were just in such a good mood.¡± ¡°Really? Are you serious? At least try to remember where you currently are! You are in MY bedroom, flirting with your clueless wife!¡± ¡°Heehee~¡± Unfortunately, Fran''s words seemed to have made Clara even happier than before, though the elf didn''t need to think for long about why. So, after letting out a heavy sigh, she spoke up in a serious tone. ¡°All jokes aside, I need your attention now.¡± Noticing the seriousness in the former High Priestess''s voice, Clara stopped caressing her maid''s head. ¡°Rina, snap out of it, Fran seems to have something serious to say.¡± ¡°Y-yes!¡± Although Rina was startled by her mistress''s words at first, she managed to regain her composure almost instantly after and turned towards Fran. ¡°I''m sorry for that display earlier, Lady Fran.¡± ¡°It''s nothing you have to apologise for. Now then, take a seat, we need to talk.¡± While saying this to Rina, Fran subtly tapped on her lap as if to show the redhead where to sit. Unfortunately, this gesture went unnoticed by Rina, as she moved to stand behind Clara as if it was the most natural thing in the world. To make matters worse, Fran''s pointing at her own lap was noticed by Clara, which earned the elf an annoyed glare. ''Seriously, children mature at an alarming rate these days... Even though Rina already seems to act well beyond her age, Clara''s behaviour really takes the icing on the cake.'' Once again, Fran couldn''t help but be highly impressed by how both girls appeared. Unfortunately for Rina, Fran concluded that Clara''s mental age was superior to Rina''s, even though the redhead was actually the mentally older one of the two. ¡°Have you already seen Lord Eric''s guest list for your Social Debut?¡± Fran asked, after pushing her previous thoughts to the back of her mind. Clara shook her head at the question. ¡°No, not yet.¡± ¡°I have bad news for you... It seems the Lumi¨¦res are invited.¡± ¡°Just because Father invited them, it doesn''t mean that...¡± At first, Clara was taking Fran''s ''bad news'' rather lightly, but after she saw her instructor''s grim expressions, Clara could feel the colour in her face draining. ¡°... Don''t tell me, they are going to be there!?¡± Fran nodded. But before Clara could react to the elf''s confirmation... *Thud* ¡­ a dull sound came from behind her. When she looked back, her mind stopped working, as she saw Rina collapsed on her knees with tears dripping from her face. ¡°R-Rina? What is wrong?¡± Seeing her maid in this state, Clara jumped out of her chair and rushed to the red-haired girl''s side. ¡°A-are you hurting anywhere?¡± When Rina saw the face of her beloved mistress, she was at first slightly relieved. But then she recalled the bad news that Fran had just told them and, thus, paled again. Then she looked at Clara. ¡°A-Are you getting married, Clara?¡± Chapter 34 - Would you antagonise your father for your maid? ¡°A-Are you getting married, Clara?¡± At first, both Clara and Fran were confused as to why Rina would come to this conclusion when Fran had told them that the Lumi¨¦re family would be attending Clara''s Social Debut and twelfth birthday. But then Clara recalled that she had once told her maid, that Eric had tried to get a connection to the Lumi¨¦re by marrying Clara off. So, Clara spoke up in a gentle voice to calm the agitated Rina down. ¡°I''m not getting married. Father has already promised me that he won''t bring up that topic anymore.¡± ¡°R-really?¡± ¡°Yes, so I''m not going anywhere, okay?¡± ¡°Mhm.¡± Rina nodded at her mistress''s words and wiped her eyes dry. Then she and Clara stood up and returned to their places, with Clara sitting on the sofa facing Fran and Rina standing diagonally behind her mistress. ¡°I''m sorry Lady Fran, I have interrupted your important conversation and, once again, showed you an unsightly display...¡± ¡°Okay, apology accepted... well, there''s nothing to apologise for in the first place. Are you already completely calm?¡± ¡°Yes~!¡± Rina smiled with a bright smile. ¡°Good, to hear,¡± Fran said and then turned to face Clara. ¡°... I know what you''re thinking, so please wipe that smug look off your face, it''s annoying.¡± ¡°Or what? Just let me keep my good mood...¡± ¡°Haaaah.¡± After heaving a sigh, the elf looked at Rina again and patted her own lap. ¡°Rina, how about you come here and sit on my lap? Maybe I can calm you further down while I hug you?¡± ¡°HAAAH!? Stupid elf, what are you saying!? Of course, it''s rejected!¡± Needless to say, it was Clara who interjected immediately at Fran''s suggestion. Rina, on the other hand, couldn''t follow the conversation since Fran had accepted her apology at all. Still, she managed to decline her teacher''s offer. ¡°N-no, I''m already calm, but thank you nonetheless.¡± ¡°My~ look at this kind, innocent girl, how can it be, that you chose such a feisty mistress?¡± Instead of Rina, it was, once again, Clara who spoke up hissing the white flag. ¡°Enough of this already, you win this time, so can we continue our conversation?¡± It went without saying that her smug expression from a minute ago was now nowhere to be seen. Having achieved her goal, Fran flipped her inner switch to turn serious again. ¡°Okay, back to the topic... it seems Duke Lumi¨¦re himself will come.¡± ¡°What? Why should the Prime Minister himself attend the Social Debut of a Viscount''s daughter? He has no reason to...¡± Clara stopped herself during her speech upon realising what Duke Lumi¨¦re''s goal was and looked back at the girl standing behind her. ¡°Eh?¡± Rina was naturally confused by the sudden focus of attention on her. Noticing the redhead''s confusion, Clara asked, ¡°Do you remember what I told you about the Lumi¨¦res?¡± This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. ¡°Yes, you said that Lord Eric tried to connect with them by having you marry one of their sons.¡± Rina couldn''t help but blush, remembering the way she had acted earlier at the thought of her crush getting married. ¡°Yes, but I told you more about them, didn''t I?¡± ¡°Hmm... Ah! You also explained that the Lumi¨¦res are looking for people with strong magical affinities... d-don''t tell me...¡± Seeing that her maid finally understood the problem, Clara was about to confirm Rina''s conclusion. But it was then, when the red-haired girl''s next words confused not only her but Fran as well. ¡°... the Lumi¨¦res want you to marry one of their sons, after all?¡± ¡°¡±Ehh?¡±¡± ¡°Eh?¡± ¡°¡±¡±...¡±¡±¡± ¡°Rina? How did you reach this conclusion!?¡± Clara was the one who broke the short, awkward silence. ¡°W-well, they collect people with unusual and strong magic abilities. Wouldn''t they want you with your fire breath?¡± This time, it was Fran, who answered the maid''s question. ¡°No, if they did, they wouldn''t have turned down Eric''s marriage proposal in the first place. It''s already well known, that the members of the Dragonherz family can breathe fire.¡± ¡°Why would they come, then?¡± ¡°We have another girl here besides me who has a special magic affinity, haven''t we?¡± Both Clara and Fran looked, no, glared at the red-haired girl. But without waiting for a reaction from her maid, Clara turned back to Fran. ¡°But I also wonder, why they would attend. Did they somehow get wind of the fact that we have someone with Dark magic affinity?¡± ¡°I think so,¡± the elf shared Clara''s conclusion. ¡°I suspect you might have a servant here who knows about Rina''s abilities and sold the information to the world.¡± ¡°Fran, my opinion of you has changed for the better over the last year. You might even say, that I trust you to a considerable extent, so please don''t say anything that might diminish that trust in you again...¡± At Clara''s words, which sounded like a threat, Fran glared at the blonde girl, who returned it. The staring contest lasted for several seconds until the elf raised her arms in the air. ¡°Okay, okay young Lady, I''m sorry for my thoughtless words. I didn''t mean to offend any of your staff.¡± ¡°As long as you understand.¡± The expression on Clara''s face softened again. It was then that Rina jumped in again, still unable to understand the root of the problem. ¡°Um... why do you think, that the Lumi¨¦res would come for that reason? Maybe they just accepted the invitation to celebrate your Social Debut and birthday?¡± ¡°¡±...¡±¡± ¡°I mean, they are the Prime Minister''s family, right? Maybe they are good people.¡± Fran shook her head at the nine-year-old''s words. ¡°No, they''re absolutely not good people¡± Only upon hearing those words, Rina remembered that Fran had lost her position as the High Priestess primarily because of the Prime Minister. So feeling bad, that she might have hurt Fran''s feelings by seeming to protect the Lumi¨¦res, Rina left her position, approached her instructor, and bowed. ¡°I''m sorry Lady Fran, I have not thought deeply about my words and have hurt you as a result. I hope you can forgive me.¡± Not letting this chance slip by, the elf quickly took the small girl her arms and rubbed Rina''s cheeks with her own. ¡°Ahhh~... You are so sweet, Rina! Of course, I''ll forgive you. If all people were like you, the world would be a much better place.¡± Relieved that Fran didn''t seem to be hurt, sad, angry, or the like at all, Rina just kept still and let her teacher do as she pleased. After all, it was because of Rina''s careless words, so she was simply reaping what she had sown. Yes, it was only because of her guilty feelings for Fran and not at all because Rina liked the scent of the elf and being in close contact with a beautiful woman... definitely not. The only problem was that Rina''s not objecting to Fran''s actions might upset Clara. And indeed, when Rina threw a glance at her mistress, she could clearly perceive that Clara''s face was twitching. No, that was putting it too mildly, as Clara''s entire body was trembling, close to exploding. Fortunately for the redhead, Clara was able to control herself. Unfortunately, this meant that Rina was in for a long scolding session afterwards. But it was then, when Fran suddenly stopped what she was doing and let go of the maid. This caused both Rina and Clara to look at the elf, only to see a grim expression on Fran''s face. ¡°I-is something wrong?¡± Over the past year, Clara had gotten a pretty good grasp on the elf''s personality. Although Fran seemed to be joking around and teasing her very often, too often to be honest, Clara judged the elf to be a trustworthy person. In her eyes, Fran had a good head on her shoulders and knew the political world very well. It was clear, that Fran hadn''t become the High Priestess for nothing. That was why Fran''s predictions and analyses of events very often hit the mark. Therefore, when Clara saw her magic instructor''s grim face, she knew that something bad was bound to happen. After all, this meant that Fran had just realised something. And it was undoubtedly bad news for them. And indeed, the next words that came out of the former High Priestess''s mouth, confirmed Clara''s bad feeling. ¡°Clara, I have a question for you, and I want you to think deeply about it and answer me honestly.¡± The girl nodded, albeit with obvious hesitation. ¡°Would you antagonise your father for your maid?¡± Chapter 35 - I hope Clara will like it. ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. ¡°stupid enough to truly believe that. So I''m really intrigued to know who put that bug in your ear. I would like to have a word with that person.¡± Eric smiled kindly, his eyes, however, didn''t reflect that smile at all. ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° Chapter 36 - Take back what youve said, Mister, or youre going to regret it! A five-minute walk further down the street from where Rina had just bought the brooch for Clara, she finally arrived at the blacksmith''s shop where her weapons had been ordered. Without hesitation, she opened the door, entered the shop, and went straight to the counter. When the female clerk who was reading a book at the counter noticed Rina, even recognised her, she spoke up. ¡°Oh welcome, young maid. You are from the Dragonherz family, aren''t you? Are you here to take what you''ve ordered?¡± Rina couldn''t help but be a little surprised by the question. After all, it was three weeks ago when she had come here with Clara and a guard. ¡°Y-yes. You remember me?¡± ¡°Ahaha, of course, I remember you. It''s not very often that I get to see such a beautiful girl with such distinctive hair and eyes like you~¡± Hearing those words, even though they were only flattery, it was inevitable that Rina blushed to match her hair colour. She was not used to such treatment, after all. ¡°Look at her getting red~ How cute~. Ah, wait for a moment please, I''ll get your ordered items quickly.¡± Then the woman put down her book and left the room through a door behind the counter. Not wanting to get bored waiting for the clerk to return with the weapons, Rina looked around the small shop, checking out the items on display. From conventional weapons like standard swords, spears, halberds, and daggers to weapons she had never seen before, this shop seemed to make and sell everything. For example, there was a staff almost two metres long with two blades attached to each end. Even with her memories from her previous life, Rina couldn''t remember that such a weapon existed. It was hard for her to imagine how this weapon could be useful in combat, as the risk of self-harm or friendly fire was quite high. But ignoring the strange ones, as Rina looked further, there was one weapon that stood out from the rest. It was like a long, flexible cable, that had been coiled into a circle so that it could be hung up for display. At one end of the cable was thirty centimetres long stick attached to it, probably serving as a handle. The colour of the entire thing was black. ''I-is this a whip!? I didn''t know that it was a weapon in this world.'' For some reason, upon identifying the weapon, the face of her mistress came to her mind. Rina didn''t know why, but she had the overwhelming feeling that a whip would fit Clara perfectly, even though the blonde didn''t fight with weapons, but with magic. What was even stranger was that Rina could feel her face heating up as she imagined her mistress wielding that black whip. Luckily, before the red-haired girl could overheat from her weird (?) imagination, she was interrupted by the voice of the clerk who came back. ¡°Okay little maid, I have your-... what''s the matter? Oh~ are you still red from earlier? Heehee, how precious~¡± ¡°Eh? Ah, no!... Um, do you have the ordered weapons?¡± Despite her confusion as to what the clerk was talking about, Rina still managed to push the conversation forward. After all, she wanted to get this errand done as quickly as possible so that she could return to her beloved mistress. ¡°Ah, sorry little miss, here they are.¡± The clerk placed two sheathed weapons on the counter. One of these was a small dagger that Rina could easily attach to her leg under the skirt of her maid uniform. In this way, if her mistress was in grave danger, she could quickly draw the dagger and kill enemies with her hidden blade skills. The second weapon was a one-metre-long, double-edged sword. Since Rina''s sword-fighting style was focused on speed and defeating enemies with quick, successive thrusts and slashes, the blade of her new sword was especially light and thin. It could even be said to resemble a rapier. Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. At first, before her sword training began, Rina had thought for herself that maybe fighting with a bludgeon-like weapon would be good for her, as such types of weapons complemented her gravity magic very well. But when she had mentioned that she wanted to train with that kind of weapon, Clara had vehemently refused it for some reason. ¡°A big club absolutely doesn''t fit you at all!¡± she had said. Looking back, Rina could indeed see her mistress''s point, as she had a small body frame. Even she had to laugh when she imagined a small girl swinging a large club around that was twice the size of its wielder. As a result, at Clara''s insistence, Rina was forced to learn to fight with the rapier-like sword. ¡°Such an elegant weapon suits you much better,¡± or something along the lines Rina was told by her mistress. And of course, Rina was not one to disregard her crush''s wishes. Back to the present, the red-haired girl grabbed her two new, sheathed weapons with both arms. ¡°Thank you, Ma''am. Well then, I will take them with me. Goodbye!¡± After receiving a nod of confirmation from the clerk, Rina made her way to the exit. After all, since Clara had already paid for the weapons in advance when they had ordered them a few weeks prior, Rina didn''t have to do anything further. So she was free to go. But just as she was about to leave the store, a male voice stopped her from behind. ¡°Wait, please, little Missy!¡± Turning around, Rina could see a man walking through the door behind the counter. He was a middle-aged man, who stood almost two metres tall. From his clothing, or lack thereof, Rina concluded that he was probably the blacksmith who made the weapons that were sold in this shop. After all, apart from a pair of baggy shorts that only reached his knees, he wore nothing but a leather apron to protect his upper body from the sparks of fire during his forging. As his upper body beneath the apron was naked, Rina could clearly perceive his jacked body. Additionally, his biceps were so muscular that their perimeter was probably larger than the perimeter of Rina''s head. Looking at this man, Rina couldn''t help but suspect that he had to be more than just an ordinary blacksmith. Even though Rina liked girls herself, she found it hard to resist the urge to touch those abs, so all she could do was awkwardly avert her eyes. Fortunately, or unfortunately, Rina''s thoughts were interrupted by the clerk''s loud voice. ¡°Dear! You can''t just show yourself like that in front of a young girl! Show some tact!¡± ¡°S-sorry, but there is something I need to check first,¡± the man apologised to the clerk and walked over to Rina. ¡°Excuse me for asking, but who are these weapons for?¡± ¡°T-they are for me.¡± As the man approached Rina, she couldn''t help but feel a little overwhelmed by his huge presence. And it was not only the sheer difference in their heights. Now that she was closer to the man, Rina could clearly feel his oppressive aura. It made her wonder even more if he had been an important knight before becoming a blacksmith. But unaware of the little girl''s inner distress, the man continued, ¡°I don''t mean to be rude, but these weapons don''t suit you. Give them back.¡± ¡°Eh? W-why?¡± Before Rina could comprehend the sudden turn of events, the clerk intervened, ¡°Dear! What are you saying? The customers have already paid!¡± ¡°I will send the money paid upfront back to the employers of this girl. It''s the Dragonherz family, isn''t it? No problem, I know them well.¡± ¡°That''s not the problem! You can''t just take back our customers'' orders! What''s up with you?¡± ¡°Honey... I can''t possibly let a feeble-looking girl like her wielding my prized weapons. Even though the sword is light, I really doubt that this girl could even handle it properly. And now that I look closer, isn''t she even much younger than our daughter?¡± ¡°Haaah... there''s no talking to this guy...¡± Starting to get annoyed with the man, the clerk turned away from him and crouched down to be at eye level with Rina. ¡°I''m sorry for my husband''s behaviour. Please forgive him. I hope that his harsh words didn''t hurt you.¡± Rina shook her head, swaying her blazing red hair from side to side. ¡°No, I can see where he comes from. I certainly don''t look like a can fight.¡± ¡°Look like? You mean you can fight?¡± ¡°Yes, my employers have been teaching me how to.¡± Rina highlighted the dagger in her arms. ¡°I''ve learned how to quickly kill possible assailants to protect Lady Clara in emergencies... Ah, Lady Clara is the blonde, beautiful girl, who was here with me a few weeks ago.¡± Then she looked at the sword. ¡°The sword is for duels, official fights, or when I fight against demons during the impending invasion.¡± Rina had explained her purpose, hoping that the smith would finally calm down and let her leave. Unfortunately, her words had only achieved the opposite, as he seemed even more agitated than before. ¡°Tsk, those damned nobles, hiding behind children for their own safety. I have thought better of the Dragonherz family, though. But in the end, they''re all the same...¡± The man muttered, clicking his tongue. But when Rina heard those words, she couldn''t possibly keep her mouth shut. After all, Eric, Lauren, and first and foremost Clara, had done a lot for her, so she couldn''t allow them to be insulted, especially since she was the reason for them being looked down upon. Therefore, Rina mustered her courage and glared back at the man, even though he had an intimidating aura around him. ¡°Take back what you''ve said, Mister, or you''re going to regret it!¡± Chapter 37 - H-h-h-h-have I just destroyed their training puppet? ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡°¡± ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡°¡± ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° Chapter 38 - Im home, Clara. ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡°recruit for the Lord?¡± ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° Chapter 39 - Interlude 5-1 - A fathers worries *Knock* *Knock* sound came from the door soon after he had sent a servant to call for Lauren. ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡°*cough* touch-... *cough* *cough* examine her body daily. She doesn''t seem to have a lot of muscles.¡± ¡°¡±¡± ¡° ¡°¡±¡± ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡± ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° Chapter 40 - Interlude 5-2 - Father vs. Head of the Family concept existed. No, this was wrong. Maybe its concept did exist. It was just that it was kind of a taboo subject. No, this was also incorrect. It was that nobody talked about that subject openly. Well, why should they? A person''s love life was a private matter. It was not as if people who happened to love the same gender were a problem for society or anything like that. So the general view of the population in Yggildos was that there was no need to talk about one''s sexuality. To each their own. ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° Chapter 41 - I get the feeling Ill have a nice dream tonight. It was the day before Clara''s birthday and Social Debut celebration. Rina was currently walking through every part of the mansion where the guests would be allowed to go, checking that everything was presentable. It was said that the Social Debut was one of the most if not the most important event in a noble''s life. It was, after all, their first official introduction to the noble society, and in such a society, first impressions had a huge impact on a person''s future. It would not be an exaggeration to say that if the debut failed, one would be shunned by their peers for the rest of their lives. It was not impossible, but a comeback from such a state was hard to achieve. Luckily, the aristocrats knew that very well. Therefore, the organisers and their staff would do everything in their power to make the Social Debut of their son or daughter a success. As a result, there was hardly anyone who had ended their debut in a failure. That was the reason why Rina made sure that every nook and cranny of the guest area, including the dining and dancing hall, the toilets, and the reception and waiting area were spotless. After all, nothing was more important to her than ensuring that her beloved mistress could look forward to a healthy and happy future. Of all the staff working for the Dragonherz family, Rina was probably the one who had worked the hardest over the past week. But as she checked the dance hall for a second time, she felt a presence behind her. ¡°Hello, little maid.¡± Hearing the voice, Rina tensed up instantly, swiftly turned around, and bowed. ¡°G-greetings, Lord Eric. D-do you need me for anything?¡± Even though two years had already passed since she had moved into the Dragonherz mansion, Rina had hardly any interaction with Clara''s parents. While she was able to converse normally with Lauren, she still found it difficult to talk to Eric. There were three main reasons why Rina was still nervous in front of Clara''s father. The first, of course, was his appearance. Eric was a tall man with a well-built body who radiated a great deal of self-confidence and authority, as his position as a noble required. But this was a problem for Rina, as these points made Eric resemble her father in her previous life too much. She was simply not good at dealing with such men. The second reason, however, was much more prominent as to why Rina was not comfortable with him. He was her beloved one''s father. Rina was well aware that her feelings for Clara were something that should not be. That was why, she had buried them deep in the depths of her heart. But still, buried or not, she couldn''t help but unconsciously stare at her mistress''s enchanting appearance from time to time. So, even though she had no intention of approaching her mistress for a relationship, the man in front of her couldn''t possibly know that. Therefore, when he was present, Rina had to be especially careful not to reveal her feelings. After all, if he were to know her feelings, she would probably be thrown out of the mansion at once, even if Clara were to protest. The last main reason was that she had never heard him call her by her name before, except on the day when they first met. Naturally, this gave Rina the feeling that he didn''t approve of her, maybe even despised or hated her. But luckily (?), being hated was nothing new to her. Well, never, not even in her wildest dreams, could Rina have imagined that the reason he never called her by her name, was because Eric was simply bad at dealing with little girls other than his daughter and because even he was mesmerised by Rina''s graceful manners. Still, even with those three reasons, Rina was usually able to conduct a normal conversation with him. But now, when he had suddenly called out to her, she couldn''t avoid being a bit shaken. That was why, she had only managed to stutter out her response. Eric, on the other hand, felt the red-haired girl tense up and thus, felt a little sorry for her, but continued anyway. "What are you doing right now?" ¡°I a-am double-checking that all the rooms the guests have access to are c-clean for Lady Clara Social Debut tomorrow.¡± ¡°I see, you are working hard for my Clara as always. Thank you.¡± ¡°N-no, it''s nothing you need to thank me for, Lord Eric. I just like doing it.¡± At the thought of her mistress, a small, unforced smile unconsciously appeared on her face, which naturally didn''t go unnoticed by Eric. This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. ¡°... You... I see, Lauren and Lady Fran were right.¡± ¡°...?¡± Of course, Rina wasn''t able to understand what he meant, so she tilted her head in confusion. But since she had correctly guessed that his words were not directed at her either way, she didn''t ask any further and just waited for him to continue. And luckily, she didn''t have to wait for long. ¡°I have a question for you.¡± At these words, Rina straightened her back. ¡°Y-yes, I will answer it as best as I can.¡± ¡°Are you-... No, your answer to this question is obvious... Why are you so loyal, even devoted to my daughter?¡± Hearing this, Rina couldn''t help but twitch nervously. Had he found out about her feelings for her mistress after all? Had she been too obvious? Would she be dismissed now? Such questions popped into her head. Fortunately, her fears were unwarranted, as Eric''s next words proved when he saw the state she was in. ¡°No need to get nervous. I''m just wondering, where your devotion comes from. True, Clara did save you from a terrible fate, but in my opinion that doesn''t explain why you work so hard for her. I''m sorry, but I''ve taken the liberty of having some of my servants observe you for the past two years. What they have reported to me, is that every action you have taken, has always seemed to have the well-being of my daughter in mind... so why?¡± Unfortunately, Rina couldn''t just truthfully answer his question. After all, how could she reply to him, that she had simply fallen in love with the first beautiful and kind girl she had met? And how could she tell him that she was only loyal or devoted to Clara because of her impure feelings like love? Rina knew very well, that it was neither devotion, nor loyalty, or whatever Eric had called it. It was just her selfish desire to stay by the side of her crush, even if the love would never become true. So how was she supposed to answer that question? Meanwhile, Eric observed the girl closely as she tried to come up with an answer for him. Unfortunately, or fortunately (?) for her, he was notably accurate when it came to reading people''s thoughts. So he could already more or less guess from Rina''s gesture and facial expression what was going through the girl''s mind. And exactly because he could see through the girl before him, he was now certain that his daughter would be safe and happy with Rina by her side. So, for the first time in his life, he bowed his head to a commoner, a little girl at that. ¡°Please be good to my dear daughter. I leave her in your hands.¡± Unlike Eric, however, Rina was not good at reading people at all. No, this was putting it too mildly. Rina was terrible at guessing other people''s thoughts, especially when it came to people she had almost no interaction with. That was why Eric''s actions only confused her more and even caused her to panic. ¡°L-Lord Eric!? What''s the matter? H-have I done something wrong? If so, please forgive me.¡± Despite the growing fear in the girl''s eyes, Eric couldn''t help but laugh at himself inwardly. The reason for this was that he had considered selling Rina to the Lumi¨¦res, firstly, to get her away from his daughter and secondly, to get a connection to them. But now he was glad that he hadn''t gone through with it. In fact, he regretted that he hadn''t interacted with this girl more often, because he would have then been able to see who Rina really was much sooner. He would have understood much earlier that having this girl at Clara''s side would only make his daughter happier. So, for the first time since he had hired her, he naturally called her by her name. ¡°Rina, I''ve heard that Clara wants you to accompany her into the party venue.¡± However, with Rina being Rina and unable to see through people, the change within Eric went unnoticed by her. She didn''t realise that Eric had accepted her to be at his daughter''s. So, she only nodded to confirm his statement. ¡°Have you accepted?¡± he asked further. ¡°Isn''t that role only for permanent servants? I''m not one yet, so I can''t, but Cla-... Lady Clara is too insistent, and won''t accept my refusal.¡± Eric chuckled slightly at this answer. ¡°I see, then I ask you as well. Please accept my Clara''s proposal and accompany her to the party venue tomorrow.¡± Rina might be socially awkward and slow when it came to reading people, but she was not stupid. Well, maybe she was stupid, but not stupid enough to misunderstand Eric''s words this time, especially when that much had already been said. Still, Rina wanted to be sure, so she asked for confirmation. ¡°Lord Eric, does that mean...?¡± He nodded and bowed his head once again. ¡°Yes, as I already asked earlier, please take care of my daughter from now on and forever.¡± When he looked up again, he was met with wide, red eyes and an astonished expression. ¡°W-what about the test?¡± When he heard that question, he was unable to keep a clear conscience. After all, the said ''test'' was never meant for Rina but for Clara. It was just an excuse so he could buy time and have his servants observe Rina until the time for the ''test'' came. That was important for whether he would employ Rina as his daughter''s permanent assistant or not. After all, back then he hadn''t known whether to pass this girl to the Lumi¨¦res or not. The outcome of the ''test'' didn''t matter. But when he saw the anxiety of the girl in front of him, he actually felt bad. After all, Rina could have never been sure of her future because of this, and that had probably been bothering her all along. He couldn''t possibly imagine the impact it had on the mind of such a young girl. Still, his mistakes had been made and it was impossible to undo them. He could only hope, that the girl would be able to rest her mind from the uneasiness from now on. For that reason, he smiled softly as he answered her question. ¡°You don''t need to worry about the test anymore. I''m sorry that you have to feel anxious until now. Regardless of the test''s outcome, I would like you to stay by my daughter''s side forever, or at least for as long as you want to... Come to my study after Clara''s Social Debut tomorrow. We can sign the contract then.¡± ¡°As you wish, Lord Eric.¡± ¡°Mhm, well, I''ve distracted you from your work long enough, so I''ll leave for now. Ah, and remember to rest well tonight. We need you to be at your best to support Clara after all.¡± With these words, Eric turned away and left the ballroom. Only when he was out of Rina''s sight, she returned to her work again. But for some reason, she felt that her motivation was at its peak at the moment. For some reason, she found it hard to resist the urge to skip instead of walking normally. For some reason, she felt as if a huge weight had been lifted from her shoulders. For some reason, she couldn''t wipe out the wide grin off her face. And for some reason,... ''I get the feeling I''ll have a nice dream tonight.'' Chapter 42 - Who is the girl standing behind you? Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. ¡° leered at the blonde girl. For Thoma Lumi¨¦re, Clara Dragonherz, who was much more mature than her peers with her well-endowed chest, was right in the middle of his strike zone. ¡° Chapter 43 - Only over my dead body. ¡° ¡° permanent personal maid.¡± ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡°that kind of l-love?¡± Milia blushed a little as she said these words. ¡° Chapter 44 - Where is the Duke!? ¡° ¡° *thud* sound came from behind her, causing her to turn around. The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° Chapter 45 - So this is what a kiss feels like. ¡° ¡° ¡°*sob* I did so much for you. So why? Tell me, Rina, why?... WHHYYYY!?¡± The crying expression twisted into one of rage, leaving no trace of the girl''s once beautiful face. ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° rudeness towards him, the head of a ducal family, Thalas laughed out loud in amusement. ¡°Ahahaha, you''re brave, little girl. I like it. Well then, in recognition of your courage in talking back to me, I shall explain my actions to you... well, except that there was not much to explain in the first place... Your little mistress was guarding you like a precious treasure. There was no way I could talk to you like this if I approached you normally. That''s right, I just want to have a little chat with you¡± ¡° ¡° ¡° that. But the other girl was not done yet, as Rina soon felt another soft and slimy object trying to open up her lips. And with Rina in full confusion mode, it wasn''t long before her upper and lower lips parted. Then she felt a liquid flow from the older girl into Rina''s mouth and soon down her throat. ¡° Chapter 46 - ... if you dont want your beloved mistress to suffer! ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° Chapter 47 - Never negotiate on your own again. ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡°Well, I''m not, after all, she''s still by my side after two whole yea-¡± *Splash* ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡°cleanse Demon-Spawning-Clouds. I want that power in my grasp.¡± If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. ¡° ¡° offer, he continued. ¡°I''m not a monster. I won''t separate you from the Dragonherz girl if you agree to serve me.¡± ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° Chapter 48 - Rina, you were my first and you will be my last. kiss and the nightmare respectively, the brunette just stood there, watching her new mistress. ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡°kiss was just an order, Rina couldn''t help but feel a little hurt. It wasn''t that she was hopeful or the like, but still, anything that hurt, hurt. ¡°Do you hate me?¡± ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° Chapter 49 - Is this chick for real? ¡° confession. Instead, she looked at the brunette with her red eyes wide open, as if she was looking at a ghost. ¡°Do you even know what you''re saying?¡± ¡° ¡° ¡°k-kiss with me doesn''t count.¡± ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡°*mumbles* After all, Clara always blushes so much and refuses my suggestions to help her bathe and get dressed *mumbles*.¡± Rina muttered her last sentence so quietly that Marianne wasn''t able to hear it. ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° do understand, that I''ve practically sold my future to him. So?¡± ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° Chapter 50 - Who the f*ck are you!? ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° *sniff* *sniff*¡± ¡° ¡°*mumbles* P-pervert... *mumbles*¡± ¡° This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° whatever. Unfortunately for Clara, these opportunities didn''t come along often, if at all. So now was one of those extremely rare occasions when she could indulge in her maid''s scent on her maid''s bed. ¡°should be present to hear it, as if to ease her conscience a least for a small degree. ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° Chapter 51 - Interlude 6-1 - Escape opportunity thing sticking up in the air. A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. playthings, the brothel staff, including the owner, managed to remain calm. quality of the products. Basically, they had wanted to see the women''s naked bodies first before deciding whether or not to buy. The Duke and his entourage, on the other hand, didn''t follow this usual procedure. buying a present for someone in the Duke''s household, but Marianne thought it might be worth taking that risk by volunteering herself. After all, it would be worse to be locked up in the brothel and forced to serve a customer somewhere down the line. I see.¡± The Duke then turned angrily towards the woman. He didn''t have to think long to find out why she was here. Usually, interrupting a noble in the middle of a deal would have been considered l¨¨se-majest¨¦, and the woman could have been executed as a result. But since he still needed Marianne''s help with his plans, he overlooked it and threw another sack of money at the prostitute. ¡°Take this and leave. Never show yourself in front of me again, or your head will fall off.¡± man''s plaything.¡± Chapter 52 - Interlude 6-2 - The first scheme of The Shadow that as well. But Marianne was sure, that the Duke had already lost his vigour due to his age. Instead, he probably wanted Rina for her powers. negotiation ¨C although Marianne thought it could hardly be called as such ¨C ended almost without a hitch. But only ''almost''. There had been a small incident that had made her cautious. Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. weakness. use Rina afterwards. But having someone as powerful as the redhead doing her bidding would certainly be advantageous either way. But Rina had to fall first, so she put her plans for her on hold for later. trashed by her schemes were to find out how her first big scheme, ''Seduce Rina and leech off her'', turned out, they would be probably turning over in their graves in despair. Chapter 53 - S-s-sleep with me on my bed tonight! event, Rina opened the door of her room when she arrived. Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Chapter 54 - What do you think about romantic relationships between girls? normal people, was compelling to Rina. ¡°I see. I''m sorry Clara, you''re right... It was a big oversight on my part.¡± Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. performance ¨C or maybe she could see through it, but decided to ignore it so she could enjoy the usually self-confident Clara being insecure ¨C so she finally gave in, not unwillingly if one might add. ¡°O-okay, Clara, no need to be sad. I''ll sleep here tonight.¡± Chapter 55 - Are these hugs with dirty thoughts in your mind? If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. cruel place and Clara was relentless. ¡°Nope~. Can you fall in love with only girls? Yes or no?¡± heal her maid yet and still wasn''t. The only thing she could think of was to continue her approaches and show, that she, too, would do anything to see her crush find happiness. So for now, all she could do was to tighten her arms around the now slightly trembling girl and say in a calm voice. ¡°I, too, can only fall in love with girls.¡± Chapter 56 - Do you need any further explanation? *cough* *cough* *cough* ¡­ Hue!?¡± Hearing Rina''s question, Clara accidentally swallowed her own saliva, causing her to cough. When she recovered, she looked down at her maid''s both grinning and somewhat shy face. But Clara was not one to take a one-sided beating. So she suppressed her embarrassment over the question to counter her maid. To do this, even though Clara was burning hot on the inside, she placed her hand on her maid''s cheek and caressed Rina''s lips with her thumb. ¡°T-t-that''s r-right! L-l-looking at y-you like this, m-my c-c-c-cute maid, I can''t help but w-want to take your first k-k-k-kiss.¡± First kiss. Something Clara had jokingly declared she was going to take away from her, but Rina didn''t have anymore, as she had already shared it with a certain brunette sleeping in her room next door. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. *Slap* sound echoed through the room, interrupting her. She slowly moved her hand to her right cheek to stroke it to ease the pain. ¡°... It hurts, Clara...¡± Rina looked up, only to see that her crush''s face was wet with tears. *sniff*... what hurt me... *sniff*... what are you saying... *sniff*... so suddenly? I don''t... *sniff*... understand you at all!¡± Chapter 57 - Theres no way our relationship can stay the same. The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°Um... Clara?¡± kiss wasn''t actually a kiss. One could even say that it didn''t count, because there were no feelings or intentions behind it, so she, Clara, had her maid''s first kiss. *mumbles* or me. *mumbles*¡± Chapter 58 - Claras little brother is as cute as always~. *yawn*,¡± Clara said as she yawned and stretched. She knew it was unbecoming for a young noble lady to do this, especially when her crush was in front of her. But since she had already shown Rina this appearance, she didn''t mind. And Rina wasn''t someone who would mind it either. offer, for the Dragonherz to become one of the Lumi¨¦res'' protege. Since Rina hadn''t told Eric about anything else, such as why the Duke had suddenly offered his protection in the first place, she had expected Eric to be suspicious. As an accomplished nobleman and politician, he would naturally know that nothing came for free, especially not from the Lumi¨¦res. So, Rina was surprised when Eric simply acknowledged her report and even accepted the Duke''s offer. It was obvious to her, that Arland had probably spoken to Eric about this before. Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel. quality of their body frames day after day. Chapter 59 - Problems are on the horizon. audacity to disturb them in their free time. She could already guess, that it was Marianne. After all, the brunette had clearly shown interest in her maid and had even deliberately come between them, when it seemed that her relationship with Rina was about to progress. It was also the reason why, much to her very dismay, they were still in the mistress-servant stage. To make matters worse, her maid made no effort to develop their relationship into lovers, so it was all up to Clara. This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it. dirty her crush''s body if that would be the case. Chapter 60 - The demons are getting active. This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it Chapter 61 - Mousa. Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. that village. But Rina couldn''t get that intuition out of her mind, so she asked further. ¡°Do you know the name of this village?¡± Chapter 62 - You mean that she manipulated me into granting her a wish just now? protected by a likewise blue and black skirt that barely reached her knees. As a result, the holster with her dagger wrapped around her leg was visible for everyone to see. But it was not that of a problem, as her rapier-like sword was fastened to her waist. If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Chapter 63 - There arent many things I wouldnt be willing to do for you. that curious about it, I decided to tease you instead, by asking you if you had any quality time with Clara back then.¡± Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. *cough* *cough* Oh, f*ck, I''m dying...¡± As usual, when the elf lost herself in laughter, she accidentally swallowed her own saliva, causing her to cough. had been too na?ve and dumb to see through Marianne. However, while the former was still true, the latter obviously wasn''t anymore. So all Marianne could do now, was stare at Rina in protest, even though she was blushing like a red tomato. coercing or blackmailing me... Well, these words are too strong, but I hope you get what I want to mean?¡± Chapter 64 - Im already used to it, so whatever. Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. openly insulting her behind her back. Chapter 65 - Lets sleep together! that one with you?¡± Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. that even helpful to you Lady Fran?¡± The woman, however, didn''t notice the change in the High Elf''s demeanour. Chapter 66 - Do you like what you see? ¡°Let''s sleep together!¡± At Marianne''s suggestion, Rina needed a few seconds to restart her brain, which had shut down from hearing something so outrageous. ¡°EH? Why?¡± ¡°I want to cuddle with you! When I first came to the Dragonherz mansion, you wanted us to sleep together in your bed... but that has never happened since! I''m dissatisfied!¡± ¡°Because it was an emergency back then. And because you have your own bed, you don''t have to sleep in mine. By the way, why all of a sudden?¡± Marianne tightened her arms around the girl. ¡°Isn''t it normal for me to want to cuddle with the girl I''m in love with?¡± ¡°...¡± At first, Rina felt how her heart was beating faster. But after thinking about it for a few moments, it calmed down again. ¡°... This again... don''t you get bored of declaring your love for me like this? You''ve been doing it for three years now. And besides...¡± Rina pointed to the bed near the exit of the room, where Fran was already asleep. ¡°...please keep your voice down.¡± After realising that they were practically alone now ¨C with Fran asleep (whether or not she was truly sleeping was not important) ¨C Marianne continued with a hushed voice. ¡°You know... now really, without me acting... it really hurts when you don''t believe me like this... I really want to be together with you for as long as possible. My feelings are sincere.¡± It was true. Even though Marianne had had ulterior motives in trying to seduce the red-haired girl at first, she had really grown to like Rina over the time they had spent together. And it was not just her face she had fallen in love with. She couldn''t help but find Rina''s personality likeable too, even her tendency to overthink and overinterpret things. The most important thing for her was, that her target of affection didn''t know how to hide her feelings from appearing on her face. That way, Marianne always knew, that she wouldn''t be betrayed or lied to by Rina, and even if she would, Marianne was sure, that she could see through her. Unaware of the brunette''s thoughts, Rina could only sigh in resignation at her words. ¡°But why do you want to sleep together now? I mean you could have just asked me when we were at the mansion. I think that it''s a particularly bad time now, considering that Fran is also here.¡± ¡°You''d better ask this to your overprotective mistress then.¡± ¡°Hmm? Why?¡± Naturally, Rina was confused as to why Clara was suddenly mentioned right now. ¡°I have tried sneaking into your room on several occasions now. But it seems that Lady Clara had suspected my move and had placed guards outside your room.¡± ¡°...¡± It took Rina a few seconds to digest what she had heard. ¡°What did you just say?¡± ¡°Lady Clara had placed guards outside your room to prevent me from entering.¡± ¡°...¡± There were so many things, that she wanted to retort to in that one sentence, so that she wasn''t able to process the information properly, even after hearing it for the second time. ¡°I have never se-...¡± So, after thinking for a moment, Rina was about to deny the brunette''s statement first, as she had never seen guards standing outside her own room. But then she remembered, that she had in fact never left her room through the door leading to the corridor in the morning. After all, she always left through Clara''s room when she woke up, after picking up Clara''s daily laundry, so she never got around to noticing the guard watching the door to her room. Therefore, realising that she had no tangible proof against Marianne''s statement, she could only reply in a broken voice. ¡°Ahaha... you a-and your j-jokes... t-there''s no way that Clara would do t-that.¡± ¡°Are you sure?¡± ¡°...¡± Naturally, Rina couldn''t answer that question, because she knew that it would be like Clara to do something like that. If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. After they had told each other their feelings three years ago, Rina was able to see her blonde mistress in a new light. Looking back, all of the blonde''s behaviour had indicated her feelings for her, and it was clear, that Clara was a girl who was prone to jealousy. And that was already putting it mildly. So putting a guard in front of Rina''s door because Clara was afraid that Marianne would take her away? Rina could really see this scenario playing out. Therefore, after gathering her thoughts, she could only smile wryly as she replied to the girl hugging her. ¡°So you chose to approach me now when Clara is not around?... Wouldn''t it make her even angrier if she found out about this?¡± ¡°Well... it''s not a problem if you don''t tell her about this, is it?¡± ¡°...¡± Naturally, there was no way that Rina could confirm or deny Marianne''s suggestion. In fact, she didn''t even know what to do in this situation. After all, neither had she ever thought that she would ever have the privilege of being in such a situation like this, nor had her heart been properly prepared for it. When Marianne, on the other hand, saw how the red-haired girl in her arms was paralysed by not knowing what to do, she chuckled inwardly and spoke up again to reassure Rina of whatever thoughts she might have had. ¡°Fufufu... it''s really cute to see you thinking so hard about this... but don''t worry... I have your mistress'' consent.¡± ¡°... Eh? W-what do you mean?¡± ¡°She allowed me to get a little touchy-feely with you... so you don''t have to be concerned about making your mistress angry.¡± ¡°I somehow find that hard to believe.¡± ¡°Then feel free to ask her when we get back.¡± ¡°...¡± Rina couldn''t question Marianne''s statement about Clara''s consent anymore, after Marianne had said this much. So she just remained silent. ¡°So? Let''s sleep together, okay?¡± But even then, Rina was reluctant to just agree. After all, although she was already in love with Clara, she knew that she was also rather fond of Marianne. And sharing a bed with a beautiful girl, who she might even love, was certainly not good for her heart... even though she had decided not to pursue love. So she couldn''t help but still resist the brunette''s suggestion. ¡°It''s still the best if we both sleep in our own bed-...¡± However, before Rina could even finish voicing her refusal, Marianne interrupted her. ¡°Remember your promise in the carriage? That you would grant me a wish?¡± Even though Rina could already guess what the girl hugging her wanted, she still asked, ¡°W-what do you want me to do?¡± ¡°Sleep together in the same bed for the duration of our stay here.¡± Seeing no way out of this highly unfortunate predicament, the red-haired girl exhaled loudly. ¡°F-fine... if that''s what you really want, then I r-reluctantly agree.¡± Marianne chuckled slightly at these words. Additionally, noticing Rina''s red cheeks from behind, and knowing about her preferences, she understood perfectly, that the girl in her arms wasn''t that reluctant to grant her that wish. At first, Marianne wanted to point that out to tease Rina a little about this, but she stopped before she even started. After all, she didn''t want Rina to pull back out after making her more embarrassed than she already was. So, Marianne just silently led the way to the bed furthest away from the one Fran was sleeping on and they both slipped under the covers. It wasn''t until they were already cuddling, with the older girl spooning the younger one, that Rina realised that she hadn''t finished changing yet. ¡°W-w-w-w-wait... I''m s-still in m-my underwear...¡± At first, she had thought that her words would cause the arms wrapped around her to loosen so that she could get up and finish putting on her nightgown. However, what they did instead was make the girl behind her tighten the embrace even more. To make matters worse, Rina could feel, how Marianne''s hands were moving around her stomach area. So, slowly starting to feel hot inside, she mumbled as a last act of resistance against the horrors that awaited her. ¡°M-Marianne... c-can you p-please let m-me go, so I can put on my s-sleepwear?¡± Unfortunately, the world was a cruel place, or rather, Marianne was relentless. ¡°Why? Let''s stay like this. It''s not like you''re naked. Besides, cuddling like this keeps us both warm.¡± ¡°I-It''s embarrassing...¡± ¡°Hmm? Why?¡± ''Because I''m ashamed of my ugly body,'' was what Rina wanted to say, but it got stuck in her throat instead. True, she had considered herself from her former life to be unsightly. She had always thought, that if she had not been so ugly back then, her life might have been different from what it ended up being. She had thought, that in another body, she could have been more confident and happier. But now, after twelve, almost thirteen years of living in a healthier and fitter body, she knew that it was not true. After all, she still couldn''t help but feel extremely self-conscious, whenever Clara, Fran, or Marianne hugged her like this, actions that showed her that they were attracted to her. But still, even after twelve years in her new life, even after all the happiness, that the trio had given her, she still found it hard to forget her old self. Meanwhile, Marianne noticed that the girl in her arms was becoming self-conscious again. So, to get her out of her thoughts, she pinched Rina''s belly with her thumb and index finger, causing a funny squeal to escape from the younger girl''s mouth. Surprised by the brunette''s sudden pinch, Rina broke free of the embrace and turned around to face her. ¡°W-what are you doing all of a sudden, Marianne!?¡± ¡°Pssshht! Fran is sleeping! Keep your voice down!¡± At these words, Rina reflexively covered her mouth with her hands but still glared at Marianne angrily. A few seconds later, she removed her hands and continued with a hushed voice. ¡°It''s your fault for shocking me like that! Why have you done-...¡± As Rina whispered her protest at Marianne''s sudden actions, her eyes darted from Marianne''s face to her body. Only then did she notice, that the older girl was also in her underwear. For some reason, however, her eyes stopped, when they reached the level of Marianne''s breasts, which were only covered by a thin, black, semi-transparent brassiere. It wasn''t the kind of underwear one would normally put on. Seeing that, she gulped visibly as all sorts of thoughts ran through her mind. Unfortunately, that didn''t go unnoticed by Marianne, as she began to smirk at the red-haired girl. ¡°Do you like what you see?¡± Chapter 67 - Its a promise, I wont do anything too lewd to you. top-selling prostitute in the brothel, when it came to facial and physical features. This was proven as the men in the brothel and even the male servants in the Dragonherz mansion occasionally ogled her. In fact, over the past three years, she had even received several confessions and even marriage proposals from her colleagues, all of which she had, of course, refused. would be. Had the Young Lady not been glaring at the people who showed signs of wanting to approach her, Rina would have gotten more confessions. more dangerous parts of her body alone. For some reason, though, after harassing the younger girl like that for a while longer, she got even more irritated. ¡°Seriously, why the heck is your skin so soft... it''s unfair... Well... it feels nice to touch, so I consider it a win.¡± The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. intimate, like the hug she was getting now? Besides, it wasn''t like she and Clara were lovers or anything. Chapter 68 - Interlude 7 - The Brain doubts herself, in many ways the safety of mankind and the world? relive those horrors... so she could find new determination to see her plans for Rina through to the end. Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. determination was right or not. Unfortunately, there was no way she could find an answer to this doubt. Not, when they were already in the village, where the Demon-Spawning-Cloud had been sighted. But still, she couldn''t help but think that she was missing out on something. Chapter 69 - It cant be true,... can it? *yawn* No, that''s forbidden, we will stay together at all costs.¡° Marianne looked at Fran. ¡±And when I say all, I mean all, including you, Lady Fran.¡° She turned back to Rina. ¡±We don''t know what those villagers will do to you, Rina¡± you tired, when you were the one who kept harassing me like that last night?¡± This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. despair, feeling that there was no way out of this, she noticed someone stepping between her and the closing Fran. It was her saviour, Marianne! Chapter 70 - What a nasty bunch. This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. your companion to our village of Mousa. I am the acting chief of the village.¡± Chapter 71 - Lets leave them to their fate. you apologising?¡± Fran asked, to which Marianne nodded vehemently to show that she fully agreed with Fran''s question. normal, civilised conversation with the villagers would be impossible as long as she was present. So she considered leaving the group for a while, to search for the Demon-Spawning-Cloud by herself. The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. that here when you leave the village. We need it in order to clear the black mist!¡± Chapter 72 - Admit it, youre jealous. ¡°Let''s leave them to their fate.¡± Hearing Marianne''s words, Rina couldn''t help but feel a sense of d¨¦j¨¤-vu. After all, the night before, when they had arrived at the inn, Fran had reacted the same way to the innkeeper''s antics. There was one difference, though. While Fran wasn''t actually serious about leaving the villagers to fend for themselves against potential demons that would most certainly lead to the deaths of the villagers, Marianne didn''t give the impression that she was just putting up a strong front. Rina had the very subtle feeling that the brunette really meant it. Like Rina, Fran reached the same conclusion. She also knew that she had acted in much the same way last night, so she let out a loud sigh, before turning to Marianne. ¡°Marianne, as much as I''d like to accept your suggestion, I''m afraid I must reject it. These people will die a gruesome death if we leave them to their fate. And since we''re already here, letting them die like this, leaves a bad taste in my mouth. But... if Rina wants to go home, I won''t oppose her.¡± With those words, Fran and Marianne shifted their gaze to the girl in question, who seemed to be glinting her eyes as she looked in the southern direction, the opposite of where they had come from, the capital. Seeing that the redhead''s attention was strangely focused on something other than their conversation, they simultaneously followed Rina''s gaze, trying to understand the reason. Unfortunately, neither Fran nor Marianne could make out anything except a few houses, trees, and a paved path. So giving up on trying to understand why Rina was staring in that direction, Fran wanted to talk to her and ask her why, but as soon as she turned to Rina, and saw her face, the elf immediately stopped herself. When Marianne saw Fran''s strange reaction, the brunette also looked at Rina to see what was going on. What she, or rather they, Fran and Marianne, beheld, was not the usual beautiful but still somewhat childish face, that they were used to seeing. No, Rina was concentrating her gaze into the distance so much, so that her face had morphed into something so grim, that they thought the red-haired girl was currently looking at the enemy of her life. So, unsure of what to do, they both just stood there and watched Rina as she stared off into the distance, completely ignoring the village chief, who was still on his knees watching the scene unfold. This situation continued for a few more moments before Fran finally managed to bring herself to give Rina a hesitant tap on the shoulder to bring her back. After all, Fran had never seen her pupil behave like this before, so she was unexpectedly a little afraid of Rina now. However, the tension of the situation dispersed as suddenly as it had appeared when Fran''s finger came into contact with Rina''s shoulder. After all, the poor girl had been so focused on what was happening in the distance that she was completely unaware of her immediate surroundings. As a result, her heart almost stopped as she jumped up and shrieked loudly at the sudden contact. ¡°HYYIEEE!?¡± Turning around to face the one who had tapped her on the shoulder, Rina could see that both Marianne and Fran had reflexively taken a few steps back in response to squeal. It then took her a few more moments to realise that she had embarrassed herself once again and that she was blushing like a ripe tomato. ¡°I-Is there something you need?¡± Nonetheless, Rina decided to play it cool and tried to ignore her mishap, hoping inwardly that the others would do the same. Fortunately, neither the blonde elf nor the brunette maid could understand why Rina was suddenly embarrassed. In fact, they were still more than puzzled as to why Rina had seemed so tense moments before. So, they were even a little glad, that the Rina they knew, returned to them. With that, Fran exchanged a few glances with Marianne, before she spoke up, deciding not to comment on Rina''s rather cute scream, ¡°Marianne had suggested that we leave this place and let the villagers try to survive on their own. Well, I''m personally against it, after all, they''ll all die like flies as soon as the first demons spawn.¡± Fran shot a not-so-subtle glare at the chief on the ground before turning back to Rina and continuing, ¡°But with the way they treat you, I can understand if you don''t want to help them. So if you want to leave, I will oblige.¡± It took Rina a few moments to digest what she had heard from her magic instructor. But when she was done, she smiled softly at her two companions. ¡°Thank you for your thoughts, they make me very happy!¡± If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. The smile then faded, her face turned serious and she pointed in the direction she had been staring earlier. ¡°But I think it''s too late for us to leave. I don''t know why or how, but I can feel something sinister forming in that direction. And the sinister feeling is growing stronger by the second. I''m not sure, but I suspect it''s the Demon-Spawning-Cloud we''re looking for.¡± Having said that, Rina looked at Fran, the magic and demon-hunting expert of the group, hoping that the elf could offer some more insights, or at least a confirmation or denial in response to her thoughts. Unfortunately, neither happened, as Fran only looked at her with an astonished expression, as if Rina had grown a second head. ¡°You can sense a Demon-Spawning-Cloud in the distance?¡± ¡°No, like I said, I don''t know if what I''m sensing is really the Demon-Spawning-Cloud. But the feeling I get is the same as when I saw one of those things in the past. The only difference is that it''s much fainter than the other times.¡± ¡°''The other times''? You''ve seen the Demon-Spawning-Clouds more than once? I thought the only time you saw one was when you first met Clara?¡± Only after Fran''s words, did Rina notice her slip-up. After all, currently, no one was supposed to know that she had seen such a cloud at Clara''s Social Debut three years ago, except for Marianne who had been present at that time. ¡°W-we don''t have time f-for that! We have to i-investigate that place right now!¡± Naturally, Rina knew that she was bad at lying. So she did, what she would usually do in such situations: trying to divert the attention to another topic. Luckily, Rina''s suggestion made sense, as the situation could get really bad if she was actually able to sense the Demon-Spawning-Cloud. Therefore, Fran decided to let her pupil''s slip-up rest, for now and nodded. ¡°...You''re right, let''s go, lead the way.¡± Having said that, the elf expected Rina to start running in the direction where the cloud might be, but Rina didn''t. Instead, the red-haired girl turned to Marianne. ¡°Marianne, you''re coming with us.¡± ¡°Huh? Why? I thought I was supposed to stay here and wait for you. After all, I can''t fight and would only be in your way, should the situation get dicey.¡± At Marianne''s words, Rina glanced stealthily at the village chief on the ground, before turning her eyes back to Marianne. ¡°It''s just... a safety measure...¡± ¡°For what?¡± Not understanding Rina''s words, Marianne tilted her head in confusion. Deep down, she had hoped not to have to stand in front of a demon and risk her life like that. That was why, she hesitated to agree to the red-haired girl''s suggestion. Rina, on the other hand, could perfectly understand the brunette''s hesitation. After all, she was also afraid of fighting demons, but that was unavoidable considering her powers. So it was only natural that Marianne, who was not trained in combat, was scared. But this time, also for Marianne''s safety, Rina thought that it was for the best, to keep the brunette close to her. The hatred the villagers had for her, was much more than she had initially thought even after all the time that had passed. Furthermore, she couldn''t measure what the villagers were capable of, so having a protective eye on Marianne was for the best. ¡°Please, don''t ask questions. Trust me... I''ll protect you with my life.¡± However, there was no way that she could just voice her suspicions while the chief was still around. And even if he weren''t around, she still wouldn''t say what she was thinking, because it was only based on her own unfounded feelings. So the only thing she could hope for was that Marianne would simply accept it. Luckily, her words seemed to hit something inside the brunette, who suddenly turned red. Seeing this, Rina was at first confused as to why Marianne was reacting that way. Fortunately, or rather unfortunately, after thinking about it for a split second, she understood why, and therefore also started to blush. ''I-I have accidentally said a reaaaaaally cheesy line, haven''t I? If I were a hot, good-looking guy, that line might be good, but not with my appearance...'' However, Rina''s thoughts couldn''t be further from the truth, as Marianne wasn''t red because of Rina''s embarrassingly cheesy line. In fact, the brunette was embarrassed herself, as the red-haired girl''s words had shot her through her heart like Cupid''s arrow. In the past, when Marianne had lived in the brothel with her mother, she had loved to pass the time by reading romance novels, especially the clich¨¦d ones, where a prince on a white horse would rescue a damsel in distress from harm ¨C although, in her eyes, she would rather have a hot lady than of a hot prince. So words like ¡°I will protect you with my life¡± were certainly right on the mark when it came to her tastes. And a beautiful girl, whom she was already aware of, was now delivering this line. There was no way, that her heart wouldn''t skip a beat. To make matters worse (?), Marianne could observe that Rina had turned red immediately afterwards. But that didn''t make the younger girl any less attractive to her, for she liked, even loved the gap in the redhead''s personality. So, even though Marianne knew she was blushing herself, she still enjoyed this moment. After all, her partner was in the same situation as she was, being red and so. Unfortunately, they were not alone at the moment. Both Rina and Marianne had to be forcibly reminded of it in a hard, gruesome way, as Fran, whose face was twitching with irritation at the sudden pink situation, interrupted them. ¡°First yesterday night, then now... can you please keep your flirting at bay and remember why we''re here?¡± ¡°Huee? Flirting? We''re not flirting!¡± Rina, pulled back by the elf''s words, grew even redder. So, as if to hide it, she turned around and started walking in the southern direction, from where she got the eerie feeling. Seeing this, both Marianne and Fran followed her close behind, completely ignoring the chief on the ground. In their eyes, he deserved it. On the way, Fran turned to Marianne, who was walking her. ¡°Seriously, can you please stop throwing yourself at her? It''s annoying to watch.¡± From an outsider''s perspective, the former High Priestess''s voice might have sounded sharp, even threatening, but not to Marianne. After all, she could read through the elf''s motives behind those words like an open book. So, Marianne held her hand in front of her mouth to hide her grin and replied in a mocking tone, ¡°Admit it, you''re jealous.¡± Chapter 73 - Im talking about orphanages. this is the result.¡± Fran pointed at Marianne.Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Chapter 74 - Why didnt she find it strange that I called her Sister? ¡°I''m talking about orphanages.¡± Hearing Fran''s words, Rina reflexively looked at the rubble, that had once been the orphanage in the past. But then, she realised, that the entire situation with the villagers that morning had been for nothing. After all, if Fran had known orphanages were the key, then they wouldn''t have needed to ask the villagers. ¡°But wait... then why did we ask the villagers and the chief this morning if they had seen the cloud?¡± Fran scratched her cheek awkwardly at the question. ¡°I''m sorry Rina... I wanted to see how you would react and if you still wanted to fight for people who hate you. After all, I knew they don''t like you... though the intensity of their hatred for you was more than I thought... sorry, Rina.¡± Having said that, Fran expected Rina to glare at her reproachfully, but instead, she only saw Rina looking down. So, feeling how her heartstrings tugged by guilt, Fran reached out her hand, stroked her pupil''s red hair, and smiled. ¡°I am pleased to tell you that you pass remarkably, my dear pupil.¡± At that, Rina looked up at the elf and smiled back. ¡°I see... thank you.¡± And with that, she just stood still and let Fran pat her like this. Unfortunately, Marianne, the guard dog employed by an overprotective mistress, intervened by removing the caressing hand from the red-haired girl''s head. Then, as if to counter the glare that Fran shot at her for this action, she brought up the earlier topic again. ¡°So you are saying that all villages with orphanages will one day face a demon attack from the cloud?¡± Fran clicked her tongue very subtly so that it was only audible to Marianne before she answered the question. ¡°...That''s right. After I found out about this, I placed informants in villages where orphanages are operating... unfortunately, I didn''t arrive on time in all cases...¡± ¡°If you have that money to pay informants, then why didn''t you appoint guards in the first place? In fact, why were you personally travelling around the country to fight off the spawning demons? Even if you''re capable, you can''t be everywhere.¡± The elf simply shrugged her shoulders in response to Marianne''s. ¡°I don''t have the money to pay fighters who can win against demons... please remember, one demon is capable of setting an entire village in flames. Besides, you probably won''t be able to find any free professional fighters anymore as they''ve all been hired by nobles already.¡± Marianne and Rina could both clearly hear, that Fran''s last sentence was full of hatred and disgust, probably directed at said nobles. Furthermore, the elf''s usually beautiful face also showed that she was not in a good mood. So they decided to remain silent and wait for Fran to continue. Fortunately, the former High Priestess''s face softened shortly afterwards. ¡°Well... even though I said informants, they were only caretakers of the orphanages, which by the way are mostly run by the temple.¡± ¡°I see... So, even though you''ve been discarded as the High Priestess because you''ve outlived your usefulness, your ties to the faithful have remained. Understood.¡± As Marianne finished the elf''s explanation, she was careful to be particularly spiteful in her choice of words, in return for the tongue-clicking she had received moments ago. Fortunately, or unfortunately, depending on whose point of view it was, the potential fight between the two was de-escalated before it could even start with Rina''s intervention. ¡°Wait! Fran, does it mean that you knew the caretakers here, too?¡± Rina''s distress was so obvious that Fran had no choice but to drop the other matter with Marianne and focus on this instead. So, to answer her pupil''s question, the elf nodded her head. ¡°That''s right, I think I know most of the people who worked here before the orphanage was destroyed.¡± ¡°Then... um...¡± At first, Rina hesitated to continue, stumbling over her own words out of nervousness. After all, she wasn''t sure if she really wanted to know the answer to her question, because, sometimes, not knowing was better than the other option. Unfortunately, in this case, she had to find out, so after gathering her courage, she went on, ¡°Do you know Sister Baal, and what happened to her?¡±Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! When Rina saw the state of the orphanage, she suspected deep down that Sister Baal might already be dead. And even if her death had not been caused by the Demon-Spawning-Cloud or any other reason for the building''s abandonment, Sister Baal had been already very old, before Rina had left. However, instead of getting good or bad news about the person she considered her godmother, Rina saw how Fran just tilted her head in confusion. ¡°Pfffffff... consider your age and appearance, old hag! That gesture might look cute on Rina, but not on you.¡± The old hag in question royally ignored Marianne''s remark and kept her eyes on the red-haired girl. ¡°Ahem... Rina... I didn''t know you had a sister?¡± ¡°... Ah...¡± At first, Rina couldn''t understand the origin of Fran''s words, but then she remembered, that she had unconsciously called her caretaker named Baal, as Sister Baal. The reason for this was that Baal had been wearing an outfit similar to that worn by nuns on Earth. And those nuns, to Rina''s knowledge, were often referred to as ''Sister'' or ''Brother'' depending on gender, but regardless of age. It seemed, that her knowledge from her past life had influenced her behaviour to some extent. So, to clear up her teacher''s misunderstanding, Rina corrected herself, ¡°I''m an only child... apparently, but that''s not important. Sister Baal was one of the caretakers who was especially good to me... Although I called her ''Sister'' she was an old woman... I just addressed her that way, but her name is Baal... I''m sorry for the confusion.¡± After receiving Rina''s apology, Fran shook her head to show that she didn''t mind. She then brought her hand to her chin and thought deeply about the redhead''s words, trying not to show her inner distress to the two younger girls. ''Old woman!? This orphanage was run by a bastard Baron, who only employed beautiful women to play with them, wasting all the money and leaving the children to fend for themselves... As far as I know, there was no old woman here. What''s going on?'' Fran glanced at her pupil, who just stared back, waiting for an answer. ''No... this girl didn''t lie to me... Damn it, there''s something wrong here.'' ¡°F-Fran? I-Is something wrong?¡± As Rina waited for an answer, she saw that Fran was gradually getting paler and paler. So, she got worried. ¡°Are you okay?... Or is it maybe... that Sister Baal is... you know...?¡± Under the gaze of Rina''s crimson eyes, Fran was pulled back from her thoughts, and reflexively shook her head in response to Rina''s question to ease her worry. But then Fran realised that shaking her head alone was not enough to answer a question with two given options. That was why she added, ¡°I''m fine, I was just thinking... and I''m sorry, I don''t know anything about your caretaker.¡± ¡°I see... Um... do you know why the orphanage is in this state in the first place? And since when? And what happened about all the children here?¡± ¡°That... I don''t know either... sorry... But what I can say is, that the orphanage was abandoned before the Demon-Spawning-Cloud had appeared. After all, the cloud can drive people insane, but not destroy physical objects... though... It is possible that someone touched it, went mad, and destroyed the building as a result, but I find that possibility highly unlikely.¡± ¡°I see...,¡± was all Rina could mutter after hearing the elf''s explanation. After all, she didn''t get any useful answer from Fran at all. On the one hand, it could mean that the children and Sister Ball were still alive. But on the other hand, not knowing about their fate was bothering her mind immensely. Marianne, who had been only watching the whole time, noticed Rina''s inner conflict and thus decided to change the subject, or rather to ask something, that had been on her mind all along. ¡°By the way, I still don''t understand, why small villages in the first place?¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± Fran''s attention shifted from Rina to Marianne. ¡°Aren''t there also orphanages in bigger cities? I mean even in Valhale, I know of at least three of such institutions.¡± ¡°Hmm... yeah, that''s still a mystery. As I said, we still know nothing about the Demon-Spawning-Clouds.¡± ¡°But it''s really strange...¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°I mean... If I were a demon and wanted to eat children or something, I would appear in a big city where there are many more children than in villages.¡± Hearing that, Fran looked at Marianne as if she had grown a second head. ¡°...¡± ¡°W-what?¡± was the only word Marianne managed to stammer out under Fran''s judging gaze. ¡°Have you ever seen a demon before?¡± ¡°Haaah!? Of course not! Who do you think I am? I grew up in a brothel and only managed to leave that place three years ago. And since then, I''ve been working in a noble family''s house... there''s no way I could have seen a demon.¡± At Marianne''s exasperated answer, Fran frowned quite visibly and massaged her temple as if to get rid of her oncoming headache. ¡°Shit... I completely forgot about this... what a blunder...¡± Meanwhile, Rina''s thoughts were entirely elsewhere. Since Marianne had joined the conversation, Rina started to realise something that she had overlooked throughout her childhood. It was about the one, who she considered her godmother: Sister Baal. And the more she thought about Sister Baal, the more she felt how sweat was forming on her back. ''Why didn''t she find it strange that I called her ''Sister''?'' Chapter 75 - Should I place some of my gravity traps around it? actually looked like and what kind of creatures they were. So, she waited patiently for the elf''s explanation with a new-found curiosity, not forgetting to be on her guard this time. A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. *Clap*... Alright, enough of the idle chitchat, I''d like to finally start explaining the beings that we call ''demons'' to you.¡± Chapter 76 - HURRY UP AND GET OUT OF THERE! The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. background noise coming from Fran rather annoying. Chapter 77 - I have to get out of here! *cough*... Rina... *cough*¡± Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. *ZISS* *Slap* Chapter 78 - I was clearly too happy recently. When the chief saw how she reacted, his sadistic grin contorted into a burst of sadistic laughter. ¡°Hahaha... do you now finally realise what situation you''re in? It doesn''t feel good, right?¡± At this point, he didn''t bother hiding his ecstasy anymore. The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. being that was crouching before the throne even dared to say those thoughts. Chapter 79 - Thats for the sake of the world. If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. trump card, the one she was supposed to protect and polish until the demon invasion, quickly jumped up, only to fall to her knees again. Then the red-haired girl screamed at the top of her lungs, as if to fight off some immense pain, only to collapse a few seconds later. hero of the commoners who had just arrived. Chapter 80 - Its fate is sealed. ran away from the two young women and came to this deserted place. You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. Chapter 81 - Were able to communicate! The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. that much of a problem. had never been the case for the village of Mousa. Chapter 82 - A monster. Supposed to. This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. Chapter 83 - A feisty one, arent you? walking cane, burst out of the door, and sprinted clumsily towards her assigned inn room, ignoring all sorts of cracking sounds her bones made on the way. Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. *sigh* Oh well, that would''ve been just a bonus anyway.¡± Chapter 84 - Ill be back in a few days. Over the past few years, there was one thing, that had bothered Rina. However, as she hadn''t been able to find any concrete evidence of said thing, she had decided to not waste unnecessary effort trying to find out what it was, and had just kept it in the back of her mind. It''s about her so-called ''''deal'' with Duke Thalas. After all, by agreeing to this ''deal'', she had practically sold herself as a tool to him. Yet he hadn''t contacted her or had given her any orders whatsoever. In addition to that, shouldn''t at least someone be placed beside her to keep an eye on her? After all, wouldn''t the Duke lose an important tool, were something to happen to her, or worse were she happen to have fraudulent intentions? True, Arland was still in the Dragonherz mansion at the Duke''s orders, but he was also, on the surface, the Dragonherz family''s Guard Captain. So, more often than not was he on his duties away from the mansion. Not to mention that he wouldn''t be able to get close to Rina except for the training sessions with her in the first place, because of a certain blonde lady''s glare marking her territory. So, in the end, Rina had thought that it was unlikely that Arland was the only one around her who obeyed the Duke. Next, she had suspected that Marianne was still on the Duke''s boat. But after an intense interrogation session by her and Clara, she had dismissed that notion. After all, even Clara trusted Marianne''s words, and Clara was someone who usually had a good grasp of people''s personalities, so Rina believed in her mistress''s ability. Therefore, in the past, Rina had decided to shelf that problem for the future. But as the three years had passed, her mind and emotions had matured, much more than the over twenty years of her past life. As time went by, it became even stranger to her why the Duke had left her alone for so long. Granted, the happier the subordinates, the more productive they would be. And Rina was certainly content with her current life. But still, this was not the 21st century Japan, where there are workforce protection laws. This was a world where those in power ruthlessly devour the others in order to survive the impending demon invasion. So just wasting a thought that the Duke cared about her happiness and thus her future performance was beyond stupid. With these thoughts, combined with Rina''s currently calm and collective mind, and the fact that something inside her mentality had switched because of the torture session, it was clear as a day to Rina why Duke Thalas hadn''t done anything. Or rather, he had already done something, and that was placing a mole with special abilities right next to her. So, confident that someone had been observing her the whole time, be it close by or far away, she called out to them. It didn''t take long for her suspicions to be confirmed, as the observer revealed themself due to a combination of Rina''s bluffs and empty threats. Though, it wasn''t entirely unlikely that they had seen through everything but decided to come out either way. Nonetheless, whether the intruder could read her intentions or not, was not important, so Rina didn''t waste any more thought on it. Instead, she sharpened her glare and spoke up in a rather cold voice. ¡°For how long already?¡± At her words, the cloaked figure, that had just materialised in the corner of the room, stepped into the light shining through the window and pulled down their hood. What emerged was a slim, young man with short brown hair and equally brown eyes, who was about two heads taller than the relatively short Rina. He then just shrugged his shoulders before he answered her. ¡°From the very beginning. There was no way that he would leave anything, he considers his, unsupervised.¡± After saying this, he glanced at the drawn sword in the red-haired girl''s hand, before he continued, pointing at the sword. ¡°You should put that away. I''m the reason the woman behind you is still alive.¡± Because Rina already suspected as much, she nodded, clumsily sheathed her sword due to the condition of her hands, and eased up her guard. When the young man saw that the girl in front of him didn''t even flinch, even though her bones made cracking sounds with each movement she made, he raised his eyebrows. ¡°You''re messed up, aren''t you?¡± Although Rina knew what he was talking about, she paid it no mind and asked the question swirling in her mind instead. After all, there was no reason for her to be polite to him who had been spying on her for three years and would continue to do so in the future. ¡°So, can you now tell me what happened?¡± It didn''t bother the man that Rina just ignored his statement and pushed the conversation forward. For, he was only here on behalf of his Master''s orders. There were better things to do than make small-talk with a girl who had no interest in men and had, in addition to that, quite a few loose screws. So he, once again, shrugged and answered her truthfully. ¡°I don''t know exactly what happened, but a few hours after you guys had left for demon hunting, the elf and the woman behind you carried you here while you were unconscious.¡± ¡°What do you mean, you don''t know what happened? Aren''t you supposed to be watching me?¡± ¡°It''s not that I have to spy on you around the clock. Just being around you and keeping an eye on you and your actions from time to time is enough. Despite this, Master told me not to go anywhere near a Demon-Spawning-Cloud, even if it means losing track of you. That''s why I just waited here when you guys went out this morning.¡± Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. Even though Rina couldn''t fully understand the Duke''s reasoning behind such orders, especially the one that told the young man in front of her to avoid being close to Demon-Spawning-Clouds, she decided to accept his explanation for the time being. After all, there were more pressing matters at hand. So she nodded at him, urging him to continue. ¡°After laying you on the bed, they split up. The blonde chick left, while the one behind you stayed behind.¡± ¡°Do you know where Fran went?¡± ¡°Fran? Ah... the blonde one?¡± Rina nodded. ¡°Nope, no clue. But I wouldn''t be too concerned about her. She seems to be a real powerhouse, the folks around here can''t hurt her. Though...¡± ¡°Though?¡± ¡°Never mind that. Well... I think you can guess what happened after that, right? After some time, the villagers stormed in here, knocked that woman out, and took you away. Then some thugs came in, wanted to have some fun with her and kill her afterwards, hehehe.¡± When Rina saw him smirk, she sharpened her glare at him and put her hand back on the hilt of her sword. Since Marianne was still alive, it was clear to her that the man in front of her had intervened. She was thankful to him for that. But whether or not she would draw her sword, depended on his answer to her next question. ¡°Before or afterwards?¡± After keeping his grin on his face for a while and having a staring contest with Rina, the man relaxed and raised his two hands. ¡°Okay, okay. I would have loved to see the show, but I stopped them before they could do anything. Master''s orders were to keep you happy for now.¡± ¡°*Sigh*¡± Rina let out a sigh of relief upon picking up his words and removed her hand from her sword''s handle. ¡°What happened to them?¡± At her words, the man smirked again. ¡°No one but you is allowed to know about my presence, so what do you think what happened to them?¡± It didn''t take a genius to get the man''s implication, and so didn''t Rina. Because her previous life had been in an environment, where wars and unnecessary killing were close to non-existent, she had thought that she would have a hard time in Yggildos, especially with a demon invasion looming. She had thought that she would shriek, scream, panic, hyperventilate, and whatnot if she heard of anyone dying, or worse, witnessed it. But that was not the case at all. When she heard of those goons'' deaths, it just left her cold and she simply acknowledged it. It was the same with the thugs who had tried to r*pe her years ago. She just felt nothing. Granted, those people all wanted to harm her or the people around her, so she naturally had no good feelings towards them, but still, she didn''t feel even the slightest bit bad about those deaths. ''Fran would be furious if she found out that I don''t care about strangers'' lives,'' she playfully thought to herself and even chuckled a bit. The man across from her raised his eyebrows at her strange behaviour and wondered if it was one of those ''mood swings'' that women are said to have. However, Rina noticed his eyes on her pretty fast, so she cleared her throat to get the conversation back on track. ¡°*cough* So, why have you shown yourself? It''s not so you could give me a summary of what happened, is it?¡± At first, Rina had thought that the man had shown himself because her bluff and threat had worked. But after conversing with him for the past few minutes, it was clear to her that it was not the case. She was sure that he had seen through her and had only come out for another, more pressing matter. After voicing the question Rina perceived how the man''s eyes widened in surprise for a split second before his facial expression returned to normal again. ¡°What the hell happened down there? Have you reached some kind of enlightenment? Who the f*ck are you?¡± ¡°So? Why have you come out?¡± Rina naturally ignored the man''s nonsensical questions and just urged him to answer her question. At this, he just shrugged again, before he answered. ¡°That''s right.¡± He then pulled a vial filled with red liquid from under his cloak and tossed it to her. ¡°Here, drink this. It''s an expensive potion. It will heal all your wounds, even your broken bones. But it can''t do anything about the blood loss, so hurry up and drink this.¡± Having said that, he pointed towards the hole in her chest from which blood was still dripping. Initially, she hesitated to drink the potion. But after a short consideration, she opened the vial and gulped its content down anyway. After all, she could feel how her body weakened with every passing second, and it was questionable whether she and her group would be able to reach the capital before she died of blood loss. Not to forget, the Duke hadn''t gained anything from her yet, so she doubted that he would let her die like this. So Rina simply decided to trust the Duke on this aspect. After drinking the potion, she tossed the empty vial back to the man, who caught it and stored it in his cloak. Even though she could feel how her broken and fractured bones slowly repaired themselves, how the hole in her chest patched itself up, and how the scars and burns on her skin faded away, she ignored them and instead reopened the conversation with the man. ¡°Is it all?¡± But it was not to thank him for the potion. After all, he and the Duke, people she had no good feelings towards, had only done it for themselves. There''s no need to show gratitude in such cases. The man seemed to agree with her on that aspect, which was why he didn''t pay her ungratefulness any further thought and instead just answered her question. ¡°In fact, no. I showed myself to warn you.¡± ¡°Warn me?¡± The man nodded. ¡°Haven''t you wondered why I didn''t intervene when you were captured in the first place?¡± Indeed, that thought did cross Rina''s mind. After all, her life was in danger because he had allowed her to be kidnapped in the first place. But since her well-being is even less than secondary to her, especially now, when she currently can''t feel any pain, she didn''t even bother to ask about it. But she wouldn''t refuse knowing the answer, even more so if the man offered it himself, so she just nodded. ¡±It''s because there is, or rather was, someone else spying on you. And that someone is definitely not in Master''s camp. Any ideas who it could be?¡± At his question, Rina simply shook her head, as she really had no idea. ¡°Thought so. Well, the woman behind you is about to wake up, so I''ll go for now. And remember, no one but you may know of my existence.¡± With a final warning, the man disappeared the same way he had appeared in the room. Shortly afterwards, Rina heard a rustling sound behind her, so she turned around to look after Marianne. When Marianne slowly opened her eyes and saw the beautiful red hue in front of her, she awoke instantly and grabbed the girl in front of her by her shoulders. ¡°Mistress? Are you alright? Are you hurt?¡± After saying this, she looked around the redhead''s body. When she couldn''t find any kind of injury, she visibly breathed out. ¡°Calm down, Marianne. I''m fine. For now, please listen to me,¡± Rina said, feeling her consciousness fading away. ¡°Okay, what is it?¡± ¡°When Fran comes back, let''s go back, okay? And tell the others...¡± Even though Marianne was a bit confused, she nodded for now and waited for Rina to continue. However, Rina closed her eyes shortly afterwards and fell into Marianne''s arms, but not before ending the sentence with all of her remaining strength, ¡°I''ll be back in a few days.¡± Chapter 85 - As you can see, Im perfectly fine. It was a normal morning at the Dragonherz residency, only an hour before the family usually have breakfast together. Outside, the sun was shining, the birds were chirping. *Swish**Swish* When the window curtains were opened, the sun even shone into the room. Unfortunately, Clara''s bed was next to the window, which meant that the daylight directly beamed into her face. This, naturally, woke Clara up from her slumber. ¡°Mhmm... Rinaaaa, only five more minutes, please.¡± Like every morning, she called out to her beloved maid in a cute way, hoping that she would get a little more sleep. Usually, this worked. Rina had always let her sleep until she was satisfied, so there was no reason for her not to repeat this strategy. This was, after all, their morning routine. Unfortunately for the young lady, that wasn''t the case this time, as... ¡°It seems you have been spoiled rotten, My Lady.¡± ¡­she didn''t recognise the voice speaking to her at all. Instead of the usual high-pitched but soft and soothing voice, the one that reached her ears this morning had a much rougher tone. Because of this, Clara''s eyes shot open and she sat up straight in an instant. When she robotically turned her head towards the source of the voice and spotted a familiar face, she immediately jumped out of her bed and saluted in a military manner to the person in front of her. Even to this person, an elderly woman, wearing a maid uniform, that showed she was a servant of the Dragonherz viscountcy, Clara still showed respect. After all, the woman in front of her was responsible for her upbringing, along with her mother Lauren. Besides, this woman was the one, who had intensely beat the manners of a noble lady into Clara, when she was younger. There was no way, Clara would dare to be rude to her, despite being the employer. So, starting to feel cold for some reason, Clara mustered all of her power to keep her fear from showing on her face, tilted her head, and smiled at her former teacher. ¡°G-Good morning, Henrietta, T-Thank you for waking me up,¡± Clara started, while she intensely ruffled her hair in her mind. After all, she knew that Rina was gone for a few days or even weeks, so she only had herself to blame for her mistake. ¡°I wish you a good morning, My Lady. You had a happy expression on your face when you were sleeping. Did you have a nice dream?¡± Although Henrietta''s mouth was curved upwards, theoretically symbolising that she was smiling, her eyes weren''t. Unfortunately, Clara didn''t pick up on that at all. To make matters worse, she even imagined the dream she had just had and even blushed. Luckily, Clara''s fast thinking prowess allowed her to remind herself of the situation she was in and, thus, to immediately change her demeanour. However, whether Clara''s former, more than just strict, etiquette instructor noticed it, and whether Clara reaped what she sowed after letting her guard down by being constantly spoiled by Rina, only the gods would know. *** After breakfast and after Henrietta''s gruesome remembrance lessons, Clara sat in her office and went about her daily routine. Because she won''t be able to produce an heir due to her sexual orientation, Clara had lost her position as heir, especially after a son was born into the Dragonherz family. However, this didn''t bother Clara at all. Quite the opposite. In fact, she was even happy to hand over that position to her 13-years-younger brother Claudrick. After all, she could now stay her entire life together with her beloved maid with her parents blessings. Unfortunately, because homosexual relationships were an abnormality in Yggildos, especially in noble circles, Clara wouldn''t be able to start a new noble family. It went double that her prospective partner was Rina, a commoner with no family background whatsoever. So Clara would be still dependent on the Dragonherz viscountcy if she wanted to be a noble, and she did. If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. For that reason, she decided to stay with the Dragonherz family in the future. However, because of her high pride, she vehemently refused to just leech off her family, so she had asked her father for an official position. Luckily, since Eric had originally planned for her to take over as the head, Clara had been educated from very early on, how to manage the lands owned by the viscountcy. This was why her father didn''t even hesitate to hand over a part of his work to her. Whether she would still hold the same position even after her brother''s takeover though, was questionable and depended entirely on her future relationship with Claudrick. But since that was still far in the future, Clara decided not to think about it for the time being. So, for now, Clara got her own work space, where she would spend at least several hours a day, checking the finances, development, security, and so on of the land managed by the Dragonherz viscountcy. ¡°Rina, can you help me with this? The numbers here are...¡± While she was looking through some documents, she spotted a few irregularities which puzzled her. So, as always, she asked her trusted partner for an opinion. Strangely enough, Rina, despite her age and upbringing, was very proficient with numbers and had even taught Clara a few tips and tricks concerning calculations in the past. Sadly for Clara, she once again forgot that her maid was on a mission. Only when she called out to Rina for help out of habit, did she realise that fact again, and slammed her head on her desk to hide her blushing face. Fortunately for her, she was currently the only one in her office, otherwise she would have had to find a hole to hide in from embarrassment. ¡°Urgh, I''m in pretty hard, aren''t I?¡± she muttered while rolling her head left and right. After all, even though it had only been two days since her maid had left on the mission, Clara already started to miss her. How could she not react this way, when she realised how hopelessly in love she was? Nonetheless, only a few moments later, she sat up straight again and slapped her cheeks twice to calm herself down. She was determined to get more work done than usual with Rina gone for a few days, or even weeks. The reason for this was, of course, so that she could spend more time flirting with her maid when she returned. After all, she didn''t know if there would be time for that when she started attending the Royal Knight Academy in less than a month. So, after she motivated herself for all the wrong reasons, she dug through the mountains of paperwork in the hours to follow, and only took a short break when lunchtime had arrived. But even after she had finished it, she quickly returned to her work. Only when the sun was about to set and time for dinner was near, did Clara come to a good stopping point. Then, after a short contemplation on whether or not to continue after dinner, she shook her head and decided to call it a day. After all, it was only the second day without her maid''s presence, so she didn''t want to overwork herself just yet. But while she was in the process of storing the documents spread out on her desk into drawers, she noticed a carriage entering the mansion''s courtyard along with the neighing and galloping sounds of the horses pulling said carriage. ''Is it a guest for Father? Isn''t it rather late to invite somebody over?'' With that thought, Clara glanced out of the window to see who could have possibly arrived at such a time. But when she spotted the carriage with a yellow phoenix painted on the door of the carriage, Clara rushed out of her office with an excited expression on her face. How could she not be elated upon seeing this? After all, it was the same carriage in which Marianne, Fran, and Rina had left just two days ago. ''Are they already done with the mission?'' Whatever the reason, Clara was just glad to see them, especially her, again, much earlier than expected. So, she stormed into the courtyard with her face blooming like a flower and waited for them to exit the waggon. However, her heart sank immediately, when she saw a downcast Fran and an equally gloomy Marianne getting out of the horse-drawn vehicle. And when she saw a familiar unconscious girl with red hair on Marianne''s back, her mind stopped working altogether. *** When Rina opened her eyes, she was wrapped in darkness, meaning that it was at dead of night. But thanks to the moonlight shining through the windows, Rina was able to make out her surroundings quite well. First of all, because she was looking up in a lying position, she saw a familiar ceiling. But it was not one she was used to seeing when she usually woke up in the morning. With this alone, she was able to conclude, that she was in the Dragonherz'' mansion. Secondly, Rina recognised the smell of the bed she was lying on and the sheets she was tucked behind. After all, it was highly possible that she had changed the sheets of the bed herself. However, because she was in charge of making the beds in multiple rooms in the mansion, she couldn''t be sure in which room she was currently in. Lastly, she noticed the presence of two other people beside her, one to her left, one to her right. Their calm and rhythmic breathing suggested that they were both asleep. Turning her head left and right to see who they were, she saw, who would have thought otherwise, Marianne and Clara. It was obvious that they were tired from nursing her. Feeling warm inside at this sight, she sat up and placed her hands on their heads, stroking their hair. While Marianne showed a blissful smile, Clara slowly opened her eyes, probably awakened by her rustling movements. This surprised Rina quite a bit, causing her to retract both of her hands. Even though she noticed that Marianne''s blissful expression vanished and was replaced by a neutral one in an instant, Rina decided not to dwell on it any further and instead turned her full attention to her blonde mistress, who had tears forming in her eyes. Not caring about the fact that it was currently in the middle of the night and that Marianne was sleeping in the very same room, Clara shouted out, ¡°Rinaaaa!¡± and threw herself into her maid''s arms. Although this surprised Rina, she still found herself calm enough to comfort her sobbing mistress. For that, she wrapped her arms around Clara''s body, patted her back, and said in a soothing voice, ¡°As you can see, I''m perfectly fine.¡±