The Maid's Secret Circumstances (4)
The day after my special class friends visited me in the hospital room. It was a weekend with no school, so I went outside to a secluded spot where few people came and loosened up my body. It hadn't been that long of a break, but lying in bed for even a day or two had left me feeling stiff and sluggish. Besides, exercise and training had been part of my daily routine ever since before coming to the academy—I hadn't skipped a day in ages.
Just as I was basking in the sunlight, feeling the grass under my feet, a bright voice called out from behind me.
"Rehab training?"
"Hm? Oh, it's you, Elfin."
I turned my head and saw Elfin there. Even while holding my wooden sword and stretching, I waved cheerfully to greet her.
Come to think of it...
I'd half-expected Elfin to come along when the special class students visited yesterday, but surprisingly, she hadn't. The other students said they didn't know why either, so I could only guess she had some separate business. Probably discussing the back mountain incident with the imperial family.
"It's not exactly rehab—just loosening up a bit."
"Yeah? Doesn't skipping a couple days make your body feel heavy?"
"I appreciate the concern, but even on normal days, I feel heavy after a little run. Resting fully might actually put me in better shape."
"That's why you should switch bodies to fix your stamina..."
Elfin repeating the same line again. I quickly turned away to shut down the conversation at the source. She wasn't being serious anyway—it was just teasing—and she snickered as she approached, drawing the sword from her waist.
"Anyway, if it's rehab training, I'll help out. I'm a decent sparring partner, at least."
"A decent sparring partner? You sure about that?"
I still remembered her first spar with me—how she'd brutalized Konet, Yozef, and the other special class students. Heads slammed into the ground, bodies rolling across the floor...
Elfin must have recalled the same scenes, because she giggled mischievously.
"That was just to establish some discipline—you know what I mean?"
"Did you pick that up while working with the resistance?"
"Heh, you know it. I wasn't like that back in the old days."
Elfin shrugged as she took her stance with the sword. Fair enough—thinking about it, I'd used my assassin background from the resistance to crush the Humpton gang myself. It wouldn't be strange if she'd followed in my footsteps.
"Makes sense. With your skills, you probably shot up the ranks the moment you enlisted."
"Obviously. But maybe that's why—people got jealous. Can't blame the veterans for finding a young elf girl like me insufferable."
I nodded instinctively. In a resistance army that was 99% human, a rare elf—and a young woman at that? Her mere existence was bound to spark friction. Whether it was the stuck-up old guard officers or the rank-and-file grunts, they'd all question Philbert's decision to recruit her and shoot her dirty looks.
"But you know. I proved myself with skill."
"Skill alone?"
"With a dash of violence on the side."
But anyone with eyes glued shut would have seen it eventually. That this elf could hasten the flames I'd ignited to burn down the Drelin Kingdom by several steps. Everyone shared the same unshakeable goal, so there were no real fractures. Just grumbling from the officers with grudges—the foot soldiers didn't even factor in. Elfin's physical education would have silenced them all.
...Maybe that's when her professor potential first shone through?
"Ready? Here I come!"
Elfin grinned and charged. True to her word, she didn't attack fiercely like in a real duel. She was probably still worried about my recovering body, and this was just warm-up training anyway. Matching my speed and footwork, it felt like we were dancing.
Before I knew it, the midday grass field had become a stage for two swordsmen's waltz.
"...Hoo."
We exchanged dozens of passes in a trance. My breath came rough, but still—what was the word?
Fun.
Yeah. There was a strange sense of fulfillment from clashing with an opponent who made fighting feel worthwhile. Thinking back, it made sense. My sparring partners at the mansion were too easy, and the academy classmates fell short of expectations. Katarina was a tough foe, sure, but not the kind that sparked joy in battle.
"Mmm, as expected, Master is strong. I can't remember the last time I got this excited in a fight."
"Me, that strong? You're not hyping me up too much?"
"If anything, you're underselling yourself, Master. Honestly, you could hold your own anywhere on the continent right now. Just fix that stamina issue."
"...And how do I do that?"
"...Gonna say it again?"
I shook my head with a wry smile and slumped against a tree. "Even if it's just words, it feels good hearing that from you—someone whose skill is top-tier across the continent."
"All thanks to you, Master. Hehe. And it's not empty flattery. Time passing doesn't mean everything levels up evenly. I've actually met more true powerhouses back in the day."
"Powerhouses?"
As a man who'd made combat his trade, tales of continental wanderers and life-or-death duels between masters always piqued my interest. My eyes lit up as I looked at Elfin, and she chuckled, walking over to plop down right beside me.
"Yeah, there were tons of guys even I struggled to beat back then. Now that I've honed my skills more, who knows? Ugh, I wanna get revenge."
"Catch me sometime later and tell me about them. What kind of monsters could put up a fight against you?"
"They didn't just fight—they beat me, okay?"
Elfin shot me a pouty glare.
"Hmm, some used auras and swords together, just like your style now, Master."
"Like me?"
"Exactly. That's why I'm even more excited for your growth. Imagine how unstoppable you'd be if you mastered aura magic on top of your already insane strength."
It was a distant dream, but tempting. Still, I couldn't figure out why Elfin was bringing it up. To master aura magic like she said, I'd have to keep living in this body. Going back to my old one meant no magic.
"...Ah!"
Elfin seemed to realize it just now. She'd blurted it out thoughtlessly and now regretted it, fidgeting and nudging my shoulder. Pretty obvious.
She's always been a bit airheaded.
Elfin blatantly tried to change the subject.
"Ah, aha~ Speaking of, the special class kids visited yesterday, right?"
"Yeah. I was a little bummed you didn't come."
"Huh? You wanted me there?"
"Well, everyone else showed up except you."
Elfin suddenly burst into goofy laughter out of nowhere. When I gave her a puzzled look, she cleared her throat and stopped, though her lips still twitched.
"Ahem, yeah, I had stuff to do yesterday."
"Mind if I ask what?"
"Of course. You and I are basically one now, Master."
"...What does that mean?"
"We've shared all our secrets, hehe."
"Can't win against you."
I laughed helplessly, and Elfin beamed innocently.
"The day of the incident, Yustina and I handled school matters together. Yesterday was all about reporting to the imperial side."
"So it was the imperial family. What'd they say?"
"We talked about this and that... but the core issue was probably that."
A bitter smile touched Elfin's lips.
"Is it really okay to leave Charlotte at Denebergen Academy?"
"...What?"
I frowned at her words. The imperial family themselves questioning whether Charlotte should stay at the academy meant...
"Charlotte being targeted by enemy forces is a given. And those guys are relentless. What might happen if we keep leaving her at the academy?"
I had no immediate retort. Frustrating as it was, I understood her point—and the imperial stance.
If Charlotte stayed at Denebergen Academy, the schemes of that last king of Drelin would keep coming. "Other students or faculty could get hurt too."
"...Yeah, something like that."
Elfin said it calmly, but it was a serious problem. One person's presence endangering innocents around her.
This back mountain incident proved it. My life had hung by a thread, and without Elfin and Yustina as aces up our sleeve, the other students would have suffered badly.
"So the imperial family wants to send her somewhere else? Have them take her in for protection...?"
"As expected of Master—straight to the most logical solution. Sadly, not everyone's that reasonable."
"...Yeah, no way they'd willingly protect Charlotte, who's basically bait for the enemy."
Wherever Charlotte went, Drelin's remnant forces would track her down and strike. From that angle, the imperial family had no reason to shoulder her safety. We didn't know their full strength, but no need for the palace to hug a live bomb.
"But that's not the only reason. The imperial family has their logic, but Denebergen Academy's not a bad place to protect someone either."
"Not bad? Just this incident alone..."
"Well, technically, the back mountain's outside the academy barriers. And it only happened because some unknown traitor inside helped them."
"A traitor."
"Yeah. Catch the academy insider... and Denebergen might just be the safest spot on the continent for Charlotte."
Elfin had a point. To outsiders, the academy was a fortress. Teeming with high-level mages and veteran warriors as professors. Not just barrier magic around the grounds, but overwhelming combat power ready for invasions.
Look at who's around Charlotte.
It was stacked from the start. A centuries-old dragon as class chairman and classmate. An elf with heroic talent rivaling the imperial elite as her teacher. And on top of that, a reincarnated former continent-top assassin glued to her side.
In some ways, safer than the palace.
"...True enough."
"And above all, Charlotte herself probably doesn't want to leave the academy for somewhere else."
I nodded automatically. I'd seen it up close. Given a real chance to learn, Charlotte attended diligently, devouring magic lessons and honing her combat skills with joy.
Telling her to leave because of some unknown threat? That'd be too cruel.
"Yustina—that lizard—even said she'd protect her at the academy."
"Yustina did?"
I whipped around to stare at Elfin. Ultimately, Yustina's opinion mattered most for Charlotte's situation. If she saw her as a threat to the academy, kicking her out wasn't impossible.
I figured Yustina wouldn't like it, since it'd endanger the school.
Her volunteering to protect her there? Far more positive than I'd expected. I tilted my head. Maybe because she's close to me?
"She didn't explain in detail why, but she did say this."
Elfin hesitated a moment before speaking.
"Anyway, Charlotte's a precious student of Denebergen Academy. It's only natural for the adults here to protect our students... or something like that."
Hearing that, memories from 500 years ago flashed back. Me protecting Yustina, Elfin, and Liwin—overlapping with Yustina now.
"...She's grown up well."
"Huh? What'd you say?"
"Nothing."
"What was it?! Come on, tell me!"
I couldn't resist Elfin's prodding and smiled awkwardly.
"Just... I feel really lucky."
"...Out of nowhere?"
Elfin tilted her head, not getting it, but that was my honest feeling. Those kids who'd found a home with me 500 years ago. The 10 years we spent together weren't luck just for them—I was the fortunate one too.
Realizing that simple truth anew, I couldn't help but feel good.