Dinner ended in a pleasant atmosphere.
The roasted venison was tender and juicy, the mushroom soup was rich and delicious, and Professor Bernard even treated the three girls to a cup of flower tea said to nourish mana.
Emma talked about an interesting book she had recently seen in the library about Ancient Runes, while Lillian shared some snippets of strange anecdotes from the royal collection.
Camilla ate while listening, occasionally chiming in with a few words. She felt her tense nerves finally relax a bit during this time.
Stepping out of the Heart of Oak restaurant, the sky was nearing dusk. After saying goodbye to Professor Bernard, Lillian, and Emma, Camilla walked toward the Freshman Dormitory Area alone, feeling much warmer.
However, this leisure was interrupted as she crossed a relatively secluded path.
Three figures wearing senior uniforms suddenly turned out from the intersection ahead, blocking her path.
Two boys and one girl.
One boy was tall, crossing his arms with a malicious smile on his face. Another was slightly shorter, playing with a coin burning with a faint flame in his hand. The girl leaned against a lamppost, a wisp of green breeze swirling around her fingertips as she sized Camilla up with playful eyes.
“Oh, isn’t this the precious little sister of our new Student Council President? Why are you wandering around here all by yourself?” the tall boy in the lead teased.
“That’s right, President Ophelia is busy with a myriad of affairs. She probably doesn’t have time for you, does she? Do you want your seniors to take care of you?” the shorter one chimed in, taking a step forward and trying to reach out to pat Camilla’s shoulder.
Camilla frowned and took two steps back to avoid him, sighing in her heart.
‘Here it comes.’
Her sister had established her authority in the arena and intimidated most people, but there were always those who were unconvinced or had ulterior motives. They felt they could find a breakthrough through her “weak link,” or they simply wanted to indirectly annoy Ophelia by making things difficult for her.
“Is something the matter?” Camilla asked calmly while quietly assessing the strength of the three — two warriors and one wind mage, all around Level 4.
They weren’t too strong, but three against one was enough to put pressure on an ordinary freshman.
Of course, Camilla did not fall into the “ordinary freshman” category. Even without using her trump card, Succubus Transformation, she could easily handle them with just physical techniques and Rimuru.
“It’s nothing big,” the boy playing with the fire coin said with a grin. “We just heard that our junior is very favored by the President. As your seniors, we wanted to get close to you and exchange some feelings.”
“By the way, I’d like to ask, how did you get the President to protect you so much?” the girl leaning against the lamppost took over, her tone frivolous. “If you have any secrets, why don’t you teach your senior sister? Or do you just rely on this face? True, your figure and face are indeed quite tempting. Although I’m straight, if it’s a cutie like you, junior…” Her gaze fell upon Camilla’s chest, and she unconsciously licked her lips. “It wouldn’t be impossible.”
Camilla’s eyes turned cold. One hand prepared to pull out the Monster Repellent Spray, while the other grabbed the dozing Rimuru in her bag. She didn’t want to waste words with the people opposite her.
But just as she was about to leave a deep impression on these ignorant fools —
“Scram.”
A cold female voice suddenly rang out from the side.
The direction the voice came from… was the half-height metal trash can on the side of the road used for fallen leaves and debris.
In the next second, the lid of the trash can was suddenly shoved open from the inside with a *clatter*.
A deep purple figure flashed out silently like a ghost, leaping and landing gracefully like an elegant big cat.
It was Lyudmila.
She was still wearing the same worn-out academy uniform. Her deep purple long hair was a bit messy, her face was expressionless, and her pure black eyes were like an abyss, coldly locking onto the three seniors.
“What the hell?!” The boy playing with the fire coin was startled, nearly dropping the coin in his hand. “Who are you? Why… why were you in a trash can?!”
The tall boy’s expression also changed. They had clearly scouted the area beforehand, but they hadn’t noticed any trace of Lyudmila at all.
“Scram.”
Lyudmila didn’t answer their question; she only repeated her previous words. At the same time, she pulled out the two-handed greatsword behind her back that was taller than she was and walked toward the three step by step. Her footsteps were light, but every step carried a heart-pounding pressure.
“W-What do you want to do? We were just joking with our junior…” the wind-attribute girl’s voice trembled, and she instinctively retreated.
“A joke?” Lyudmila finally spoke, her voice remaining icy. “I don’t think so.”
Before she finished speaking, she moved — so fast she almost didn’t leave an afterimage.
*Thump! Thump! Thump!*
Several muffled sounds echoed, interspersed with short cries of pain.
Camilla didn’t even see clearly how she made her move before the three people fell to the ground in various pathetic poses. They clutched their stomachs, chests, or calves, curling up in pain, no longer having the strength to even groan.
Lyudmila grabbed the tall boy who spoke first by his collar like he was a chick and dragged him to the large trash can. She opened the lid and unceremoniously stuffed him inside.
Then the second, and the third… Her movements were so skillful it made one feel sorry for the trash can.
Finally, she patted the non-existent dust off her hands and turned to look at Camilla, her tone flat and waveless. “Let’s go.”
Camilla only then returned to her senses from her brief astonishment and followed Lyudmila quickly away from the scene.
After walking a certain distance and confirming no one was around, Camilla couldn’t help but ask, “Lyudmila? Why were you… there? And why did you help me?”
“It was just the Master’s order.” Lyudmila’s pace didn’t stop, her profile appearing somewhat cold and hard in the fading light.
“Master?” Camilla was stunned for a moment, not reacting to who the other party was talking about.
“Ophelia,” Lyudmila explained succinctly. When she uttered that name, her tone carried a kind of solemnity that was almost devout. “She anticipated that someone might look for trouble with you and ordered me to protect you in secret until you return to the dormitory safely.”
“So that’s how it is…”
A surge of warmth rose in Camilla’s heart, but she immediately felt somewhat helpless.
‘Sister’s protective streak is a bit too strong, isn’t it? And “Master”… Lyudmila, just how exactly did my sister educate you!’ She didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.
“Anyway, thank you, Lyudmila.”
“It is my duty.”
The two of them walked in silence to the front of Camilla’s dormitory building.
Just as Camilla was about to enter, she found that Lyudmila had no intention of leaving. Instead, holding her greatsword, she walked toward the smaller green trash can for cleaning next to the dormitory entrance.
She skillfully lifted the lid, looked inside, and then, with slightly stiff but unhesitating movements, hugged her sword and curled up her body, trying to stuff herself in.
Since she was small enough — even shorter than Camilla, who was just over 1.5 meters — she actually managed to stuff herself inside with her amazing flexibility.
“Lyudmila, that… I’m already at the dorm. It’s safe. You don’t have to —”
“Master ordered me to escort you to the dormitory and ensure your safety during the night.” Lyudmila raised her head from the edge of the trash can, her black eyes looking at Camilla seriously. “This place is in a suitable position.”
Camilla opened her mouth but ultimately said nothing. With a complicated mood, she opened the door and walked into the dormitory. Before closing the door, she took a quiet look back.
The lid of the green trash can had been gently closed, leaving only a tiny crack. A pair of black eyes blinked, as if asking, ‘Is something the matter?’
Returning silently to her single dormitory room, Camilla double-locked the door and pulled the curtains.
After a simple wash-up, she didn’t rest immediately but went to her desk and took out an egg-sized black crystal ball with a surface as smooth as a mirror from the depths of a drawer.
She placed the crystal ball on the table, pressed her hands on both sides of the sphere, and slowly injected a trace of mana at a specific frequency.
A hazy shimmer began to rise inside the crystal ball, like ripples on water. A moment later, the light stabilized, and a figure wearing a maid outfit emerged.
“Boss, were you looking for me?”
Premium Chapter
Login to buy access to this Chapter.