“Wait a moment, I still need to check again…”
“Check what?! The instructor is still watching! What a disgraceful sight this is!”
“Cough, cough. Let me clarify—I’m not watching.”
Iyue coughed twice to stop these two problem students who were starting to horse around in the instructor’s quarters… and she had to turn her face away to hide the smile creeping onto her lips, preserving her image as an instructor.
“Get dressed!”
“I know, I know… but why is your face so red? Everyone at the Training Grounds bathes together—it’s not like we haven’t seen each other’s bodies—”
“I am not blushing! And even when I bathe, I don’t deliberately stare at other people’s bodies… I’m not a pervert!”
The pair’s antics went on for quite a while.
After confirming that Lei Ya’s wound had fully healed thanks to the miraculous effect of the Healing Ointment, Iyue brought the two to another Training Ground in the facility designated for combat practice.
“All healed up, right? Then it’s time for your punishment for beating up your fellow trainees.”
“You—you said you wouldn’t punish us!”
Lei Ya stared dumbfounded at Iyue, who was loosening up her muscles on the spot.
“I never said such a thing. I only healed your wound… so that you’d be able to withstand my punishment.”
Iyue glanced at Lei Ya. Seeing that she still didn’t seem to understand her meaning, she turned her gaze toward Se La.
“I understand.”
“Good. Get ready… If the two of you don’t hit the ground at least ten times in the next five minutes, then next time, Rosalind will become the target for archery practice. You’ll be free to shoot arrows at her all you want.”
Hearing this, Se La’s Eyes lit up immediately. She knew Iyue was doing this to protect her.
Because only by leaving behind traces of “punishment” could she dull the vindictiveness of that woman who only knew how to bully others through her family’s power… Especially when she found out she had escaped the same punishment, she would surely strut around gloating and mocking her and Lei Ya.
And this outcome was far better than being viciously retaliated against by that woman.
Se La had thought this was the best possible result, but she never imagined the instructor would also give her a chance to vent her anger.
“Thank you, instructor!”
“Instructor, are you serious? You can’t go back on your word. Finally, I can beat that wench senseless without any worries.”
Lei Ya’s drooping head shot up as well.
“Looks like you’re both quite confident you can do it… Then let’s begin.”
…
…
“Huff… huff…”
“I’m exhausted…”
The sparring session came to an end quickly.
The two trainee girls were covered in dirt and bruises from being thrown around… and their combined number of falls had long since exceeded ten.
“You actually thought about attacking instead of defending… admirable courage. Too bad courage alone isn’t enough.”
Iyue looked approvingly at Lei Ya, who was sprawled on the ground on all fours.
“…It’s all your fault. Now we can’t take care of that woman. If you hadn’t overreached yourself, we could have held out!”
Se La, lying beside her, drenched in sweat and gasping for breath, suddenly shouted.
“I—I was so close to succeeding!”
“I don’t care about that! You always do unnecessary things… Always clinging to me for no reason, and today you charged in to meddle…”
Se La sounded like she was complaining… but the sobbing in her voice was already becoming harder to suppress.
“M—meddling is such an ugly way to put it! That wench was hitting you without holding back—”
“That’s exactly why you shouldn’t have come to meddle! You’re the daughter of the Duke of the Jingfeng Forest Region… yet you took a beating and got hurt for someone like me!”
“Se La—”
“Are you an idiot? I’m just an orphan… I can’t give you anything! Doing this gets you nothing at all!”
The emotions she had been suppressing all along burst forth in that moment.
And Iyue, who had seen through this long ago, simply stood quietly to the side, giving the two girls space to express their feelings.
“Se La, I’m not an idiot.”
Lei Ya took a deep Breath, then turned her head squarely to look at her fellow student.
“I’m not trying to get anything from you. I did what I did because I can’t stand by and watch wicked people abuse their power and bully the innocent.”
“As for you… I do want to be friends with you, just like I want to be friends with everyone else at the Training Grounds except that wench. It’s just that you always ignore me, so I got a little stubborn and wanted to take on the challenge.”
“So this has nothing to do with status or Family. Even if my father weren’t Duke Arne, even if you weren’t an orphan but the heir of some Noble, even if it wasn’t you being bullied today but some other classmate… what I did wouldn’t change.”
“——”
Staring at this girl who was always so carefree and overwhelmingly enthusiastic that it annoyed her, Se La froze.
“So there are people like this among other nobles too. So it’s not just Liesel…”
“What did you say?”
Her murmur was soft, not reaching the ears of the other two present.
“I said you really are an idiot who never thinks about the consequences. That wench… Rosalind’s father holds the same position as yours.”
“I’m not an idiot! I thought it through carefully—”
Warm sunlight streamed through the gaps in the leaves… The once quiet and taciturn girl broke into a smile through her tears.
Her smile was so radiant, so sincere… that both her instructor and her fellow student believed she had already found her redemption.
…
…
Back to the present.
Lei Ya, lying in the hospital ward of the Fenglin City Patrol Team headquarters, was unconscious.
On her right chest, Blood was slowly seeping through the bandages wrapped around it.
“Someone! Someone!”
Standing vigil beside her, the head of the Jingfeng Forest Region, Duke Arne, shouted in panic… His voice carried an overwhelming surge of Magic Power, shaking the leaves outside the building into a rustling whisper.
He and his attendants had departed from Jingfeng City five days ago, heading toward Fenglin City.
His original purpose was to attend the annual Audience Ceremony… But since the official decree announcing the ceremony had yet to be issued, he had been traveling at a leisurely pace, slowing his progress.
However, while he was enjoying himself, news of one unexpected incident after another came pouring in… First, the Hero who had been missing for years reappeared, then the Demon Race showed up at the Nelf Family’s social Dance Party.
Finally came word that the Queen was unwell and the Audience Ceremony would likely be postponed—
Just as he was thinking, ‘What a troublesome season this is,’ word arrived that his daughter, serving in the Patrol Team, had been severely wounded and was fighting for her life.
He lost all desire for amusement and rushed to Fenglin City without pause.
“My precious daughter… My Lei Ya… How did you end up like this? No matter how much effort it takes… I will make whoever is behind this pay…!”
Physicians and Mages hurried into the ward to cast their spells and change her dressings… Throughout the process, the father never once let go of his daughter’s hands.