I stood up, my body trembling slightly, but my eyes burned with a new determination. I could feel the steady beat of my heart in my chest—calm, controlled. I focused myself completely, blocking out the fear, the confusion, and the fact that I was still wearing maid clothes. Across from , Lucy smiled, her expression laced with amusent and just the slightest hint of challenge.
"You're a prodigy, aren't you?" she teased, her voice silk-smooth, laced with mocking playfulness. "Then try to copy what I just did."
With that, she raised her wooden staff, and spells ca flying toward —low-level fireballs, gusts of wind sharp enough to sting. I could barely react in ti. One fireball grazed , tearing through the thin fabric of my clothes. I winced, but didn't cry out. My body tensed, and my eyes turned cold—serious.
I exhaled deeply, rembering how she'd ford the spells. I could still feel the burning on my skin from her earlier fireball, but I pushed the pain aside. Instead, I focused on how it felt—the pressure of the mana, the shape of the heat, the will that directed it.
She continued her barrage, testing . Her expression was almost bored, like a cat toying with a mouse. But with each blast, I began to sense sothing. Sothing small. A flicker. Like touching the edge of a dream.
Then, with a deep breath, I reached into myself.
I felt my mana core stir.
It was faint—fragile like the first breath of wind before a storm. I focused harder, imagining fire, imagining heat. But instead of casting it outward, the spell combusted in my face.
"Ah—!"
The fireball exploded against , sending stumbling backward. It didn't hurt too much—she had held back—but it was still enough to sting. I blinked through the smoke, coughing slightly, and looked up to find her chuckling, amused by the soot now covering my face.
"You poor thing," she said with a soft laugh. "You'll live. I can always heal you."
But before she could speak again, a small fireball shot from my Staff. It caught her off guard and grazed her cheek.
Ther training ground fell silent.
A mark blood across her perfect skin—a small scratch, nothing serious, but enough to leave a blemish.
Her eyes widened slightly.
I hadn't even realized I'd done it.
She touched her cheek, her fingers brushing over the burn. It was hot—not normal. Far hotter than a typical novice spell. Her expression shifted. First to surprise, then to sothing unreadable.
"My makeup," she said coldly, voice low and sharp like ice breaking on a lake. "You ruined it."
A chill ran through . My stomach dropped.
She's might kill .
My instincts scread at to run—but where? I couldn't escape her. I gritted my teeth, trying to form a defense. She was going to retaliate, I knew it.
Think! I told myself. How do I block it?
My eyes flicked to the ground. I rembered how earth moved when she channeled mana through it, how her control shaped the elents like clay. I reached down, pressing my hand to the floor, summoning every bit of mana I had left.
A faint glow sparked beneath my palm.
I imagined a wall—solid, sturdy, tall. A barrier between her and .
Just as she cast her next spell.
The fireball she summoned this ti was different—stronger. It wasn't just a lesson anymore. It was a test of limits. Strong enough to hurt a 1-star mage... if I failed to defend myself.
A wall rose shakily in front of , ford from raw earth and desperation.
The fireball struck.
The wall shattered under the blast, the debris exploding outward. I turned, trying to dodge, but the weakened fire still caught on the shoulder. It singed my skin, but I could bear it.
I collapsed, panting, my body aching and my mana nearly depleted.
From the dust and fading magic, I saw her silhouette approach.
Her cheek was already healed—her beauty restored.
She knelt beside , her expression unreadable. Then she smiled, brushing her fingers through my hair with a gentleness that caught off guard.
"You really are full of surprises," she murmured. "My fifteen thousand gold was truly worth it."
Her hand lingered in my hair as she stood, then gestured for to follow. I struggled up, wobbling slightly. The torn maid uniform she'd forced into was mostly burned now, barely clinging to my fra.
Without a word, she took out a slim book—engraved in silver and bound in dark leather.
"This," she said, handing it to , "contains beginner spell formations. Wind, ice, barriers... and a few defensive enchantnts you can embed into your skin. They'll protect you in real battles, especially if you end up in dangerous training."
I took it with wide eyes, already feeling the weight of its knowledge. I followed her, clutching the book to my chest. The hallway was quiet, but as we passed, I could still hear the whispers.
The servants watched again—so with pity, others with awe.
I ignored them. I had no room left for pride.
Eventually, we arrived at the Grand Spring. A place I was already familiar with—and not by choice.
She stopped, looked at my scorched uniform, and sighed dramatically. "Well, you can't stay like that."
With practiced ease, she stripped .
My face burned in embarrassnt. I tried to cover myself, but she pushed my hands away with a smirk.
"You've already gotten used to this, haven't you?" she teased.
I sighed helplessly, sinking into the warm water as she began to bathe again.
Her hands were soft, too soft. She washed slowly, carefully, tracing the burns on my shoulders with gentle fingertips. Her gaze never wavered, and her cheeks were flushed, though she said nothing about it.
I tried to avoid looking at her, but it was impossible. The way she stared at —it wasn't just curiosity. It was sothing deeper, sothing warr. Possessive.
Her hand lingered just a mont too long on my chest. She bit her lip, her expression tense, almost as if she were holding sothing back.
She continued to wash in silence, but her face remained flushed, and her hands... they trembled, just a little.
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