Chapter 39: I Have a Friend

Ding, dang, ding, dang.

The sun.

Morning.

In the early morning, Captain Garrick, wrapped in a thick robe and holding a cup of freshly brewed hot tea, was sitting on the backyard corridor, basking in the sun.

His injuries had mostly healed under the bishop’s holy light treatment. While he still couldn’t engage in strenuous activity, getting out of bed and walking around was no longer a problem.

Hearing a very rhythmic knocking sound coming from the storage room not far away, Garrick felt a bit puzzled.

He initially thought the city blacksmith had sent someone to repair the armor damaged during the recent guard team ambush, so he slowly walked over with his teacup to take a look.

Pfft.

Moon.

He nearly choked.

When he peeked through the doorway, the mouthful of hot tea he’d just sipped almost sprayed right out.

There, in the morning sunlight, Ailiya was wearing her meticulous black-and-white maid uniform, her sleeves slightly rolled up to reveal pale, slender wrists.

In her left hand, she held a heavy blacksmith’s hammer. Her right hand pressed down on a deeply dented piece of half-body iron armor.

There was no heating furnace, no anvil for support.

She simply coated the surface of the hammer with a faint layer of magical glow, then, as if cracking a walnut, she slammed it down onto the hard armor.

Clang!

A crisp, loud sound rang out. The deeply sunken dent miraculously flattened out significantly.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

After several consecutive strikes, not only was the dent perfectly restored, but even the tiny cracks on the armor’s surface caused by the impact were precisely squeezed closed by the magic, becoming as smooth as if newly forged, even gleaming with a metallic sheen.

At the edge of Ailiya’s vision, semi-transparent system prompts continuously scrolled upward.

[Task Complete]

[Judgment: Excellent]

[Life Skill Experience Gained: Blacksmith +30]

[Professional Skill: Handicraft Experience +20]

[Blacksmith LV1 → LV2]

Looking at the finally leveled-up Blacksmith profession, Ailiya put down the blacksmith’s hammer with satisfaction and casually brushed the iron filings from her hands.

After the recent guard team ambush, a large pile of damaged equipment was left behind.

Lady Elsa originally planned to hire someone to repair it.

But Ailiya noticed this equipment had been sitting in the storage room for a while, gathering dust. So, under the pretext of “cleaning the dirt,” she came here.

After all, as long as she could gain experience, it was perfectly reasonable for a maid to occasionally moonlight as a blacksmith and casually hammer out the dents.

“A… Ailiya?”

Garrick stood at the doorway, looking at her as if she were a monster, swallowing hard. “You… you can even do blacksmithing?”

Ailiya turned her head to look at him, her tone flat and without a hint of fluctuation. “Just a superficial understanding. Finished the chores, just passing the time.”

Roar.

‘You hammered the dents in the armor flat with one strike, even closing the cracks, and you call that a superficial understanding?!’ Garrick roared inwardly.

But he didn’t say it out loud.

Everyone has their secrets. Besides, he clearly remembered how, that day in the guest room, this woman had pinned him to the bed with one hand, unable to move.

With that kind of strength, knowing a bit of blacksmithing seemed quite reasonable.

“Repaired… cleaned up.” Ailiya pointed at the pile of refurbished armor on the ground. “Captain Garrick, if you have time, please inform the Madame that the armor has been cleaned. It can be taken to the blacksmith for repairs when convenient.”

“Y-yes… thank you for your hard work!”

Garrick nodded repeatedly, watching as this all-around head maid picked up a wooden basin filled with clean water and left with light steps.

Watching that slender back, Garrick rubbed his head and couldn’t help but sigh.

“These days are getting harder and harder to understand. Can’t even be a proper maid without some blacksmithing skills?”

***

Meanwhile, at the estate’s training ground.

Since Ian left, Leo’s magic practice had hit an awkward bottleneck.

Although he had mostly mastered the basic single-element spells, he recently had a whim to combine water and wind elements to practice a composite magic called “Mist Barrier.”

After a whole day of continuous attempts, each one ended in failure without exception.

“Damn it! Why won’t the water and wind elements fuse together?!”

Leo, panting heavily and covered in sweat, waved his short staff.

Refusing to accept it, he channeled magic power again. “Mist Barrier! Rise!”

Hum—Bang!

The two elements had just made contact in mid-air when an intense repulsion instantly occurred.

The water flow not only failed to form a barrier but was completely torn apart by the wind, transforming into out-of-control water blades that shot wildly in all directions.

“Ouch! Oh no!”

Leo, terrified, quickly covered his head and crouched down.

Swish! Swish! Several crisp sounds rang out.

The uncontrolled water blades directly sliced into the flower bed at the edge of the training ground.

Several roses in full bloom were instantly cut in half, leaving a mess of broken flowers and leaves scattered on the ground.

“Oh no, oh no… I’m dead. Mother is definitely going to make me copy books again…” Leo looked at the mess on the ground, his face instantly turning pale.

“It seems the Young Master’s magic can not only be used for washing vegetables but also has a uniquely insightful application in garden pruning.”

A cold, emotionless voice drifted over from behind him without any warning.

“Wah!”

Leo jumped up like a cat whose tail had been stepped on.

Turning around, he saw Ailiya holding a large watering can, having appeared behind him at some unknown time. She was staring at the severed rose stems and leaves on the ground with a look that could kill.

“Y-you… when did you get here? How do you walk without making any sound?!” Leo, feeling guilty, took two steps back, trying to block the crime scene with his body.

“Right around the time you decided to use your failed magic to launch a devastating strike on the Madame’s flower bed.”

Ailiya walked over to the flower bed expressionlessly, picked up a pair of shears, and skillfully trimmed the broken branches and leaves, trying to salvage the disastrous landscape.

Leo stood to the side, so embarrassed he could curl his toes.

Watching Ailiya’s fluid movements, a thought suddenly crossed his mind.

Although he really didn’t want to admit it, this woman’s mastery of magic control was indeed leagues above his, by who knows how many levels.

Even Ian had praised her highly.

Maybe… ask her?

No!

But… if I don’t ask, who knows how long this magic will stay stuck? And if it goes out of control again and blows up something else, I’ll really be grounded until next month.

Leo struggled internally for a long time, his face turning bright red.

Finally, his thirst for magical knowledge overcame his pitiful pride.

He took a deep breath, put his hands behind his back, and pretended to be casually strolling by, just happening to pass by and say hello, slowly wandering over to the flower bed.

“Ahem.” Leo cleared his throat, looking at the white clouds in the sky, his tone extremely stiff. “So… Ailiya.”

“I have a… distant friend.”

Ailiya continued watering without pause, not even lifting her head.

Leo braced himself and continued fabricating the story of this non-existent friend. “He’s been practicing composite magic lately, but he keeps failing.”

“He wrote to me asking for help analyzing it, but I’ve been busy these past few days, haven’t had time to deal with him.”

Leo stole glances at Ailiya’s reaction from the corner of his eye, dryly describing the symptoms.

“His situation is like this…”

“When constructing the ‘Mist Barrier,’ as soon as the wind element intervenes, the water element immediately loses control and then collapses and explodes.”

“You… read a lot, have seen much of the world. How do you think I should reply to my poor friend?”

The soft sound of water continued.

The watering can in Ailiya’s hand moved steadily, as if she hadn’t even heard Leo’s clumsy, utterly unconvincing excuse that wouldn’t fool a three-year-old.

Just as Leo thought he was being completely ignored and was about to leave, red-faced with embarrassment…

Ailiya’s flat, utterly unfluctuating voice drifted over.

“Give me the book.”

“Huh?” Leo was stunned for a moment but obediently pulled the magic tome from his waist and handed it over. “Here…”

Ailiya set down the watering can and took the book.

Under Leo’s astonished gaze, she held the book in one hand, her thumb flipping through the pages rapidly, rustle rustle rustle, as if fanning the book.

The speed was as if she were just casually skimming.

In less than ten seconds, she closed the book and handed it back.

“You can tell your friend this.”

Ailiya looked at him, her tone laced with undisguised mockery.

“The reason he fails is that his spellcasting logic is exactly like a cat with its eyes covered, frantically chasing and biting its own tail in place.”

Leo’s face instantly flushed bright red, like a boiled crab.

“Y-you… how can you insult… I mean… don’t insult my friend!”

“Alright, the Young Master’s foolish cat friend.” Ailiya smoothly changed her wording, but the damage doubled.

She picked up the watering can again and, while watering the flowers, explained in a cold tone.

“Composite magic isn’t about stuffing two elements into the same circuit all at once.”

“The expansive nature of wind will directly tear apart the basic structure of water. This is called elemental conflict.”

“Tell your friend: don’t output simultaneously. They need to be staggered, with clear primary and secondary roles.”

“First, use the water element to construct the basic skeleton of the barrier. Then, inject the wind element into it like filler, letting the wind spin along the skeleton of the water flow…”

Although her tone was extremely impolite, these words fell on Leo’s ears like a sudden revelation, instantly clearing away all the confusion in his mind.

“Staggered output… construct the skeleton first… delay…”

Leo muttered to himself, his eyes growing brighter and brighter.

He even forgot to refute Ailiya’s insults, immediately turned, and ran back to the center of the training ground, eagerly raising his short staff.

“Water first… then wind… staggered…”

Leo held his breath, focusing his concentration to the extreme.

The magic power within his body was outputted in batches, orderly and methodical, exactly as Ailiya had described.

Hum…

As magic power was infused, a light blue water flow rapidly interwove into a net-like skeleton in mid-air.

Immediately after, a whirlwind blended into the skeleton with extreme precision and gentleness.

With a soft whoosh sound.

A mist barrier, over five meters tall, thick, with water swirling rapidly inside, perfectly manifested before Leo’s eyes!

“I did it! I really did it!! Hahaha!”

Leo jumped up and down on the spot excitedly, his face filled with unconcealed ecstasy.

He turned around excitedly, eager to show off his achievement to Ailiya and salvage a bit of his dignity.

“Hey! Ailiya, did you see that?! This young master…”

However, his voice echoed in the empty training ground.

The spot by the flower bed was completely empty.

Ailiya, at some unknown time, had already taken the emptied watering can and left without a trace, not even a glimpse of her back.

All that remained was a row of lush, vibrant, and neatly trimmed roses, gently swaying in the breeze.

Leo’s hand, holding the short staff, froze in mid-air. His full excitement was mercilessly stifled, feeling as uncomfortable as if he’d thrown a heavy punch into a pile of cotton.

“This woman… does she even know what it means to show support?! Couldn’t she at least look?…”

But when he turned his head to look at the still-stably-operating mist barrier, the corner of his mouth couldn’t help but curl up into a smug arc.

It looked like a silly grin.

***

At the same time.

By the floor-to-ceiling window on the third floor of the main building.

Lady Elsa stood quietly behind the curtain, silently watching everything happening in the training ground below.

She watched Leo’s journey from initial struggle, to swallowing his pride and actively approaching, to the wild joy after successfully casting the spell.

And Ailiya’s seemingly cold but precisely targeted guidance.

A gentle smile appeared on Lady Elsa’s face.

She picked up the cup of black tea in her hand and took a small sip.

Lady Elsa looked in the direction Ailiya had left the path and murmured softly.

“Hiring this head maid was truly the most worthwhile transaction I’ve made in recent years.”

Not only could she manage the estate in perfect order, knew many things, possessed some combat ability, but she could also guide Leo in magic.

Most crucially, she could handle Leo’s impulsive nature.

“So young… when you think about it, she’s not much older than Leo…”

“The problem is… what method can I use to make her stay?”

Lady Elsa set down her teacup, a flicker of contemplation in her eyes.

“This child, although she appears very cold and indifferent to everything, actually has a warm heart.”

“It’s just… the things she seems to care about are very few.”