“Liyakade.”
After finishing her morning classes, Liyakade returned to her dormitory. Just as she was about to lie down for a short nap, the door to her room was suddenly and roughly pushed open.
It was Irina Zi. Judging by her hostile aura, she was probably here to make Liyakade do some unsavory task once again.
“Mistress? May I ask what you need?”
Liyakade’s expression remained completely unchanged as she respectfully inquired about Irina Zi’s purpose.
Doesn’t this damn woman ever let me rest for a moment?
Although she cursed Irina Zi a hundred times in her mind, she still played along on the surface.
After all, Irina Zi controlled everything about her right now. A true man knows when to yield and when to stand firm—there would be plenty of opportunities for revenge later.
“Why is your face healed so quickly?” Irina Zi asked suspiciously upon seeing Liyakade.
“Ah, it wasn’t a serious injury from Mistress’s blow. I applied some ointment yesterday, so the swelling went down fast,” Liyakade casually fabricated a reason.
“…Forget it. You’re just a tool anyway, so it doesn’t matter,” Irina Zi dismissed the topic.
After all, as she said, Liyakade was nothing more than a tool to her. Whether the tool got rusty or not was irrelevant, and if the rust was wiped off, that was fine too—as long as it could still be used.
Then, Irina Zi stated the real purpose of her visit.
“This afternoon is the first Magic Combat Course of the semester, you know that, right?”
Irina Zi looked down on Liyakade with a condescending gaze.
“It’s normal for students to get a few injuries during combat. Volunteer to team up with that woman. Breaking a few bones isn’t a problem, understood?”
“Uh, but what if she doesn’t want to team up with me?”
Liyakade reasoned carefully.
“I just bullied her yesterday. If I suddenly ask to be her partner this afternoon, she surely won’t agree, right?”
“Hm?”
Irina Zi’s eyes suddenly turned dangerous. She locked her fierce gaze onto Liyakade.
“When did you dare disobey my orders?”
Hiss… Bwah!
Irina Zi took a step closer. A jade hand reached out toward Liyakade’s swan-like neck. She gently gripped the back of Liyakade’s neck, pressing her forehead tightly against hers, staring her down with unyielding intensity.
“This is the first time,” Liyakade swallowed quietly, barely suppressing the urge to avert her gaze. But looking away now would only reveal her guilt.
“You weren’t like this before,” Irina Zi’s cold breath brushed past Liyakade’s throat like a snake flicking its tongue, seeking the moment to strike down its prey.
“And yesterday, I had to remind you—what’s going on, Miss Liyakade?”
“I wouldn’t dare. I was merely offering reasonable suggestions for Mistress’s actions.”
This woman is terrifying! Poker face! Must keep a poker face!!!
Liyakade’s heart was pounding with fear. She hadn’t expected Irina Zi to grow suspicious after only a few words.
She absolutely could not let a single crack show on her expression!
“Is that so?”
Irina Zi smiled lightly and loosened her delicate grip. Her tone softened, seeming understanding.
“Looks like I was overthinking. If you don’t want to, I won’t force you. Just don’t go in the future…”
“I will! How could I not fulfill my Mistress’s wishes?”
Seeing the knife hidden behind Irina Zi’s smile, Liyakade hastily pledged her loyalty.
“Oh my, I didn’t expect you to care so much about me,” Irina Zi smiled faintly, but the corners of her mouth slowly sank again, and her gentle tone suddenly turned icy cold.
“Then you better make sure that woman is bedridden for a few days.”
The unchanging tone carried an undeniable oppressive force.
“Yes, Mistress…” Liyakade had no room to protest and could only agree decisively.
“Good, good,” Irina Zi’s voice became gentle once more, like a spring breeze—yet it sounded chillingly sharp to Liyakade’s ears.
“That’s my obedient child. With your strength, it should be easy. Do well.”
“Yes…”
With that, Irina Zi finally left.
“······”
“I interpret your dream! You ruined my well-deserved nap!”
Liyakade clenched her small pink fists. If it weren’t for the Slave Contract binding her, she would have exploded at Irina Zi long ago.
“Sigh···”
Just thinking about the Magic Combat Course this afternoon gave Liyakade a headache. She really didn’t want to continue bullying Alice. What was she supposed to do…
Time passed quickly. Unable to fall asleep due to the incident, Liyakade headed to the Academy’s athletic field early.
“Students, this afternoon will be the Magic Combat Course. Please form pairs yourselves. Two per team for sparring. Be careful to hold back and not injure your classmates.”
After the Mage Teacher finished speaking, the students began looking for partners.
Because of her hair color, Liyakade wasn’t well-liked, so no one volunteered to team up with her.
“Uh… Alice, can I team up with you?”
Liyakade approached Alice, hesitantly asking.
“Eh? Of course! As long as you don’t mind,” Alice replied with a slight surprise, then readily accepted the invitation.
Seeing Alice’s innocent smile, Liyakade felt even more reluctant to hurt her. A pang of guilt grew in her heart.
“By the way, what element is your magic, Liyakade?”
“Wind Element.”
Liyakade recalled a similar scene in the game. According to the setting, her Magic Power reserves were several times greater than ordinary people’s, and her talent for magic was extremely high. Perhaps this was a foreshadowing of her becoming the new Demon King in the True Ending.
In the game’s storyline, during the Magic Combat Course, Liyakade used several Wind Blades to scratch Alice. The Mage Teacher noticed and scolded her severely, but Liyakade just shrugged it off with excuses like “accidental,” “lost control,” and “Alice was too weak.”
Because of her injury, Alice was sent to the Medical Room by Field Princess, who then started to take notice of Liyakade. From then on, the Field Princess kept gathering evidence of Liyakade’s misdeeds.
Unexpectedly, when the situation finally exploded, Irina Zi swiftly cut Liyakade down in front of everyone. Yet Irina Zi always acted very friendly publicly, so even if the Field Princess suspected something, she had no proof.
As for the Wind Blade, Liyakade had no intention of using it on Alice. Instead, she simply blew a light breeze in her direction—refreshing in the hot summer weather.