Chapter 4: Confrontation with Yulia

Just as I had triumphantly defeated Lena, my mind filled with thoughts of the grand meal ahead, I was suddenly blown away by a strange wind magic and crashed hard against a wooden post behind me.

There stood a little girl, slightly taller than me, brandishing a sword and pointing it at me with an air of arrogance.

Ah, that hurt a lot! While it wasn’t on the level of being clubbed by a giant bear, is it really okay for you, you golden-haired brat, to casually use such dangerous magic on others? If an ordinary little girl took that hit, she might be bedridden for a week!

But when someone challenges you, you can’t just ignore it. An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth—it’s one of my creed principles. Let me teach you, you strange little brat, what it means to respect your elders and cherish the young!

I picked up my wooden sword and charged at the arrogant golden-haired girl, launching a relentless series of eight strikes designed specifically for beating rabbits’ mothers. Due to her extravagant, somewhat over-the-top dress, my opponent was hindered, failing to dodge my attack, and clumsily tried to block my strikes with her wooden sword.

Finally, during my seventh blow, her defense weakened, and I seized the opportunity to smack her twice with my wooden sword. Then, leaning to the side, I aimed a decisive kick at her stomach, channeling the momentum as if I could kick her into the sky.

But this golden-haired brat seemed to be a bit more adept than a mere rabbit. While airborne, she chanted something, presumably using that same strange magic from before, adjusting her balance with the power of the wind and landed gracefully on the ground.

“Tsk, not bad, that strange spell you used.”

This was the first time I had seen a human use magic; it really requires chant incantations—the very essence of being so middle school-like. But even though it was my first time, I felt I could slightly grasp the principle of her magic. It was different from how I used stones to start a fire; it felt like she was manipulating her magic more delicately.

How can I put it? Using the knowledge I had learned before, it’s like the difference between programming languages.

“Quite impressive, Red Eye Rabbit, your fighting skills are as brutish and uncouth as a beast.” The golden-haired young lady said elegantly while waving her wooden sword in a dainty manner.

“Your magic was rather interesting. Why not transform twice more for me, you magician?”

Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Reim preparing to intervene and put an end to this ruckus. Since I had just fought back, things seemed even now, and I had no intention of continuing the brawl. However, I couldn’t lose my momentum; I had to throw back some taunts for now.

But Reim’s attempts to mediate were interrupted by a woman dressed in what looked like a cosplay maid outfit.

The maid sported a white headpiece, and her brown-black hair was tied into twin ponytails with a purple bow. She wore an exaggeratedly corseted Gothic maid outfit, cinched at her tiny waist with a decorative apron. The chest area of her maid outfit flaunted a daring design too revealing for this world, although the outfit dutifully covered her breasts, which were of a modest yet captivating size, with a scarf-like garment draped around her neck, concealing most of her exposed skin. Yet for some inexplicable reason, there was still an alluring undertone to her appearance.

As for the skirt part of her maid outfit, it seemed shortened for movement, almost turning into a mini-skirt design, while she wore long white stockings that tightly hugged her thighs. She also had light, airy white gloves on her hands. Honestly, her attire was even more extravagant than that of the golden-haired girl over there.

–Illustration 3

It seemed that while I was fending off the golden-haired brat with my wooden sword, the maid had quietly picked up Lena, who had fallen to the ground, and brought her over to Reim. Cheerfully greeting him she said, “Long time no see, Reim-senpai! This must be little Lena, the one you often mention at the academy!”

While gently setting Lena down, the maid smiled at her old classmate.

“Aren’t you that noble young lady, Eleanor, from the lower grade?” Reim asked the maid, looking as if he were mistaking her for someone else.

“Ah, so Reim-senpai remembers me!”

“But didn’t you set up an engagement to the newly crowned kingdom’s strongest and drop out midway?”

The maid’s face turned stern as if recalling unpleasant memories, “There was a rather nasty breach of contract, so I have no affiliation with that guy anymore. Now, my position is as Yulia-sama’s maid!”

“Oh, I see.” Reim awkwardly laughed, “Speaking of which, we really need to intervene between those two. If this continues, your young lady is going to be harmed by Alice.”

But maid Eleanor countered, “No, in my judgment, having an appropriate peer as a sparring partner is crucial for Yulia-sama’s growth.”

“And besides, it should be your silver-haired girl who gets hurt, shouldn’t it?” Maid Eleanor added.

“Wow, it’s been years since we last met, and not only are you still wearing that same extravagant outfit, but your attitude is still just as arrogant! Since you’re so confident, shall we bet on something?”

“Oh Reim-senpai, it’s been so long, you’re still so humorous. Let’s play a little bet, then.” Eleanor replied, pulling out a ring from her pocket, “This is a magic tool I commissioned not too long ago. It has three magic circuits engraved in it, so it should be worth something. How about we bet with this?”

“Now, that’s some serious confidence! I’ll wager these Fire Bear Crystals!” For some mysterious reason, Reim decided to bet my hunting gains and cheered me on enthusiastically, “Alice, give her the beating of her life!”

Not that I needed to be told, considering I had all my belongings staked on this bet. If I lost, I wouldn’t even be able to afford a spare pair of underwear! I sighed at Reim and turned my focus back to aim my wooden sword.

“Geez, I intended to wrap this up quickly. How did it end up like this?” I grumbled silently, pointing my sword at the chanting Yulia, preparing to cast her magic.