Chapter 104

After Ethan and Caraham’s duel ended, the remaining four duels passed by so quickly that they could be considered almost instantaneous.

It was so fast that it took less than a minute for them to win each match. Given the overwhelming difference in skill between the two of them and the rest of the applicants, this was only natural.

There was probably some reason why the other applicants felt pressured even before starting their duels after seeing Ethan and Caraham’s match.

As a result, because the other duels ended as quickly as the duel between the two had been prolonged, the overall exam time wasn’t significantly delayed. [GalaxyTL/Axiomatic]

…Actually, if he hadn’t faced Caraham here, it probably would have ended much faster.

I don’t understand why this guy, who’s supposed to be from a Margrave family, is coming to take the entrance exam at such an early hour instead of leisurely riding a carriage.

Well, I suppose I’m in no position to talk, serving a young master from a Ducal family who walked from the lodgings to the academy.

After the Swordsmanship Department Entrance Exam, consisting of six duels, ended, Caraham and Ethan began to have a rather serious conversation outside the dueling arena.

“AHAHAHA, I really thought I was going to die. Your skill with two swords is truly formidable, Young Master Ethan.”

“…Your sword was quite difficult to parry as well. I’m amazed at how you can swing such a heavy sword at that speed.”

“HAHAHA, as you said, Young Master Ethan, it’s because I’m full of muscle even in my head that I can swing it like that!”

“…I apologize for what I said earlier. It seems we’ll be seeing each other often at the academy from now on.”

“Huh? Young Master Ethan, did you say something that warranted an apology to me? I don’t remember, but I accept the apology, HAHAHA!!”

“……”

Ethan was surprised and bewildered by Caraham’s incomprehensible character.

Then, as if seeking agreement, he sent me a look and carefully evaluated him.

“I’ve just realized this, Maid, but do you also think that Young Master Caraham…”

“…He seems to lack the ability to read people’s hearts, and his refinement seems a bit lacking for the son of a margrave, but he doesn’t seem to be a bad person. I suppose he said you looked young simply because he didn’t know the circumstances.”

“…I see, so that’s how it is.”

“Thanks to that, he probably didn’t take your insult as an insult either.”

Caraham, in the original game, was somewhat more serious than he is now, unlike the current Caraham, who seems to have no worries about the world at all.

If things had gone as originally planned, his personality should have changed a bit after Lizzy’s death, but it seems to have continued unchanged.

The title of ‘Tactless Caraham’ will probably soon change to ‘Extremely Tactless Caraham’ in the near future.

“It seemed like you two were talking earlier without me, Young Master Ethan. You must have a good relationship with your exclusive maid!”

“…Well, that’s right. Come to think of it, Caraham, are you not the type to have an exclusive maid?”

“I’m not sure why, but for some reason, my exclusive maids change frequently! It’s tiring to introduce myself to a new maid every time, so I’ve stopped having maids altogether since about two years ago!”

“……”

“But it’s fine! When I need to go out like today, my sister always takes care of things for me!”

Ethan, with an expression that suggested he understood why Caraham’s exclusive maids changed frequently, responded with silence. [GalaxyTL/Axiomatic]

I, too, privately mourned for Lizzy, who had been struggling outside the game’s story.

Meanwhile, Caraham, who had been laughing with a shameless voice, shifted his gaze towards me, slightly furrowed his brow, and leaned his head towards me.

“But, you know… I really feel like I’ve seen this maid somewhere before. I couldn’t recognize her immediately in the dark corridor earlier, but…”

“…Is that so?”

“…When I met Young Master Ethan at the Imperial Palace last time, I don’t remember seeing a maid like this. If it was a maid with such a striking appearance, I wouldn’t have forgotten…”

“…Perhaps you’re mistaking me for someone else.”

“Is that so? But seeing how you’re sticking close to Young Master Ethan’s side, I feel like I might remember something…”

“…Come to think of it, Caraham, didn’t you say earlier that your sister was following in a carriage?”

“Ah, that’s right! I told my sister I’d return after taking the exam, I almost forgot!”

“Then you should hurry back.”

Thanks to Ethan’s quick thinking, Caraham, who had almost remembered me from the masquerade ball, seemed to come to his senses and sheathed his sword.

With the huge sword as big as himself slung on his back, he bid farewell to Ethan.

“It was truly enjoyable to match swordsmanship with you today, Young Master Ethan! I look forward to seeing you at the academy in the future!”

“Yes, you too…”

“My sister is waiting, so I’ll take my leave now!”

Stomp! Stomp! Stomp! Stomp!@@novelbin@@

“……”

The young master of the August family, who had shown nothing but rudeness and shamelessness to Ethan until the very end, disappeared like the wind.

All that remained was Ethan’s right hand, lonely in the air, having lost the person to shake hands with.

…Well, I guess I’ll have to hold it instead.

Clasp.

“Well done, young master.”

“Maid…?”

“Even from my perspective, it was truly impressive swordsmanship. I’m not sure if I should say this, but you looked even more impressive exchanging swords with Young Master Caraham than when you duel with the master.”

“…Really?”

“Yes. Of course, there’s a difference between training with wooden swords and dueling with real swords, but at least from the perspective of a mere maid, that’s how it felt.”

…Actually seeing it made me feel like I had really entered the world of “Luminor Academy”.

Is the combat level of Ethan and Caraham for real? It’s truly awe-inspiring.

At this level, he could genuinely compete on equal terms with the protagonist. Of course, that’s assuming the protagonist’s skill is at a ‘normal’ player’s level. [GalaxyTL/Axiomatic]

Since there’s still very little information about the protagonist, an investigation into the protagonist’s tendencies would only be possible after Part 2 of the main story begins.

I just hoped that clichés like a world without a protagonist wouldn’t happen.

“Th-then, Maid…”

“Yes?”

“If you really thought the duel I just had looked impressive, could you grant me one request?”

“A request?”

“…Yes. Like when I win duels against Father at the mansion.”

“Like when you duel with the master at the mansion…”

When Ethan mentioned that part specifically and said he wanted to make a request, I naturally recalled what had happened the night before last.

Feeling a sense of crisis, I hurriedly hugged my chest and took a step back.

“Ah, no! Unless it’s on the condition of winning against the master in a duel, I can’t offer my chest for this duel! I-I won’t deny that Young Master Caraham was a formidable opponent, but…”

“Th-that’s not it, Maid! I wasn’t trying to make any strange requests!”

“…Is that so?”

“…If you listen and think it’s strange, you can refuse on the spot. I promise I won’t make weird requests like asking to t-t-touch those at the inn.”

“……”

I briefly thought that if he had defeated someone like Caraham, maybe he deserved to touch my chest, but I quickly shook off the dangerous thought that had momentarily crossed my mind.

If I carelessly lowered my guard in this area and allowed things one by one, there was a possibility that the line of demands would gradually become more severe later on. [GalaxyTL/Axiomatic]

Offering my chest as a reward every time he defeated an opponent like this was essentially the same as declaring that he could touch my chest regularly throughout his time at the academy.

There was no need to create a new pretext when the regular duels with Harold were coming to an end.

…Still, since Ethan had said with his own mouth that it wasn’t that kind of request, it was worth listening to.

He also said I could refuse after hearing if it was a strange request.

“Since you say it’s not a strange request, I’ll listen and decide after, Young Master Ethan.”

“…Do you remember when I said we could walk around the island together in the afternoon if the entrance exam ended early today?”

“Yes, I remember.”

“We’re a bit late because we met Young Master Caraham, but it’s still before lunch. I think we have enough time to look around the island; what do you think?”

“Yes. I think we should have a few hours to spare as well.”

“Th-then!”

It was a moment when even I felt a bit tense, seeing Ethan’s expression full of tension and even stumbling over his words as he made his request.

But when I heard what his request actually was, I felt a bit let down.

“Can we hold hands while we walk around the island together today?”

“…Hold hands? You and me, Young Master Ethan?”

“Yes…”

“Are you perhaps using an idiomatic expression…”

“…Please understand it literally.”

…What kind of request is it to suddenly ask to hold hands while sightseeing?

Still, I suppose it’s much better than asking to touch my chest, right…?

Although the proposal to walk around holding hands wasn’t particularly welcome, there wasn’t really any reason to refuse either.

“Alright, young master. If that’s the extent of your request, I’d be happy to oblige.”

“…Really, Maid?”

“Yes. If your request is merely to walk around holding hands with me, I can certainly accommodate that much.”

Even if he hadn’t defeated Caraham, I probably wouldn’t have refused anyway.

It’s not like I’m a celebrity or something; what’s the big deal about walking around holding hands?

It would be strange to be overly sensitive about holding hands when I’ve already offered my chest.

To begin with, asking for permission to merely hold hands with me, his exclusive maid, was excessively polite. That level of request was something he could easily order using his authority over his exclusive maid. [GalaxyTL/Axiomatic]

If it were really two men holding hands and walking around, it would honestly be a bit embarrassing, but I was Lilith on the outside, anyway.

It meant that as long as I acted confidently, there was no reason for it to look strange, so I simply took Ethan’s hand without hesitation and started walking.

Grasp.

“Then, shall we go, young master?”

“Ah, y-yes…! Ah, is there anywhere you’d like to go, Maid?”

“I’ve heard there are many good restaurants for lunch in the western part of the Island of Knowledge. Since your entrance exam is over, how about we satisfy your hunger first?”

“Y-yes. That sounds good…”

Except for times when we had to let go of our hands for meals and such, we toured around the Island of Knowledge holding hands until evening.

Despite it still being winter, my face felt strangely hot.