On the ground, Liana and Gloria charged forward, moving in perfect sync, their blades and hamr dancing across the battlefield.
Liana weaved between opponents, her dual blades flashing as she slashed, parried, and twisted. Her movents flowed like the wind through the trees.
Gloria was pure power—each swing of her warhamr crushed armor, shattered bones, and sent shockwaves rippling through the underbrush. A line of assassins fell like dominoes as she spun and swept the massive weapon horizontally.
They fought with incredible synergy, aided by their celestial spirits, their movents smooth and empowered.
But as Javier landed again on a tree branch, casually reloading with one hand while watching them from above—
He sighed.
"Hmm…"
Leaning forward slightly, he said, "You both still lack sothing."
Liana paused, panting softly as she kicked an assassin back with a sharp twist of her heel. Gloria, breathing steadily, rested her warhamr on her shoulder.
"Huh?"
"What do you an, Young Master?" they both asked in unison.
Javier's grin widened as he observed them from his perch.
"You're not quite at Errinette's level yet."
Both won stiffened.
Liana's brow twitched. Gloria blinked, then narrowed her eyes.
"Oh really," Liana muttered.
Gloria inhaled slowly. "I see… so that's the benchmark now."
"Yep~. I an—if you two ever want to protect like she protects Father, you need at least half her pressure." Javier shrugged.
There was a brief silence.
Then Gloria's eyes glowed brighter.
Liana lowered into a sharper stance.
A quiet crackle of mana surged around both of them.
"Ari. Aria. Let's go again."
"Y-Yes!"
"With pleasure~!"
Javier laughed softly, spinning his guns once.
"That's the spirit."
As the final screams of the enemy faded into the trees and the air grew still once more, Javier remained perched atop a high tree branch. The glow from his mana glasses dimd slightly as the battle ca to an end.
Below, Liana and Gloria moved with renewed determination, slicing through the last of the scattered assassins with precise, elegant motions.
They were powerful.
Graceful.
Coordinated.
And yet...
Javier's smirk faded slightly, his expression turning distant as a breeze rustled the branches around him.
A quiet thought surfaced in his mind.
"Even with their current strength… even with Celestials inside them… they're still not on Errinette's level."
It wasn't a complaint.
It was a realization.
Liana and Gloria had been trained personally by Errinette herself. They had been pushed, drilled, and tempered by one of the strongest elites in the kingdom. They had celestial spirits dwelling within them.
But even now, their speed, pressure, and technique still fell short of the head battle maid.
Why?
Javier rested one elbow on his knee, tapping the side of his glasses thoughtfully.
"Is it a matter of experience? Or sothing deeper?"
He sighed quietly.
"Maybe it's talent."
He hated thinking that way. But sotis, talent did impose a limit—unless one shattered it.
"What's their actual class, anyway?" he wondered.
"And what's Errinette's?"
He knew his maids were strong and still growing stronger. But he didn't need them to protect him.
He needed them to survive.
To stand alone when he wasn't there.
To win battles without him.
Because if they couldn't even match Errinette, then what about Alf?
Alf… who was still stronger than Errinette and Hesbeirn combined.
And yet... Father had fought both Alf and Hesbeirn once—with a wooden sword—and won.
Javier's grip on his knee tightened slightly.
"If even Alf wasn't enough to make Father break a sweat…"
"Then maybe I'm the one who's lacking."
That thought ca and went like a gust of wind. He didn't say it out loud. He didn't need to.
He simply adjusted his glasses, watching the won below finish off the last enemies with grace and strength.
And quietly began to think about how to make them even stronger.
Not just with Celestial power.
Not just with weapons or training.
But sothing that could truly elevate them beyond that limit.
The forest was eerily still. The sounds of battle had faded, replaced by the occasional crackle of burning brush and the soft rustle of the wind over countless fallen bodies.
The assassins had been annihilated.
Javier stood at the center of the clearing, dual mana guns resting loosely in his hands, his coat fluttering gently. He glanced around.
So many corpses. So still cloaked in shadow magic, others reverting to their true forms—a mix of armor, insignias, and markings, subtle signs of their origins beginning to show.
Just then—
A quiet rustle in the underbrush.
Figures erged from the shadows. Silent and disciplined, their movents were efficient and coordinated. Beastkin and humans alike, dressed in dark combat gear, masks covering their faces. No sound, no wasted motion.
Javier didn't flinch. He simply turned slightly to watch them approach.
The lead figure stepped forward and offered a respectful bow.
"Young Master."
"Mr. Alf instructed us to investigate the battlefield," the voice was calm and professional. "We're to identify each corpse, search for emblems, tattoos, magical brands—anything that could link them to noble houses. Our orders are to confirm who sent them."
Javier nodded slowly, his tone relaxed.
"Hmm. That does sound like sothing Father ordered through Alf."
He holstered his mana guns and scanned the team behind the man: efficient, silent, deadly. Definitely Alf's style.
"Proceed. I won't get in your way."
Behind him, Liana shifted, still gripping her dual blades tightly. Gloria tightened her grip on her warhamr, her eyes cautious.
Javier noticed imdiately.
"Liana. Gloria. Calm down."
"But Young Master—" Liana began.
"They're ard, cloaked, and just appeared from the woods—" Gloria added.
"I know," Javier said calmly.
He motioned toward the lead figure.
"You haven't seen them before, but I have. This guy—" Javier pointed casually, "is always the one who reports directly to Mr. Alf."
"You're the commander of this squad, right?"
The man straightened. "Yes, Young Master. I am. This is the Elite Investigation Unit under Mr. Alf's direct command."
Javier gave a faint smirk. "Then I'll leave it to you. Check everything. Find out which noble house was arrogant enough to send assassins this deep into Armand's land."
The man bowed. "Understood. We will deliver a full report within the next few hours."
The unit split without another word, beginning their work like shadows lting into the ground—silent, ruthless, and efficient.
( End of Chapter )
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