Chapter 57: Struck by Lightning
Isabella’s words rippled through Ailiya’s heart like a stone tossed into a still lake.
Why would someone like Liliane—noble, powerful—choose a nobody like Ailiya, with no status or skill, as her personal maid?
The question had crossed Ailiya’s mind before, vaguely. But her modern, overworked “slacker” mentality brushed it aside. Why overthink? She was bound by a million-gold-coin debt. Better to accept her fate, do the bare minimum, stay out of trouble, and live quietly.
That’s what she’d always thought.
But now… she’d underestimated the weight of being “Lady Liliane’s maid.”
Isabella’s fervent, conflicted gaze lingered in Ailiya’s mind. She muttered, “Just how great is Lady Liliane?”
“Oh—! You’re finally getting it!” Aurora’s excited voice burst in, her eyes gleaming like she’d discovered a new world. “Want to know how amazing Lady Liliane is? Let me break it down! My research has nine chapters, twenty-four sections! Let’s start with Section One: The Functional Relationship Between Lady Liliane’s Silky Hair and Moonlight—”
“Are you in some crazy cult?!” Ailiya snapped, kicking Aurora’s waist. Aurora yelped, rolling down the slope like a ball.
Ugh, she turns into a pushy salesperson when it’s about Liliane. Ailiya dusted her hands, refocusing. Back to practicing magic. If I can nail Earthen Grasp today, that homework’s done.
She stretched, ready to hunt another tricorn, when a red glint caught her eye. Turning, she saw a snow-white rabbit near the great tree, its head adorned with a single, ruby-like horn, nibbling cutely.
A monster? Haven’t seen that one before! Ailiya’s eyes sparkled. Perfect for magic practice!
She raised her wand, recalling the incantation, channeling mana to its tip. “Manus Terrae!” (Earthen Hand)
A yellowish glow flared—success was near! But the rabbit’s head snapped up, unleashing a piercing screech. Its red horn blazed, summoning a complex magic circle.
Wait… that’s a fourth-rank spell?!
The rabbit leaped, its circle erupting with violent lightning, spearing toward Ailiya like divine judgment.
Her vision drowned in red-white light.
“Vitis Salutis!” (Vine of Salvation) A shout rang from below.
Aurora, just kicked down the slope, was back, wand raised. A green vine shot from its tip, wrapping Ailiya’s waist and yanking her back.
Ailiya tumbled down the hill as lightning struck the ancient tree, blasting a ten-meter hole. The massive trunk groaned and collapsed, kicking up a dust storm.
“Cough… cough…” Ailiya stopped rolling, aching all over, covered in dirt.
Adventurers, startled by the explosion, gawked. As the dust cleared, the tiny rabbit stood atop the slope, nose twitching.
“What… is that?” one whispered.
“That red horn…” An older adventurer paled, voice trembling. “It’s Calamitas Rubicorne! A red-named beast!”
“Red-named?!”
“Run!!”
Panic erupted. Fear spread like plague, adventurers scrambling toward the dungeon exit.
A fourth-rank-casting red-named beast? Even the fiftieth floor doesn’t have monsters this insane! Staying meant death.
The rabbit, enraged by the chaos, charged its horn again, firing indiscriminate lightning at the fleeing crowd.
“Aura Protectora!” (Guardian Aura) Aurora reacted swiftly, raising a translucent shield behind the crowd, barely blocking the devastating strike.
But the rabbit tilted its head, and with another flash, her shield shattered.
Its ruby eyes scanned the crowd, locking onto Aurora. Baring sharp, un-cute fangs, it became a white blur, charging her.
“Gladius Ventorum!” (Wind Blade) Aurora, unfazed, prepared her best fourth-rank spell.
But the rabbit spun midair, vanishing in a blink.
When Aurora realized, a chilling mana surge was already before her. The beast’s red horn, brimming with destructive power, was inches from her nose.
Spatial magic?!
The rabbit screeched, lightning coalescing at its horn—point-blank, unavoidable.
At the last second, a petite figure tackled Aurora, knocking her aside.
Boom!
The blast’s shockwave sent Ailiya and Aurora rolling across the ground, but they survived.
Shockingly, Ailiya, frail-looking, sprang up instantly. Hoisting a dazed Aurora over her shoulder, she sprinted toward the exit.
That rabbit’s cheating! Way too strong! Ailiya screamed internally. Lady Liliane, save us!!