Habermesiah is envious
I was brought here by Princess Razelia to the royal retreat and training grounds, the Forest of Seals.
There are rumors about a sealed evil dragon, but it's a forest where powerful magical beasts roam in the untouched wilderness.
Honestly, I never intended to come to such a remote and dangerous place. But I can’t defy Princess Razelia’s request and... my husband’s orders.
Yes, I am no longer the illustrious court magician I once was.
My position as a court magician still barely remains. Although the Emperor did not strip me of the title after my defeat that day, the impression people have of me has surely changed drastically.
Now, I am... merely a slave.
Habermesia Saritribe is just a slave to Vanitas Lindblum.
Unfair.
Even though a battle is about to begin, my mind was caught up with one thought.
It’s not enough to slow my movements.
But still, there’s one thing lingering in the back of my mind.
The Black Garum, a magical beast with a strength that gives C-rank adventurer parties a hard time.
To me, it’s just a large black dog, but the Black Garum is a fierce and aggressive creature.
With sharp fangs and claws, as well as the agile movement of its four legs, it tracks its prey relentlessly, remembering their scent. Its strength is such that a novice adventurer encountering it might give up hope of survival.
"Grrooowl!!"
Drool poured from its mouth like a waterfall, as it tried to intimidate us into being eaten.
"Argh!"
"It’s me, isn’t it?"
The Black Garum is unlucky to choose to attack Princess Razelia first.
No, it must be that it didn’t properly assess its opponent.
To try to bite someone as powerful as her among this group...
Ah, it’s just like me, I suppose.
"Yelp!?"
"Oh, sorry."
The massive sword strapped to Princess Razelia’s back was swung in an instant.
A sword nearly two meters long, as tall as the princess herself, who is much taller than me.
There were no elaborate decorations.
It was said to be made purely for hardness, a sword simply known for its toughness.
What was the name again?
I feel like it was bragged about the last time I met at the palace, but I don’t remember.
Despite its apparent weight, the princess wielded it with one hand.
The Black Garum’s right front leg was slashed, causing it to bleed and leap back.
The princess gave a glance toward my husband.
Her eyes held trust.
"With your abilities, you can handle this kind of beast easily, right?" The princess seemed to communicate with my husband through her gaze alone.
Unfair.
Even with its front leg wounded, the Black Garum’s fighting spirit was undiminished.
However, it seemed to have decided that targeting the princess was unfavorable.
Now, it changed its target, focusing on weaker opponents among our group.
Its gaze fell upon Mayurerica and Lapana.
"Black Fly"
"Don’t come here!"
The "Fly" magic.
Before the unfortunate event of being kidnapped by bandits, Mayurerica used to dislike this spell.
It creates foul and dirty flies using magical power.
She told me about it with a resigned, accepting expression.
She said that as a comrade fighting together, it’s important to be aware of the magic used by others in advance to avoid interfering with coordination.
…Is it really that dirty?
Certainly, creating flies might be distressing for a girl.
If I had a similar innate attribute, I might have also disliked my own magic in the same way.
But… I can’t see Mayurerica’ desperate expression as anything but admirable.
She had the courage to expose parts of herself she saw as ugly for the sake of her comrades.
Despite that, she had the nobility to step forward for something important.
I found her resolve to face her inner self to be something precious.
However, even with Mayurerica’ determined spell, the Black Garum easily avoided it by slightly bending its body.
The slow-moving swarm of flies was dodged by the Black Garum before it could encircle it.
In contrast, Lapana’s arrow, which was shot with the anticipation of its movements, struck the Black Garum’s right shoulder.
But it wasn’t very effective.
The Black Garum flinched as if trying to endure the pain when the arrow struck, but it immediately shook its head to shake off the pain and charged at the two of them.
"Grrowl!"
Seeing this, I instinctively moved forward to protect them.
However, before the Black Garum could reach us, someone was already there to guard them.
"Grip—Impact Cannon!"
A thunderous explosion echoed through the Forest of Seals.
The ground shook violently from the shockwave, and the small birds of the forest all took flight simultaneously.
"…Master."
My husband, Vanitas Lindblum, stepped forward, showing his small back.
Vanitas Lindblum, who has a doll-like appearance, looked incredibly sturdy and dependable at this moment.
He would not let anyone touch what is important to him.
He stood as if speaking with his back.
"Master…"
"Vanitas-san, you saved us."
Unfair.
My husband’s gaze swept over the battlefield.
One was toward Princess Razelia, who was wielding the enormous sword.
The other was toward Hildegard, who was rushing over.
Then, without any signal, Christina, who had been at the end of the line, leaped out from behind.
She glanced back at my husband for a brief moment.
My husband nodded in response to her gaze.
It was a perfect synchronization.
No words needed, no signals or instructions needed.
Movements that understood each other’s intentions.
Unfair.
"Alright, let’s press the attack!"
"Yes, we’ll take it down! Let’s use Mud Hard Punch!"
"To think the Black Garum would target Mayurerica and Lapana… Black Garum, your life ends here."
The three of them—Princess Razelia and her companions—surrounded the Black Garum, which was on the brink of death from my husband’s magic, and delivered the finishing blow.
The battle was resolved in an instant.
I… did nothing.
Afterward came the dissection of the defeated Black Garum.
However, dissection didn’t mean tearing it apart completely to strip it of all its materials.
The Black Garm is a relatively common monster in the Forest of Seals.
And this area is still relatively shallow compared to the entire forest.
If they disassembled every single one, there would be no time left for training.
Princess Razelia’s words made Mayurerica frown, but in the end, she accepted it, knowing it was unavoidable.
Moreover, the magic bag used for carrying materials has limited capacity.
Being smart, Mayurerica probably understood that more valuable materials could be obtained during the training.
Even so, she looked regretful as they only took the necessary parts from the Black Garum’s corpse.
We advanced deeper into the forest.
The Sand Shave Serpent, a giant snake with sand-spewing scales, which causes severe lacerations if touched carelessly.
The Giganto Boar, a massive wild boar with colossal fangs, charging at any target in sight and possessing seemingly inexhaustible stamina.
The Purple Drop Spider, a large purple spider that pulls prey up from the treetops with its sticky, flexible web, which, though non-toxic, has a candy-like consistency.
As we progressed deeper into the forest, the monsters grew stronger.
But… the only thing occupying my mind was one thought.
Unfair, unfair, unfair, unfair, unfair!
…When did I become alone?
Long before now, before I found Anhel on the battlefield by chance, over ten years before I became a court magician.
Before I gained infinite magical power.
There was no one by my side.
I had no trusted companions like my husband.
There was no one who could understand me with just a glance, who could sense even the smallest things, and who could protect me.
I was simply alone.
Chapter 83
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