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Chapter 8: The Injustice

Envy was momentarily speechless, gasping for breath after the reprimand.

He glared intensely, “Don’t forget, I’m the instructor for practical training here, you little brat. You should show me some respect!”

Unexpectedly, Alice coldly snorted, “My master is far stronger than you and doesn’t need your protection.”

In Alice’s eyes, she was merely speaking the truth.

However, Envy was infuriated.

“Just wait until you’re in the belly of a monster, then let’s see if you can still act so arrogant!” Envy seemed to visualize that scenario, stepping forward and relishing each word, “Perhaps then you’ll know how to respect your teacher.”

“I’ve already said, my master doesn’t need your protection at all…” Alice mumbled, thinking that if anyone needed protection, it was just her master.

Roy sighed to himself.

The supervising teacher for practical training was there as a safety precaution. Envy had a strength of Sequence 6, which wasn’t too bad.

But showing up to work with a hangover, cursing at students right off the bat, and casually threatening them with school rules while cursing like that?

This guy was totally unreliable. Thank goodness he was here; otherwise, Roy wouldn’t trust this kind of person to ensure Alice’s safety.

Fortunately, once the practical training began, he wouldn’t have to deal with Envy anymore.

Envy was only responsible for rescue in case of emergencies.

The students were split into pairs, entering the swamp area from different directions to track down the escaped magical beasts, particularly the Darkfang Birds.

The humidity hit them hard, with vines creeping around, the ground muddy and soft, covered in muck and moss, making it tricky to walk.

Due to the thick extraordinary power in the center of the continent, different natural landscapes were jumbled together in this area. Unlike the misty forest from before, this place resembled the rainforests in the southwest.

From time to time, they could see sharp-toothed beasts circling in the treetops, as well as faint dark shadows darting through the grass.

Catching the Darkfang Birds wasn’t particularly hard; the real challenge lay in traversing the swamp.

However, even if the practical training mission failed, there wouldn’t be any penalties, especially since there were so many other groups participating.

Alice was just looking for a chance to refine her skills, and Roy simply wanted to witness her growth and ensure her safety; the mission itself wasn’t that significant.

Roy declared in advance, “Since this is a special training session, I won’t intervene unless we face a particularly troublesome enemy.”

“Yeah, my master is more than enough with Alice around.”

The blonde girl calmly replied, hand resting on her sword hilt while walking ahead, not the least bit hindered by the mud underfoot. Her petite figure exuded an inexplicable reliability, reminiscent of a seasoned swordsman or a well-trained hound.

Seeing how muddy Alice’s brown short boots had become, Roy couldn’t help feeling a bit reluctant.

No, no, no, this is just the beginning, right? If you back down at this point, what kind of overindulgent father are you?!

Kids grow up and need independence; during such times, all you need to do is wait silently!

Just as Roy was resolving this in his mind, a wolf suddenly leaped out ahead.

“Alice!”

Roy was startled, his instincts kicking in as he projected a sword blade, but much to his surprise, Alice was quicker. With her steel sword unsheathed, she moved like flowing water, striking like a white lightning bolt.

The wolf was taken out before it could even cry out.

The little maid turned back with her blood-stained sword, looking a bit puzzled, “What’s wrong?”

“……Nothing.”

Clearly, Roy’s worries were a bit overblown.

On their journey, extraordinary creatures of Sequence 8 to 9 were basically taken down in an instant.

Even when facing Sequence 7 opponents, they were quickly defeated under Alice’s sword, after only a brief scuffle.

Her sword glow was sharp and unstoppable, decisive in her strikes, showing no mercy.

Honestly, this was a bit unexpected.

In the original story, the little maid did indeed possess strong abilities, but she often came off more as a flashy character who could only rely on her teammates to fight — primarily a sweet, innocent heroine who needed a powerful ally to truly shine.

Combat for extraordinary beings wasn’t solely determined by bloodline abilities.

Utilizing extraordinary powers, judging the enemy’s abilities, close-combat skills, and responding to unexpected situations all significantly influenced the outcome of battles.

Although this area had been previously scouted by mages and there was little likelihood of encountering Sequence 6 magical beasts, Roy still worried Alice might encounter a troublesome opponent and end up in a dilemma or be ambushed.

But the little maid’s performance gave him a perfect score.

Facing difficult foes, she was unhurried, wearing them down and then utilizing her Seraph ability to dramatically boost her bloodline level for a decisive strike. Her awareness was extremely high; even if ambushed, she would quickly react without panic.

Roy could almost envision the image of the Destined Saintess standing victorious amidst thousands of foes.

Meanwhile, Alice herself noticed the boy’s gaze on her from behind and felt her spirits lift.

Her master was watching her.

Just this thought alone was more uplifting than any applause or honor.

She had to perform well, making sure her master’s attention stayed firmly on her!

Alice’s strikes grew faster and faster, as if she had no notion of fatigue.

The stirred magical beasts had initially aimed to teach the intruding biped a lesson, but instead saw a blonde girl coming toward them with a blood-stained long sword, expressionless yet with wide, joyful eyes.

There was something inherently off about this girl, wasn’t there?!

The magical beasts fled in panic, tails tucked between their legs, and by the end, few dared to show themselves along the way.

As night fell,

The training session lasted for two days; there was no hurry.

“Alice, let’s call it a day for now…!”

Roy was just about to call for the girl to rest when a muffled sound came from a distance, making him furrow his brow.

Alice slowed for two seconds and similarly looked into the depths of the jungle, readying her sword as if facing a formidable enemy.

“Be careful; the ones coming this time can be dangerous.”

“Okay.”

The muffled sounds grew louder, shaking the ground beneath them.

Finally, a rhino with dark, gleaming skin emerged from the depths of the jungle, roaring like a runaway train as it charged at Alice.

Alice’s pupils constricted.

The thunderous noise and flying sparks filled the air.

Even though Alice attempted to block, she was still swept away by the overwhelming force, careening several meters before managing to flip over and land on one knee.

Sequence 7… no, it was a Black Steel Rhino nearing Sequence 6.

Her pristine steel sword had shattered beyond recognition.

Yet, the unarmed girl was undaunted, even a bit eager for the challenge.

This kind of opponent could easily kill second or third-year students if they weren’t careful.

Killing lesser beasts was one thing, but facing this creature provided her an opportunity to show off in front of her master!

A determined glint passed through Alice’s eyes as she concentrated holy light into a radiant sword.

But just as she was about to draw it, the sharp dark-gold sword light had already been unleashed by the boy ahead.

Sky-Rending Dragon Claw.

The boy dashed forward like a rushing dragon; his sword blade pierced through the tougher than steel hide of the massive beast with a single strike, slaying the unwavering creature on the spot.

Roy casually flicked the blood from his sword, feeling a bit relieved.

He turned back to smile gently at the little maid, “Don’t worry, it’s all good now.”

However, Alice didn’t look pleased at all; instead, her brows knitted in a pout.

“It was fine if I didn’t need help…”