Chapter 398

Natalie’s enthusiasm quickly shifted from sword training to beach volleyball. However, it was a bit different from the leisurely game I had envisioned.

“Here, Lady Lilith!”

-Wham!-

“W-wait a second, Natalie! That’s too fast!”

Natalie was spiking the rubber ball at me with impressive force, and I struggled just to keep up with her movements on the sandy beach. It was nothing like the easy, casual rally I had imagined.

-Wham!-

“Oh! Impressive, Lady Lilith! You managed to return it!”

“Y-you told me to catch it!”

“I didn’t expect you actually would!”

…This girl.

Well, physical training is physical training, I suppose, but convincing her to play as a fun way to train might have been a mistake. Natalie was putting her full strength into this “beach volleyball,” making it feel more like an intense volleyball match than a casual beach game.

Meanwhile, Agnes, who wasn’t suited for the game due to the height difference, was calmly floating in an inner tube, bobbing along the water’s surface. I would have liked to relax like that, too, but I had ended up in this exhausting situation thanks to Natalie.

‘Where are Ethan and Thomas…?!’

I needed to pass this wild filly off to Thomas so I could get a break. Just as I thought that, two unfamiliar male voices rang in my ears.

“Hmm, ladies. You seem bored. Care to join us?”

“…Ugh.”

…I should have expected this.

Considering that Marine Studies was the most popular course at Luminar Academy, it attracted all types of students—not just the diligent ones like Ethan or Geitma. It wasn’t exactly surprising that we’d catch some unwanted attention, given how Natalie and I looked.

“It’s a nice day out, and it’s boring to just play with other girls. Why not match up with us and have some fun?”

“I’m sorry, but we’re already here with our group. Please enjoy your time with other ladies.”

“Oh? From what I saw, you two have been playing alone this whole time.”

“This is just where we arranged to meet up. They’ll be here soon.”

“Well, it just so happens that we were supposed to meet here too. Maybe it was fate?”

A blue-haired guy started walking toward me, with his orange-haired friend creeping over to Natalie, hitting on her.

“Nice swimsuit. Did you wear it just for me?”

“…What are you talking about? Do you know me?”

“We can get to know each other. Since we’re here at the beach, why not spend some time together? The professor did tell us to have fun.”

“…I see. But as Lady Lilith mentioned, we are expecting company…”

“You’re still waiting? It’s fine, we can just play for a little while. Is your group all girls? Why not invite us too?”

“…I’m not sure. It’s not my place to decide, you see…”

…Poor Natalie. She didn’t know how to turn them down firmly. Given her focus on swordsmanship, refusing someone clearly wasn’t her strong suit. And as a commoner, she probably felt it was rude to be overly dismissive.

Since I couldn’t rely on Natalie to handle it, I’d have to deal with them myself.

“Your friend seems to like the idea, so why don’t we—”

“No, thank you. No matter how many times you ask, I won’t be joining you.”

“Ah, damn. Acting all stuck-up just because you’re a maid, huh?”

“……”

“Looking all high and mighty—what, are you some fancy maid from a noble house? What, you need money, huh? Isn’t that all you maids do, huh?”

…Alright, that does it.

I’d tried to handle this peacefully, but some people just can’t take a hint. I slapped away his hand as he tried to touch my face.

-Smack!-

“Keep that filthy hand of yours to yourself and get lost, you bastard.”

“You bitch.”

He grabbed my wrist, his face twisted in anger. I began gathering a bit of magic in my hand, preparing for a shockwave, but he just sneered at me.

“Go ahead, try it.”

“…You remember what the professor said, right? No fighting during class. We’re all here to have fun, so don’t start a brawl.”

…Ugh, this jerk.

If it weren’t for the potential consequences, I’d gladly give up a few credits to knock this guy out. The mere thought of another man touching me was revolting. But then again, if I went through with it, it might cause trouble for Ethan, Natalie, or even Agnes. Not to mention it could affect our team’s strength in the class boss fight.

On top of that, while I was physically strong for a girl, he was an academy student too, so it wouldn’t be easy to shake him off.

“Hey, get away from Lilith!”

“What’s with this kid? Why don’t you go play somewhere else?”

“What did you just say, you little…?!”

-Flare!-

“W-wait, Agnes! You can’t just use fire magic here!”

Agnes’s quick temper had only made things worse, escalating the situation to a dangerous point. Just as I was trying to figure out how to defuse things, I heard the sound of someone landing a solid punch.

-Thud!-

“Guh—?!”

The guy holding my wrist flew back, his body slamming into the sand.

-Thud!-

“Ugh, ptooey!”

Spitting out sand, he looked up in confusion, only to meet Ethan’s steely gaze.

“What…? What the hell…?”

“…Right now.”

“Wh-what? What are you…?”

“Right now. What were you trying to pull on my personal maid?”

“……Huh?”

The guy stared at Ethan in shock, trying to comprehend what had just happened. But Ethan, clearly furious, didn’t need my confirmation as he glared down at him.

“She—she was the one who came on to me, damn it!”

“……What?”

“She said her master was boring, so she invited me to hang out! I didn’t make the first move—!”

-Crunch!-

“Argh! Aghh—!”

Ethan stepped on his hand, silencing his pitiful attempts to lie. Without even asking me for clarification, Ethan’s anger was obvious.

“My maid asked you to hang out with her? You think I’d believe that crap?”

-Crunch!-

“Aghhh! Damn it…!!”

“I’ve known Lilith for years. Do you really think I’d fall for such a pathetic excuse?”

“Aghhh! No, I swear she—!”

“Even if you were somehow telling the truth, it wouldn’t matter.”

-Crunch!-

“Argh!”

“…Even if you spoke a hundred truths, whatever Lilith says is the only truth I’ll believe.”

With that, Ethan crushed the guy’s pride and finger without hesitation. I started to worry he was going too far—if the professor saw this, we’d definitely be in trouble. I remembered that Thomas was with Ethan earlier, and thought he might help de-escalate things.

-Thud! Thud! Thud!-

“….”

“Stop! Please, enough…!”

“Thomas?! Why are you getting involved too?! He was just talking to me—!”

-Thud! Thud! Thud!-

“….”

…Thomas was no help either.

Seeing that Natalie was involved, Thomas had lost his cool, joining Ethan in pummeling the guys. Natalie and I had to step in to keep them from beating the men to a pulp. The two guys shot us dirty looks as they staggered to their feet.

“You… You bastards! We’ll tell the professor! We weren’t supposed to fight—!”

And then, a voice cut through, as another figure emerged—a blonde man, quietly observing the scene.

“…Ah, I remember now. You’re the son of Sir Maximilian, the commander of the Royal Third Knights, right?”

“…W-what?”

“And you’re the son of his vice-captain, Sir Leonor. You do look like your father.”

The two guys paled as Prince Antonio, who had been watching quietly, finally spoke, casually revealing their family ties.

“H-how do you know that…?”

“Blonde hair…? Could it be…?”

“It’s easy to remember the faces of high-ranking knights. I see them often when I’m at the palace.”

“….”

“Ah, I haven’t introduced myself yet. I am Antonio Robert Baltoria. If that’s too much, you can just call me Prince Antonio.”

“….”

“….”

Ethan, despite being of noble rank, was no match for the sheer authority radiating from the prince. The two men were speechless, and Antonio calmly stepped in, holding Ethan and Thomas back.

“I’m simply curious—did my friends offend you in any way?”

“….”@@novelbin@@

“….”

“I’d really like to know. I’m trying to understand if what I saw was just a little spat among academy students, or if it was something more serious.”

“….”

“….”

“Rest assured, your answers won’t affect your fathers. So please, speak freely.”

It was clearly a thinly veiled threat, but there was no way they could argue. In a conflict involving royalty and the sons of royal knights, the outcome was predictable.

“It—it was just a little argument. No, more like a joke, Your Highness.”

-Nod, nod.-

“Is that so?”

“Yes, yes…. We really didn’t mean any harm.”

-Nod, nod.-

“Very well, then. Now, be gone.”

With that, the two slinked away, tails between their legs. It seemed, thanks to Antonio, we’d managed to resolve things without too much trouble.

Now, what was it you were saying about that swimsuit, Lilith?