Not the Villainess, but the Maid

Chapter 26: Ruby’s Decision

About 20 minutes had passed since Amber’s group had entered the fake labyrinth, but Clara’s group had yet to leave the underground area.

Unlike Clara, who stood with her arms crossed, silently staring at her watch, her followers spoke anxiously.

“Clara, are you sure this is okay? If something really serious happens because of this….”

Clara let out a deep sigh and spoke to them dismissively.

“Please, stop worrying about unnecessary things. Even if that cheap spatial transference scroll works, how far could it possibly send someone?”

The day before the incident, Clara’s group had visited the black market, searching for useful items.

What caught her eye was an old, worn-out spatial transference scroll.

Clara’s group had tampered with the number tags in advance, ensuring they entered the labyrinth right before Amber’s group.

They used the scroll to cast magic on the artifact Amber’s group was supposed to find.

‘Heh, even I have to admit this is a stroke of genius.’

If either Amber or Ruby touched the artifact, they would be sent somewhere far away.

Regardless of the distance, it would separate the two for a while.

Even if the victims weren’t Amber or Ruby, it would surely disqualify them from the practical exam.

While Clara indulged in her fantasies, eagerly awaiting the fallout, the sound of the labyrinth door opening reached her ears.

“Clara, Amber’s group is back!”

‘Let’s see who’s missing, shall we?’

Clara scanned the group with a look of anticipation but was shocked to see all five members returning as they had entered.

‘No one’s missing…?’

Thinking they might not have found the artifact, she inspected the items in their hands more closely.

Sure enough, it was the golden bird statue, the very artifact she had used the scroll on.

‘This doesn’t make any sense… How is this possible!?’

Her jaw dropped as she watched Amber’s group return unharmed.

‘…Don’t tell me that old man at the black market sold me a defective scroll?’

She should have known something was off when he sold it at such a suspiciously low price.

“Unfortunately, this plan has failed. We need to go back and come up with something else….”

Just as Clara turned to speak to her followers, one of them pointed behind her.

“Clara, behind you….”

“…What?”

When Clara turned her head in the direction her follower indicated, she was greeted by an unexpected sight.

“Hello, Clara.”

Standing there was a noblewoman with golden hair, wearing her usual gentle smile.

“…Diana Osteon. What brings you here?”

Diana, the adopted daughter of the Osteon family, had once been a target of Clara’s group.

A commoner by birth, she had risen in status after being adopted by a prestigious family and now enjoyed the privileges of nobility.

Diana smiled at Clara and said, “You seemed to be having an interesting conversation.”

“…”

Unlike the last time they had bullied her, Diana appeared unusually calm.

‘Was this woman always like this…?’

Her demeanor, as if they were on friendly terms, irked Clara greatly.

Clara revealed her hostility and said, “Even if we’re in the same club… we’re not close enough to talk casually, are we?”

“Talking? This isn’t a conversation.”

“What nonsense are you…?”

“It’s a warning.”

Before Diana finished speaking, the air around them grew chillingly cold.

“...!”

None of them could move.

‘Why is my body trembling…?’

Just looking into Diana’s eyes made Clara feel as though her heart had frozen, forcing her to avert her gaze and hang her head low.

“Playing harmless pranks is fine. But…”

Diana’s smile disappeared entirely as she spoke in a low voice.

“Don’t cross the line. Understood?”

The group could only watch in stunned silence as Diana leisurely walked away.

It wasn’t until her figure was completely out of sight that Clara managed to speak.

“W-what was that just now…?”

“We’re not sure either. It felt like the air froze around us….”

It took them a long time to recover from the shock of that encounter.

After the tumultuous practical exam ended, I returned to the room with my lady.

The academy began a full-scale investigation into the incident, but I heard it was unlikely the perpetrator would be caught.

Apparently, tracking magic cast via scrolls was almost impossible.

But more than that, my mind was preoccupied with questions about Diana Osteon.

‘She’s always been a mysterious person, but what she showed today was especially suspicious.’

I had never heard of someone capable of using all five elemental magics.

Even if Diana was the game’s protagonist, this was far beyond the system’s limits.

As my doubts about her continued to grow, Ruby stepped out after finishing her shower and changing clothes.

“How are you feeling, Amber?”

“I’m fine. I feel much better than I did in the labyrinth.”

It seemed Ruby had been worried about the slight dizziness I had experienced from the spatial transference.

While drying her hair with a towel, Ruby spoke with a fierce expression.

“Whoever’s behind this, I’ll make sure they’re caught.”

“…And what will you do if you catch them?”

“…Do you really want to know?”

Judging by her expression, I could guess, so I quietly shook my head.

She walked over to where I was sitting on the bed and gently sat down beside me.

Her slightly damp hair gave off a faintly moist sensation as Ruby placed her hand on the back of mine.

“Amber.”

“Yes?”

Why was she suddenly sitting so close?

“There’s something I’ve wanted to tell you, but I haven’t had the chance.”

She clasped my hand tightly in hers and looked directly into my eyes.

Her red eyes, characteristic of the Sarka family, shimmered beautifully, almost as if they were glowing.

“…W-what is it?”

“I was actually going to say, Amber…”

I couldn’t even begin to guess what Ruby was about to say.

The room had gone silent, save for the ticking of the clock, and finally, Ruby opened her mouth.

“You’re too weak.”

“…Pardon?”

“You’re weaker than an ordinary person who can’t use magic.”

Her blunt words hit me like a brick.

“…Weaker than an ordinary person?”

Right then, as if on cue, Milk jumped off my head.

“Meow~”

“Ow.”

Ruby, watching this pathetic scene, let out a deep sigh and added another comment.

“…Maybe even weaker than this cat.”

“….”

Ruby gave me a pitying look and spoke.

“With the way things are, I worry about whether you can protect yourself in situations like today’s.”

“No matter what, I can at least take care of myself….”

I trailed off, recalling the wolf bats I’d seen today.

If one of those giant jaws clamped down on me, would I survive?

After mentally running through several scenarios, the answer was always the same—I’d become prey.

“…I can’t protect myself.”

“You think so too, right?”

I couldn’t help but nod at Ruby’s question.

“I want you to stay by my side forever, Amber. But for that to happen, you need to have some ability to protect yourself.”

She had a point.

There was no guarantee that something like today wouldn’t happen again.

And with Ruby being a member of the infamous Sarka family, there were bound to be people after her wherever we went.

“What should I do to become stronger?”

It would be great if I could increase my stats like the game’s protagonist, but obviously, that wasn’t possible.

“I’m not saying you have to get stronger all on your own. I’m not that cold-hearted of a master.”

“…What do you mean by that?”

“You’ll need someone to help you.”

Ruby glanced at the clock, frowning slightly.

“That’s strange. They should’ve been here by now.”

“Huh? Who’s coming?”

-Knock, knock.

Someone knocked on the door.

“I’ll get it.”

I opened the door cautiously, only to see a familiar face standing there.

“Hello~?”

Amethyst Lupin waved cheerfully at me, her expression full of excitement.

“Amethyst? What brings you here…?”

Ruby appeared from behind me as if she’d been waiting for this moment.

“Say hello, Amber. Starting today, she’ll be your swordsmanship tutor.”

“Lady Amethyst is going to tutor me in swordsmanship?”

“Yep. It’s already been arranged.”

Still flustered, I turned to Amethyst and asked.

“Did you already know about this…?”

“Yep. I agreed earlier on the way here.”

Amethyst said this casually and then grabbed me by the waist, lifting me up effortlessly.

“We promised to train together for a week, starting today. No time to waste, so let’s get going!”

I flailed uselessly in her grip as she easily picked me up.

“Wait a second, I haven’t prepared anything…!”

“It’s fine. Just bring yourself, Amber.”

“….”

Ruby, watching the scene with a slightly annoyed expression, spoke up.

“Like I said earlier, no actions outside of training, Princess Amethyst.”

“Wow, you’re really worried. Don’t you trust me?”

“…You’re not exactly a trustworthy person.”

Ruby let out a deep sigh, as though the ground itself would collapse beneath her.

“Anyway, just take her before I change my mind.”

“Alright. Leave it to me.”

Without so much as asking for my opinion, Amethyst practically carried me off to who knows where.

Wait, is this really okay…?