Chapter 30: The Maid’s New Power

Faltis held Eileen close, her golden tail entwined with Eileen’s own.

‘Wasn’t this situation called mating?’ Eileen wondered.

“Faltis-sama, this gift is truly too precious,” Eileen said, acutely aware of the terrifying power contained within that vertical pupil.

Faltis merely tapped Eileen’s head. “It was already of no further use to me. Your ability to tame it is your own stroke of luck.”

Faltis spoke with such ease, as if referring to a common pebble, utterly unconcerned.

“Besides, as my maid, the stronger you become, the better you can protect me, preventing those tiresome Dragon Slayers from approaching the Golden Dragon Sanctuary, isn’t that right?”

‘Hiss… if possible, I’d rather not let her confront those Dragon Slayers later,’ Eileen thought.

“Yes, I understand,” Eileen nodded.

‘You said only to prevent those Dragon Slayers from getting close, right? Then, if I accidentally let them go—no, if I accidentally let them escape—that would be perfectly normal.’

“You had better truly understand,” Faltis said, tapping Eileen’s nose.

How could Faltis not see through Eileen’s little schemes?

“Ehehe!” Eileen attempted to charm her way through.

Surprisingly, this tactic actually worked on Faltis.

“Never mind,” Faltis said, looking at her little maid with a hint of helplessness. “Let’s go outside and see how Durandal performs, shall we?”

Inside the room, Eileen had only swung the sword a few times.

They made their way to the outdoor training grounds, specifically designed for such purposes.

In the center of the grounds stood a Tier 7 magical dummy.

Its defenses were comparable to a dragon that had just entered the Dragon King realm.

Eileen tried a few swings, and the blades she unleashed left visible scratches on the dummy’s surface.

Injecting mana, Eileen watched as the eye on the blade opened, revealing a gleaming ruby.

“Damocles’ Slayer…” Eileen’s tail suddenly twitched, rising slightly as if sensing something.

“Cough, cough.” Eileen lightly cleared her throat, pretending that the previous slip had never happened.

“Damocles’ Sword Art! Winter’s Bite!”

A faint frost appeared on Eileen’s arm and the blade. She struck the Tier 7 dummy with a single, decisive blow.

As she retracted Durandal, the dummy’s body slowly froze, then shattered into pieces.

“How powerful…”

Though she could fight against an initial Dragon King before, she would never have shattered their armor so effortlessly.

Faltis stepped forward, taking Eileen’s hand from behind.

Eileen felt two soft mounds pressing against her back.

Eileen straightened her posture. “Faltis-sama?”

“What’s wrong? Your body seems a little stiff,” Faltis’s playful voice purred.

“It’s just that I just woke up!” Eileen quickly replied.

“Is that so?” Faltis deliberately shifted a few times behind Eileen.

Eileen, unable to withstand such stimulation, asked, “Faltis-sama, why are you suddenly holding my hand?”

Faltis held Eileen’s hand. “Because of the Golden Dragon’s power, your Durandal has also undergone some changes.”

Eileen’s hand moved with Faltis’s, sometimes her elbow brushing against the soft contours of Faltis’s body.

“Like this.”

“How can I cut anyone like this?” Eileen watched as Faltis inverted Durandal.

But soon, Eileen understood the reason for this action.

Durandal began to transform in a peculiar way, its blade slowly expanding into a massive silver shield.

The shield was covered in silver scales, with golden patterns along its edges.

“What is this?” Eileen gazed at the shield in her hands.

“Facing upwards, Durandal will be your sharp blade. Facing downwards, it will transform into your sturdiest shield.”

Eileen tried it out, and indeed, it worked exactly as described. Her eyes sparkled. “Wow! Thank you, Faltis-sama!”

“Would you like to test this shield?” Faltis asked.

“Yes… oh, no, no need.” Eileen, delighted, had instinctively agreed, but quickly realized something was amiss and hastily changed her mind. It was already too late.

Faltis pointed to the spot where the dummy had been. Even without a word, Eileen understood the implication.

“Faltis-sama, my recent performance has been acceptable, hasn’t it?” Eileen asked timidly.

“Indeed.”

“Then, later, could you perhaps go a little, just a little, easier on me?”

“Don’t worry, I know my limits,” Faltis nodded.

Eileen felt a little reassured, standing in the designated spot and raising her shield.

And then…

“Grand Magic!”

“Grand Magic?! Faltis?!” ‘You call this knowing your limits?’

“Disrespect to your mistress deserves punishment,” Faltis said, waving her finger to draw a golden symbol in the air.

“I’ll be damned!” Eileen cursed internally. She had fallen for it, and now Faltis had a perfect excuse to deal with her.

Blazing dragon fire continuously flew towards Eileen. Eileen focused with all her might, and faint dragon scales appeared on her arms.

“Bang! Bang! Bang!”

The dragon fire repeatedly struck the shield, erupting in deafening explosions.

Eileen had initially thought such an attack wouldn’t last long, as it was merely a test.

But Faltis showed no signs of stopping.

If that was the case…

Eileen spun the giant shield, transforming it back into a blade.

Eileen seized the opportune moment as a stream of dragon fire shot towards her. She took a deep breath.

The dragon fire grazed Eileen’s ear, its scorching heat burning a few strands of her hair.

“Boom!”

The dragon fire exploded behind Eileen, creating dazzling sparks.

It melted a massive crater into the training grounds.

‘If that had hit me, I’d be in pieces.’

Using the cover of the explosive dust and the resulting impact, Eileen flapped her wings, swiftly closing the distance to Faltis.

“Slayer… no, Damocles’ Ancient Sword Style! Azure Moon Dance!”

“Nayarina!” A massive axe materialized in Faltis’s hand.

“I!” Eileen wanted to swear.

Durandal and Nayarina clashed fiercely. Eileen tried to pull away, but it felt as if Durandal was magnetized to Nayarina, utterly stuck.

Just as Eileen thought the stalemate would last for a while, a golden tail lashed out, striking Eileen and sending her flying.

“Boom!”

Eileen was embedded in a stone wall.

The smoke cleared, and Eileen, looking somewhat disheveled, stood up, wincing in pain.

She glared at Faltis, who stood before her holding Nayarina. Her tail angrily slapped the ground, and she stomped her foot. “Faltis-sama! Are you trying to replace your maid?”