Over half a month had passed since Aura changed careers to become a maid.
Although this profession was quite undignified for a Greater Demon accustomed to arrogance, Miss Aura had her own unique way of comforting herself.
It's fine, she thought, at least she was the number three figure in this abandoned shipyard.
Of course, if someone were to point out that there were only three breathing creatures in the building, Miss Aura would surely give them a murderous glare.
...
This new life wasn't too difficult for Aura to accept. After all, she had endured days of crawling around in dark caves; this little hardship was nothing.
But that didn't mean her life as a maid was smooth sailing. At least two things were making her quite miserable.
First, it was too boring.
She had even mentally prepared herself to be used as a punching bag, but neither Fíliya nor Solitär had continued to bully her during this time.
Instead, they kept forcing her to learn magic she didn't like at all.
At the thought of it, Aura subconsciously pursed her lips.
What was all this Ordinary Attack Magic, Defensive Magic, water magic, fire magic... it was all human stuff.
What's the point of learning this? What use is it?
Although such questions swirled in Aura's mind, Fíliya would only smile without answering whenever she complained.
Despite her displeasure, Aura always felt there was a hidden meaning behind Fíliya's faint smile. And, coerced by Solitär's intimidating might, she had no choice but to be a good student.
And another thing... has this Fíliya person gotten more and more troublesome?
At first, it was just serving tea and water. A couple of days later, she started asking for massages. And now, she was making all sorts of requests that left Aura utterly speechless.
For instance, right now.
"Aura, could you sing a song for me?"
Miss Fíliya's tone was light and cheerful, and her current condition could be described as excellent. The wounds from her mutual experiments with Solitär had now fully healed. Under Solitär's care, not a single scar remained, and she had finally shed all her bandages, no longer a bandaged freak.
Hiss.
Aura took a deep breath, trying her best to make her tone gentle.
Only then did she reply.
"Sorry, I can't."
"Huh? Aura, haven't you lived for over five hundred years? How can you not even sing a song?"
Miss Fíliya propped her cheek on one hand, her face still wearing that signature mischievous grin.
"Who told you that living a long time means you have to know how to sing?"
Aura's tone was one of utter helplessness. Make me sing? she thought. You might as well just beat me up.
"Is that so? I think your voice is quite nice, Aura. It seems well-suited for singing. What a shame."
"Do you really think so?"
No matter the situation, Miss Aura's mood would instantly improve upon hearing her voice praised. This was one of her better qualities.
"Not only that, I think your neck is very beautiful too, Aura. It's long and slender, very aesthetic. I feel it would be a perfect match for a violin."
"I-Is that so?"
Aura subconsciously touched her neck. Although Fíliya's words were indeed complimentary, for some reason, Aura felt a chill run down her spine.
"Alright, break time's over. It's about time for combat practice. Aura, how's your mastery of Ordinary Attack Magic coming along?"
"Huh? Does this even need mastering? This magic is so simple it's practically crude. Isn't it something you can do effortlessly?"
Aura's expression was strange, her gaze towards Fíliya seeming to say.
Don't you underestimate me.
"Besides, this thing was originally a Demon Race magic, right? It's the Killing Magic (Zoltraak) created by Qual, the Elder Sage of Corruption, which you humans just modified a bit."
"Oh? A shocking revelation! You actually knew that, Aura!"
Fíliya's eyes widened, and her body leaned back a few degrees in a performance of utter shock, as if she had just gasped.
"What's with that shocked expression? I'm from the Demon Race! The Demon Race! How could I not know about this!"
Aura glared at Fíliya, fuming. She always felt this human in front of her was finding every possible opportunity to make fun of her.
"Since you've mastered it, let's begin. Let's go."
Fíliya beckoned, and Aura, as if by reflex, started to move.
But just as she turned to walk towards the door, Fíliya beat her to it, pushing open a window and letting the sunset's afterglow flood the room.
Hearing the window open, Aura immediately turned back and saw Fíliya leap out without a word.
You!
Aura gritted her teeth in frustration.
When she first became a maid, this person actually used the door.
But now she had developed all sorts of fancy ways to jump out of windows.
Aura took a few steps forward, looked at the faint shoe prints on the windowsill, and could only sigh silently.
She knew very well that Fíliya was doing it on purpose.
It's not like you're the one who has to clean it, right! Honestly...
After a brief complaint, Aura also leaped lightly onto the windowsill, thinking, Well, cleaning one footprint is the same as cleaning a few. So you're the only one who knows how to jump out of windows, huh.
Aura's landing was quite graceful, not stirring up the slightest bit of dust.
She looked closely and saw Fíliya already standing in her usual spot in the clearing in front of the shipyard, with Solitär already present beside her.
"What are we doing today?"
Aura asked.
"Mm, no rush. Aura, first answer a question for me... There are many powerful spells, including some with large-scale destructive capabilities. Why did humans ultimately choose to adapt Killing Magic into Ordinary Attack Magic and popularize it among all mages?"
"Because it's simple?"
Aura gave her answer without a second thought.
In her view, short-lived species like humans weren't qualified to study high-level things like her Magic of Obedience (Auserlese), so they could only pick simple and fast magic to research.
"Yes, that's one reason. What else?"
Fíliya nodded in satisfaction. She was being very lenient with Aura; giving one reason was good enough.
"I don't know any others."
Aura said honestly. If it were anyone else, her personality would have her trying to be clever or save face.
But in front of these two, who knew her inside and out, there was no need for such pointless antics.
"Alright, time for the answer. It's because the casting speed of Ordinary Attack Magic is incredibly fast. Plus, it's a new magic... strictly speaking, it's been around for decades, but for long-lived species like you, it's still 'new.' You have no way to defend against it subconsciously. That's why, ever since humans started using Ordinary Attack Magic, demons have often been killed by sneak attacks from this spell without even reacting."
"As for its power, admittedly, the power of Ordinary Attack Magic isn't that high. But the truth is, the bodies of both humans and the Demon Race are very fragile, not on the same level as Monsters with strong defenses."
"To kill fragile creatures like humans or demons, the power of Ordinary Attack Magic is more than sufficient, and that's on top of its terrifying firing rate..."
"If you'll forgive my frankness, I even think this magic, which every modern mage knows, has become the single greatest threat to the Demon Race's survival."
"Therefore, our current training is simple. We need to desensitize you and Solitär. Through continuous mock battles, you will practice until you can block a surprise attack from Ordinary Attack Magic subconsciously, without even having to face the target."
After Fíliya finished speaking, Aura didn't know what to think, but the look Solitär gave her was rather peculiar.
What she didn't understand was...
Why was Fíliya going to such great lengths to teach two demons how to counter human attacks?
_____
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