In the southern part of the Rosenblade garden, near its gates, lies a certain field that the knights use for training.
Unlike the field that Lia and Raiden had their bout on, this one was more spacious and was a bit densely occupied by the knights who were intently focused on further polishing their combat abilities
"Hiya!"
"Grh!"
"Take this!!"
Screams and grunts echoed in the field as the wind howls and the nearby trees dance. The knights continued to use their weapons either against each other or to the training dummies. Either way, one could clearly see their desire to improve
They say that the body of a warrior tells their tale, looking at this scene would confirm this fact. Most of the knights that were training in the field were riddled with scars, presumably ones that were obtained from battle.
Their faces also had a certain hint of danger to it, one that would be enough to intimidate a common folk just by looking at them
Which is why a certain person looked extremely out of place
Sitting on a wooden chair on the sidelines was Lia. Her posture was elegant, her presence was silent, and her eyes intently watched the knights as they were training. Needless to say, this was a weird situation for them
Ignoring the fact that she was the Victorian maid that defeated a prodigy of the sword who has trashed most of them in the past, it was unusual to see a household servant that wasn't a knight to watch them like that
Of course, some of them would stop by sometimes to deliver a message or fangirl on some of the good-looking knights but they would usually leave after a few minutes, almost no one would stay any longer
So why exactly was she here?... Did their master sent her to spy on them to see if they were slacking off? Or did she came out of personal interest? Questions like those popped in the minds of some of the knights that couldn't help but wonder
In truth, neither of those were right
"Haaa..."
Lia breathed out a sigh as she continued watching. She let it out in a way that wouldn't be noticeable from a distance. To appear elegant in the face of many was part of the Victorian Creed after all
"I wanna get outta here..."
She was bored out of her mind. And the reason for this boredom was the order of her master
Don't get her wrong, If her master's order were to clean the knights' entire training field, then Lia would be overjoyed that Christmas came early. But it wasn't exactly that. Her order was only to observe a certain someone, not to guard or spy on, but to simply observe
Out of all of the possible orders that she could've given, this was one that she dreaded the most. She loved to work, But jobs like these that didn't really require her body to move much or her mind to be used were a few exceptions.
"That guy isn't even here yet...If I go on without doing anything else then this is the same as wasting time..."
Her mood began to plummet with each passing second, though it wasn't obvious based on her expression. She was about to take her to leave and possibly beg her master to give her another job, But her eyes caught a familiar figure that was approaching their direction, and so she sat down once again
It was the sight of Raiden
His sword was still hanging in his hip as usual. But surprisingly, He wasn't wearing the extravagant black garments he normally wears, but instead only wore a simple white shirt and navy-blue pants. Even the shoes he's wearing was unexpectedly dull compared to his usual one
But even then, his usual intimidating atmosphere was still there
He was about to walk in the field, and possibly begin training with the other knights. However, their eyes had come into contact for a moment
Lia showed her usual smile and waved at him, while Raiden looked a bit annoyed as he changed course and went in her direction
"We're not supposed to have our lessons today, so why are you even here?"
Raiden immediately said upon reaching Lia's hearing distance
"Why do you look so angry, my lord?... Shouldn't a boy be more overjoyed at the fact that a girl went out of their way to see them?"
Lia wanted to at least poke fun at him for making her wait
"That only applies if the girl visiting them is beautiful. Your...plain features don't exactly fit that criteria now does it?"
But it seems like it backfired for her
She was a bit pissed off by this but figured that laughing it off was better than thinking about it any further
Raiden took another chair and sat across her while looking smug
"So? What have you really came here for?"
"Hrm...well it isn't really a secret so I might as well tell you. To put it short, your mother ordered me to observe you while your training, she says it's to see how far you've grown"
"She...said that?"
It seems that Raiden was pondering about her mother's order
"But wait...If you wanted to see how far I've gone through then should you expose your intent like this?"
"It's fine. her order was to observe you, not spy on you"
Orders given to Victorian maids must be specified clearly, Lia knew that her master wouldn't make a silly mistake like that
Raiden was understandably confused, It looks as if he's looking for a hidden meaning or some sort
"...Weird, why would she do something like this..."
Lia could only let out a self-deprecating chuckle in her mind, because she had an idea on why her master would do something like this
'That woman...I have a feeling she wants us to stick closer'
Since Lia knew how Aithne really wanted her to marry her son, it was understandable how she would think along those lines.
She had guessed that her plans would all boil down to her setting up as many interactions between them and hoping that something would happen
This was all speculation for now, But if this was true then Lia was on a bad spot because she couldn't do anything about it, her master's orders were absolute and acted under the well-made ruse of "Raiden's self-improvement" after all
'I have to be careful...If this goes on, then I'll come in contact with more of the main cast! I need to make sure nothing happens between us and keep everything professional'
Lia nodded as she convinced herself that was the case. She was about to change the subject and ask Raiden about his training but then...
"Oh? What do we have here?"
Lia suddenly heard a raspy voice nearby them. She turned in the direction of it and saw a familiar bald man was approaching them with a gentle smile
The first thing that caught her attention was the silver armor that he was wearing. The right arm of it was painted red which made it a bit distinct in comparison to the usual armor that the other knights wear
This, along with the scars on his face and the air surrounding him that screamed that he was a deadly warrior was enough to tell Lia who he was
"Sir Titus..."
"He's finally made it"
Raiden seemed to look excited upon seeing him
Titus continued to walk towards them while wearing a warm smile. Though it was faint, Lia could sense a hint of his power behind his carefree facade
"Good to see you still doing well, my lord. And the young miss Lia too, We haven't seen each other since your duel with Raiden right?"
"Yes, I believe so. I must apologize for that by the way, work has been keeping me extremely busy recently"
"Oh, don't worry I understand. That woman is giving you a hard time right? But, you know, if she ever goes too far with her antics just call me ok?"
"I'm quite used to it by now, but thank you for the offer nonetheless"
Both of them continued to converse about causal things in work which lasted for quite a while. And though Lia was still smiling at the duration of it, she was feeling a bit guilty inside
The middle-aged man in front of her was Johnathan Titus, the Captain of the Rosenblade Knights.
He's a charismatic and hard-working man that is beloved and idolized by many, So much so, that he's become a sort of figure that most men would want to strive too back in the city of Delphi
Though short, Lia had the opportunity of speaking with him after their duel. And though he was indeed a kind man, In the world of Fate of Lovers, he was a side-character that had a lot of impact on the main cast
She doesn't really dislike him because of this, but she figured that steering clear from him was for the best. Hanging around with him may cause her to meet more of the cast after all.
"Oi, enough with the useless chatter. Are we gonna train or not?"
Raiden interjected between their conversation while sounding extremely annoyed. Though Lia considered it to be bad manners, she was a bit thankful for what he did. She herself didn't want their conversation to drag on any longer
"Oh, my bad. Sorry about this Lia but duty calls, what do say about chatting down with a cup of tea next time?"
"Fufufu...You'll look extremely out of place, but please be my guest. it'll be a fun experience for me after all"
"Ugh...now that I think about it more clearly I guess talking like this is better. Anyway, we'll be training now...are you gonna just sit down there and watch?"
"Unfortunately so, This was the job assigned to me after all"
His expression turned to one of disappointment after hearing this
"Quite a shame. It may not seem like it but most of my men around here, Raiden included, was hoping to see you in action"
"Shut up..."
He sounded annoyed, but Lia could also sense the bashfulness in his reply.
Ever since Lia had come to the place, she could already feel the gazes of the knights. She thought it to be natural that they were expecting her to fight but unfortunately
"I'm sorry but I have to take a pass, I believe that my strength should only be shown when necessary"
"Hoho! Well said, It seems that you also possess the virtue of a knight"
"Saying that is too much, I'm just a bit of a bit of a pacifist is all"
"Hah, a pacifist she says"
Lia widened her smile which was screaming the message "Don't speak any further" to Raiden
"I see...well I won't bother you any further. Oh but one last thing, could you cheer for the young lord while we're training? He may not seem like it but he likes it whe-"
"Shut up and come here already!"
Raiden who ran out of patience grabbed Titus by the collar and forcibly dragged him by the field. Lia could only send them off with a wave as they walk further away
The lively atmosphere around her had then vanished along with her smile which was replaced by her work face
"Now then..."
What should I do now? Was the question that was plaguing her mind. She could obviously just do her assigned job and observe them, but it was quite dull for Lia's taste. She already knew how strong Raiden was in the first place based on their little scruffles
'Well, whatever...With the strength of Titus then this should last for only about...five minutesI guess? Oh, wait he was still doing his thing around this time...'
Lia could only groan at the realization obtained from her knowledge of the novel
"Well, I guess I just have to- Hm?"
She sensed that a familiar presence was silently approaching her from behind. Based on the footsteps alone, Lia could tell that she was a maid which solidified her idea on who the person was
"Lia!"
It was her fellow maid, Katherine. She probably tried to surprise her by catching her off guard but sadly, only a few people could do that
"Woah!- Good heavens, please don't scare me like that!"
Nonetheless, she tried to act surprised. She wasn't so heartless as to kill the fun that her friend was having
"Hehehe, I guess that even the superhuman Victorian maids like you have times when they're absent-minded"
"Fufufu, that seems to be the case"
In truth, though, They were rarely like that. The training they received at their institution was so strict that they would get a whipping if they even looked like they weren't attentive while working
But of course, she couldn't very well say that, it would make the whole mood awkward.
Ever since the incident with the kitchen, their relationship as friends has been progressing smoothly. They speak more casually to each other and discuss the usual girly topics when they have the time
Their relationship may seem like one between Senior and Junior at first glance in which Lia was weirdly the senior, but it was still a good relationship nonetheless, she much preferred this treatment rather than what the others give her
"Oh yeah, I almost forgot why I came here"
She reached for her pocket and took out a certain envelope. Lia's mood immediately took a shift upon seeing this, and she showed a genuine smile
'The markings of the envelope...and this scent of perfume. It's from mother Hava!'
Lia was about to reach for it, but all of a sudden, she felt a burst of mana that came from the field
"...They're starting"
Looking at the field, one could see Raiden and Titus at a stare-off. Both of them are surrounded by multiple orb-like lights that were moving rapidly
The ones surrounding Raiden had a crimson hue and seemed to rage around like a flame. While the blue orbs around Titus seemed cold and calm like the ice
Understandably, the rest of the knights left the area to give them space, so only the two of them are using it right now
"W-Woah, there's so much magic..."
Katharine understandably looked shocked, she probably wasn't the type to see bouts like these too often
"You better watch out for debris Katharine, we're far off from the field, but it could still reach us"
"Eek!"
As Lia said this, the two forces that were producing such power had finally begun to clash