Chapter 25:

Crumbs fell from the cloth Eres held, scattering against the dirt. Her face paled, realizing the only real food they’d brought now sat in their gluttonous stomachs. A buzz of panic tore through her. Leo buried his face in his hands, unwilling to move. 

She poked him in the arm, voice shaking. “So…we just find our way back, right? Maybe we’ll see the campfire through the trees.”

“Eres,” His voice was still muffled, “Do you know how easily people get lost in forests?”

“What should we do then?” 

Eres unconsciously brought  a lock of hair to her mouth and chewed on it. Leo looked up, his eyes dark. 

“We might not meet up with the others until the test is over.” He sighed, standing. With a glance, he swatted Eres’s hair from her mouth. “All we can do is earn points and pray."

She nudged his hand away with her elbow, before chewing on her hair again. Leo could only half understand her with the obstruction. “How do you earn points again?”

“Huh? You were listening to Felix too, how do you not know?”

“What? We were talking the entire time, how did you even hear him?”

He shrugged. “I’m good at tuning you out.”

Eres pinched his arm. “I hate you.”

Leo looked around, startled. “Did something just talk?”

Eres pulled her wand out. “Hmm~ maybe the Young Master requires an ear cleaning?”

Flames licked along the edges of the carved surface. “Young Master, lay your head down, I’ll help you with your problem.”

Leo paled, backing into the treeline, stumbling over a root. “N-no need, Eres, it seems to have cleared up…”

Eres advanced, a dangerous smile on her face. “Don’t be so modest, Leo, it’s a maid’s duty to provide ear cleaning. Come, lay your head on my lap. I’ll make sure to get it…”

Her face twisted into an malevolent smile. “Nice and clean.”

Leo turned around and ran. The hair on the back of his neck raised as the light footsteps chased him. He pulled his wand from his pocket and rolled to the side, narrowly escaping a fire-bolt.

He peered around the tree he’d hidden behind, sweating. What was this pressure?! Had Lana descended? 

Eres was nowhere in sight. Leo gulped, his heart pounding in his chest. This crazy damn maid! Was she really going to kill him?! Where had she even gone?

He strained his ears to the limits. No leaves stirred; no wind blew. There was only his breathing. Leo found himself even more frightened than when the bear appeared. This girl was going to be the death of him!

He felt a light brush of air on the back of his neck.

Leo slowly turned his head, blinking away a drop of sweat that rolled into his eye.

A shock of red hair like blood spread from the twisted, malicious visage that sat less than six inches from his face. His eyes bulged.

Eres had somehow gotten directly behind him without a single noise! She smiled sweetly, the two remaining fire bolts of her spell circling over her head like the crown of a demon lord. More than ever before, the illusion of the Head Monster seemed to appear behind her.

“Found you~”

A high-pitched, girlish shriek erupted from Leo, and he casted Blink on instinct. With a shower of electric sparks, he teleported thirty feet away. 

Unfortunately for him, in their duels, Eres had long become accustomed to his habits. 

Back and to the right like always, Young Master? Hehe…

Two bolts of fire darted forth, spearing towards Leo as soon as he reappeared. He looked up, flinching as he realized she’d guessed his exact move.

At that moment, a deluge of water fell from overhead, accompanied by the crack of thunder. Leo could only smile, thank the heavens, and light incense to his ancestors for saving him.

The rain that appeared with no warning extinguished the fire-bolts Eres had flung; the sheets of water smacked into the two of them with a frigid embrace.

Eres’s smile drooped, her eyes dimming. Her wand’s fire extinguished. She could still cast spells, but in something like this weather, they’d be significantly weaker.

Damn! Was this what she got for playing mono red?! Her spells were useless!

She gasped, looking at Leo. The Young Master had climbed to his feet, chest trembling with laughter. He approached her, dusting off his shoulder as his body soaked in the rain. 

He had to raise his voice to be heard above the sudden heavenly interference. “Eres, it seems I am the protagonist.”

Leo raised his wand, crackles of electricity trailing from the edge. The bolts spread out to nearby rain droplets in blue threads, disappearing as the water fell to the ground. 

Eres raised her hands toward him, signaling surrender. “Y-Young master, you can’t afford to upset me!”

Leo smirked. “Hmm~ why does this lowly maid think so? Call me Father and maybe I’ll let you off with a zap.”

Eres curtsied. “Father, this young maid has been too presumptuous.”

Leo chuckled, walking closer. “Such professional courtesy deserves a reward.”

Eres’s eyes followed the tip of his wand as it approached her. She could barely blink before a tiny static charge zapped her nose.

“Ack!”

She raised a finger at him, covering her nose with the other hand. “Young Bastard, you have no sense of propriety! I won’t be drying you off with my magic now!”

Leo snorted. “Why would I need you? There’s plenty of wood.”

“Soaked! Soaked wood! Have fun starting a fire with no fire magic! I hope your hands fall off!”

This silly maid. Had she forgotten he could start fire with a lightning spell? He shook his head. “You have no bargaining chips, dear Eres. You can only show me your belly and hope I won’t toss you to the wolves.”

She flinched. This kid, why couldn’t he just obediently accept her words?! This was bad. Could she get out of this one alive? She eyed his sparking wand, swallowing.

“W-what would the Young Master need to accept this maid’s apology?”

A mocking, smug smile fell over his face. “Hmm? I only ask what you’ve promised, Eres.”

“?”

“Didn’t you offer me a lap pillow earlier?”

“…You’re sick.”

He shrugged. “You can dry us off too. If you do well, I won’t even deduct your salary when we get back.”

Ugh…! What situation was this?! Eres stumbled, bracing herself against a tree. Even the heavens were conspiring against her! Rain at a time like this! She, a brave, intelligent, modest, powerful fire mage reduced to a common worker because of a single cloud…

Should she give up on learning only fire spells? Impossible. What use was magic if you didn’t have style? Even colonels could be useless on rainy days, so long as they were cool on others. 

Eres wilted. With dead eyes, she looked around. A root from a tree stuck up a significant degree, making a large enough overhang for them to sit. The area underneath was blessfully covered in a light layer of grass, rather than dirt. 

Eres walked over to it, sat, stretched her legs out, and looked at Leo. She patted her leg. Let’s just get this over with.

Leo sauntered over, smiled at her, and dropped to the ground, shamelessly planting his head on her leg. He crossed his arms over his chest, adjusted his legs, and smiled up at her. 

His back was soaked from the ground now, and covered in detritus. All told, he was rather uncomfortable. When he saw the annoyed, aggrieved expression on Eres, though, he couldn’t help but feel it was worth it. 

“Dry me off, please.”

Eres’s brow furrowed. “Am I a hairdryer?”

“No,” Leo said, smiling, “Right now you’re an heir-dryer.”

Eres looked down at him, speechless. Had her young master always been this much of a dumbass? She was suddenly worried about the ducal family.

She frowned, but summoned a fire to her wand, letting its heat wash over them.

“Maybe I should have your mom adopt me, then take over your position.”

Eres looked down at him. “I’ll exile you.”

Leo snorted. “That might work. I think she likes you more than me. Didn’t even hug me…”

“Mama’s boy.”

He smiled up at her. “How could I hate my mother? She even supports our marriage.”

Eres’s nose wrinkled. True. That overbearing woman would sooner see her married in than adopted in. 

They warmed themselves in silence, listening to the rain. Eres resisted the urge to plunge her wand up the little bastard’s nose every time he smirked at her, but otherwise it was rather peaceful. 

Under the heated comfort that built with the wall behind them, she even began to doze off. 

Leo, smiling at the scene of her nodding head, chuckled. His amusement turned to brief panic when her hand lowered, the fire coming dangerously close to his uniform. 

He raised his hand, catching her wrist. The girl slumped back; her head tilted as she fell asleep. Her spell went out. 

Leo snorted, laid her hand in her lap, and sat next to her. Falling asleep in the wilderness; she was too relaxed. She fell to the side, bumping against his shoulder.

Her loud snores practically vibrated the overhang. 

Leo adjusted his shoulder, getting comfortable. He cast a glance at her before looking out at the rain. 

“Damn brat…”

Leo didn’t notice the smile that crept across his face.