Gravel sprayed as I lunged forward.
I sprinted in a straight line toward the approaching cluster of black and brown shadows—a pack of Grave Hounds.
"I’m going in first!"
Lene burst ahead of me with incredible explosive force.
The moment she raised her right hand, the air distorted and light began to converge. The gathering radiance took the shape of a massive blade, and soon, a greatsword exceeding her own height manifested in Lene’s hand.
It was an overwhelming mass of weight, consisting of a heavy steel blade and a silver hilt—a weapon an ordinary person would struggle even to lift. Though Lene was a girl of her age who loved cute things, the manifested greatsword was a rugged piece of hardware, the polar opposite of her personal tastes.
Shouldering such a thing with one hand as if it were the most natural thing in the world made her look less like a maid and more like a war demon.
(As always, that’s some terrifying strength...)
I watched her back as she charged into the pack of monsters, weapon in hand.
I wondered when it had all begun—the moment she first said, "I want to become strong!"
Pleading that she never wanted to lose anything precious again, she had eventually joined the knights serving the Duke’s house to swing a wooden sword.
She stood back up even when she fell and became covered in mud. No matter how many blisters formed on her hands, she continued to swing that sword day after day, never tiring of the repetition. Before we knew it, she had graduated from the wooden sword to that massive greatsword, leaving both me and the adults utterly stunned.
Through that relentless effort, she had reached a level of skill where a novice knight was no longer a match for her.
"Hah!"
The moment the three Grave Hounds leading the pack pounced, Lene swung her greatsword with the casual ease of a girl handling a wooden stick.
The horizontal sweep unleashed a roar, creating a shockwave that crushed the air and slaughtered the three beasts in a single stroke. Their heads and torsos parted ways as they were sent flying; they were dead before they even hit the ground.
"Ha!"
Without a moment’s pause, she stepped in, using the returning arc of her blade to slaughter the next target.
If they jumped at her, she struck them down. If they tried to close in through a gap in her swings, she countered with her feet or fists. Her fighting style was pure barbarian.
Who the hell taught her to fight like that...?
Reflecting on this, I concentrated my mana and extended my palm toward Lene.
"Strength Boost, Skeletal Armor, Nerve Acceleration, Vitality Activation...! Go wild!"
A faint light enveloped Lene.
The spells I cast were, essentially, physical enhancements. Her attack power, defense, reflexes, and stamina would each jump several times over.
She glanced back at me for a fleeting second.
"Yes!"
With that single acknowledgement, she charged back into the fray.
Her speed was now several levels higher than before, and the explosive power behind her greatsword had intensified. The roar that accompanied every swing grew significantly louder, and the number of monster carcasses sent flying increased exponentially.
A one-woman army. The phrase crossed my mind, as unsuited for a maid as it was.
Perhaps intimidated by a monster like Lene, a few members of the pack turned their attention toward me in the rear. They were underestimating me. It seemed they couldn't even grasp why Lene hadn't bothered to break her own stride to intercept them.
"They're just monsters after all... I suppose beasts lack the intelligence to know better."
I raised my left hand and took aim at the approaching Grave Hounds.
I opted for fire magic. Out of the six attributes existing in this world—fire, water, lightning, wind, light, and darkness—it was the choice I expected to be most effective against beast-type monsters.
Fired with minimal output and consumption, the fire bullets were drawn into their foreheads like a vacuum, piercing straight through.
I didn't even need to confirm the kills; they were dead instantly.
In game terms, I suppose you'd call those critical hits. Or perhaps just hitting a weak point for massive damage. In my case, I was doing it intentionally, so it wasn't a matter of luck.
"It's plain, but this is the most efficient way."
Muttering to myself, I went about slaughtering the monsters with cool detachment.
After taking care of the ones approaching me, I shifted to long-range magic attacks, weaving them through the gaps in Lene's strikes.
Lene mowed down the individuals at close range, and I shot down any that tried to flee.
A dozen or so seconds later, the extermination was complete.
"...Phew."
Lene gave the greatsword a light swing to clear the blood. Once the rugged, giant mass of iron vanished into shards of light, she came trotting over to me.
"Rai-sama!"
"Hm?"
"Are you injured!?"
"No, I'm fine thanks to you, Lene."
Unsatisfied with my verbal confirmation, Lene began patting and touching every inch of my body to check for herself. Her overprotectiveness was truly on full display.
Shoulders, arms, chest, waist, legs. She even circled around to my back to check, and finally seeming satisfied, she looked up at me with wide, searching eyes.
"A-Are you really sure...?"
"Yeah."
"...Thank goodness."
Lene let out a sigh of relief, a soft smile appearing on her face that made her look like a completely different person from the warrior she was seconds ago.
Where had that cold, blade-like intensity gone? I gave a wry smile at her usual atmosphere and decided it was my turn to check on her.
"What about you, Lene? Are you hurt anywhere?"
"Yes! I am perfectly fine!"
Lene replied instantly, puffing out her chest with pride.
She spun around on the spot once. As her skirt fluttered, I saw that her maid uniform was free of blood splatter and mud. It looked as pristine as if it were brand new.
To finish it off, she flashed a beaming smile and declared, "See? I'm as fit as a fiddle!"
It was a smile that made it hard to believe she was the same girl who had been obliterating monsters just moments ago.
Are they really the same person? I let out a small laugh and took a step forward.
I placed my hand lightly on her light-brown hair.
"You're strong, Lene. Honestly, I left almost everything to you. You really saved me."
As I gently stroked her head while voicing my honest thoughts, Lene’s face slowly flushed a deep vermillion. Watching the color spread from her ears to her neck was quite a sight.
"U-Um... well..."
"Yeah?"
"T-That's only natural... After all, I am... Rai-sama's Personal Maid... I became strong for Rai-sama's sake... so hearing you say that... makes me very happy."
Lene spoke with shimmering eyes, fidgeting with her fingers.
She then took my hand and pressed it against her cheek. Her skin was smooth, a different texture than her hair, and it felt so pleasant I wanted to keep my hand there forever.
"I’m glad. I’ll be counting on you from now on, too."
"...Yes."
As I enjoyed the feel of her soft skin for a moment, Lene's shoulder suddenly twitched.
I worried for a second that she had disliked the contact, but that didn't seem to be the case.
"...R-Rai-sama!"
"What's wrong?"
Her gaze shifted over my shoulder.
Feeling the sweet atmosphere vanish instantly, I turned around and spotted two figures further down the highway.
There was a red-haired youth with a sword in hand, and a girl with sky-blue hair carrying twin swords.
"Whoa..."
"Looks like they didn't need us at all..."
The two stood there in a daze, weapons still gripped in their hands. They looked exactly like people who had intended to jump in and help, only to find the fight was over before they could start.
"...W-Who are those people?"
Lene tilted her head curiously, but I already knew them.
That red hair, and the longsword—his starting equipment—that he was holding. There was no mistaking it. He was the protagonist of the world of CHOICE // MAZE.
Seeing him in the flesh was moving; he looked exactly like the character portraits, event CGs, and battle sprites I had seen countless times.
And then there was the girl with the swaying sky-blue hair beside him.
Her name was Ciel. She was the protagonist's childhood friend and partner, and—in the original game—she was the girl destined to be the very first victim.
"Rai-sama?"
Lene looked up at me curiously as I stood frozen, staring at them.
"...Um, by any chance, are they acquaintances of yours?"
"No... I just felt like I’d seen them somewhere before. Just a feeling."
When I gave her a vague answer, Lene tilted her head and murmured, "Is that so?" but she didn't pursue the matter any further.