Lunamaria’s activation of Maid Burst sent the venue’s excitement to a fever pitch, though naturally, some in the crowd remained utterly bewildered. Wearing an indescribable expression, Akane turned to Frau beside her for an explanation.
“...Frau, what on earth is a Maid Burst? I can tell everyone is losing their minds, but I’m lost.”
“Maid Burst is a technique where one ignites their Maid Spirit—the very core of the Maidric Aura—allowing them to temporarily manifest Maid Power that transcends their natural limits," Frau explained. "A Maid Burst represents the true form of a maid striving for their ideals. It is said that those who trigger it witness an Ideal Maid Vision of the pinnacle they aspire to, and they reproduce that ideal by pushing past their own boundaries. By its very nature, a maid cannot activate a Maid Burst without a vivid mental image of their ideal. Above all, it is a demanding technique that requires a profound Maid Memory—the weight of the countless days spent cultivating one's craft. However, since a Maid Burst is a double-edged sword that consumes a massive amount of Maidric Aura, it is truly a life-or-death—”
“...Why?! Why does every explanation of a word I don’t know just spawn three more words I don’t know?! Stop it, seriously! I haven't even finished processing the first batch... Anyway, is this Maidric Aura something you just use up like mana?”
“...Chairman, surely you're joking. I know you enjoy a bit of humor, but if you continue asking questions that spit in the face of common sense, the people around us will start looking at you like you're mad.”
“It’s the common sense of your world!! I’m not from around here!!”
Kaito and Lilia nodded in solemn agreement... but unfortunately, the vast majority of those present were citizens of the Maid World. The three of them felt a more crushing sense of being on the ‘away team’ than they ever had before.
They eventually gave up on trying to understand the logic and simply watched Lunamaria’s battle. In the arena, the opponent, Anne, wore a fearless smile as she faced Lunamaria, who was emitting a faint, shimmering glow.
“I see... but don’t think you can look down on me!”
『Oh, what’s this?! Player Anne has activated her Maid Burst as well! As a veteran of the craft, she is naturally capable of the feat... In that case, Chairman Ein, what decides this match?』
『Indeed. Their respective Maid Visions... the ideal forms they manifest will determine the victor.』
In contrast to the silver-white light Lunamaria was clad in, Anne was draped in a golden radiance. In the stands, Akane muttered with distant, hollow eyes, “Why are they glowing?” but her voice was drowned out by the roar of the crowd.
Anne quickly lined up her ingredients and began preparing them with movements that were almost beautiful to behold.
“...I’m sorry, but you have no hope of winning," Anne declared. "I have spent years honing my skills under Lady Alexandra. The form I reproduce through my Maid Vision is, naturally, Lady Alexandra’s own technique! The precision of a Maid Vision depends on how intimately one knows their ideal. Even if you were to manifest Lady Alexandra’s vision, you couldn't possibly—!?”
Anne was about to declare her victory with absolute certainty, but she stopped mid-sentence, her eyes widening in sheer shock. Lunamaria had begun to cook, and as Anne watched her movements, cold sweat began to pour down her neck.
(W-What is this...? This overwhelming pressure emanating from her Maid Vision is absurd! And those fluid movements... Impossible! How can this be? I, who should be perfectly channeling Lady Alexandra’s vision... am terrified?!)
As she watched Lunamaria work, Anne’s body began to tremble involuntarily. She could feel a terrifying power within the ideal that lay beyond the vision Lunamaria was manifesting.
While Anne struggled to process the situation, the Super Maid watching the battle from another location—Alexandra—whispered with a calm, focused gaze.
“...She has no chance. The Maid Vision that Lunamaria-san is picturing is far, far superior to my own. So much so that even with a Maid Burst, her current skills can’t perfectly reproduce it... And yet, even through that incomplete vision, I can feel a level of Maid Power that is entirely off the charts... Who on earth is she modeling herself after?”
“Heh, allow me to enlighten you," Beatrice said, standing nearby. "The woman in that vision is the mentor who taught the basics of the trade to both Lunamaria and myself. Since she has never participated in Maid Olympia, it is only natural you wouldn't recognize her.”
“Beatrice-san? Now that you mention it, you did say you had a mentor... To think such a person existed outside the ranks of the Super Maids. I’m surprised, but this is becoming quite the spectacle.”
At Beatrice’s words, Alexandra wore a somewhat predatory smile. Excluding Ein, Alexandra was considered to have the highest Maid Power in the world. Learning that there was someone whose skills exceeded her own seemed to bring her joy alongside her shock.
Beside her, Beatrice watched Lunamaria’s growth with a gentle smile.
(...You’ve grown, Lunamaria. You still can't perfectly reproduce Illness-sensei’s techniques, but even so, compared to the days when you were being trained by her in the royal castle, you are unrecognizable. If it’s you... you might eventually reach the realm of the Super Maids. Heh, I look forward to it.)
Serious-senpai: “This is probably the most ‘serious’ battle we've seen, and the way these experts are talking sounds like a high-stakes drama... but then I remember they’re maids, and the feeling just evaporates. Also, I’m with Akane on this one. Stop making up maid jargon...”