Chapter 4

In the light of the firewood, Lady Shina's sleeping face looked so young that it was hard to believe she had reached adulthood. She looked like a child who had just turned ten. Her cheeks were thin, her arms and legs were emaciated, and her chest was sunken. Her face was always pale from lack of sleep and overwork. However, due to the constant activation of holy magic for her own recovery, her movements were lively, making her appear as a slightly underweight but energetic young girl. In the Glass Forest extermination team, she worked harder than anyone else for the soldiers. She even advocated for better treatment of the lower-ranking soldiers in front of Prince Lector and Deputy Captain Greed.

There was no way such a kind and noble Lady Shina would attempt to kill a marquise's daughter. How could the third prince and the soldiers, who had seen Lady Shina for the past five years, suspect her of such a plot?

I first met Lady Shina four years ago. I had some skills but, due to my mixed-race appearance, I had no place to work. I joined the Glass Forest extermination team as a mercenary at that time.

There were few women in the extermination team, so I naturally took on the role of Lady Shina's guard and attendant. At that time, Lady Shina was 11 years old, thinner and smaller than she is now, and at an age where she still needed a little help from adults.

Even then, Lady Shina possessed extraordinary magical power as a holy maiden. She worked tirelessly on the battlefield every day, literally without a break. I learned that for the year since she was chosen as the holy maiden, she had not had a single day off. The monsters in the Glass Forest never stopped appearing, and the extermination could not be paused for a day. There was no one to replace the holy maiden, so it was inevitable that she had no days off. Seeing Lady Shina's weak smile, I felt angry.

Indeed, there was no one as skilled in recovery magic as the holy maiden. However, there were mages who could use recovery magic. If they took turns in the recovery role, Lady Shina could take a break. In such a large-scale team, it was unheard of for the recovery role to be handled by just one person.

I suggested this many times to Prince Lector, who was the leader of the extermination team and Lady Shina's fiancé, but it was rejected. According to Prince Lector and Deputy Captain Greed, the extermination of the Glass Forest would never end unless Lady Shina handled the recovery and the mages focused on attacking.

Moreover, Lady Shina was Prince Lector's fiancée. As a future member of the royal family, her living expenses were covered by the state, so there was no reward or salary for the extermination.

When I heard this, I was shocked. A girl who had not yet reached adulthood was being overworked without a single day off and without pay. The holy maiden was nothing more than a convenient slave.

At that time, Lady Shina was more obedient and compliant, and she followed the orders of Prince Lector and Deputy Captain Danan. She was still a child at 11 and did not seem to realize that her situation was abnormal.

I tried to stay as close to Lady Shina as possible. I felt sympathy for her, who was so thin and used by adults. Lady Shina treated me kindly, even though I was a mixed-race person and her fiancé's subordinate. She did not discriminate against me and treated me as a human being. When other soldiers insulted me, she would reprimand them.

Even apart from my job, I wanted to help Lady Shina. Despite her harsh circumstances, she cared for others, and I thought she was a kind girl. After she saved my life when I nearly died due to a mistake, my admiration turned to reverence. Lady Shina, with her heart and abilities, was undoubtedly a holy maiden. She was probably the most excellent holy maiden in history.

As I spent time with Lady Shina, five years passed. Just as Lady Shina reached adulthood and talks of her formal marriage to Prince Lector began, that woman appeared.

Cindia Ruruk, the marquise's daughter, was Prince Lector's childhood friend and, before Lady Shina was recognized as the holy maiden, was the most likely candidate to be his bride.

She suddenly claimed to have awakened her holy maiden powers and came to the Glass Forest, healing the soldiers on her own. From my perspective, her healing power was not comparable to Lady Shina's, but the simple-minded soldiers were moved by the noble lady's healing and did not notice the difference. It was also not good that Lady Shina secretly overlaid recovery magic. She was worried that the soldiers would not be in top condition on the battlefield, but from the soldiers' perspective, they appreciated the noble lady's healing more. Gradually, the truth was distorted, and rumors began to spread that Lady Shina's healing power had weakened.

Prince Lector also began to favor his childhood friend, the marquise's daughter. The deputy captain followed suit. After overworking Lady Shina, they turned their backs on her when the beautiful childhood friend arrived. Perhaps they never intended to make Lady Shina their bride from the beginning. The Daido Kingdom is strict about social status. Would they ever accept a commoner as a bride? Perhaps they gave Lady Shina the title of future princess to use her conveniently. If this prediction is correct, the country is rotten to the core.

The farcical attempted murder incident occurred, and Lady Shina was expelled from the team. I thought she would be depressed, but she became lively as if she had changed. I was worried that she still had some feelings for the foolish prince, but she did not seem sad. I did not understand, but she mentioned something about a black history. The obedient girl before the incident seemed to have transformed into a shrewd adult woman after the incident.

Then she began to perform numerous miracles. She completed the extermination of monsters alone, used magic to drain blood and process fur, and stored the prey with storage magic. She created armor and magic swords that boosted her magic and physical strength, and even invented a communication device that no one had ever heard of. Frankly, it was too extraordinary.

Lady Shina said that the shock of the broken engagement made her recall her previous life, where she lived as Aoki Shina until the age of 25. She claimed that she created the communication device based on the memories from that life, but it was a story I would not have believed if it were not for Lady Shina's words.

However, Lady Shina does not lie. If she says it is the truth, no matter how absurd the story, it is the truth to me.

I am Lady Shina's attendant and guard. I need nothing but loyalty to Lady Shina. I live for Lady Shina and will die for her. As long as I have this resolve, the rest is trivial.

Lady Shina aims to go to the neighboring country, Marita Kingdom, where she wants to live a modest and ordinary life. Her ability to unconsciously create magical items makes it easy to imagine that living a simple life as she wishes will be difficult, but I have decided to work hard to fulfill the wishes of this slightly eccentric but supreme master.