I, the spiritual mentor of beautiful girls from all over the world

In the stillness of the night, candlelight flickered in Louise's room.

"Louise, it's been a long time. You seem to have changed a lot."

Henrietta sat on the sofa, the elegant and noble princess looking at her childhood sweetheart with a look of satisfaction.

"There are many things in your eyes that I have never seen before."

"That is... the radiance of confidence."

"Have it?"

Louise touched her face somewhat embarrassedly; only in front of Henrietta could she let down all her guard.

Henrietta was one of her few friends who truly viewed her without any prejudice.

"Of course."

Henrietta smiled, then changed the subject, her eyes revealing intense curiosity.

“I heard rumors about your familiar on my way here.”

She read out the titles that circulated in the academy.

"'The commoner's holy sword'... 'A monster that can fight eight opponents at once'..."

“They all say he is the strongest familiar in the history of Tristine.”

When Lynn was mentioned, Louise straightened her back instantly, and her delicate face radiated undisguised pride and self-satisfaction.

"He's not a monster!"

She solemnly corrected him, "Lynn... he is a gift bestowed upon me by the First Ancestor!"

"He is sacred, powerful, and beautiful—the most perfect familiar in the world!"

Seeing her almost fanatical appearance, Henrietta became even more curious.

She had never seen Louise admire someone so much.

"Then...can I see him?"

However, Louise's first reaction to the princess's request was to refuse outright.

"No."

Henrietta was stunned.

The Louise she remembered, though stubborn, had never refused her request with such a resolute attitude.

Realizing her lapse in composure, Louise quickly explained, "No, Henrietta, that's not what I meant..."

She instinctively reached out, wanting to touch the faintly visible familiar mark on the back of her left hand.

But just as his fingertips were about to touch her, they suddenly stopped, as if burned.

Henrietta could see the inner turmoil in her hesitation and struggle.

Under Henrietta's tender gaze, Louise finally let down her guard and whispered the secret that belonged only to her and him.

"...He comes from another world."

"I don't want to...I don't want to bother him over such a trivial matter..."

"He has more important things to deal with."

Her voice grew softer and softer, carrying a deep sense of inferiority that she herself was unaware of.

"And...I'm scared..."

“I was afraid that he would think I was a useless scabbard that only depended on him.”

"I'm afraid he'll think I can't do anything right..."

Henrietta was completely stunned.

The familiar comes from another world?

Scabbard?

These words were completely beyond her comprehension as a princess.

Looking at the girl in front of her, whose eyes were filled with adoration and unease, she felt a surge of emotions.

She finally understood where Louise's change came from.

That's not simply about having a powerful familiar.

Instead, beneath that power, they are gently and carefully protected.

“It seems that the familiar is something very important to you,” Henrietta remarked.

Louise shook her head firmly upon hearing this.

She raised her head, and her peach-colored eyes shone with an unprecedented, dazzling light in the candlelight.

"Do not."

"He is not important to me."

Her voice wasn't loud, but it was firm and resonant.

"He is the most important person to me."

Henrietta's heart was gently touched by those words, by that emotion, and by that ray of light.

Looking at her friend, she suddenly felt even more curious about the familiar man she had never met.

What kind of person could make the Valier family's third daughter, who was so insecure to the core, say such a thing?

"So, will you summon him for tomorrow's Familiar Showcase?" Henrietta asked.

Louise hesitated.

Of course she does.

She never dreamed of it.

She's been missing him terribly for the past month.

She wanted to see him again, even if only for a second.

But the thought of him, so noble and divine, being displayed like a pet to everyone alongside those lowly magical beasts…

To be judged and criticized by those ignorant students...

What an insult that was to him.

Seeing that she did not answer, Henrietta did not press the matter further. The two chatted for a while longer before the princess rose to take her leave.

The room fell silent once more.

night, deeper.

Louise curled up on her large bed, gently stroking the almost imperceptible mark on the back of her left hand with her fingertips, again and again.

She could feel that faint yet resilient contractual connection that transcended endless time and space.

That was her only solace during that month.

It was the only piece of driftwood she could grab when she was drowning.

She placed the back of her hand on her cheek and closed her eyes.

It was as if such a gesture could allow her to feel the warmth of his hand and the comfort of his embrace from that day.

next second.

Tears, finally, betrayed me and slid down my cheeks, soaking the soft pillow.

"My sword..."

She buried her face deep in the soft pillow and, in a voice barely audible to herself, a voice heavy with sobs, uttered the most humble plea of ​​her life.

“Lynn…”

"I miss you so much…"

The voice was so soft that even she could barely hear it.

3.3 She dared not call out loudly.

I'm afraid he might actually hear it.

She feared that her longing would become a burden to him.

She feared that her useless scabbard might disturb the divine sword's peaceful slumber.

She could only vent her overwhelming, pent-up emotions—the pent-up feelings that threatened to burst her apart—in this most humble and pitiful way.

Love.

The pillow was quickly soaked with scalding tears.

But the cold fabric offered her no comfort.

In the darkness, Louise suddenly sat up in bed.

Barefoot, she stepped onto the cold floor, like a lost sleepwalker, and walked step by step to the corner of the room.

There, a set of bedding was neatly folded.

He folded it himself the day he left.

For the past month, she has cleaned the room every day, but she has not allowed the maid to touch it at all.

This is the only trace he left behind.

The girl reached out her trembling hand and carefully, as if handling a rare treasure, picked up the quilt.

Then, disregarding everything, she buried her small face deeply, deeply into the water.

The fabric had long since lost its warmth.

Even the comforting, refreshing scent that had once made her feel at ease had long since dissipated into the air.

Nothing at all.

But she clung to the last piece of driftwood like a drowning person, desperately and greedily breathing, as if that would deceive herself into believing that he was still by her side.

“Lynn…”

"I miss you so much…"

"When...are you...coming back...?"

Finally, the grievances and longing that had been suppressed for a month burst forth at this moment.

The girl hugged the cold blanket and squatted on the ground.

Like a child abandoned by the whole world, curled up into a small ball, letting out a suppressed sob that could no longer be contained.

The cries were so humble, they were like dust in the wind.

Yet it is so intensely hot that it could burn the entire world.

Chapter 118: The 54th Floor! The Desperate Black-Clad Swordsman

Aincrad.

Fifty-fourth floor.

Time has been trapped here for fifteen days.

This is an unprecedented record.

From the very first floor, the team had never been blocked for so long on any floor before.

The continuous failures over the past two weeks have not only depleted resources but are also eroding everyone's morale.

At this moment, the dim firelight inside the temporary base of the raiding team illuminated faces etched with exhaustion and solemnity.

"No, the Boss's 'Corruption and Decay' is an area-of-effect attack; there's nowhere to dodge it! Our front-line tanks can't withstand three rounds of attacks!"

A shield warrior from the Knights of the Blood Oath spoke in a dry voice, repeating this line countless times over the past two weeks.

"The healing mana isn't keeping up either; this plan has failed three times already," another person added, their voice filled with unbearable despair.