And so, Hulim wove through the golems with effortless agility. She didn’t launch a single attack herself, yet the golems’ injuries piled up at a startling pace.

  Once the first golem was knocked down by its comrades, the rest followed suit one by one in less than ten minutes. In the end, only one golem remained—its body covered in cracks, its movements stiff and jerky—still trudging relentlessly toward Hulim.

  Hulim had no choice but to drain her dwindling mana reserves and finish it off herself.

  When the dust settled, leaving nothing but a field of shattered golem wreckage, Hulim collapsed to the ground. She hadn’t felt it during the fight, but the moment the battle ended, the aftereffects hit her like a ton of bricks. Her muscles screamed in protest after the high-intensity combat, and she didn’t even have the strength to lift a single finger.

  “Whoa, you’re so tired you can’t even talk?~”

  Semiris seemed completely oblivious to Hulim’s murderous glare, continuing to tease her mercilessly.

  “Alright, alright, I’ll patch you up~. Restore!”

  A soft green glow washed over Hulim’s body. The searing pain that had wracked her muscles vanished in an instant, and her strength surged back, making her feel even more energized than before the fight.

  “Heave-ho!”

  Hulim flipped herself upright in one smooth motion.

  She stretched her limbs, testing her range of motion. She felt absolutely perfect—no, better than perfect. It was almost like her body had grown stronger from the ordeal.

  She shot Semiris a sidelong glance.

  Hmm...... She’s actually pretty reliable when it counts. I guess I can’t stay mad at her for too long.

  “See? Good as new, right?”

  Semiris puffed out her chest proudly, watching Hulim flex her muscles.

  “......”

  Take back everything I just thought. Seeing that smug grin makes the anger flare right back up again.

  “Hey...... Semiris.”

  Hulim spoke up, her voice flat.

  “Oh? What’s up, Hulim? If you want to thank me, don’t be shy—I’ll graciously accept your gratitude!”

  “Were you by any chance...... extremely unpopular back in Tiramsuin?”

  “Huh?! How did you—— Wait, no! That’s not true at all! Where did you hear such nonsense?! It’s all just rumors! Don’t believe a word of it!”

  Semiris’s composure shattered instantly. She flailed her arms in panic, her wings beating so fast they became a blur behind her.

  Hulim: “......So it is true.”

  “It’s not! I told you it’s just rumors——!”

  Semiris insisted vehemently, her cheeks puffing up with indignation.

  “I am the great Fairy Queen! The most powerful being beneath the gods! It’s only natural that those fools in Tiramsuin respect me too much to approach me! It’s definitely not because I don’t have any friends! Definitely not——!!”

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  Semiris stared at Hulim with an intense, almost desperate gaze, as if trying to force her to believe the lie.

  Hulim opened her mouth, then closed it again. Finally, she adopted Semiris’s signature monotone, deadpan voice and said,

  “Ah—— I see...... Mm-hmm, I totally get it now! Crystal clear!”

  “Really? You really understand?”

  There was obvious doubt in Semiris’s eyes.

  “Uh-huh, really, really!”

  Hulim droned on in that same flat tone.

  “It’s definitely not because your personality is insufferable that you have no friends in Tiramsuin and everyone hates you! It’s because they respect you so much that they keep their distance, making you look lonely! I get it! Books say that the strong always walk alone! So Semiris definitely doesn’t care at all! Right?”

  “Ah......”

  “Uh...... Y-yeah. That’s right.”

  “Exactly! That’s how it is! After all, I’m the strongest! Ahaha...... Ahahaha......”

  Semiris hesitated, her words trailing off awkwardly. She fumbled for a response, then finally conceded, forcing a laugh that sounded hollow and forced. Her expression was a tangled mess of emotions—guilt at being found out, sadness at having her secret laid bare, and stubborn pride that refused to let her admit defeat. It was a look impossible to put into words.

  She looks really lonely.

  Hulim suddenly felt a twinge of guilt. She’d known full well that with Semiris’s personality, she couldn’t possibly have many friends. Poking fun at her like that out of anger was low—even if it had been incredibly effective.

  Watching Semiris’s dejected slump, Hulim decided to change the subject.

  “By the way, Semiris—why did you suddenly crank up the training difficulty so much?”

  “Huh? Oh, that. Well, I figured you’re already pretty good at dealing with monsters. It’s about time you started training against some more specialized opponents.”

  “So that’s why you picked golems?”

  “Bingo! Golems may be man-made, but they’re surprisingly tough to take down. I’m sure you felt that firsthand just now.”

  “I definitely did......”

  “Exactly! I thought if you can handle foes this tricky, it’ll make for some excellent training!”

  “Semiris...... Did you even stop to consider what would happen if I failed?”

  “Failed?”

  Semiris tilted her head in confusion.

  “But you didn’t fail, did you?”

  Hulim: “......”

  Semiris: “?”

  Hulim stared at Semiris in dead silence.

  So you really didn’t even think about the possibility of me failing? I came this close to dying! So many times I genuinely thought I was going to bite the dust! I’m such an idiot for feeling sorry for you just now! A total, hopeless idiot......

  “......Is it really that late already?”

  After a long, loaded silence, Hulim suddenly looked up at the sky and muttered.

  “Oh! It is!”

  Semiris glanced up at the setting sun, then turned to Hulim with a bright smile. “You should head home now, Hulim!”

  “Right.” Hulim nodded, then waved at Semiris. “See you tomorrow!”

  “See you tomorrow~!”

  Semiris waved back, watching Hulim’s figure as it gradually faded into the forest. Once Hulim’s back was completely out of sight, she lowered her hand, and a soft, thoughtful murmur escaped her lips. “She’s growing so fast......”

  Semiris hadn’t told Hulim the real reason she’d increased the training difficulty.

  And that reason was now displayed clearly in front of her eyes, in a glowing, invisible status panel only she could see.

  【Hulim Heyerar

  Race: Human (Female)

  Age: 9 Years Old

  Vitality: D+ Rank

  Mana: C Rank (new!)

  Magic Affinity:

  Fire Affinity - S Rank (Blessing of the Fairy Queen)

  Water Affinity - S Rank (Blessing of the Fairy Queen)

  Earth Affinity - S Rank (Blessing of the Fairy Queen)

  Wind Affinity - S Rank (Blessing of the Fairy Queen)

  Light Affinity - S Rank (Blessing of the Fairy Queen)

  Dark Affinity - S Rank (Blessing of the Fairy Queen)

  Non-Elemental Affinity - S Rank (Blessing of the Fairy Queen)

  ......

  】

  “Aww~. I originally planned to let her fight more monsters to gain experience. But with her growing this quickly, is there even any point in training her against foes below C Rank anymore~?”

  Semiris glanced back at the scattered golem wreckage on the ground.

  “It looks like...... there really isn’t.”