I Became the Maid of the Lout Prince

Chapter 278

It had been about a week since Lizzy, who had no idea that the Witch’s Trial involved such an embarrassing display, sat on the altar next to Lara.

Unlike the chaotic commotion of the first day, by now, no one paid much attention to the naked figures of Lizzy and Lara on the altar. The sight of the two sitting there had simply become part of the daily landscape in the forest.

"Lilith, something’s coming from the direction of the lake. Can you snipe it with magic?"

"Yeah, no problem. This is easy now."

-Swoosh!

‘Screeech!’

-Splash!

"You're getting better at this, Lilith. I remember back then, you used to need triple casting just to hit something like that."

"That was so long ago. It’s been a year and a half since I joined the Academy. I should be able to handle this much by now."

With our backs turned to the altar, we casually chatted while handling any approaching threats. I usually dealt with aerial or aquatic monsters while Ethan took care of those on the ground. When I wasn’t with Ethan, we might swap roles depending on the situation.

By now, the naked forms of Lizzy and Lara were just another part of the forest scenery to us.

‘It’s strange how something that felt so provocative at first now seems so normal after seeing it repeatedly.’

In the game, events like this always felt a bit titillating. But Luminor Academy never actually showed the full month-long trial in real time. If it had, it would’ve been more tedious than anything, rather than exciting.

‘Lizzy seems to have moved past her embarrassment, too.’

The forest’s energy was slowly transforming Lizzy into a witch, and at the same time, filling her mind with the witches' pharmacological knowledge. The magic of the Witches’ Forest wasn’t just about the forest’s vitality—it carried the knowledge of the witches who had lived and passed away here, passed down to their successors along with some of their remaining life force.

Thanks to this, neither hunger nor fatigue troubled Lizzy or Lara. Their minds were likely too busy absorbing knowledge, akin to being taught by thousands of professors for a whole month.

The barrier created by the Elders kept leaves and insects from bothering them, allowing them to focus on their trial without distraction.

‘By the end of this, Lizzy might really become a powerhouse in this world. She could even become a hidden card in the fight against the Demon King.’

As I’d mentioned before, one of the main problems with “Witch Lara” in Luminor Academy was that she wasn’t an official “heroine.” In the game, a “heroine” meant a female character you could add to your party, and Lara, despite her exceptional skills as a pharmacologist, was only a one-time fling.

But if Lizzy became a fully-fledged witch and could join the hero’s party, she might bring a new approach to defeating the Demon King.

‘A witch who can act as a combat support and cover Lilith’s absence in battle might not be a bad idea.’

At the very least, if that stubborn protagonist tried to replace me in the party again, I could use Lizzy as leverage, proving that she could substitute for Lilith. That might buy me some time.@@@@

In about two weeks, that guy would probably show up here in the forest. If I could just get through this trial and deal with him, the long summer event would finally come to an end.

‘If he keeps spouting nonsense about not wanting the Saintess’s power, I’ll just have to force-feed it to him myself.’

The hero’s party consisted of four members, including the protagonist himself.

The members were:

Hero (Gerald)Saintess (Serista)Archer (Selenna)Princess (Seraphin)

Only three clear heroines, including the protagonist, had come to the forest this time. The others who were in more ambiguous positions in terms of story relevance had been left behind.

‘Well, this event wasn’t in the original game, so it makes sense.’

I wasn’t sure what combination of events they’d dealt with in the northern plains, but they had likely gone through their own challenges. Their journey involved handling noble power struggles, small-scale battles, and duels. They probably needed some time to recover.

Only the heroines who were most deeply tied to the hero, either through love or rivalry, had followed him here.

“S-Seraphin? What are you doing here...?”

“I came for the regular trade run with the witches, of course. Also, the hero said it was important to help Miss Lara with her Witch’s Trial.”

“I-I thought you were in the northern plains...”

“We were. It was a tough trip. But what are you doing here, Antonio?”

“I-I... naturally, I followed Lady Agnes when she came to the Witches’ Forest...”

“...He tagged along, despite my telling him not to.”

“Haa, Antonio. You’re going to drive me crazy. And that’s not how you approach women...”

“S-Seraphin...”

“...Princess, perhaps you could have this conversation a little farther away?”

Seraphin wasted no time scolding Antonio, with Sir Colt pulling them away to give them some privacy.

Meanwhile, Agnes exchanged a few brief greetings with the other two heroines from the hero’s party, leaving the hero himself to approach me.

“Is the event going well? Where’s Ethan?”

“The trial’s in its fourth week. About one week left. Ethan’s guarding the altar with Karaham.”

“...Karaham? You mean the Karaham from the Auguste family?”

“Do you know any other Karaham in Luminor Academy?”

“I know, I know, but why is he helping with Lara’s trial...?”

The hero seemed perplexed by the fact that an event was happening without his knowledge.

Rather than explaining everything, I figured it would be faster to just show him.