My Servant Is An Elf Knight From Another World

It was like being caught completely naked. Out in the busiest metropolis in the world, a billion pairs of eyes laser-focused on your pathetic excuse of meat and bones of a body. And they're judging you, and they're frowning at you, and they're shaking their heads at you. Just an utterly humiliating experience overall.

Actually, no, this ain't anything like that. Oh no, this was much worse.

Sure, I wasn't cheating. No form of infidelity was happening here. But I still would much rather take on those judgmental billions in all my bare glory than shamelessly flaunt my affection and lust toward one girl right in front of another girl I love.

It just feels… wrong.

"So you were here," Irene marched right up to Adalia, crossing her arms all disgruntled and just waiting to hear an excuse. "You could have shown yourself from the beginning, didn't have to wait until the very moment I called for you, did you?"

From the beginning? How long ago was 'from the beginning'? Is this seriously where she's been all along for the entire day she's been missing in action?

"I was… waiting here… like you told… me too…" Adalia began to explain. "I went to sleep… woke up… and you were… touching him… then after that… he started… touching you…" then with slow heavy blinks, she drifted her gaze back over to me. "I did not want… to disturb…"

Not a single hint of resentment, no note of accusation in her voice, and nothing but consideration in her intent… and yet still I wanted nothing more than to bury my head all the way down into the center of the earth.

"Tactful of you, but I think you should already know that it's not the time or place for that. We're here to train, nothing more," Irene whirled her eyes around to me too, only the shape of her scowl wasn't as kind as hers. "Isn't that right?"

I ignored her. She'll forgive me if I just wasn't in the right mind to answer any rhetorics at that moment.

"You're here to help train me, Adalia?" I asked even though it was plenty obvious already. Just needed the affirmation, I suppose. "Since when was this planned?"

"Yester…day…" Adalia answered. "Irene said… you needed help with… practice…"

Practice. She said the same thing last night too, didn't she? Sneaking up to my room, creeping into my bed, and practically collapsing right down beside me.

"I asked Adalia to be here to assist," Irene said. "For what I have in mind for you today, she's perfect for the task at hand."

"And for this thing you have in mind," I said, staring at them both and thinking up ways of just how Adalia could be involved. "You're not gonna pit me against her this time, are you? Trying to hit you was already bad enough."

"Even if I intend for that, you'd never succeed. You just simply aren't there yet. Not even close," she said with such certainty and little belief, it almost kinda stung. "But we're working on it. After today, you might just shorten that skill gap by a good margin."

Adalia was slowly creeping forward all the while, one lumbering inch forward at a time. Eventually, she reached her destination… which was right next to me. Almost routine by now, she took my left arm and squeezed it tight, resting herself against me and exhaling a sigh in quiet bliss.

"The sun's up," I noted, glancing down and seeing the midday light utterly engulf her entire being.

"Doesn't… hurt…" she said faintly. "Not… here…"

Magical wellspring, that's right. No reason for anything to hurt while we're here.

"Uh, about what you saw…"

"You got… aroused… distracted…" Adalia went and bluntly put it. "What… about… it…?"

"Nothing. Just… just wondering what you make of it."

"You… like… touching breasts…" was her most poignant and only observation apparently.

"Nope. Okay, never mind—forget I asked."

"You like… touching breasts… and yet…" Adalia peered up at me, soft, swirling eyes at a loss for an answer. "Why… do you never ask… to touch mine… when we're… home…?"

"Can I continue?" Irene spoke up, hands firmly on her hips and looking quite crossed. "Or do you want to keep the conversation going? I can wait if that's the case."

"No, continue," I quickly said. "You were saying?"

"Good. Anyway," Irene paused for a moment, the tone of her voice giving way to an impending lecture. "In Kronocia, there are many ways to gauge one's proficiency in their abilities." Her gaze addressed me squarely, and for some reason, I got the odd sense that she was also deliberately trying not to look at Adalia. "And when it comes to magic—proficiency could mean many things. Technique, dexterity, precision, nature. In academies, they would employ a great number of methods to test your mastery in each aspect. But today we will be only testing one: your potency."

"Potency," I repeated back, doing my best to follow along. "So… does that mean we're going to be testing how powerful my magic is or something?"

"Precisely," she nodded. "You can be a fast caster, maybe you could know how to use the most complicated of spells, but if you don't have the power to properly wield them, then all your efforts would just wind up being severely lacking."

I thought about all the things I've done with my magic so far. From subjugating Ash to shattering my mother's barrier around our house. Don't wanna sound too arrogant… but when it comes to potency, it doesn't really seem like I'm exactly lacking on that front.

"Now, you don't need me to tell you just how strong your magic is already," Irene said, taking the words right out of my head. "Yours is strong. Very strong. Strength and feats rivaling that of a Magus with decades of experience. But I wouldn't be telling you all this if I knew you couldn't be even stronger. Given your heritage, what you'd inherited… there's no way you can't be."

I felt a sudden movement to my left, and giving a look, I saw the sharp tips of Adalia's nails raised up and high along with the rest of her arm.

"Yes?" Irene furrowed her brows at her, sounding like a slightly slighted substitute teacher being rudely interrupted. "Something you want to add?"

"Can I… show it to him… now…?"

"Later, Adalia. He still needs to be taught how—"

"You talk… too much…"

"Oh, really?" She furrowed them even more now. "Was anything I said just then unnecessary or pointless in any way?"

Adalia took a moment to think. "No… you just… talk too… much…"

It was plenty clear from the look on her face that Irene didn't like getting critiqued on her tutoring. Especially not when she's barely even begun the lesson.

"I believe it's a better approach to explain the methodology first before demonstrating it," Irene asserted. "It's how everyone's taught, and it's how everyone learns."

"Faster… to show… it…" Adalia said. "Less time… wasted…"

"And why are you in such a hurry exactly?"

"Not… hurry…" she said, blinking at her. "You are… just… making me… sleepy…"

"Fine, alright," Irene said, heaving hot air. "Go show him what to do. We'll do this your way."

"Show me what?" I said, finally speaking up.

"This…"

All of a sudden, Adalia detached herself from me. Slowly, she shuffled over somewhere that was much more open. And there, as she stood unusually stiff and still amidst a vast plain of green, I could feel something amiss in the air.

It felt like wind, but it wasn't. Like a whirlwind swirling round and round, getting heavier, faster—closer. But there was nothing as far as the eye could see. It was a raging hurricane that could only be felt through sensation alone. I could almost feel myself sway and buckle from its effect. I tensed my legs, trying to keep myself in balance.

"Watch her," Irene said off to the side, seemingly immune to whatever the hell was happening. "It's going to be your turn next."

I glanced up ahead, just in time to see Adalia slam her hand hard into the grass, and the next thing I knew, I had been swept off of my feet—sent crashing right down onto the ground. An earthquake, a powerful shockwave, I could still feel it rippling in my palms, my sprawled out legs, plunging everything in sight in a chaos of violent tremors.

And at the same time, cracks of silver light began to open up from the very earth itself, in harsh fissures, in jagged seams, extending rapidly out from the epicenter of Adalia's hand all the way out into the forest and seemingly even further beyond.

Then, just as quickly as it happened, it stopped. The uncontrollable shaking, the pulsating lights. Receding in an instant as Adalia slowly lifted her arm back up from the dirt.

I remained staring dumbfounded, my entire body still buzzing with the lingering aftershock. I barely even realized was suddenly real close, peering down at me; her misty eyes in the vaguest hint of concern.

"Are… you okay…?" she inquired. "Were you… watching…?"

"Adalia," I staggered back up to my feet, looking around the place, and finding no signs of what just transpired. "What… what was that?"

"Your… lesson…" she said nonchalantly. "Copy what… I did…"

"Copy that?"

"Yes," she said again. "Practice… it…"

Don't know about anyone else, but I get the feeling that Adalia wasn't exactly the best teacher around.

I didn't even have a chance to let my jaw drop in disbelief before Irene came into view, her expression mute and flat.

"You heard her, practice it," she said dryly. "Or do you need an explanation, after all?"