Reincarnated as the Villainess’s Unlucky Bodyguard

Enara went silent, but I didn't miss the sly grin tugging at her lips. It was the kind of grin that said she was plotting something diabolical. And knowing her, that something was going to make my day even worse.

"Alright, back on your feet," Seraphis barked. She strode forward, spinning her spear like it was an extension of her arm. "We're moving on to the next phase of your training: controlled sparring."

"Controlled?" I echoed, wobbling to my feet. My legs still felt like cooked noodles. "How about gentle sparring? Or maybe, you know, imaginary sparring?"

"Controlled sparring," she repeated firmly, ignoring my protests. "Which means you and Enara will face each other, but no fireballs that could melt the walls this time." Her eyes flicked pointedly toward the charred marks from my earlier misfire. "Think of this as a test of precision, not power."

"I'm doomed," I muttered under my breath.

"Oh, don't be so dramatic," Enara chimed in, already bouncing lightly on the balls of her feet. "I promise to go easy on you."

"Gee, thanks, Your Royal Highness." I picked up my sword, which felt significantly heavier than it had ten minutes ago.

Ananara, of course, couldn't let the moment pass without commentary. "This is going to be delightful. Two amateurs flailing around like toddlers with sticks. Truly, the pinnacle of martial excellence."

"Careful, Ananara," I snapped, "or you'll find yourself on the receiving end of one of those sticks."

"Idle threats," he replied, unfazed.

Seraphis clapped her hands, pulling my focus back to her. "Positions. Now."

Enara and I moved to opposite sides of the ring. She looked annoyingly relaxed, her posture casual, while I was trying to remember if I'd stretched enough to avoid pulling something.

"Begin!" Seraphis commanded.

Enara didn't hesitate. She darted forward, moving faster than I expected, her small frame deceptively quick. I barely raised my sword in time to block her strike, which came not from a weapon but a sharp burst of shadow magic aimed at my feet.

"Cheater!" I yelped, jumping back as the shadows snapped at my ankles.

"It's not cheating if it's creative," Enara retorted, smirking.

I swung my sword in a wide arc, forcing her to retreat. [Host, remember: precision, not brute force.]

"Easy for you to say," I grumbled.

Enara struck again, this time with a graceful twirl that sent another tendril of shadow magic toward me. I managed to parry it with a swipe of my blade, but the effort left me off-balance.

"Focus, Liria," Seraphis snapped. "Stop flailing and start thinking."

Flailing? I was strategically improvising. But fine. Thinking it was.

I steadied my stance and waited for Enara's next move. When she lunged, I sidestepped, aiming a low sweep at her legs. She jumped over it with a laugh, clearly enjoying herself.

"You'll have to do better than that!" she teased.

"Don't tempt me," I muttered.

This back-and-forth continued for several minutes, with Enara proving infuriatingly agile and me growing increasingly frustrated. Each time I thought I had an opening, she slipped away like a shadow literally.

"Time for a new strategy," I murmured to myself.

[Host, consider using Ember Swipe for a calculated counterattack.]

Right. Ember Swipe. I hadn't used it yet today, mostly because I was afraid of accidentally setting something (or someone) on fire again. But at this point, desperate times called for desperate measures.

Enara darted in for another attack, her shadows curling toward me. I waited until the last second, then activated Ember Swipe. My blade ignited with black flames, slashing through the shadows and forcing her to leap back.

Her eyes widened, just for a moment. "Impressive. You're learning."

"Thanks," I said, managing a smirk of my own. "But I'm just getting started."

We clashed again, the ring filling with the sound of metal on magic. Sweat dripped down my face, but I ignored it, focusing on every movement, every strike. Enara wasn't holding back anymore, and neither was I.

"Careful!" Seraphis barked as one of my swipes sent a small burst of flame dangerously close to the edge of the ring.

"Sorry!" I called back, though I wasn't entirely sure I meant it.

"You're going to burn the whole school down," Ananara muttered.

"Not if I burn her first," I shot back, earning a scandalized gasp from Enara.

"How rude!" she exclaimed.

"It's called strategy!"

"Enough!" Seraphis's voice cut through the chaos, and we both froze, breathing heavily. She stepped into the ring, her spear tapping against the ground. "That was… better. Not great, but better. Liria, you need to control your fire. Enara, stop toying with your opponent. This isn't a game."

"Could've fooled me," Enara muttered under her breath.

"I heard that," Seraphis said, her tone sharp.

Enara pouted but said nothing further.

"Take a break," Seraphis ordered. "We'll resume in fifteen minutes. And if either of you tries to set the room on fire again, you'll be scrubbing the floors for the next month."

As I flopped onto the ground, utterly drained, Ananara offered his usual brand of encouragement. "That was spectacularly mediocre. Congratulations on being slightly less terrible."

"Thanks, Ananara," I mumbled, too tired to argue. "Your support means the world to me."

Enara plopped down beside me, sipping another cup of tea that she seemed to have conjured from nowhere. "You're not bad, Liria. For a beginner."

"Gee, thanks."

We sat in silence for a moment, the tension of the sparring match finally ebbing away. But as much as I hated to admit it, I was starting to feel a strange sense of accomplishment. I was getting the hang of this.

Or at least, I wasn't completely terrible anymore.

The silence didn't last long, of course. With Enara, it never did. She leaned back on her elbows, giving me a sidelong glance. "So, how does it feel to lose?"

I groaned, covering my face with one hand. "You didn't win, Enara. Seraphis stopped us before you could land a decisive hit."n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

"That's what losers say," she replied, her tone sickly sweet.

I sat up, glaring at her. "You know what, princess? You talk a big game for someone who barely made me break a sweat."

"Oh, please. You were sweating buckets!"

"Enough, you two," Seraphis interjected, her voice laced with authority. She approached us with her ever-present spear resting on her shoulder. "This isn't about winning or losing. It's about honing your skills. And based on what I just witnessed, both of you have a long way to go."

"I thought I was doing fine," Enara said, her pout returning.

"You were sloppy," Seraphis replied bluntly. "You rely too much on your magic and not enough on your physical abilities. Shadows are powerful, but if you're disarmed or out of magic, you'll be defenseless."

Enara opened her mouth to argue but then shut it, clearly not wanting to push her luck.

"And you," Seraphis said, turning her gaze to me.

I stiffened, bracing for impact.

"You're improving," she admitted, though her tone made it sound like it physically hurt her to say it. "But you're still reckless. Those flames of yours are a double-edged sword. If you can't control them, you'll end up doing more harm than good."

"Yeah, yeah, I get it," I muttered, waving her off. "No more burning the furniture."

Ananara, who had been suspiciously quiet, decided now was the perfect time to chime in. "I, for one, think this training session has been a complete waste of time. If Liria insists on being mediocre, why not let her be? She's consistent, at least."

I glared at him, my hand twitching toward my sword. "Keep talking, pineapple. See what happens."

"Violence won't improve your skill level," Ananara said smugly.

"Neither will your commentary," I shot back.

Before the argument could escalate further, Seraphis raised her hand. "Enough. Both of you." She turned her attention back to me. "Liria, your flames are powerful, but they're not just tools. They're part of you. Until you learn to work with them instead of forcing them, you'll never reach your full potential."

I frowned, her words settling uncomfortably in my chest. Work with them? What did that even mean?

[Host, she makes an excellent point,] the system chimed in. [Your flames are tied to your very essence. Embrace them, and they will respond to you.]

"That's poetic and all," I muttered, "but it doesn't exactly tell me how to do that."

[Patience, Host. Mastery takes time.]

"Great. I'll pencil it in between 'not dying' and 'avoiding Seraphis's spear drills.'"

Seraphis clapped her hands, snapping me out of my thoughts. "Break time's over. Back to the ring."

"You're kidding," I groaned.

"Do I look like I'm kidding?"

She didn't, unfortunately.

Enara and I dragged ourselves back to the sparring circle, though she was significantly less dramatic about it than I was.

This time, Seraphis joined us in the ring. "We're going to work on your teamwork," she announced.

"Teamwork?" Enara and I said in unison, glancing at each other with equal parts confusion and horror.

"Yes, teamwork," Seraphis said, smirking like she knew exactly how much we hated the idea. "Because in real battles, you won't always be fighting alone. You'll need to learn how to complement each other's strengths and cover each other's weaknesses."

"Her weakness is being a brat," I muttered.

"And hers is being a walking fire hazard," Enara shot back.

Seraphis sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. "This is going to be a long day."

She summoned a new set of training dummies, these ones enchanted to move and attack. "You'll work together to defeat them. If you don't, they'll keep coming. And if I see either of you trying to sabotage the other, you'll be doing laps around the academy until sunset."

Enara and I exchanged wary glances.

"Fine," I said grudgingly.

"Fine," she echoed, though her tone was anything but agreeable.

The dummies sprang to life, charging toward us with alarming speed. Enara immediately unleashed her shadow magic, ensnaring one of them in tendrils of darkness.

"Nice work, princess," I said, taking advantage of the opening to slice through the immobilized dummy with a flaming strike.

"Don't get used to it," she replied, already moving to intercept the next one.

Despite our constant bickering, we managed to find a rhythm. Enara's shadows slowed the dummies down, giving me time to close in and finish them off. It wasn't perfect we tripped over each other more than once but it was progress.

As the last dummy fell, Seraphis nodded approvingly. "Better. Still messy, but better." Stay tuned for updates on empire

I collapsed onto the ground, utterly spent. Enara sat beside me, looking slightly less exhausted but still winded.

"Well," she said, smirking, "I guess we make a pretty good team."

"Don't push it," I replied, though I couldn't help but smile a little.

"Break's over in five minutes," Seraphis called out, already summoning more dummies.

I groaned, letting my head fall back against the cool stone floor. "I hate this."

[Progress is progress, Host,] the system said cheerfully.

"Next time, remind me to fake an injury," I muttered.

"Next time, remind me not to partner with you," Enara added.