Divine Luck: SSS-Rank Battle Maid Harem

Mandra's words finally made Zach turn around. He looked at her with a question mark hanging over his head. He was extremely curious about what she meant. It wasn't just what she said. It was how she said it.

Mandra rarely spoke with that much emotion in her voice.

However, Mandra stayed silent long enough for Zach to consider asking ehr to continue since his expression wasn't enough.

"Master…I can tell you are curious," Mandra said after a while, avoiding Zach's bright eyes.

"But I have nothing to show for my statement. Is it alright if I wait to tell you more until I do?"

The light in Zach's eyes cooled down. He was still curious and excited about what Mandra was talking about. But if she didn't want to tell him more about it, he wasn't going to force her.

She could be worried about failing after raising his and the others' expectations after all. If she had nothing to show for it right now, it meant that she was just in the initial stage of working on the theory and general idea.

It was Mandra they were talking about.

She had worked on that during the time Zach was unconscious. He was in the bed for a couple of weeks.

Mandra did not need that long just to work on a simple spell.

If it was something that she had worked on that long, and she still didn't have anything to show for it, it had to be even greater than the Lightning Hell she had devised.

Zach was confident Mandra would succeed. But he understood if Mandra, who usually never took this long just to get the theory down pat, was insecure about the possibility of what she was dreaming of.

He nodded. He could wait.

"Take your time, Mandra. I'm sure you'll make do on the stakes you've just raised." He smiled.

Mandra's eyes widened. She could tell Zach trusted her, even while he teased her. In not saying anything in order to prevent raising their expectations, she had only made it worse.

She nodded once.

Since Zach had already turned around to look at his familiars, he turned to Yanael, the only one who hadn't answered his question yet.

Yanael felt his gaze. She had her answer ready. If it had been before this, she would have felt a little self-conscious about it. But right now, she had let go of all the shame, self-scrutiny, embarrassment, and any other emotion that did not belong in her sword.

"Master, while you were asleep, I cast away all my experiences with the sword and started learning it again," She answered concisely.

Zach's head tilted as he tried to understand. He wasn't sure he did.

"Can you explain?"

"Of course, Master. During the fight against the Hydra and Ozra's familiar, I felt that the limiting factor, the reason why I couldn't seize victory, was not the strength of my body or sacred energy.

"The fault lay in my swordsmanship. It was not adequate enough for me to emerge victorious against foes as powerful as them. But I was at a loss for how to move forward. The path I had walked all my life had taken me to a dead end.

"So, I chose to embark on a new path by rebuilding my understanding and mastery of swordsmanship from the ground up."

Zach's eyes widened. That was a good explanation. He didn't quite understand how she had done it, but that wasn't important. It wasn't like he was looking to do the same.

"And it's gone well?" He asked. Yanael had used a neutral tone when explaining what she had done, so he couldn't tell whether she regretted it or not.

Yanael gave a firm nod.

"Yes, Master. I am confident it was the right decision. Although I am a step below my previous as of right now, I am like a frog adjusting its position and bending its legs, preparing to launch into the air."

Zach was a little surprised by the frog comparison, but he could tell that Yanael was serious. Now, when she spoke, her voice brimmed with confidence, pride, and excitement. She would be able to reach heights she couldn't even see before.

Zach's passion was summoning. Mandra's passion was magic. Alzara's passion was alchemy. Yanael's passion was swordsmanship.

Zach lived his passion every day. Mandra's mind did not stop thinking about magic and the endless possibilities of it. Alzara continuously crafted medicine and churned out new recipes. If she had the supplies, she did not stop experimenting, either.

But Yanael had—She hadn't hit a wall. A wall she could overcome. She had reached the end of her road. She hadn't seen a future in her swordsmanship. She loved improving her swordsmanship and sword techniques. She loved getting better at it.

But she had reached a point where she did not know how she could get better. She didn't even know if it was possible. Her passion had run out.

Such a realization had not been good for Yanael.

However, after resetting her swordsmanship, she saw continuous, steady growth again, and she a seemingly endless path forward. Her passion was reignited, and her heart was full of the love she held toward swordsmanship.

How could she not be excited?

How could Zach not be excited for her?

"What about a demonstration?" He asked, inviting Yanael to the stage before him, one that he just made with his skill.

Yanael hesitated.

Would a demonstration like that really be interesting for Zach and the others when they held no interest in swordsmanship?

They might not have been very interested in the demonstration if it had been another swordsman, however skilled they were. But this was Yanael. Even if they weren't interested in swords, they were interested in her.

Their eyes told Yanael to get up on the stage and swing her sword.

That's what she did.

Under the careful scrutiny of four individuals with scarily keen insight, Yanael sheathed her sword and started going through the motions of her training.

She began with the simplest of the basics.

Her feet solidly planted in the ground at shoulder-width, her hands firmly gripping the handle.