“Marian and Lilia, you two can go pack your bags. I’ve left your dismissal notices in your rooms.”
“Uh… what?” Everyone was stunned for a moment.
Then, they all turned to look at Marian and Lilia.
Even Milora looked surprised.
Marian and Lilia, the ones involved, were completely at a loss.
“Senior? What are you talking about? Are you still asleep?”
“Are you joking? This isn’t funny…”
“I’m not joking.
It’s you two I’m kicking out.
I’ve already informed the Adventurer’s Guild.”
“Shouldn’t it be Milora, that useless one, who gets kicked out?”
“What did we do wrong? Is there something you’re unhappy with?”
“Because you two have been bullying and oppressing Milora, who is supposed to be your teammate.”
“…Huh?”
“From today on, I will be enforcing team discipline and will not tolerate such behavior.
I’m not joking, and I hope everyone takes this to heart.”
Torina spoke each word clearly, her expression unusually serious, making it clear to everyone that she meant it.
Everyone looked at her in astonishment, including Milora, who was being openly protected by her.
They couldn’t understand what this notorious villainess was up to.
“Others still have a chance to change, but you two are different.
You’ve gone too far before, and expulsion is the only way to set an example.
So… get lost, or do you want to strip naked and apologize on your knees?”
She deliberately spoke harshly, exuding the full aura of a villainess, from her gaze to her tone to her stance, all filled with an oppressive feeling that made one’s scalp tingle.
Marian and Lilia were dumbfounded.
They genuinely didn’t understand what was wrong with “bullying a girl of low birth, mediocre ability, and social awkwardness,” nor did they understand why the leader, who used to ignore Milora, suddenly changed her attitude.
They didn’t understand—so they tried to comprehend—to think—to think about the reason—to think about why the leader suddenly said these things—and they quickly came to a conclusion:
“You! Milora Sistema!”
“You must have brainwashed the senior!”
They slammed the table in anger and directly attacked Milora! The earth elementalist Marian raised her staff, and a massive rock broke through the restaurant floor, accelerating towards Milora! Meanwhile, the wind swordsman drew her dual swords, slashing at Milora’s face with blades wrapped in wind elements!
“Tsk—!”
In a panic, Milora retreated, drawing a short sword to defend herself.
Ji Xue, nearby, also wanted to intervene but was a step too slow.
Just as the rock and wind slash were about to hit her—
“ᚺ ᚻ”
With a crack, a wall inscribed with runes rose from nowhere, blocking both the rock and the wind slash.
Torina had intervened.
This was the first time she had drawn her weapon since returning from recovery—a dark silver three-ring rapier, with a blade slightly wider than a typical rapier, and glowing blue runes flickering on the blade.
Then, she lightly swung her sword, and a flash of bright silver runes passed over the blade—
“ᚦ ᚷ”
Two bolts of lightning splashed from the sword like water, one shattering the rock, the other sending Marian and Lilia flying, the residual current coursing through them, making their eyes roll back.
“I’m serious, you two.
I haven’t been brainwashed by anyone, nor have I taken any bribes… What I just did was a lesson.
If you try anything else, it won’t just be a dismissal.
You have ten minutes to pack your bags and leave.”
…
Not long after…
Marian and Lilia, with their hair frizzed from the shock, carried their luggage and walked out of the inn, looking back as they left—looking at Torina with confusion, dissatisfaction, and fear, and at Milora with blatant resentment.
But they only dared to look.
They didn’t dare say anything more, leaving with their luggage in defeat.
Torina felt a bit uncomfortable about this, as if she were bullying them—
—Just kidding! She felt no guilt.
These two were nothing but bullies in both the original work and this world, and they had bullied commoners by relying on their minor noble status.
Why feel guilty about kicking them out?
“Alright, everyone, our team is now more streamlined! Come on, let’s clap, clap clap~”
She even clapped happily, and the team members exchanged glances, awkwardly joining in the applause.
Marian and Lilia were indeed not well-liked.
But, wasn’t Torina’s change in attitude a bit… sudden? She used to enjoy their flattery, so why kick them out after recovering from an injury? Did she really hit her head too hard?
Torina continued, “As I said earlier, I don’t want any more bullying incidents in the team, whether it’s overt or covert cold violence! Marian and Lilia were the worst, so I kicked them out first.
As for the rest of you… hmm, I’m sure you know who you are? Treating teammates like servants is also a form of bullying, you know?”
As she spoke, she glanced at Anna-veil, Naji, Lanifi, and Lindas, her gaze a bit sharp.
“…Hey, what do you mean by that? Are you threatening me? You’re actually threatening me for this girl?”
The hot-tempered Anna-veil was the first to speak, her tone inexplicably sour.
“Boss, I disagree! Milora isn’t that strong, doesn’t contribute much to the team, and has caused trouble more than once, so what’s wrong with having her do some chores?”
Lanifi, the most straightforward, directly voiced her thoughts.
“I agree with Lanifi,” Naji frowned.
“Having her help out in daily life at least gives her some use, right?”
“Add me~~ Hmm~~ I just had her fan me while I slept to keep cool~~ That’s not bullying, right?” Lindas, seemingly just waking up, said.
“So you think you can order her around as you please?”
“Yes…”
“I think that’s debatable.”
Crack!!!!!!!!!!!!
Runes of lightning and ice cut through the air, a frozen lightning bolt—a powerful move called “Ice Thunder Spear” pierced through the entire first floor of the inn, making the air not only bone-chillingly cold but also filled with needle-like static, the fierce magic even making it hard to breathe.
If she hadn’t deliberately controlled the range, this move could have AOE’d everyone watching the commotion on the first floor.
The branches of the Ice Thunder Spear just grazed the necks of the four dissenters.
This was a blatant warning.
“If you want to do anything to her, go ahead, as long as you can get past me, do whatever you want.”
Torina said this while holding Milora’s hand, conveying through the warmth of her palm, “Don’t worry, I’ll protect you.”
At this moment, inside Torina’s mind—
(Yay! I’m so cool! Even if it’s a bit awkward like a cheesy novel, she must be moved by me!)
And the first reaction of the system accompanying her and Milora, who was experiencing such kindness for the first time in her life, was—
[Be careful, Torina Deville definitely has a scheme]
(This girl must be after my body, right!?)
