Combat Maid Harem

Lawrend, closing his eyes, doused Saturn with cold water. His hope to serve Lawrend disappeared as soon as it appeared. He deprecatingly chuckled to himself and understood why he ignored him.

The other Earth Mages had the same reaction. They were hopeful about Lawrend's future. Their future would also be bright under his shadow if he led them.

It was a shame that he didn't have any idea about accepting them.

It was because Lawrend already had his mage army. With more experience and lessons, they would eventually grow to rival this group of Earth Mages.

They might be better at the moment, but their future was already set in stone. They weren't young anymore, and improvement would be harder for them.

The awkward atmosphere inside the tent lasted for several minutes.

Suddenly, a bright orange light emanated from Ember. A small pair of phoenix wings appeared on her back. It accentuated her beauty and increased her attractiveness.

Lawrend stared at her with a smile. He could sense it inside her. It was almost there.

That wasn't the only change. The skies outside turned deep orange and orange clouds appeared out of nowhere. They gathered in the sky above the tent.

"What's going on!?"

"Is this a spell!?"

"Prepare our defensive spells!"

The mage army scrambled in panic. Most of them were preparing food, and the sudden change frightened them.

"Tell them to relax," Lawrend said to Julianne.

Julianne nodded her head and rushed out.

"Stand down! This is not an enemy attack!" Julianne shouted.

…

Ember felt her heart open. It was a weird feeling. Her senses were increased by several hundred times. She could also faintly sense two manas circulating inside Lawrend's body.

She could feel everything around her as if they were a part of her body. She grasped this feeling and strengthened it. As she did so, the clouds above became darker.

"Hm..?"

Ember felt things inside her. She sensed a lot of impurities in her mana. She was shocked because she always believed that her mana was very pure.

And most horrifying of all was a small blob growing around her liver. It beat with her heart eerily.

Ember took a deep breath and remembered Lawrend's words. 'Your success might not be the best success…'

Ember stopped and gathered her energy back to where they were. The phenomenon in the sky disappeared, and the pair of wings on her back were absorbed back into her body.

"Did you fail?" Lawrend asked.

"No, but I listened to your advice," Ember replied and smiled sweetly.

She felt proud to say those words for some reason, like a little kid yearning for appreciation.

"Hahaha. Tell me more later. I don't know why you would listen to my advice over becoming a Heaven Mage," Lawrend replied with a smile.

He found it amusing. She really was the princess of Ignis Clan.

It would be hard for her to reach that state once again in the future. It could never come again in her lifetime, but she was still willing to throw it all away to *perfect* her success more.

"Am I not your maid?" Ember retorted with a smile.

"I will help you once this meeting is over," Lawrend answered back.

The Earth Mages overheard Lawrend's words. He didn't try to hide it.

They were shocked and horrified to hear those words. The eyes they used to stare at Ember used to be full of respect and fear. Now, it was only dominated by fear.

She could have reached Heaven Mage already! And she halted to perfect it more. She was scarier than them losing their mana.

With Ember's high talent and Lawrend's help, she would become the most powerful Heaven Mage in existence. They weren't sure, but it felt like that for them.

"Thank you, Master," Ember replied and bowed.

She was curious about what she saw inside her body. It also made her confused as to why there were still impurities in her mana when she could clearly feel how pure it was.

She closed her eyes once again and felt the impurities in her mana. They were still there. She couldn't sense them before, but thanks to her attempt to become a Heaven Mage, she now could.

"Okay. Since it's a joyous occasion for Ember, I will give another lesson to everyone here," Lawrend slowly said.

The eyes of the Earth Mages lit up in unison. They sat on their chairs as elegantly as they could as not to anger him.

"Patience and timing are key to success…"

Lawrend spent an hour teaching them more.

After that, they ate the food served by the mage army. It was a delicious meat stew that was packed with protein.

…

Lawrend entered his tent with Ember following behind him.

"Master, there is something surrounding my liver," Ember said as soon as they got inside.

"Describe it to me."

And so, Ember proceeded to explain what she sensed.

The more Lawrend listened, the graver his face became. He was from a world with powerful medical technology. There was only one disease that could come to his mind.

"You have cancer," Lawrend said.

"C-Cancer? What is that?" Ember asked.

The magic of this world may be unseen in his previous world, but they still couldn't compare to the medical advancements that were made in that world.

"It's a part of your body that randomly decided to rebel," Lawrend explained.

His explanation was rough and doesn't explain the underlying cause, but it was enough for now.

"Rebel… what?" Ember asked in confusion.

"I'm not sure if it really is cancer, but I think we can remove it now."

"You can use your magic for that too??"

"No. We have to cut you open and remove it physically."

"Can't we use healing magic?" Ember asked, a little sheepish.

"We can try. Go get an Earth Mage Healer from the group of Earth Mages," Lawrend ordered.

"Yes, Master," Ember responded.

She left the tent while feeling a little bit scared. She doesn't know anything about this cancer thing even though she read a lot of books. The look on Lawrend's face also told her it wasn't anything good.