#5 the Lich and Elf's "training" session

Somewhere in the distance—there's a loud scream of fear of a girl in the woods. The scream was very loud, and she was begging for help, and The one who's screaming is:

"HWAAAHHH!!! LICH-SAMA!!! STOP THIS!"

Maiela’s shrill scream echoed across the training field.

“Lich-samaa! C-CALL IT OFF! I DIDN’T MEAN ‘GO ALL OUT!’ WAAAHHH!”

Behind her, a three-headed Cerberus thundered like a living earthquake, each maw snapping at her heels. Dust flew, trees splintered, and the elf princess flailed her arms as if that would somehow make her faster.

Meanwhile, Lich-sama sat comfortably on a nearby boulder, legs crossed, chin resting on one bony hand as if he were watching an afternoon play.

“You said, and I quote: ‘train me with everything you’ve got,’” he intoned in that hollow, ancient voice. “So… I summoned everything I’ve got.”

“NOT A MONSTER THAT CAN EAT ME IN ONE BITE!” Maiela yelped, barely ducking as one head snapped inches above her hair. “WHAT KIND OF TRAINING IS THIS!?”

One of the heads sneezed fire, and her braid nearly went up in smoke.

Lich-sama gave a shrug that rattled his bones. “It builds character. And stamina.”

“I’M ALREADY CHARACTERED ENOUGH, THANK YOU!” The Cerberus barked joyfully—as if it too was enjoying the chase.

Maiela’s face scrunched up as she stumbled over her own feet, tears pricking her eyes. “Hate you… so much… right now…”

A few minutes earlier…

Maiela puffed her chest proudly, hands on her hips as she faced Lich-sama. “Hmph! If I’m going to be an A-ranked adventurer, I can’t be treated like a fragile flower forever. You better give me your hardest training, bone man!”

Lich-sama tilted his skull slightly, eye flames flickering with amusement. “My… hardest training?”

“Yes!” she jabbed a finger at him, eyes sparkling with determination. “Push me beyond my limits! Make me stronger than any elf before me! No mercy!” He went silent for a moment. Then his bony jaw creaked into what could only be described as a grin.“…As you wish.”

With a flick of his staff, a summoning circle burst to life beneath them. The ground shook, flames licked the air, and an enormous three-headed beast clawed its way into existence, drooling and snarling. Maiela’s proud stance wavered. “U-uh…”

Lich-sama gestured grandly toward the beast. “Your opponent: Cerberus. Survive… and you’ll be worthy of the first step.” Maiela froze. Her lips trembled. “T-this is just the warm-up?”

Lich-sama grinned as he sets off a chair to rest. "Indeed..."

Present time

"HWEEEHHH!! YOU'RE EVIL!!!" said maiela as she cried as if she was a baby whose candy was stolen, "you said you wanted something like this" he said it while he scratches his skull, confused with what Maiela actually wants.

"If you don't like the training... then your dream of becoming a legendary adventurer might not be true" and immediately that line from lich-sama made Maiela's eyes snapped open. She slowly glared at lich-sama with surprise and fear "what..." she said with a fearful tone, lich-sama responded "oh... if you don't want to have this intense training then being a legendary adventurer will take a longer time than this"

Immediately—Maiela grabbed his coat to pull him closer and begged him "PLEASE! TRAIN ME TO BE STRONGER!" Maiela clung onto Lich-sama’s ragged coat as if her very soul depended on it, her big blue eyes shimmering with tears. Lich-sama stared down at her, the green flames in his sockets flickering awkwardly. “…You’re more dramatic than a banshee, elf.” maiela scoffs “I don’t care!! I’ll take any training, even if I die—”

“Don’t tempt me.” lich-sama snapped his fingers. The ground cracked open. A massive three-headed Cerberus slithered out, each of its maws drooling fire and smoke. The air grew heavy, and even the trees seemed to shrink back in fear. Maiela’s jaw dropped. “…W-wait. What’s that?” lich-sama cracks his bone fists before responding to maiela “Your warm-up opponent.” that only made maiela more suprised... “EHHHHHHH!?? THAT’S A WARM-UP?!” The Cerberus roared, lunging forward with all three heads at once. Maiela shrieked, turning on her heels and bolting into the forest. “STOOOP! I DIDN’T MEAN LIKE THIS!!”

“Excellent speed improvement,” Lich-sama muttered calmly, already teleporting to a tree branch for a better view. “Her lungs will collapse within… ten minutes.”

“WHAT KIND OF TEACHER SAYS THAT?!” Maiela cried, dodging fire breath by throwing herself into the mud. The chase continued—trees snapping, birds fleeing, Maiela’s hair covered in leaves as she screamed at every snap of a twig. Finally, she tumbled down a small hill, landing flat on her back, her sword stabbing harmlessly into the dirt beside her.

The Cerberus loomed, ready to strike. But before it could, a wave of green light burst outward—Lich-sama’s staff had frozen the beast mid-pounce. Maiela sat up, panting and covered in mud, twigs sticking out of her hair like makeshift horns. She glared up at him with watery eyes. “Y-you… you monster…”

lich-sama laughed softly “Correction,” he said, stepping closer, “your mentor.”

“…Some mentor you are.” She pouted, cheeks puffed out, fists shaking. “You nearly gave me three heart attacks!” Lich-sama tilted his skull. “And yet, you’re alive.” Maiela froze. For once, no witty comeback came to her. Her lip trembled. “I-I… I am…”

His green eyes dimmed softly, almost tender. “Then remember this feeling, Maiela Blume. If you can stand against your fear today… you’ll stand taller tomorrow.” maiela's face flushed crimson. “…E-eh?”

"now... how about we sign up to a guild?" said lich-sama while kneeling beside her. "a guild? just where could we even find that?" she pants heavily as her face keeps getting red from lich-sama's recent words. "we'll find one... in a town..."

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