"My lady, this person, I can't defeat," Alphonse, the gray-haired old butler, turned his calm gaze towards Roza, a stark contrast to his earlier flustered demeanor.
"WHH khgrr--What do you mean?" Roza tried to burst into rage at Alphonse, but the pain that shot through her limbs and gut from the crash forced her to moan instead.
Roza's mind raced with frustration and desperation. Alphonse's words had shattered her confidence, and the gravity of her situation was sinking in. Her loyalty to Master Jean Cerberus and her determination to find the Labyrinth were unshaken. She couldn't let it end like this.
[No, there must be a way. I swore to obey Master Jean, and I attacked him for this cause. I can't let it all be in vain. I won't let it end like this. Master Jean... he will die if I fail.]
[No, no, NO---I know what I have to do.]
[Can you really do it? You even harmed my Master, my only Master. Even after that, how can you prove yourself competent?]
"YOU! Khgrrr, I will---"
[What will you do?????????????]
"--------------------------------------"
"My lady?" Concerned old man butler Alphonse approached his Master. What would a butler be if not attending to his master's needs?
"Khg-----looks like Miss Roza put herself in quite a bit of trouble, hasn't she?" Roza, or to say, that person's words came from Roza's slender figure where she was sitting by the wall's side, after she had been caught in the aftermath of Albert's attack.
"---Come to think of it, this is my first time acquiring a woman's body, isn't it? ----hghhaha." Slowly, with shaking legs, Roza stood, her hand on the wall for support. Her voice was feminine and sweet, but her words were surely those of that person, there is no doubt.
"My lady, calm yourself. I---" The concerned old butler tried to comfort her.
"And what will you do?" Roza, or to say, that person, questioned.
"We can ask Master Jeans for forgiveness and reveal our plan. I'm sure he will accept it," replied Albert, his hands joined together in request.
"That is far too foolish for someone as clever as you, Alphonse. I would gladly decline your request." Putting her slender arm on her hips, she, or that person, said.
"Excellent, this body is filled with vitality. Surely, people in love are things to be feared." Stretching her arms and legs, that person in Roza's body kept blabbering.
"The heck is she saying?" Finding her speech ridiculous, the blonde-haired youth stood in front of them, his back facing the exposed side of the room where he shattered the wall when he arrived at the scene. Albert commented.
"Well, well, maybe I can use some of my powers. Hmmm, Activate SYSTEM." Calling something in the air, that person in Roza's body lifted his left arm towards the sky.
"Oi, old man, I did tell you before, didn't I? There is something to ask from that little princess over there. Stand aside, will ya?" Impatiently cocking his head, tapping his feet, and folding his arms, Albert barked.
"Oh my, it seems I have ignored the matter at hand, Alphonse, let the young man pass through."
"But, my lady."
"Have some trust, my butler."
"I will not tolerate misconduct with my lady, brat, even if Master Decimus has taken you."
Stepping to the side, Alphonse retreated as he heeded his master's words.
Without replying to Alphonse's warning, Albert stood right in front of Roza, her figure smaller than Albert's.
"Why did you attack, intending to kill my sister?" Albert's eyes flickering red with the question, but his posture remained calm.
"Why do you ask? Hmm, Miss Roza has been unstable from the fear of losing her beloved Master Jean. Are you satisfied with your answers?" In contrast, Roza's figure was eerily calm, and she nonchalantly gave a reasonable answer.
"Then let me----" A slender finger touched Albert's lips, prompting him to silence.
"Bear silence for a moment, please. Let me select the appropriate power slot." The fingers were Roza's, and she stared at an invisible screen only visible to her.
{SYSTEM ASSIMILATION COMPLETE}
++^ SYSTEM Configuration Complete^++
++^ Compatibility Level Low: 13%^++
++^ NOTICE: High-level Skills are locked due to lower Compatibility.^++
++^ ADVICE: Select a lower power slot for Maximum output. ^++
Due to the screen being visible only to Roza, it appeared to the person right in front of her as if her eyes were fixed on the countenance of the young blonde youth, whose lips were held by Roza Kingsmaid's slender finger.
Albert was flustered as his eyes met hers; to him, it seemed as if she was lost in his eyes, just as he was lost in her crystal violet beautiful eyes of Roza Kingsmaid.
For a moment, Albert was reminded of her feminine charm, and her glossy lips came into his view. But this was far from reality...
"This brings such nostalgia." While looking for the right power slot, Roza's voice rang out, her finger still resting on Albert's lips.
Albert's cheeks flushed, and a different kind of heat coursed through his stomach.
"Oh, found it." Taking her finger away, Roza declared and giggled.
She slowly slid her fingers from his lips to his abdomen, then they pointed towards him.
With a sweet smile appearing on her face, Albert smiled unconsciously in reply. Then, her sweet smile turned eerie.
"---AL-Ainfijar," she said.
"Huh!---"
*Boom*
From her fingers, small sparks erupted, and at once, a huge blast boomed. With a crack, Albert's body was blasted away, shattering through the remaining half-way shattered wall, which was now completely blown apart, exposing the garden side of the mansion.
Albert's body rolled, becoming the victim of the surprise attack by Roza, or to say, by that person. His body smoked, the burning remains, as he lay resting on the green garden ground.
His burning charcoal-like abdomen came into view as he lay on the ground, his back facing the ground. His vision was smoky and blurred, and he was in pain, but
"--------" His body had no strength to complain or wail in pain.
"Woah, it took so much magical energy!" With child-like enthusiasm, Roza chimed with amusement.
"-------My lady," Alphonse was shocked.
"Albert NOOOOOO!" Lilian cried at the state of her brother but halted her steps even before they could take a single step.
"You bitch!" Susan roared and dashed at her opponent.
"Wait a second, Madam Sus khgg---" Albert barged in front of Susan without much consideration for the old man's plea.
Using her martial arts skills, she punched Alphonse's jaw before he could recover from the pain caused by her mighty magical power punches. Her fist thrust into the old man's abdomen, causing his body to be sent flying.
His body rolled in mid-air and then fell onto the room floor.
"Khgrr---" Old man Alphonse groaned in pain.
Meanwhile...
[Hmm....System Does the selected power slot have anything to counter her power?]
[System: .... Use of Level 5 Martial art skill is appropriate but due to lower power slot selection and lower compatibility, Level 3 Martial Arts is allotted..... Configuration complete.]
[Really----this brings back so many memories of how much of a prick System always has been, but I don't dislike it.]
[Warning: Hostile figure within nearby proximity.]
A golden gauntlet sparked with crimson magical sparks, and then, with her Martial art skill, her fist rammed at the figure of the slender girl, Roza Kingsmaid.
With absolute certainty, Susan's fist was about to connect with Roza's abdomen, then...
"This is fun, isn't it? Being capable!" Within the blink of an eye, Roza's body acrobatically flung upside down, using Susan's fist as support, with merely her fingers touching her arms.
Her body stood upside down in the air, with only not more than two fingers of Roza taking support of Susan's stretched arms.
For a moment, Roza's body seemed as light as feathers, then...
Twisting her torso, she rotated her body upside down, but...
Reverting her arm back, which connected with nothing but air, Susan, still in shock, tried to redirect her punch towards the sky.
With feather-like movement, Roza's body dashed backward, avoiding being hit by Susan's upward assault with her fist.
For a moment, it seemed as if her body levitated, then her feet landed softly on the room's floor.
Without further ado, Susan dashed forward, arcing her fist for a powerful blow toward the beautiful face of Roza Kingsmaid. Her agility increased this time.
But before it could connect, Roza's body accelerated at lightning-fast speed. With awe-inspiring precision, she waved her face downward and forward, her vision meeting Susan's stretched arms, which were still in motion right beside her.
However, Roza was outmatched in speed, and it seemed almost as if Susan had slowed down.
"You are of no threat if one cannot get hit by you."
Roza's face, now up close, whispered directly into Susan's ears.
"---huh." Frozen in her spot, Susan gasped.
With a swift motion, Roza hit the backside of Susan's knees, causing her knees to take support of the ground as she slid behind the girl, who was now on her knees, her arms locked into Susan's shoulders.
With eerie calm, Roza placed her pointed nails at the slender neck of Susan.
"Take your life into consideration if you wish to move," she said.
"But again, the matter has been dealt with----hmm, this might work." Casually striking her elbow onto Susan's side, she caused her to lose consciousness.
Alphonse was astonished at the sight before him. A sense of eerie chill ran through his spine. This person was different, far different than the usually composed Roza Kingsmaid, who got flustered in complicated matters.
She was nowhere to be seen. To him, Roza in this moment seemed like a stranger who had possessed the body of Roza Kingsmaid.
However, this was not far from the reality of the situation, but Alphonse knew nothing of it.
"Oh, Miss Lilian----we meet again. I'm quite pleased to see that you are trying your best to follow my advice," Roza directed her attention at innocent Lilian's figure, who was the most vulnerable among them.
Feeling her breath clogged in her throat, the silver-haired beauty tried to pose a fighting stance. Of course, she knew nothing of the ways of warriors, nor did she know anything about magic other than a single spell she had no control over, not knowing how to use it or how to make it work with her own effort.
"Oh my, obviously, you wouldn't remember me when I have changed genders---kufufu--hahahahaaaha," Roza, or to say, that person, giggled to himself.