"...Damn it! Did you see how rude that guy is? Seriously, he's so harsh, ignorant, and brutish," I say to Eve, my tone that of an irritated person while my tail swishes in anger.

"Please don't start any trouble, Syl'Vyr. Evelyn-sama seems excited to have found someone who shares her interests. Let's not ruin this with fighting," Eve tells me as if it's no big deal, and her authoritative tone bothers me.

'Tsk, she acts like she's in charge of me!' I puff out my chest, looking at Eve with a certain disdain. I don't like how she treats me as if I'm unimportant.

"You say that because you weren't treated like a child! I was just exploring! He didn't need to be so rude!" I say irritably, my ears standing completely erect.

"...Want a duel?" Eve offers out of the blue, and I respond with a wide smile. A fight would be good to set my problems aside and cheer me up a bit.

"Don't cry when you lose! You might have been the first, but I'm going to win," I say with confidence and pride, finally having something fun to do.

"...You're disappointing," she insults me for no reason, leaving me confused and then immediately indignant.

"W-What!! What's with the sudden insult? If this is about me taking damage from that black slime, that doesn't count!" I'm new at this; I didn't know how to use magic properly, and I'm still adjusting to my powers.

"It's not that, Syl'Vyr. You agreed to leave Evelyn-sama's side for a duel just because you're irritated. That's a failure. How do you plan to protect her if you're not here? You... have no respect," she looks at me judgmentally.

"I-It's not that, I..." I try to deny it. I was just stressed and wasn't thinking straight, but I would never intentionally abandon Evelyn-chan alone. But Eve interrupts me before I can explain.

"[Evelyn-chan]... So that's what you call Evelyn-sama... I think that alone makes it clear to me what level of respect you have. I don't need excuses. Improve your attitude and—"

"Snobby bitch!" I curse at her, shoving her a little. She doesn't even let me explain myself, but she doesn't even budge since she's physically stronger than me.

'This is so unfair!' It was just a slip-up on my part. Evelyn-chan is studying with that ignorant guy, and I didn't think she was in any danger at the moment.

"Just because you were created first, you think you have all this authority? Evelyn-chan created me this way! You're not the one who has the right to judge how I talk or the things I do!" She's stupid for judging me based on how I am.

It's not like I wouldn't protect Evelyn-chan. It's just my nature. I was created this way, and I can't just change it because Eve doesn't like how I am.

"..."

"Not going to say anything? You're all arrogant just because you were the first one created! But that doesn't matter! After all, you're just an inferior copy of Evelyn-chan and... a-awwouch!" She punches me in the nose, shoving me backward and making me hit a shelf. I hear the clattering sound of weapons.

"..." I put my hand to my face, seeing the blood trickling down.

"Y-YOU BITCH!! Y-You broke my nose!!" I watch as the blood drips and spatters on the floor. I know it's not major damage and my immense vitality will fix it on its own, but it's still outrageous that she did this.

I look at her with hurt. I don't hate Eve; it's just a rivalry between colleagues. But I'm too bold and can talk nonsense. Yet, seeing her break my nose feels strange.

"Never call me that again, or I swear I'll make you wish you had never been created. I am not an inferior copy of Evelyn-sama. You don't understand her."

"You haven't seen the moments when she needed help the most to come spouting such nonsense. Don't forget that even though you're a mage, you can't beat me at such close range," she says, cracking her knuckles as she clenches them tightly, ready to fight.

"Y-You coward, I wasn't ready," I say, wiping my nose with my sleeve, anger clouding my judgment as my tail bristles and I growl at her.

"You'll regret this! Crystal of..." Before I can utter the spell, I just feel the blow and am thrown through the door, hurled out of the shop. I fall to the ground, getting covered in dust, while I taste blood in my mouth. I try to get up and spit, seeing two teeth.

'I-Is this... m-my teeth...' I look at them with trembling eyes, a mix of pain, shock, and fear followed by immense anger.

"..."

"You're slow. Far too slow to face me," she says, stepping out of the shop while I taste the bitter flavor of blood and humiliation.

'Damn it, damn it, why am I being humiliated by this brutish bitch who's still holding back?' If she used her sword or those electric powers, my head would explode.

"Y-You bastard, t-that's not fair..." I say with tears and use an ability. With it, I generate ice magic, freezing the entire ground around us, trying to freeze her without needing to speak. But before I realize it, I'm in the air.

After what feels like an eternity, my brain catches up along with the pain. I received a kick that launched me several meters forward. I feel my back hitting the ground, along with tears of pain.

"..."

"You'd better not do that again. Evelyn-sama is busy and doesn't need you causing a mess here," she says while watching me lying on the ground. None of this damage is severe or permanent.

'This b-bitch... is hitting me without leaving marks.' No wounds that will last very long, precisely so Evelyn-chan won't see that she hurt me on purpose.

My ears droop down, becoming visible as my hat has fallen to the ground, and my tail lowers.

"Take this as a life lesson. A mage can hardly defeat a swordswoman at such close range without preparation. Clean yourself up and come back inside. I hope you remember this forever and become more humble and respectful towards Evelyn-sama," she says while pulling me up to my feet.

I feel pain throughout my body from being thrown twice over relatively large distances.

"..." I look at her with hatred, but she doesn't seem to care, even though she just hurt me.

"Y-You gonna beat up every new puppet Evelyn-chan makes?" I say sarcastically, forcefully pulling my hand away from hers, not wanting her help after she beat me up.

"If necessary, yes. Unlike you, who was born merely to serve Evelyn-sama, I was created with a very specific function: to defend her from everything, and that includes protecting her from her own powers!" Eve says with absolute certainty.

"So, if necessary, I will hurt any puppet she creates if I see it overstepping its bounds. Don't forget, Syl'Vyr, you only exist because Evelyn-sama created you. You owe your existence to her."

"...I don't want fights, but I can't let you get complacent. Evelyn-sama trusts you, so you must be worthy of that trust. And you need to be less prideful. We are opposites in our classes, but we complement each other's weaknesses."

"..." I stay silent, listening to her stupid, idiotic lecture. The worst part is not seeing hatred or anger in her eyes, as if she's just teaching a lesson to someone who doesn't understand.

"I'm going inside. Take care so Evelyn-sama doesn't worry about you. And don't try to use magic again in an enclosed space like a shop, or next time I might really hurt you," she says while heading back into the shop, stopping at the door.

"If you need help, you can ask. I'm sorry for hurting you, but it was necessary..." She says and starts walking again, entering the shop.

"Snobby bitch... shit, that arrogant whore thinks she's so great just for being the first," I mutter, spitting on the ground and seeing the blood that comes out with the saliva.

'I can't believe I was humiliated like that.' My power isn't even low; how could I have lost so badly? I admit I might have underestimated her, but it's ridiculous for her to humiliate me like this when she's not even that much stronger than me.

"..." I start patting my clothes to dust them off while putting my hat back on my head. I also start adjusting my bra back into place, which had shifted due to the movements and blows I received. I wipe my mouth with my hand to remove the dust and blood.

Next, I use water magic, drenching myself to clean off the dirt, and then mix fire and wind magic to dry my clothes, cleaning off the grime.

"Ahhh..." I let out a sound of pain when I touch the spot where teeth are missing. I know that thanks to being a puppet and having high vitality, it will heal, but losing teeth is painful.

"..." I don't know what to feel, so I just start heading back inside the shop. I don't want to hate Eve, who is my teammate, but I won't forget the fact that she humiliated and hurt me.

"...I'll think about it." I decide to think a little about what she said regarding my loyalty to Evelyn-chan.

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