Princess’s Struggle for Survival

Looking at the girl in front of her, who seemed to have found some extraordinary treasure and wanted to share it with her best friend immediately, Astrid gently exhaled, her pink lips slightly parting.

"What do you want to show me?"

With those sparkling eyes and slightly upturned lips, Lyra suddenly reminded Astrid more of a carefree, happy pink-haired puppy. Even she couldn't help but wonder what it was that had made Lyra so excited.

Hearing this, Lyra turned to glance at the corridor behind her. Although the Elizabeth Academy of Magic was on break, and there were few people coming to the training tower, there was still a chance that an unexpected visitor might see her summoned armor.

"Maybe... I should go inside and show Astrid?"

Lyra tentatively asked, and seeing Astrid nod, she walked in and closed the door, waiting for the soundproof barrier to activate.

"You're being quite mysterious," Astrid said.

Sensing that the barrier in the training room had started to function, Lyra raised her right hand, and with a flash of white light from her fingernail, a translucent knight's sword appeared in her palm.

"Because it really isn't convenient for anyone other than Astrid to see..."

As soon as she finished speaking, Lyra gripped the hilt with both hands and slammed the Sword of Light onto the floor tiles. In an instant, dazzling points of light ignited from the tip of the sword, spreading out in ripples.

Lyra's self-created magic, Light Cascade. Astrid knew about it and had seen her use it before.

The light rippled around their feet, the satin night-sky-colored high heels like rocks exposed in a sea of light. The sudden burst of brightness even made Astrid lose sight of her own shadow.

"Light Cascade..." Astrid looked at Lyra and whispered.

"You've shown me this before."

The first phase of this self-created magic was to release a strong light that dispersed other elemental particles and was especially effective against dark elements.

The second phase was to construct a light barrier that enhanced her own combat power.

The intensity of the Light Cascade's instant release was roughly equivalent to a mid-tier spell of a Sorcerer's level, but since it was a continuous area magic, its overall combat potential was infinitely close to a low-tier spell of a magnus's level.

Hearing this, Lyra nodded slightly, then spoke.

"Of course, what I want to show Astrid isn't just this..."

The density of light elemental particles in the space should be enough for her to summon armor. Lyra took a deep breath, her mental energy quietly spreading around her, drawing the light elements closer to her body.

Switching to her elemental vision, Astrid naturally saw the changes around Lyra, and a vague guess immediately surfaced in her heart.

Lyra... is she going to use this light to condense into protective armor?

But she's only an Early Grand Knight; her strength shouldn't be enough.

In the story, Lyra had a breakthrough in a life-threatening situation, her mental energy quality breaking through its previous limits, achieving a leap in strength from a middle stage Grand Knight to a peak Grand Knight, and the Holy Light Armor was briefly summoned by her during that battle.

Although it's called Holy Armor, the armor itself is actually part of that Sword of Light. They were originally one, both requiring sufficient light elements to condense.

Looking at the faintly formed shoulder armor enveloped in light on Lyra's shoulder, Astrid raised her hand to her chin, her crimson pupils reflecting the light, like two shimmering rubies.

Could there have been some change that allowed Lyra to condense the armor early?

The clock's hands on the wall creaked as they moved, and the armor gradually took shape. At first, it only covered the girl's shoulders and calves, but now it was already shielding her back and chest.

Lyra moved her arms, the crisp sound of metal clashing echoing in the enclosed space. The light, which should have been formless, now had a physical presence, not only defending against sharp objects but also greatly weakening various elemental attacks.

"This armor... seems to be shaped by the power of the Sword of Light..."

Her fingers curled inward and then straightened, the silver-white metal gauntlets reflecting a soft glow. Lyra looked down at the half-finished armor on her body and spoke softly.

"The Sword of Light must be an important medium. I can feel that without it, even if I successfully guide the light elements, it would be difficult to form the armor."

Among the known elemental properties, neither light nor dark elements have a physical form, making it almost impossible for them to act as protective barriers for a mage's fragile body when facing strong enemies, unlike earth or ice.

Staring at the glowing Lyra, Astrid's gaze gradually deepened. After a moment, she spoke leisurely.

"It doesn't seem to be very complete?"

The armor the pink-haired girl had currently condensed only covered the vital areas, with places like her abdomen, waist, and hips, as well as several joints, still bare. Large patches of smooth, fair skin would have been exposed if not for the maid's skirt. The overall design felt more like something for a risqué purpose rather than a combat-ready knight's armor.

"Yeah," Lyra responded truthfully.

After looking for a while, Astrid whispered.

"Turn to the side and let me see."

"Oh... okay..."

Lyra obediently turned, smoothing the pink hair that had fallen down. From this angle, Astrid could get a more direct view of the full appearance of the armor.

The bright silver arm guards and gloves covered the hand and arm the girl used to hold the sword, while her delicate figure was clad in metal armor of the same color. Since the Holy Armor was formed by her subjective will, the armor fit Lyra's body perfectly. After the pronounced curves, there was a smooth, clean abdomen.

Her gaze swept past her waist, seeing the round and perky shape under the lotus-leaf hem of the maid's skirt. Astrid recalled the time they had slept together and suddenly had a new impression of Lyra.

This girl... she's growing up so fast...

Shifting her gaze, Astrid noticed that the absolute territory on Lyra's thighs had nothing but the suspenders holding up her stockings. The snowy, delicate skin was slightly indented by the suspenders, almost visibly smooth. Looking further down, a small part of the Holy Light Armor protected the girl's straight, delicate white-stockinged calves, the smooth metal surface reflecting the desk chair beside her.

Perhaps because it wasn't fully formed, Lyra was still wearing her black little shoes instead of the silver-white knight boots described in the original work. Her delicate ankles still had some wrinkles from the friction of the white stockings.

"It looks good... Lyra..." Astrid said.

Although it wasn't the complete Holy Light Armor, in terms of aesthetics, the current half-finished product was also quite good.

It's just unclear how effective the defense would be in actual combat.

Hearing Astrid's praise, Lyra's cheeks reddened, and she said softly.

"Is... is that so..."

Unfortunately, this armor couldn't be maintained for long, and it didn't seem to be in its full glory.

Lyra could feel that she had only materialized a prototype; there were still many parts of this Holy Light Armor that could be filled in, such as knee guards and abdominal armor.

"Yeah," Astrid's eyes shimmered with a watery light, her tone subtly different from usual.

"Lyra does seem to suit this armor very well."

She had long wanted to see her little maid clad in armor, and now she had finally gotten her wish.

The only downside was that the current Lyra still lacked the resilient temperament that would match the armor. Although it looked good, it still lacked the necessary essence.

Feeling like she wouldn't be able to even maintain the basic mental energy transfer if she kept being praised like this, Lyra controlled her almost giddy emotions and continued to manipulate the free-floating light elemental particles in the air.

If she continued on this basis... perhaps she could achieve complete shaping...

Turning her gaze to meet Astrid's, Lyra saw herself reflected in those cold crimson eyes and also noticed a hint of what seemed like satisfaction in Astrid's gaze.

Does Princess Astrid... like her like this?

Her hand lightly touched her chest. The light-forged knight's armor, unlike the soft maid's dress, felt particularly smooth, with a very distinct sense of firmness.

Let's try it. If it succeeds, it might be a pleasant surprise for Princess Astrid.

With this thought, Lyra increased her mental energy transfer, and more light elemental particles gathered around her.

Bathing in the holy light, letting the warm current sweep through her body, the more parts of the armor that appeared, the more Lyra felt her mental energy reserves straining.

It really doesn't seem possible?

Her head felt a bit sore, and her spirits began to wane. Lyra unconsciously bit her lip, while Astrid's gaze shifted from initial anticipation to concern.

It's indeed too difficult for an early Grand Knight's mental energy quality to fully awaken the Holy Light Armor.

"Lyra, don't force yourself..." Astrid reminded her.

The woman's voice became indistinct under the dazzling light, and the information received visually seemed to overwhelm her other senses at this moment. Lyra also realized that she couldn't do it and began to slow down the transfer of mental energy.

However, the light had already condensed, and even slowing down the speed couldn't retract it all at once. Her mental energy could no longer support the Holy Armor. Just as Lyra was about to end the shaping, the pristine light armor instantly disintegrated, and along with it, the black-and-white maid's dress turned to ash.

Lyra: "..."

Astrid: "..."

In the quiet training room, even the air seemed to freeze. Lyra felt the wind brushing against her skin and fell into a state of shock.

Who am I? Where am I? What am I doing?

This must be a dream...

In the original story, the fated heroine awakened the Holy Light Armor as a peak Grand Knight. Her high-quality mental energy allowed her to change into spare clothes stored in the Sword of Light the moment the armor disappeared. Moreover, since the armor's dissipation was often accompanied by blinding light, there was no risk of exposure.

But that's not possible now.

Astrid looked at Lyra, who was now only wearing her underwear and a pair of white suspender stockings, and roughly understood what had happened.

When the armor condensed, the originally obstructive clothes would be silently stripped away. And since it was midsummer, Lyra wasn't wearing any additional layers under her maid's dress, so when the armor disappeared, only the innermost garments remained.

Fortunately, they were in the training room when they tried to awaken the Holy Armor, so no one but Astrid would see Lyra's current predicament.

"Huh?!!!!"

Whether it had been a few seconds or half a minute, Lyra realized what had happened to her body. A chill ran down her neck, and the skirt that usually covered her thighs was no longer soft but empty.

"I... Astrid... how could..."

The holy sword instantly dissipated into points of light. Lyra crossed her arms over her chest, instinctively turning away, which exposed her snow-white, smooth back to Astrid's view.

Realizing that the most covering part of her body was actually the thin, translucent white stockings, not only her back but also her waist and lower parts... would be completely exposed to Princess Astrid...

Her cheeks burned red. If there were a crack in the ground, Lyra would have dived into it without hesitation.

No, no, no, why does this armor make the clothes disappear??

I'm going to die, I'm going to die, I'm going to die...

Recalling the warm current that had enveloped her earlier, Lyra immediately understood why she had felt so comfortable then.

Because there were no constraints, of course, she would feel comfortable.

One hand pressed against her bottom, the other protecting her chest, Lyra turned her face away, her ears red to the point of bleeding.

Is Princess Astrid looking at her...

Given Princess Astrid's personality, she probably wouldn't miss such a good opportunity to tease her.

The sound of fabric rustling came through the air, and Lyra, like a startled bird, couldn't stop her body from trembling slightly.

Is it an illusion... or is there really a gaze on her...

It's not like Princess Astrid hasn't seen her before...

Maybe it's better to just faint.

Her mind was in turmoil, and Lyra closed her eyes, her mind blank to the point where she forgot what to do next.

"Tap tap..."

The sharp sound of footsteps approached, accompanied by a faint floral scent. Lyra knew Astrid was coming closer but didn't dare to look up.

Why can't people curl up like hedgehogs?

Under the light, the pink-haired girl's skin was as white as snow. Astrid's gaze lingered on Lyra's smooth, delicate back for a moment before she walked forward, the ruby pendant at her collarbone flashing.

"Are you planning to stand like this forever?" Astrid asked.

The creamy, pudding-like softness was deformed by the pressure of her arms. Lyra clenched her knees, momentarily unsure how to respond, even her breathing briefly stopped.

This is so embarrassing... how could even that be gone...

Her heart pounded wildly. Lyra felt Astrid getting closer, and it seemed like her hand was about to touch her shoulder.

The next moment, instead of the expected warmth, it was a slightly cool fabric.

Lyra's eyelids trembled slightly, and she slowly opened her eyes.

A black, thin coat was draped over her shoulders, the fabric carrying a faint trace of Astrid's unique scent.