"...wh-wha-GFUFGH!?"
*thump*
Kyle's eyes bulged out, and she was in the middle of gasping when a block of ice that materilized out of thin air, shot up and hit her chin, sending her head rocking back… only for the woman to drop to her knees and then plop on the ground the next second, her eyes widened with disorientation.
"Wh-what just…? What…? Ghhh… eh…? EHH…?"
She shook her head and blinked a few times, trying to scramble back up to her feet, but then let out a small whimper as she realized her legs went completely limp and wouldn't listen to her in the slightest.
*thump* *thump* *thump* *thump* *thump*
"???"
The next moment, the orbs of standby spells began raining down on the grass all around her with heavy thuds…
Keeping their shape instead of being released and disappearing, confused Kyle to no end…
*crack*
"..."
…but then confusion was replaced by shock when two orbs collided and split apart, revealing that…
They were frozen solid.
Turned into ice.
…completely…
"...don't tell me you haven't figured out that I wasn't giving it my all during that duel…?"
"!!!"
…and as Rotsard approached the downed Kyle, the shock in her eyes was replaced by fear…
"Water spout."
"W-water sp-OUGH…!?"
The bleached-blond-haired youth crouched down by the maid, his beastly yellow eyes staring right into her soul as he chanted, lightly waving his index finger, causing her to whimper in a baffled voice… that quickly turned into a yelp of pain as the thin stream of supercooled water climbed around her shins and things, her arms and torso, and even her neck before turning into solid ice restrain.
"Yhou…! Ghhh…! FGHH…!?"
Kyle grunted, gritting her teeth as her body began glowing with the light of the physical enchantment, but instead of her breaking the ice, her attempts resulted in her eyes bulging out as she wheezed when she almost choked herself.
The ice restraints turned out to be at least as strong as steel, and they were at least an inch thick…
"Yhou…! Whatever yhou do…! No one will beleive yhou…! We made sure yhour reputation is as low as possible, and with my word against yhours…! Yhou're done even if yhou'll khill me…!"
They say that when backed into a corner, people show their true face… In Kyle's case, she calmed down, and despite wheezing because of the restraint around her neck, she spat out a hatefully triumphant mockery right in Rotsard's face.
"And you're assuming that I'm not aware of that?"
"..."
But, at Rotsard's next words, Kyle's expression showed confusion.
"Pffft…! Oh, sweetie. You changed nothing. No, if anything, you've ruined Houndred family's plans. You should have just turned around and left together with mister Kyle when I dismissed both of you."
"!!!"
It was Rotsard's turn to snort right in the maid's face as he shook his head before standing up and stepping to the side…
…revealing that Kyle's ice spikes she used at the start weren't piercing through the body of the butler, but of an ice puppet instead…
Similarly, the head on the grass wasn't a human one, but the ice puppet's.
*crack*
As the realization began to settle in Kyle's brain, a cobweb-like grid of cracks became visible right behind the impaled puppet.
*CRACK*
*crash*
"..."
The next moment, a wall of ice broke apart and cascaded to the ground, revealing an intact butler standing tall, holding one hand up and to the side of his torso.
…and on top of his palm hovered a small circle of light similar to a mirror, only that instead of showing a reflection of the surroundings, it showed the face of the patriarch of the Vallhall family, Goji Vallhall, seated behind his desk back in the Vallhall family castle.
…for some reason, the patriarch was wearing thick glasses in golden rims, certainly not an accessory Rotsard ever knew he used…
"...!"
Slowly, all color drained from the maid's face, her eyes widened, and her jaw dropped as the realization hit her like an avalanche.
"E-emergency me…!"
*WHAM* *CRACK*
She suddenly snapped out of it and howled in pure panic-fueled horror, but then and there an ice block materialized out of the thin air and smashed against her forehead…!
*thump*
…with enough force to tip her over and make her fall to the side, with her eyes flashing whites…
"Is she…?"
"Of course she's alive. She's an important witness… even if it's doubtful she will be as talkative the second time."
Goji Vallhall asked from the other side of the advanced communication spell, and Rosard rolled his eyes as he answered while smirking.
"...saying that I need an explanation would be a huge understatement…"
"Funny. Because saying that I'm willing to cooperate with you after how the Vallhall family treated me, even without Houndred's involvement, is certainly a huge overstatement."
The man added, but was cut off by Rotsard's disgusted scoff.
*crack*
"!!!"
Goji was about to say something back, but just then, one of the bluish-white flames floated a bit too close to the spell, causing it to freeze over and fall off the baffled butler's palm and shatter against the ground.
"Mister Kyle, it would be for the best if you took her and actually go back to the Vallhall territory. Wanting to dismiss both of you wasn't a part of some plan to expose Houndreds, but my actual, honest intention. What she did she did right under your nose. I find you just as guilty and don't want to look at you."
As the circle and wings of light disappeared, Rotsard pointed out, while the light of the whitish blue flames still floating around made his face appear eerily similar to that of a wolf… although that was mostly because of those beastly yellow eyes of his.
"Young Master…! H-how long did you know that I wasn't just some random servant but direct underling of the patriarch…?"
"..."
Just as the youth was about to leave, the man stepped forward and asked.
"It wasn't something you did, you're a splendid actor. You sure did a good job at acting incompetent and annoying, but what tipped me off was actually the way that Houndreds tried to make you appear as guilty as possible in an attempt of diversion. Although, honestly, I have no idea whether you two having the same name was a part of it or just an incredibly lucky coincidence."
Rotsard pointed out, tilting his head to the side.
"She was selected as your maid AFTER I received the position of your caretaker."
"Then it wasn't a coincidence."
The man recalled, and the youth simply shrugged and nodded.