Divine Luck: SSS-Rank Battle Maid Harem

Zach felt like he fell forward when he passed through the entrance to the Great Jira Labyrinth, but the next moment, his foot hit solid ground. It was a strange sensation, and Zach's skin crawled, but when he looked at his companions, they were all unbothered.

Zach righted himself up and patted his shirt smooth.

"Welcome to the Labyrinth, guys." He welcomed them to the Labyrinth like he was experienced and had been there before. He ignored the way they looked at him as he took in their surroundings.

It was an open field with green grass up to his thighs. There wasn't a sign of anyone else or anything but grass as far as he could see.

Zach looked up. Without looking straight at it, it seemed like an ordinary sky with a sun and clouds up above. But when gazing at it like he was holding a staring competition, he slowly noticed that it looked like a glass window of sorts.

Zach wasn't sure what he was looking at, but it wasn't a real sky, at least.

"So, great expert of the Labyrinth and future king of the world…" Lexi turned to Zach with a smile after he was finished inspecting and gawking at their surroundings.

"What do we do now?"

"I don't know." Zach shrugged casually. "My instincts are telling me to wander around."

Lexi, Nora, and Yanael looked at each other. Zach's instincts and gut feelings when it came to travel were not the most trustworthy. But it wasn't like they could just stand around doing nothing.

"Sure thing, boss. Lead the way." Lexi gestured for Zach to begin walking.

Zach nodded determinedly and began walking forward.

But only a few steps in, something bounced against the thin, translucent, elastic barrier Zach had put up.

"Umm, what was that?" Lexi asked.

Zach narrowed his eyes and squatted to look at the object on the ground.

"Looks like a poison dart."

"No, I meant what stopped it from hitting you in the face." As she clarified, Lexi reached out and touched the barrier, pushing against it slightly and feeling its bounciness.

"Oh, it's my skill."

"What do you mean skill?" Lexi frowned in suspicion and continued pressing against the barrier with her whole hand.

"I thought you were an educated monster of talent or something, sis. When a summoner makes a contract with their summoned familiar, they get a contract skill symbolizing that union or something along those lines. My contract skill with Yanael gives me the ability to create barriers."

"What the fuck?" Lexi forced her hand through the barrier after pushing it up past her elbow. Zach winced slightly as she pierced his barrier, but it was more like a light sting than something actually painful or harmful.

"So not only did you summon a beautiful maid to fight all your battles, but you can also make defensive barriers just like that?"

"Well, yeah."

"That's so fucking unfair."

"...I don't think you should be saying anything about things being unfair, though."

"It's because I'm me that I can confidently say that summoning is unfair. What the fuck is this shit? If someone had told me it was like this, I would have set aside some time to become a summoner, too." Lexi continued playing with the barrier in admiration. It was nothing like magic. If it was, it wasn't anything like the magic she had learned or knew about.

"It's not too late, is it?" Zach tilted his head. Most of the students in his class were kids his age who applied as soon as they were old enough. But he was pretty sure the principal would make an exception if older applicants weren't allowed.

Lexi shook her head.

"Technically not. I haven't heard of summoning having an age requirement to get started, unlike some other things. But the only way I know how to get started with summoning is through the Academy for Summoners. And if you have the talent for it, you're automatically accepted, whether you want it or not.

And while I can make time for being a summoner, I can't make time for attending another Academy at this time."

"I see. Well, if anyone can figure it out, it's you. If you don't, you can always come visit and talk with the principal."

"The principal?" Lexi stopped playing with the barrier, much to Zach's relief, and instead turned around to look at him, unsure of what she had just heard.

"Yeah. He's a cool dude. He's a little…odd sometimes. But he's the nicest principal I've met."

"That principal?" Lexi emphasized her question, full of doubt.

Zach shrugged, unsure what Lexi was getting at.

"I haven't seen or met another principal other than a tall, white-haired, skinny dude with a clean, neat, and pretty face."

"Yeah, that's the principal I've heard about. You're saying he's friendly? You're on such good terms with him that you can talk to him whenever you want about anything you want? You're saying he would entertain the idea of letting me become a summoner without attending the Academy?"

Zach nodded and then shrugged.

"I'm sure he would mind it if I went to him all the time to talk about what I had for breakfast and stuff like that. But, yeah, I haven't gotten the impression that he would mind coming over for tea. He's pretty easygoing."

Lexi stared at Zach blankly, her eyelid twitching occasionally. Eventually, she put her hand over her eyes and leaned her head back to compose herself.

She looked at Zach.

"I've gotta see that for myself. I'll see when I can find the time to stop by."

"Sure. But what have you heard about the principal to make you doubt him like this? Is he putting up a strict front or something to the other Academies?"

Lexi shook her head.

"Not quite. But I won't say anything. It might affect your relationship with him. That's not a good idea when you have three years left. When you graduate, I'll tell you everything I've heard about the principal of the Academy for Summoners."

Zach narrowed his eyes in suspicion.

"I…—"

"I would recommend you don't look for information on him elsewhere, either. Just…don't."

"...Okay." Since Lexi was going that far, Zach agreed. He was still suspicious and curious, especially curious. But he trusted his sister. He moved on.

Zach pointed at the pile of poison darts on the ground on the other side of his barrier.

"So, are we going to do something about that?"