Strongest Maid In Another World

’What a twisted feeling....’ Loraine thought to herself, her head leaned out of the caravan as she felt a powerful, malevolent weight press down on her soul.

The malice radiating from the caravan in the distance was immense, so immense that Loraine could sense it all the way from where they were, [Maiden’s Intuition] sending danger signals to her body that she only felt when facing the Devil Rabbits and the [Radiant Spear Master], Yura herself.

’There’s so many of them, that malice is directly aimed at us.’ Loraine glanced back towards Sarah and the other adventurers, noting that they were pretty strong, far more powerful than her without her Skills activated.

But the sheer malevolent energy radiating from the caravan in the distance allowed Loraine to gauge their strength with [Maiden’s Intuition], if these people really were after them, which Loraine had no doubt believing, then they would need to be prepared to face them.

’Hm? What’s she staring out there for?’ Yura thought to herself, her crimson eyes landing on Loraine as she saw how tense the white haired maiden looked, her teeth were grit, her eyes were serious, and her body tensed like a coiled snake, sensing danger nearby.

Sarah, who was sitting near her best friend, could immediately pick up the tense energy she was radiating, her eyes momentarily following Loraine’s as she looked outside, confused as to why Loraine looked so tense.

"Is everything alright?" She asked, a concerned look adorning her face.

’As much as I want to lie to her right now and tell her that nothing’s going on, this situation has gotten much more dangerous. Lying would only put us all in danger, and I won’t allow harm to fall upon Sarah.’ Loraine said, glancing over her best friend as she gently shook her head.

"No Sarah, something’s wrong." Loraine said, her words peaking Yura’s interest as the crimson haired woman paid attention to Loraine’s next words, the tone coming from the white haired maiden being serious.

"The caravan in the distance...something about it just feels off...." She continued, her fists clenching in her lap. Yura’s expression turned serious, her adventurer instincts kicking in as she glanced outside.

"How so? They look like normal travelers, perhaps you’re just overthinking it?" Yura said, but Loraine only shook her head in response.

"No Yura, I’m certain about this." Loraine said, "The bloodlust coming off the caravan, I can sense it all the way from here. That paired with the fact that they immediately left after we did, makes me even more certain that this isn’t just a coincidence."

Loraine’s eyes locked onto Yura’s, the A-Rank adventurer herself being surprised by Loraine’s words. The fact that she could apparently feel intentions? At such a distance as well, was something she hadn’t expected.

She knew Loraine was talented and highly capable, but she didn’t think that the white haired maiden held even more tricks up her sleeve.

’That’s certainly surprising, to think she could possess an ability like that. While highly impractical to act based on such sudden concerns, I don’t think she’d bring up something like this if it wasn’t of high importance.’ Yura thought to herself, analyzing the situation.

’Everyone’s so serious, are we really in danger?’ Sarah thought to herself with a tinge of fear crawling up her spine, instinctively shifting closer to Loraine for a sense of comfort and protection she knew her best friend provided.

"If we got bad company, then it’s best we stay on high alert," An adventurer in the caravan suddenly spoke up, drawing everyone’s attention to him.

"Yeah that’s right, we’ve been tasked with guarding the goods and protecting everyone in here, we should do our best to stay on the look out for potential threats and dangers, after all, merchants are often targeted by shady groups, so she could be onto something." Another added, the whole adventurer squad nodding in unison.

Loraine smiled upon hearing this, a sense of relief washing down upon her. She was hoping that everyone would come along, as she didn’t want to give away her [Maiden’s Intuition] Skill, and how powerful it was along with [Mystic Amplification] Talent, as the Skill by itself wasn’t meant to be capable of producing the things Loraine could currently do with it.

’If everyone’s on board, then we have a much greater chance of defending ourselves against that entire group, their numbers are enormous, but if everyone works together, then we should be alright in the end.’

She thought to herself, glancing at everyone as she felt their determination and camaraderie spike, united by a need to serve and protect, the adventurer’s code she would soon have the honor of carrying.

Her eyes wandered over to the crimson haired adventurer, the sheer power radiating off of Yura was frightening even in her docile state, her presence and stature making her feel like a burning sun in comparison to everyone here, herself included.

’Perhaps I’ll even get to see what an A-Rank adventurer could do, her power is frightening.’ Loraine thought with a small shudder.

"Do you think they could be after the goods kept in here?" Yura asked Loraine, breaking the white haired maiden’s train of thought and brief fantasy, crossing her arms as she glanced at the valuable supplies in the back.

Loraine chuckled nervously, a small nervous sweat breaking down her face. "Oh they’re more than after the goods alright...they’re after our very lives too." She said, shaking her head.

"Judging by they’re not trying to outright attack us right away, it could be possible that they are planning an ambush, and are currently doing their best to remain at a distance and out of our field of vision."

"An ambush?" Yura said in an contemplative tone, Loraine nodding in response. "I suppose it could be likely, but then again, if they are planning an ambush, then what we’re dealing with could most likely be bandits."

"I guess that makes sense." Loraine shrugged, "All I know is that they’re dangerous, and we shouldn’t take them lightly."

"That’s right," Yura said, nodding in agreement. "Bandits don’t play fair, they’ll use every dirty tactic and move they have at their disposal, and if they’re really planning an ambush, then that means they aren’t confident in taking us on as we are now."

"Or...perhaps they’re doing it because they thought we wouldn’t see it coming..." Loraine added, the two women staring at each other for a moment before breaking out in a shared laugh, despite the situation at hand.

"Guys, this is no time for jokes!" Sarah said, her tone a bit frightened. "There are criminals behind us, so we need to start strategizing." She said, Loraine turning to her best friend as she flashed a warm smile at her.

"She’s right, we need to come up with a plan on how we’re going to deal with them, perhaps set up a trap, or trick them in some way to give us more time to gain further distance." Loraine spoke up, offering her ideas and possible solutions to the problem at hand.

Yura smiled at Loraine’s proactiveness, seeing how ready she was and how she was already preparing to handle situation, the crimson haired woman’s interest in this seemingly ordinary maid growing more and more with every interaction.

"A trap huh, I think I might have a suitable idea." Yura said, placing her hands on her hips. "We’re going to have to execute this pretty well, but if we manage to pull it off, then we’ll easily be able to dispatch and capture them, and who knows, perhaps you could even learn a thing or two when it comes to dealing with trouble makers."