''Hey, is this some kind of game they're playing on us? Or maybe it's some sort of mental training?'' After witnessing all the conversations between Raydon and Samuen, one of the battle maids with short pink hair questioned, unable to hide her surprise.
''It must be, I don't know who this person is, but he certainly can't be the Raydon we know. '' Another one said it suspiciously.
They were all very familiar with Raydon and had encountered him at the mansion at least once during his time here. It was a miracle that he had even awakened as an item holder, considering that he had always been portrayed as a disgrace to the family, mentally crippled, and unable to take care of his own needs. Therefore, the fact that he was now an E-Rank was all it took for them to conclude that it was not real.
After all of the battle maids, with the exception of Mell, began an animated conversation among themselves, Diam's glance in their direction caused them to revert to the state of silence they had been in before.
''Are they all ready for their next match? '' Samuen asked, looking at Diam.
If they were going to join the match with Raydon, their next match should not be on cooldown as well.
''It's already been 2 days since their last match. Young master Raydon can start the match whenever he feels ready. '' Diam bowed slightly and replied.
In most cases, the battle maids were required to report to Diam before attending their regular matches. This was because the battle maids' primary responsibility was to provide support for the family's young masters, so they almost always attended matches with Galen.
In point of fact, there was another young master that they were responsible for supporting; however, due to the unique condition that Loran's body was in, no battle maid would accompany him in his matches unless it was absolutely necessary to do so.
After receiving the response he had been waiting for, Samuen nodded in satisfaction and handed the scrolls to Raydon.
'Are all the battle maids like this? They all act like they're the landlords of a run-down apartment complex.' Raydon pondered as he approached the battle maids after receiving the scrolls.
The battle maids continued to eye Raydon with curiosity. It was as if they were looking at a rare animal in a zoo. What frustrated him, even more, was that, except for Mell, none of them showed even the slightest hint of friendliness in their gazes. Instead, they were filled with arrogance.
Raydon had previously picked up on the same mindset in Tika, as well as in Belicia, and he now understood that they all shared the same characteristic.
Observing their attitudes, Raydon knew he couldn't rely on any of them for assistance during the match. However, he decided to overlook their behavior in exchange for the additional 30% experience buff.
Raydon, as he was getting closer to Mell, the battle maid he knew the best at the time, extended the scroll towards her.
"Add teammate," he said.
After that, a notification from the system appeared in front of Mell. She bowed to Raydon with unwavering resolve, and without giving it a second thought, she accepted the invitation. "Accept."
In an instant, the scroll in Raydon's hand transformed into shimmering blue light and vanished.
'At least I can count on her to carry my loot,' Raydon thought, noticing that, unlike the others, Mell regarded him with respect and reverence.
Indeed, Mell had always carried herself with an air of superiority and haughtiness as well. The fact that she was able to observe Raydon's techniques firsthand, however, put an end to any lingering reservations she had regarding his talent and potential. Regardless of his importance to the family, Mell admired his extraordinary abilities.
Moving on to the next battle maid, Raydon held another scroll in his hand and said.
"Add teammate."
The battle maid, whose blonde hair shone like Mell's, murmured in disbelief as she stared at the system window that materialized before her. 'I can't believe it... This is truly a blue-grade Invitation scroll. '
Since she always used white-grade invitation scrolls and rarely used green-grade invitation scrolls, she had never seen blue-grade invitation scrolls before.
'Was everything I witnessed real? Who is this person? ' she wondered, her mind filled with confusion.
"Verda, the young master may not have much time to wait," Diam's reminder broke her trance, and Verda snapped out of her daze, gazing at Raydon's composed and flawless visage.
''Ah… Yes…Accept. '' Verda reacted with sudden panic to Diam's words.
'What is happening here? Are all of these events real? ' In the end, Verda came to understand that this was not just routine mental training for them.
Since the Demugen family has always placed the utmost emphasis on mental training, the battle maids were accustomed to Diam's various illusions and mind games, often subjecting them to similar situations.
However, this time, there was an undeniable sense of difference from the countless training sessions they had experienced before. Samuen and the other elders standing before them were undeniably real, dispelling any notion of it being a mere illusion. Furthermore, what surprised them the most was the noticeable change in Diam's demeanor, a departure from her usual demeanor.
Ordinarily, Diam treated everyone, including the elders, with the same level of respect and emotion, except for the family leader. But the way she looked at and interacted with Raydon now was vastly distinct, leaving them all puzzled.
Undeterred by the battle maids' bewildered expressions, Raydon proceeded to add each of them to his squad, paying no heed to their reactions.
As each scroll disappeared, transforming into sparkling particles of blue light, Raydon turned to Samuen with a question in his eyes.
"What should I do now?" Raydon inquired, his uncertainty apparent. The absence of system messages or a party panel left him unsure of the subsequent steps to take.
Samuen, with a reassuring smile, provided the guidance Raydon sought. "Simply accept the active match invite, and they will receive their respective match invites as well. That's all."