Amelia and Ophelia: The Former Grand Duchess and Saintess.

Ever since Percy had arrived, she has been doing her best to whip the staff of the Imperial Palace into shape in order for them to serve Ophelia and Amelia to the best of their abilities. She was impressed by the initial skill the staff had but the head maid inside her wanted them to do more and while Ophelia was hesitant at first to push them for more, Percy was able to convince her on the condition that she would not fire anyone as these people were already serving her to the best of their abilities before she arrived, something that Percy agreed to. Soon, she implemented a strict but also fair training regimen designed to enhance their skills, expanding their knowledge of basic etiquette, how to serve drinks, how to serve food, etc. 

Out of everyone she was training, Mercy Stryke, the head maid when she arrived, approached Percy to help train her further and while Percy already saw her as good enough, Mercy thought otherwise and underwent further training to better her service. Now it was the final portion of the training, and arguably the hardest...combat. 

"Haa..haaa...haaa" Mercy tried to steady herself as she kept her eyes on the woman before her, the kitsune's sword was in her right hand pointing downward while the left was placed at her back, giving a sense to the dragonkin that she wasn't even being taken seriously, the two of them were inside a garden in the imperial palace that was turned into a training ground for the two of them

"I must admit Miss Mercy, most would have passed out from exhaustion about now...but you, you are still standing" Percy stated as she looked at the bloodied and beaten dragonkin that served as her fellow head maid to their monarchs. 

"I've been in a few fights in my life Miss Percy, so this is nothing to me" Mercy replied with a grin as she straightened herself up, the dragonkin regeneration slowly kicking in and sealing up her numerous gashes and wounds all over her scaly body 

"Good. Good. That is the mindset a head maid should have. Now come, show this old fox what you got" Percy stated as she placed her left foot back and then raised her sword, the tip pointing directly at her opponent 

{!} 

Mercy lunged forward with a roar as she fired off two slashes with her claws and then quickly shifted her body to fire off a full thrust of her tail at Percy. Percy blocked the two slashes and leaned back as the tail barely missed her, the sharp end leaving a small cut on her left cheek as it sailed by her. Percy then walked back as she turned around, blocking numerous swings by her dragonkin counterpart, with a few of these claw swipes passing her defenses and ripping apart her outfit in the shoulders and some of the cloth by her waist. Regaining her stance, the kitsune fired back with a thrust that Mercy dodged, grabbing the blade with her tail and pulling it out of her opponent's grasp much to her surprise, a devilish smile on her face as she flexed her tail and her claws, with Percy still remaining composed. 

"Impressive. Now let's see if you can handle this" 

{!} 

Suddenly, the ground around them began to sink and form a crater. Mercy's immediate response was to hover above, her dragonkin wings flapping a good distance above the sinking kitsune who smirked at her. Before Mercy could do anything, her eyes went wide as a storm of lances made of earth erupted from the swirling ground. Mercy quickly fired back with several fireballs and ice spikes, the projectiles colliding with one another and creating an air of smoke thick enough to blind both parties from view. Percy wasted no time in repairing the hole she was in, picking up her sword as she used her shadow magic to disappear into the shadows of the nearby trees, waiting for Mercy to come back down. The dragonkin on the other hand was still hovering, her mind wondering what the hell to do next. 

'Should I wait for the smoke to clear? No...Yes...yeah, Me staying up here until its clear is the better option' She thought as she moved a bit higher to gain some distance 

Once the smoke cleared, Mercy's eyes scanned the area, trying her best to find her kitsune counterpart but finding no one. A smile on her lips as she transformed her head into that of a proper dragon 

"Come out to play!" She shouted with a grin 

{!} 

"GAAH!" 

A boulder then slammed into the side of her face which snapped it to the right, the pain forcing the dragonkin to transform her head back to normal. She looked to her left and saw Percy emerge from the shadow of a tree, a disappointed expression on her face. 

"I thought I taught you that a maid must not destroy a perfectly fine garden, and if she does she repairs it..." Percy stated as she walked forward 

"Hah. Worked to bring you out though" Mercy replied with a grin as she dived at her target

Percy smirked as her opponent approached, looking as if she wanted her opponent to charge her. As Mercy dived at her opponent, she dodged a thrust from the kitsune and tried to grab her by the waist, but when she tried to grab her, Percy turned into a puff of smoke much to her shock. She was so in shock that she did not notice the real Percy materialize from the shadows in the split second her clone disappeared, with a fist cocked and ready to fire. The dragonkin let out a grunt as she hit the ground hard and tumbled away, crashing into the wall at the edge of the garden, dazed and very much confused if only for a brief moment as she looked back up to see Percy slowly approaching her. 

"That is cheating you know?" Mercy joked as she got to her feet 

"I was merely using all. the tools available. A head maid must be able to do so, whether it be the lack of manpower, lack of resources, or even lack of ability, a head maid must use all available resources presented and do as much as they can with it. You and I are using our abilities to the fullest and I am proud of that. Now, if you really want to, we can end the final test here, satisfied with you progress. Or, you can show me if you can fight to the end, and win" Percy stated as she raised her saber and pointed it to her counterpart 

"Hahaha...now that is a trick question. Because, you told me before that a head maid must give her all, and finish whatever duty they are currently doing. So how can I call myself a head maid if I chicken out now? No, I will finish this and prove I am someone worth being called a head maid, and that entails kicking your ass" Mercy shot back as she summoned up her all her remaining strength and got into a fighting stance 

A smile appeared on Percy's face a she flourished her saber and got into a ready stance, impressed by the performance of her opponent so far and knowing full well that the fire she could see in Mercy's eyes was genuine and full of life, with the goal of fulfilling the duty to the end. Just like a true head maid. 

"Very Well. Come at me then" 

{!} 

Mercy charged forward, using her dragonkin legs to close the distance in the blink of an eye as she let loose a barrage of swipes and claw attacks with her dragonkin arms, legs, and tail. Percy replied with practiced efficiency as she parried and blocked every attack that came her way, seeing opening and replying with thrusts and slashes that Mercy caught or dodged. Their battle continued across the garden, a beautiful sight of steel against regenerating scales, with both sides landing cuts and fashes on one another but with only one party regenerating from her wounds while the other was slowly losing more and more steam as the battle progressed. 

Bloodied, Percy fired off an [Earth Spear] that Mercy cut in half with her tail, replying with a tail whip that struck the kitsune in the abdomen and sending her flying a few meters back but still on her feet. Percy tried to hide in the shadows but Mercy let loose a quick [Flame Blast] that got her attention and left her off balance and open to a barrage of small fireballs that struck all over the kitsune's body, sending her crashing to the ground, slightly burned and very much down for the count, with her sword falling out of her grasp and a few meters from her. Percy tried to get back up but Mercy quickly moved and using her dragonkin abilities, snatched her up and held her slightly in the air in a hug, the tip of her tail resting on the kitsune's neck. 

"Looks like I win" Mercy stated with a smile 

"Haaa...that you did" Percy replied with a satisfied smile of her own 

Placing the kitsune back down, Mercy watched as her counterpart took out a potion of crimson from her item box and downed it in one go. The potion's effects were immediate as her wounds and burns disappeared but her clothes were still torn and damaged. A surprised look on her face as Percy returned to her pristine and beautiful condition before the fight. 

"You did well Mercy. Very well" The kitsune said as she locked eyes with her counterpart 

"Thank you so much for your help Percy" The dragonkin replied as she bowed her head 

"Fufufu, you needn't thank me that much. Besides, you did way better than I had hoped for, I am glad you are my fellow head maid, and I wouldn't have it any other way" Percy added as she flashed a smile at Mercy

Mercy blushed as she saw the smile, her cheeks going red as she scratched the back of her head. She had never seen Percy so pretty before and wondered to herself why this time she looked extra different, even more stunning than usual. 

"Th...thank you for your kind words, I hope I won't disappoint you" Mercy replied as she locked eyes with the kitsune 

"Fufufu, I don't doubt it...now, shall we head back to work?" The kitsune asked 

"Yes...yes we should" Mercy nodded in agreement as she walked next to her, blushing as Percy wrapped her left arm around her right as they entered the palace 

A/N: New Extra Chapter. Enjoy!