Chapter 11: Who Is the Servant, Who Is the Master

Chapter 11: Chapter 11: Who Is the Servant, Who Is the Master

[During your time at Lien Academy, you have been diligent and hardworking, frequently taking first place in the entire grade’s final exams.]

[Intelligence +5]

[Teachers adore good students like you, frequently praising you and Caius in front of the Beaumont couple.]

[The Countess is increasingly satisfied with you, and even the stern Count Beaumont has commended your cleverness.]

[Your popularity at school continues to rise, making you one of the most discussed figures at Lien Academy.]

[When your classmates gossip about you, they no longer refer to you as "Caius’s maid, Lilia," but rather "that Lilia with excellent character and academics."]

[Charm +5]

[Congratulations on reaching Level 4. You have gained 5 free attribute points...]

Lilia allocated these 5 attribute points to Intelligence.

Perhaps due to the game’s underlying mechanics, the character leveled up very slowly. Over such a long period, she had only leveled up three times. Each time, she gained 5 free attribute points, totaling 15 points. Of those, she had invested 5 points into Charm, and went all-in on Intelligence with the rest.

Magic Talent could not be improved with attribute points, capping her potential as a Mage. Just as the system’s evaluation had stated, she was destined never to become a master of practical magic, but she had the potential to become a giant in theory. Therefore, Lilia had always worked extremely hard in her studies, which allowed her to consistently maintain the top rank in her grade year after year.

Now, her character information was as follows:

[Name: Lilia]

[Level: Level 4]

[Constitution: 25/100]

[Intelligence: 85/100]

[Charm: 100/100]

[Luck: 75/100]

[Morality: -10/100]

Thanks to her high Charm of [100/100], Lilia received countless gifts every day. At school, every classmate would greet her enthusiastically, lining up to invite her to meals or banquets. However, she never had to worry about these trivial matters; Caius handled them for her.

Speaking of Caius...

His attitude toward her was incredibly strange.

Lilia hadn’t heard a Favorability notification regarding him in a long time. The game *Holy Sanctuary* hid character Favorability very strictly. Whether it went up or down, the exact numbers were completely invisible, and it displayed as unviewable on the character attribute interface. Only when Favorability reached a certain threshold and she formally entered that character’s corresponding main route could she view their Favorability at any time.

Lilia had no idea what Caius’s Favorability toward her currently was, but based on her guess, it was probably still stuck in the negatives. After all, from the time Ernst left until now, she had not heard a single [Favorability Increased] notification.

This was only her first playthrough, and her character’s base stats were abysmal. Lilia’s primary goal was simply to reach an ending; she had no interest in challenging the impossible right now. The gap between her and Caius was simply too vast—whether in family background or talent. Pursuing his route would be incredibly difficult.

Therefore, even though she lived right there in the Beaumont family’s home, enjoying the advantage of close proximity, she still had no intention of trying to capture Caius’s heart. A tough nut to crack like him was better left for later, when she was actually equipped to handle it.

According to Lilia’s original plan, she should have found a second capture target upon arriving at Lien Academy and formally entered a character’s main route. But whether it was because they were too young before or for some other reason, she hadn’t encountered anyone after all this time. She hoped that once she advanced to the junior high division, there would be new developments.

The carriage traveled smoothly down the wide main road of Taronia without the slightest bump. Even in the early morning, the September sun was dazzling enough, spilling into the carriage through the wide-open windows.

Bathed in the golden glow, Lilia was reading a book. It was a copy of *Magic Theory Basics*, and it was the very first textbook she would study upon entering the junior high division.

According to Lien Academy’s curriculum, students formally began learning Magic once they entered junior high. Given Lilia’s Magic Talent, the practical magic portion would likely hold her back significantly. If she wanted to maintain her current grades, she needed to double her efforts.

Having held the same posture for too long, Lilia’s shoulders felt stiff, and her eyes were a bit dry. Just as she was about to stretch, a hand suddenly reached over and pressed down on the book. A slight sense of pressure transmitted through the volume, pressing directly against Lilia’s legs—an unquestionable display of control.

"Stop reading."

Caius’s voice followed immediately. His tone remained aloof, almost devoid of emotion. "The important part of learning Magic is practice. Reading endless theory is useless."

"Are you mocking me?" Lilia didn’t look up. "You know perfectly well that my Magic Talent isn’t high enough and that it’s impossible for me to get good grades in practical magic courses.

"Are you waiting for my grades to drop so the Countess will be disappointed in me? So she’ll transfer me away from your side to prevent a bad student like me from tarnishing the dignity of the Beaumont Family?"

"...I didn’t think that." Caius frowned slightly. "Besides, Mother wouldn’t dislike you just because your grades dropped."

Lady Beaumont was genuinely raising Lilia like a daughter now. With her tacit approval, Lilia ate meals with them every day. This was obviously not the kind of treatment a maid should receive. Even this carriage was a custom-made transport provided by the Countess, who had taken Lilia’s frail Constitution into consideration. Right before they left the house, she had specifically instructed Caius to take good care of Lilia at school.

It truly made one wonder who was the servant and who was the master.

"Then mind your own business," Lilia said. "Move your hand."

Caius’s body stiffened for a moment before he silently complied. He turned and pulled the curtains down a bit, blocking the sunlight that was glaring directly onto the pages to make the text less harsh on her eyes.

Soon, the carriage engraved with the Beaumont Family crest rolled to a stop at the gates of Lien Academy. Caius stepped out first. He didn’t walk forward immediately but instead circled around to the other side of the carriage. As soon as he stood firmly, the door was pushed open from the inside.

The person inside leaned out. The first thing to catch the eye was a stunningly flawless face.

Ten years was enough time for a little girl to blossom into a graceful young woman. With black hair and dark eyes, her features were strikingly beautiful. Compared to the past, the baby fat on her cheeks had faded, bringing her exquisite bone structure and delicate brow into sharper relief. Even dressed in the standardized dark green uniform skirt of Lien Academy—a uniform countless students complained about for being ugly—she looked like the most expensive, perfect doll in a shop window, so exquisitely beautiful that one could easily fall for her at first glance.

Caius offered his hand.

The girl placed her right hand in his palm and used his leverage to hop down from the carriage. Sunlight shone on her face, illuminating fair, delicate skin without a single flaw. It was as smooth and warm as jade, resembling the finest bone china.

Caius looked at her face, his thumb lightly brushing against the back of her hand before quickly letting go.

People around them constantly cast glances in their direction, seemingly captivated by the girl’s exceedingly delicate beauty. Caius’s expression tightened. "Let’s go."

Lilia nodded. The two of them walked side by side toward the classroom. Caius followed closely behind her, maintaining a distance of less than half a step.

Class A.

As soon as Lilia walked through the door, someone opened their mouth to call her over to sit together. However, after meeting Caius’s excessively gloomy gaze, they immediately backed down.

However, not everyone was as perceptive as they were.