Chapter 15: Glad to Be of Service

Chapter 15: Chapter 15: Glad to Be of Service

Before today, Lilia had also tried some training related to Magic Power, but it was all unorthodox and lacked a systematic approach. Her Magic Talent was poor, and the amount of Magic Power her body could contain was pitifully small, but her level of control over it was passable. In this small test that primarily examined control, aiming for first place was definitely an unattainable fantasy, but she could still get a decent score.

However, what use was a merely passable score? It wouldn’t even help her maintain her rank as first in the grade. Compared to that, capturing her target’s heart as quickly as possible was much more important. With this in mind, Lilia feigned a mistake. She deliberately weakened the speed of her Magic Power output, causing the sapling that had been growing sturdily to rapidly wither.

Unsurprisingly, the commotion drew Victor’s attention. He had been paying attention to Lilia from the start. Upon learning that today’s curriculum was magic practice, he immediately recalled her mentioning that her Magic Talent was only C-level. She wasn’t good at this at all. As a maid of commoner origins, she naturally didn’t have the means to practice in her daily life. Let alone three chances, even if she were given ten or thirty, she might not necessarily be able to stimulate a sapling capable of passing the course assessment.

Thinking of this, Victor walked over to Lilia’s side. Up close, he could see that in order to mobilize the meager amount of Magic Power in her body, a thin layer of sweat had beaded on the girl’s forehead. Her dark eyes were slightly misty from the heat, looking wet and somewhat pitiful, yet carrying an endearing stubbornness. She had already wasted two seeds. If she didn’t succeed this time, even if she wasn’t given a zero for the class, her grade wouldn’t look good.

Just as Lilia lightly bit her lip, preparing to risk everything for a third attempt, the youth’s gentle voice rang by her ear.

"Don’t be anxious." Victor had walked up beside her at some point. "To stimulate a qualified sapling, the amount of Magic Power isn’t the key; stability is. In addition, the amount of Magic Power required for the sapling’s growth is not constant. The further along it gets, the more it needs, so you must accelerate the input of Magic Power as the sapling grows..."

Victor’s voice was unhurried, carrying a reassuring calmness. Under his guidance, Lilia gradually calmed down. Her Magic Power poured continuously into the Demon Crystal, and a sapling sprouted from it in one vigorous burst.

Finally, a rather beautiful sapling appeared in her hands.

"Well done." Victor looked at Lilia, smiling gently. "See? As long as you stay calm enough, it’s actually not difficult at all."

Lilia looked up. Her tense nerves had only just relaxed. Her chest was still heaving slightly, and her watery eyes appeared exceptionally bright. Suppressing her excitement, she gave a soft affirmation. "Thank you, Victor."

The girl’s voice was light and soft, sounding somewhat sticky due to her emotional fluctuations. When she called his name, it was as if she were slowly grinding it between her lips and teeth.

"...You’re welcome." Victor’s Adam’s apple bobbed. "You were already very talented to begin with; I just gave you a few pointers..."

Lilia couldn’t help but smile. If C-level Magic Talent was considered talented, then everyone at Lien Academy would be prodigies.

Victor was dazzled by her smile. Belatedly realizing that the evaluation he had blurted out was perhaps a bit disconnected from reality, he laughed along with her.

[Victor’s Favorability has increased.]

[Victor’s Favorability has increased.]

It rose so fast.

"Victor."

"Hmm?"

Lilia held the ash sapling in her hands up to him. "What should I do? I still don’t think it looks good enough."

Victor felt his heart skip a beat.

"...It can indeed be more perfect, as long as..." He paused. "As long as you practice diligently."

Just as he had hoped, he saw Lilia raise her head to look at him with eyes full of expectation, before saying the words he wanted to hear: "Then can you continue to teach me?"

"Of course." Victor heard his own response. It was a reply without the slightest hesitation, even carrying a hint of urgency. "I’d be glad to help."

[Victor’s Favorability has increased.]

Inside the moving carriage, Lilia sat on the plush seat, propping her elbow against the window frame as she admired the scenery outside. She seemed to be in a very good mood.

From Caius’s angle, he could see a section of her fair lower leg beneath the hem of her skirt, swinging briskly in front of him. He recalled the magic practice class from that afternoon. Standing in the distance, he had seen her interaction with that new student. The two were very close, at a distance where they could whisper and share secrets. He had also seen the wind blow her long hair, tangling it in the buttons of the boy’s uniform. He had seen her smiling at him. And the look in that boy’s eyes when he looked at her was full of tenderness, as well as a kind of cloying emotion that Caius was all too familiar with.

It was truly disgusting. He wanted to gouge the boy’s eyes out. But Lilia had said not to interfere with her making friends.

Caius reined in his emotions. "You’re in a good mood? Because you got third place in the practice class?"

Lilia turned her head in silence. A third-place score was indeed not bad, second only to Caius and Victor. But for someone who consistently maintained the top rank in their grade year-round, such a score could already be considered the Waterloo of her academic career. Lilia kicked him. It wasn’t heavy, but it brought a slight, dull pain.

Caius looked down at his kicked calf. Because she hadn’t walked much today, she hadn’t even left a speck of dust on his pants. It was a pity. It would have been better if she had kicked a little harder.

"The Magic Power control training this afternoon—have you secretly practiced it before?" Lilia’s tone was displeased. "Why didn’t I know about it?" They clearly spent every day together.

"I haven’t," Caius said. "Something that simple doesn’t require advance practice."

"But I needed to practice in advance," Lilia argued.

"That’s why I went to your room to find you the night before last, but you kicked me out."

Lilia fell silent. She thought back for a moment. It seemed like that had indeed happened. After dinner that day, she had been reviewing the day’s coursework when Caius came looking for her, telling her to come to his room. If she remembered correctly, her answer at the time was, "I’m not going. I still have to read."

Lilia finally looked at him. "You just told me to go to your room. How was I supposed to know what you wanted to do?"

Even now, she still had an unforgiving and unreasonable attitude. She was clearly making a fuss out of nothing, but looking into those eyes that had finally turned his way, Caius didn’t feel angry at all. Instead, he felt the pent-up frustration of the day dissipate.

"Mm," he said softly. "Next time, I’ll be clear."

Only then was Lilia satisfied.

The carriage stopped in front of the Earl Mansion. After going upstairs to put away their things, they went back down to prepare for dinner. At this moment, the Earl Mansion’s butler, Mr. Alfr, stepped forward and bowed to Caius. "Young Master."

"What is it?"

"There is a gift here for Miss Lilia."