Chapter 42 - 41: I Will Find You

Chapter 42: Chapter 41: I Will Find You

"Why are you helping me?"

Even though it was the exact same question word for word, listening closely, it sounded vastly different.

Back in the garden, it had been a probe laced with temptation. But this time, Lucian’s tone carried genuine confusion.

He didn’t understand. His reason for approaching Lilia was because he had his eye on her special status within the Beaumont family.

But what about her? Why was she willing to help him?

Never mind the idea that backing a losing horse could yield greater returns; even from Lucian’s own perspective, given his current situation, there was absolutely nothing about him worth investing in.

Lilia blinked. "Haven’t I already answered this question?"

"You mean when you said, ’Take a guess’?"

Lucian, of course, hadn’t forgotten. He chuckled softly. "That kind of answer... is quite cunning."

"You can’t say that," Lilia said. "An answer only leaves a deep impression when you figure it out for yourself."

She drew out the last syllable, adding, "However... since you’ve thought about it all night without a single clue, I’m willing to give you a hint."

"Which is?"

"If you still haven’t figured out the answer by tomorrow, then come find me."

As her words faded, Lucian waited for a moment, but she offered nothing more. Realizing something, he couldn’t help but smile. "If I ask where to find you, are you going to say... ’Take a guess’ again?"

Lilia maintained her sweet smile. Although she didn’t speak, her meaning was already quite clear.

"All right." Lucian nodded. "The third riddle from Miss Sifris."

"Do you not like solving riddles?" Lilia asked.

"Most of the time, no."

When conversing with others, Lucian often wore a thick mask, rarely leaking his true emotions or preferences. But right at this moment, without him even realizing it, his usually perfect smile faltered slightly, replaced by a touch of helplessness.

"But, who can I blame when this is a test I asked for?" Lucian said. "I will definitely find the answer to your question."

"And I will definitely... find you."

...

Just as he had said, Lilia’s directive to "find her" could be considered a test.

Upon receiving a test question, the first thing to confirm was the examiner’s intent. Casting aside all superfluous considerations, there was one place he could definitely find Lilia: the Beaumont Earl Mansion.

But Lucian knew that if he simply paid a visit to the Earl Mansion after school, even if he managed to see Lilia, he wouldn’t get the answer he wanted from her. In Lilia’s eyes, that would count as cheating, and a score obtained through such means would be disqualified.

Therefore, Lucian had to find Lilia somewhere within Lien Academy before school ended today.

"The class schedule for Class A, first year of the middle school division?" The young man looked at Lucian in some surprise. "Why are you asking about that?"

Lucian brushed it off. "Just curious."

"...Who are you kidding?" The young man wasn’t buying it. As a member of the student council, he naturally had the clearance to check the first-year schedules. "Let me see... Recently, under the influence of the Hess Empire, the academy’s upper management decided that even Mages cannot neglect their physical exercise, so they’re increasing the physical training for students..."

"..."

"Get to the point," Lucian said.

"Oh, right, sorry. I’m used to speaking like a bureaucrat." The young man coughed lightly. "Both of their classes today are physical training. Still the old spot, Zone S."

"Thanks."

Lucian turned to leave, but the young man called out from behind, "Why are you suddenly paying attention to the lower grades? Could it be that you’re still upset about losing to the Beaumont family’s only son, and you want to go stir up trouble for him?"

"Congratulations." Lucian paused for a moment. "You’re half right."

"No, seriously, you..."

Keeping someone in suspense like that was infuriating, wasn’t it? Feeling exasperated but also growing increasingly curious, the young man asked, "Which half did I get right? Are you upset about losing, or do you want to get back at Caius?

"Hey, at least say something... Ah! You actually used Phantom Magic to run away! Dammit, so what if you’re a Magic genius?!"

Lucian, of course, couldn’t hear the young man’s complaints.

He left the student council office and arrived at Zone S. Strictly speaking, no one was allowed near the training grounds during class hours, unless there were special circumstances. However, Lucian knew almost all the teachers at the academy; last year, he had even served as a teaching assistant for the first-year students for a month.

Getting by on a familiar face, he walked straight into the grounds, but he didn’t spot that familiar figure among the crowd of students.

After asking the teacher, Lucian learned that the students of Class A indeed weren’t all present. A few students with a weak Constitution couldn’t handle such high-intensity physical training, so they had taken a leave of absence to rest.

As for where they went... according to the teacher, they could be anywhere.

Lucian had no choice but to slowly search for her.

The classrooms, the reading room, the school history museum, the rooftop... He checked many places, but he still couldn’t find Lilia.

Seeing that class was about to end, Lucian simply stopped his aimless search and started to use his head.

Before entering the middle school division, Lilia had consistently maintained the top rank in her grade. For a commoner, this required countless drops of sweat and effort. The physical education teacher had approved Lilia’s leave slip, which meant her Constitution was indeed very poor—so poor that she couldn’t even complete the most basic course training.

Where would a student, who was so diligent in her studies yet forced to take time off to rest for physical reasons, go during class hours?

If she wasn’t in the library... then there was only one place left.

Lucian arrived at the individual training grounds, which were also located in Zone S. Here, students could adjust the training intensity themselves. Even those with a weaker Constitution could mostly persevere until they gradually adapted.

There were indeed people in the training grounds, but not the one he wanted to see.

He had guessed wrong. She wasn’t here.

Lucian softly exhaled. He was just about to turn and leave when a somewhat familiar figure walked toward him.

Lucian remembered her. Last week at the entrance of Zone S, she was the one who had first called out the name "Lilia."

"Hello there," Lucian said, stopping her. "Can I ask you a question?"

Cecie was startled by this sudden greeting. She recognized Lucian and gave a timid nod. "Please, go ahead."

"I’m looking for Lilia. Do you know where she is right now?"

Lilia.

The moment that name was spoken, the girl’s gaze toward Lucian immediately became guarded. She hadn’t forgotten that it was Lilia and Caius who had teamed up to defeat him last week. There was no guarantee he wasn’t harboring a grudge and secretly plotting against Lilia.

The girl’s defensiveness was practically written on her face, and it was impossible for Lucian not to notice.

He recalled the previous intelligence report on Lilia. "I hear you’re Lilia’s best friend."

"That’s right," Cecie answered without hesitation. "Lilia and I have been good friends since the elementary division."

Lucian let out an "Mhm" and said, "Since you’re best friends, then... you shouldn’t have trouble answering a simple question like ’where is she,’ right?"