Chapter 2: Even if her resolve was firm

The reason Lila was accepted as a student at Casser Academy was precisely because of her extraordinarily abnormal talent in swordsmanship.

Movements that others required hundreds or thousands of hours to master, she could replicate perfectly after seeing them just once.

It was not mere superficial imitation, but a true understanding of the underlying principles, knowing when and how to apply them, fully integrating them as her own.

In the beginning, the instructors invited to the Stuart Family to teach Lila swordsmanship would find themselves with nothing left to teach in less than a day.

As time passed, even masters who had devoted decades to swordsmanship were no longer her match.

Even swordsmen with stronger physiques, far surpassing Lila in both strength and speed, ultimately fell to her due to the gap in technique.

In the end, the family could no longer find anyone capable of teaching her swordsmanship.

At the same time, in order to keep her from causing trouble within the household, Victor sent her to Casser Academy.

By now, Lila had already reached perfection in the realm of sword technique.

What she continued to pursue was advancement in the realm of the sword.

From the initial stage of Sword Intent, to the higher level of Sword Heart, and ultimately to the pinnacle known as Sword Domain, Lila still had a long road ahead of her.

This was likely the first setback she had encountered on the path of the sword.

She had yet to grasp even Sword Intent.

For ordinary swordsmen, no matter how refined their techniques, they were little more than conspicuous targets in the eyes of mages.

Yet Sword Intent could only be understood intuitively and could not be taught through words.

Each person’s Sword Intent was different, in other words, everyone walked a different path, which made it impossible to teach.

Thus, in her current swordsmanship classes, Lila mostly picked a few classmates at random under the pretense of sparring, beating them up to maintain her image as a villainous noble lady.

After finishing swordsmanship class, Lila had lunch and then sat down in a nearby teahouse, waiting for Simon to report.

This was a rule she had set.

Before doing anything in the afternoon, Simon had to report to her.

As expected, a gloomy-looking Simon appeared before her and spoke respectfully.

“Miss, I need to go to my part-time job this afternoon.”

After speaking, Simon lowered his gaze, waiting for Lila’s command.

Lila remained silent.

Simon made no further movement.

It seemed that Simon had already learned her temperament, Lila thought to herself.

A few days ago, when Simon had left on his own after her silence, he was punished by Lila under the pretext of acting without permission.

He was made to stand under the scorching sun for an entire afternoon, nearly fainting from the heat, and missing his part-time job as well.

Simon’s tuition was funded by Lila’s father, but his daily living expenses had to be covered by himself.

In truth, his adoptive parents could not provide enough, so Simon had no choice but to find a part-time job to support himself.

Fortunately, he had met a kind shop owner who allowed him to choose his working hours based on his free time, enabling him to balance work and study.

And now, even though Simon had done nothing wrong, he continued to wait for Lila’s judgment.

But what he would not receive was her forgiveness.

“Stand here until evening. Don’t even think about going anywhere.”

Lila broke the silence with a smile.

Yet in Simon’s eyes, it was the smile of a devil.

The anger within him was already on the verge of breaking through his façade.

“But Miss, that job is my only way to earn living expenses. If I don’t go-”

Before Simon could finish, Lila interrupted him.

“Whether you starve or not has nothing to do with me. You’re nothing more than my dog. Or are you planning to disobey my orders?”

The boy’s fists clenched tightly, then slowly loosened.

“My apologies for the offense, Miss.”

Lila watched the scene with interest.

“Good, very good. As long as you behave, I won’t do anything to your family.”

Lila adjusted Simon into a horse stance.

Then she casually called over a server and ordered a cup of tea.

Taking a light sip, she said,

“Maintain this posture and don’t move. Hold it as long as you can. Otherwise, I can’t guarantee what I might do.”

And so, for the entire afternoon, Simon remained in a cycle of holding the stance, collapsing from exhaustion, resting briefly, and then resuming again.

By the time Lila finished her tea, dusk was approaching.

“Simon, this young lady permits you to stop now.”

The moment she spoke, Simon collapsed onto the ground.

Lila mocked him.

“Simon, I originally planned to let you rest earlier, but unfortunately, you didn’t behave.”

Her expression then turned cold.

“Be more careful next time, Simon.”

“Understood… Miss.”

Simon panted, forcing out the words through aching muscles.

“Good.”

Lila didn’t spare him another glance and left coldly.

What she did not see was the hatred in Simon’s eyes, as if he wished to tear her apart.

But this was exactly the result Lila wanted.

She could feel the rate at which her life was draining slow down, and that sense of losing everything weakened.

It seemed she could live another day…

Lila quickly returned to her apartment.

The reason she had driven away the servants arranged by her father was because she had a secret she could not reveal to anyone.

Standing before the mirror, she raised her hand.

Warm orange light gathered in her palm in strands.

Lila’s talent was not limited to swordsmanship.

She could even wield Holy Light, a miraculous power capable of healing others.

It was said that only those with noble hearts, integrity, and the willingness to warm others like sunlight could possess such power.

It must be because she had been a habitual do-gooder in her previous life.

In this life, she would become a thorough villain!

Lila made her resolve once more.

Bit by bit, she watched as her crimson hair transformed into pure white under the release of the Holy Light.

Her fierce scarlet eyes also turned into a warm golden hue.

She cleared her throat, adjusting her voice, she had put in great effort to completely change herself.

Lila applied a soft, gentle makeup and smiled at the mirror.

The girl in the reflection had white hair flowing obediently down her back, gentle brows, and a serene smile, as if she were glowing.

No one who saw this smile would associate her with that sharp and domineering noble lady.

She then loosened her tied hair and restyled it into a low side ponytail draped over one shoulder.

After checking herself in the mirror from side to side and finding no issues, Lila nodded.

Strangely, the sharp and willful aura of the villainous noble lady had disappeared.

In its place was a gentle and elegant temperament.

It was as if she had become a completely different person.

Rather, without witnessing the transformation firsthand, no one would believe they were the same individual.

After changing into a plain white outfit, she immediately headed toward a restaurant.

Because she knew that although Simon appeared weak and timid, he was someone who took everything extremely seriously.

Even if his entire body ached and his mind was exhausted, he would still come to the restaurant to give the owner an explanation.

And Lila, in her current appearance, was precisely the owner of that restaurant.

Just as she had expected, she had only been sitting in the office for a few minutes when a soft yet continuous knock sounded on the door.

Lila cleared her throat and said, “Come in.”

What she saw next was a boy staggering as he walked, supporting himself against the wall as he approached her.

“Eh? Simon, don’t push yourself. Come sit down and rest for a while.”

Lila hurriedly motioned for him to sit.

Even though she knew it was her own doing, she still had to feign a bit of surprise.

“I’m sorry, Manager.”

Simon leaned back in the chair and apologized sincerely.

“It’s alright, Simon. Was it that Miss Stuart again? That’s too much!”

‘I’m not the villain, I’m the manager. I’m not the villain, I’m the manager.’

Lila began hypnotizing herself, though it was completely ineffective.

“No matter what, today was supposed to be my shift, but I didn’t do anything.”

Simon looked somewhat dejected.

“It’s fine. It couldn’t be helped. Compared to work, your health is more important, isn’t it? Besides, Alice covered your shift this afternoon. If anything, you should apologize to her.”

Alice was Simon’s childhood friend.

They had grown up in the same village, and she had been admitted due to her talent in ice, wind, and wood magic.

As for Simon…

He was perhaps the only human in the world with dark attribute magic.

Because of this uniqueness, the academy admitted him, as previously only demons, enemies of the entire continent, could use it.

Yet, up until now, Simon had never successfully cast a single spell.

This was the reason he could not resist Lila.

Lila then put on an embarrassed expression and winked at Simon.

“How about this, Simon, can you promise to keep what you’re about to see a secret?”

“I… I can.”

Simon thought for a moment.

The manager would never harm him, so he agreed.

Then he saw the gentle manager before him raise her right hand.

Warm light immediately gathered in her palm, then transformed into strands that continuously flowed into Simon’s body.

Soon, the pain within him began to fade.

Although she was shorter than him, the warmth she radiated made him feel as though she were an older sister.

This manager was infinitely better than that demonic woman Lila who ordered him around all day.

That short brat should just die!

“Is this… Holy Light?”

Though his heart was filled with curses toward Lila, Simon could not vent them in front of the manager who had helped him.

Suppressing those emotions, he asked curiously.

Lila suddenly sneezed.

Was someone thinking about her?

She dismissed the thought, there was hardly anyone who would miss her.

“Yes, but I’m not affiliated with the Church, so please don’t spread it around, alright?”

Lila gave a vague answer.

“Don’t worry, Manager. I’ll keep my promise.”

Lila trusted Simon’s promise.

Because he was exactly the kind of person who always followed through on his word.

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