Chapter 4: To take a dangerous action

Watching with great interest as Simon completely finished the honey toast, Lila slightly raised her chin, revealing her smooth, fair neck.

“You should feel grateful for this, Simon. You’ve probably never eaten something this expensive before.”

“Thank you for your generosity, Miss.”

Simon replied calmly.

His pitch-black pupils were like black agate, and Lila could not discern any emotion within them.

Yet the life that had not yet fully slipped away told her that the hatred in Simon’s heart was still burning unchecked.

Good.

“In that case, let’s play a game. There are many parts of this book I don’t understand. I’ll ask, you answer. If you’re correct, there will be a reward. If you’re wrong, there will be punishment. You’ll accept, won’t you?”

Lila raised the textbook, a trace of interest flashing through her crimson eyes.

“I accept.”

Simon responded neither humbly nor arrogantly.

“Hmph.”

Lila snorted lightly and flipped open the book, searching for questions within.

After browsing through several, she decided to start with something simple.

“Question: How do you purify alchemical base materials contaminated by impurities?”

“In alchemical elemental theory, if the contamination is elemental, one can use the principle of similar elements attracting each other to aggregate and remove them. If the impurities are physical in nature, they must be manually extracted.”

Seems like Simon studies quite seriously, Lila thought.

Though she herself wasn’t actually confused about the material, she still wanted to gauge Simon’s level.

After all, at Casser Academy, some commoners lost their motivation to study due to noble bullying, eventually becoming aimless and fearful of the future, only to be expelled for failing the academy’s examinations.

“I underestimated you, Simon. Then next question, what are the steps to forge an enchanted weapon?”

Unwilling to concede, Lila asked another question.

Simon paused to think.

In truth, he was considering what consequences would come from answering correctly or incorrectly.

Even if a wrong answer brought punishment, a correct one might anger this villainess and lead to punishment anyway.

But after a moment, he still answered.

“First, reserve alchemical mechanisms in the unfinished structure. Then prepare the alchemical materials. After filling them in, forge the weapon into shape. Finally, use magic to activate the reserved alchemical nodes, allowing the materials to integrate with the weapon. That completes the forging process.”

Resting her cheek on one hand, Lila listened to Simon’s lengthy explanation.

Her eyelids drooped, as if she found it rather dull.

With a slightly bored wave of her hand, she casually tossed a gold coin in front of Simon.

“I always keep my word. Though it was a bit boring, I’m in a good mood today. Take it and get lost. And don’t come at noon either.”

Lila dismissed him.

“Then I’ll take my leave, Miss.”

Simon bid farewell politely on the surface, turning without hesitation.

He then walked far away from Lila, heading toward his childhood friend Alice.

“Well, well, isn’t this the young lady of the Stuart Family? Just a useless person who can’t even use magic.”

Where did such an affected, grating voice come from?

It made Lila feel sick just hearing it.

She raised her eyes to look at the speaker.

The blonde girl before her, who clearly disliked Lila, was someone she recognized.

If her memory was correct, she was Leonor Clinton, the daughter of Duke Lox of the Principality of Clinton.

In terms of status, Leonor was indeed of a higher rank.

But as the notorious villainess abandoned by the Stuart Family, Lila had no intention of handling matters with noble etiquette.

“Which stray dog dares to bark in front of me?”

Lila raised an eyebrow and spoke with disdain.

“You!”

Leonor laughed in anger.

“No wonder you were abandoned by your family. You’re clearly useless, yet refuse to recognize that you’re nothing but a decorative vase. Your only value is marrying some fat, nouveau riche noble!”

Faced with such a situation, Lila had only one response, violence.

And only violence.

She slammed her hand onto a nearby table.

In an instant, under the force of her palm, the table shattered into pieces.

She casually picked up the longest fragment.

Her crimson hair fell over her face, and the aura of a swordsman burst forth from her.

Or rather, it was killing intent.

“Try saying that again.”

Lila spoke faintly.

Her thoughts were simple.

She wasn’t going to live long anyway.

If she couldn’t live freely, then what was the point?

At worst, she would take the other person down with her.

Leonor was completely intimidated by this aura.

She swallowed hard, her body trembling.

“I-I am the daughter of Duke Lox! What do you think you’re doing!”

As if the name could grant her safety.

But things did not go as she wished.

The next moment, she saw the wooden plank rapidly enlarging before her eyes.

Panicking, she turned to run, only to trip in her haste.

“W-Wait, no- I was wrong!”

Yet Lila did not stop.

At the final moment, however, the wooden plank she swung was blocked by an arm.

“I think that’s enough.”

It was the very man Lila had encountered at the training grounds.

Seeing her attack stopped, Lila could only click her tongue in displeasure.

“Your name is Lila, right? Come with me.”

Without waiting for her response, the man grabbed her sleeve and dragged her out of the classroom.

“I can walk on my own.”

Lila said coldly.

“Do you know what would’ve happened if that strike landed?”

The man’s tone carried a hint of anger.

“At worst, I’d get expelled. I don’t care about anything else. Besides, what does this have to do with you, old man?”

“Am I really that old?”

Cold sweat appeared on the man’s forehead.

“But I won’t argue with you. Let me introduce myself first. I’m your new swordsmanship instructor this semester, Ulysses White. I believe I have the right to discipline my students.”

“I know you’re talented, which is why I don’t understand why you’d do something like this.”

“I’ll do whatever I want.”

Lila once again displayed her noble lady temperament.

“That’s exactly why you’re being too reckless. You’re a swordsmanship genius with a boundless future ahead of you. You can’t stop because of something like this. Listen to me, go apologize to her, and I’ll vouch for you so the disciplinary office gives you a lighter punishment…”

He continued with a string of admonishments, so much so that Lila felt her ears were about to grow calluses.

So she simply went along with it, repeatedly saying yes, yes, yes.

As for a boundless future on the path of the sword…

She would need time for that.

“You- what are you doing here…? T-Teacher, you’ll protect me, right?”

Thus, under Ulysses’s supervision, Lila returned to stand before Leonor.

Facing the visibly frightened Leonor, Lila bowed deeply.

“I’m sorry, Miss Leonor. I was too impulsive just now and frightened you. That was not my intention. I sincerely apologize once again. As the esteemed daughter of Duke Lox, you will forgive me, won’t you?”

However, in Leonor’s eyes, Lila looked like a dark, menacing demon, as if she might lunge at her the moment she refused.

“I-I forgive you, Miss Lila. I’m completely fine.”

Leonor forced a stiff smile.

Lila then looked toward Ulysses, who said,

“Don’t worry. I’ve already reprimanded Miss Lila. She has reflected on her actions.”

Lila nodded and returned to her seat.

Several students glanced at her, but she stared each of them down in return.

It seemed that, at least for a while, no one would come looking for trouble with her again.

Though… she would still have to compensate for that broken table.

And going through the formal process would be quite time-consuming.