Cynthia’s words carried devastating lethality. Betty’s tears could no longer be held back, and covering her face, she turned and bolted away.
A classmate nearby remarked, “Cynthia, your retort did not exactly look mature.”
“Am I supposed to tell her, ‘Keep it up, you can do better’?” Cynthia asked coolly. “Do you honestly think hearing that would make her any less angry?”
The classmate nearby fell silent.
Cynthia was in a fiery mood today.
Having worked herself into a formidable temper, Cynthia gathered her belongings, planning to sit in the library for a while before going to check on Lilica, who had reportedly felt unwell again yesterday.
To her surprise, however, the moment she stepped out of the classroom, she spotted Lilica by the roadside, dressed in heavy winter clothing and wearing a large, enveloping hat.
“Lilica,” Cynthia said, sounding rather surprised. “Why are you out here?”
Lilica cautiously observed Cynthia’s expression, her voice even softer and more fragile than usual. “I heard that you won the evaluation, Sister Cynthia, and I just wanted to come congratulate you in person.”
Having been thoroughly exasperated by both Professor Andre and Betty, Cynthia failed to notice anything amiss with Lilica.
She reached up to press her temples, forcing herself to shake off the lingering irritation. “Thank you, Lilica. How is your health holding up?”
“Cough, cough.” Lilica faked a fit of coughing before replying, “I am doing all right.”
Sighing, Cynthia took half of Lilica’s palm in her own, only to be surprised when she realized Lilica was even wearing gloves today. “What did the healer say?”
Not knowing how to fabricate an answer, Lilica simply shook her head in silence.
“Would you like to walk around for a bit?” Cynthia asked. “Or should I send you back?”
“Let us walk a little,” Lilica said. “I do not want to stay cooped up in my room all day.”
With that, Cynthia readily abandoned her original plan of visiting the library and accompanied Lilica for a stroll across the campus. Having studied there for two years, she was quite familiar with every corner of the academy and pointed out various landmarks as they walked.
When they reached the training ground where yesterday’s academic leader evaluation had taken place, Cynthia explained, “Under normal circumstances, students from each department practice within designated zones. The swordsmen are stationed closest to the mages because they possess robust physiques and quick reflexes, ensuring that if any magical accidents occur, they can at least dodge in time.”
Lilica listened very attentively, but she noticed that Cynthia had listed every single department that required practical combat classes while leaving out the most crucial one. “What about the Healing Department? Do they not have practical combat classes?”
Right on cue, an angry roar echoed from within the training ground: “Are you blind piglets wallowing in a mud pen? I am your teaching assistant! How dare you snatch a casualty right out from under my hands, who gave you that kind of audacity?”
Cynthia painfully covered her forehead with her hand.
Lilica stared blankly in that direction, only to see Antcana standing with one foot planted firmly on a student wearing a swordsman’s uniform, while her other hand clutched the collar of a Healing Department student. Her free hand brandished a healing staff furiously, making it look as though she was about to manufacture a brand-new casualty on the spot.
“As you can see, the healing department’s practical combat classes involve fighting over casualties in the training ground,” Cynthia finished saying with a bitter struggle, before remembering to add, “Do not learn those rough words, they are not befitting of a lady.”
Having listened to Cynthia’s entire verbal abuse performance yesterday, Lilica looked at her with a complex mix of emotions, truly at a loss for words.
Eager to prevent Lilica from picking up bad habits, Cynthia quickly led her away.
After walking a bit further, before even covering a third of the campus, Cynthia asked with concern, “We have been walking for quite a while now. Are you tired? Would you like to rest?”
“Just a little, but it is fine,” Lilica replied with a smile that met standard lady-like criteria, then pointed toward a nearby building and asked, “Sister Cynthia, what is this place used for?”
Cynthia followed Lilica’s pointing finger, and her expression instantly grew complicated. “Lilica, do you not know where this is?”
“I do not know,” Lilica answered nervously, thinking to herself that this must be some vitally important place every student was supposed to recognize, and wondering why she had no clue.
Cynthia took a deep breath, making sure she wouldn’t lose her temper and bombard Lilica into the stratosphere with a string of fireballs, before speaking. “That is the Humanities Department teaching building.”
“So it is the Humanities Department teach.” Lilica froze midway through repeating the words.
Damn it, it is over. I am literally a student in the Humanities Department.
“School has been in session for a whole week,” Cynthia asked, her voice suppressing a rising wave of fury. “Lilica, why do you not even know where your own classes are held?”
Because walking around in all these heavy clothes is so hot, and if I went to class under Lilica’s name, I would be forced to wear them anyway, Lilica thought to herself.
“You came here to study!” Cynthia’s tone spiraled out of control. “You are not too sick to leave your room, why are you not going to class?”
No, I came here because you said something that convinced my father, and he thinks as long as I come to Gauss I can become a lady, Lilica thought to herself.
“Did you come here solely to be with Carlo?” Cynthia stared at Lilica, feeling more and more like the girl was mirroring her own past self. “A girl cannot live on love alone!”
Struggling, Lilica defended herself. “This has nothing to do with Carlo.”
“Then what is it because of?”
Though she had a mountain of excuses running through her mind, Lilica did not dare voice a single one of them for fear of seeing that look of disappointment in Cynthia’s eyes.
Lilica, I originally thought you were a well-behaved and gentle lady, but I never expected you to be so boorish and run around mingling with men! No wonder you have never been engaged, and even Carlo, who grew up with you, does not want you. Heavens, to think you even lied to me! I truly regret ever knowing you! Borrowing those exact words that Count Doyle constantly kept on the tip of his tongue would make for a fitting script for Cynthia right now.
While Cynthia waited for a sensible reply, Lilica remained entirely incapable of offering any explanation.
Struggling in silence for a moment, she sought inspiration from sheer desperation, closed her eyes, and tipped backward.
Cynthia never expected Lilica to faint so abruptly. Startled, she scrambled forward and laboriously hauled Lilica’s upper body into her arms, calling out to passing students, “She has fainted! Can anyone help carry her back to her dorm?”
Immediately, two students dressed as swordsmen stepped forward to offer enthusiastic assistance.
Yet those four helping hands failed to budge the supposedly frail and sickly Lilica by even an inch.
The two rigorously trained, helpful swordsmen fell silent.
Cynthia, the physically delicate mage, fell silent.
They took a closer look at the spot where Lilica had collapsed, noticing that the turf had seemingly cratered into a small dent.
The unconscious Lilica thought to herself: Damn it, I forgot to take off my weighted training gear before heading out.
The atmosphere turned intensely awkward until another wind-type mage happened to pass by and enthusiastically cast a fifteen-minute Lightness spell on the sickly Lilica. Only then were the two swordsmen able to lift her up and flee the scene of embarrassment like a gust of wind.
Because they ran so fast, Cynthia almost failed to keep up.
With the help of the three kind-hearted individuals, Cynthia finally managed to get Lilica back to her dorm room. She originally intended to express her heartfelt gratitude to the two helpful classmates, but the swordsmen likely felt too mortified that neither of them could lift a sickly girl, fleeing without even accepting an invitation to sit down for tea.
Tina, who had personally prepared the heavy weights, showed zero surprise at the outcome and even offered words of comfort to Cynthia. “Miss Cynthia, please do not mind them. The gods will surely bless them.”
Weighed down by all her gear, Lilica was deposited onto the bed quite uncomfortably. Debating whether she should wake up right then and there, the Lightness spell expired. Her body suddenly plummeted downward, causing the thin dormitory bed to emit a deafening crash.
Lilica closed her eyes.
Tina stood frozen.
Cynthia, on the other hand, was deeply shook. “Does the academy actually have wind-type mages of such exceptional caliber? Why did I not know about this beforehand?”
I beg of you, please have mercy and stop talking.
Lilica lay there with her eyes closed, wishing she had genuinely passed out.
Yet she had no choice but to wake up because Cynthia was already instructing Tina to go fetch Antcana to examine her.
Before Tina could step out the door, Lilica finally pried her eyes open with utter reluctance and said weakly, “Tina, my head feels so dizzy.”
Tina played along seamlessly. “Miss, you have fainted again.”
That “again” carried profound artistry.
Cynthia felt a pang of guilt. “It is my fault for making you walk outside for so long, otherwise this would not have happened.”
“Sister Cynthia, do not feel bad.” Lilica reached out to grasp Cynthia’s hand. “Being with you makes me very happy.”
“Do you feel better now?” Cynthia asked. “I was just about to send Tina to fetch Antcana.”
“I am fine now.” Lilica sat up, leaning against the headboard with Tina’s assistance. “I just felt a bit dizzy for a moment, do not worry about it.”
“In that case, let us resume our previous topic.” Cynthia brought up the matter once more, though her tone was much gentler this time. “Lilica, why are you not going to classes?”
Tina, who had guessed that her young mistress was faking unconsciousness, never imagined it was because of academic troubles, completely losing control of her facial expression.
Putting on a brave face, Lilica attempted to act spoiled. “Sister, I did not want to be like this either. But the coursework is just too difficult, I cannot understand the textbooks.”
Cynthia sighed. “Then you should have told me sooner.”
Lilica never expected this tactic to work and was preparing to push her advantage further when she heard the next sentence.
“Now that the evaluation is over, it is about time I pay attention to your studies,” Cynthia said earnestly. “Since I am the one who brought you to the academy, I am responsible for you.”
Lilica protested, “No, Sister, you are already so busy. I can study on my own.”
“Do not push yourself,” Cynthia replied. “It was my fault for failing to notice earlier that you never received a proper formal education. Now, I am going to make up for my mistake.”
“Tina, fetch the textbooks.”