"Hilia? Hilia?"
"Hmm..."
Hearing someone calling her, Hilia drowsily opened her eyes and suddenly realized that she had fallen asleep again.
As her thoughts gradually returned, she quickly remembered that she was learning the Sleep Meditation Skill with Rose, but she fell asleep as soon as she tried it.
"Sorry, Mr. Rose, I think I fell asleep."
"It's normal to fall asleep, just keep practicing a few more times."
Rose didn't mind.
"Today I'll go over your courses and progress, then I'll tailor a training method specifically for you."
A question mark appeared above Hilia's head.
"?"
"According to my method, first learn those passive skills for training, then it'll be easier to practice later."
"Wait, Rose, what are you..."
"Helping you create a custom training method to quickly enhance your strength, is there a problem?"
"This doesn't seem to be in the contract... does it?" Hilia felt something was amiss.
"Think about what your wish was."
"To create a Magic Puppet before the finals to participate in the exam..."
"Yes, just having a Magic Puppet alone won't make it easy to pass the school's and the Holy Court's exams, right? Improving your strength is also part of passing the exam."
"Uh..."
Thinking about it this way, it certainly wasn't wrong, but Hilia always felt that Rose's teaching wasn't that simple.
"Don't you want to defeat all opponents and become the Holy Daughter?"
"I do!" Hilia replied without hesitation.
"Then learn, don't worry, what I teach are common abilities, even if the Divine King were here, he wouldn't find any issue."
"..." Not saying anything was fine, but the more Rose said, the more uneasy Hilia felt.
"Hilia? Are you okay?"
A concerned voice came to her ears, and Hilia looked up to find Anarce looking at her with a worried expression.
"I'm fine... huh? The Meditation class is over?"
Hilia was surprised to find that the tutor had already left, and others were packing their things or leaving in groups to head to the next teaching area.
"It's already over, I saw you seemed to be in deep... immersed in meditation, so I came to wake you."
"Thank you. By the way, did the teacher say anything?"
Hilia was sure she accidentally fell asleep just now and didn't meditate. Given the strictness of the Meditation class teacher, he would surely wake her up and publicly chastise her if it happened again.
Yet she had slept until the end...
"He didn't say anything, just..." Anarce hesitated for a moment.
"What?"
"Mier got taken outside by Mr. Nelson so that you wouldn't be punished. I don't know what happened."
"What?"
At this moment, Mier walked in from outside, looking somewhat listless, grimacing as he approached.
"Mr. Nelson is too tough," he complained to Hilia.
Just as Hilia was about to speak, Rose's voice echoed in her mind, "You accidentally fell asleep earlier, I guided you a little, allowing you to temporarily grasp the Sleep Meditation Skill. Your tutor didn't say anything, but your classmate went ahead and said you were sleeping, then willingly took the punishment for you, getting taken outside by the tutor under the pretext of talking during class, to meditate outside."
Hilia quickly asked, "Then why does he look like he got beaten?"
"Take a closer look."
Hilia was stunned for a moment, then took a detailed look and found no signs of beating on Mier. That listless expression... if not looked at closely, might seem like suffering, but on closer inspection, it was an act.
All tricks.
"Anarce, let's go. We should head to the Holy Word class, or we'll be late."
"Oh, oh, okay."
Seeing that Hilia not only didn't care for him but didn't even say a word, Mier got anxious: "Hey, Hilia, I took the punishment for you when you slept in class, yet you don't even thank me?"
His voice was loud, making the remaining classmates look over.
Hilia clenched her fist, turned around, and questioned, "Miller Deville, you were punished for talking in class. What's it got to do with me? If I was normally meditating, why would the teacher punish me?"
Just because I was sleeping doesn't mean I wasn't meditating!
She angrily vented in her mind to Rose: "This person clearly knows the Holy Daughter must be pure and flawless, yet he still entangles with me. He must have been sent by other potential Holy Daughters to make trouble for me!"
Rose looked thoughtfully at Mier.
Mier's face flushed red: "I, I didn't! I just saw you looked asleep, and the teacher was going to punish you, so I spoke up to draw the teacher's attention."
"So you weren't meditating during Meditation class, why were you looking at me?"
"I, I want to be your Knight!"
"I think you should see a Priest to treat your brain. You know I can't have a Knight or form a vow with anyone. Why bother entangling with me?"
"You won't become the Holy Daughter, so why can't you form a vow with someone?"
Hilia: "..."
Hilia was speechless, and Rose sighed, "Your classmate might really need to see a doctor."
Mr. Evil God, please stop talking, you're losing all your dignity.
"Anarce, let's go."
"Oh, okay."
On the way, Hilia seemed deep in thought, and Rose sensed she was pondering how to deal with Mier and find out who might be behind him... if there was anyone.
Rose thought that with Mier's intelligence, a little probing would probably make him spill everything.
The subsequent classes were uneventful until noon, when Hilia was invited by Anarce to have lunch together, and Rose said, "Hilia, ask Anarce where she usually earns money."
Hilia was slightly taken aback, "She usually helps out in the library and occasionally in the cafeteria, why?"
"Never mind, just ask."
Hilia hesitated for a moment, then asked as instructed, "Anarce, what work do you usually do to pay your tuition?"
"Tuition? I work odd jobs back in my hometown to earn tuition..." Anarce's gaze drifted slightly, "After entering the school, I occasionally tidy up the library and buy things for the cafeteria, and on weekends I find other work."
"Is what you're doing enough for your daily expenses?"
"I can fill my stomach." Anarce lowered her eyelids.
"What about beyond that?"
"Beyond that?"
"Like buying blank scrolls, potion materials, Magic Puppet materials, and the like."
"I don't have the talent to learn everything, so I don't buy those. My biggest dream is to make a Magic Puppet before graduation, so I can join the Holy Court after graduation."
"Before graduation? Aren't you planning to make a Magic Puppet this school year for the annual exam?"
"Does the annual exam require a Magic Puppet?"
"It wasn't needed, was it?"
Anarce thought of something and smiled, "Only the Holy Daughter candidates need it. I'm envious of you, having the school's support, so you don't have to worry about other problems, just focus on studying hard."
That's not necessarily true...
The Holy Daughter's assessment requires a Magic Puppet, but the core of the Magic Puppet, the Heart of the Magic Puppet, is not provided by the school. The Holy Daughter candidates have to figure it out themselves.
"Why are you asking me this?" Anarce asked curiously, "Is Hilia short on money?"
"I'm a bit short."
"You're short on money?"
A voice suddenly came from the side, making Hilia's expression turn cold.
"As long as you agree to one condition, I'll give you however much you need!"
It was Doris.