The tired Lily, who had just endured a long and confusing interrogation with the headmaster, pushed open the door to her room with far less care than usual.
The moment she stepped inside, she dropped everything.
Her bag, her books, even the small items she usually kept neatly organized—everything was tossed carelessly onto her bed in a loose pile. Normally, she would have at least arranged them out of habit, but today she didn't even spare them a glance.
She simply didn't have the energy.
Without changing, without even taking off her shoes, Lily let herself fall forward onto the bed, landing flat on her back. The mattress sank slightly under her weight, and for a moment she just stared blankly at the ceiling.
Her mind was still replaying the conversation.
"There's something wrong with your magic…"
"…you really don't know?"
She frowned slightly.
She didn't understand.
Nothing felt wrong. In fact, everything felt… natural. Easy, even. The way she cast spells, the way she combined them—it all made perfect sense to her. So why did the headmaster look so serious?
Why did it feel like she had unknowingly done something strange?
Before she could think further, exhaustion overtook her.
Her thoughts blurred together, her eyes slowly closed, and within seconds—
She fell asleep.
Gina, who had been quietly sitting at her desk reading a book, glanced up when Lily entered earlier. She had noticed the way Lily dragged her feet, the way she dropped everything without a word.
She could tell Lily was exhausted.
But seeing her immediately pass out face-up on the bed, still fully dressed, Gina simply blinked once… then calmly returned to her book.
She didn't ask anything.
Some things were obvious enough.
Lily slept deeply.
There were no dreams, no interruptions—just a heavy, uninterrupted rest that stretched from afternoon into the next day.
When she finally woke up, sunlight was already streaming through the window.
Her eyes slowly opened.
For a moment, she didn't move.
Then—
Her stomach growled loudly.
"..."
Lily sat up instantly.
"Ah… right…"
She hadn't eaten anything yesterday.
Not after the headmaster called her. Not after the interrogation. She had gone straight to sleep without even realizing it.
Now her hunger hit all at once.
"Food…"
Without wasting time, Lily climbed out of bed, brushed off her clothes slightly, and grabbed only one thing—the school emblem.
She didn't bother bringing anything else.
Then she left the room.
The academy cafeteria was far larger than Lily remembered.
Or maybe she had just been too distracted the first time to properly take it in.
Now that she was actually paying attention, she noticed how extravagant it really was.
Instead of a simple dining hall, the cafeteria was more like a marketplace.
Rows of stalls lined the area, each offering different types of food. Some looked like small family-run stands, while others resembled high-end restaurants with polished counters and elegant displays.
The smell alone was overwhelming.
Grilled meats, fresh bread, sweet desserts, spiced dishes from different regions—it all mixed together into a rich, mouthwatering aroma.
Lily's stomach growled again.
Her eyes lit up slightly.
Without much hesitation, she walked toward a familiar stall.
It was the one that sold grilled orc meat.
She remembered it clearly—the taste, the texture… and more importantly, the physique-boosting effect it supposedly had. It wasn't just food; it was beneficial.
That made it an easy choice.
The stall owner didn't even look up at her as she approached.
"What can I get you?" he asked casually, already reaching for something under the counter.
In his hand was a small mold-like device shaped exactly like the academy emblem.
Lily, still a bit out of it from just waking up, replied,
"Two orc skewers, please."
The stall operator paused.
He waited.
A second passed.
Then another.
Finally, he glanced up at her, slightly confused.
"…Ma'am, you have to place your emblem here."
"Oh—right."
Lily fumbled slightly, clearly unfamiliar with the process, before quickly taking out her emblem and placing it onto the mold.
There was a faint glow.
After a short moment, numbers appeared on the underside of the emblem.
Lily Aedile: 6 coppers spent / 19 gold 49 silver 94 copper remaining
Lily blinked.
Then blinked again.
"…Oh."
Right.
The recruiter had mentioned this.
Living expenses.
She had completely forgotten.
"20 gold…" she muttered quietly.
That wasn't a small amount.
In fact, it was a lot.
Even in her village, that kind of money could last for a long time. Here, in the academy, where food and necessities were already provided or subsidized…
She could practically eat whatever she wanted.
Every day.
Without worrying.
For an entire month.
Her eyes widened slightly.
That's… amazing.
The stall owner also noticed the amount displayed on her emblem.
For just a brief moment, surprise flickered across his face—but he quickly hid it and continued as if nothing had happened.
"Here."
He handed her two freshly grilled skewers.
The meat sizzled slightly, still hot, releasing a rich, savory aroma.
"Thanks."
Lily took them and immediately took a bite.
"…Mm!"
Her eyes brightened.
It was just as good as she remembered.
Juicy, flavorful, and slightly smoky—with a faint warmth spreading through her body as she ate, likely from the physique-enhancing properties.
She happily chewed as she walked.
Instead of sitting down, Lily wandered around the cafeteria, casually exploring the different stalls while eating.
She looked at everything.
There were dishes she had never seen before—strange glowing soups, layered desserts that shimmered slightly, meats from creatures she couldn't even recognize.
Some stalls even had long lines, filled mostly with teachers rather than students.
She noticed that.
Still not many students…
It made sense.
The term probably hadn't fully started yet.
After finishing both skewers, Lily considered getting more food.
But after walking around a bit longer, she decided against it.
Nothing immediately caught her interest.
So she left.
Her next destination was clear.
The training grounds.
She had nothing scheduled for the next few days, and after everything that happened yesterday, she wanted to test her magic again.
Especially after what the headmaster said.
He didn't say it was wrong…
That was important.
He looked confused, maybe even concerned—but he didn't forbid her from continuing.
So it should be fine.
Right?
As she walked past one of the staff offices, a familiar figure suddenly stepped out.
"Ah—Miss Lily!"
It was the recruiter.
Lily stopped.
"Oh, hello."
"I was just looking for you," he said, slightly out of breath. "I forgot to clarify something yesterday."
Lily tilted her head slightly.
"Yes?"
"About your living expenses—the academy can only provide 20 gold per month," he explained apologetically. "I'm terribly sorry. Giving more than that might be seen as favoritism among the students."
Lily nodded.
"Oh, that's fine. I don't mind."
She said it calmly.
Politely.
But inside—
Only 20 gold?!
Every month?!
Her thoughts exploded.
That wasn't little.
That was ridiculous.
That was more than enough.
She could live comfortably—no, luxuriously—without even trying.
And it replenished.
Every month.
Her mind started racing with possibilities.
Food, materials, maybe even rare items…
"Thank you for understanding," the recruiter said with a relieved smile before leaving.
Lily stood there for a moment.
Then—
She continued walking.
By the time she reached the training grounds, her thoughts were still a mess.
Her excitement about magic had been completely overshadowed by one thing:
Money.
20 gold… every month…
It kept repeating in her head.
Eventually, she shook her head.
"No. Focus."
She waved her thoughts aside.
She didn't come here to think about money.
She came here to practice.
Standing in the open training area, Lily took a deep breath.
Then she began.
Light magic.
If she couldn't fully understand what was "wrong" with her casting, then the best thing she could do was continue experimenting.
Improving.
Pushing further.
But as she started thinking about combining light with other elements, she quickly ran into a problem.
It wasn't easy.
Most basic elements didn't feel compatible with light.
Water diluted it.
Fire distorted it.
Wind scattered it.
None of them felt right.
She frowned slightly.
Then… what works?
After some thought, one answer came to mind.
Darkness.
It felt like the natural opposite—and possibly the perfect complement.
But…
"I can't use that yet…"
She wasn't there yet.
So she moved on.
The next best option—
"Earth."
She nodded slightly.
Earth was stable. Flexible. And more importantly, it had branches.
Metals.
That was what she was aiming for.
Lily started with what she already knew.
Rocks.
She gathered earth magic, compressing loose dirt repeatedly, increasing its density, forming stone.
That part was easy.
She had done it many times before.
But going beyond that—
That was the challenge.
She tried compressing different types of rock.
Changing structure.
Increasing pressure.
Refining composition.
But no matter what she did—
It was still just stone.
Different kinds, yes.
But still stone.
"…Not enough."
She stopped.
Then thought.
Maybe I'm doing it wrong.
Instead of forcing it through compression, maybe she needed a different approach.
So she changed methods.
She focused.
Then—
She conjured a specific mineral.
"Cinnabar…"
A reddish stone formed in her hand.
She recognized it from her studies. It wasn't random—she had learned about minerals before, trying to understand materials better.
That knowledge helped.
Now—
She added fire.
At first, the flame was weak.
Nothing happened.
So she increased the intensity.
Gradually.
Carefully.
The cinnabar began to heat up.
Then—
A reaction.
A thin, silvery liquid slowly started dripping out.
Lily's eyes widened.
"…That's…"
It looked dangerous.
She didn't touch it.
But the shine—the metallic luster—
There was no doubt.
"It's metal."
She had done it.
Excitement surged through her.
If she could do it once—
She could do it again.
This time, instead of letting it fall, she controlled it.
The liquid metal floated in the air.
Suspended.
Obeying her will.
She studied it carefully.
The way it moved.
The way it reflected light.
Then she tried something else.
Cooling it.
Slowly.
The liquid hardened.
Solidifying into a metallic form.
She created more.
Shaping them.
Refining them.
Until—
A sword.
It wasn't perfect, but it was recognizable.
To prevent it from melting again, she lowered the surrounding temperature slightly, maintaining its stability.
For the handle, she used stone—just to be safe.
She wasn't sure if the metal was safe to touch yet.
Finally—
She grabbed it.
Carefully.
Then swung.
Whoosh.
It felt real.
Heavy.
Solid.
She swung again.
Then—
She turned toward a training puppet.
A standard one, reinforced with a mana shield.
Lily narrowed her eyes slightly.
Then—
She slashed.
Crack.
The shield shattered.
The puppet split slightly from the impact.
Lily froze.
"…It worked?"
She stared at the sword.
Then at the puppet.
A slow smile formed.
She continued testing.
Different shapes.
Different densities.
Different temperatures.
Time passed quickly.
Before she realized it, the sky had already begun to darken.
"…Already?"
She blinked.
She hadn't even noticed the time.
Exhaustion began creeping in again.
"Tomorrow…"
She lowered her hands.
"I'll continue tomorrow."
After returning to her room, Lily felt much calmer.
The earlier chaos in her thoughts had faded, replaced by quiet satisfaction.
Gina was there, as usual.
This time, they exchanged a few words.
Small talk.
Simple things.
It wasn't much, but it felt… nice.
After that, Lily headed to the shared showers.
The warm water helped wash away the fatigue from the day.
By the time she finished, she felt refreshed.
For dinner, she returned to the cafeteria.
This time—
There were more people.
Not a lot, but noticeably more than before.
And most of them—
Were students.
Lily glanced around quietly.
It's getting livelier…
The academy was slowly filling up.