After having dinner with the sisters Daili and Daisy, Daisy began pestering Laine again, asking him to teach her water magic.
Just as Laine was about to agree, Daili couldn't stand it anymore and dragged Daisy away to wash the dishes.
Looking around, Laine realized he had pretty much finished his work for the day, so he yawned and returned to his room.
Back in the butler's quarters, Laine lay down on the bed. Although old Ram had passed away there earlier that day, Laine felt no unease about it.
After all, sleeping next to the mangled corpses of fallen comrades had become commonplace for him.
Laine was quite satisfied with his day's work as a butler.
Taking care of children and handling miscellaneous tasks wasn't tiring at all, especially with two maids helping out.
It worked out well, since Laine had been disconnected from society for ten full years due to his duties as a knight. If he were to suddenly try living independently in the city now, even with the added benefit of his transmigrator's memories, he would likely struggle to find his footing.
Lying in bed, Laine carefully listened to the subtle sounds in the stillness outside as he slowly closed his eyes.
♤♡♢♧
As night fell, the door to Nanaly's chamber slowly opened. Her petite figure crept stealthily through the darkness until she reached the dining table.
Carefully pulling out a chair, Nanaly sat down without making the slightest sound.
Looking around the spacious environment, Nanaly let out a soft breath and extended her right hand. Her azure eyes gleamed faintly in the reflected moonlight.
"Through the meridians, feel..." she murmured, silently reciting an incantation in her mind.
In the next moment, Nanaly felt something being absorbed into her body, flowing through her, leaving trails of warmth in its wake.
Suddenly, a faint yellow glow emanated from her hand, and a small flame appeared, flickering in the darkness.
The flame was tiny, struggling against the encroaching darkness, seeming as if it might extinguish at any moment.
Even so, Nanaly's face lit up with joy.
Unfortunately, after a short while, the flame finally succumbed to the darkness and disappeared.
"...Still failed, huh."
The joy faded from Nanaly's small face along with the flame.
She tried casting the flame-summoning spell several more times, but each attempt ended in failure.
Finally, Nanaly gave up. Sitting in the silent darkness, she stared down at the table, lost in thought.
"Young miss, who taught you your magic? The teachers at Olcott Academy?"
A voice suddenly came from nearby.
Nanaly jumped in surprise, quickly lifting her head and turning toward the voice like a startled kitten.
She saw Laine standing not far from her, watching her with a smile.
Seeing him, Nanaly pressed her lips together, her face reddening as she asked, "When... when did you..."
Her voice was clearly flustered.
It was understandable - after all, specifically choosing the dead of night to practice magic alone without making any sound clearly indicated she didn't want anyone to see her.
Laine stroked his chin and said:
"I arrived during your third-to-last attempt at magic, young miss. Did I frighten you? I apologize."
After maintaining eye contact with Laine for a moment, Nanaly's emotions finally settled, and her tone regained its coldness:
"As you can see, I was just practicing magic. It has nothing to do with you. I hope you can forget everything you just saw."
It seemed the young miss still had some pride.
As for the coldness in Nanaly's voice, Laine noticed it seemed more like a facade, as if she was deliberately trying to hide something and keep others at a distance.
But Nanaly's deliberate concealment was somewhat clumsy.
Instead of responding to Nanaly's obvious attempt to dismiss him, Laine silently raised his hand.
As Nanaly looked questioningly at Laine's raised palm, a roaring flame suddenly appeared in it.
The flame was notably brighter than the small one Nanaly had summoned, dispelling large patches of darkness, its form reflecting in Nanaly's pupils.
"I actually know a thing or two about this kind of magic. Perhaps I could help you, young miss."
Laine said with a gentle smile, while carefully observing Nanaly's changing expressions.
Nanaly stared at the flame in Laine's hand for a moment, then opened her mouth as if to say something, but swallowed her words back with reddened cheeks.
After a while, Nanaly whispered in a barely audible voice: "Rolin..."
"Rolin?" Laine asked, puzzled.
"My magic teacher, Rolin Wenzer, is a renowned magic instructor in Atte City..."
Nanaly said bashfully, keeping her head down. If Laine looked closely, he would see that her face was red enough to drip blood.
This statement answered Laine's initial question while also indicating her acceptance of his help.
After all, Nanaly couldn't bring herself to directly ask Laine to teach her magic, both because of how she had just tried to dismiss him and because of her own personality.
Could it be that our young miss is a bit tsundere?
Laine seemed to have discovered some interesting traits in Nanaly.
As for the magic instructor she mentioned, Laine could tell there were problems with their teaching method just from watching Nanaly cast magic.
Everyone has different magical aptitudes, so the same method of casting can't be applied to everyone.
Nanaly had magical aptitude, but the instructor was clearly using the same approach for all students, which happened to be ineffective for her.
Logically, if this instructor had always used this method, there should be quite a few children like Nanaly.
To confirm this, Laine asked, "Among that instructor's students, roughly how many are unable to learn magic?"
"About two-thirds," Nanaly answered, notably more cooperative than before.
It was clear that she really wanted to learn magic.
This confirmed that the problem lay with the instructor.
However, even so, having one-third of the students able to cast magic seemed unusually high.
Likely, among these students, there were quite a few self-taught prodigies with exceptional talent.
grated, and just when he finally managed to get into an elite academy, he discovered that he actually had a system, and the way to earn rewards was extremely ridiculous. So for the sake of rewards, he had no choice but to start acting ridiculous as well. Su Cheng: "It's nothing but system quests after all." But later, what confused Su Cheng was that while he was already quite ridiculous, he never expected those serious characters to gradually become ridiculous too. And the way they looked at him became increasingly strange... (This synopsis doesn't do it justice, please read the full story)
for mindless slaughter, this isn't for you.] My name is Ye Shu, and I'm a transmigrator. It seems I'm supposed to be the protagonist, but that feels pretty unlikely. This world has been invaded by a system. The antagonists on the other side have suddenly become pure, flawless saints. The female leads have been force-fed the so-called "original plot," making them think they've been reborn. Now, everyone thinks I'm scum. Including the old lady in my ring. And here I am, in the Monster Beast Mountain Range, braising pork. To put my situation in perspective— It's as if, the moment Xiao Yan stepped into the Monster Beast Mountain Range, the Soul Emperor already knew he would become the Flame Emperor, and Yao Lao had been turned to the enemy's side. I have nothing right now. Oh wait, that's not true. I do have a white-haired loli child-bride who's the Heavenly Dao, and her only skill is acting cute. So, tell me guys... what are my chances of making it to the end?
e bizarre and supernatural had descended. The previous emperor was a thoroughgoing tyrant; no longer satisfied with human women, he had set his sights on a stunningly beautiful supernatural entity. He met his end in his bedchamber, drained of all his vital essence. As the legitimate eldest son and crown prince, Wang Hao was thus hastily enthroned, becoming the young emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty. No sooner had he awakened the "Imperial Sign-In Intelligence System" than he was assassinated by a Son of Destiny—a classic villain's opening. The Great Zhou, ravaged by the former emperor's excesses, was in national decline. The great families within its borders harbored their own treacherous schemes, martial sects began to defy the imperial court's decrees, and border armies, their pay and provisions in arrears, grumbled incessantly against the central government. Fortunately, the central capital was still held secure by the half-million Imperial Guards and fifty thousand Imperial Forest Army who obeyed the court's orders, along with the royal family's hidden reserves of power, barely managing to suppress the realm. As the Great Zhou's finances worsened and supernatural activities grew ever more frequent, the court sat atop a volcano. Ambitious plotters everywhere dreamed of overthrowing the dynasty, and even some reclusive ancient powers emerged, attempting to sway the tides of the world. At the first grand court assembly, the civil and military officials nearly came to blows, fighting tooth and nail over the allocation of fifty million taels of silver from the summer tax revenues. The spectacle opened Wang Hao's eyes—the Great Zhou's bureaucracy was not only corrupt but also martially proficient, a cabinet of all-rounders. Some officials even had the audacity to suggest the emperor release funds from the imperial privy purse to address the emergency. Wang Hao suddenly felt weary. Let it all burn.
villain is the number one simp for the book's leading female protagonist, Shen Wan'er. As expected, he later becomes a tool for the main character to show off and slap faces, ultimately meeting a tragic end with his family ruined and his life in shambles. Fortunately, he awakens the [Universal Pure Love System], which allows him to earn points by performing acts of pure love. To change his fate, Gu Yan makes a decisive choice to seek warmth and companionship with the book's biggest villain—Cold Qingqiu. ........... My name is Leng Qingqiu. To find the murderer who killed my parents years ago, I deliberately blinded myself so that everyone would lower their guard around me. Just as I was secretly accumulating power and capital according to my initial plan, a man walked into my world. "Lengleng, Qingqing, Qiuqiu, which nickname do you prefer?" I don't like any of them. You'd better leave quickly! "Why aren't you saying anything? How about I call you my baby wife?" Leng Qingqiu thinks to herself, this man is truly annoying! (Stubborn pure love warrior + single female lead + true pure love + 1v1)
