Atiste didn’t need to think.
This thing was probably useless again.
But judging by the name alone, it might actually come in handy soon.
“A Soul Stabilizer, how convenient. It’s like it knew exactly what I was worrying about.”
Atiste had been too bogged down by trivial matters these past two days to properly study the new art.
He temporarily stored the [Soul Stabilizer] in his Storage Space, planning to use it when performing the “Soul Swap” ritual.
He had finished reading the full text of Soul Swap.
It was nothing more than a tedious ritual spell.
And the method of execution was extremely lengthy and cumbersome.
Atiste packed up his things and walked out, running into Eileen, who was still waiting outside.
The princess of the Muse Kingdom, dressed in a maid outfit, wore an expression of absolute loyalty—and absolute calm at this moment.
“Master, it seems you’ve finished studying the spell.”
Atiste tossed the entire stack of documents to Eileen.
“Not worth reading. And it requires you and Lillian to wait another seven days. What a bore.”
Eileen picked up the documents and skimmed through them.
When she reached the part written in the Abyssal Language, she pressed her lips tightly together.
She too felt the vitality contained in those words—it was not ordinary incantation.
If she accidentally read it aloud, she would very likely be affected, just like earlier.
“Master, should Lillian take a look at this as well?”
“Can she understand it?”
“From my observation, she is merely unable to use mana. She is not incapable of learning magic-related knowledge.”
“Let her see it. I can already imagine an interesting development.”
“Master, what mischief are you planning now?”
Atiste smiled faintly.
“What would happen if someone completely ignorant of magic tried to perform the ‘Soul Swap’ ritual?”
“……Master, she is currently in my body.”
“It’s fine, Eileen. It’s just a spell to stabilize the body and a method to stabilize the soul. I have a trump card that guarantees you won’t suffer any harm at all.”
“You mean……”
“I can’t wait seven days.”
“Master, it would be best to follow the instructions in the documents……”
“No. Go wake Lillian now and have her learn what’s in these documents.”
“Have a person completely ignorant of magic learn this? Master, isn’t that a bit too reckless?”
Atiste’s eyes sparkled with anticipation.
“That’s what makes it fun, isn’t it?”
Though Eileen felt that this plan was nine parts unreliable out of ten, she still steeled herself and said, “Very well. As my master commands.”
With that, Eileen went to find Lillian.
She arrived at the specially prepared “cell” for Lillian, which also served as her resting place.
It was indeed a prison—being an ordinary person, Lillian could not break open the door.
That said, the room had originally been Atiste’s break room, so the conditions were quite good.
The bed was soft, there was a small dining table, and even a shelf displaying artworks created by Atiste.
Lillian, currently in Eileen’s body, was curled up in the bedding, fast asleep.
“How can a princess have such terrible sleeping posture?”
Eileen couldn’t help but sneer.
Her clothes were in disarray, and she was still wearing Eileen’s maid outfit without having changed.
Eileen had always kept her figure in excellent shape, sculpting her body to the standards of the goddess Venus.
But now this perfect physique was being so carelessly handled by this outwardly proper but inwardly carefree princess—Eileen felt that the cultivation and etiquette she had maintained for five hundred years were crumbling in that moment.
Eileen stood by the bed, staring at the tangled mess of bedding, silent for three seconds.
Lillian was curled up in an unimaginable position.
The blanket had been kicked to the corner of the bed, the pillow clutched in her arms, one leg sticking out, the other trapped under the covers.
The hem of the maid dress was rolled up to her thigh, revealing Eileen’s well-maintained legs.
Eileen’s gaze lingered on those legs for a moment.
They were her legs.
The legs she massaged with essential oils every day, preserving a graceful but not exaggerated muscle line.
Now they were being exposed in such an unseemly posture by this princess.
She took a deep breath, stepped forward, and bent down to pull the skirt hem down.
As soon as her hand touched the hem, Lillian turned over, burying her face in the pillow and mumbling something vaguely: “Master Atiste……”
Eileen’s hand froze in midair.
Lillian turned over again, this time kicking the blanket completely off.
Two buttons on the top of the maid dress had popped open, revealing her collarbone and a small patch of pale chest.
Eileen was shocked.
How had she managed that?
Her clothes had always fit perfectly……
Lillian, oblivious, hugged the pillow and rubbed her face against it, a bit of drool hanging at the corner of her mouth.
Eileen stood there, watching her flawless body being desecrated like this, suddenly feeling the urge to throw this person out the window.
“Lillian.”
She called out.
No response.
“Lillian!”
She raised her voice.
Lillian mumbled something and buried her face deeper into the pillow.
Eileen bent down, reached out, and pinched Lillian’s nose.
Three seconds later, Lillian’s eyes flew open.
She gasped for air, staring at Eileen in panic.
“What—what are you doing!”
“Get up.”
Eileen released her grip, expressionless.
“Master has a task for you.”
Lillian froze for two seconds, then looked down at her own open collar, then at Eileen’s expression.
Her face flushed red.
She fumbled to button up, pulling the skirt hem down, muttering, “Why didn’t you knock before coming in……”
“I did knock.”
“I didn’t hear it!”
“You were snoring.”
Lillian’s face grew even redder.
“I was not!”
Eileen didn’t reply.
She placed the stack of documents on the small table beside the bed.
“Master wants you to learn this.”
Lillian glanced at the yellowed, aged papers and frowned.
“What is this?”
“Soul Swap,” Eileen said.
“Master hopes you will learn it.”
Lillian’s expression changed.
She looked up at Eileen, and the frivolous air suddenly vanished, replaced by the serious demeanor she had when acting.
“Why?”
“Because Master finds it interesting.”
“……Just that?”
“Just that.”
Lillian was silent for a moment, then let out a soft laugh.
“Alright then~ Since it’s Master Atiste’s command, I will definitely do it~”
She picked up the documents, flipped to the first page, and began reading.
Eileen stood beside her, watching the speed at which she turned pages.
“You understand this?”
“I don’t understand.”
Lillian didn’t look up.
“But I vaguely feel like I can grasp it.”
Eileen said nothing.
Lillian had no mana, but she was the heir to the Muse Kingdom’s throne.
She wouldn’t have received poor education.
She might not be able to recite the Abyssal script, but she should be able to get the gist.
When she reached the fifth section, Lillian’s brow furrowed.
“These incantations……”
“Don’t read them aloud,”
Eileen said.
Lillian looked up at her.
“The Abyssal Language affects the soul,” Eileen explained.
“Given our current special situation, reading them aloud would affect both of us.”
Lillian stared at her for a moment, then smiled.
“Are you worried about me?”
Eileen’s face remained blank.
“I’m worried about my body.”
Lillian put the documents down, leaned back against the headboard, and crossed her arms.
The skirt hem rode up again, but she didn’t notice.
“Then teach me,” she said.
“Tell me what all these words mean. That way we won’t be affected, and I can still understand the content.”
Eileen was silent for a moment.
She considered this a reasonable plan.
“Are you sure you want to learn?” she asked.
“This spell is very complex.”
Lillian tilted her head, looking at her with a mischievous smile.
“Are you reluctant to teach me?”
“No.”
“Then teach me.”
Eileen watched that playful expression on a face that was supposed to be hers—it looked terribly wrong.
She took a deep breath, picked up the documents, and flipped to the third section.
“The soul exchange ritual requires both parties to be completely willing, with no hesitation whatsoever,” she read.
“This condition is already satisfied.”
Lillian nodded, listening attentively.
“For seven days before the ritual, both parties must eat and sleep together, share the same vessel, and drink from the same cup.”
Lillian blinked.
“Aren’t we already living together?”
“We’ve only been together for less than three days,”
Eileen corrected.
“And we haven’t slept together. Your sleeping posture is too terrible, and I don’t want to share a bed with you.”
Lillian ignored her and continued reading.
“The night of a total lunar eclipse, the confluence of three waters, the array eye facing east…… Where are we supposed to find these conditions?”
“Master will arrange it,” Eileen said.
“You only need to learn how to perform it.”
Lillian nodded thoughtfully, then suddenly asked, “Why does he want me to learn it? Doesn’t he already know how?”
Eileen paused.
“Because he thinks,” she said, “that having someone completely ignorant of magic perform it would be more interesting.”
Lillian was taken aback, then burst out laughing.
She laughed loudly, rocking back and forth, the skirt hem riding up again.
“Interesting!”
she slapped the bedboard.
“Master Atiste truly has charm! Such a unique way of thinking!”
Eileen expressionlessly reached out and pulled her skirt hem down.
“Stop laughing. Keep studying.”
Lillian finally managed to stop laughing, wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes, and looked up at Eileen.
“Teacher Eileen~”
“Hm?”
“Do you like him?”
Eileen’s hand paused.
“You’ve asked before. Why ask again?”
“Five hundred years,” Lillian said.
“You cook for him every day, clean, stand guard. When he leaves, you wait. When he returns, you smile. Do you like him?”
Eileen was silent for a long time.
“That is none of your business,” she said.
Lillian looked at her expression and didn’t press further.
She lowered her head, picked up the documents again, and said softly, “Alright, alright~ I’ll keep listening to Teacher Eileen’s lecture~ No more jokes~”
Eileen lightly tapped Lillian on the head.
Lillian yelped, “Ouch!”
Then the two continued their teaching session.
Over on Atiste’s side, he was once again pestered by that damn system.
[Now issuing the next mission for Master: Prevent the Hero from saving the village]
“Another toilet-cleaning mission, huh?”
Atiste thought to himself.
None of these recent missions had given any useful rewards.
As if the system could read his mind, text immediately appeared:
[Mission Reward for this task: World Travel Experience Card X1]
Atiste suddenly perked up!