Chapter 10: The Piper

“L-Living here? Isn’t Lulu Mia supposed to be living in that big house outside…?”

“That was before. From today onwards, that’s no longer the case.”

Lulu Mia decided to be straightforward.

“I don’t know if you’ve heard, but I owe the Fourth Princess a lot of money. Now I’m so broke that I can only stay in the dormitory. Until I repay the Fourth Princess, I’ll be living here.”

“And it seems there’s a bit of a misunderstanding between us—”

Lulu Mia glanced sideways at Amy, who looked utterly confused, as if she had no idea what was going on.

Forget it. Better not rush to apologize—she wouldn’t believe it anyway.

After all, Amy gave off a timid, trouble-avoiding vibe, unlike Lijie, who had her own strong will.

Clearing her throat, Lulu Mia changed the subject.

“Anyway, let’s not talk about that for now. What level is Amy’s magic power at?”

“Five… level five…”

Amy gripped her staff tightly, still hunched over, unable to meet Lulu Mia’s eyes.

“Level five, huh.”

That’s five times the original owner’s level.

Lulu Mia couldn’t help but glance at Amy.

The higher the magic level, the more types of magic and the more times they could be used.

From what she knew of the original owner, a level 20 magic caster could live comfortably in a small town; at level 30, various families would be competing to hire them.

Beyond that, they would be known even in large cities.

Legend had it that the First King of the Ohnheim Kingdom was a level 84 powerhouse, and the kingdom hadn’t produced anyone of that caliber in over a hundred years.

Normally, unless one was exceptionally gifted or born into a magic-inheriting family, ordinary people would only reach level 20 or 30 in their lifetime.

Amy had reached level five just three months after entering the academy.

Not a prodigy exactly, but at least an excellent student.

This could be a point of connection.

“Hm? What are you doing?”

While Lulu Mia was pondering this, Amy was tidying the bed.

By the time Lulu Mia noticed, Amy was already carrying a bedding set taller than herself, walking step for step until the quilt almost touched Lulu Mia’s nose.

“You don’t have a quilt…”

Amy’s muffled voice came from behind the cotton, “Sleeping on wooden planks will make you catch a cold.”

“Huh?”

Lulu Mia’s swaying dragon tail suddenly froze.

She stared blankly at Amy’s cautious face peeking from behind the quilt.

“It’s clean, I washed it properly… it’s not dirty.”

“Uh.”

Lulu Mia showed the first genuine expression of surprise since her transmigration.

She was completely stunned, unsure how to respond. In nearly thirty years of life, she had met kind girls, but never one who showed her genuine kindness.

She wanted to say, “I bullied you so much, and you’re still giving me your quilt?”

But the words stopped at her lips.

Saying that would sound like she was tormenting Amy’s ears, so she swallowed it back.

Her cheeks began to flush in embarrassment.

Was this simple kindness, or had Amy been bullied so much that she was afraid it would continue, so she was offering the quilt as tribute?

Lulu Mia didn’t want to suspect ill intentions, but if it was the latter, accepting the quilt would mean she was continuing the bullying, just like the original owner.

She thought hard and after two whole seconds, finally forced out a question.

“What about you?”

“I… I came from the countryside, so I’m not afraid of the cold.”

Amy shrank her head and muttered softly.

Bang.

What a treasure.

Lulu Mia felt as if the girl’s words had pierced her heart with an arrow.

The original owner had been so awful, yet Amy bore no grudge at all.

She felt a strong sense of shame for the original owner and, without hesitation, took the heavy quilt from Amy and laid it back on Amy’s own bed.

Then she looked at Amy’s stunned, helpless expression and found herself stuck again.

Would doing this make Amy think she was looking down on her?

Lulu Mia felt like an ant on a hot pan—no words seemed appropriate.

She swallowed hard and finally couldn’t help but ask.

“I treated you so badly before. You don’t hate me?”

“Lulu Mia is a perfect magical automaton. I’m just a little noble from the countryside. It’s only natural that Lulu Mia is a little strict with me…”

Amy buried her head bashfully, her voice barely audible, as if embarrassed to be scrutinized by such a beautiful girl as Lulu Mia.

An angel…

Lulu Mia had the urge to drag out the original owner and give her a good beating.

How could she have been so cruel to such a pitiful, adorable girl?

Absolutely unpoetic!

Having completely understood Amy’s personality, Lulu Mia decided to play the part of Lijie during the day and pointed at the quilt twisted in a heap on the bed, speaking seriously.

“You sleep with it yourself.”

Then she noticed Amy staring longingly at the bare, rough sackcloth mattress above, her expression hesitant as if she wanted to say something.

So Lulu Mia, without blushing or skipping a beat, emphasized.

“If you really feel bad about it, I can sleep with you.”

“I’m fine. Lulu Mia, it wouldn’t be good if you caught a cold. You’re a precious magical automaton—”

“I said I’ll sleep with you.”

Lulu Mia said in a commanding tone.

First, she lit the candlesticks in the room, then went to spread the quilt back over Amy’s bed.

By the time she finished, beads of sweat had formed on her forehead.

Although it was late autumn and cooling down, the original owner had been locked up for several days, leaving a faint but peculiar smell on her.

Add to that Amy’s reserved nature, and the dormitory was suffused with a suffocating awkwardness.

Lulu Mia found an excuse to take a bath and temporarily avoid the situation.

Finally, Amy stammered out.

“There’s no bathing place in the dormitory. Everyone uses the ‘Cleansing’ magic.”

“‘Cleansing’?”

Lulu Mia thought for a moment.

She remembered there was a spell called ‘Cleansing’—chant the incantation, and dirt would vanish from the body.

“I don’t know that spell.”

She shrugged.

“I can help you.”

Amy gripped her staff, her delicate face flickering with a tentative expression.

How kind. Seeing Amy’s eager yet cautious expression against the window sill, Lulu Mia couldn’t help but think so.

With Lulu Mia’s permission, Amy looked like a child who had found a new toy.

All hesitation disappeared as she excitedly picked up her short staff and circled behind Lulu Mia.

“Flowing spring spirit, sweep away the unclean—‘Cleansing.’”

Though Lulu Mia couldn’t see Amy’s face, she could easily imagine the earnest look Amy was wearing from her serious tone.

Countless faint white light particles gathered on Lulu Mia, sending a chill across her skin, then her body felt lighter as the ‘Cleansing’ magic finished.

She sniffed her thin clothes—no trace of the strange smell remained.

Besides that, there was no sign of dirt anywhere, making her wonder if the law of conservation even applied here.

Well, this was a world of magic. Best not to be so literal.

“So? Did it work well? I only learned ‘Cleansing’ a few days ago…”

“Quite effective.”

Lulu Mia praised, mentally thinking that if her mindfulness gauge hadn’t just increased, she could try experimenting on Amy to see if she could view others’ stat panels.

For now, the only thing visible on Amy was the title ‘The Piper.’

Good at musical instruments, huh?

More than that, she should learn magic from Amy.

Even though she couldn’t see the proficiency level on the panel, Lulu Mia believed that as long as she persisted in using magic, her skill would increase all the same.

After some thought, recalling the signature moves of beautiful girls she’d seen before, she put her hands behind her back and turned around with an impeccable sweet smile—though she didn’t notice her tail lightly brushing against Amy, it was so gentle it could be ignored.

“I want to ask Amy to teach me magic. Is that okay?”