“Is all the luggage confirmed? Do one final check.”
Erica issued the final inspection orders to the workers, ensuring no items or tasks were overlooked.
Today was the first day of transporting supplies and personnel to the Order Territory. If there were any mistakes, the follow-up work would be a nightmare, so every single checkpoint had to be verified.
“Hey!”
Suddenly, a palm struck Erica’s back with a loud *thwack*. The force was so great that the young woman nearly stumbled forward.
She managed to steady her body and turned around, catching sight of a golden ponytail shimmering in the sunlight.
“Hey, Erica, what are you constantly checking? We’re about to head out.”
Emil’s azure eyes looked at her with a mix of confusion and impatience, as if she were scolding Erica for being a nagging mother. She looked much like a child grumbling at their doting grandparents before leaving for a theme park.
“Oh, Lady Emil.”
“I’ve called your name several times. You’ve been so distracted lately, acting like you’re hiding some secret. Being this restless is surely…” Emil lowered her head slightly, peeking at Erica every now and then as if she wanted to say something, but she ultimately kept her mouth shut.
‘Do I really look that anxious?’
The big girl certainly had sharp observation skills.
Erica was indeed caught in a web of complex worries. Although she was the one who decided to send Evelyn to the academy to twist the plot’s direction, looking back now, she couldn’t help but wonder: ‘Is this really the optimal choice?’
Especially after learning that Erica Angelina wasn’t just some simple, shallow villainess but a descendant of the Demon King Noel, it was hard to remain calm. In fact, it was impossible.
Lately, whenever she thought about it, her legs beneath her skirt would tremble violently. Her vision would go dark as if from low blood sugar, and she would be consumed by worry over what would happen if her true identity were ever exposed…
However, her resilient nature always allowed the girl to quickly cool her racing heart. After all, panicking would only make things worse.
**[You have calmly analyzed the situation! Through the talent [Calm Thinking], you have gained experience. All Class EXP +5]**
*Phew—*
Erica took a deep breath to settle her emotions. When facing a multitude of complex problems, the solution was to determine the priority first, then respond in stages, step by step.
“Pardon my late greeting. Are you doing well, Lady Emil?”
“What? What could be wrong with me? It’s just… someone confessed to me like their life depended on it, that’s all.”
‘Wait, don’t just go slandering people’s reputations. Who was “do-or-die” about it?’
‘Besides, is this muscle-bound woman, who was just flippantly teasing me earlier, now trying to act like a modest young lady!’
“No, it’s not that… I meant about entering the Order Ark today. Weren’t you taking a wait-and-see approach regarding the academy?”
“Ah, that. Of course I knew you were talking about that. What’s the problem? It’s a place for humans to live, not a pigsty. Though there might be some annoying fellows there…”
*Shing!* Emil suddenly drew the massive halberd from her back and pointed it high toward the sky. Her hand didn’t shake and her breath didn’t falter, making one wonder if the heavy weapon, which looked to weigh at least dozens of pounds, was actually a wooden replica.
“If I go there, I’ll be able to master this better, won’t I?”
“I… suppose so?”
While sweating nervously and giving a casual reply, Erica widened her eyes slightly and activated her talent, [Pupil].
***
[Status Window]
Name: Emil La Liones
Level: ??
Class: Noble Young Lady: Level 5
Executioner: Level 8
Lady Knight: Level 9
Strategist: Level 7
[Locked]: Level ?
Talent: [Radiating Passion], [Free-spirited]
Alignment: Chaotic-Neutral
She is the eldest daughter of a prestigious family, possessing a fearsome reputation capable of making a crying child fall silent.
She loathes dull, boring things and prefers to take action personally.
This young lady often hears people say behind her back that she does not act like a proper noble girl, and she is secretly bothered by this.
[Locked]
[Locked]
***
As expected, there were many locked entries, and her level was still a series of question marks.
But looking only at the revealed content, it was enough to understand what an exaggerated woman Emil was. The titles of Executioner, Lady Knight, and Strategist, which suited her perfectly, were all at a high level between 7 and 9.
“What is it? I suddenly have a strange feeling of being watched.” Emil, who suddenly exuded a dangerous aura, narrowed her eyes. Erica was startled into immediately stopping her investigation.
*Whish!* Emil then returned the long-handled axe to her back.
“When exactly are we leaving? I’m dying of boredom! I really want to find those barbarians and have another fight. I hope some unlucky barbarian brats enroll there too…”
Emil then leaped lightly onto a white horse and began trotting in circles around the area.
Watching the muscle-bound woman’s superb horsemanship, Erica recalled the information and the [Locked] text she had just seen. She decided to test her with a casual remark.
“Lady Emil’s riding skills are truly magnificent. As expected of a young lady from the Liones family.”
“Hmph, this is nothing. As the eldest daughter of the House of Liones, isn’t this a natural and necessary skill?”
Emil acted as if it were the most obvious thing in the world, letting out a dismissive snort. Meanwhile, Erica was too busy reading the text floating in the air to pay attention to anything else.
**[You have successfully piqued her interest in you.]**
**[Experience for the ‘Alluring Enchantress’ class +5]**
‘So that’s how “Alluring Enchantress” works. But is there something wrong with gaining experience for an “Enchantress” title through another girl?’
‘And the experience only increased by five points. Is the amount of experience determined by the result or the intensity?’
The girl seriously considered whether she should say something like “You look beautiful today” to Emil.
However, when she saw a tall, cold woman with long black hair approaching in high heels, making a *click-clack, click-clack* sound in the distance, those unpracticed words immediately retreated into her mind.
“The weather is quite lovely.”
Queen Evelyn slowly stretched her body under the warm sunlight. Her slender figure was as radiant as the sun itself, making even the competing flowers of the imperial court pale in comparison. Everyone present instinctively held their breath, silently watching her exquisite figure as she walked toward them.
Flatterers didn’t miss a single chance to heap praise upon Evelyn. “Your Majesty, you look beautiful today! It suits you!” and “Even the spring sunlight and flowers seem dim in the light of Princess Evelyn’s appearance.”
“Hmph.”
To this, Evelyn only gave a cold, contemptuous snort.
‘Such cheesy flattery…’ Erica couldn’t help but deeply reflect on whether she had said similar lines to that big girl earlier.
Even if she wanted to gain experience to become stronger, saying those things face-to-face was truly…
*Click-clack, click-clack.* Under everyone’s gaze, Evelyn walked to the area piled high with luggage. She scanned everything with her usual languid black eyes, then turned her head to meet the girl’s gaze.
“It has been a long time, Erica.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“Have the issues that needed handling been resolved? I heard you were buried in work regarding the Demon Race Human Rights Bill and had locked yourself in your office for days.”
“Yes, that is true. I haven’t been able to sleep well this past week and had to work through the night.”
“Is that so? I thought you were intentionally avoiding me.”
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