Richard did not know how he stood up, anyway, finally got rid of the young girl's entanglement straightened his body. After all, the young girl's physical strength was limited, Richard's unexpectedly sturdy body was really heavy for her, and after a few movements, she was already sweaty and her hands and feet were sore. Seeing Richard who managed to stand up, the young girl hated it so much that she almost bit her lip.

  Wasn't it said that the boys of noble families started learning to recognize the difference between men and women when they were six years old? At the age of ten, a noble boy should know it all. Many boys from big noble families had perhaps experienced more than double digits of women by the time they were fifteen.Which of the students of the Legendary Mage's family is not a noble among nobles? But how did this Richard seem like he didn't know anything?

  “It can't be! He's a student of His Highness, he must think I'm not good enough!” The young girl was so entangled that she accidentally said what was on her mind.

  “How are you not good enough?” Richard asked somewhat bewildered. Until now, he still felt like what just happened was in a dream.

  The young girl clenched her teeth, her body softened, and she leaned into Richard's arms. Seeing that she looked like she was so weak that she was going to plant herself directly into the hard stone ground, Richard had to hold her up, and the young girl twisted her soft waist obediently, and pressed her most towering parts tightly against it.

  However, just after holding the girl, Richard involuntarily sucked in a breath of cold air!

  One of the young girl's hands quietly held Richard's lower body, and then rubbed it hard.

  After a few strokes, the sensation coming from her hand let the young girl know that it was the fruit that was about to ripen. It was almost ripe, but not quite. Maybe it would ripen in a year, maybe it would only take a few months, maybe even less if it was well watered. But for now, the fruit is still a bit raw. Yet fruit is fruit, and like any fruit that is close to ripening, it can most likely be ripened by hand if it is rubbed hard enough.

  The girl bit her lower lip again, clearly contemplating something seriously.

  In the end, she couldn't bring herself to do it. It wasn't out of conscience, but because forcing the ripening might harm the fruit. Even if the chance was minuscule, it could leave unpredictable consequences. The girl wasn't willing to take such a risk.

  Thus, Richard was finally able to change smoothly into a dark, soft, informal robe and sit down at the dining table. He then stared blankly at the roasted meat filling an entire silver basin before him. This was his lunch, and dinner would bring an identical portion.

  The roasted meat weighed a full two kilograms, not counting four equally substantial side dishes and a large mug of some unidentifiable, odd-tasting alcoholic drink. This used to be enough food for Richard for an entire day, but now it constituted a single meal—one he was required to finish completely. Besides delivering the food, the girl's other duty was to ensure Richard ate every last bite.

  Although he picked up his knife and fork, Richard hesitated. He was truly hungry, especially since the vexing, mysterious heat in his blood had quietly vanished after the prolonged struggle with the girl. But tackling such an enormous platter felt daunting, particularly as the roast meat gave off a nauseating odor. Thin wisps of the smell lingered persistently in the air. As time passed, Richard felt his blood begin to flow faster again. He feared that eating the meat would reawaken that unknown, scorching current within him.

  The girl saw Richard's hesitation and smiled. "Eat heartily! Her Highness famously says, 'To gain the strength of a dragon, you must first possess the appetite of a dragon.' That's why all the high mages in Deepblue have such large appetites."

  Although he was Helen Su's student and held her in great reverence, Richard remained skeptical of his teacher's maxim. Furthermore, it wasn't just the roast meat; the aromas of the side dishes and the drink also started to provoke reactions within him. With each new scent that reached his nose, he felt another current stir in his blood. The girl who'd delivered the meal sat primly beside the table, elbows resting on its surface, chin cupped in her hands, simply watching him. Richard noticed, however, that whenever her gaze swept over the food, it momentarily flared with intensity before she quickly resumed her nonchalant expression. He realized then that there was more to this meal than met the eye.

  "What kind of meat is this?"

  "Komodo Earth Drake ribs," the girl answered without a second thought.

  "And the drink?"

  "Warrior's Brew, specially made for the elite Ash Dwarf warriors of Blazing Canyon."

  "Ah, and these side dishes?"

  "Agave, Blood Parrot, Kabu Berries, and Spilan Grass. They're all primary ingredients for Potions of Strength, cooked using special techniques. Eating them enhances strength and constitution." The girl seemed intimately familiar with every dish, although it clearly wasn't her area of expertise. Richard could sense she already possessed magical power approaching the third level. A mage of her age reaching level three wasn't exceptionally rare, but certainly not commonplace, even within Deepblue.

  Richard nodded and invited her, "Why don't you have some too? I can't possibly manage all this alone."

  The girl gasped and quickly shook her head. "No, I couldn't! This food is incredibly expensive; I could never afford it..."

  "Just think of it as helping me cheat," Richard said with a smile. When that mysterious, boiling heat wasn't disrupting him, Richard was quite sharp. Too much had happened in the past year; suffering accelerates a man's maturity.

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  Hearing this, the girl seemed to relax inexplicably, but she still shook her head. "I can't. I appreciate the offer, but these dishes follow special recipes meant only for men."

  What the girl left unsaid was that the food also hastened a man's maturity, albeit in a different way. And knowledge of that sort was certainly not something she was supposed to have.

  Richard glanced at the girl again, then hesitated no more and began to determinedly work his way through the food. He ate quickly and with concentration; awareness of his limited time made him approach every task with focus. When he finally lifted the mug and downed the pungent brew in one gulp, the girl's eyes flickered momentarily. In her mind's eye, it was as if a still somewhat green fruit was being aggressively watered.

  Within ten minutes, Richard had polished off everything. The silver platters gleamed, almost as clean as if freshly washed. He inferred from the girl's reactions that the bill arriving at the end of the month would undoubtedly feature a striking new sum.

  The girl started clearing the dishes, her movements somewhat slow. After their earlier entanglement in the bathroom, Richard felt differently about her. Recalling it now—the tangle of limbs, the contact—it all seemed imbued with a special meaning. Under his gaze, the girl's face flushed faintly. Richard, too, felt his own body begin to heat up again. The soft form beneath her mage robe seemed to be exerting a strange new attraction on him.

  "I haven't asked your name yet," Richard said suddenly.

  The girl's body gave a sudden, slight tremor. She lowered her head unnaturally and said, "My name is Eilyn. Eilyn Fila."

  "Well then, is there anything I can do for... Oh, no, I mean, you've done so much for me, I'd like to repay you somehow," Richard said, choosing his words carefully to avoid offense or wounding the girl's pride. He had inherited his sensitivity from his mother, but his understanding of relationships had grown more adept with the knowledge acquired in Deepblue.

  Eilyn finally raised her head, her face breaking into a smile. "The tradition in Deepblue is service for coin. However, I know a great many things. If there's anything you want to find out about Deepblue, feel free to ask me. Naturally, I'll charge a small fee depending on how rare the information is."

  Once the dishes were gathered, Eilyn suddenly leaned close to Richard, gave him a quick peck on the lips, and whispered, "Thank you!" Then she darted away as swift as a bird.

  Watching her visibly lighter steps as she departed, Richard's own mood brightened considerably.

  A magic formation flared, light pulsing as it drove the heavy metal door slowly shut, sealing the residential area from the outside world. All clamor was excluded; the space became serene and still. Richard, having regained his composure, began his studies for the day. Yet, the tip of his Firebird quill felt unusually slick today, and the newly opened vial of Lorsiaga Hellblood ink seemed sluggish. Consequently, the lines he traced on the costly Nightmare Starweave Cloth repeatedly strayed, with several errors nearly severe enough to invalidate entire sections of the formation. The practice materials alone were worth over fifty thousand gold coins; successful completion of this section would credit thirty thousand back to him—his entire first month's stipend.

  Today, however, the quill refused to obey. Whenever he intended to stop a line, the tip slid past the mark. Richard quickly sensed something was off within himself, too—his heart pounded faster than normal, and he felt an unusual anticipation for dinner. While this part of the formation required costly materials, it wasn't inherently complex, merely demanding great precision. Yet Richard was taking far longer than he would on even the most intricate designs.

  "Hmm, my efficiency seems a little low this afternoon... though perhaps not..." Richard mused.

  Efficiency: one-quarter of normal. Precision provided the answer yet again. He had to admit, sometimes this talent wasn't exactly welcome.

  Dinnertime finally came. Eilyn arrived punctually and watched quietly as Richard rapidly and precisely finished the basin of food. Before departing, she gave him another light kiss on the lips as she had before. Then she took his hand, pressed it against her chest, smiled slyly, and said, "You owe me one gold coin!" With that, she hurried out of the living quarters.

  Eilyn was in exceptionally high spirits, jogging merrily along. She didn't notice a group approaching in a small nearby plaza. At their center walked a striking young nobleman, perhaps seventeen or eighteen years old. His attire was simple yet impeccably tailored, its quality evident in the cut and craftsmanship. Pinned to his left breast was a small, pale gold insignia depicting a double-headed eagle clutching a coiled serpent in its talons. Anyone reasonably familiar with the continent's politics would recognize the emblem: the eagle and serpent, mark of Duke Solam of the Holy Tree Dynasty. Within the Solam family itself, few were granted the right to display the crest so openly.

  A dozen figures followed the young noble, roughly half warriors and half mages—a noticeable difference from the usual throngs of mages seen in Deepblue. The elderly mage who had previously lectured Richard on Deepblue's history now walked attentively beside the youth, narrating with expressive tones and gestures. While the young man's prestigious background was surely a factor in the old mage's zealous efforts, the power of gold likely played a larger part. The youth listened with half an ear, his sharp eyes scanning Deepblue's architecture and the passersby, missing no detail, even pausing momentarily on the magical lamps that lit the corridors.

  The young man watched Eilyn's retreating form, as cheerful as a swallow in flight. He paused, thoughtful, and glanced towards the entrance she had just exited. It was a residential section marked by a long wall featuring only one heavy, magic-powered metal door—a clear sign that the surprisingly vast area beyond belonged solely to one resident.

  "Did you say just now that this residence belongs to that... ah, Mister Richard?" the young nobleman asked the old mage.

  "Yes! Richard is Her Highness's newest pupil. Don't be deceived by his age; he is a true genius! These quarters alone prove it—among all Her Highness's students, only two have ever received accommodations this large! And there is a great secret..." Here, the old mage leaned in, deliberately lowering his voice.

  "Oh? And what secret is that?" The young man leaned closer, intrigued.

  The old mage glanced around conspiratorially before whispering, in a voice barely audible even to the young man, "Mister Richard... is a future Rune Scholar!"

  The young noble looked startled. "What?" he exclaimed. "Didn't you just tell me he's only eleven?"

  The old mage practically danced in agitation. "Quiet, quiet! It's a secret! As I said, a future Rune Scholar! Future!"

  Understanding dawned on the young man's face. "That's incredible! Who judged him to have the aptitude? Her Highness Helen Su herself?"

  "Who else could it be but Her Highness?"

  The young man smiled, produced a small pouch of gold, and pressed it into the old mage's hand. "Thank you for entrusting me with such an important secret."

  Feeling the weight of the pouch, the old mage beamed. The fact was, within Deepblue, Richard's potential was only a secret to Richard himself. The old mage, however, was well practiced in leveraging this "secret" for coin from newcomers.

  The young noble cast one last, long look at the heavy door of the residence before turning back to the old mage. "My appointment with my Master is soon. We should proceed now. It would be most discourteous to keep her waiting."