As Caius walked down the street, he flipped the envelope over to check the back.

  The address was 1103 Haila Street, Outer District, Ocean City.

  The recipient was...

  "Belle?" Caius blinked.

  Just a single name, Belle, without a surname. That was rather unusual.

  Having no surname usually meant having no Clan.

  Recalling what Ms. Holan had said—that this student needed the spot more than she did—Caius speculated that the recipient might not come from a well-off family.

  Still, he didn’t dwell on it. After all, he was just here to deliver a letter. His conjectures were nothing more than professional habit.

  A mercenary couldn’t rely solely on brute strength; a sharp mind was just as essential.

  Before long, Caius arrived at the address.

  It was a large courtyard, but large didn’t necessarily mean luxurious.

  The courtyard before him looked rather shabby. The fence was wooden, and the house was a two-story square building arranged in a triangular layout. It was built with a mix of wood and stone, and the outer walls were covered in creeping vines, showing clear signs of age.

  Inside the courtyard, there was a sandbox where a few modestly dressed children were playing.

  Above the entrance hung a slightly rusted tin sign, loosely attached, with several large characters written on it.

  “Lunla Orphanage?” Caius glanced at the envelope, then at the address.

  Confirmed. This was the place.

  "Should we just go in, Meow?" Kiki asked.

  "Yeah." Caius nodded and pushed the door open.

  As Caius and Kiki stepped into the courtyard, the children noticed the unfamiliar visitors and immediately abandoned their simple wooden toys, dashing back into the house.

  Caius followed, but instead of barging in, he knocked on the door.

  Soon, footsteps approached from inside. Caius waited patiently for a moment before the door creaked open.

  An elderly woman with silver hair stood before him.

  "And you are?" she asked, her gaze filled with curiosity.

  "Hello, I’m from Hydis," Caius replied smoothly.

  The title of mercenary wasn’t suitable for addressing an ordinary elderly citizen. To many commoners, mercenaries weren’t exactly viewed as upstanding individuals.

  From his past life experience, Caius knew better, so he chose a different approach.

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  It wasn’t a lie—he had indeed just come from Hydis Magic Academy.

  "Hydis Academy?" The old woman’s face brightened with a warm smile. Perhaps it was his imagination, but he sensed a hint of expectation in her eyes.

  "Child, what brings you here?" she asked.

  "Oh, I’m here to deliver a letter. It’s addressed to someone named ‘Belle.’ Is she here?" Caius spoke gently, his demeanor completely different from the ruthless one he had when thrashing Kalan earlier.

  "A letter for Belle?" The old woman’s smile widened with delight. She turned back toward the house and called out, "Nana, you have a letter! It’s from Hydis Academy!"

  Immediately, Caius heard the hurried sound of footsteps rushing down the stairs.

  But the footsteps soon turned into a loud crash.

  The old woman gasped and forgot all about Caius at the door as she hurried inside, her voice a mix of concern and mild scolding.

  "Oh dear, be careful! So clumsy—how can I let you go so far away like this?"

  "Are you hurt?"

  "I’m fine, Lunla Grandma…"

  Caius had sharp ears and caught every word.

  So, this kind old woman was Lunla. She must be a kind-hearted soul to have taken in so many children.

  But what intrigued him more was the other voice.

  It was soft and light, like the gentle brush of a cat’s paw, making Caius’s heart itch with curiosity.

  He found himself anticipating what the owner of this voice might look like.

  And soon enough, he saw her—or rather, almost saw her.

  A tall girl appeared before Caius.

  He called her tall because she stood a full head taller than Kiki.

  Kiki was just over 1.5 meters tall, and this girl was probably around 1.75 meters.

  But she was wrapped up tightly from head to toe.

  She wore loose-fitting pants that seemed to be handwoven. The fabric was coarse and oversized, hanging baggily on her frame and nearly touching the ground.

  As a result, Caius couldn’t see the shape of her legs—only that they weren’t short.

  Her upper body was even more bundled up.

  Despite the summer heat, she wore a high-collared, hand-knit linen sweater.

  The collar resembled those worn by cloaked vampires in movies. However, while a vampire’s cloak flared open at the sides, this girl’s sweater collar fit snugly around her lower face, covering everything below her nose.

  That wasn’t all—her chestnut-colored short hair, styled like a perfectly rounded cap, covered her upper face entirely, even obscuring her eyes.

  To top it off, she wore a round, puffy beret.

  With the high-collared sweater below and the mushroom-like cap above, her 1.75-meter-tall figure stood stiffly in place.

  For a moment, Caius thought a giant mushroom had sprouted in front of him.

  What kind of outfit was this?

  He nearly burst out laughing.

  Thankfully, he was a tough man and managed to hold it in.

  Laughing at someone upon their first meeting wouldn’t be appropriate.

  Although her attire was outdated and unfashionable, and she was completely covered up, Caius had a keen eye for beauty beyond mere appearances.

  First, the only part of her face he could see was the tip of her nose.

  It was small, delicate, and from this angle, quite refined and well-shaped. This suggested she had a good nose structure overall.

  And judging by her nose, he could infer her skin condition.

  Her nose was fair and smooth, with barely visible pores, indicating clear and flawless skin.

  As the saying goes, "Fair skin covers a hundred flaws." With skin this pristine, she was unlikely to be unattractive.

  Next, her physique.

  Despite being bundled up, Caius could observe her hands and feet.

  She wore simple fabric shoes, approximately a size 38.

  Most women’s shoe sizes were under 38.

  Yet at 1.75 meters tall, her foot size should typically be around 40. Wearing a size 38 meant she had notably small feet.

  Her hands, mostly hidden in oversized sleeves, only revealed a small portion of her fingers—round, slender, and neatly trimmed.

  From the size and shape of her fingers, Caius deduced that she wasn’t overweight.

  From this, he was nearly certain:

  This girl, despite revealing less than 2% of her body, had a great figure.

  Seriously, 1.75 meters tall with long legs and a slim build?

  As long as she wasn’t as thin as a stick insect, she was bound to have a nice figure.

  As for her looks…

  Though he couldn’t see her full face, her height and proportions alone meant she had a solid baseline.

  Plus, her voice was so pleasing.

  If a passing grade was 60, this girl had to be at least a 70.

  Holan and Yvlan were around 90.

  As for Hilda… she was a 99 in Caius’s personal ranking system.

  Why not a perfect score?

  Because the final point depended on personality.

  To get a full 100, he’d have to get to know her better first.