"Hello, are you... uh, are you Lady Belle?" Caius asked politely.

  "Y-Yes..." The girl nodded lightly, her voice barely audible. She seemed nervous, even stuttering a bit.

  Because of her high-collared sweater, her voice sounded a little muffled, yet there was still a soft, gentle tone to it. It made Caius want to pull down her collar just to hear her real voice properly.

  Of course, he wasn't that rude. He was a well-mannered mercenary, after all.

  He called it—Mercleman, short for Mercenary Gentleman.

  "Here, this is for you." Saying that, Caius handed over the two envelopes.

  The girl quickly reached out with both hands to receive them. As she lifted her arms, the sleeves of her sweater slid down slightly, revealing her slender wrists.

  Confirmed. Very fair-skinned. Not chubby, but not overly thin either!

  Once again, Caius marveled at his damn keen sense of observation. It was seriously amazing!

  Don't get the wrong idea—having sharp observation skills was completely normal for a mercenary. It was definitely not because he was some kind of pervert.

  Thus, in Caius' mind, this timid, earthy-looking "mushroom girl" just earned another five points.

  Not too plump, not a walking twig, plus her height—hmm.

  This wasn’t some plain mushroom girl. This was a hidden gem!

  Of course, what kind of treasure was inside still depended on what her face looked like.

  Yes, Caius was that kind of person—both lowbrow and noble at the same time.

  What, where was the nobility?

  It was in the fact that he was always extremely gentle and patient with girls.

  After handing over the letter, the mission was complete, but Caius didn’t leave immediately. Instead, he smiled and said, "Aren’t you going to open it? This is personally entrusted to you by Mentor Holan."

  Caius could guess what was inside.

  What he was really looking forward to was Belle’s reaction. Maybe, in a moment of excitement, she would lift her head, and he could finally see her face.

  Hearing this, Belle nodded slightly. Then, looking both excited and nervous, she carefully opened the envelope, seemingly forgetting that Caius and Kiki were still there.

  Inside, she found a letter and a badge engraved with the emblem of Hydis Magic Academy.

  She stared at the letter… though Caius had no idea if she could actually see it. Her bangs covered her eyes completely, yet she seemed to have no trouble reading it.

  Her hands started trembling slightly, and then she suddenly covered her mouth… the mouth already hidden behind her high collar.

  A faint sobbing sound escaped.

  This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

  "Well?" Granny Lunla asked anxiously from the side.

  "I... I got into... Hydis Magic Academy..." Belle choked out. In the next moment, she threw herself into Granny Lunla’s arms, sobbing uncontrollably, as if years of pent-up emotions had finally been released.

  Caius felt a pang of emotion.

  In his previous life, he had seen many children born in the wastelands work tirelessly to get into corporate academies. And when they finally succeeded, they would cry tears of joy in their families' embrace. Even battle-hardened mercenaries couldn’t remain indifferent to such moments.

  But once those kids entered the academy, they often forgot where they came from. Eventually, they became the corporation’s dogs, oppressing the wastelanders—before becoming just another corpse under his blade.

  He hoped this mushroom girl in front of him wouldn’t end up like them. That she wouldn’t forget where she came from.

  "Alright, mission accomplished. Wishing you all happiness every day. Goodbye." Saying this, Caius waved his hand, preparing to leave with Kiki.

  But at that moment, a soft voice called out, "W-Wait..."

  Caius turned back. "Something else?"

  Belle stood there, hands clenched together. She was still sniffling from crying earlier, her small nose twitching, and her chest rising and falling with her breaths. Even her loose sweater couldn't hide it.

  Hmm. Not bad. Another five points.

  Eighty points now. Keep going, young lady.

  "A-Are you a senior at Hydis Academy?" Belle asked.

  "Something like that," Caius replied lazily.

  "Thank you..." she said.

  "Rather than thanking me, you should thank Mentor Holan. She thinks highly of you." Caius waved his hand with a smile.

  Although he didn’t know much, saying good things was easy.

  But Belle didn’t respond, which made Caius frown slightly.

  Did he say something wrong?

  That shouldn’t be the case. Based on his assessment, Holan clearly valued Belle—otherwise, she wouldn’t have sent him all this way to deliver a letter, let alone include the academy badge. That was practically a guaranteed admission offer.

  Shouldn’t she be happy?

  The next moment, Belle took a step forward, holding out the letter and the badge toward Caius.

  His heart skipped a beat. He didn’t take them.

  Oh no. Please don’t tell me she wants me to return them.

  That would mean she was giving up her chance to enter Hydis Academy. If that happened, Holan would definitely be affected.

  As mentioned before, people live by emotions. If Holan was troubled by this, then Caius—who still needed her help—would be affected too.

  Although he didn’t think Holan was the type to hold grudges, if she became depressed over this for a long time, it wouldn’t be the right time to ask her for favors.

  In short—Caius did not want this to happen.

  But fate had other plans.

  Belle’s trembling voice reached his ears. "C-Can you… return these… to Mentor Holan for me?"

  Caius wiped his face and asked, "Why? You don’t want to go to Hydis Academy?"

  "I…" Belle’s voice trembled even more. "I want to… but…"

  "I can’t leave Granny Lunla…" As she spoke, her sobs overwhelmed her.

  "Oh, you foolish child!" Before Caius could say anything, Granny Lunla rushed over anxiously.

  She quickly apologized to Caius before pulling Belle aside, speaking to her in hushed tones under the eaves.

  Of course, with Caius' sharp hearing, he caught every word.

  "Haven’t you always wanted to go to Hydis Academy?"

  "Isn’t this your dream?"

  "Now that you can go, why are you hesitating?"

  "But…" Belle sobbed quietly. Even her crying was soft and restrained.

  "You and the little ones need someone to take care of you… I can’t leave you…"

  Hearing this, Granny Lunla fell silent. After a long moment, she finally said, "Even if I can’t sell at the market anymore, I can still weave clothes. The orphanage can survive…"

  "No, it can’t…" Belle whispered, her voice soft but firm.

  "Knitting sweaters won’t feed the little ones… Granny Lunla, I won’t go to school…"

  "I don’t want to go to school…"

  "Please, let me stay here and take care of everyone…"

  "I don’t want to go…" She said it again, but her voice became more choked.

  Caius could hear the unwillingness in her voice.

  Did she not want to go? Or was she simply unable to?

  He let out a slow breath, took out a cigarette, and lit it.

  Why did things like this always happen around him? In his past life, and now again in this one.

  No wonder old Chris used to say he’d never become a Legendary Mercenary.

  Because Legendary Mercenaries didn’t meddle in affairs like this.

  But then, a thought struck Caius.

  This world was different.

  Here, strength ruled. If one reached the peak, they could crush all obstacles.

  Even becoming a legend was not the end.

  So why should he follow the rules of his past life?

  Screw that.

  This world… was amazing.