Caius looked at Hilda, amused.

  Though her face was expressionless, the redness on her cheeks and ears had already betrayed her.

  How do you move the heart of a proud Little Swan?

  Just create enough emotional turbulence.

  A girl as proud as her doesn't lack surprises or romance—what she lacks are unexpected inner waves and experiences she has never had before.

  Clearly, no one treated Hilda the way Caius did.

  At this moment, Hilda was staring at Caius as if she wanted to engrave his face into her memory.

  Caius didn't mind— the deeper she remembered him, the better.

  After taking care of the Wolf Demon's corpse, Caius was ready to head back.

  He glanced at Hilda and tilted his chin slightly. "Heading back to the academy together?"

  Hilda hesitated for a moment before nodding.

  She wasn’t sure if there were more Wolf Demons like the one earlier. If another appeared, she would clearly be unable to handle it alone.

  Walking with Caius would be safer.

  So, besides the little cat, Caius now had a Little Swan by his side as well.

  She maintained her grace and pride at all times. Even in this dense forest, where others would look utterly disheveled, she still managed to keep her hairstyle intact.

  Moreover, she insisted on walking ahead of Caius.

  The problem was… she took the wrong path.

  "Hydis Academy is that way," Caius reminded her.

  Hilda paused for a brief moment before continuing forward. "I know."

  Yeah, right.

  Caius chuckled but said nothing, simply following behind to see how long she could keep up the act.

  They walked for two miles in silence before Caius nearly burst into laughter.

  It was clear that Hilda intended to subtly correct her course by making a gradual arc back to the right path, trying to salvage her pride from taking the wrong way.

  However, when she finally reached the right track, she was completely unaware of it and simply kept walking forward.

  So, the arc ended up much bigger than intended.

  "Now, Hydis Academy is in that direction," Caius pointed in the exact opposite direction he had pointed earlier, holding back his laughter.

  Hilda halted, then continued forward. "I know!"

  See? She's getting anxious.

  At this moment, Hilda was starting to lose face.

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  Yes, she had a poor sense of direction.

  Otherwise, she wouldn't have spent three days repeatedly checking the map to find the Crystalith Serpent’s habitat.

  But after making two consecutive mistakes, she was unwilling to admit defeat by taking out the map for verification—that would be too humiliating.

  After all, she had been acting as if she knew the way all along precisely to avoid being looked down upon by Caius.

  She was already starting to regret it.

  Why did she insist on walking ahead of him?

  She figured that after a while, Caius would give her an out, saving her from further embarrassment.

  But this guy had no sense of chivalry at all—he just kept following behind, stifling his laughter and waiting for her to go the wrong way again before speaking up.

  Hilda kept walking, planning to repeat the process of slowly curving back onto the right path.

  Caius, hands in his pockets, leisurely followed her.

  And sure enough, she overshot the correct path a third time.

  "Pfft—hahaha!" This time, Caius couldn't hold it in anymore. Laughing, he pointed in the other direction. "Hydis Academy—"

  "—Is that way! I know!" Hilda turned around, gritting her teeth.

  Caius noticed the redness in her eyes and gradually restrained his laughter.

  She might look strong, but she was still just a young girl of eighteen or nineteen.

  After the battle with the Wolf Demon and experiencing the fear of death, her heart was not as unshaken as it appeared.

  There was frustration from being defeated, disappointment from her loss, and accumulated grievance.

  Now, with Caius teasing her like this, she was on the verge of breaking—but her pride wouldn't allow her to show it in front of him.

  Caius knew it was time to stop.

  So, he strode ahead, overtaking her.

  Hilda had already braced herself for more ridicule. But after a moment, she heard nothing. Looking up, she saw Caius had walked several dozen meters ahead and was now glancing back at her.

  "What are you standing around for? Keep up."

  Hilda silently followed him. When he turned around, she quickly wiped her eyes.

  Caius had done it on purpose—he had to give the Little Swan a chance to wipe her tears.

  Otherwise, if he pushed too hard and she refused to lift her head in shame, that wouldn't be what he wanted.

  Swans should hold their heads high and exude their elegance.

  After a moment, Caius figured she had calmed down enough and asked, "What’s your rank?"

  "Platinum Two-Star," Hilda replied. Her voice had regained its usual coolness, though there was still a hint of emotion lingering.

  "Platinum Two-Star, huh…" Caius stroked his chin. "What type of sword do you want?"

  Hilda was taken aback. "Why are you asking that?"

  "Forgot already? I'm not just a mercenary; I'm also a blacksmith. If you want, I can forge the sword you need."

  "A sword truly worthy of you."

  "So? Want to consider it?"

  Kiki, sitting on Caius' shoulder, glanced at him. To her, he looked like a cunning wolf smiling at a little rabbit… no, a Little Swan.

  But as a little cat, she sided with the big bad wolf—she would help Caius tease his prey.

  So she chimed in, "Big guy is a master blacksmith, meow!"

  She didn’t really know what rankings blacksmiths had, but every profession had a "Master" rank, and since Caius was the best big guy, he must also be the best blacksmith.

  Caius secretly gave the little cat a thumbs-up.

  What a great wingman!

  Sure enough, hearing both Caius and Kiki’s words, Hilda looked at her broken sword and hesitated for a moment before nodding. "A rapier."

  "No problem," Caius nodded. "I’ll need you to demonstrate your swordsmanship later. If necessary, we can even spar. I need to understand your combat style to design a truly unique sword tailored just for you."

  See? Now he had an excuse for a follow-up meeting.

  And clearly, Hilda didn’t notice—her attention was entirely on the words "one of a kind."

  A unique sword…

  No girl could refuse something truly unique, especially if it was something perfectly suited to her.

  Hilda was no exception.

  Her eyes gleamed with anticipation. "Alright."

  "How much?"

  She was asking, but Caius could hear the certainty in her tone—it was as if no matter the price, she was willing to pay.

  A real rich girl!

  But talking about money would ruin the mood~

  Caius laughed slyly in his heart but kept his face serious and noble.

  "I'm an outstanding mercenary and an outstanding blacksmith. A true craftsman is always obsessed with creating the most perfect work!"

  "This is priceless!"

  "I see the shadow of such a masterpiece in you—you’ve given me inspiration. So!"

  "We’ll talk about the price once it’s finished. If I’m satisfied, I’ll give it to you for free."

  "Because a unique weapon can only belong to its one and only master—it can’t be measured in gold."

  These words resonated with Hilda’s pursuit of perfection, and her gaze toward Caius gained a hint of admiration.

  She nodded. "Alright."

  Caius, internally: Woohoo~

  No charge?

  The things that come free are always the most expensive!

  Little Swan, you're still too young~