MISS PAINTER, YOUR ART HAS COME ALIVE!

Kaelis always thought she had relatively strong empathy... after all, without such ability, she wouldn't have achieved near-perfect recreations of famous paintings.

Yet even so, there were times when she simply couldn't understand what these important figures were thinking...

She always felt these people were somewhat strange... like right now.

Following the heart shaped earring-wearing maid, step by step toward the edge of the camp.

Here, dozens of carriages stood parked, several of them already dismantled. With help from a few individuals glowing with halos, they were rapidly being reassembled.

In less than half a minute, they had constructed a pavilion!

Warriors... were actually doing manual labor?

Kaelis stared at the scene, completely dumbfounded.

Although she wasn't very familiar with this world, she had just met the camp's highest commander, only a third-stage Ascender, not even reaching Warrior status, and already held significant authority.

Yet now, an entire group of Warriors were doing grunt work?

This was utterly incomprehensible to Kaelis.

The maid, having brought Kaelis here, stopped moving.

Just as Kaelis felt confused, a woman slowly descended from an ornate carriage...

She was an exceptionally tall woman... possibly around one hundred seventy or even one hundred eighty centimeters, her model-like height paired with a near-perfect body proportion. Her fitting olive-green dress clung to her form, while her dazzling golden hair and platinum-gold eyes gave her an almost divine aura.

Especially her belt, adorned with wooden-sized emeralds... Although only half-tied as decoration, Kaelis could instantly discern the woman's waist position, her leg-to-body ratio was so perfect it left others too stunned to even feel envy!

Yet her figure seems not to be the limit.

Even her facial features appear as meticulously crafted as a character designed in a video game.

A stunningly beautiful woman.

Kaelis quickly made this judgment, realizing this must be the master who had summoned her.

Could this be the “Princess” they mentioned?

Kaelis blinked.

At that moment, a woman dressed as a maid beside her suddenly frowned, staring at Kaelis.

But before Kaelis could say anything, the woman beside her smiled.

“It's alright, she's just a child.”

Saying this, the woman stepped forward, ignoring others' attempts to stop her, and carefully examined Kaelis, who still wore her veil.

“Hmm?”

She looked closely, then naturally reached out, before Kaelis could react, actually removing Kaelis's veil!

Yet this removal shocked not Kaelis, but everyone who saw Kaelis's true appearance!

Her small, porcelain-pals face bore not a single flaw; every facial feature perfectly balanced... they didn't know how to describe Kaelis, only feeling a complex sensation too intricate for ordinary language to convey... beauty!

Unlike the Princess's instantly breathtaking beauty, nor the so-called intellectual or seductive beauty... it was simply pure, heartfelt, a beauty of sensation!

Perfect, flawless... her jet-black hair and eyes contrasted vividly with her skin, her features delicate exquisitely refined yet never sharp...

If the Princess's beauty was one of stunning impact, then Kaelis's beauty belongs to another level entirely, ordinary people couldn't even imagine such beauty!

At this moment, only the word “perfect” can describe Kaelis.

Sacredness and allure coexisted, beneath her seductive eyes lay pure, ripple-like tender emotions, while her vermilion lips resembled some sweet, juicy fruit, waiting to be tasted...

Gulp...

For a moment, everyone instinctively swallowed.

Even the Princess standing right beside her made this involuntary movement.

This snapped Kaelis back to reality. She quickly snatched back her veil and reattached it.

Only then did the entranced onlookers gradually regain their senses, exchanging glances filled with slight embarrassment.

Especially under the maid's sharp gaze, they felt too conflicted to speak for a long while.

Luckily, the Princess spoke again.

“Is this... your ability?”

“Ah? No... no, yes.”

Kaelis instinctively wanted to deny it, but lifting her head, she saw the woman's eyes suddenly lift playfully.

The originally poised, mature woman suddenly gained a touch of girlish cuteness.

Kaelis hesitated briefly, then understood the woman's intention and decisively admitted this was indeed her own ability.

This caused all the attendants to breathe sighs of relief.

Good... good...

If this had been Kaelis's “Charm” ability just now, then their momentary daze couldn't be blamed on them.

They would have been “affected.”

“...”

The maid said nothing, merely casting a helpless glance at the Princess before turning her head to look at the others.

She coughed softly twice, and everyone immediately understood, silently choosing to leave.

Even the security personnel moved over ten meters away.

Kaelis took the opportunity to observe.

Their uniforms were standardized, their training evident, movements orderly... clearly not an ordinary group.

This so-called Princess's status might be even higher than she imagined.

“I've heard about what you did earlier... I thought someone who could do such a bold thing would be very strong-willed... but I didn't expect you to be so young.”

The woman smiled, silently turning and walking into the pavilion, beckoning Kaelis to follow.

They sat facing each other.

Hearing the woman speak, Kaelis felt slightly helpless.

“I'm not that young.”

“...Mm.” The woman nodded seriously, her eyes dropped to below Kaelis's collarbone. “Indeed, not exactly small...”

“...”

Why did she suddenly feel like she was being harassed?

Kaelis's expression turned awkward as she slightly turned her body, raising her hand to protect her chest.

This made the woman's smile even more teasing.

“Does this make you afraid?”

“...A little.” Kaelis didn't deny it.

Anyone suddenly boasted about their body by someone of the same gender in such a strange manner... would find it weird, right?

Although Kaelis wasn't rigid about gender, still... This was our first meeting?

Your way of speaking... is really scary!

“You weren't afraid of facing so many people earlier, yet now my single sentence frightens you?”

The woman found this somewhat amusing.

Kaelis, in turn, rolled her eyes helplessly.

“What's there to fear from them?”

“...Those two girls are both daughters of Viscounts. Do you know what a Viscount is?”

The woman gave Kaelis a mild warning, but didn't expect Kaelis's answer to surprise her even more.

“Viscount?... Second lowest rank?”

“...It's not like that at all.” Seeing Kaelis's serious expression without joking, the woman shook her head and spoke earnestly.

Yes, Viscount ranked second to last among the five noble ranks, but... that was only in terms of rank order.

“Even an ordinary Viscount possesses governing rights over several towns, with family wealth starting from one hundred thousand Gold coins, truly important figures.”

“Oh…”

Kaelis's expression remained calm, making the woman feel she hadn't explained well enough.

“Do you understand what such a sum means?”

“...”

Same question as before, sometimes Kaelis truly couldn't understand what these big shots were thinking.

Kaelis also realized they had never met or interacted before. Any sudden encounter would naturally involve testing each other first, regardless of what they intended to discuss later.

But the problem was, after all this maneuvering, Kaelis still hadn't figured out what the woman wanted.

The conversation lacked focus, drifting further and further.

But since the other party showed interest, Kaelis wasn't in a hurry either. She followed the woman's words and asked further.

“One hundred thousand Gold coins... can it make me eat until full?”

“You could eat meat until stuffed~”

“One hundred thousand Gold coins, can it let me sleep well?”

“If work goes smoothly, you can sleep very well.”

“Then can one hundred thousand Gold coins let me freely do whatever I want?”

“Mmm... except for things forbidden by Kingdom law, with that amount of money, you could almost do anything.”

“Sounds pretty good, but... what difference does that make from my current situation?”

Kaelis reached out, silently accepting the prepared milk tea from the maid.

Although the maid seemed somewhat dissatisfied with Kaelis's etiquette-deficient posture, being merely a servant, her professionalism forced her to remain extremely restrained and reserved.

If the Princess had no objection, how could she possibly object?

Meanwhile, the Princess found herself momentarily speechless by Kaelis's words.

What is the difference between having one hundred thousand Gold coins and your current life?

That's a huge difference, isn't it?

But in Kaelis's eyes, they were practically the same... if she had to name something worth envying...

“It's that with enough money, you can do what you like.”

Kaelis blinked, looking at the woman before her.

“I've never seen a Viscount's lifestyle, true. If you really forced me to choose, I'd probably choose that life too. But... if you asked whether I envy it... my answer is, no, I don't.”

“Hmm?”

The woman blinked, curious.

“Because once living standards reach a certain level, they stop becoming more attractive.”

Kaelis blinked again, carefully lifting a teacup that looked extremely valuable. She removed her veil, and her vermilion lips gently sipped the tea.

The obedient little action makes her look like a porcelain doll, every movement exuding a cute, careful delicacy.

Especially when the princess recalled Kaelis's previously revealed appearance, she both felt her fingers twitch uncomfortably.

Wanting to remove Kaelis's veil.

Kaelis's beauty wasn't just stunning, it had a kind of “aftereffect” like fine wine.

The more she recalled it, the stronger that strange, itchy feeling grew.

Being apart from her made them physically uncomfortable.

But she was clearly well-educated, so she restrained their emotions, saying nothing.

Yet her hands under the table weren't very well-behaved.

Kaelis, however, didn't notice this, merely softening her head slightly.

"Maybe exactly because I've never experienced such a lifestyle, but... in my view, no matter how delicious food gets, you'll eventually tire of it. No matter how good your sleep, you'll still wake up. Fun things, beautiful things, eventually they'll repeat until you find them boring yourself.

But... physical pursuits have limits, while spiritual pursuits have no upper bound..."

Kaelis set down her teacup, noticing a drop of milky-white milk tea that had somehow fallen. She reached out, lightly drawing with her fingertip.

With just a few strokes, a cute rabbit head appeared on the tabletop.

As Kaelis exerted her power, it suddenly came to life, sitting upright in black and white, motionless, appearing exceptionally obedient and endearing.

This sudden display of ability caused the nearby maid to instinctively tense her muscles, eyes narrowing slightly.

Fortunately, in the end, she didn't act.

Mainly because the woman beside her gestured with her eyes to stop her.

She too curiously reached out, gently petting the rabbit.

The rabbit obediently lifted its body, allowing the woman to stroke it.

This was much more delightful than her previous pet cats and dogs.

Of course, her fondness for this little pet couldn't make her accept Kaelis's argument.

“But... eating is something you absolutely must face~”

“...I know. I never said eating isn't necessary.”

Kaelis blinked, looking at the woman.

"Eating, sleeping... and intimacy, these are desires a human being as a biological organism cannot escape. This is an objective fact. I won't deny it.

However... I think once these reach a certain standard, continuing to expend massive effort to further improve them yields less spiritual satisfaction than other pursuits.

Improving living quality is merely a bonus side-effect of this."

Kaelis softly explained. These words weren't just a response to the woman's question, they reflected her genuine inner beliefs.

Kaelis wouldn't refuse a good life... refusing comfort to choose hardships was just stupid.

But... compared to exhausting oneself, crazily competing with others to earn money, eat lavish meals, sleep in grand beds, Kaelis honestly felt it unnecessary.

After exhausting yourself to a ragged state, still lamenting you never truly rested in your life.

Some of these people are worthy of respect, but others... are simply complete jerks.

If everyone jointly pursued beauty, wouldn't life be better?

Although saying this was admittedly easy when not in someone else's shoes. While Kaelis's current life wasn't ideal, at least she could survive.

At the very least, Kaelis had never truly experienced that “one-life” world MMO war mode.

Thinking this, Kaelis slightly shook her head.

Looking at the woman who appeared deep in thought, she didn't rush to continue speaking, instead lowering her head to quietly sip her milk tea.

No sugar added, pure milk flavor and tea flavor, not particularly well-blended, not especially delicious, but as a novel experience, Kaelis found it quite interesting.

A full ten-plus minutes passed before the woman slowly raised her head.

She still looked at Kaelis, but this time she wasn't as relaxed as earlier when curiosity prompted her to summon someone for chat. Instead, she carefully, meticulously examined Kaelis once more.

Finally, she gave a charming smile.

“I find you somewhat incomprehensible.”

She seemed unable to understand Kaelis's thinking, yet still showed respect.

Just then, a sharp whistle echoed through the camp.

“So, what did you call me here for?”

Seeing distant camp personnel beginning to assemble, Kaelis realized afternoon training was about to start. But with the woman here, Kaelis wasn't sure whether she should leave, helplessly tilting her head and directly asking.

What do you actually want?

“...Originally there was something, but now there isn't... I'm glad you accepted my invitation. I look forward to our next tea party.”

The woman's attitude was very gentle, yet her words left Kaelis completely bewildered.

After pondering awhile, attributing it to important figures always having strange thoughts, Kaelis turned and left.

Only after Kaelis had walked far away did the woman's smile slowly fade, her slightly furrowed brows revealed a hint of confusion.

“What do you think... of this girl?”

“...Which aspect are you inquiring about?”

Hearing the woman's question, the maid didn't hastily answer, remaining restrained beside her like a wooden statue.

“All aspects...”

“...Her manners are quite crude, and not feigned, every movement is very natural. Yet her cognition is extremely unique... this definitely isn't something an ordinary peasant girl could possess.”

After brief consideration, the maid gave her answer.

Kaelis's records clearly stated she was merely a girl from a remote town, parentless and without relatives.

For such a girl, improper conduct was understood.

But her insight... or rather, her understanding of the world, was remarkably distinctive...

This wasn't some pretentious uniqueness, but genuine, Kaelis possessed a complete system of her own understanding and perspective on this world... in her evaluation, Kaelis's thoughts contained a certain childish romanticism, but, at least they were coherent and well-structured.

These were absolutely not things a child of Kaelis's age should have!

“So you're saying you think she's problematic?”

“...Yes.”

The maid didn't deny her wariness towards Kaelis. In her view, Kaelis wasn't just suspicious, she was highly suspicious.

The woman nodded, clearly sharing the same opinion.

But... they didn't have more time to linger here.

“Your daughter, Laura, is also here, correct?”

“Yes.”

“Then please notify young Laura to help keep an eye on that child, and observe this Kaelis a little more.”

The woman said quietly, slightly softening her head.

Beside her, the maid nodded in agreement, though still somewhat puzzled.

“If you suspect her, why keep her here?”

“…” The woman didn't reply immediately, merely turning to look helplessly at the maid.

Seeing the other's completely clueless expression, she felt helplessly, then straightened her face.

“You should remember what just happened with Kaelis, right?”

“She fought with two of Viscount's daughters... and won. Reckless but somewhat capable, and already possesses extraordinary power, at least a second-stage Ascender.”

The maid immediately gave an evaluation from a combat standpoint.

But this made the woman sigh again.

Fortunately, she knew her sister was always like this, so didn't dwell on it. She simply nodded and continued.

“And the reason those Viscount daughters encountered her was because of a dormitory change, specifically to welcome little Elena who was supposed to move in...”

“Your meaning is...”

“...Previously, I only mentioned Elena would attend the military academy, but never revealed to the outside world which specific military academy she would attend...”

“...You mean... someone among us...”

Although slightly naive, the maid wasn't completely stupid. Within moments, she understood the woman's implicate, suddenly frowning.

The woman nodded.

This time, it was merely someone trying to curry favor, caught in the act and left embarrassed.

But... next time, what if someone attempted assassination?

That wouldn't be a minor scuffle like today's incident.

“This time the situation was still acceptable. Little Elena had your daughter Laura’s protection, and the issue wasn't serious enough to be intolerable. But... I don't wish for such incidents to repeat..."

“...I understand. I'll handle this matter properly.”

The maid might be slow, but she was absolutely not foolish. After a brief conversation, she grasped the woman's meaning.

Elena’s situation wasn't yet dangerous, but they still had to take cautions partly to avoid alarming potential threats.

Leakage of information seems minor, but at critical moments, it could be fatal.

Whoever is responsible... won't get off easily next time!

As for Kaelis...

“Originally I wanted to see if she was deliberately putting on an act for me... after all, with our movements leaked, it's reasonable for various people to approach. But... she seems truly not problematic. It's just her way of thinking..."

The woman frowned slightly.

When she discovered Kaelis was already a second-stage Ascender at this age, she actually considered temporarily assigning her as a bodyguard for Elena... though little Laura was quite reliable, she was still only one person.

One more helper was always better.

But after this simple interaction, she felt somewhat wary of Kaelis.

Not because she sensed hostility from Kaelis, but simply because someone with such independent thinking was extremely difficult to control.

Even a mere ten-day cooperation made her hesitate to fully trust.

But... if it was just casual contact...

“Perhaps little Elena could gain some growth too...”

“I won't be able to stay by her side for long.”

The woman lowered her head, sighing softly.

Beside her, the maid also bowed her head, silently.