The carriage traveled on the road to the Holy City for a full seventeen days.
Lilith leaned against the window, staring blankly at the scenery outside.
She tried her best not to think about those frustrating matters. “There's no use thinking about it anyway,” she told herself. “Once I get to the Holy City and learn magic, I'll naturally be able to control it.”
She used this reasoning to convince herself.
On the evening of the seventeenth day, the carriage finally turned onto the main road leading to the Holy City.
Lilith pressed her face against the carriage window, her eyes wide.
“Is this the Holy City?”
It was completely different from what she had seen in anime; it was far more prosperous.
The carriage continued forward, passing through a tall city gate.
The gate guards performed a quick inspection and then let them through.
Once inside the city, the crowds grew denser and the atmosphere more lively.
“The Holy City is one of the largest cities in the eastern part of the continent,” Elena explained softly. “Since you are new here, Lady Lilith, you should be extra careful.”
Lilith nodded, but her gaze never left the window.
Everything was so fresh. To her, having spent three years lying in a hospital bed, she felt like a primitive person suddenly thrust into civilization.
The carriage slowly came to a stop in front of an inn.
“Let's stay here tonight. Tomorrow morning, I'll have to head home,” Elena said to Lilith.
Lilith finally snapped out of her daze.
“Head home?”
“Mhm,” Elena smiled, though it looked a bit forced. “My adoptive father... should be waiting for me already.”
Lilith nodded and didn't ask further.
The three of them stepped down from the carriage. Kalman went to settle the horses while Elena led Lilith into the inn.
Elena requested two rooms and paid the fee.
“Your room is on the second floor, Lady Lilith,” she said, handing a copper key to her. “Mine is on the third. I'll have a waiter bring dinner to your room.”
Lilith took the key and nodded.
After entering her room and having a simple dinner, Lilith went to bed early.
Early the next morning, there was a knock at the door.
She climbed out of bed groggily and opened the door to find Elena standing there.
“Lady Lilith,” she said with a slight bow, “I’ve come to say goodbye.”
Lilith rubbed her eyes, trying to wake herself up.
“Why the rush?”
“Mhm,” Elena nodded. “The carriage is already waiting outside.”
The two of them went downstairs together. Kalman was standing by the inn's entrance next to a brand-new carriage, its side engraved with some kind of family crest.
Elena turned to face Lilith.
She pulled a cloth bag from her personal storage space.
“This is the rest of the payment,” she said, handing the bag to Lilith. “Three hundred gold coins. Thank you for protecting us along the way.”
Lilith took the bag.
“Thank you.”
Elena looked at her and smiled.
“Lady Lilith, although I don't know who you truly are... thank you. Not just for the escort, but for saving us in the forest.”
Her eyes grew slightly red, but she quickly suppressed her emotions.
“If there is an opportunity in the future, you are welcome to visit my home. It’s in the east of the city; just ask for the Roland family and you'll find it.”
Lilith nodded. “Alright.”
Elena gave her one last look, then turned and boarded the carriage.
Kalman gave Lilith a deep bow before climbing onto the driver's seat.
The carriage slowly started up, merging into the morning streets and quickly disappearing around a corner.
Lilith stood there, holding the bag of gold coins, watching the direction where the carriage had vanished.
After a moment, she turned and walked back into the inn.
The owner was wiping glasses behind the counter. Seeing her, he flicked his eyelids up.
“Staying longer?”
“Yes, I'll take three more days for now.”
She paid the fee and returned to her room with the key.
Closing the door, she tossed the bag of gold coins onto the bed and then threw herself face-first into the pillow.
Five hundred gold coins.
She hadn't seen this much money in two lifetimes.
She rolled around on the bed, sat up, and opened the cloth bag.
Lilith grabbed a handful of gold coins and let them clatter back into the bag.
“I'm rich...”
She giggled foolishly for a while before packing the coins away and tucking them into her personal storage space.
Now, she had money, a place to stay, and had safely reached a human city.
What should she do next?
She didn't actually plan on getting involved with too many people because it was a hassle.
In the past, she had fantasized about being transported to another world, gaining super powers to defeat the Demon King and save the world—but unfortunately, she was the Demon King.
“Sigh.” She let out a breath.
Lilith walked to the window, watching the streets outside as they gradually grew busier.
“The human world really is better.”
“Wait,” Lilith suddenly smacked her forehead. “Learning magic—how could I almost forget the main point?”
This was one of her primary goals for coming to the human world: to learn those cool-sounding magic spells.
With that thought, she immediately took action and left the inn.
She walked slowly along the street, her eyes darting everywhere.
After walking for about half an hour, she stopped at a crossroads and looked left and right.
Nearby was an old woman selling fruit, arranging apples on her stall.
Lilith walked over.
“Excuse me, is there a place nearby that teaches magic? Or a shop that sells magic books?” Lilith asked politely.
The old woman looked up and sized her up.
“Magic?” She shook her head. “Little girl, magic isn't something you can just learn. That's business for the noble lords.”
“Then... where can it be learned?” Lilith pressed.
The old woman shrugged and went back to fussing over her apples, clearly not wanting to say more.
Lilith had no choice but to keep walking.
She asked a few more people and received similar answers.
“Magic? That's not something we commoners can touch.”
“Go ask in the inner city. There's nothing in the outer city.”
“Teaching magic? That costs a fortune.”
The more Lilith asked, the more disappointed she became.
Just as she was about to give up and return to the inn to rethink her plan, a voice came from the side.
“Little girl, you want to learn magic?”
Lilith turned around.
The speaker was a middle-aged man holding a cane, looking like a scholar.
He was standing in front of a bookstore and seemed to have been observing her for a while.
“Mhm,” Lilith's eyes lit up. “Do you know where I can learn?”
The man looked her up and down.
“Judging by your appearance, you must be a student? From the countryside?”
“Mhm.”
The man rubbed his chin.
“Magic isn't something that can be bought or sold. Everything related to magic is strictly regulated. Teaching or learning magic privately is a serious crime.”
Lilith felt a wave of disappointment and was about to turn away.
But the man’s tone shifted.
“However, if you have magical talent, you could try the Magic Academy.”
“The Magic Academy?”
“Correct,” the man pointed toward the center of the city. “That is the Holy City's Magic Academy, one of the best magical institutions in the eastern part of the continent. They hold spring admissions every year; if you pass the talent test, you can enroll.”
Lilith’s eyes brightened.
“But enrollment isn't easy. Talent is only the first step. You also need a recommendation letter, and most importantly, the tuition is expensive. Furthermore, the Magic Academy only accepts young students.”
The smile on Lilith’s face froze.
“Um, may I ask how much the tuition is, roughly?” Lilith asked cautiously.
“One hundred gold coins a year.”
Lilith did the math in her head and felt it was acceptable.
But then she thought about the schools in her previous life and hesitated.
“I actually... don't really want to go to school.”
The man raised an eyebrow.
“Why? The academy is a place countless people dream of. There, you can not only learn magic but also meet the children of nobility. Once you graduate, your future will be limitless.”
“Alright, I'll lay my cards on the table. I'm actually a teacher at the academy. I saw that you wanted to learn magic, so I came over to take a look.”
The man looked at Lilith with an appreciative gaze. “From the first moment I saw you, I knew you were a genius. And seeing how young you are, it's the perfect time to learn magic.”
Lilith opened her mouth but found no words.
She couldn't exactly say that she had already spent over a decade in school in her previous life and didn't want to go through it all again in this one.
Besides, regarding her age—according to the rumors about those Demon Kings—she was probably a centenarian by now.
She didn't want to be locked up in an academy, attending classes step-by-step every day.
She wanted to learn magic to travel freely and see the world with her own eyes.
Not to sit in a classroom listening to a teacher drone on about theory.
“Thank you for telling me all this,” Lilith gave the man a bow. “I’ll... think about it.”
The man tapped his forehead but still handed her a card. “If you make up your mind, you can come find me. I’m usually in this shop.”
Lilith stood there, suddenly feeling that this world wasn't quite as wonderful as she had imagined.
She sighed and turned to walk back toward the inn.
After a few steps, she stopped and looked back in the direction of the Magic Academy.
“Forget it, I'll think about it tomorrow.”
Rate on N.U.
