After chatting for a while in the reception room, Leiko bid farewell and returned to her residence in the castle. The important equipment she brought was destroyed by Aya's punch, and the planned body check for Tiran could not proceed as originally planned. They could only go back and think of another solution.

Princess Diana also returned to her bedroom after the crisis was resolved, leaving only Aya alone.

Hmm, let's go find Fiona first. I didn't pay attention to where I left her before, and if I run into Mimi again, it could be troublesome.

However, as soon as she pushed open the door of the reception room and met the gaze of the girl in the red robe standing at the entrance, she was instantly confused.

After a long pause, Aya finally managed to utter a sentence, "Do you need something?"

What the hell, I thought you had already left. It's quite sadistic to wait here and startle me like this! Of course, it was clear that she did not come here for a prank.

"You are Aya, although that may not be your real name. You are Tiran's second personal maid and your true identity is Dragon, am I right?" The girl's voice had a hoarseness that didn't match her age, but it was not harsh. On the contrary, it carried a different kind of feeling, making it sound oddly comforting.

"Yes." Aya nodded, trying to guess what she wanted by suddenly approaching her.

Leiko still wore a cold expression. After receiving Aya's confirmation, she continued, "You destroyed my property earlier, and according to the laws of the kingdom, I should be entitled to claim compensation from you."

Huh? Compensation? Aya blinked her eyes and half a second later realized that there was this issue.

"No, wait a minute. Isn't it not my fault? Tiran Miss called me back, and I defended myself without knowing the situation! The main responsibility should be hers, right?"

Aya quickly threw Tiran under the bus.

"No, if it were Tiran, she would definitely throw a tantrum and refuse to pay. Besides, this matter has nothing to do with the castle, and I have no intention of pursuing Gilliast Castle's responsibility, so it's impossible for the castle to pay."

"Stop right there! Even so, research institutions have funds, right? Don't think of fooling me!"

"That thing has already used up all the funds I can withdraw."

"And then you came to me?" Aya pointed at herself, her eye twitching slightly.

"Yes." The girl's expression remained calm. "In addition to the laws of the kingdom, there are also regulations in the Magic Authority Act that protect the research achievements of magic. For those who maliciously destroy them, the maximum compensation that can be pursued is ten times. But since you were unaware, I won't pursue the ten times, and you only need to compensate according to my research and development costs."

"Do I have to thank you?" Aya was speechless at this point.

"You can thank me later. I just hope to quickly recreate the device and fulfill the task given to me by His Majesty, the War King." The girl didn't detect Aya's sarcasm in her words, responding as if it were a matter of course.

"%#@!..." Aya was choked by this statement and after a while, she asked, somewhat frustrated, "Fine, how much do I need to compensate?" As a Dragon, the treasure she collected could already crush most middle-class nobles.

"Wait a moment." The girl raised her left hand, revealing a storage ring on her finger. After a flickering of light, scrolls appeared in her hand, and her other hand held a feather pen. She quickly wrote on the paper against the wall.

"Design concepts, intellectual property..."

"Technical costs, raw material costs..."

"Site, energy consumption..."

At first, Aya could barely maintain her composure, but as she continued to read, her expression became more and more horrified. By the time Lira had finished writing, Aya's body was trembling as if it had been stabbed repeatedly.

When the girl stopped, one scroll had already been filled.

"The total amount adds up to approximately this number."

Aya couldn't hear what came after that, all she could think of was, "Holy mother... I'm going bankrupt."

What the hell, is that thing really worth that much?

"If you've finished reading, please pay, either in cash or with a credit card, I don't mind."

I do mind! You could sell me and I wouldn't be worth that much!

Aya wanted to roar like that, but for someone like her old man, who had collected a mountain of gold and silver, this number might not be worth mentioning. But for her... maybe she should consider robbing a bank.

"Ah, I see. Can't afford it?"

Noticing Aya's lack of response, Lira had an expression on her face that showed she was expecting it. "If you really can't come up with that much money, there are actually other options."

Did she just imply that there's still hope? Aya suddenly found the girl in front of her to be particularly adorable. Though she looked cold, in reality, she was a kind child.

"You can consider a flesh repayment."

"What?" Blinking her eyes, Aya thought maybe she had misheard.

"I said, you can consider a flesh repayment." Lira repeated each word carefully.

Hmm, I didn't mishear.

"Hold on a second, do you know what you're saying?" Aya's expression couldn't hold back anymore. "Isn't this too early for you to be thinking about this? You'll be a disaster in the future!"

"Why is it too early?" Lira frowned. "When you don't have money to repay your debt, using your body to repay it seems like the obvious choice, doesn't it?"

What obvious choice!

"Anyway, if you don't have the money, come to the laboratory under the castle tomorrow morning. As a Dragon, your research value should just about compensate for my losses," Lira continued, "Don't worry, I'll make sure your life is safe."

Seemingly concerned that Aya would refuse, she added one more sentence.

"Wait, you mean flesh repayment exactly like this?"

"Isn't that right? Barifuria said that using your body to repay a debt is called flesh repayment." The girl's expression hesitated.

That's a huge difference... Aya silently flipped off that red-haired milf in her mind.

...

"So you agreed to let Lira do research?" In the bedroom, Tiran looked at Aya with a dumbfounded expression.

"What's wrong...?" Aya was scared by her gaze, not because it was particularly scary, but because she felt a kind of pity that made her feel like a poor victim of fate.

"I'm not really sure about the specifics, but you're my servant, right? It doesn't quite add up that you would sell yourself without my consent." Tiran shifted her gaze, saying somewhat frustratingly.

Your attempt to change the subject only makes me more uneasy...

"I don't have any other options. How about you compensate for me?" Aya waved the bill that Lira wrote in front of Tiran.

"Forget it, just go."

"Do you have to be so straightforward! I was hoping you had some secret stash!"

"You're overthinking, kid. If I had a secret stash of money, why would I bother trying to scam money from Mimi every day?"

"I remember you have a 1:1 replica of the Illuminated Sanctuary figurine in your basement, made of amethyst. It should be worth quite a bit if you sell it..."

"Forget it. Unless I die, don't even think about it!" Tiran immediately assumed a stance of defending the figurine at all costs.

...

Meanwhile, in another room, the atmosphere was completely different.

"Why the hell are you here?" Mimi sat on the couch, lightly biting off the end of a thread with her teeth and putting down the unfinished piece of clothing. Her eyes glared at Fiona sitting across from her, clearly annoyed.

If it weren't for Chirp being here, she would have kicked this brat out a long time ago.

"I promised Aya senpai that I wouldn't cause trouble for you. You can relax," Fiona said, putting her hands on her knees and sitting quietly, trying to appear meek, although there was still a tinge of disgust in Mimi's eyes.

Aya? That stupid dragon actually did something right. Mimi nodded, planning to continue working on the little dress she was making for Chirp.

"By the way, that child next to you... seems quite special." Angel stared at Chirp, who was sitting next to Mimi, earnestly flipping through a thick book, and spoke.

Since Sainz returned, Chirp had gone through many changes. Aside from the obvious physical changes, Chirp had become more interested in the outside world. Previously, Chirp had always liked to stick close to Aya, but now preferred to quietly sneak into the castle's library and grab various masterpieces that even Tiran couldn't be bothered to read.

- And seemed to thoroughly enjoy reading them.

Tiran remained calm about it. Well, it was expected since Chirp was a product of an ancient civilization and naturally smarter.

But Mimi didn't have Tiran's thick skin. In fact, in some ways she was even more concerned about Chirp than Tiran, who was called "dad" but wasn't responsible like a real father.

"What do you mean by special?" Mimi also knew a bit about Angel. Their innate divine nature allowed their eyes to see beyond the surface and into deeper things. Perhaps Angel had truly seen what kind of creature Chirp was.

Unfortunately, Angel shook their head in the end. "They're fundamentally different from any living being, but I can't tell what exactly their essence is. It's likely something even older than the existence of Heaven."

...

The next morning, in the castle's underground laboratory.

Aya stood outside the huge silver metal door, feeling nervous.

Well, to be honest, there was still a bit of fear. After all, being an experiment subject, even if your life could be guaranteed, it wasn't something you could just do without hesitation.

Originally, this underground laboratory was just a decoration for the castle, but occasionally Tiran would come in and play around - as a great knight, even if he produced some harmful substance, it wouldn't be a big problem. After Xiao Li arrived, it was directly converted into a dedicated magic laboratory.

Pushing open the door, the room was already filled with all kinds of strange equipment, giving Aya the feeling of being back in Sainz's laboratory. The air carried a cold metallic smell mixed with some kind of medicinal scent, which made it slightly uncomfortable to breathe.

At the experimental table behind several rows of storage shelves, Xiao Li, who was busy working, looked up and glanced at Aya.

"You're here?"

"... Yes."

"Well, I'm almost ready here too. Why don't you take off your clothes first?"

"Oh... huh?!" Aya suddenly froze with her hand halfway to the buttons on her collar, realizing that something was amiss.