That afternoon, after I woke from my nap, I began practicing offensive and defensive spells with that girl in my room. She’d promised maids would tidy up later, but standing by the window in the chaotic space, gazing at the hazy blue sky behind falling leaves, I still felt a little awkward.
Why was I looking outside? Well, mostly because the room itself was unbearable to behold.
Frost littered the floor in disarray. Flames still flickered in the corner. The bedside cabinet trembled under wild gusts of wind. Even my quilt had turned to ashes.
In contrast, the entire room was sealed by a barrier from that girl’s third-tier Contract Beast core—a barrier lasting all afternoon. Even if the Third Princess sent spies, they’d only see a neat room and two girls sleeping peacefully in bed.
Of course, it seemed the master… that girl only realized the mess after setting up the barrier. From what I’d read, monster cores could only be harvested from dead beasts. Since most monsters were kept as Contract Beasts and rarely died, cores were pricey. In other words, she’d spent dozens of gold coins—months of income for an average family—just on this barrier. That was likely why she’d rather clean up again than move to a new room.
"Nah, it’s fine," she said when I questioned the cost, pouting slightly. "My father… left me enough to squander for lifetimes. He told me to sneak away and settle down after his passing. But he totally underestimated this young lady. I’m the strongest, after all."
A trace of sorrow tinged her voice, making it tremble faintly. But she quickly snapped back to the topic.
"Hmph… not nearly enough. If you’re facing a Crimson Dragon, Little Yiyi must grow stronger." She stated it like obvious fact, her tone dripping with "you’re utterly hopeless." "Right now, you couldn’t beat even the lowest-tier Earth Dragon, let alone a Crimson one. But since you’re still young, I’ll skip the ‘devil training.’ We’ll attend an auction tonight to buy magic tools—take a shortcut. Be grateful for this young lady’s mercy."
Her stern expression softened just a little by the end.
"Th-thank you, Master…" The Contract took over my body before I could think, forcing the words out instinctively.
But I recalled magic tools here were things like "bracelets with earth-defensive spells" or "pendants that speed mana recovery." Effective, yes—but their prices were staggering.
After all, dwarves from the continent’s northeast crafted nearly all such items. And dwarves were notoriously stingy, sharing only a tiny fraction of their work. Rarity drove prices sky-high.
"Nah, no need to thank me so much! This is what it takes to become the strongest. Now, hurry up and practice spells with me."
She snatched a book from my shelf. Knowing I secretly loved reading spellbooks, she’d moved her entire magic-book shelf to my room—so I could study anytime. She probably didn’t realize I read them not for the upcoming Throne Struggle, but to escape. Otherwise, she’d never have done this.
But…
Suddenly, she froze. I noticed the book she’d pulled out was—an adult novel.
Instantly, her face flushed crimson. She hid it behind her back, avoiding my gaze. Her voice tried to sound calm but quivered with shame. "Little Yiyi… it’s too early to learn spells from this. Let’s start with something else…"
