Lyasis had placed all her hopes in Suran—her only wish was for Suran to show her the outside world and travel together.

“The young mistress… now has only the ability to create puppets left,” Suran thought silently.

This power must never be used before outsiders, let alone brought to the assessment.

Otherwise, the young mistress would instantly reveal her demon heritage.

But without knowledge of other magical incantations, she’d surely fail the test and be expelled.

What should they do…?

“What’s wrong, you two benefactors?” Hushang noticed the subtle shift in Suran and Lyasis’s expressions and asked with concern.

“Is something troubling you? If you don’t mind sharing, maybe we can help.”

“To be honest, I don’t know any magical incantations,” Lyasis admitted openly.

The trio froze in stunned silence.

“The young mistress was born with innate magic,” Suran smoothly explained, “but due to family circumstances, she never received formal training in spellcasting.”

Though fabricated, the trio nodded knowingly.

*So she must’ve snuck out—her elders forbade her from studying magic.*

*Yet her curiosity remained, so she dressed as an apprentice mage and came to the Arcane Dominion to learn…*

*Wait… isn’t the order reversed?*

After this silent exchange, Ruby tilted her head curiously at Lyasis.

“Um… if that’s the case, why not enroll in a magic academy first before registering as an adventurer?”

“Oh, Ruby, you don’t get it,” Hushang chimed in. “A lady of such noble standing? No academy headmaster would dare accept her.”

“Huh? Why not?”

“Her family must’ve warned every academy—anyone who takes her in would…” He trailed off, suddenly flustered. “Ah—sorry! I shouldn’t have said so much.”

*Just a village commoner… who am I to gossip about noble houses?*

“No need to apologize. You’re quite right,” Lyasis said with an elegant, unperturbed smile.

*Since his guess fits, might as well play along.*

“Um… honestly, I still don’t get human family rules sometimes,” Ruby muttered, patting her head awkwardly.

“Besides academies,” Suran interjected, “could one learn spells directly from magic books?”

“Yes!” Ruby nodded eagerly. “I grew up near a magical forest in Ohama. I’ve heard countless tales of Archmage Ohama.”

“They say even as an apprentice, he loved deciphering ancient grimoires—cracking forgotten spells, refining them, forging entirely new incantations.”

“That passion never faded. He’s decoded countless texts. Some forbidden tomes were sealed away… but most were distributed across the duchy.”

“Distributed?” Suran raised an eyebrow.

“Given away! Merchants later circulated them as tradable goods.”

“So… magic books might be sold here in Lobet City?”

“Very likely—it’s Ohama’s largest city. Though I’m unsure of prices. We passed the free market earlier—just over there. You could inquire.” Ruby pointed the way.

For the Crimson Garden, money solved nearly everything.

But this journey was meant to be an *adventure*, not a leisure tour.

Before leaving, Lyasis had allowed Suran only a small sum of “starting funds” for daily needs.

Buying a magic book would blow their budget.

Just then, Suran felt a gentle tug on her sleeve.

She turned—and met Lyasis’s hopeful gaze.

That look… like a well-behaved child spotting a cherished doll, too shy to ask, yet gazing up with quiet longing.

Suran had already vowed to fulfill every wish of her young mistress.

Seeing *that* expression…

There was absolutely no way to refuse!!

She *would* help the young mistress become an adventurer!!

Time to earn money.

“Three of you,” Suran said calmly, “may I ask—does your practical assessment involve accepting and completing subjugation quests?”

“Yes,” Hushang replied, scratching his head. “The quest rank determines our final adventurer grade. But since we were rated F-rank after the first stage… we can only take F-rank quests. Haha…”

“Understood. And upon completion—do you receive the quest bounty *in addition* to passing?”

“Absolutely!” Ruby’s eyes lit up. “That’s what makes the Adventurers Guild so thoughtful! Earning your first real bounty while becoming an official adventurer? So rewarding!”

“When do you accept quests tomorrow? And… are helpers permitted?”

“After lunch. As for helpers… um, not sure.” Hushang studied Suran’s poised stance, then ventured cautiously, “Sister Maid… are you planning to…?”

“I propose a partnership,” Suran stated plainly. “Frankly, I need funds to buy a magic book. I’m counting on that bounty.”

Beneath her serene maid composure radiated quiet resolve. The trio exchanged uneasy glances.

*Having her as backup would be amazing…*

*But is bringing help even allowed?*

*And she’s clearly eyeing quests above F-rank!*

*Even if we ‘win’… it wouldn’t feel earned. It’d be hollow.*

“No need to decide now,” Suran said, sensing their pride. “I’ll check the magic book’s price first, compare it to the bounty, then we’ll talk. Fair?”