Chapter 258: Tutorial 7



Swishhh!

The soft rustling sound of curtains being drawn open echoed gently through the room.

Healthy, golden rays of the morning sun streamed in, casting a warm glow that touched her delicate face.

“Hm~”

Humming contentedly, Lillian savored the fresh breeze that accompanied the sunlight, filling her small room with a renewed energy.

With practiced grace, she briskly tidied up her space, brushing away specks of dust and ensuring every finer detail gleamed under the sunlight’s touch.

Her tasks complete, she slipped into her modest bathroom.

The cool water refreshed her instantly, washing away the remnants of sleep.

Once done, she utilized her mana to dry herself efficiently, the faint shimmer of magic radiating around her as her skin and hair became perfectly dry within seconds.

Returning to her room, Lillian carefully dressed in her maid uniform.

The fabric hugged her petite frame snugly, tailored precisely to fit her with perfection. She glanced at her reflection in the mirror, adjusting her twintails until every strand of her bright red hair fell just right.

“All good-” she said with a satisfied nod, her cheerful voice filling the quiet air.

Without wasting another second, she stepped out of her room, her polished shoes clicking softly against the wooden floor.

The early morning sun lit up the hallways, and although it was bright outside, the clock still marked it as an early hour.

For some, waking up at this precise time might seem like neglecting one’s duties, but Lillian knew better.

In the Heaven’s household, a peculiar rule required personal servants to wake precisely 30 minutes before their masters, ensuring they were well-prepared and presentable when greeting them.

Lillian had questioned the strange rule when she first joined the household.

After all, who set such a specific timeframe, and for what purpose?

But as time passed, her curiosity faded into routine. It wasn’t long before she embraced the rhythm, going about her mornings as if it were second nature.

Heading confidently toward her master’s room, she allowed a small smile to grace her lips.

Lillian was practically buzzing with anticipation as she made her way toward her new assignment. Today marked the official beginning of her personal duties with the young lady of the household, Liyana Heavens.

This wasn’t the original plan-Lillian wasn’t even supposed to serve as Liyana’s personal maid.

That role belonged to Maria, an experienced servant who had been by Liyana’s side for years. However, circumstances had shifted unexpectedly.

Lillian’s elder sister, Lily, who was second in line to assist Liyana, had been summoned by the Duke to the northern estates for an extended assignment.

Meanwhile, Maria had taken a much-needed vocational leave for the next month.

At first, Lillian had been overwhelmed by nervousness.

Serving a prominent figure like Liyana Heavens a young lady known for her sharp wit and dignified demeanor and goddess like beauty-was no small responsibility.

But now, as the reality settled in, the jitters transformed into something else entirely: pure excitement.

After all, opportunities like this didn’t come every day.

With a determined expression and a steady grip on the polished brass key given to her, Lillian arrived at Liyana’s door.

Her heart raced slightly, but she kept her composure.

Clank!

The key turned smoothly in the lock, and she carefully pushed the door open, mindful of making as little noise as possible.

Lillian had been briefed beforehand-Liyana wasn’t exactly a morning person.

In fact, she had quite the reputation for being a “late riser,” despite her seemingly graceful demeanor, often requiring persistent nudges to start her day.

So, Lillian moved quietly, her footsteps soft against the ornate carpet as she entered the spacious room.

“Lady Liyana?” she whispered, her voice low but clear.

Her words faltered as she caught sight of an unexpected scene.

Sitting on the edge of her elegant, canopied bed was Liyana herself.

The young lady’s vibrant, white hair cascaded over her shoulders, catching the soft glow of

the morning light streaming through the open balcony doors.

She was clad in a silken nightgown, the fabric delicately shimmering as she leaned slightly forward, gazing absently at the bright skies beyond the balcony.

Liyana’s posture was relaxed, but her expression was distant-almost wistful.

Her crimson eyes seemed to reflect the horizon as she stared at the open world before her.

It was as if she were lost in a quiet reverie, caught between the lingering embrace of sleep and the pull of a new day.

“Lady Liyana?”

Lillian called out hesitantly, her voice a blend of surprise and confusion as she cautiously approached the young lady.

Her earlier excitement dimmed slightly by the unexpected sight before her.

“Hehe~ This is surprising, milady,” Lillian attempted a light-hearted tone to ease her nerves.

“I was greatly informed of how much you often hated mornings, especially those involving work. So, I thought you would be-“

Her words trailed off abruptly as her body froze in place, refusing to take another step

forward.

It was as if an invisible barrier had enveloped her, a tangible force honed with sharp precision, denying her any further approach.

Lillian’s eyes widened in confusion, her heart pounding against her chest.

Her instincts screamed at her to stop, to stay where she was, and yet she couldn’t understand

why.

This was Lady Liyana-the young lady she was supposed to serve, to protect, to care for. Why, then, did she feel such an overwhelming sense of dread?

“Lillian…”

The sound of Liyana’s voice broke through the silence like a cold gust of wind, sharp and

commanding.

Despite its soft tone, it carried an eerie weight that made Lillian’s heart tremble.

A chill ran down her spine as fear seeped into her core.

This wasn’t the voice of a girl groggy from a restless night or the noblewoman she had

anticipated serving.

It was deeper, laced with an otherworldly resonance that seemed to resonate with something

ancient and unfathomable.

Lillian’s thoughts spiraled.

Why am I afraid?

This is Lady Liyana… isn’t it?

She tried to shake off the suffocating fear, but her body betrayed her, remaining rooted to the

spot. As if her body already knew, what would happen if she tried to make an impossible

escape now.

Her head began to ache as conflicting thoughts battled within her.

Across the room, Liyana finally moved. She extended her arms gracefully, palms open as

though gesturing to some unseen force.

Her long, pure-white hair shimmered as it swayed gently, carried by a breeze that seemed to

come from nowhere.

“…What year is it?”

The question was simple, yet its delivery froze the air in the room.

Lillian’s breath hitched as the words echoed, filling the silence with an unsettling tension.

Her gaze shifted to meet Liyana’s, and what she saw made her blood run cold. Liyana’s crimson eyes, once warm and lively, now glowed with an unnatural intensity. Their vertical pupils contracted sharply, locking onto Lillian with a predatory focus.

It was as if those eyes weren’t looking at her but through her, peeling back every layer of her

being to expose her very soul.

….

[Note: … User contact re-established…!!!!]

[Note: System emergency measures re-applied!]

[Note: System interference measured… Cannot be scaled!]

[Error!]

[Error!]

[Note: Problems… Diagnostics failed!]

[Note: System impermanent… Calculating update risk to current user state!]

[Imminent!]

[Update cancelled!]

[Note: User security breached… Soul threshold identical!]

[Cancel!!]

[Properties can’t be applied!]

[Note: User mental capacity limit reached.]

[Note: User memory capacity limit reached.] [Note: Errored memories will now be absolved!]

[Note: User memories will now be filtered.]

[Note: Skill [Archive] will now be activated.] [Memories are now being filtered!]

[Note: Forgotten memories retrieval complete!]

[Note: Memories will now be archived…]

[Book optimization applied!!!]

[Note: Archived memories will now be temporarily sealed until user’s normal stats return!]

[Note: User ego corruption… (14%)]

[Note: Emergency measures applying!!!]

[Note: Archived memory… (Riley Hell) opened!]

[Note: Ego corruption reduced… (3%).]

[Note: It is imperative to take countermeasures against forced memory transfers! Lost

memories will affect user ego integration!]

[Note: Forgotten gifts… transfer error!] [Note: 2/3 requirements haven’t been met!]

[Note: Destined… path… re-established…] [Note: Fate a Dragon’s sacrifice… connected!] [Note: Lost Gifts (3) are now locked… requirements met (2/3)]

[Note: User fragment of divinity is now healing the user’s soul threshold!]

My head hurts… The first thing I noticed upon waking was the familiar ceiling of my room.

Everything looked just as it always had, yet something felt undeniably off.

My mind was sluggish, as if weighed down by an unseen force, and my vision swam with blurred images and distorted shapes.

The dull ache in my head pulsed violently, each throb sending jagged spikes of pain coursing

through my skull.

“What’s going on?”

The thought surfaced through the haze as I tried to steady myself, pushing through the heavy

fog clouding my memories.

But the harder I tried to recall what had just happened, the more the pain intensified, a sharp

warning to stop digging.

I shut my eyes tightly, clutching my temples as flashes of fragmented images flitted across

my mind―disjointed memories, broken conversations, and an overwhelming sense of something important slipping through my grasp.

The system’s notes echoed faintly in my mind, fragments of its cold, mechanical tone:

“Archived memory… Ego corruption… Fragment of divinity…”

The system’s incessant ringing refused to stop, fragments of information flooding my mind

in chaotic waves.

Fragmented system pop-ups appeared and vanished in the corners of my vision, barely giving

me a chance to comprehend them.

The automatic filtering mechanism in my head, meant to protect me, seemed to only worsen

my mental state as a torrent of fragmented memories coursed through me.

[I love you, Riley~]

[Papa, look!]

[Dear, how about we continue where we left-?]

[I won!]

[Hahaha! Look, Mama, Papa! This device will make the Emperor think twice!]

[Darling~ take your time before joining me, okay?]

Voices and images of people-foreign yet oddly familiar-flashed through my mind with

startling clarity.

Their faces were blurred, but the emotions tied to them struck me like a bolt of lightning.

‘What the hell is all this?’

It was a confusing blend of joy, pain, and sadness.

The warmth of laughter, the ache of loss, the bittersweet taste of moments long gone yet

newly rediscovered.

I clutched my head, trying to steady my breathing, channeling mana instinctively to regain control-but nothing worked.

The flood of memories continued to pull me under, each wave hitting harder than the last.

I groaned and forced myself upright, resting the upper half of my body against the bed.

My limbs felt like they were weighed down with lead, my movements sluggish.

My throat was dry, a parched desert that begged for relief.

“Water…”

The word slipped weakly from my lips as I struggled to get up.

My vision wavered as I reached for the edge of the bed, pushing myself onto shaky legs.

“Here~”

A whimsical voice echoed near my ear, light and teasing, sending a cold shiver down my spine. Instinctively, I flinched, jerking away from the source, but my weakened body betrayed me.

I lost my balance and fell from the bed, landing on the cold floor with a painful thud.

My hands and legs were trembling, far weaker than they should’ve been.

I looked up, my breath catching as my eyes fell on the figure standing before me.

“Cheshire?”

The familiar feline-like grin spread across her face, his violet eyes was glinting with the ever changing colors of his choosing tilted his head in mischief.

His voice was as whimsical as ever, carrying an unsettling mix of amusement and curiosity.

“Hehehehe~ Hm~? Is something going on with you today? You looked like you were having a wonderful dream just a while ago… Or was it a nightmare, perhaps?”

“Why are you here?”

I asked as I tried to get up and assess the situation… but judging from the wide grin he gave

me…

I had a feeling I had more problems at hand than just my ongoing headaches.

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