After the battle between Lily and Frida ended, Vale, who watched the fight from a crystal ball, quickly concluded, "Lily, that puppet girl, is strong. Even if I successfully learned [Basic Puppet Control Technique], I won't be able to defeat her. I need to think about it."
He paused for a moment and continued, "Frida, that girl is also great. She managed to survive that far even though she was injured. The last scene, what really happened? Clearly, it wasn't magic technique, but more like physical skills."
Was mastering [Basic Puppet Control Technique] useless? Of course not. Could he use that technique to defeat Lily? The answer was also no. After seeing Lily's strength, it's clear that mastering [Basic Puppet Control Technique] was not enough to defeat her.
However, a question arose in Vale's mind. Lily used such a strong technique, surely the mana consumption would be significant. Because her body was a puppet, it's clear that the mana she used must come from elsewhere.
Currently, Vale was using a small glass ball that he found as his mana source. However, he didn't know when the glass ball will run out. Wouldn't it be disastrous if it runs out in the middle of a battle? That's why Vale was also considering finding Lily's mana source and sabotaging it. This way, the fight against her will be easier.
Therefore, in addition to mastering [Basic Puppet Control Technique], Vale also needed to find Lily's mana source. That way, he could confidently defeat Lily.
Shortly after, Vale sensed Lily's arrival. The girl flew back into the room with a red aura still surrounding her small body. She then looked at Vale with a cheerful smile.
"How does Lily look, Brother? Is Lily strong?"
Vale forced a smile on his face. He then nodded and replied, "Lily is indeed forceful. But why didn't you kill Frida? It seems she was defenseless."
"That sword girl? Lily feels deeply sorry if someone as talented as her has to die at a young age. Does Brother want me to kill her?" replied the puppet girl, shaking her head.
Vale sneered at Lily's words in his heart. 'Do you think I can be fooled by that ridiculous excuse?' Vale thought. Lily's actions towards Yor and Colbert made Vale believe that Lily was lying.
Vale shook his head, denying Lily's question. "No, I'm just curious. By the way, can I leave now?"
"Of course, Lily will call Brother back later."
Vale breathed a sigh of relief hearing Lily's approval. He then walked out of the room, seeing the puppet maid waiting for him outside.
Directly, the maid led Vale back to his room. The castle was situated underground, with no sunlight able to penetrate it. Vale could only guess whether it was day or night. The castle's corridors were lit by magical items similar to lamps, making Vale more certain that there must be a massive mana source to run everything.
Perhaps he could locate this mana source by tracking the mana source of the castle's lighting. Additionally, he needed to consider other plans to perfect his main plan, which was to defeat Lily.
Finally, the maid puppet successfully escorted Vale back to his room. As usual, the puppet maid bid farewell before turning to leave. Before she left, Vale suddenly called out to her.
"Wait, are you really just an ordinary maid puppet?"
The maid puppet was silent for a moment before continuing on her way.
Vale's question was not without basis. There were many maid puppets in the castle, but only one served Lily. The other maid puppets repeated their activities without any consciousness.
Pushing his door open, Vale heard the creaking of the wood as it scraped across the floor. Inside, he saw Brenda, who had woken up suddenly and approached him.
"Vale, I just thought of something. If this test is over today or tomorrow, do you think we'll go back to our original bodies?" Brenda asked eagerly, feeling a glimmer of hope.
Vale thought for a moment before answering Brenda's question, "Do you think the academy is unaware of Lily's presence? I'm sure they know, and they may even consider this as a secret test. That's why I doubt we'll go back to normal just because the annual test is over."
Vale's answer made the girl feel dejected again.
"You're right. So, can we really return to our original bodies? By the way, do you have a plan? If you do, let me help you." Brenda remembered Vale had confirmed they would return to their original bodies. She felt Vale was reliable enough, so she wanted to help him.
"Just behave as usual. If I need something, I'll ask for your help," replied Vale.
After saying that, Vale refocused on learning [Basic Puppet Control Technique]. He decided to continue learning without stopping until he had mastered it.
Time passed quickly. After nine hours had passed, Vale finally mastered [Basic Puppet Control Technique]. However, the small glass ball he had been using had run out of energy. Vale didn't think about taking Brenda's glass ball, which was probably still unused. Instead, he planned to find the mana source of the castle.
At that moment, Vale's attention was diverted by the sound of knocking on the door. Feeling bored, Brenda decided to open the bedroom door. In front of the door stood the maid puppet who always escorted them. Vale stood up and approached the puppet.
"Is Lily calling us again?" he inquired.
The puppet nodded in response to Vale's question.
Brenda, with a look of concern, then asked, "What do you think she wants to do?"
"I'm not sure, but we better follow her," the puppet replied.
They followed the puppet back to the dining table where Colbert and Yor had passed away. Vale saw Lily sitting there, relaxed and waiting for their arrival. The little girl waved to greet Vale and Yor, who had just arrived.
As with yesterday, the food served was not something that humans could eat. However, given that Vale and Brenda's bodies were now puppets, they both forced themselves to pretend to eat the food served.
Meanwhile, with Brenda's assistance, Vale continued to deal with Lily's actions, who was still pretending to be his sister. As they conversed, Vale pondered for a moment. He wondered whether Lily's behavior was only a facade or part of her true self.
Regardless, it appeared that Lily had lost her human body long ago, and her soul had lived inside the puppet for years. Consequently, Vale felt that Lily's psyche could not be judged by ordinary human standards.
After a while, the "dinner" event concluded. Vale, who had returned to his room, was prepared to carry out his plan.