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A blinding white light filled the room. When Lilith opened her eyes again, everything was different. The computer desk was gone, replaced by a long table filled with trays of spices. The strong scent of spices mixed with the damp air hit her nose, almost making her reminisce about her days studying abroad in Europe.
"Powder, later..."
"Lilith!"
At that time, to earn money, she worked every night at a Western restaurant, grinding a large basin of spices every day. The sound jolted her awake, and Lilith looked around. She was in a Gothic-style classroom from the late European Middle Ages. Tall windows, thick walls, cold floors, and a chandelier with complex designs hanging from the ceiling.
A group of twelve or thirteen-year-old boys and girls sat in the classroom, with a blond man in his thirties or forties standing by the desk in front, looking like a teacher.
"Lilith!" The blond man called her again, his voice stern, "Please stand up and answer my question."
He stared at Lilith intently, his eyes filled with undisguised suspicion.
Suspicion?
Lilith's pupils constricted, and a wave of immense fear surged within her, unfamiliar emotions flooding her mind. With the emotions came memories flashing in her head. She remembered: the original owner of this body had enrolled by pretending to be a noble lady but offended a real noble lady over a dormitory dispute.
The current scene was the noble lady's revenge, exposing the original owner on the first day of class. The blond man was Professor Phil, who followed the noble lady's suggestion to call on her to answer questions.
This was an alchemy class discussing basic spices commonly used by nobles, and she was asked to identify them. But the original owner had never encountered these expensive spices; just hearing the question had left her petrified, let alone standing up to answer.
As for why she was so terrified, it was because commoners posing as nobles, if discovered, would be subjected to severe torture and public execution!
Thinking of those torturous medieval punishments, Lilith took a sharp breath. She quickly calmed down and stood up, looking at Phil. "I'm sorry, Professor Phil, I was distracted. Could you repeat the question, please?"
A snicker came from her right front. The lackey beside the noble lady sneered, "I bet she wasn't distracted; she just doesn't know the answer."
The classroom buzzed with whispered discussions.
She doesn't even recognize basic spices. Is Lilith really a noble?
"Quiet!" Professor Phil tapped the desk and turned back to Lilith. "Lilith, please identify the spices on the table and briefly explain their uses."
"Okay." Lilith lowered her gaze, focusing on the trays of spices.
Dill, sweet basil, parsley, sage, rosemary... all common seasonings in Western cuisine. These spices might have been expensive centuries ago, but in the modern era, they are grown worldwide and are quite cheap.
She hoped the names of these spices hadn't changed in this world.
She steadied herself, reached out to move the spices, and recited their names and uses one by one. "Dill, spicy and sweet, used in cooking to treat stomach aches and insomnia. Sweet basil, can be used as a side dish. Parsley, a seasoning spice, can be eaten raw. Sage, aromatic, used in cooking or for flavoring. Vanilla, the pod of the vanilla orchid, uniquely fragrant, edible, also used for flavoring."
At the bottom, Lilith uncovered a yellowish chunk of resin and felt relieved. It seemed even the noble lady wasn't entirely sure she was a fake noble; otherwise, she wouldn't have used this to test her.
"This is frankincense, resin from olive and frankincense trees, with analgesic and preservative properties."
She withdrew her hand and looked up. "Professor, is my answer correct?"
The classroom fell silent. Lilith frowned. Could the names of these spices be different from what she knew?
After a long pause, she heard Professor Phil's voice. "You've tasted all these spices?"
"Professor, aren't these spices common seasonings?" Lilith smiled. "But frankincense, I haven't eaten. It's aromatic, better used for incense and essential oils."
Phil knew this, being a noble himself. Even he couldn't afford to use these spices lavishly in cooking. As for frankincense, it was a highly valuable spice, usually reserved for sacrifices, said to be the closest scent to the divine... Wait, there's no frankincense in basic alchemy materials.
Professor Phil realized this, quickly walking to Lilith's desk. "May I see your spice tray?"
Lilith stepped back. "Please."
Phil picked up the yellow resin chunk, sniffed it, and his expression changed several times. "It is indeed frankincense," he finally said, putting the resin down. "I must have accidentally included it while organizing the materials. My apologies, Lilith. How about I add ten points to your grade for this class?"
"Okay, Professor."
Phil returned to the podium, writing something down. As Lilith sat down, the noble lady in front suddenly turned, her blue eyes scrutinizing Lilith as if assessing an unknown valuable object. Lilith met her gaze and noticed something interesting. This noble lady, named Athena, had striking golden hair, just like Professor Phil.
The rest of the class was uneventful, with students nearly falling asleep. Lilith seemed to be in a daze but was actually sorting through the additional memories in her mind.
The original owner of this body was a fisherman. After her village was slaughtered by pirates, she escaped and was rescued by a few knights. One kind female knight gave her an admission recommendation letter and some gold coins, allowing her to attend this school.
The original owner, being beautiful, almost got assaulted several times on the way to the school. To protect herself, she pretended to be a noble. This impulsive decision eventually cost her life.
In the original memories, she failed to answer Phil's question, arousing the classmates' suspicions. They notified the church's inquisitors, who imprisoned her. Under torture, she revealed her true identity.
Exposed, she was paraded through the streets, bound with ropes, subjected to public scorn, and hung on the city wall for seven days. People threw filth and rotten vegetables at her, and former classmates mocked her.
Finally, she was hanged at the marketplace. Before dying, she sacrificed her soul to an evil god, hoping the god would change this world and her fate.
It seems the god received her sacrifice, allowing Lilith to transmigrate to the day of her exposure. Lilith, half-closing her eyes, recalled information about the school.
Siria Magic Academy, jointly funded by multiple countries, had a forward-thinking educational philosophy: to break down class prejudices and cultivate the continent's finest talents. Unfortunately, despite the academy's emphasis on "no matter one's status," the nobles here severely discriminated against commoners, creating a clear divide.
The original owner pretended to be a noble, entering the nobles' circle, but her habits were incompatible with theirs, leading to inevitable exposure. Today's test was just an appetizer. At least Athena wouldn't let her off so easily. In the original owner's memory, Athena had already sent someone to investigate her background, but the exposure came too quickly for the original owner's precautions to be used.