Without a strong background and life-saving resources to support her arrogance, it would be best for her to appear as a compassionate saint. This way, she could disguise her lack of confidence as a personality flaw. Moreover, noble members had their own fixed circles, and once she got in, she would quickly be exposed. To build influence, she needed to seek out commoners, so her personality had to be appealing to them. She needed to be friendly and gain their support. A noble wasn't solitary; having supporters would make her appear more like a genuine noble.
Of course, pretending to be a noble required more than just support. She needed money, territory, culture, and etiquette.
Nobles were families with hereditary titles or royal bloodlines, amassing vast wealth and deep family heritage over generations. So, she had to become wealthy, earn more money, buy property, and maintain the extravagant lifestyle of a noble. Additionally, she needed to enrich her knowledge, learn about the local culture, and ideally memorize all the books in the library while excelling in every subject. Lastly, etiquette. This was simple; she could borrow ancient Chinese etiquette, which might make her seem more noble than the actual nobles.
In summary, her persona would be a low-key, mysterious, and gentle noble lady.
By moonlight, Lilith got up and carved eight characters on her headboard: "Benevolent and tolerant, gentle and pure." Benevolent but not weak, pure but not foolish. She would read it every morning to remember her persona.
Outside the window, a red-eyed crow watched silently, observing her carving. After a while, it flapped its wings and flew to another part of the academy.
"Chad, have you seen these symbols before?" In the candlelight, a handsome young man drew the crow's eight symbols on parchment, a puzzled expression on his face.
The young man named Chad shook his head. "No, Your Highness, but it looks like some kind of script."
"Script," the young man's eyes darkened. "Could my sister have really found a sorceress?"
Chad immediately bowed his head.
"Find a way to kill her tonight," the young man ordered, his eyes flashing with malice. "And make it look like an accident."
"Yes."
In the middle of the night, Lilith suddenly woke up. She dreamt of a venomous spider crawling on her face and biting her. The dream felt too real, scaring her awake. Sitting up, she found a furry giant spider on her blanket.
Startled, Lilith stared at the spider. It lifted its spiny legs, and its shiny black eyes seemed to look at her.
"So cute!" After a few seconds, Lilith couldn't resist. She quickly grabbed a cup and trapped the spider inside. Such an adorable creature needed to be kept.
The next day, it was Spell class. The junior students, excited about becoming magicians, arrived early, eagerly discussing various magic spells. The Spell classroom was large and spacious, twice the size of the Magic Runes classroom, resembling a chapel. The front half had desks and chairs, while the back half was empty, purpose unknown.
Soon, the bell tower rang, and a stern, voluptuous woman entered the classroom, carrying a bundle of tree branches under one arm and a thick silver book in the other. Her serious demeanor made the students fall silent, watching her nervously.
The woman placed the silver book on the desk with a thud, her sharp gaze sweeping the room.
"From today on, I will be teaching you spell casting. You may call me Matron or Professor, as you wish." "Forgot to mention, my name is Eudora Moses."
After introducing herself, she threw the bundle of branches to the students.
"Each of you take a magic wand and pass it back." The students quickly passed the wands, looking up expectantly.
Professor Moses glanced at them. "These magic wands are made from Spirit Wood and will be your magical weapon for the first year."
"Wow, Spirit Wood!" "Is it really Spirit Wood?" The students exclaimed, their faces lighting up with excitement.
Spirit Wood? Lilith curiously examined the black branch in her hand. The leaves had been stripped, leaving it bare and unremarkable. It looked like an ordinary branch, making her wonder if Professor Moses had just picked it up from the garden and given it a fancy name.
"Alright, everyone quiet." The room fell silent again. Professor Moses disliked noise. She opened the silver magic book. "Today, I will teach you the first part of Dragon Flame Spell, the Flame Spell. Listen carefully, I will say a line, and you repeat it." She uttered a string of strange syllables: "Arrororowasilisi."
The students repeated immediately, "Arrororo..."
"Sorofarahasi..."
"Sorofara..."
"Good," after half an hour of teaching, Professor Moses nodded in satisfaction. "Now, take your wands, go to the back of the classroom, form a circle, and start practicing the spell. Whoever casts the flame first can leave early."
"All of you have magical talent, so I believe you can succeed." Her words motivated the students, filling them with excitement.
Lilith was reluctantly pulled into the large circle, watching as her classmates enthusiastically chanted the spell. She felt extremely embarrassed. It had been years since she had done something this childish, but not chanting would make her stand out.
So, Lilith raised her stick and joined in, muttering along. After nearly an hour, her throat was dry. The loud chanting had turned hoarse and low, and the students' excitement was fading. Lilith began to doubt if they would have to chant all day if no one succeeded.
Initially, she thought this world might have real magic, but now her hopes were shattered. Her legs were stiff from standing too long, so she started discreetly moving her feet. To conserve energy, she waved her stick without speaking.
Unbeknownst to her, Professor Moses had stepped down from the podium and approached her from behind. Why couldn't she hear any sound from this student?
Professor Moses frowned and took a step closer.
Lilith, seeing her in the corner of her eye, panicked and quickly raised her stick, chanting rapidly. "Arrororo..."
Professor Moses' stern expression softened as she sensed a faint magical fluctuation. This child was about to succeed.
With a "whoosh," a bright flame briefly flickered, causing a wave of screams. Lilith looked up, but the flame had already vanished, leaving only a wisp of smoke. What had just happened? Her wand had smoked?
"So close, just a bit more." Professor Moses shook her head, pulling a silver wand with intricate carvings from her sleeve. She stepped into the circle. "Watch carefully, I'll demonstrate once."
She raised her thumb-thick wand, her gaze focused and sharp. "Flame Spell!" A basketball-sized fireball blazed in the air, radiating heat even from three meters away.
Lilith's eyes widened in shock, as if struck by lightning. Her mind shattered with a "boom."
This world really had magic!