Velin stopped writing and looked at the girl curled up on the animal hide before him.
He rubbed the bridge of his nose. He had encountered similar situations before.
He would get so absorbed in his experiments that he'd neglect the feelings of his peers, leading them to resist him, whether intentionally or not.
But this time couldn't be the same. Xiaolan was the only holder of a Secret Silver Tier bloodline Velin had found. He reminded himself to be more considerate of Xiaolan from now on, not to focus on the big picture at the expense of the small details.
'Can't go breaking the test subject's spirit.'
So this time, Velin composed himself and looked at Xiaolan with what he believed was a gentle expression.
"Is the training too intense? Are you tired? If you're hungry, I can get you some bread."
This uncharacteristic show of concern brought Xiaolan's crying to an abrupt halt.
She wanted to scream, 'No! It's not because I'm tired at all!'
'It's because these poses you're making me do remind me of those obscene illustrations in the "Ruby Service Guidance Manual"! It's because I feel like a plaything being toyed with!'
'But how could she possibly say that out loud?'
'Admit that she'd seen something like that, and even knew its contents like the back of her hand?'
An overwhelming sense of shame caught in her throat.
She could only shake her head violently, flinging tears everywhere.
"N-no... that's not it, Lord..."
"I... I don't want to do these poses anymore... Please... I'm begging you..."
Xiaolan's voice was heavy and nasal, her words a jumbled mess.
"I'll do anything you ask... repair the city walls, haul logs in the swamp, clean the beast pens... I can do any dirty, exhausting job! Just... just please don't make me do this anymore!"
She was practically wailing, her hands clasped together as she begged for mercy.
Velin watched Xiaolan awkwardly. The intensity of her resistance far exceeded his expectations. His attempt to placate her had failed.
'Looks like I really don't have a knack for comforting girls.'
'I'll have to try another method.'
"Xiaolan, these exercises aren't meant to punish you."
"A very powerful force lies dormant within your body. But at the same time, another force is rejecting it, and this is the root of all your past misfortunes."
"Every movement I'm teaching you is meant to soothe the conflicting bloodlines within your body. This is an exercise, Xiaolan. An exercise that will allow you to grasp your own destiny."
Velin took half a step forward, looking down at her.
"Think about it. Hasn't less misfortune befallen you lately?"
Xiaolan froze.
She lifted her tear-streaked face and stared blankly at Velin.
In those wine-red eyes, there was none of the desire or lust she had imagined—only concern.
Only then did she begin to recall every "training" session over the past few days.
Lord Velin had truly never made any inappropriate remarks. Every touch had been to correct her posture, and each was brief and restrained.
His gaze had always been fixed on her flexing muscles or her curving spine.
It was the exact same look Uncle Maoli from her village had when he was instructing new militia recruits.
'He... He really is just coaching me through some exercises?'
'Then... all those images in my head these past few days... those shameful feelings...'
A wave of heat rushed from the soles of her feet to the crown of her head. Xiaolan felt her face flush a burning red, and her head grew dizzy.
'Could it be... could it be that *I'm* the only pervert in the room???'
If "shame" was the word for it before, then Xiaolan's current feeling could only be described as "social death"—and a case more extreme than she could have ever imagined.
It was now even more impossible for her to explain. She could only lower her head stubbornly, like an ostrich burying its head in the sand.
"I... I still don't want to do it..."
Her voice was barely a whisper.
Velin sighed softly as he looked at her.
'It seems that pure logical persuasion and goal-oriented incentives have a limited effect on intervening in the test subject's emotional state.'
'A new variable needs to be introduced. I originally didn't want to do this, since it feels a bit like moral blackmail.'
Velin turned, went to his office, and pulled a letter with a broken wax seal from a stack of documents.
"A messenger from Green Vein City delivered this at noon today."
He held the letter out to Xiaolan.
"I had planned on telling you this news after you finished today's exercises."
Xiaolan took the letter in a daze. The envelope was made of fine parchment and stamped with the family crest of Count Klein.
But that was all it was to her; she couldn't read.
Velin waited for her to examine it before opening the letter and reading it aloud, pointing to each word as he went.
The letter was from Miss Lilia, and the handwriting was beautiful.
The letter began by reporting to Velin on the arrangements for the families of the Gray Wolf Mercenaries. Lilia had placed them all in jobs at a medicinal herb garden managed by the Baron's Mansion, ensuring they had food and lodging. The children were also being cared for.
Velin read on.
The second half of the letter mentioned her.
Lilia wrote that after settling matters with the mercenaries' families, she had sent someone to Xiaolan's hometown—the village that had been burned to the ground—to investigate again, just as Velin had requested.
They had discovered something incredible.
On the day the village was massacred, Xiaolan's seven-year-old sister had gone with a neighboring family to a nearby town for market day, allowing her to escape the slaughter.
Lilia had already found them and brought the entire neighboring family to the Baron's Mansion. They became servants on the estate, while Xiaolan's sister...
"...Little Dali is a very sweet and well-behaved child. I've taken a great liking to her and have already made her my personal handmaiden. Please do not worry; I will look after her as if she were my own sister."
She was already in a daze when she heard the name "Little Dali."
'My sister... is still alive?'
The little girl who always followed her, tugging on the hem of her clothes and sweetly calling her "Big Sister."
'She's still alive?'
A torrent of immense, shocking, helpless emotions struck her very soul.
And right behind it, years of accumulated longing, fear, despair, and lingering terror burst forth like a river breaking through a dam.
"WAAAAH—"
She couldn't hold it back any longer and burst into a loud wail.
This time, her cries held no trace of grievance or shame, only the joy of recovering something she thought was lost and endless gratitude.
All her previous thoughts, all her misunderstandings, all her shame—in that moment, everything was washed away.
She looked at Velin—the man who had given her a new life and had now saved her only remaining family member.
'He was a god.'
'The light of her life.'
Velin waited quietly for her emotions to settle slightly before speaking again. He wasn't being condescending; his voice was as placid as ever.
"A maid's salary isn't enough to cover your family's expenses, Xiaolan. The Klein Clan doesn't support idlers for free."
He spoke slowly and deliberately, guiding her step by step.
"For now, I can advance the costs for your sister's room and board, but you will need to repay this money."
Xiaolan raised her head. Tears still clung to her eyelashes, but the look in her eyes had completely changed.
"Follow my instructions, forge your body, and become my guard. Your pay will far exceed that of a maid. You will have the power to earn a stable and prosperous future for yourself and your sister with your own two hands."
Velin walked up to her and held out his hand.
"The choice is yours: become strong enough to protect your family, or continue on like this, surviving only on the kindness and pity of others."
Xiaolan looked at his outstretched hand. It was broad and strong, with well-defined knuckles.
She took it without a moment's hesitation.
"I... I understand, Lord."
She wiped the tears from her face, scrambled up from the floor, and walked back onto the animal hide.
This time, there was no more awkwardness or hesitation.
She raised her head, her gaze piercing through a blur of tears to look at the man who was now writing rapidly in his notebook.
"Lord..."
"Please... please continue to instruct me."