“Hehe~ Nightingale Society knows far more than you can imagine.”

“Those filthy men are willing to say anything just for a fleeting moment of pleasure in bed.”

With that, Lillian reached under her skirt and pulled out a silk purse, tossing it casually onto the floor with a ‘smack’—as if slapping Wandering Mage across the face.

“20 crowns for you. The extra few kreys, consider it my treat for your lodging.”

“Get lost, curse mage!”

Without waiting for Silas to respond, she opened the wooden door and walked out.

Inside the room, Silas’s expression shifted several times, finally settling into a look of indifference—but that did not mean submission.

For in his gray, misty eyes, a gloomy, shadowy light continued to flicker.

“Nightingale Society~ a guild of prostitutes dares to threaten me?!”

------------

Chapter 10: Playing Both Sides

Green Oriole Inn, main hall.

‘Gulp~ gulp~ ha~~~’

Lawson finished the last mouthful of vegetable stew in his bowl and let out a satisfied sigh.

“Was it good?”

Lillian sat beside him, eyes narrowed in a gentle smile, like a caring big sister looking after her little brother.

Lawson nodded repeatedly. “It was delicious! The best lunch I’ve ever had in my life.”

A trace of worry appeared on his face. “Miss Lillian, thank you so much for your hospitality. But I’ve been out long enough—I really need to get back.”

With that, he stood up to leave.

“No rush, let’s chat a bit more.”

Lillian reached out and pressed the half-risen Lawson back into his seat.

This slightly forceful gesture made Lawson tense up inside.

“Nightingale Society isn’t to be trifled with. If no one keeps them in check, forget about learning magic—you might not even gain your freedom in this life.”

“And even if I manage to win my freedom by any means, I’ll have wasted the best years for learning magic.”

Youth is meant for striving upward—how could it be squandered on a bunch of scheming scoundrels?

So, he immediately switched to a riskier backup plan.

Lawson suddenly acted ‘anxious’, waving his hands. “No, no, let’s talk next time. Otherwise, my mentor will blame me.”

Lillian simply said, “Kid, to tell you the truth, he’s not your mentor anymore. He won’t blame you.”

She thought the boy would breathe a huge sigh of relief after hearing this, but to her surprise, his face changed dramatically, filling with disappointment.

The boy, dejected, muttered to himself, “How could this be? Why would my mentor abandon me? He clearly said he wanted me as his magic apprentice, that he’d teach me magic!”

“You really are adorably naive, kid.”

Lillian giggled, her smile tinged with a sharp mockery.

“That mage is a selfish liar—every word he says is to deceive you. He only promised to teach you magic so you’d willingly draw for him.”

But the boy shook his head again and again. “No, no, my mentor didn’t lie to me. He told me from the start: I draw for him, he teaches me magic. Why would he suddenly go back on his word?”

As he spoke, his eyes grew moist, as if deeply saddened.

Seeing the boy so weak and foolish, Lillian felt even more contempt.

If it weren’t for his extraordinary artistic talent, she would have slapped this silly kid by now, letting him taste the harshness of the real world!

For the sake of gold coins, she held back.

She forced herself to be patient, gently comforting him, “Trust me, he’ll never teach you magic.”

No sooner had she finished than a faint voice drifted over from the stairs: “Miss Lillian, it’s hardly honorable to slander a formal mage behind his back.”

Lillian looked up to see Silas slowly descending the stairs, heading toward their corner.

The boy Lawson immediately stood up and hurried to Silas’s side to explain, “Mentor, I didn’t mean to—it was her, she wouldn’t let me go back, and lied that you didn’t want me anymore.”

Silas raised his hand and gently patted Lawson on the shoulder, his face showing the warmth of a father to his son.

“How could I not want you? You’re my only apprentice. Everything I know, I will teach you in the end.”

Lawson’s face lit up with ‘excitement’. “Thank you, mentor! I won’t let you down—I’ll give it my all.”

Lillian couldn’t stand it and scoffed, “Tch~ In every tragedy in this world, there’s always a fool and a liar!”

Silas patted Lawson’s arm again. “Wait for me at the stairs.”

Then he walked over to the table in the corner of the hall, sat down, and said seriously, “I swear by the name of Grand Mage Boqiu Jia, founding headmaster of the Golden Dawn Academy, that I will do my utmost to teach Lawson and help him become a formal mage. Now, do you believe me?”

Lillian frowned slightly and whispered, “Mage, are you determined to go against our Nightingale Society?”

Silas shook his head, replying in a low voice as well, “No, it’s your Nightingale Society that’s too greedy. There was enough money for everyone to make, and everyone could be happy, but you wanted to swallow it all in one bite. That’s just ugly.”

“What exactly do you want?”