Not long after, Tina pushed open the carriage door and stepped out. Her once messy twin-tails had been neatly combed by Anna. Her face was washed clean and lightly made up, removing all traces of her former shabby appearance.
She now wore a Rococo-style frilled white blouse, paired with a simple black high-waisted A-line skirt. Below were long legs covered in white stockings and glossy little leather shoes. The outfit wasn't as extravagant as what nobles usually wore, but the fabric alone made its value obvious. Even if she wasn't a noble, she clearly came from a wealthy family—at least that's what people would think.
"This will be your work uniform. Later, I'll have Anna bring you two more sets in different styles. Oh, and this."
Hel took out a copper noble seal from his storage ring. This fire-lacquer-style stamp contained a specialized alchemical array capable of carving a unique magical emblem—an important proof of noble identity.
He tossed it to Tina, who fumbled to catch it. Then he explained:
"For the people managing my merchant guilds, I give them these. It helps when dealing with nobles from other regions. Don't worry about it too much—on my lands, nobles and commoners are treated the same. This is just for show.
"You can imprint your own noble sigil on it using mental power, along with a surname. This one is an earl's seal, so… choose a surname that isn't too tacky."
"Th-This…"
Tina was completely stunned. What kind of angel investor was this? Not only was he covering her tuition—he was directly giving her a noble title?
A noble title.
The same nobles who could beat a commoner to death without consequence.
She had worked so hard just to attend an academy, hoping to one day get a decent job, save money, and eventually buy the cheapest baronet rank…
Only then could she take her younger siblings away and give them a good life.
But now?
Hel had casually handed her an earlship.
At that moment, Tina felt that even if Hel were to sell her off, she would die thanking him. She almost wanted to shout her eternal loyalty on the spot.
But she quickly calmed down.
There's no such thing as a free lunch. If he was giving her such a large benefit, he must see her as someone who could bring great profit.
Tina, Tina… Remember all the suffering you've endured. Remember how the nobles oppressed you, she reminded herself. No matter how great the favor, she must not bend.
"By the way," Hel continued, "I looked into your background. You grew up in Desert City, right? There's a small gang there called the Wild Dog Gang."
"Y-Yes." Tina trembled, her face turning pale.
So the price finally comes…Was this wicked noble going to threaten her using the Wild Dog Gang, forcing her to do some suicide mission?
But what Hel said next froze her completely.
"If you want, you can bring some people over to work under you. If they don't want to leave, that's fine too. I'm thinking of establishing some businesses in Desert City soon. When that happens, you can choose trustworthy people to manage them.
"Also, the children in your gang can come to my territory. I've already implemented compulsory education for all children there…"
Hel hadn't even finished—Tina suddenly dropped to one knee before him.
"Boss—no, Boss! From today on, our lives are yours to command!"
She couldn't believe it. His intention wasn't to use her siblings against her—He wanted to take care of them.
Her two most precious things in the world…Her own life, and the lives of her Wild Dog siblings.
Hel had just secured both.
If Tina had been a person from Earth, she would've shouted: "If you don't mind, I'd like to worship you as my foster father!"
"Alright, just call me 'boss'," Hel said calmly.
"I'll send someone to assign your work later. For now, follow Witt and finish your enrollment."
"Yes, Boss!"
After sending Tina off, Hel returned to the carriage.
The carriage passed the Biology Academy and eventually arrived at the entrance of Skoll Academy. The gates were nearly empty—it was still half a month before the new term, so most students hadn't returned.
Hel, accompanied by Anna, completed a series of procedures and was taken to a fairly luxurious apartment. At least, compared to the rest of the Skoll School's facilities, it was luxurious. Probably intended as preferential treatment for incoming noble students.
The apartment was small—two rooms and a living space. Perfectly fine for Hel, but cramped for nobles who had ten servants trailing behind them everywhere.
Hel was about to unpack items from his storage ring when—
Knock knock!
A lively female voice called from outside the door:
"Junior! Junior! Do you want to join our club!?"