Carlo took a deep breath and decided to test her.
He stared intently into Ariel's eyes and said in a low voice, "Miss Ariel, I have already ntioned your suggestion about utilizing demonic life force to Lady Flam."
"Oh?" Ariel raised an eyebrow slightly, her smile unchanged. "And what did she say?"
"Lady Flam did not give a clear answer." Carlo chose his words carefully, observing Ariel's reaction closely. "However, Miss Ariel, I am curious. Why did you think of this direction? And you seem to know a lot about demons?"
Hearing this, Ariel laughed softly. Her laughter was pleasant, yet it carried an uncomfortable undertone.
She didn't answer the question directly. Instead, she countered, "Mr. Carlo, don't you think the most interesting part of magical research lies in exploring completely unknown directions?"
"But this unknown is too dangerous!" Carlo emphasized.
"So what?" Ariel tilted her head. "What are you worried about? That insignificant compassion in your heart? The boundaries between species? Or the panic of the world?"
"But none of those can affect the truest desire deep within the heart of a dying person, can they?"
Yes.
For a dying person, as long as they could live, using demons as material was nothing. They might even use their own kin, or friends and family.
"And you, Carlo," Ariel's gaze seed to penetrate his body, seeing his dwindling life force, "you do not have much ti left."
Carlo shuddered, his face turning pale instantly.
He had indeed felt physically exhausted recently, his spirit not what it used to be. He had assud it was just overwork from research and hadn't paid much attention.
But hearing Ariel say this, a sudden chill rose within him.
He subconsciously checked his own condition and discovered that his source of life seed to have been depleted far more than he had anticipated.
This wasn't right!
He had been extrely careful with every experint, strictly controlling the cost.
Was it the risk of the experint itself? Or does this magic have side effects I don't know about? But why didn't Ariel tell ?!
Thinking of this, he looked sharply at Ariel. The smile on her face, usually so familiar, now looked incomparably eerie in his eyes.
Solitär sneered inwardly.
She had long ago secretly altered several key runes in the temporary magic circle Carlo used for his experints.
A test that was supposed to consu one month of lifespan might actually cost two months, or even more.
If Carlo had used other humans for experints, she wouldn't have done this. But this fool insisted on using his own life force.
To force him to abandon those pathetic moral concepts as quickly as possible, Solitär didn't mind giving him a push.
Sotis, pressure was the best catalyst to drive a test subject onto the designated track.
She said nothing more. Leaving him with a aningful look, she turned and left.
She knew that once the shadow of death was clearly perceived, the desire for survival would overwhelm all reason and scruples.
Carlo would soon actively embrace the path of life she hoped to see.
A human... a human mage obsessed with immortality yet filled with inner conflict. If he absorbed the powerful, chaotic demonic life force from the abyss for a long ti...
Then, what changes would occur in his body and soul?
Would he beco stronger? Or would he be gradually eroded and assimilated by demonic characteristics? Could his will resist the pollution from the source of life?
Ultimately... what would he beco?
A demon with human emotions? Or so entirely new, unprecedented existence?
Solitär was very curious.
She looked forward to the arrival of that day.
Just as she predicted, driven by the fear of his abnormally accelerated loss of life force, Carlo's internal struggle regarding morality and risk collapsed rapidly.
He began frantically collecting all information regarding demonic characteristics, throwing himself recklessly into research on utilizing demonic life force to extend his own.
In fact, not long ago, he had left the Magic Association and officially headed for the northern battlefield.
That was the battleground between humans, elves, dwarves, and demons. It held countless monsters and nurous demons—the best research field for Carlo's experints.
And Solitär, having confird that Carlo had embarked on the path she paved without turning back, decided to leave the Magic Association.
A seed full of potential had been planted. She only needed to wait patiently to see what kind of beautiful and twisted flower it would eventually bloom.
More importantly, she had stayed here too long.
As a Great Demon born shortly after the end of the Mythical Era and surviving until now, Solitär was very skilled at surviving in this world.
Not staying in one place too long, especially in human territory, and constantly changing residences and nas were her little survival tricks.
Although there were still many magical books she hadn't read, the thought that Rhodes and Serie might return at any mont terrified her.
This exploration had to end here.
Just as she packed her bags and prepared to leave the Association tower quietly, she ran into Flam at the exit, who seed to have been waiting for her.
Looking at the bag on Solitär's shoulder, Flam revealed a perfectly asured look of surprise. "Miss Ariel, are you leaving the Association?"
Alarm bells rang in Solitär's mind, but she maintained a calm smile on her face. "Yes, Lady Flam. My study at the Association has co to a temporary end. I plan to travel for a while to prepare for the First-Class Mage exam."
"I see." Flam nodded and asked seemingly casually, "By the way, I have seen you coming out of Mr. Carlo's research room frequently lately. Were you discussing so interesting magic?"
Ariel's heart tightened. She knew Flam was suspicious.
She answered calmly, "We just happened to share an interest in runes from the Mythical Era and exchanged a few words."
"Oh? Is that so?" Flam's gaze sharpened slightly. "I have more magical runes from the Mythical Era. Why not stay a while longer? I can lend them to you for research."
Her two teachers had just sent word that they would return to the Magic Association soon, so Flam planned to stall this Ariel for a while.
Mainly because she didn't know the highest-level detection magic—Master Rhodes hadn't taught her—and basic detection magic revealed nothing fishy.
She just felt this Ariel was strange. Especially since her search for information about Ariel within human territories had yielded absolutely nothing!
This person was like she had appeared out of thin air. There was no news about her whatsoever.
If Ariel were an ordinary mage or apprentice, Flam wouldn't care so much.
After all, human territory was vast; failing to find specific information about one person was sotis normal.
But Ariel was a mage who had passed the Second-Class exam. That was very abnormal.
"No, thank you." Solitär refused hurriedly. "I prefer to research magic in other fields."
Are you kidding?
If she stayed any longer, Rhodes and Serie might return.
If they discovered her identity—and worse, what she did to Carlo—she wouldn't have enough lives to die.
Moreover, Solitär realized now that Flam must have sensed sothing wrong, which was why she appeared here.
"Speaking of which, what type of magical runes were you discussing with Carlo?"
"Just so very common runes from the Mythical Era."
"Really? I thought you were discussing more... special fields. Like, regarding life energy?"
She deliberately emphasized the words "life energy."
Ariel cursed Carlo in her heart. She didn't need to guess; that guy must have told Flam it was her idea.
And that was why Flam sensed sothing wrong.
But Solitär still put on a confused expression, pretending ignorance. "Lady Flam must be joking. I am just a Second-Class Mage; how could I touch such profound knowledge?"
Flam didn't press further, but the suspicion in her heart grew stronger.
She rembered the scene when she conducted the Second-Class Mage exam for Ariel.
When facing her attacks, Ariel always gave off a strange feeling of "trying her best"—not purely for defense, but more like defending while trying hard to suppress or hide sothing.
At the ti, she thought the girl might just be nervous. But combining it with Ariel's contact with Carlo and Carlo's recent bizarre behavior, a vague guess ford in her mind.
This Ariel definitely had a problem!
"Since Miss Ariel is leaving, and I happen to be free today, allow to see you off," Flam said suddenly, her tone allowing no refusal.
Solitär wanted to decline politely, but under Flam's unquestionable gaze, she had to nod. "Then... I will trouble Lady Flam."
Walking one after the other, they left the Magic Association, crossed the streets of the Royal Capital of Ersten, and headed out of the city.
Flam chatted seemingly casually, but the topic always inadvertently circled back to Solitär's origins. It was clearly a probe.
Solitär did her best to deflect, her uneasiness growing stronger.
When they reached a secluded woodland about ten kiloters from the capital, Solitär finally couldn't help but stop. She turned to Flam. "Lady Flam, you have seen off far enough. Let us part here. Thank you very much for escorting ."
However, Flam did not respond.
The surrounding air seed to freeze instantly.
Flam looked at her quietly. Powerful yet obscure mana fluctuations began to ripple around her.
Just now, a very obvious loophole had appeared in Ariel's responses.
"Miss Ariel," Flam's voice was cold, stripping away all pretense. "The Siegfried Plains in the South disappeared completely in a disaster fifty years ago. There can be no villages there, and it cannot be your hotown. Who... are you really?"
Solitär's pupils contracted. She knew she couldn't bluff her way out anymore.
She hadn't expected the Siegfried Plains, which she had passed through previously, to have vanished fifty years ago.
Flam wasted no more words. She decided to use the most direct thod to tear away all disguises and verify her guess.
"Lady Flam, what is the aning of this?" Solitär made one last attempt, but her body had already tensed quietly, mana flowing silently within her.
"aning?" Flam sneered. Mana began to fluctuate around her, ready to strike at any mont. "I will give you one last chance. Confess your true identity!"
Before her voice faded, Flam attacked.
She knew the value of striking first. The "last chance" she ntioned was rely to buy ti.
Flam unfolded magic circles with both hands simultaneously. Several chains made of pure mana appeared out of thin air, rushing directly at Solitär.
This strike was fast and contained dense mana, far surpassing the level of ordinary mages. Clearly, Flam was getting serious right from the start.
However, she didn't have killing intent yet; her main goal was to capture the opponent.
Seeing this, Solitär realized Flam was even stronger than she had anticipated.
She dared not be careless. The aura she had been suppressing erupted suddenly.
Magical brilliance burst from her body. She instantly unfolded a magic circle as well. Countless sharp blades of light flew out, slamming fiercely into the mana chains with the sound of clashing tal.
Flam's chains were shattered directly, and Solitär's light blades vanished into the air as their energy was exhausted.
"Hiding your strength, as expected!" Flam's gaze grew colder.
That magical control and mana quality were definitely not what a mage who just passed the Second-Class exam should have.
"But that is not enough!"
She attacked again imdiately. Countless golden energy arrows shot toward Ariel from the sides and rear.
Seeing Ariel possess such strength, Flam shifted her goal from capturing her alive to defeating her thoroughly first.
Ariel snorted coldly. Tapping the ground lightly with her toes, she retreated rapidly while firing dozens of black magic bullets like a machine gun at the light arrows and Flam.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Magic bullets and light arrows collided and exploded constantly in the air. The escaping energy snapped surrounding trees in half and blasted scorched craters into the ground.
Flam raised her right hand. A golden magical shield appeared in front of her, blocking all incoming light bullets. The shield fluctuated violently, indicating the impressive power of the opponent's attack.
But it was still within her tolerance range.
"Fast reaction, strong attacks. But your mana... carries a disgusting stench."
From the opponent's attack, Flam keenly sensed that trace of repulsive aura.
Perhaps because Flam's full-force attack forced the opponent to respond with full force as well, leaving no room for disguise, that trace of dark aura—completely distinct from human magic—was revealed.
She held nothing back anymore. She decided to increase the pressure, determined to force this guy's true identity into the light.
❃❃❃
⤑ Show your support with Power Stones!
⤑ Unlock a Bonus Chapter every ti we hit 200 Power Stones!
❃❃❃
♕ Get early access to 20 advanced chapters on Patreon!
🔗 spat-reon.co-m/c/Hollowborn
(Just remove the hyphen (-) to open the link!)
💬 Enjoying the story? Drop a review!
Your support really helps the series grow—thank you
Reviews
All reviews (0)