Chapter 258: Ariel? Solitär!
Her reaction was incredibly natural—exactly how an ordinary human would react upon hearing someone share a name with a great legend.
A bit of surprise, a bit of curiosity, perhaps even a hint of amused teasing. It couldn't have been more normal.
Rhodes smiled, neither admitting nor denying it. He simply said, "Just a name."
Ariel seemed to sense that this topic shouldn't be probed too deeply and naturally changed the subject.
"To be honest, Mr. Rhodes, I haven't been in the Kingdom of Ersten for long. I used to live in a small country in the south. I never expected the 'Ideal Kingdom' of humanity to be so prosperous."
Then, feigning curiosity, she asked, "Mr. Rhodes, you have an extraordinary air about you. You must be a very powerful mage, right?"
"I am indeed a mage, but just average, I suppose."
Upon receiving Rhodes's modest confirmation, Ariel seemed to have found a kindred spirit, and her chatterbox opened up.
She began excitedly discussing human magical knowledge with Rhodes. From the most basic magic systems to practical techniques for intermediate spells, she spoke with logic and insight.
Rhodes listened quietly. Occasionally, when her understanding deviated or she fell into common misconceptions, he would offer a sentence or two of correction.
Every correction elicited heartfelt admiration from Ariel.
"So that is how it works! Thank you, Mr. Rhodes. Speaking with you is truly enlightening!"
She acted exactly like a young mage thirsty for knowledge who had stumbled upon a great mentor.
Moreover, her love for and familiarity with the human magic system did not seem feigned.
But the more perfect her performance, the more Rhodes couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong.
It wasn't her knowledge, but rather a very faint, elusive sense of incongruity.
After chatting for a while longer, Rhodes took the initiative to end the conversation. "It is getting late; I should head back. I spend most of my time at the Magic Association. If you have any questions about magic in the future, feel free to come to the tower to discuss them with me."
A surprise smile blossomed on Ariel's face. "Really? Thank you so much! Mr. Rhodes, you are truly a good person!" She expressed her gratitude, then bowed politely. "Then I won't disturb you any longer. I look forward to seeking your guidance at the Association next time."
"Goodbye." Rhodes nodded.
"Goodbye, Mr. Rhodes."
The two parted ways at the mouth of the alley. Ariel turned and walked briskly into the flow of people, quickly disappearing from sight.
Rhodes stood still, watching the direction she had vanished, his brow furrowing almost imperceptibly.
During his exchange with Ariel, relying on his powerful perception, Rhodes felt he had captured a trace of extremely faint mana fluctuation.
But that fluctuation was too obscure, as if suppressed by some force to the extreme, making it impossible to judge its attribute.
Some cautious mages would use magical items to cast a long-duration shield or barrier on themselves, which would naturally result in mana fluctuations around their bodies.
But the fluctuation on Ariel didn't feel like that. Moreover, she gave him a very strange feeling.
Not evil, nor dangerous, but a fundamental sense of dissonance.
He couldn't quite put his finger on where the dissonance lay.
Only that blue-green hair subconsciously reminded him of a certain existence. But that existence—in both appearance and aura—was completely different from the Ariel he had just met.
"Am I overthinking it?" Rhodes muttered to himself, shaking his head and suppressing his doubts for the time being.
Even if she was hiding something, she couldn't cause much trouble.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the street, in a secluded, shadowy corner.
Only when she could no longer feel Rhodes's gaze or presence did Ariel stop walking.
The gentle smile on her face vanished instantly, replaced by a pale, nervous expression of extreme lingering fear.
She leaned against the wall, panting slightly, her palms covered in cold sweat.
Faint ripples of magic began to oscillate around her body. As the aura dissipated, her features began to twist and change, like a layer of carefully painted disguise peeling away.
A few breaths later, the fluctuation of mana stopped completely.
The woman in the shadows still had blue-green hair, but her face was now entirely different.
The previous plain, ordinary features were gone, replaced by an exquisitely beautiful face that carried a hint of non-human allure.
And in those pale green eyes, a remnant of terror still lingered.
She was not Ariel. Her true name was Solitär.
A demon obsessed with researching and learning human magic, yet possessing a personality exceptionally cowardly and afraid of death.
"Hah! That... that scared me to death..." Solitär patted her chest, whispering to herself with lingering trepidation, her voice trembling slightly. "Disguise Magic... truly worthy of being a taboo spell passed down from the Mythical Era. It actually managed to fool a mage of that caliber."
"But maintaining the disguise while suppressing my mana fluctuations to the limit consumes too much energy. If it had gone on any longer, I would have been exposed..."
The moment she made eye contact with the man calling himself Rhodes, her demonic instinct for danger had screamed alarms in her head.
Beneath his seemingly peaceful aura lay a reservoir of mana as vast and terrifying as the abyss.
He was absolutely a mage of unimaginable power!
Solitär would believe it even if someone told her he was the legendary God-slayer himself.
She suddenly wanted to slap herself twice. Why did she have to stop him when she had nothing better to do? And why did it have to be such a terrifying existence!
The seemingly smooth conversation just now had exhausted almost all her courage and acting skills.
She had only managed to hold on without breaking character thanks to her intense instinct to survive and her extreme hunger for human magical knowledge.
Solitär was very afraid of death. She considered herself a cowardly demon.
especially after hearing that Grausam and Shurahat had fallen one after another, and even the powerful Macht hadn't contacted her in a long time, her cowardice and fear of death had reached their peak.
However... the Magic Association built by Serie... that library said to house centuries of Ersten's magical treasures...
The temptation was simply too great.
It was a temptation huge enough to make her overcome her fear and risk infiltrating the heart of human territory.
"The Mage Exam, is it..." Solitär took a deep breath, trying hard to calm her racing heart, the light of determination rekindling in her eyes. "It doesn't matter. As long as I make good use of this Disguise Magic..."
She checked her surroundings carefully once more, quickly straightened her expression and clothes, and transformed back into the gentle, low-profile "Ariel." Lowering her head, she briskly merged into the crowd, heading toward the Magic Association.
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