Fíliya's expression remained calm in the face of Solitär's questioning. After all, the moment she had reached her conclusion, she had already anticipated this outcome.
So, she answered slowly.
"Of course. I'm still very confident."
Her reply was firm and decisive, without a hint of shadow in her heart, carrying a sense of resolve as if to say, "My heart and my actions are as clear as a polished mirror."
"Oh? You're that confident, Fíliya? I'm very curious where that confidence of yours comes from. Could you tell me?"
Solitär immediately pressed.
"Hmm, please allow me to keep that a secret for now. Some things are just troublesome to talk about... Just think of it as arrogant boasting, Solitär."
Fíliya looked at Solitär with a light smile.
...Seeing that Fíliya offered no explanation, Solitär didn't press further. In any case, she truly wasn't short on time. Fíliya would tell her sooner or later.
With that thought, she ended her conversation with Fíliya and turned to start tidying up.
"Let me help."
Fíliya said, standing up as well to help Solitär with the cleaning.
The pairing of one human and one demon got along harmoniously, almost like a newly cohabiting couple.
...A few days passed like this.
One afternoon, Fíliya was sitting in her chair, spacing out.
Her gaze was somewhat vacant.
This was because her "reading addiction" was acting up. She had, after all, lived in the Magic Association's library for years, and one of her greatest pleasures was reading all sorts of magical literature and strange anecdotes.
And Solitär's house, one could say, had everything—except books.
Ah... Miss Fíliya felt so bored now, her body felt heavy.
At this moment, she deeply missed the wonderful times spent flipping through pages in the Magic Association's library.
This won't do. I have to find a way to get some books... But Solitär would never agree to let me go back to a human city to get them... To find books in a wild place like the Northern Plateau, the only path left was probably exploring a dungeon.
Hmm, maybe I can get some grimoires or ancient texts from dungeon treasure chests. It doesn't matter, as long as they're books.
Maybe I should find some time to discuss it with Solitär? If I have an invincible great demon like her accompany me into a dungeon, it would be an absolute cakewalk. I just don't know if Solitär would agree.
As she thought of this, she finally snapped back to reality and saw...
...a pair of large, light-green eyes staring at her with great interest.
Hmm, she knew who those eyes belonged to without even thinking.
So Fíliya spoke with a hint of resignation.
"Solitär, don't you have anything else to do?"
"Nope. My greatest pleasure and most important task right now is being with you, Fíliya, and observing you closely. That was our agreement from the start."
Solitär chuckled.
Ah... that's right.
Fíliya sighed.
The entire reason she was alive, and living so freely at that, was all due to Solitär's "curiosity."
Hmm, if one day I can no longer satisfy Solitär's curiosity, or if Solitär grows tired of me... I'll be killed, won't I?
Fíliya thought with self-mockery. She didn't believe for a second that she and Solitär could truly develop any so-called "friendship."
That Macht had lived among humans for decades, yet he showed no hesitation when it was time to strike.
Solitär was surely much the same.
Thinking this, Fíliya slowly stood up. Ignoring Solitär's gaze, she walked straight out the door and into the water storage room.
Naturally, Solitär followed right behind her.
Fíliya looked at the large, nearly empty container before her, lost in thought.
She had no desire to re-experience the feeling of fetching water from a freshwater lake deep in the forests of the Northern Plateau.
One experience of being so tired that her body gave out and her mana was depleted was more than enough.
I swear, I will learn water magic today.
Since I have no entertainment right now anyway, I might as well delve into magic research, she thought.
The reason Fíliya had never learned water magic was simple.
The barrier to entry for water magic was much higher than that of its counterpart, fire magic, and its direct destructive power was also inferior.
In this world, if you had to pick the simplest type of magic, the various kinds of fire magic would definitely be on the list.
For any magic apprentice, the first spell they master in their life is, in all likelihood, the "magic to start a fire."
After all, surviving in the wild without a source of fire is incredibly difficult.
From the first day humans became acquainted with fire to the day they could light the first flame with magic, the concept of fire was continuously understood by humanity. And the magic for creating fire was constantly refined and simplified. By the modern era, fire magic has become a fundamental magic that every mage must learn, with only the degree of mastery differing.
Water magic, on the other hand, is a type of magic with a considerable barrier to entry. Only a small number of mages choose to learn it and pursue its mastery.
After all, the world of magic is a world of imagination.
And humans cannot imagine things that transcend their own cognition.
In nature, there are far too many instances of fire being born unconsciously.
First, there are the natural sources of fire from lightning striking trees; this was humanity's first cognition of fire.
Next are the deadly fires accompanying volcanic eruptions and their lava.
Then there is spontaneous combustion. Coal seams in nature, when exposed to air, will slowly undergo a certain reaction and release heat. Piles of excess manure or dead leaves and branches can also undergo some as-yet-unidentified reaction, with the end result being spontaneous combustion.
Finally, there are incidental sparks, such as those accidentally created when giant rocks collide during a landslide. If these sparks land on dry leaves or piles of grass, they can also start a fire.
These naturally existing, unconsciously born fires have enriched humanity's imagination throughout the river of history. Therefore, for humans, "imagining fire born from nothing" is actually very easy.
Water, however, is different. The accidental creation of water in nature is far rarer.
For humanity, the easiest way to imagine water being born from nothing is simply rain.
That's why in magic academies, "creating fire from nothing" is considered an introductory magic. "Creating water from nothing," on the other hand, is high-level magic, available only as an elective.
Fíliya now felt a bit of regret. If she had known, she would have chosen to learn the "magic to create water from nothing" back then.
However, most of the water magic taught in the academies was at a level where students knew how it worked, but not why.
Many water mages, although they learned to generate and manipulate water, actually had no idea where their water truly came from.
It's just like how humans still haven't deciphered the principles of Flight Magic. They only know that doing certain things allows them to fly, but not why they can fly.
Haaa... Well then, let's think about it, Fíliya calmly thought as she gazed at the giant freshwater container before her.
This "magic to create water from nothing"... where does the water actually come from?
______
✅ Until 40 advanced chapters of ALL stories!
✅ Exclusive content and updates!
Help us hit our community goals:
🎯 100 Powerstones = +1 Bonus Chapter for everyone
🚀 55 MEMBERS = +5 extra chapters of ALL STORIES!
Claim your 40% OFF spot and unlock everything now:
👻 P - Walnutchan