Chapter 285: Solitär's Curiosity
The library of the Magic Association tower was always the quietest place in the entire building.
The mana concentration in the air here was much higher than outside. Countless bookshelves were stacked upon each other, displaying Ersten's treasured grimoires as well as rare texts collected by Serie.
Flamme walked among the shelves, her gaze sweeping over the rows of spines.
She wasn't wandering aimlessly; she was heading straight for a relatively secluded corner.
Busy with handling Association affairs and teaching Frieren, she hadn't come to consult the archives for several days. But today, she had a clear goal: find Carlo.
Due to the war in the North, the number of mages in the library was exceptionally sparse. Flamme only spotted a few, most of whom she didn't recognize.
Just as she passed through another row of shelves, a familiar figure caught her attention.
It was Ariel.
The green-haired female mage who had recently passed the Second-Class exam with astonishing speed.
She was sitting at a long table by the window, practically buried behind a pile of magic books. She was reading with extreme focus, her fingertips flying across the pages as she constantly took notes in a notebook beside her.
That posture of wholehearted devotion made it seem as if everything around her had ceased to exist.
Flamme stopped and watched her quietly. The pure love for magic radiating from Ariel touched a chord in her heart she hadn't felt in a long time.
She remembered herself from long ago—the little girl in the forest where Master Rhodes lived in seclusion, who could be excited for half a day over the simplest illumination spell.
Back then, what drove her to learn magic wasn't just the desire to become stronger, but more so the curiosity and love for the unknown.
But at some point, that love had gradually been replaced by heavier things.
The obsession with power, the difficulties encountered when researching new fields, and the desperate desire to catch up to her teacher's back.
Magic seemed to have become a tool to achieve a goal, rather than the heart-pounding miracle it was at the start.
Flamme sighed softly, collected her thoughts, and walked over.
"Miss Ariel seems to enjoy researching magic very much," Flamme said, breaking the silence of the corner.
Ariel seemed startled. She looked up sharply, and seeing it was Flamme, hurriedly stood up and bowed. "Lady Flamme! What brings you here?"
"Just looking around," Flamme smiled, her gaze falling on the open books before Ariel. "It seems you are very interested in these spells."
Ariel—or rather, Solitär—revealed undisguised excitement on her face. "Yes! Human—oh no, I mean, these spells are truly wonderful!"
"They are completely different from what we... I have encountered before!"
"Many magical structures are simply inconceivable, yet perfectly logical. I wish I could read every single book here!"
Realizing she had almost slipped up, she corrected herself quickly, but the excitement was genuine.
As a demon, the magic she encountered was innate from birth. Every demon's magic was unique and never taught to others.
But the systematic inheritance and creative magic system of humanity held a fatal attraction for her.
She even had a vague premonition that with this systematic method of inheritance, humans would continue to research further down the path of magic.
When that time came, even demons would be left far behind in the dust.
Ariel's unfeigned passion deepened the feeling in Flamme's heart.
She nodded slightly. "Keeping that thirst for knowledge is a good thing."
Ariel looked at Flamme curiously. "Lady Flamme, are you here to consult materials too? With your strength and status, you shouldn't need to come here, right?"
In her view, as Serie's apprentice, Flamme must have mastered countless profound spells long ago. Why would she care about the magic in this library?
Flamme shook her head, not answering directly.
Her gaze passed over Ariel, looking toward a corner further inside.
"I am here to find someone."
She walked past Ariel toward that corner.
Seeing this, Ariel followed curiously. Flamme didn't say anything to stop her.
Behind a row of shelves containing many obscure magical theories, they saw a bespectacled mage—Carlo.
He was hugging a stack of books so thick it almost blocked his vision, carefully trying to maneuver out of the narrow aisle.
"Mr. Carlo," Flamme called out.
Carlo jumped in fright. The books in his arms wobbled and nearly fell.
He pushed up his glasses, turned his head, and seeing it was Flamme, immediately showed an excited expression. "Lady Flamme, what brings you here?"
"To check on your progress."
Flamme's tone was calm. Her gaze swept over the books in his arms. Most were related to Life Magic, involving some very ancient Life Magic runes.
Clearly, even with her significant help, Carlo still needed these basic theories to build his foundation.
After all, the information contained in Master Rhodes's draft was simply too sparse.
If it hadn't happened to contain the core concepts, research would have been impossible. And even if Carlo succeeded now, the magic wouldn't be exactly the same as what her teacher had researched back then.
Because Carlo had added many of his own speculations and theories.
But Flamme didn't care.
She only needed a result.
Flamme continued to inquire, though she didn't mention the specific content of Carlo's research since Ariel was present.
"Did the runes I gave you last time help?"
"Yes, yes! They helped immensely!" Carlo tried his best to lower his voice, but couldn't hide his excitement. "Those runes are incredible! Many nodes I was stuck on cleared up instantly. I almost suspect these are Lord Rhodes's original rune knowledge."
Flamme's mouth twitched.
Of course they are the original runes. But she couldn't tell Carlo that. So she changed her phrasing. "Mn. Master Serie gave them to me."
"That is not strange then. Given the relationship between Lady Serie and Lord Rhodes, it is normal for her to possess this magic."
Carlo nodded, clearly missing the expression on Flamme's face just now.
"I feel that if I just have a bit more time, I will definitely succeed!"
A trace of imperceptible satisfaction flashed in Flamme's eyes. "Very good. Keep it up."
She didn't say much more. After a simple word of encouragement, she left.
She believed in Carlo's ability. Excessive interference would be detrimental.
Besides, she wouldn't place all her hope on him.
Watching Flamme turn and leave decisively, Ariel stood there, her eyes full of curiosity.
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