Chapter 287: The Desire to Corrupt This Talent
Solitär bolted from the library like a startled rabbit. She didn't stop until she sprinted around a corner into a deserted corridor, where she slumped against the wall, gasping for air.
The cold touch of the stone wall helped calm her chaotic mind slightly.
"Calm down. Calm down!" She patted her cheeks forcefully, forcing herself to regain composure. "That was too unseemly!"
She suddenly realized a key issue: Rhodes and Serie aren't even at the Magic Association right now!
Flamme had said so herself.
Moreover, she hadn't seen either of them recently. If they were here, she would have been discovered and minced into fine pieces long ago.
In that case, didn't her panicked behavior just now make her more suspicious?
If Carlo found it strange and reported it to Flamme...
The thought of Flamme becoming suspicious and contacting Serie and Rhodes made Solitär's scalp tingle again.
But compared to facing Rhodes and Serie directly, this risk seemed bearable.
"They aren't here... they aren't here right now."
Solitär repeated this phrase like clutching at a life-saving straw.
The fear was gradually replaced by the relief of surviving a disaster.
But after the relief, a stronger emotion welled up.
Curiosity, and an excitement mixed with fear.
Carlo's words echoed in her mind.
Rhodes's immortality magic. Magic to transfer life force.
If this was true, what did it mean?
It meant the legendary God-slayer had used this magic to extend his life in an inconceivable way, surviving until now.
This completely overturned her understanding of the laws and limits of human life.
Like elves, demons were a race with effectively limitless lifespans. There were no lifespan restrictions in their biological laws.
But humans and dwarves were different. Their lifespans were limited.
Their biological laws had limits; they were fixed and fundamentally unchangeable.
As one of the few masters of magical theory among demons, Solitär was very familiar with this law.
In her hundreds of years of studying human magic, she had seen numerous human mages attempt to break this restriction.
Without exception, they all failed.
But now, Carlo—this seemingly unremarkable human mage—was actually attempting to break this law!
Even if he was replicating it based on the magic left by the God-slayer, it was enough to prove that on the path of magic, he could already see Rhodes's back.
What an incredible mage!
And the more incredible the fellow, the more Solitär wanted to corrupt him.
A massive temptation coiled around her heart like a venomous snake.
On one hand, she was filled with desire for this forbidden knowledge touching upon the laws of life—a temptation no magical researcher could resist.
On the other hand, she knew deeply the extreme danger contained within.
This wasn't just a domain belonging to gods; it might touch the God-slayer's reverse scale.
A demon running right under his nose to study the magic he collected was already provocative enough.
Now, researching the secret of how he survived until now? That was practically begging for death.
If discovered, being bombarded by the God-slayer's magic for an hour would be considered a mercy.
But...
"Go back... or just run away?" A fierce struggle waged in Solitär's heart.
Running away wasn't shameful; it was the safest choice.
For demons—creatures with almost no emotions—their own lives and defeating opponents were the two most important things.
Leaving the Magic Association immediately, staying far away from this place of trouble, returning to demon territory, and resuming her original life.
But... the secret of the God-slayer's immortality is right in front of me!
The mage named Carlo had already made key progress. Give up just like that? She was unwilling!
In her hundreds of years of life, she had never been so close to such subversive knowledge. If leaked to the human race, it would cause an uproar.
Moreover, if Rhodes really was alive, would running away now actually attract attention?
Why not... just pretend I don't know anything?
Continue lurking. She could research human magic safely, observe Carlo's progress up close, and maybe even find clues about Rhodes's weaknesses?
Yes! That's it!
Her cowardly heart was finally overwhelmed by greater greed and a sliver of wishful thinking.
Solitär took a few deep breaths, trying hard to smooth out her expression. She straightened her slightly disheveled robe and decided to return to the library.
When she reappeared in the library, she was relieved to see Carlo hadn't left yet.
"Mr... Mr. Carlo?"
Solitär—or rather, Ariel—tried to infuse her voice with just the right amount of apology. "I'm sorry. I suddenly remembered a very urgent matter just now and lost my composure."
Carlo was stunned to see Ariel return. "It is fine. Are you alright, Miss Ariel?"
"I am fine." Ariel waved her hand and walked closer, her gaze falling back on the books in Carlo's arms.
Her tone suddenly became serious. "Mr. Carlo, I am very interested in the research you mentioned. To be honest, I have also dabbled in the field of Life Magic."
Carlo immediately looked wary again, hugging his books tighter. "Th-This is just my personal research..."
"I understand. It involves Lord Rhodes's manuscript, so confidentiality is required." Ariel nodded in understanding, but then changed the subject. "However, Mr. Carlo, don't you think researching such a complex topic alone is inefficient?"
"Especially involving the extremely dangerous field of life energy conversion. No mage has touched this before. Any slight error could waste all previous efforts."
She looked into Carlo's eyes, her tone extremely sincere. "Perhaps... I can help you?"
"With one more person researching and exploring, we can reduce some risks and speed up progress."
"I promise, I will never leak any secrets regarding Lord Rhodes's manuscript. I simply possess an incomparable love for magic itself."
Carlo hesitated.
He had indeed encountered many problems. Although Flamme had provided the key foundational runes, subsequent deduction and replication were still fraught with difficulties.
If he continued researching alone, it might take another year. But clearly, Miss Flamme was getting impatient.
Although he didn't know why she was in such a rush, considering how much she had helped him, Carlo genuinely wanted to reproduce this magic as soon as possible.
Moreover, this Miss Ariel seemed to have extensive magical knowledge. Perhaps she really could offer some help?
And since she was a Second-Class Mage of the Association, she should be trustworthy, right?
Seeing the wavering look in Carlo's eyes, Ariel struck while the iron was hot. She directly mentioned several professional difficulties and solutions regarding Life Magic, including the types Carlo had been struggling with recently.
If not for her demon identity preventing her from interpreting Holy Scriptures, she would have performed a couple of Holy Magic spells right there to boost her persuasiveness.
But even without demonstrating magic, faced with the wealth of knowledge Ariel displayed, Carlo's eyes lit up instantly.
He hadn't expected Ariel to truly understand, and her thinking was very clear.
Faced with the urgent needs of research, Carlo's meager vigilance quickly crumbled.
"Alright." He finally relented, though still with some hesitation. "But Miss Ariel, you must swear never to leak the research content or Lord Rhodes's name!"
"I swear on the honor of a human mage!"
Ariel immediately made a solemn promise, sneering inwardly.
What does the honor of a human mage have to do with me, a demon?
And so, a bizarre research team was formed.
The human mage Carlo and the demon mage disguised as a human, Solitär, began to jointly tackle the immortality magic capable of overturning the world.
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