Chapter 283: Solitaire's Curiosity
The library in the Magic Association's tower is always the quietest place in the entire association.
The concentration of magic in the air was much higher than outside. Countless bookshelves were stacked on top of each other, displaying magic books treasured by the Kingdom of El and some books collected by Serie.
Flamme walked among the bookshelves, her gaze sweeping over the rows of book spines.
She wasn't wandering aimlessly; instead, she headed straight for a relatively secluded corner area.
She had been busy with association affairs and teaching Frieren lately and hadn't had time to check the information for several days, but today she had a clear goal: to find Carlo.
Because of the war in the north, there were very few mages in the library at the moment. Flamme saw only a handful, and most were people she didn't recognize.
Just as she passed by a row of bookshelves again, a familiar figure caught her attention.
It was Ariel.
The green-haired female mage who recently passed the second-level assessment at an astonishing speed was sitting at a long table by the window, surrounded by a pile of magic books that almost buried her in them. She was completely absorbed in reading them, her fingers flying across the pages as she jotted down notes in a notebook beside her.
She was so completely absorbed in her work that it was as if everything around her was irrelevant.
Flamme stopped and looked at her quietly. The pure love for magic emanating from Ayla touched her deeply, a feeling she hadn't experienced in a long time.
She remembered herself from long ago, the little girl who would get excited for half a day over the simplest light magic in the forest where Master Kurtz lived in seclusion.
At that time, what drove her to learn magic, beyond the desire to grow stronger, was her curiosity and love of the unknown.
But at some point, this passion was gradually replaced by something heavier.
The obsession with power, the challenges encountered while exploring new fields, and the desire to catch up with the teacher.
Magic seemed to have become a tool for achieving goals, rather than the original, exhilarating miracle itself.
Flamme sighed softly, composed herself, and walked over.
"Miss Ariel really enjoys studying magic," Flamme broke the silence in the corner.
Ariel seemed startled, jerking her head up. Seeing it was Flamme, she quickly stood up and bowed, saying, "Lady Flamme! What brings you here?"
"Just looking through." Flamme smiled, her gaze falling on the books laid out in front of her. "It seems you're quite interested in these magical things."
Ariel beamed with undisguised excitement: "Yes! Humans—oh no, I mean, this magic is truly wonderful!"
It's completely different from anything I've encountered before!
Many of the magical elements are simply unbelievable, yet perfectly logical. I wish I could read all the books here!
She realized she had almost let something slip and quickly corrected herself, but the excitement was genuine.
As a demon, the magic she was exposed to was all innate, and each demon possessed different magic, which they would not teach to others.
This systematic inheritance of humankind and the creative magical system held a fatal attraction for her.
She even had a vague premonition that, under this systematic method of inheritance, humanity would continue to research this magical path.
At that time, even the demons would be left far behind by them.
Ariel's genuine love touched Flamme even more deeply.
She nodded slightly: "It's a good thing to maintain this thirst for knowledge."
Ariel looked at Flamme curiously: "Lady Flamme, are you here to look up information as well? With your strength and status, you shouldn't need to come here, right?"
In her view, as Serie's disciple, Flamme must have already mastered countless profound spells, so why would she look down on the spells in the library?
Flamme shook her head, offering no direct answer.
Her gaze passed over Ariel and went to a corner further inside.
"I'm here to find someone."
She walked past Ariel and headed towards that corner.
Seeing this, Ariel followed curiously, while Flamme said nothing.
Behind a row of bookshelves displaying many obscure magical theories, they saw a bespectacled mage named Carlo.
He was holding a thick book in his arms, which almost blocked his view, and was carefully trying to move out of the narrow aisle.
"Mr. Carlo," Flamme called out.
Carlo was startled; the book in his arms wobbled and almost fell.
He adjusted his glasses, turned his head to see that it was Flamme, and his face immediately lit up with excitement: "Lady Flamme, what brings you here?"
"Let's check on your progress."
Flamme spoke calmly, her gaze sweeping over the book in his arms. The contents were mostly about life magic and also included some very ancient life magic runes.
Clearly, even with her help, Carlo still needed these fundamental life-magic theories to lay a foundation.
After all, Professor Kurtz's draft contained far too little information.
If it weren't for the fact that it happened to be a relatively core part, it would have been impossible to research it. Moreover, even if Carlo had actually researched it now, it wouldn't be exactly the same as the magic her teacher had researched back then.
Because Carlo incorporated many of his own speculations and theories into it.
But Flamme didn't care.
All she needed was one result.
Flamme kept asking questions, but she did not mention the specifics of Carlo's research, since Ayla was still there.
"Were those runes I gave you last time helpful?"
"Yes, yes! It's so helpful!" Carlo tried to keep his voice down, but he couldn't hide his excitement. "These runes are amazing! Many of the nodes that were stuck before are now clear. I even suspect that this is Lord Kurtz's original rune knowledge."
Flamme's lips twitched.
Of course, it was the most authentic rune, but she couldn't tell Carlo, so she changed her story. "Well, it was given to me by Teacher Serie."
"Then it's not surprising. Given the relationship between Lady Serie and Lord Kurtz, it's quite normal for her to possess these magical abilities."
Carlo nodded, clearly not paying attention to the look on Flamme's face just then.
"I feel that if I have more time, I will definitely succeed!"
A barely perceptible hint of satisfaction flashed in Flamme's eyes: "Very good, keep it up."
She didn't say much, just offered a simple word of encouragement, and then left.
She believed in Carlo's abilities and thought that too much interference would be counterproductive.
Besides, she wouldn't place all her hopes on him.
Watching Flamme turn and leave decisively, Ariel stood there, her eyes filled with curiosity.
[End of Chapter]
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