Fulilian: The Little Master Who Doesn't Understand Love

Chapter 303 Vlame Sensing Something Was Wrong
Carlo took a deep breath and decided to test the waters.

He stared intently into Ariel's eyes and said in a deep voice, "Miss Ariel, I have already spoken to Lord Vlame about your suggestion last time regarding the use of demonic life force."

"Oh?" Ariel raised an eyebrow, her smile unchanged. "So, what did she say?"

"Lord Vlame didn't give a clear answer." Carlo carefully chose his words while observing Ariel's reaction. "However, Miss Ariel, I'm curious, why did you think of this direction? And it seems you know a lot about demons?"

Ariel chuckled softly upon hearing this. The laughter was pleasant, yet it carried a hint of unease.

Instead of answering the question, she countered with, "Mr. Carlo, don't you think the most interesting aspect of magical research lies in exploring completely unknown directions?"

“But this unknown is far too dangerous!” Carlo emphasized.

“So what?” Ariel tilted her head and asked in return, “What are you worried about? That insignificant pity in your heart? The boundaries between races? Or the fear of the world? But none of these can affect the truest desires of a dying person, can they?”

Yes.

For a dying person, as long as they can survive, they might use demons as raw materials, or even their own kind or friends and relatives.

“And you, Carlo,” Ariel’s gaze seemed to penetrate his body, seeing his remaining life force, “you don’t have much time left.”

Carlo shuddered, his face turning pale instantly.

He had indeed been feeling physically tired and mentally exhausted lately, but he hadn't paid much attention to it, initially thinking it was just due to overwork in his research.

But hearing Ariel say that now sent a chill down my spine.

He subconsciously sensed himself and discovered that his life essence seemed to have been depleted much more than he had expected.

This is not right!

He was extremely careful in every experiment, and he strictly controlled the costs.

Was it a risk inherent in the experiment itself? Or did this magic have side effects she was unaware of? But why didn't Ariel tell her?!
Thinking of this, he suddenly looked at Ariel, whose usual smile now seemed incredibly strange to him.

Solitaire sneered inwardly.

She had already quietly altered several key runes in the temporary magic circle where Carlo had previously conducted his experiments.

A test that was supposed to consume one month's lifespan may actually cost two months or even more.

If Carlo were experimenting on other humans, she naturally wouldn't do this, but this idiot is experimenting on her own life force.

In order to force the other party to abandon his pitiful moral values ​​as soon as possible, Solitaire doesn't mind giving him a push.

Sometimes, pressure is the best catalyst to push experimental subjects onto their intended trajectory.

She didn't say anything more, just left a meaningful look before turning and leaving.

She knew that once the shadow of death was clearly perceived, the desire to survive would overwhelm all reason and consideration.

Carlo will soon take the initiative to embrace the path to survival she hopes to see.

A human, a human mage obsessed with immortality and filled with inner contradictions, if he were to continuously absorb the powerful yet chaotic life force of the demons from the abyss...

So, how will his body and his soul gradually change?

Will he become stronger? Or will he gradually be corrupted and assimilated by the characteristics of the demon race? Can his will withstand the pollution from the very source of life? In the end... what will he become?
Will it become a demon with human emotions? Or some entirely new, never-before-seen existence?
Solitaire was very curious.

I'm really looking forward to that day.

……

Just as she had anticipated, Carlo's inner struggle with morality and risk quickly crumbled under the fear of confirming the abnormally rapid loss of his life force.

He began frantically collecting all information about the characteristics of the demon race, and devoted himself to the research of using the demon race's life force to prolong his own life force.

Not long ago, the other party left the Magic Association and officially went to the northern battlefield.

That place was the battlefield between humans, elves, dwarves, and demons, teeming with countless monsters and a large number of demons. It was also the best research ground for Carlo to conduct his experiments.

After confirming that Carlo had resolutely embarked on the path she had paved, Solitaire decided to leave the Magic Association.

A seed full of potential has been planted; she only needs to wait patiently and observe what kind of beautiful yet twisted flower it will eventually bloom into.

More importantly, she had been here for far too long.

As a great demon who was born shortly after the end of the mythological era and has survived to this day, Solitaire is very skilled at how to survive in this world.

Not staying in one place for too long, especially in human territory, and constantly changing her residence and name was also one of her survival tricks.

Although there were still many magic books she hadn't read, the thought of Lord and Celia returning at any moment filled her with dread.

This exploration should come to an end.

Just as she finished packing her things and was preparing to leave the association tower quietly, she encountered Vlame at the exit, who seemed to have been waiting there all along.

Vlame looked at the baggage on Solitaire's shoulder, a perfectly timed look of surprise on his face: "Miss Ariel, are you leaving the Association?"

Solitaire's inner alarm bells rang slightly, but she maintained a calm smile on her face: "Yes, Lady Vlame. My training at the association has come to a temporary end, and I plan to travel around to prepare for the Level 1 Mage assessment."

“I see.” Vlamé nodded, then asked casually, “Speaking of which, I’ve seen you coming out of Mr. Carlo’s lab quite often lately? Are you discussing some interesting magic?”

Ariel felt a chill run down her spine, knowing that Vlame had become suspicious.

She replied calmly, "We just happened to share some common interest in runes from the mythological era, and we exchanged a few words."

“Oh? Is that so?” Vlame’s gaze sharpened. “I have more magical runes from the mythical era. Would you like to stay a little longer? I can lend them to you for your research.”

The two teachers had just sent word that they would be returning to the Magic Association soon, so Vlame decided to delay Ariel for a while.

The main problem was that she didn't know the highest-level detection magic, which her teacher Lord hadn't taught her, and she couldn't detect anything suspicious with the basic detection magic either.

She always felt that there was something strange about Ariel in front of her, especially when she asked others to search for information about her in the human territory, but to no avail!

This person appeared out of nowhere; there was absolutely no information about her.

If Ariel were an ordinary mage or a magic apprentice, Vlame wouldn't care so much.

After all, the human realm is quite vast, and it's normal that sometimes it's impossible to find specific information about a person.

But the fact that Ariel was a mage who had passed the Level 2 mage exam made things very strange. "No," Solitaire quickly refused, "I'd rather study magic in other areas."

Are you kidding me?
If we stay any longer, Lord and Celia might come back.

If the other party discovers her identity, or even what she did to Carlo, she won't have enough lives to survive.

Moreover, Solitaire realized that Vlame must have sensed something was wrong, which was why he appeared in front of her.

"By the way, what type of magical runes did you and Carlo discuss?"

"They're just some magical runes that were common in mythological times."

"Really? I thought you were discussing something more specific, like life energy?"

She deliberately emphasized the words "life energy".

Ariel cursed Carlo in her heart. She didn't need to guess to know that it must have been that guy who told Vlame that it was her idea.

This is why Vlamé realized something was wrong.

However, Solitaire still looked confused and pretended not to know: "Lord Vlame is joking. I am just a second-level mage. How could I have access to such profound knowledge?"

Vlame did not press further, but his suspicions grew stronger.

She recalled the scene when she conducted the Level 2 Mage assessment for Ariel.

When dealing with her attacks, the other party always seemed to be giving it their all, not entirely for defense, but more like they were trying to suppress or conceal something while defending.

At the time, she thought the other person might be nervous, but now, considering Ariel's contact with Carlo and Carlo's recent strange behavior, a vague guess has formed in her mind.

There's definitely something wrong with this Ariel!
“Since Miss Ariel is leaving, and I happen to have nothing to do today, I’ll see you off,” Vlame suddenly said, his tone leaving no room for refusal.

Solitaire wanted to decline, but under Vlame's unquestionable gaze, she had no choice but to nod in agreement: "Then... I'll have to trouble you, Lord Vlame."

The two left the Magic Association one after the other, walked through the streets of El Capital, and headed out of the city.

Vlame seemed to be chatting casually, but the topic kept inadvertently circling back to the origins of Solitaire, clearly probing for something.

Solitaire tried her best to cope, but her unease grew stronger.

After walking for about ten kilometers to a secluded woodland, Solitaire finally stopped and turned to Vlame, saying, "Lord Vlame, we've come quite a distance. Let's stop here. Thank you very much for seeing me off."

However, Vlame did not respond to her.

The surrounding air seemed to freeze instantly.

Vlame watched her quietly, and a powerful yet subtle magical energy began to ripple around him.

Just now, Ariel's response revealed a very obvious flaw.

“Miss Ariel,” Vlame’s voice was icy, no longer concealing anything, “the Sieg Plain in the south was completely wiped out by a disaster fifty years ago. There could be no villages there, and it couldn’t possibly be your hometown. Who are you, really?”

Solitaire's pupils contracted, knowing she could no longer fool them.

She never imagined that the Zieg Plain, which she had passed through earlier, had disappeared fifty years ago.

Vlame stopped wasting words and decided to use the most direct method to tear away all the pretense and verify her suspicions.

"Lord Vlame, what do you mean by this?" Solitaire was still making a final attempt, but her body had already subtly tensed up, and magic flowed silently within her.

"What do you mean?" Vlame sneered, his magical energy fluctuating, ready to strike at any moment. "I'll give you one last chance: confess your true identity!"

Before he could finish speaking, Vlame had already made his move.

She knew the importance of striking first; the last chance she mentioned was just a delaying tactic.

Vlame simultaneously unfurled magic circles with both hands, and several chains made of pure magic appeared out of thin air, rushing directly towards Solitier.

This attack was incredibly fast, and contained an even richer magical power, far exceeding the level of ordinary magicians. Clearly, Vlame was going all out from the start.

However, she did not intend to kill him at this moment; her main goal was to subdue him.

Seeing this, Solitaire realized that Vlame was stronger than she had expected.

She dared not delay, and the suppressed energy she had been holding back was suddenly released.

A burst of magical radiance erupted from her body, instantly unleashing a magic circle. Countless sharp light blades flew out from the magic circle, crashing heavily into the magical chains and producing a metallic clang.

The chains released by Vlame were then shattered, and Solitier's light blade disappeared into the air due to exhaustion of energy.

"He was indeed hiding his true abilities!" Vlame's eyes grew even colder.

The opponent's control and quality of magic were far beyond what a mage who had just passed the second-level assessment should possess.

"But that's not enough!"

She immediately attacked again, sending countless golden energy arrows towards Ariel from the side and rear.

Upon witnessing Ariel's formidable strength, Vlame changed his initial plan to capture her alive, and now decided to defeat her completely first.

Ariel snorted coldly, lightly touched the ground with her toes, and quickly retreated. At the same time, dozens of black magic bullets shot towards the light arrows and Vlame like machine guns.

boom! boom! boom!
The magic bullets and light arrows collided and exploded repeatedly in the air, and the released energy cut the surrounding trees in half and blasted out scorched craters in the ground.

Vlame raised his right hand, and a golden magic shield appeared in front of him, blocking all the incoming light bullets. However, the shield also fluctuated violently, showing the considerable power of the opponent's attack.

But it's still within my means.

"Your reactions are quick and your attacks are powerful, but your magic has a repulsive quality."

From the opponent's attack, Vlame keenly sensed that repulsive aura.

Perhaps because his all-out attack forced his opponent to also go all out, leaving no room for disguise, a dark aura, completely different from human magic, was revealed.

She held nothing back and decided to increase the pressure, determined to completely expose this guy's true identity.

(End of this chapter)