"(#`_O`) Hey, hey, cutie, what's wrong? Don't just space out."
Having already asked a question, the little demon before her simply remained silent, her expression grave as she lowered her head in thought. Feeling ignored, Miss Fíliya became quite displeased.
She moved closer, grabbing Linie's chin with her right hand and forcing her head up to meet her eyes.
Linie was helpless. She subconsciously glanced toward her Lady Aura, seeking help.
But Aura ignored her pleading gaze and, just like Fíliya, urged her on.
"What happened, Linie? Hurry up and tell us."
Seeing this, Linie finally gave up struggling... and then calmly held Fíliya's gaze for two seconds.
In that moment, Linie realized something was off.
"Green hair... golden eyes..."
Linie was heard muttering something under her breath.
"What, is my appearance that interesting to you? Don't tell me you've fallen for me at first sight, cutie."
Fíliya said with a light chuckle.
The instant she finished speaking, Solitär, for some unknown reason, suddenly reached out and forcefully slapped Fíliya's hand away, stopping Miss Fíliya's attempt to pinch and poke at Linie's face.
"Ouch... Solitär, why'd you hit me? You could've just said something. That actually hurt..."
Fíliya quickly shook her arm, then looked at Solitär with a wronged expression.
Solitär merely glared at her in response, saying nothing more.
Linie found the interaction between the human and the demon before her very strange. She couldn't comprehend why this great demon would show mercy to this human.
No... that action didn't feel like an attack at all...
Linie's mind filled with more and more questions, but she knew it wasn't her place to ask.
So she took a deep breath and began to speak.
"We were attacked by a human woman... Her magic was very tricky, and we were no match for her. She asked us if we had seen a human girl with 'long green hair and golden eyes'... In the end, I was the only one who escaped."
Linie's words caught Fíliya's attention.
She immediately pressed for more information.
"What did the human woman look like? Any distinguishing features?"
...At Fíliya's questioning, Linie fell into thought. After a brief moment of recollection, she slowly began to speak.
"Her hair was very long... so long it could drag on the ground, and she kept attacking with it."
Hiss... Now the situation was clear.
Fíliya took a sharp, quiet breath.
The one who attacked Aura's subordinates was clearly Sense.
But why would Sense be in the Northern Plateau? And why was she trying to find my whereabouts by questioning demons?
"It's only been a little over two months since I left the City of Magic to train in the Northern Plateau..."
Sense wouldn't miss me in such a short time, nor would she assume something bad had happened to me...
Fíliya's mind began racing.
Finally, she arrived at a possibility.
That is... the guard rotation for the Great Barrier of the Golden Land.
The Great Barrier of the Golden Land that sealed Macht was constantly guarded by First-Class Mages from the Magic Association, who rotated shifts. So Sense was most likely here to take her turn. Of course, it's also possible she volunteered for the post, which is why she came to the Northern Plateau.
Yes, that must be it. As for asking demons about my location, that's because Sense knows I'm very interested in the Demon Race... It seems she just happened to run into Aura's trio on her way to the Great Barrier of the Golden Land and decided to ask about me while she was at it.
Having completely sorted out the chain of events, Miss Fíliya couldn't help but feel a pang of sympathy for the little one before her.
No wonder the little one was covered in piercing wounds... she was impaled by Sense's hair.
"How pitiful. Demons caught by Sense usually die horrible deaths."
Fíliya said as she placed a hand on Linie's head, gently ruffling her hair.
Linie felt very uncomfortable with Fíliya's gesture; after all, she had never been treated this way by a human before.
"Sense? Fíliya, you know the human mage who attacked Linie and the others?" Aura asked.
"Of course I do. She's... hmm... like an older sister to me," Fíliya replied with a light smile.
"Older sister..."
Hearing the term Fíliya used, Solitär's mood soured even further for some reason.
"I-Is that so."
Aura closed her eyes in resignation and walked over to Linie's side.
"Lady Aura? Aren't... aren't we going to avenge Lord Lügner and Draht? That human may be strong, but she's definitely no match for you, Lady Aura..."
Linie watched as Aura placed a hand on her shoulder, her expression somewhat lost.
The old Aura would never have made such an intimate gesture toward her subordinates; she had always treated the three of them as convenient servants.
Perhaps having tasted the bitterness of serving tea and fetching water herself, Miss Aura had begun to reflect on how she had treated her own subordinates.
Aura looked at Linie with a serious expression.
"Linie, forget about this. Let it go. While it's a pity that Lügner and Draht died... never, ever think about getting revenge on that human mage, understand? That's an order."
...Linie blinked.
She still didn't understand why she could sense a hint of fear coming from her Lady Aura.
The reason Aura was unwilling to seek revenge...
Linie tilted her head and glanced at Miss Fíliya.
It seems to be related to this human...
Linie bit her lip. Although she still felt a sense of injustice, since Lady Aura had spoken, she would obey.
Besides... her relationship with the other two wasn't strong enough to make her defy Lady Aura's command and seek revenge at all costs.
"Hmm, I'm a bit curious. My 'sister' is incredibly strong. Logically, you shouldn't have been able to survive being pursued by Sense. Do you have some powerful magic of your own?"
"Hey, tell me, how did you do it?"
Fíliya's eyes sparkled with a researcher's curiosity.
Linie didn't answer Fíliya's question immediately, instead looking again to her Lady Aura.
Only after Lady Aura gave a slight nod, indicating she could answer, did Linie finally speak.
"My Magic Imitation allows me to memorize the flow of mana and copy any movement or technique I see... During the battle with that human mage, I used the combat techniques of the Dwarf warrior, Eisen, but I still couldn't defeat her... In the end, I had to use Sense's own escape techniques to barely survive."
_____
🔥 Check out the new story releases! 🔥
🪦 A 25% discount is active on my P... support page!
✅ Unlock a 40-chapter backlog for ALL my series.
✅ Receive exclusive content and regular updates!
Help us reach these goals:
🎯 100 Powerstones = +1 universal bonus chapter
🚀 80 MEMBERS = +5 extra chapters for ALL STORIES!
👻 P - Walnutchan