Chapter 303 - The Death of Solitaire
Deep within the Magic Association's tower, in an interrogation room filled with anti-demon magic.
Ariel Solitaire was tightly bound to a cold chair by several magical chains.
These chains not only restricted her movements but also constantly radiated a sacred aura, suppressing the magic within her and making it difficult to maintain her human illusion, thereby revealing her true appearance.
Flamme stood before her, while Ayla and Frieren stood a little further away, watching her warily.
In the previous battle, although Ariel Solitaire's desperate resistance had caused them considerable trouble, Flamme, with the various powerful magics given to her by Kurtz, had successfully defeated her.
If it weren't for Flamme's insistence on interrogating the other party, Ayla would have already killed this demon.
"Ariel, or rather, Solitaire, is that your real name?" Flamme's voice broke the silence. "What is your purpose in disguising yourself and infiltrating the Magic Association?"
Ariel Solitaire raised her head and forced a somewhat stiff smile. "Ariel Solitaire is my name. And Purpose? Didn't I already say, Lady Flamme? I just want to learn human magic. After all, your human magic system is quite interesting to me."
"Learn magic?" Flamme seemed to have heard the most ridiculous joke, her tone filled with disbelief. "The magic of the demon race originates from innate talent, and its profundity and power far exceed the current understanding of human magic."
"If it weren't for Master Kurtz's analysis and improvement of some fundamentals a thousand years ago, making them universally applicable, humans would struggle even to get started."
"And you, a high-ranking demon, would condescend to learn human magic? Do you even believe such a lie yourself?"
Ayla echoed coldly, "That's right! When did demons become so eager to learn? Tell me your true purpose?"
Is it related to the battlefield in the north?
Although Frieren didn't speak, she nodded vigorously.
How could there possibly be a demon in this world who is more studious than her?
Ariel Solitaire shrugged, her tone still carrying that infuriatingly casual tone. "That's....racist, you know. Believe it or not, it's true. Human creativity can sometimes bring surprises, something I never get in the demon realm."
"Raci-What? Do you demons even understand what surprise is?" Flamme sneered repeatedly.
"I am different from other demons, and besides, I consider myself a good demon."
"Demons are demons, there's no such thing as good or bad!" Frieren retorted immediately.
In her view, the demon race, being such cunning and evil beings, had no concept of kindness whatsoever. After all, their evil is ingrained in their very bones.
"There's nothing I can do if you don't believe me, but I have never intentionally killed a human, ah! Nor an elf."
Upon hearing Ariel Solitaire's words, Flamme frowned. She was actually more concerned about something else.
"Besides, look at me, I maintain my disguise magic every day, and I look like a harmless demon. How could I be the evil being you're talking about?" Ariel said with a grin.
Ayla was also a little confused about this.
She had never seen a demon with such a rich array of expressions. Compared to the demon, her own understanding of human emotions seemed inadequate.
"How long have you lived, you bastard?"
"Seven or eight hundred years, I can't remember exactly."
Solitaire considered herself quite strong, ranking among the top five even in the entire demon race. After all, the demons of the mythical era were wiped out several times by the god-slayer Kurtz, and basically none of them survived.
The slightly stronger demons now are all demons that were born after the end of the mythical era.
At Ariel Solitaire's age, she is already considered an elder among these demons.
"Seven or eight hundred years... Ugh, long-lived species are truly enviable," Flamme muttered to herself.
The immortality she painstakingly pursued was a piece of cake for these immortal beings.
"There's no need to be envious, Lady Flamme. Haven't you already mastered the method to become an immortal being?"
Upon hearing Ariel Solitaire's words, Flamme's heart tightened, but she remained outwardly calm.
She couldn't let Ayla and Frieren pay too much attention to Carlo and the magic of immortality, especially in front of this demon.
She hesitated for a moment, then turned to Ayla and Frieren and said, "Ayla, Frieren, you two go and check the inside of the association first to make sure there are no other demons. Leave this to me."
Ayla looked at Flamme with some doubt, but nodded and said, "Okay, let's go now."
Frieren glanced thoughtfully at Flamme and Ariel Solitaire, then followed Ayla out of the interrogation room without asking any further questions.
After that, only Flamme and Ariel Solitaire remained in the room.
Ariel Solitaire chuckled softly. "Heh-heh, it seems our esteemed little lady Flamme has some little secrets she doesn't want others to know. Is she in such a hurry to get rid of them?"
Flamme walked up to Ariel Solitaire, looking down at her and bypassing her probing questions to get straight to the point. "Now, answer me! What did you say to Carlo? And what did you do?"
"What about Carlo?" Ariel Solitaire tilted her head, pretending to think. "I didn't say anything. I just helped him improve his immortality magic as a kind-hearted mage."
"Oh, Ohh yes~ I remember I gave him a little suggestion: to change the experimental materials from weak humans to the more vibrant demon brethren. After all, it's about making the best use of resources, and when dealing with demons, no method is too much, right? Even he himself agreed with this idea."
"What do you get in doing this?!" Flamme's voice was filled with suppressed anger. "Do you know how much risk and uncertainty this involves? You sent Carlo to do it. What exactly are you plotting?!"
"My Purpose?" Ariel Solitaire laughed, a laugh tinged with inhuman malice. "Just out of interest. I simply want to see what kind of risks are involved, nothing more."
She paused, looking at Flamme with a mocking gaze. "Besides, in a sense, I'm helping you, Flamme. Aren't you also concerned about that magic? I've helped you advance the research process; you should be thanking me. So, how about letting me go for this reason? I would be very grateful."
"Nonsense!" Flamme shouted angrily. "I would never use such evil methods. Your actions will only lead Carlo down an unimaginable abyss."
"Evil?" Ariel Solitaire chuckled. "When it comes to acquiring power, there's no such thing as absolute justice or evil. As for what Carlo will become, I have no idea. Think what you want; everything I've said is the truth."
Flamme stared intently at Ariel Solitaire, trying to find a trace of a lie in her eyes.
But the other woman's frank gaze made Flamme realize that what this demon said was likely her actual thought. She was only helping Carlo advance the research on this magic out of interest.
This sent a chill down Flamme's spine.
But at that moment, she was more worried about Carlo's situation than about any of these things.
That immortality magic is extremely dangerous in itself, and when combined with the unknown variable of the demon race's life force, the future is entirely unpredictable.
Moreover, some of the magical runes she gave Carlo were derived from the sacred magical canon. Neither the recreated immortality magic itself, nor the original runes interspersed within it, are things that must never be revealed.
If it falls into the wrong hands or gets out of control during research, the consequences could be disastrous.
We must find Carlo as soon as possible and find out everything.
Flamme took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the anxiety and unease in her heart.
She looked at the demon she had captured. Although she wanted to kill her with one blow, she was also worried that the other party might have some deeper plans that she had not fully revealed.
Why don't we hand Ariel Solitaire over to Professor Kurtz? He'll be back soon anyway.
But the thought was quickly replaced by an even stronger fear.
Because once Ariel Solitaire is handed over to him, she will absolutely be unable to hide the fact that she secretly promoted the research on immortality magic and even provided sacred original runes.
How will the teacher view me then? Disappointed or disgusted?
Flamme couldn't even imagine what kind of look she would get.
Everything she did, her obsession with immortality, ultimately stemmed from the desire to stay by her teacher's side for as long as possible. If her teacher dislikes her because of this, then what is the point of all her efforts and struggles?
Ariel Solitaire must never be handed over to Master Kurtz.
She spoke slowly, her voice lowering. "Solitaire, how about we make a deal?"
"A deal?" A hint of surprise flashed in Ariel Solitaire's eyes, which then turned into interest. "If you can let me leave, everything is negotiable. I can even tell you about the Demon King's affairs."
"Letting you leave is impossible," Flamme said firmly. "You are too dangerous, and Professor Kurtz is handling things with the Demon King; I don't care."
"Then what other good deals are there?" Ariel Solitaire pouted.
Flamme stared intently into her eyes and said, word by word, "The terms of the deal are: if you promise not to mention anything about immortality magic or anything related to Carlo to Professor Kurtz, I can assure you that I will do my best to plead with Professor Kurtz to spare your life and seal you away instead."
"A seal?!" Ariel Solitaire was taken aback at first, then burst into laughter as if she had heard the biggest joke in the world.
"Hahahaha! Flamme, what kind of idiot are you? The seal placed by the god-slayer Kurtz himself is likely unbreakable in this world. What difference is there between this and utter annihilation? I fear I will never see the light of day again, not even at the ends of the earth!"
Ariel Solitaire was indeed afraid of death, but she could not accept a way that was even more painful than death.
After she finished laughing, she carefully examined the ugly expression on Flamme's face, and a smile crept onto her lips.
"Wait—I think I understand now." Ariel Solitaire deliberately dragged out her words. "You're so nervous, resorting to this kind of condition to silence me, trying every possible way to keep it a secret. You really don't want Kurtz to know about the magic of immortality, do you?"
"Especially, you didn't want him to know that his good disciple, Flamme, was not only secretly promoting the research of this forbidden magic, but had even provided key magical runes, right? Your pursuit of the secret to immortality...it seems...is something you don't want your beloved teacher to know?"
Ariel's words caused Flamme's body to stiffen almost imperceptibly. Although she tried her best to control herself, the fleeting panic in her eyes was still accurately caught by the other party.
"Looks like I guessed right. It turns out there's more than one fool who wants immortality!"
Upon hearing Ariel Solitaire's words, Flamme clenched her fists, staring at her intently, murderous intent surging within her.
It seems the deal won't work. Since that's the case, then let's make this demon begone completely.
Kill her. Right here, right now. Then, she would immediately set off for the northern battlefield to find Carlo, who had already gone there.
Before he causes greater harm or reveals more secrets, deal with the magic of immortality and all related records together.
Of course, it wasn't about killing Carlo, but instead using the memory magic created by Master Kurtz. Although she is not very skilled at this magic, she can still erase some of a person's memories, thus perfectly covering everything up.
Ariel Solitaire is dead, the magic is gone, Carlo has forgotten everything, and all the clues have been completely cut off.
Even if Professor Kurtz later discovers some clues, there's no way to prove it now, and everything is already set in stone. Time will wash everything away.
The more she thought about it, the more feasible it seemed, and her heart began to pound. A chilling killing intent arose within her, quickly overwhelming her previous hesitation.
Her eyes changed. Blue magic began to gather silently around her, no longer for intimidation or restriction, but with a pure killing intent.
Ariel keenly sensed the change in Flamme's aura. It was no longer the anger of having one's secret exposed, but a more dangerous shift. The smile on her face froze instantly.
'I think I went too far and made someone angryyy~.' She tried to struggle, but the oppressive force of the sacred chains made her movements seem utterly powerless.
Flamme slowly raised her right hand, and the magic circle in her palm began to operate.
"The Holy Spear". Flamme whispered the name of the magic.
This is an attack spell specifically designed to target demons. Once it hits, even a powerful demon like Ariel Solitaire will be instantly annihilated without leaving a trace.
"Are you insane?!" Ariel Solitaire finally revealed her shock. "You going to kill me? Right here? Flamme, don't you want to know what I did to Carlo? And how are you going to explain this to your teacher, Kurtz?"
"It doesn't matter anymore, and besides, didn't you already say so?" Flamme laughed. "Besides, a low-ranking demon who infiltrated the association tried to resist during interrogation and was killed on the spot by me. That explanation is enough."
Without further hesitation, Flamme moved her arm slightly, and the light gun flew out of her hand!
Ariel Solitaire's eyes widened. Bound and with virtually no chance of resistance, she was pierced through the body by the light gun.
Moreover, the beam of light struck the stone wall behind her, creating a loud explosion.
[End of Chapter]
Want to read more than 30+ chapters right now!
patreon.com/cw/Mr_UmU
https://www.patreon.com/Mr_UmU