Fíliya looked at Solitär calmly.
"Solitär, it looks like he's talking to you. Can you read lips?"
"Hmm… He said it's been a while. I couldn't make out the long string of words after that."
Solitär shrugged lightly. After Macht greeted her, she showed no intention of acknowledging him, her attention focused entirely on Fíliya, as if curious about what she would do next.
"Tsk, this barrier having a soundproofing function is a real pain. We can't even communicate."
Fíliya spread her hands helplessly.
"That's normal. After all, your Continental Magic Association is worried about Macht contacting other members of the Demon Race, right? So a soundproofing function is essential."
Solitär agreed casually.
"They're really guarding him tightly… But that only applies to your Demon Race. While this Great Barrier can stop demons from entering or leaving, it has almost no restrictions on humans. If I wanted to, I could step right inside this very moment."
As Fíliya spoke, she actually took a step forward, looking as if she was about to walk into the range of the Great Barrier of the Golden Land.
Panicked, Solitär quickly grabbed Fíliya's arm and dragged her back a short distance.
"Solitär, what are you doing?"
Fíliya looked at Solitär with some confusion.
"I should be asking you what you're doing! Didn't you say we were just coming to have a look? What are you thinking!"
Solitär's retort was clearly tinged with anxiety.
"Huh? Because the barrier is soundproof, which I didn't know at first… If it's soundproof, then I can't talk to that Macht, can I? We came all this way; I don't want to turn back with nothing to show for it… Hmm… Wait a second?"
Fíliya's eyes suddenly widened. Her tone was a little suspicious, but it was also clearly mixed with a hint of pleasant surprise.
"Solitär, you're not worried about me, are you?"
"It's obvious that I am worried about you."
Solitär said this very seriously, her face completely straight, showing no other reaction. This was a bit of a disappointment for Fíliya, who had hoped to see a bashful expression.
"Why so serious… I think it'll be fine."
Fíliya mumbled, her tone slightly aggrieved.
"'Think'? Macht is not like me. If he decides to kill you, you won't be able to resist at all. His Gold Transformation Magic (Di Agolze) gives no warning signs and has no cast time. He can turn you into gold with a single thought. Even if you had some means of defense, you would never have time to deploy it… Once he decides to kill you, I, stuck outside the barrier, won't be able to save you. So don't do something so reckless."
Solitär continued to plead with Fíliya.
And these anxious, almost pleading words were truly shocking to Fíliya's ears.
She had genuinely never expected Solitär to stop her from courting death.
This behavior couldn't help but make her think of that person… For a moment, in Miss Fíliya's eyes, the face of Sense actually overlapped with Solitär's current appearance.
"Pfft… Solitär, you're just like my sister now… When I used to get into trouble, she would scold me with that same worried expression."
Fíliya couldn't hold it in and burst out laughing, but this only made Solitär angrier. She felt that the infuriating person before her wasn't taking her words seriously at all.
"If you die, what am I supposed to do?"
Solitär bit her lip in frustration. She had never thought she would be at a loss for words… Maybe she should just knock Fíliya out and carry her away? That would prevent her from having such dangerous ideas… Solitär thought to herself.
But before she could act, she saw Fíliya slowly press her forehead against hers.
Their eyes met.
Taking advantage of Solitär's astonishment, Fíliya quickly spoke.
"Don't worry, Solitär, I cherish my own life. Come, let me analyze it for you."
Fíliya's words made Solitär waver a bit, and she finally sighed helplessly and let go of Fíliya.
Seeing this, Fíliya continued speaking.
"I think Macht definitely won't attack me. Look…"
Fíliya pointed in Macht's direction. At that moment, Macht's eyes were filled with a kind of 'I've-seen-it-all-now' bewilderment. He was staring intently at the interaction between Fíliya and Solitär. Although he couldn't hear the sounds from outside the barrier, he could still see everything unfold.
And so, an emotion called curiosity was naturally born within him.
That Solitär, who had been in seclusion for who knows how long… Decades ago, when he had visited her, she still had the proper demeanor of the Demon Race. How could it be that after just a few decades, she was mixing with a human?
And that expression… Macht was lost in thought. The expression of worrying about someone important to you—he had seen it countless times on the faces of humans.
And now, he was seeing that very same look on the face of the reclusive Solitär.
"This is… far too interesting."
Macht thought to himself.
Outside the barrier, Fíliya continued to speak.
"See that? His expression is just like yours when you first saw me. He must be filled with curiosity right now. You high-and-mighty great demons won't harm an 'ant' like me before your curiosity is sated, am I right?"
Fíliya's words made Solitär hesitate slightly, but she quickly suppressed the feeling. If that was the only reason, it wasn't enough to convince her to let Fíliya walk into the barrier, so she said.
"If it's just that, I still won't let you go in… Interest is an extremely unstable thing. Who knows if Macht will lose interest in you the next second and decide to attack."
"Hmm…" Fíliya was getting frustrated, thinking to herself how unusually stubborn Solitär was being today. She hadn't expected Solitär to be so hard to persuade.
"Is one reason not enough… Then I'll have to give Solitär another one." Fíliya rested her chin on her hand and began to think.
After a moment, she looked up at Solitär again.
"Alright, then I'll give a second reason. Hmm… I think that Macht must be longing for freedom. In the decades he's been imprisoned here, he must have tried to break this barrier many times. And given his skill, he must have realized that only a being with knowledge of human lore and culture could possibly break it… Our arrival is a beacon of hope for him. I bet he's eager to talk to us, which is why he rushed to the edge of the barrier to meet us."
"So, you see, Solitär, you don't have to worry about my safety at all."
___
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