I have to hypnotize you, Aura!

Then, amidst Frilian's puzzled and bewildered expression, he pursed his lips.

This thing, which seemed to be about to tarnish a pure white sheet of paper, excited him—so excited that he raised the flag.

"What do you mean by lying to Celie and being afraid of her messing with me? Those are secondary reasons. The real reason is that I just wanted to come here... Shouldn't you pay me some interest after eating and drinking at my house for so long?"

"...What do you want to do?"

This pose is so bizarre that even an elf lacking common sense couldn't help but feel his heart race and his cheeks turn red.

"Also, it seems like something is pressing against me. Is it the dagger you're carrying?"

She reached out in confusion, trying to move the dagger pointed at her, but found that she couldn't do it no matter what she did, and as she tried, Fingel's breathing suddenly became heavy.

Frillie is suspicious of your words.

[The attempt to generate a positive impression factor...failed to be implemented.]

!!!

Fingel's pupils contracted slightly. What... what is this guy doing with such an innocent look on his face?

Is this what it means to be speechless?

hiss.

“What I mean is, since I can’t stop you from falsely accusing me of something, I might as well not try to stop you.” Fingel gritted his teeth, enduring the pain that made his gums ache, and made his criminal declaration.

"The best course of action is to go all out and confirm the lie."

Then, Fingel grabbed Frillie's chin, pressed it down sharply, and kissed her forcefully.

"Woo!!!"

Like two wheels rubbing against each other, Frillie tried hard to push them apart, but she couldn't—she only felt a strange sense of comfort and sensed that Fingel was stealing her breath.

So... she subconsciously followed her body's instincts and complied.

[Physiological response term... activated successfully]

【Frilian has serious doubts about you!】

[Generates advanced affinity keywords...]

[Favorability implantation...successfully!]

[Favorability...+30]

[Affection Level: 121 (Friendly)]

..................................

At this moment, in a village thirty kilometers away.

"What is Fingel doing?" Aura sipped her tea, savoring it. "Honestly, he disappeared in the blink of an eye."

The blue floral tea tried to quell her growing discontent, but it was like a flood that had burst its banks, impossible to stop—the feeling of having desires yet suddenly falling into tranquility made Aura feel extremely uncomfortable.

It's as if all desires have been instantly wiped out.

The more he thought about it, the more dissatisfied he became, and Aura overturned the teacup on the table.

"Wow!"

"It's all Fingel's fault! He always gives me this weird stuff to drink..."

Aura felt very uncomfortable during the time Fingel was gone.

And for some reason, she has been feeling uneasy lately, as if something has been taken away from her.

Illusion?

Chapter 87: You still have the nerve to come back?

Time flies, and the New Year is just around the corner. Even Furame, who had been away, has returned.

Because the snow had covered the road and there was a time constraint, Fingel naturally planned to stay here and celebrate the New Year with Flame and the others. To make it more lively, he even invited some people of a certain status from nearby villages where there was still human activity to celebrate the New Year together.

To prepare supplies for this year's annual meeting, Fingel will go hunting with Flame and her apprentice Frilian.

As for Celia?

What a joke! When have you ever seen your master personally take action? Isn't this what disciples and grand-disciples should do?

After making up his mind, Fingel decided to go see Aura first—it had been quite a while since they last met.

Wow!

Fingel pushed open the door and looked up to see Aura sitting with his legs crossed, drinking tea and idly reading some human book.

"Oh? Even illiterate people know how to read? Can you even read?"

He had some doubts, not ruling out the possibility that many demons might study human writing in an attempt to gain more knowledge—but would someone like Aura really do such a thing?

Magic is a reflection of a being's inner self, and Aura's magic proves that she is a vile female who is obsessed with dominating others and making them her slaves to contribute value.

“Lord Aura…” Fingel’s smile paused slightly before he continued, “The weather today… uh, wait, have you eaten?”

He glanced at the old woman who was cooking vigorously over the fireplace.

Aura has slight doubts about your words.

[The attempt to generate a positive impression factor...failed to be implemented.]

Aura slightly raised her chin, her long eyelashes casting a shadow as they drooped, her red lips forming a cold, indifferent curve—she suddenly turned her head and glanced at someone expressionlessly.

"You still have the nerve to come back? I thought you'd been released."

???

Fingel couldn't hold back anymore. What the heck was "released"? Haji, you're really good at describing things!

He noticed that Aura was becoming more and more human; was he even starting to speak in a strange, sarcastic tone now?

It's amazing.

"What did I do?" he said, both amused and exasperated. "I've only been researching magic this month, Lord Aura, please don't talk nonsense."

To deal with this crazy woman, he decisively activated his mind-reading ability.

[NPC mind-reading ability now available...]

【Open successfully】

Aura chuckled coldly twice, her snow-white neck arching gracefully with the movement. She impatiently twirled a strand of hair behind her ear as she spoke, her tone slightly irritated.

"Heh, do you think I'd believe your nonsense? Researching magic is a lie; your real purpose is just to find a way to sleep with those two elves, isn't it?"

"?"

This is the truth; the system's mind-reading ability is exactly the same as in reality.

Fingel's expression immediately darkened. What did he say?!

Has this guy become more difficult to please lately?

He did have that in mind, but his main purpose was probably to study magic, right?

During this period of training, Fingel discovered that he did have some talent. Although he wasn't like Flame, whose mere ten or so years could match Frilian's hundreds of years of accumulation, he was still one in a thousand.

According to Flame, he already possesses the magical power of an ordinary person for two or three years.

He raised his hand and looked at his arm and palm. The crisscrossing black, scale-like marks on them had disappeared, and now even his pupils had returned to normal. If things continued like this, he could remain completely normal without worrying about his bloodline corrupting him again.

Thinking about this, he felt somewhat happy.

"Hey, I'm talking to you."

Aura glared at Fingel with displeasure; the guy was no longer hiding his true colors.

This guy is getting more and more outrageous. I'm going to trample him under my feet and make Fingel lick my toes in front of everyone...

?

Ha ha.

A world of illusion?

Ahura, you've been daydreaming for a while now, haven't you?

Fingel was speechless; eating the mushrooms was the answer.

He ignored Aura and instead looked at the aunt who was still busy cooking—the old woman was about fifty or sixty years old, which would be considered very old in this medieval world.

To be honest, many people would find it torturous to have an elderly person cook and take care of Awula, and Fingel didn't understand why she agreed.

What is there for an old man to care about in an unreasonable, cruel, and uncompassionate demon?

Fingel's prejudice has always been like this.

He bowed slightly, thanked the old woman, and untied a money bag from his waist, pushing it onto the table—the metal clattered with a pleasant sound, a sound that captivated most people in the world.

"Auntie, thank you for taking care of Lady Aura during this time. It must have been hard for you to tolerate her rudeness and arrogance."

"This means my additional compensation."

The thin strap of the money bag loosened, revealing the coins inside—mostly silver coins. Fingel dared not give the old man any more. At present, this wealth of about fifty or sixty silver coins should be enough for the old man who had three sons.

Even so, the old woman still showed a rather shocked expression on her face.

Is it fair to say they are of noble birth?

So rich!

Under the influence of wealth, even the old woman who disliked Fingel became much more respectful.

"Hehe... No need, sir, you've already paid." She smiled brightly, her wrinkles clinging to her face, but instead of looking frightening, they seemed to make her even more kind. "Besides, it's just taking care of one person, it's no big deal for me."

From the very beginning, Fingel provided enough money for food, which was more than enough to buy food. In those days, it was only natural for commoners to serve nobles, and he never even thought about charging them.

I'm just a little tired.

"Lady Aura is actually very easy to take care of." The old woman pushed the money over and said with a smile, "I've met nobles when I was young. Although Lady Aura is a demon, she is sometimes much easier to serve than those nobles."

?

Is there such a thing?

Fingel guessed that this woman might have been a noblewoman's maid when she was young—in such cases, nobles would usually give an unimportant maid a sum of money and send her home once she was clearly old and past her prime.

These maids were even quite popular, and they easily got married after returning home, even if they were older.

These days, anything associated with nobility is something everyone aspires to.

"You should accept it," Finger shook his head, showing respect for the elderly. "After all, your grandson is almost of engagement age, isn't he?"

The old woman hesitated for a moment.

"this..."

During their conversation, Aura felt extremely offended. Were these two ignoring me?

Who gave them the guts?

[Aura has moderate doubts about your behavior!]

[Favorability-enhancing keywords...Insertion successful!]

【Favourability: 324】

"Hey! Are you listening to me?"

Aura's tone turned cold. This despicable guy is really going too far. Does he think I'm an idiot?

"Huh? Can you be quiet, Lord Aura?" Fingel retorted irritably, completely oblivious to Aura's increasingly cold expression.

"hateful...."

[Damn it, damn it, damn it, damn it... This guy... I have to...]

As a demon, and one who prefers to act alone, Aura shouldn't have many emotions in most situations—but then again, that's only in most cases.

At least Aura found that Fingel was very good at provoking her anger.

The more Aura thought about it, the angrier she became. She puffed out her cheeks, stood up, and then addressed Fingel.

“Look at me, you paramecium.”