Surviving The Fourth Calamity

Aislin was a bit unsure about what Gilbert was hinting at, but she knew that among Ruth’s students, only Gilbert was quick-witted enough and wouldn’t want to make her suffer.

Oliva was also someone she could trust, but she didn’t trust Oliva’s mind at all.

As for Ruth... as Aislin had mentioned to Gilbert before, she always felt that everything about her teacher was great, except that his attitude of treasuring someone who should have long died was quite pointless.

Aislin always felt that between that person and herself, the teacher would only choose the one who was no longer human.

Although she could guess that in the past, it was because of that person’s self-sacrifice that allowed Ruth to establish himself in the Tower of Dark Enigma as a High-level Mage, hadn’t it all been in the past?

Aislin couldn’t understand why Ruth, knowing that the other had become a burden, was still unwilling to let go.

But it wasn’t that she didn’t understand at all.

Just like some time ago when she had to struggle to survive in ’Aislin’s’ hands, Ruth still hadn’t given up on her. Their teacher never was someone who would abandon his feelings.

But these things, she couldn’t possibly discuss them with Gilbert, who knew nothing about it... Oh~ Aislin suddenly felt she had grown a lot. In the past, she would definitely have told Gilbert about this matter, so he could find a way to deal with that burden.

Even knowing that doing so would make Ruth resent Gilbert, and possibly even blame her for speaking up, Aislin felt those small costs were worth it.

After all, they no longer had to stay in the Tower of Dark Enigma as before, so they didn’t have to endure the other’s cruelty and madness.

Aislin was willing to come to Sia Tower from the very beginning because she always thought that if Ruth continued to mess around with that person, he’d end up getting himself killed sooner or later.

That... with only thoughts of revenge in mind, but Ruth was still a living person!

One shouldn’t make the living suffer just for a bit of resentment.

However, Aislin actually knew that some of her thoughts weren’t agreed upon by Ruth, so she could only choose to imply things indirectly.

Though in her heart she had a bad idea that Hilbert would surely slap her if he found out, Aislin’s demeanor was quite stable... mainly because, to her, such thoughts were hardly malicious at all.

After all, she was constantly plotting harm, and the fact that she hadn’t really acted on it was her greatest goodwill.

Aislin smirked lazily and said, ”Then I’ll write to Rosero, so, give me a stack of pretty stationery and some cute ink, Gilbert, I believe you must have some.”

”Look at your paint, this translucent grayish-purple, how did you mix it?

Even Pet couldn’t come up with such cute and girlish colors even if she went blind!

As expected, those who said it were right, men with a girly heart are the best at this!”

”Can you go die, Aislin?”

Hilbert indeed didn’t mind Aislin’s little attack power... When he first started making beautiful jewelry for the Undead Tribe to revel in, he had already mentally prepared himself.

Heh~ he indeed suffered from a massive mental attack.

But countless 300,000 couldn’t possibly care about such so-called mental shock.

After all, making money was never something to be ashamed of.

Even though gold was something Hil could easily obtain, it didn’t stop him from wanting to earn money the proper way.

”Interesting...” Noticing that Hilbert wasn’t angry at her for subtly mocking him as a little girl, Aislin suddenly leaned in, ”You’re really not mad!”

”I’m tired of your endless provocations.” Hilbert bluntly pointed out, ”But, saying I have some feminine traits or whatever, there’s no need for me to be mad.

Aislin, you’re already an 8th Ring Mage, why do you still view people as male or female?

At this stage, shouldn’t you be considering strength and stance, ability and nature instead?

Gender is just an additional attribute, not a necessity.”

”I don’t see it that way.” Aislin slightly pouted, ”Heh~ I almost forgot, you’re still a virgin, so you don’t understand anything.”

”You can leave now.” Hilbert chuckled coldly, ”If you keep focusing on those aspects when thinking about matters, the next mistake you make will be even greater.

I’m not interested in constantly reminding you.”

Hilbert finally understood why he didn’t like this Aislin too much.

Though her heart wasn’t as cold as before, she was still incredibly stubborn.

This kind of biased stubbornness... is the kind where, once you have a prejudice, you never change it again.

This kind of person, no, deity, is the type he absolutely wouldn’t want to deal with.

Hilbert could even guess why Ruth, who had always been tolerant of the original Aislin, was now trying to push her to leave and see the outside world... That Archmage should have already realized that compared to the personality combined with Glaysia, the soul itself is even harder to deal with.

But both Ruth and Hilbert actually understood that the current Aislin is simply overly excited from suddenly being freed after being tightly bound for so long.

Some concepts deep within the original soul suddenly surfaced, and Aislin, whose mind is easily swayed, temporarily couldn’t differentiate what were her own thoughts and what were the dirty things that came with the original soul.

Only with time could she gradually correct those problems imposed on her by external forces.

If Hilbert could guess what’s going on with Aislin, then he’d assume Ruth could probably think similarly... Hilbert wasn’t too concerned; after all, it had nothing to do with him.

But Ruth must be very annoyed: after all, it turns out the original deities of this world weren’t anything legitimate.

So Ruth likely wanted Aislin out of sight, out of mind.

Let Aislin wander outside until her thoughts clear up before returning to his side.

In Aislin’s astonished eyes, Hilbert suddenly chuckled... When she was entangled with ’Aislin’, they all could tolerate such a double life.

Instead, once Aislin was about to become a complete Aislin, they couldn’t tolerate it.

Even though Glaysia resembled a chaotic lawful evil the most, for these mages, she was easier to communicate with and understand than true chaos!

”What are you laughing at?” Aislin leaned in closer.

”Weren’t you asking for stationery?” Hilbert rummaged out a pile from his storage ring, ”Carpenter’s work; I think you should like it.

Hurry and write your letter, then see what that Mage Rosero replies with!”

Aislin pouted unhappily, but she knew that Gilbert was already at the edge of breaking. Continuing to mess around would indeed get her slapped like Ruth mentioned.

Though she wasn’t as thin-skinned as before, she wasn’t crazy about getting beaten.

This pile of gorgeously flamboyant stationery suited her taste, so after taking it, Aislin quickly slipped away.

-----------------

”Teacher.” Russell softly greeted from the door, ”Didn’t you say, those papers, you were going to use them to build a bird’s nest?”

Russell remembered his teacher’s comments about Carpenter’s work: only those sensory-lacking puppet birds could enjoy such daring colors.

”Aislin’s sense of aesthetics is about the same as those birds.” Hilbert smiled faintly.

”You mean...” Russell paused and then quickly shut his mouth.

’Gilbert’ was clearly saying that something was wrong with that Aislin, and it was a big problem.

The problem was even big enough for ’Gilbert’ to use those puppet birds as a metaphor.

”Archmage Ruth...” he finally hesitantly asked.

”Of course, he knows.” Hilbert shook his head, ”But he can’t do anything about it, it has to be Aislin herself.

Speaking of which, this guy’s fate, heh~

Truth and lies, reality and illusion, no one knows what it’ll become.”

Aislin now is actually more dangerous than in the past.

At that time, she knew what was going on with herself.

But now, it’s very possible she will be replaced entirely by another soul.

Just like Edna once was... Although in the end, Edna became Edna again, but during that process, how many coincidences combined to create a new Goddess of Magic, huh!

Normally, she should have eventually become Midnight, or if she’d been even unluckier, been swallowed entirely by the original Black Eye along with Midnight.

Though perhaps it’s giving Aislin too much credit, nonetheless she’s indeed on that path now.