Not Believing

Hearing Charlotte's gentle tone, which was completely different from before, Astrid finally felt relieved, knowing that her words had indeed comforted the other party.

The two, having resumed their intimacy, hugged quietly for a while without saying a word.

Charlotte remembered that the last time she had hugged Astrid was when the latter was twelve years old.

Six years had passed in the blink of an eye, and the little girl in her memory had not only grown taller but had also blossomed into a young woman.

The embrace was soft, and Charlotte felt a slight tightness in her chest.

After a while, Astrid suddenly remembered something and let go of Charlotte, her pink lips parting slightly.

"By the way, Lady Charlotte, I almost forgot to give you your gift."

In previous years, Astrid had given Charlotte various pieces of expensive jewelry for her birthday.

Charlotte, however, didn't particularly care for such ostentatious decorations; she valued practicality and the thoughtfulness behind the gift more.

"What gift?" Charlotte asked curiously.

Astrid then took out a glass bottle from her purse, which contained a clear liquid resembling a potion.

"A bottle of perfume that I made myself,"

Handing the gift to Charlotte took the glass bottle with some surprise and held it in her palm to examine it closely.

"Astrid... you made perfume?"

Perfume was a luxury item that had recently become popular among the aristocratic circles of the Valeria Empire.

Charlotte rarely used it, only applying some on special occasions like banquets.

Astrid listened modestly and said, "I don't know much about it, I just wanted to try. This bottle turned out well, so I thought I'd give it to you, Lady Charlotte."

"It's made with roses, patchouli, some soothing light grass, and blue vitex for moisture."

Charlotte looked at the clear liquid in front of her, her long lashes fluttering slightly. "It sounds lovely."

She wasn't surprised that Astrid knew so much about pharmacology.

The girl had always been interested in flowers and beautiful jewelry since she was a child.

It was likely that while studying perfumes, she had also read some related books.

"Mind if I try it now?" Charlotte asked.

Astrid shook her head. "Of course not."

Uncorking the bottle, Charlotte poured a little perfume into her palm.

However, she couldn't smell anything, even when she brought it closer. She wondered if there was something wrong with her nose.

"Lady Charlotte, try channeling some mental power into it,"

Mental power? Did Astrid know about that concept?

Charlotte didn't ask further and began to channel mental power into the perfume.

Something seemed to break in the darkness, and in the next second, a faint fragrance filled the air, like a mix of roses and ripe peaches.

This feeling... it's a magic circle...

As a professor of magic circles and a junior Arcanist mage, Charlotte instantly realized what she had just triggered.

Her beautiful eyes narrowed slightly as she examined the liquid more closely.

This was a magic circle formed by a single wind element.

The mental power temporarily disrupted the circle, allowing the fragrance to be released.

Once the flow of mental power stopped, the wind element would rearrange itself, and after a certain period, the circle would return to its original state.

There were many magic circles that could serve similar opening and closing functions, and Charlotte herself had constructed countless such circles.

However, she had never seen one applied to perfume in such a way.

There was no doubt that, judging from the external effects and manifestations, this magic circle had been derived from a wind-based spell.

Based on Charlotte's experience, it was likely that the circle had been adapted from an intermediate wind spell, such as the Flow Wind Barrier.

"Astrid... did you really make this perfume all by yourself?" Charlotte asked, her tone carefully neutral.

It wasn't that Charlotte didn't want to believe Astrid, but what she was seeing was simply unbelievable.

Dismantling and reconstructing spells required at least the skill level of a Magnus.

Charlotte knew Astrid's magical capabilities well, and the girl shouldn't even have reached the level of an apprentice mage yet.

It was impossible for her to have completed the circle on her own.

Perhaps the perfume itself was Astrid's creation, but the magic circle within it must have been crafted by someone else.

"I did it all by myself," Astrid replied truthfully.

Charlotte's expression grew complicated, a hint of disappointment flickering in her eyes.

She didn't like the idea of Astrid lying to her.

"Actually, just giving me a gift makes me very happy. There's no need to go this far..."

She could understand Astrid's desire to please her elders, but lying was still wrong.

"Lady Charlotte, do you think I didn't make it myself?"

Charlotte fell into a brief silence, neither confirming nor denying. After a moment, she spoke slowly.

"I want to believe you, but this magic circle... it's beyond your current capabilities..."

An eighteen-year-old Magnus? Was that even possible?

The most famous magician in human history, Gemini, had only been a high-level Sorcerer by the age of eighteen.

Astrid pursed her lips and said softly, "But I really did arrange it myself. If you don't believe me, I can explain it to you."

Seeing Astrid's confident expression, Charlotte felt a flicker of doubt, but reason quickly pulled her back.

She opened her pink lips and asked, "How did you capture enough wind elements for this circle?"

"I used a portion of wind element sap. It's a good source of wind particles when the air is relatively still."

"Do you need to release mental power intermittently or continuously during the arrangement?"

"Mostly continuously, but there's a brief pause when each wind element is in place."

"The properties of the wind element?"

"Cyclic flow, affinity with electrical elements, and in trace cases, affinity with fire elements..."

Charlotte asked several more questions, and Astrid answered each one without hesitation.

As the conversation progressed, Charlotte's eyes deepened, and her lips parted slightly in surprise.

Could it really be true? Did Astrid truly create this herself?

Charlotte turned and pulled a plain glass bottle from a drawer, deciding to make one final confirmation.

"I don't have Wind Grass here, but I can capture wind elements for you. I want to see for myself how my big girl does it."

At this point, Charlotte was already two-thirds convinced. In fact, she hoped that Astrid could really succeed.

Looking at the glass bottle in front of her, Astrid opened the cork and asked softly, "Shall I begin?"

Charlotte nodded and waved her hand lightly.

Without the need for lengthy incantations like other junior mages, Charlotte summoned a strong wind with a mere thought.

The gust swirled into the room, circling closely around Astrid.