This old man really knows mind-reading!!
Ultear didn't expect that the "ultimate move" she spent so much effort thinking up would be so easily broken by the opponent. For a moment, she felt both discouraged and that things had become quite tricky.
"Well? Are you willing to admit now that you were cheating just a moment ago?"
"Hmph!" Ultear said indignantly, "As the person answering, you eavesdropped on the questioner's thoughts. If you ask me, that is the real cheating!"
Weston couldn't help but find it hilarious: "Hey, hey, hey... let's get things straight, little girl. You were the one who first proposed 'guessing thoughts,' which has absolutely nothing to do with magic. I was forced to listen to your heart; technically, you were the one who cheated first!!"
"Tch..."
"Keep going with the questions!"
"Let... let me think a bit more!"
Ultear buried her head in deep thought once again. After that last round, she knew the old man in front of her truly had some skill. Since he knew mind-reading magic, questions like "guessing thoughts" were now completely useless. Because no matter what question she asked, he would know the answer she had in mind. Therefore, to win, she had to ask a question for which even she didn't know the answer, but one that could be verified immediately!
What kind of question should she ask?
Ah, got it!
Ultear had a flash of inspiration, and light burst from her eyes once again: "Second question coming up, listen closely!"
"The ninth magic book on the third shelf of the eighth row in the seventh column on the first floor—on page 111, line 22, what is the third word?"
Having blurted out the entire question in one breath, Ultear took a long draw of air. Her gaze toward Weston was once again full of arrogance: "I don't believe you can answer such a bizarre and tricky question!"
In her mind, even if the old man had learned every magic here, it was impossible for him to have such precise mastery over every single book and every single word within them.
"Hehehe..."
"Well, old man? Can't answer it, can you? You should just surrender and admit defeat!"
Weston didn't answer immediately. Instead, after a two-second pause, he said: "The ninth magic book on the third shelf of the eighth row in the seventh column on the first floor is the Lost Magic Arc of Time. The entire book only has 99 pages, so there is no 'page 111, line 22, third word' like you mentioned."
Ultear was silent for a good while: "...I don't believe it. I'm going to go look for myself!"
With that, the girl jumped off her chair, turned around, and went "putong-putong" down the stairs.
"Seventh column... eighth row... third shelf... ninth book..."
"Found it!!"
After a brief search, Ultear's gaze finally settled on a magic book with a black cover. She stepped forward quickly, only to find the shelf was too high. Even on tiptoes, her height wasn't enough to reach the third shelf. She had to move a high stool from nearby and step on it to take the book down.
"Let me see, this book is..."
"What?!"
"It really is Arc of Time?!"
Ultear gave a low cry and flipped to the last page. Sure enough, the page number "99" was printed there.
This was bad! That old man actually had such precise mastery over the magic books here!
Ultear bit her lip, and the urge to retreat began to sprout in her heart. If even such a tricky question couldn't stump him, what method did she have left to win? Since the old man hadn't followed her down, maybe she should just take this chance to sneak away?
But running away now would be far too pathetic!
Ultear was extremely unwilling.
No, I am the Academy's top student. Even if I lose, I must lose with dignity. I can't let him look down on me!
Ultear composed herself and raised her hand, preparing to put Arc of Time back in its original place. But just then, she noticed a discrepancy.
The eighth book on the same shelf was Transformation Magic, and the tenth book was Transformation Magic II. The other magic books on that same shelf were all similar types of magic. As a Lost Magic, for Arc of Time to be placed on the same shelf as these low-level magics—and specifically between two books that were clearly about the same spell—was simply too out of place!
Would the prestigious Fairy Academy Magic Library have such an absurd shelving system? If it was a case of some student borrowing Arc of Time and then putting it back haphazardly... that didn't make sense either! The location was so high; how could someone just casually place a book there?!
The more Ultear thought, the more suspicious it seemed. Come to think of it, that old man clearly just arrived recently. How could he have mastered the location of every single book in the library so accurately in such a short time?
"AH!!!"
"I UNDERSTAND!!!"
After thinking it through for a moment, Ultear suddenly let out a loud shout. Clutching Arc of Time and the two Transformation Magic books, she jumped off the stool and charged back up to the second floor in a huff.
PENG!!!
Ultear slammed the three magic books down heavily in front of Weston.
"You cheated!!"
"Oh? How did I cheat?" Weston looked at her, still smiling.
Now that Ultear had seen through the truth, she spoke with natural confidence: "In that spot—the ninth book on the third shelf of the eighth row in the seventh column—it wasn't Arc of Time at all. It should have been Transformation Magic II!"
"The proof is that this magic book is a completely different type and level compared to the others on that shelf, and it was wedged between two copies of Transformation Magic!!"
Ultear looked around again and sneered: "As I thought, it's gone!"
Weston asked back: "What is gone?"
"The book you were reading before I came here is gone!"
Ultear patted the Arc of Time on the table: "If I'm not mistaken, this is what you were reading at the time!"
"After I finished setting the question—and most likely during the time I was heading downstairs—you used Spatial Magic to move it there!"
Pa-pa-pa-pa...
"Absolutely correct!!"
Weston clapped while praising her: "To see through my little trick in such a short time, you really are remarkable!"
"Of course I am!"
Ultear raised her chin proudly: "I am the Academy's top student, Ultear Milkovich!"
After basking in her pride, the girl sat back down opposite Weston: "This game just now... that counts as my win, right?"
Weston nodded and smiled: "Since my trick was discovered and I couldn't name the original book in that spot, then of course you win!"
A strong sense of pride welled up in Ultear's heart.
"Then... what about that mysterious gift you mentioned?"
"Isn't it right there??"
Weston pointed at the Arc of Time on the table.
"I'm giving this magic book to you as a meeting gift!"