Mystic Overlord: Reading Gives Strength

"..."

"A mortal shouldn't be able to see through my disguise."

The figure entirely hidden in the shadows, whom one might tentatively call Vilarnika, finally spoke.

She considered her appearance to be flawless.

The materials of her clothes matched her assumed status, the craftsmanship corresponded with the grade of handwoven fabric, and even the stains had been aged.

Not to mention her current self, devoid of any evident mystical powers, plus the super bonus of her appearance!

Yet in reality?

They had just met, the total time barely amounted to a single breath.

This man before her was so certain of her identity, he had even declared it definitively!

His hostile attitude was all too apparent!

Even if an ordinary person encountered such a situation, facing a beautiful young girl of such caliber.

Even if they saw through her, there was absolutely no reason for such a swift decision, was there?

————

Inside the bedroom, Yang Siming's mood had somewhat improved.

Not for any other reason but the remarks made by the individual outside claiming to be Vilarnika.

Brief as they were, the statement contained no small amount of information.

"She" lacked the mind-reading abilities found in fantasy novels, nor had she undergone any modern negotiation training like the cold reading technique.

Of course, an improved mood didn't mean he could let his guard down completely.

He graciously stood up from the chair, ensuring he had space around him to dodge if necessary, before Yang Siming opened his mouth again:

"Although I'm unsure why, but you probably can't enter this room."

"Can we confirm that first, Miss Vilarnika?"

"..."

"Repeating what has already been said, interesting, isn't it?"

Hearing Yang Siming's somewhat provocative words, the 'girl' guarding the door darkened even more, her expression in the shadows turning ink-like.

With a cold gesture, she adjusted her clothing and then fixed her gaze on the man inside the bedroom:

"As for whether I can enter this room."

"Heh..."

"It seems you're quite concerned about that."

"Are you worried I would step in and snatch away your life?"

"Earlier, you were clearly facing a natural disaster at archaeological ruins, and then you woke up in this completely unknown world. Even though your mind is sharp, understanding the mysteries here isn't possible."

"How sad, Mr. Yang Siming."

"..."

Her tone was haughty, with a hint of scorn.

As if Yang Siming hadn't responded to her query, Vilarnika didn't offer any answer either but instead started mocking him with aggressive language.

As the atmosphere grew colder, Yang Siming raised an eyebrow.

This person's manner of speaking suggested she believed herself to be physically superior. If Yang showed any weakness, the situation would undoubtedly worsen.

Thus, he said:

"I don't like it when people answer questions with questions."

"And, you're probably not upset because I saw through your disguise, leading to such a reaction, are you?"

Yang Siming's retort was sharply ironic.

Regrettably, the girl showed no intention of continuing the conversation this time.

"Heh—"

An ambiguous, cold laugh.

She abandoned maintaining the formidable front she had previously held.

She simply sat down on the floor, her maid's dress gathering dust as she knelt at the doorway.

With a cold, lifeless gaze, she began silently watching Yang Siming inside, not even wasting the moments it took to blink.

Her pupils conveyed a clear message—'I'm watching you, do as you please.'

"..."

No hope of extracting information through dialogue—

Yang Siming knew very well how to handle such people.

Vilarnika's uncooperative attitude meant verbal strategies were ineffective.

Not to mention his limited understanding of this individual.

And yet, she even knew about his circumstances before his 'transference!'

In a situation where information was asymmetric and there was a disparity in power,

Prying open the mouth of this 'beautiful girl' was probably more difficult than breaking into a bank vault barehanded.

Of course, it wasn't without some gains.

Firstly, the other party had solidified the restriction of not entering this room, and it had also largely confirmed her non-human existence.

With these two points, it already posed a very serious premise for him.

A challenging and dangerous premise indeed!

"In another world, speaking a language I don't understand would be more realistic,"

"What does Earth's language even count for..."

Yang Siming dropped his final probe, but Vilarnika remained unmoved, maintaining her posture, like a beautiful doll sitting on the ground.

"Ts—"

Seeing that the other party had no reaction, Yang Siming clicked his tongue and sat back in his chair, resuming the decryption work he had not finished.

Anyway, she couldn't come in.

With the current situation, decrypting the notes in his hands might be the best solution.

————

In the rainy night, the atmosphere inside the room gradually became eerie.

The young and beautiful maid kneeled at the door, motionless, her eyes fixed on the man inside the room like a statue of Venus. The man who was being watched remained unmoved, his attention fully invested in the text before him.

Silence concealed danger, and the cold revealed a deadlock.

Deciphering, or as the word translation work continued, Yang Siming's clear thought processes began to become muddled.

He even doubted his own ideas.

The initial words like 'to', 'of' could still be used, but as progress moved forward, the subsequent content began to become enigmatic.

Occurrences of obscure characters like 'Iškur', 'Gubarra' came up frequently, but anything related to magic or sorcery was completely absent.

Rather than a book recording mystical knowledge, it seemed more like a document detailing some ancient story.

As a librarian, he could vouch for it, at least in terms of terminology.

Boom—

Another thunderclap roared.

It was unclear whether it was the thunder that broke the silence or if the 'maid miss' had become impatient.

Springing from the ground, she didn't even think to dust off her skirt, she directly approached Yang Siming, who was pondering the contents of the 'note', and revealed a smile bright enough to illuminate the night.

At this moment, the girl by the door shone with a dazzling beauty not of this world, her previous indifference completely vanished.

"Mr. Yang, don't you think you're wasting time?"

"Let's be honest and have a good talk, shall we?"

"If a problem can be resolved through dialogue, that's the best outcome."

"..."

Seeing Vilarnika's sudden act of goodwill, Yang Siming jerked alertly.

His first thought was not exchange.

Instead, he subconsciously looked at the window in front of him.

—Being on the second floor.

Jumping down would not leave him paralyzed.

People who suddenly change their menacing attitude typically suggest imminent danger.

Indeed, Yang Siming was not contemplating negotiating.

He was considering making a run for it!

But once he left this room, the problems he'd face would be entirely different.

This 'maid miss' who could not enter the room—would she, being a normal human, honestly take the stairs and then take a long circuitous path to pursue him?

Probably not.

If that creature caught up to him, even being half-paralyzed might seem like a luxury!

And thinking deeper—

The fact that 'Vilarnika' was now speaking, did it signify a change in the situation?

To put it plainly.

As time progressed and external conditions changed,

Could she soon enter the room?

Now, by talking and detaining him, was she about to act?

Less than five meters outside the door,

Noticing Yang Siming's wary silence, Vilarnika's smile gradually turned into resignation.

This human, difficult to handle!