Suddenly, they both heard a sound of something hitting the ground and both of them looked at the floor where it fell.
Inna breathed a sigh of relief. Then, she grabbed the card and handed it to him.
"Here, the card."
Solomon took it and was quite startled to see what was written in the card.
"So your name is Ingrid Lidden? Inna must be a nickname?" He asked.
Lidden… Lidden… where have I heard that name before?
Inna was confused but she remembered that it isn't actually her body so she just nodded.
"Mixed talent? Both Combat and Magic aptitudes?" He stared at the heap of weapons and back at her. "You don't look like a magic user to me."
"Well, you don't look middle-aged to me." Inna spat back.
"You….. Enough with my age!" Solomon sighed.
"Are you really a magic user?" He asked seriously.
"I think? Actually, I never used magic before." Inna answered truthfully.
She figured she would lie about it like other mangas she read. But when she thought it through, there was no use lying at all!
If she were to say she knows magic, he might ask for a demonstration.
Then, if she can't demonstrate, she's gonna be in trouble!
Most of the main leads were able to fluke it out because it was a book. But this here right now for her is reality!
And she's sure as hell not gonna lay down her life just for a chance of a shitty fluke.
So, she figured to better lay it out early.
"So, you focused on combat skills even though you have apitittude for magic?"
"Yeah." I guess.
"Kid, this is too much of a waste." He sighed. "Do you want to be my disciple? I can teach you magic." Solomon smiled, trying to look kind and considerate.
"Nope." Inna said immediately.
"Wha- why?! You obviously need a teacher!"
"I don't trust you." Inna said truthfully. "You just said now that adventurers don't easily trust people. And after being tricked once, I obviously won't trust anyone unless I truly get to know them."
"And I have a feeling that you have another ulterior motive behind this." Inna narrowed her eyes at him.
Solomon sighed. "Okay. If this gets you to trust me, then I'll lay it all out."
"I saw what happened. I saw you change from an angry piece of a battered mess to an expressionless killing machine. In that state, you were practically invincible. No injuries seem to faze you, and nothing seems to be running from your mind aside from killing the opponent. Your combat skills soared as well. I saw the difference with how you dodged half assedly and how perfect you dodged when you were in 'that' state. But what made me more curious was your detachtment towards everything else. It was like watching a soulless doll move. And it intrigued me so much so that I wish to study this matter."
"I'm actually a Researcher of matters regarding the Souls, a Soul Researcher for short. And I just wanted to closely study your soulless state. I won't do anything strange apart from testing somethings and some detailed check ups. Don't worry, it can be a give-and-take relationship. I study your soul, and you study under me as a disciple."
Inna narrowed her eyes. "And what makes you think being your disciple is something I want?"
"Because I'm the 2nd strongest magic-user in history." He said matter-of-factly.
"Second to the deceased Sage, of course."
"And, I'm also quite knowledgeable with Combat skills as well. And I have vast resources that can help you become stronger faster. So, what do you say?"
"Why does it feel like you're the one begging me to take you in as a teacher?" Inna snickered.
Solomon's kind smile stiffened but it didn't disappear. "I am willing to go as far as this to quench my thirst of knowledge. So, there is no such thing as pride right now. Begging, if it allows me to continue my research, then I will gladly do it again and again with honor."
"Pshhhh, fine." Inna sighed.
"I'll trust you this once."
"But if I get hurt in one of your experiments, I'll cut the agreement off! Even if you're the 2nd strongest or even the strongest, you can't study shit with a soulless corpse, so don't try me."
Solomon nodded profusely. "Of course, of course. There would be no pain involved. Just observing and meditations and measurement for the force, its presence, the strength, its vitality. Its actually quite easy. We just need to…"
He began to discuss some jargon that Inna didn't understand so she ignored him and went back to bed. And she actually found it easier to sleep now.