Granny Zai was about to curiously ask for a reason when he saw Solomon's face that looked like it had aged greatly over the past hours.
Heavens! He nearly looked as old as her!
And so, out of both concern and knowing that he was mentally exhausted, she simply repeated what she recalled he had said earlier and took it as an answer despite it being vague.
"Something to do with the soul?"
Solomon knew that Granny Zai was immensely curious about Inna's situation. But he knew, from that glint in her eyes, that she wouldn't ask further about it. Because she must've known, probably from her intuition as being the oldest maid in the whole manor or from her experience taking care of him ever since he was a child, that he would find ways to dodge the question whenever he felt tired and didn't feel like answering.
And so, exhausted from all the mentally-draining guesses and explanations he told and from hiding the hurt he held in his heart as he recalled his dear love, Solomon simply nodded as a reply to Granny Zai.
He sunk further into his seat, feeling his old bones creak as he stared at the book before him.
Salvia…
How he wished she was here to see Inna…
That feisty woman would've lit up knowing that there was a mystery at hand. And she would've monitored Inna in all the hours she could ever hope to do so.
She was always far more ferocious than him in their quest for knowledge, after all.
Suddenly, another knock resounded and the atmosphere of the room suddenly grew thick.
Everyone in the room knew who was behind the door but they were all not mentally prepared to further face the unfathomable existence of the new Inna.
There were far too many questions unanswered that they still can't seem to decide what to feel and how to act around her.
And so, Ulima after releasing a small cough, decided to bail at the pretense that he still had to prepare for his class. He bid a short but polite goodbye towards everyone in the room, bowing heavily when he faced Solomon, before finally casting a spell to teleport.
Being the master of the space Ulima was in, Solomon approved of his teleportation spell as he bid him goodbye as well.
Meanwhile, Raghnall was still troubled whether he should leave or not.
He truly wanted to see Inna, to confirm that she really was okay. But he knew that he wouldn't be able to take a step closer or even speak without that 'girl' shooting daggers from her eyes and putting her guard up.
Another set of knocking resounded and followed by it was the sound of Raghnall gritting his teeth as he finally made his decision.
And so, agitated by his predicament and the decision he was forced to make, he angrily casted a spell of teleportation without even so much as a goodbye.
Solomon shook his head when he saw the boy's disrespectful behavior but he couldn't blame him. After all, if he were to be in his situation, he'd be lost beyond relief as well.
And so, when finally the third set of knocks resounded throughout the room, Solomon gestured for Granny Zai to finally open the door as he ushered the woman in.
"Come in, child."
The woman, now dressed properly in light blue plain robes, cautiously scanned the room before entering. Earlier, she felt the presence of four people in the room but now, only half the number remained.
She must be wary if ever the other two would decide to come back.
So, after scanning the room and checking to see if there were weapons she could use in case trouble comes, she looked at Solomon with a stern and cold face.
"Can you answer my questions now?"
Solomon looked at Granny Zai curiously before answering her question with another question.
"How did you find your way here to my office? Didn't I tell you to ask Granny Zai first so that she could call me instead?"
The woman peered at Granny Zai with distrust as she answered monotonously.
"I don't trust any of you. What if I ask her to call you and you both actually have some sort of plan to do something to me in that room? I'd be trapped there and I would be easily caught by either of you. I'd rather I go to you and catch you unguarded instead rather than that happening."
Solomon sighed when he heard her reasons.
This girl… just how much can she be on guard to actually be this paranoid…
Still, he had no choice but to be considerate about it. After all, if he were in her shoes, he'd also be cautious after waking up in a foreign place.
And so, he decided not to question her reasons further.
But there was one thing that made him curious though…
"I understand your reaction. But one thing that still puzzles me would be the fact that you were able to find this office despite having to pass multiple intersecting hallways…"
The woman briefly looked at Granny Zai who was busying herself with cleaning up the heaps of books that were messily arranged by the corner. Then, she looked at Solomon with a blank expression as she answered.
"When I noticed her leaving after escorting me, I ate minimally before I followed after her. I tracked her scent hoping that she would lead me to you and I guess I was right. So--"
Solomon couldn't help but raise his hand to stop her.
"Excuse me, young lady, but did you just say you followed Granny Zai through scent?"
The woman didn't seem to find it strange as she nodded with furrowed brows.
"Yes, I did. It is not that hard. She smells of tea and dust. And I've been trained for years to be able to distinguish scents of different people. Hence, I was able to track her down."
The woman didn't seem to find anything wrong with it.
Did the adventurers of Anemoly not have such a basic skill?