Anna thought she could only imagine the interesting situations the demon might encounter. To her surprise, the plastic friends she had made seemed to truly consider her a friend. On her second day, during a short break, Abigail, Kelly, and Fiona came to find her. Abigail and Kelly were in good spirits, but Fiona had some red blotches on her face, likely from an insect sting.
"Fiona, what happened to your face?" Anna asked curiously.
Fiona's face darkened instantly, while Abigail and Kelly burst into laughter, recounting Fiona's story to Anna with great detail.
Although Anna had anticipated this development, she couldn't help but laugh at Fiona's misfortune. Falling into a rose bush was indeed too tragic—and hilarious. Any previous grudges Anna held against Fiona vanished as she heard the story, feeling almost sympathetic but mostly amused.
Then, Abigail shared another piece of news that made Anna even happier.
"Anna, you won't believe this. Somehow, word of these incidents spread, and now many others are copying us!" Abigail complained angrily. "Sure, we failed, but there would have been more opportunities! Now, with so many people copying us, our chances are slim!"
Anna held back her laughter, feigning seriousness as she asked, "Did they all fall in front of Parrysh? How did he react?"
"What else? Parrysh is so devoted to you, he didn't even glance at us!" Fiona glared at Anna, clearly still feeling the sting of rejection.
Anna thought to herself, this demon was indeed "faithful." While their first encounter might have been a coincidence, it seemed the demon had since focused solely on her, showing no interest in other souls. This had given her the courage to guide her plastic friends into "tricking" the demon, just to give him a hard time.
She suspected that her soul, being from another world, might be more appealing to the demon, which is why he was so fixated on her. Today, she had again delivered breakfast to the demon, noting his dark expression. She could guess why but didn't fully understand the details.
Now, hearing about the waves of people trying to trick the demon made Anna ecstatic. While she feared him, she also believed in reciprocating. So many people attempting to trick the demon couldn't all be her doing, after all.
Anna, embodying the innocence of a genuinely naïve girl, looked troubled as she said to Fiona, "I didn't mean for this to happen..."
Having heard Anna's declaration of love for another and seeing her reject Parrysh's proposal, the trio's hostility towards Anna had lessened. Even though there was still some jealousy, it didn't stop them from interacting with her.
Their thoughts were simple: since Anna wasn't interested in Parrysh and he liked her, becoming her friend might offer more chances to see him. Though Parrysh had seen them "bullying" Anna, if they treated her well from now on, he might notice them instead.
Despite their individual thoughts, the three clustered around Anna. Abigail said, "Ah, forget about that. Anna, your skin looks a bit dry. Did you forget to use lotion? I just bought a new jar with honey in it—great for moisturizing. I'll bring it for you."
Not to be outdone, Kelly and Fiona also offered Anna unopened skincare products. Anna, not minding the maintenance of these plastic friendships, graciously accepted them all.
With the four girls chatting, the conversation soon turned to something of particular interest to Anna. Kelly mentioned that the small building west of the garden had housed a distinguished mage, making the place especially eerie and unapproachable.
Anna's interest piqued, and she asked eagerly, "A mage? The kind that goes *pew pew pew* and casts a bunch of spells?"
The three laughed at her sound effects. Kelly said, "Yes, indeed. I've heard he's a very talented young mage, just in his twenties and already a four-star mage!"
Anna felt a tightness in her throat. The original owner of her body had knowledge of mages but had never seen one in person. The local priest at the Blue Stone City Church, Louis, might be a priest with divine power, but that was different from elemental mages.
From her limited knowledge, she didn't know the intricacies of this world's power structure. But who hadn't dreamed of becoming a mage during their youthful days? Now that she was in a world with supernatural abilities, how could she not be interested? Previously, she had no access, but now that her friends knew more, she wanted to learn everything she could!
"Sounds amazing... You know, I just started at the Earl's estate and don't know much yet. Is a four-star mage really impressive?" Anna asked, feigning ignorance.
Since the three were eager to please Anna and loved flaunting their knowledge, they eagerly shared what they knew.
"Although our Blue Stone City doesn't have a mage association, I once met a distinguished mage who was very kind. That's how I learned a few things," Abigail said proudly. "Did you know that most mage apprentices take until they're forty to become four-star mages? But that gentleman became one in his twenties! And he's the son of a noble duke!"
Though that young four-star mage had nothing to do with her, Abigail spoke with a sense of pride, as if she shared in his glory. Anna quickly asked, "What's the mage association? Are there levels for mages? How are they divided?"
Fiona, unwilling to be outdone, answered quickly, "The mage association is where elemental mages learn, but we don't have one in Blue Stone City. The nearest one is in Emerald City. That's why we rarely see mages here. I've heard the Earl recruits mages as guest retainers, but I've never seen any."
"Mages like to work alone and wouldn't typically appear at the Earl's estate," Abigail said. "The one staying here now came a few days ago, apparently to recover from an injury inflicted by a mythical beast! Oh, you weren't here yet when he arrived, Anna."
"Wait, I heard he was injured in an assassination attempt?" Kelly interjected.
"I heard it from Conrad; who did you hear it from?"
"I don't remember, but I'm sure what I heard is closer to the truth!"
"Ha, you're making things up. Conrad's been praised by the Earl himself. He wouldn't lie!"
Seeing Abigail and Kelly mock each other, each trying to prove their version of the rumor, Anna was getting anxious. They hadn't explained the mage's ranking or what an elemental mage was. Was Louis the priest a mage, or did he follow a different power system?
Unfortunately, before they could finish their bickering—yes, somehow Fiona joined the argument—Anna's break ended. Seeing Rebecca waving at her from afar, Anna had to bid them goodbye and run back. When she left, the three were still arguing.
This was Anna's second day at the Earl's estate, still learning new things. Apart from Parrysh specifically asking for her, Anna didn't need to face the estate's lord much. Whether it was related to the "accidents" or not, more people approached Anna, trying to probe her relationship with Parrysh. Anna merely clarified that there was no such relationship and said nothing more.
On the third day, Anna felt a change in the air. From the kitchen maids, she learned that the numerous "accidents" had alarmed the head butler, who angrily reprimanded the maids and docked half a month's wages from each.
Things had quieted down again.
Anna, feigning shock, perfectly played the role of an innocent and surprised girl, ensuring no one suspected her as the instigator. Even Abigail, Kelly, and Fiona believed they had independently thought of the idea to attract Parrysh's attention, never realizing Anna had subtly led them to it.
Delivering breakfast to the demon for the third time, Anna marveled at how lazy the demon was, still sleeping past eleven. His expression was as intimidating as ever.
Today's breakfast was sumptuous, and Anna stood respectfully by while the demon ate. Not wasting food seemed to be his only virtue. As Anna stepped forward to clear the table, she saw the demon clutch his stomach, breaking out in a cold sweat.
Anna was startled. Was the demon trying to frame her for poisoning? Was he getting impatient, planning to get her thrown into prison, and then force her into a contract when she had no other choice?
Anna's mind raced with possibilities, cold sweat dripping down her back.
Wardo's reaction was direct. Supporting Parrysh, he called out to Anna, "Quick, fetch Priest Louis!"
Anna rushed out, the cold air outside snapping her into excitement. Perhaps Priest Louis, with his divine power, could detect the demon's true form and destroy him. If the priest failed, the demon couldn't blame her, as there was no way she could know Parrysh was possessed.
Running towards the church, Anna's heart pounded with hope.