Volume 1 Chapter 88

Volume 1 + Chapter 88: Insight Magic

Hearing Chancelianne’s words, Eve’s expression froze instantly.

Insight Magic?

What was that…? Eve had never heard of such a magic before.

But judging from the name, it didn’t sound like something favorable to her…

And it seemed Vivian had also learned this so-called Art of Seeing People.

Could it be… that she had noticed some trace of Eve’s true identity? And in order to verify her suspicions, deliberately came up with such a magic?

Eve’s delicate brows furrowed tightly. She knew Vivian’s strength very well.

If she didn’t end up pulling some treacherous little-wolf act, but instead obediently stayed by Eve’s side, her future accomplishments would have been the greatest.

If Vivian wasn’t excellent enough, how could she have caught Witch Eve’s eye?

But alas, in the original work, the Eve who could have led the advancement of human magic was betrayed by that ungrateful wolf, traded away for her own future.

Yet without Eve, that little wolf Vivian no longer had the possibility of progressing, and gradually became a marginalized figure in the Dragon-Pride Protagonist’s circle.

In the end, stuck in place, she was mercilessly abandoned and died full of regret before Eve’s grave.

This was what the original story said. From that perspective, whether it was Eve or Vivian, they were merely stepping stones to help the Dragon-Pride Protagonist take off.

But these stepping stones were not ordinary ones.

Everyone knows, beginnings are always the hardest.

Especially for someone like the Dragon-Pride Protagonist, who had no power, no influence, no background—it was unimaginably difficult to enter the Imperial Royal Court.

And often, the existence that put him on track was the strongest of all…

Like Eve, who had always thought of herself as the one giving the Dragon-Pride Protagonist and the little wolf a starter pack at the beginning of the game…

Wasn’t that also a kind of “benefits girl”?

But looking at it now, because the original body Eve was powerful yet vague, the current Eve was practically a conceptual deity.

The original said Eve was so powerful she could lead the progress of human magic, effortlessly inventing spells and creating formulas.

So now, in theory, Eve had no upper limit.

Such a setting wasn’t unreasonable—after all, as the very first stepping stone to push the Dragon-Pride Protagonist forward, naturally she had to be tall, solid, and deeply profound.

As long as she was written to die later, it wouldn’t affect the normal world line…

But Eve hadn’t died. She was still alive, making her now terrifyingly strong.

And the little wolf Vivian, brought out by Eve, because she also avoided the world line where she was abandoned by the Dragon-Pride Protagonist and died despairing at Eve’s grave, was now steadily improving in strength as well.

Eve’s grave was supposed to hold two sets of remains, but now there were none.

That small change, like the flapping of a butterfly’s wings, had caused the entire world line to shift dramatically.

But now, because Vivian had learned this new magic—the Art of Seeing People—everything seemed to be heading toward danger once again.

“Miss Eve seems very interested in this new magic. Could it be because it has something to do with your former daughter Vivian?”

After seeing off the imperial family members, Eve wasted no time and immediately began studying the so-called “Art of Seeing People.”

At this moment, Eve was so focused that even as Alice leaned against her side, rubbing her slender jade feet clad in sheer white silk against Eve’s black-silk-clad legs, Eve had no reaction at all.

The library was utterly quiet. The only sounds were the faint “shff-shff” of silk stockings brushing against each other, and the slightly anxious sound of Eve flipping through books.

Alice also seemed to notice Eve’s unsettled mood, so she only hugged Eve, teasing her lightly with her soft, fair little jade toes.

Though Alice didn’t like studying much, she could still understand a little from such an obvious name like “Art of Seeing People.”

If this magic spread, it would be disastrous—then everyone in the Empire could recognize Eve.

Witches and humans already had a mortal enmity. If the Empire’s citizens learned that the future National Preceptor was in fact the not-quite-dead Crimson Witch, it would surely cause a huge shock to the Imperial Court.

“As expected…”

Eve took a deep breath. Looking at the notebook in her hand about the Art of Seeing People, her face turned ashen.

“This thing can easily see through my disguise.”

Eve’s words even made Alice reveal a stunned expression.

“Then can’t you just upgrade your disguise to counter this Art of Seeing People?”

“No. This isn’t simply a matter of spear versus shield. Disguise is far harder than seeing through. After all, a perfect disguise requires countless conditions and considerations of detail.”

“The hardest part of all is the magic aura inside one’s body.”

That was Eve’s most despairing point. If she were just an ordinary person, maybe upgrading her disguise techniques could fool it.

As long as she didn’t lock eyes with Vivian, there wouldn’t be much problem.

But Eve wasn’t an ordinary person… Eve was a conceptual deity, a witch whose magic was boundless.

Using this Art of Seeing People, one could easily see the vast ocean-like magic aura within Eve. In this world, other than the Crimson Witch Eve, who else could have such an immense magical presence?

And Eve couldn’t just hold it back. Such things couldn’t be suppressed. Maybe she could grit her teeth and force herself to hold her bladder halfway through, painfully—but this magical aura, there was no way to hold even a bit.

Eve admitted her disguise was not perfect—the greatest flaw lay in this ocean of magic aura.

Eve had succeeded because of the magic inside her body, and she would also fail because of it.

Without this ocean of magic, Eve couldn’t have such a flawless disguise that let her live safely day to day.

But precisely because of this ocean of magic, beings as powerful as the Emperor could recognize her easily through it.

And now with the Art of Seeing People, even the requirement of being “powerful” might no longer be necessary.

As long as one learned the spell, anyone could recognize Witch Eve.

“What should we do then? Do you need me to send someone to take Vivian out?”

“This girl really knows how to cause trouble. So what if she’s within the Church system? If this princess is truly pushed to the brink, there’s nothing I wouldn’t do—even if I had to do it myself, I’d make sure she’s eliminated!”

Alice spoke angrily, all the while sneaking glances at Eve’s expression.

Truthfully, Alice was worried Eve might still harbor feelings, since Vivian was once her most beloved foster daughter.

But fortunately, Eve didn’t show any hesitation or reluctance. Instead, because of Alice’s words, her gaze naturally shifted to her.

From those beautiful sapphire eyes of Eve’s, Alice could even see her own gradually flushing face as she was stared at so intently.

“Stop it, Miss Eve, don’t keep staring at me like that. This is just what I should do for you…”

“Nothing you wouldn’t do?”

“Mhm.”

Alice lowered her head, her pretty face glowing crimson. As the saying goes, a girl’s blush is worth more than any love confession.

At this moment, if Eve asked Alice to take off her skirt, she would likely obey without hesitation—utterly compliant to Eve’s every word.

“Then finish this magic theory test.”

“Ah?”

Alice lifted her head, her face still crimson. As the saying goes, a girl’s warm blush is worth more than…

“Uuugh… but I don’t know how to do this.”

Alice clutched her head in pain, trying to bury her face in Eve’s arms, hoping to get by with some spoiled coaxing.

But Eve wasn’t Chancelianne, who would fall for Alice’s act. She was Alice’s teacher. If she didn’t teach well, the parents might dock her pay.

On matters of principle, Eve drew the line clearly. After all, she also had her own little daughter at home to feed.

More importantly, Eve wanted to raise Alice into an independent child.

Alice was already sixteen—less than two years until she came of age…

No, until she legally inherited the imperial throne.

As the Empire’s only princess and sole legal heir, however much Alice learned would directly affect the Empire’s next hundred years of development.

That was the fate of millions—even including Qianzhi and Leah.

And before Alice succeeded to the throne, those millions of fates rested in Eve’s hands.

Thinking of this, Eve made a big decision.

“Alice, I’ll teach you this Art of Seeing People. You can help me test whether it really can see through my disguise.”

At these words, Alice instantly perked up.

She might hate studying magic, but if it meant helping Eve, she would do it wholeheartedly.

“But didn’t you already reach a conclusion? That the Art of Seeing People can see through your disguise…”

“It needs to be tested. Theoretically, yes—but the actual effect still needs to be confirmed. I have no one else I can trust. Only you, Alice.”

Eve’s words gave Alice an unexpected sense of destiny.

She instinctively straightened her back, her youthful curves displayed clearly before Eve’s eyes.

“Leave it to me!”

Alice patted her chest. The soft, proud curves quivered slightly under her hand.

What surprised Eve was… this time Alice didn’t set any conditions. She agreed so readily to help.

Eve had expected her to demand some benefit—like kisses and hugs. Normally, if it wasn’t excessive, Eve would indulge her. But this time, strangely, Alice was unusually obedient, not asking for a thing.

And she studied very seriously. Everything Eve explained, Alice truly listened to and learned.

It was clear she was genuinely applying herself.

Still, Eve kept a little trick up her sleeve—she hadn’t told Alice that the version of the Art of Seeing People she was teaching had already been specially modified.

For Eve, altering a spell took no more than the blink of an eye.

To her, toying with magic was even easier than toying with Zhizhi’s baby-like white-silk-clad feet.

Just a tiny adjustment, and the spell Alice learned would completely ignore Eve’s existence.

This was Eve’s unique ability, akin to a creator god’s casual manipulation of the laws of magic.

If in the future, everyone learned this revised version, then the Art of Seeing People would pose no threat to Eve at all.

But since Vivian had already learned the full version, modifying it now was no different than mending the pen after the sheep were lost.

Even so, Eve had her own plan.

If only Vivian alone had the complete version, it would actually be safer for Eve.

Since Alice was learning the modified version, with its unique blind spot toward Eve, she wouldn’t be able to see through her disguise.

That way, Alice could feel reassured and wouldn’t need to keep worrying.

As for Vivian, Eve thought it better to handle her herself.

Besides, this Art of Seeing People could reveal others’ magical aura. If Alice could clearly see that difference—especially between herself and her father—maybe it would push her to strive harder.

Eve had never intended for Alice to solve this problem for her. She only wanted Alice to understand that there are always people stronger than oneself.

To know that becoming Emperor wasn’t something one could achieve by fooling around as she did now.

“I think I get it now.”

“I can see something like white smoke rising from my hands. But it’s so thin.”

It had been a long time since Alice last learned new magic. Picking it up again now, and progressing quickly under Eve’s guidance, left her both surprised and delighted.

For the first time, she realized learning magic could also feel so rewarding.

“That’s great. Looks like you’ve learned it. Now, look at me—can you see through my disguise?”

“Ugh… nothing at all.”

Alice pursed her soft lips, then as if suddenly thinking of something, threw herself smiling into Eve’s arms.

“If I can’t see, doesn’t that mean Vivian can’t either? Miss Eve is still Miss Eve—her disguising skills are simply first-class!”

Alice breathed a sigh of relief from the bottom of her heart.

She had wanted to deal with Vivian through force, but that would have been too drastic. After all, Vivian was the Church’s saintess.

Thanks to her father’s dominance, in other empires where the Church stood equal or even above the throne, here they could only bow their heads and act with tails between their legs.

Although the Church had its own system, by and large, they still had to obey the royal family’s arrangements.

If the royal family didn’t approve important matters—especially if Alice’s father didn’t approve—the Church couldn’t achieve a thing.

But people always have ambition—especially the Church…

If Alice struck at Vivian now, they would surely seize the excuse, undoing her father’s painstakingly maintained dominance over the Church.

Throughout history, only Alice’s father had ever managed to suppress the Church this way.

Now knowing that the Art of Seeing People was ineffective against Eve, Alice couldn’t be happier.

She cupped Eve’s cheeks and planted a fierce, lingering kiss.

“Alright, alright. See? I told you learning magic isn’t boring. Let’s go for a walk, Alice. We can’t just stay cooped up here studying. We need to balance work and rest…”

Eve carefully pushed away the affectionate Alice, wiping the drool from her face.

“Okay, okay!”

Alice licked her lips, as if savoring the taste of Eve’s cheek.

“Then I want to go out and use this Art of Seeing People, to look at others’ magical aura.”

Alice blinked, staring at the white smoke slowly rising from her palms. She was very curious to compare her aura with others’.

So she eagerly dragged Eve outside.

Walking through the Imperial Palace gardens, many maids and guards passed by them.

Alice looked at them one by one. The maids’ auras were so thin they looked like mosquito legs—completely incomparable to Alice’s palm-wide aura.

The guards’ auras were stronger, about as wide as two fingers held together.

Seeing that everyone’s aura was weaker than hers, Alice was delighted.

At that moment, they happened to run into Chancelianne and the Emperor, who were standing side by side in conversation.

Alice was very curious how strong her parents’ magical auras were.

She first looked at Chancelianne. The aura around her was even thinner than the maids’.

Another weaker one—this time, even her always-preaching mother—Alice was secretly pleased.

“See? I really do have talent.”

Next she turned her gaze to her father beside Chancelianne.

“That’s strange? Why can’t I see anything at all?”

Alice rubbed her eyes instinctively, confused why she couldn’t detect a trace of aura from her father.

Impossible. Her father, who had once personally commanded in battle and achieved countless victories—how could he not show any aura?

“Alice, close your eyes.”

Eve gently stroked Alice’s head, then knelt on one knee before her. Alice obediently closed her eyes, her long lashes trembling faintly, making her look extremely delicate.

“Let me lift your perspective a little, then look again.”

Saying this, Eve placed a light kiss on Alice’s eyelids.

At once, Alice felt as if she were flying higher and higher, her vision rising, the palace below her growing smaller and smaller.

Soon she even left the Empire itself.

The vast lands and endless walls all unfolded before Alice’s eyes.

“I want to learn this!”

Alice was amazed. Miss Eve knew such a spell? Incredible! With this, she could see anywhere she wanted.

Even catching a glimpse of Miss Eve bathing would be…

Wait!

As she was about to let her thoughts wander down bad paths again, Alice suddenly noticed the vast Empire covered by a thin layer of white smoke.

The smoke shot straight into the sky, shrouding the entire Empire. At the edges where it reached, lay the Empire’s impregnable borders.

“This is… what?”

“Your father’s magical aura.”

Hearing Eve’s words, Alice’s eyes widened instantly.

This aura, vast enough to cover the entire Empire, compared to her own palm-wide aura, was simply worlds apart.