After observing the entire scene, Alice couldn't help but be curious. She rubbed her chin and began to ponder what had happened.
Did that little girl just scare the shit out of that bastard? Does she have a talent for predicting things, or is it something else?
While contemplating, Alice notices the petite elder staring straight at her. She sensed a ripple of unease just by peering at those piercing cyan eyes.
Why is she looking at me like that? Did I do something wrong?
Manovidya walked towards Alice, but before she could reach her, Cyrene blocked the way.
"Thank you so much, Your Grace," the pink-haired elf declared, showing her gratitude. "If you hadn't arrived here, the grand sage would have punished us."
"It's nothing really," Manovidya replied modestly. "That blabbering idiot has been a pain in my neck for quite some time, so much so that I have considered dismissing him from his position as grand sage if he keeps causing trouble."
Alice, listening to the conversation, pondered the ramifications of the sage's actions.
So that bastard had been a nuisance for a while. I'm surprised he wasn't demoted yet.
As she thought of that, Manovidya stole a glance at the blonde elf, furrowing her eyebrows.
"Speaking of causing trouble," the petite elder muttered, "it seems these outsiders had made their first impressions in front of my scholars."
Alice and Elinalise stiffened at the acknowledgement of their presence, prompting the nearby bystanders to gossip with one another.
Cyrene, noticing the attention directed at the two elves, returned her focus to Manovidya.
"T-They sure are, Your Grace," she concurred awkwardly. "But they're simply trying to defend themselves from the prejudice of the grand sage, especially Alice."
"Alice, huh?" Manovidya echoed, focusing her gaze on the blonde elf.
Noticing the attention, Alice felt an oppressive atmosphere weighing her down.
Seriously, why does she keep staring at me? Is she planning to do something to me?
With those thoughts, the petite elder smirked as she strode past Cyrene and stopped in front of the blonde elf, glancing up at her since she is taller than Manovidya.
Meeting her gaze, Alice tried to calm herself, but the petite elder saw right through her.
"You seem awfully composed for someone who just insulted the Grand Sage."
Alice awkwardly scratched her cheek, feigning innocence.
"Well... he kinda deserved it."
The scholars gasped quietly at her blunt response, while Cyrene widened her eyes in panic.
"Alice, what are you doing?" she whispered nervously. "Please don't provoke her too."
Hearing that warning, Alice soon realized what she had said and quickly covered her mouth.
Oh crap! How did that slip? It's okay. I'll just play it cool and pretend I did nothing wrong.
Manovidya, however, remained unfazed by the blonde elf's mistake.
"Interesting..."
The petite elder kept looking at Alice without blinking, her piercing cyan eyes like razor-sharp blades attempting to peel apart every layer hidden beneath the blonde elf's face.
Ugh, why does she feel like a creepy doll dissecting my brain while conscious?
Alice thought to herself, but suddenly—
"You're thinking something rather rude just now, are you?"
The blonde elf froze cold, her heart skipping a beat.
She gave a little cringe, not knowing what was going on.
What...? How did she—
"Though I suppose comparing me to a creepy doll wasn't the worst description I've heard."
The moment those words left Manovidya's mouth, Alice's blood ran cold.
No way... I never said that out loud.
Meanwhile, Cyrene tilted her head in confusion while Elinalise shifted her gaze between the two nervously, not knowing what was happening.
"U-Umm... Your Grace, what are you talking about?" the pink-haired elf asked cautiously.
"Nothing important," Manovidya dismissed lightly. "I'm just observing how she would react."
While they were conversing, Alice was completely lost in thought.
She heard it... She definitely heard it...
A cold chill crawled down her spine as countless thoughts collided inside her head.
Could it be mind-reading? No, that's impossible. But what if it is the case? That would explain the weird predictions from earlier. Hold on, if she could actually hear thoughts, then—"
Alice darted toward Manovidya, noticing her smiling ever so slightly.
"Your thoughts are rather noisy right now."
With that statement, Alice lowered her head in realization.
OH MY GOD, SHE CAN ACTUALLY READ MINDS!!
---------------------------------------------------
[Alice POV]
This is bad, really bad.
Out of the three elders I've confronted so far, why does this one have to read minds?
For all I know, she could be hearing every thought inside my head this instant and laughing at me for it.
I lifted my gaze and immediately regretted it.
The little elf girl was smiling from ear to ear while staring directly at me.
Crap, she really is listening to my thoughts.
Immediately, I backed off, desperate to get away from the unsettling elder. However, before I could retreat any further, I bumped into someone behind me. Turning around, I noticed it was Elinalise, her expression filled with concern.
"Are you alright, Alice?" she asked worriedly.
Cyrene rushed towards me as well, panic visible in her face.
"What's wrong? Did something happen?"
Seeing them both somehow steadied my nerves enough to think more clearly.
If reading people's minds was her way of manipulating people psychologically, then exposing it in front of everyone might be enough to turn the situation around.
"T-That person," I stammered nervously while pointing at the elder. "She just read my—"
"Hey now."
My response was cut short when the petite elder intervened. I turned to see her approaching me again, her gaze staring straight through my soul.
"It is rather rude to make baseless accusations," she retorted coldly. "If my presence disturbs you this much, perhaps you and your companion should leave our settlement immediately."
The moment those words reached me, I widened my eyes in disbelief.
Was this her plan from the beginning?
To drive us out while pretending she had every right to do so?
But why? What exactly did we even do wrong?
All we wanted was a place to stay... a chance to start over...
We escaped that horrible labyrinth, only to be treated like parasites once we entered society.
This is unfair, cruel, and absurd.
I thought surviving that nightmare would've been the end of our suffering, but somehow—
"Urgh, so noisy..."
My spiraling thoughts halted the second I heard her voice.
I looked forward and saw Manovidya pressing a hand against her temple, wincing faintly as if she had a headache.
Hold on... Were my thoughts actually bothering her?
The petite elder narrowed her eyes towards me while breathing heavily.
"Don't get ahead of yourself, brat."
The nearby scholars immediately started whispering louder amongst themselves and casting hostile glances my way.
"Alice, what have you done to her?" Cyrene asked anxiously, sounding as though I committed an unforgivable crime.
"I haven't done anything," I defended myself quickly. "Although the elder was reading my—"
"Still insisting on that accusation," Manovidya interrupted sharply.
The atmosphere immediately grew heavier.
Several nearby scholars visibly flinched beneath the pressure radiating from her voice alone.
Damn... For someone so tiny, she sure is terrifying to deal with.
"You truly enjoy testing my patience, don't you?" the elder continued, trying to intimidate me.
Cyrene, upon hearing that, darted at me again. "Seriously, what are you doing?"
Ugh, this conversation is getting nowhere.
I need to figure out how her mind-reading ability works before she completely corners me.
Inhaling deeply, I forced myself to calm down.
Think, Alice, think.
Earlier, Manovidya reacted to several thoughts I never spoke aloud. That part was irrefutable.
However, something felt strange.
When I spiraled just a moment ago, she reacted differently... Almost like she couldn't process them all simultaneously.
I stared at the petite elder carefully and observed her reaction.
For the first time meeting her, the composed look on her face had cracked ever so slightly.
Could it be she can't handle multiple thoughts at once?
Manovidya narrowed her gaze further as tiny beads of sweat formed along her forehead.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" she asked nervously, feigning ignorance.
The moment she said that, something clicked inside my head.
Bingo.
A tiny grin tugged at the corners of my lips.
Then, without warning, I let my thoughts run wild.
How much wood would a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood?
She sells seashells by the seashore.
Never gonna give you up, never gonna let you down.
This is a simulation. You have to wake up.
With those thoughts, Manovidya visibly froze.
"What..."
Her pupils twitched slightly as she staggered back.
The nearby scholars looked around in confusion, unable to understand what was happening.
Meanwhile, I kept thinking more spontaneous thoughts.
The cake is a lie.
We live in a society.
Modern problems require modern solutions.
If trees have feelings, do they feel pain when I chop them down?
"That's enough..." Manovidya muttered, pressing harder against her temple.
Nice, it's actually working.
The moment that thought crossed my mind, the elder instantly glared at me.
"You little..."
Before she finished speaking, I continued thinking more thoughts, but in different ways.
Ich bin klein? Du bist halb so groß wie ich.[1]
Puedo hablar otros idiomas que no puedes comprender.[2]
Naiteru no? Motto oogoe de nake![3]
Eventually, Manovidya's calm facade shattered completely.
"STOP THINKING SO RANDOMLY!"
At that shout, the entire area fell silent.
--------------------------------------------
I did it... I finally outsmarted a mind reader.
However, I shouldn't be celebrating right now.
She might have something else up her sleeve.
Returning to the scene, Manovidya staggered backward before her legs gave way and forced her to kneel on one knee.
When the scholars saw this, they gasped in horror and rushed towards the petite elder.
"Your Grace, are you alright?" one of them asked, worriedly supporting her weight.
Another one turned and shot a glare at me. "What have you done to our elder?"
"It doesn't matter what she did," a third scholar remarked firmly. "She harmed our supervisor, so she was guilty as charged."
Despite technically having the upper hand, I couldn't help but feel increasingly nervous about their blind animosity toward me. I glanced at Cyrene, and she too appeared conflicted.
"Alice, please don't tell me you're doing what they think you're doing," she muttered bitterly.
Hearing her doubts pained me because I haven't done anything physical to the elder.
Just then, I felt someone touch my hand. I glanced to my side and noticed Elinalise gripping it tightly, unable to help yet unwilling to leave me alone amidst the growing tension.
After seeing that, I lowered my head and began to spiral once again.
What's the point of doing all of these?
No matter how hard I try to prevail, in the end, the elder has these scholars' loyalty.
Even Cyrene, who had been defending me and Elinalise, was wavering ever so slightly.
I just... don't know what to—
"Alright, what's going on here?!"
Just as I was about to spiral further, a loud, familiar voice suddenly resonated throughout the whole academia sector.
Everyone, including me, turned towards the source and witnessed the Great Lord Shariradevi leisurely stride towards us with her hands behind her head.
"Wow, I didn't know the academia could be this lively," she remarked casually.
As she arrived at the scene, she glanced at the panicking scholars and scowled at them.
"What are you nerds looking at? Scram, or I'll punch each one of you in the face!"
"EEEK!!!"
Intimidated by the orange-haired elder's overwhelming aura, the scholars promptly scattered without protesting, leaving Manovidya behind.
The petite elder weakly raised her head and widened her eyes upon seeing Shariradevi.
"Dear Sister, you're here!" she exclaimed excitedly as she pointed at me with hostility. "Chase those two out of our settlement immediately!"
Shariradevi turned to face my direction and casually scrutinized me for a brief second before staring back down at her sister. She then began laughing at her without restraint.
"Damn, sis, you looked out of shape," she remarked jokingly while continuing to laugh.
Fuming in embarrassment, Manovidya's whole face turned red, and she grunted angrily.
"What are you doing?!" she demanded in frustration. "Why weren't you chasing them away?!"
"From what I'm seeing, the young lassie bested you," Shariradevi claimed. "Therefore, I have no reason to obey your commands because you lost."
"Me? Lost?"
Manovidya laughed bitterly as she struggled to get back up on her feet, clutching the lengths of her oversized robe.
"Don't make me laugh, sister," she retorted coldly. "I never lost to anyone."
Shariradevi raised an eyebrow before grinning mischievously. "Oh, you wanna bet on that?"
"Gladly," the petite elder responded, narrowing her eyes.
As the two elders locked eyes with each other, the atmosphere around us shifted violently.
At first, nothing seemed to happen.
But then...
"Urgh..."
One of Manovidya's eyes twitched, causing her to wince painfully and tremble slightly.
Shariradevi, on the other hand, just stood there with her arms crossed and an amused smile tugged on her lips.
"What's wrong?" she teased. "I thought you'd never lost."
Manovidya gritted her teeth harder while gripping her sleeve tightly.
"This is... nothing."
Seeing that, my eyes widened in disbelief.
Wait... What exactly is Shariradevi thinking right now?
How horrifying were her thoughts to overwhelm Manovidya this easily?
"Stop..."
Eventually, the petite elder staggered backward, her breathing becoming erratic.
"STOP THINKING ABOUT THAT STUPID SONG!" she shouted, looking visibly uncomfortable.
Shariradevi laughed teasingly. "What? You don't like the tune you made when we were little?"
"I'D RATHER DIE THAN LISTENING TO THAT EMBARRASSMENT AGAIN!" Manovidya retorted, trying to avert her gaze, but her orange-haired elder continued to look at her.
"Shariradevi, stop tormenting our dear sister this instant!"
Just before the situation escalated even further, another familiar voice interrupted them.
We all turned once more and saw Greater Lord Ruhkkadevata standing in the distance.
-----------------------------------------------
As the white-haired elder scanned the entire area, she sighed and approached the group.
Shariradevi, seeing her coming, clicked her tongue and looked away dismissively.
"Hey, don't blame me," she grumbled. "She's the one who started this mess."
Ruhkkadevata marched directly towards the orange-haired elder before grabbing one of her pointy ears.
"OW! OW! OW! NOT THE EAR!"
"I don't care who started it," Ruhkkadevata scolded firmly. "You shouldn't exploit your sister's mind-reading ability like that."
As those words left her mouth, Manovidya froze for a second before panic overtook her face.
"Wait, sister!" she cried out in horror. "Why would you reveal that in front of those three?!"
Ruhkkadevata blinked innocently before slowly turning toward me, Elinalise, and Cyrene.
"Ah... Umm, whoopsie~"
Cyrene instantly panicked and waved both hands frantically.
"D-Don't worry, Your Grace!" she exclaimed nervously. "I swear I won't tell anyone about your secret ability."
However, before the petite elder could calm down, I had chosen violence.
"Actually, maybe I should tell everyone."
The entire area froze at my spiteful response.
Then Manovidya's expression darkened instantly as she glared at me with murderous intent.
"You little brat..." she hissed. "Do that, and I'll make you regret it for the rest of your life."
Even with that threat, I stood my ground.
"Unless you stop antagonizing Elinalise and me," I shot back sternly. "If not, I might knowingly spread rumors about a certain elder reading people's minds without their consent."
The petite elder visibly cringed as if my words had physically wounded her.
Ruhkkadevata sighed deeply and crossed her arms.
"Dear sister," she warned disappointedly, "you shouldn't use your ability to bully people."
"Tch... fine."
Cornered from all directions, Manovidya reluctantly complied before pointing at Shariradevi.
"Then scold her too," she argued bitterly. "She antagonized those two earlier as well."
Hearing her sister threw her under the bus, Shariradevi quickly barked back.
"Oi! I'll have you know I stopped antagonizing them after the young lass had proved herself."
The orange-haired elder then darted towards me with a hopeful expression.
"Right, Alice?"
Ruhkkadevata also glanced at me, but with a raised brow.
"Is that true, dear?"
Being flanked on both sides, I quickly nodded my head.
"Well... technically, she DID threaten us at the beginning," I disclosed. "But she allowed us to stay in the settlement and even told me I reminded her of herself when she was younger."
The moment I mentioned that, Shariradevi's face brightened instantly.
"Haha! See?! This lassie understands me!" she declared proudly before pointing at me. "I owe you one now, kiddo!"
Ruhkkadevata let out a tired sigh before rubbing her temple.
"Can we all please try getting along from now on?"
Manovidya hesitated for a second, clutching onto her sleeve. "Sure, whatever..."
"You got it, sis!" Shariradevi concurred amiably before she turned around. "Anyhow, I've done my work here, so I'll head back to my base."
"Thank you, Your Grace," Cyrene acknowledged gratefully.
The orange-haired elder waved her hand in the air and strolled away smoothly, disappearing into the distance. Manovidya, meanwhile, adjusted her oversized robe and regained some of her composure.
"Since you're here," she mumbled softly, "I'd expect you're done with their accommodations."
The white-haired elder nodded in response.
"Of course, I personally came here to pick them up."
"I see..."
Manovidya turned her back on us and began to walk away before suddenly pausing.
Slowly, she glanced over her shoulder, staring at me.
"Since I technically lost," she muttered bitterly, "I'll offer you one request."
Huh, I didn't expect her to get over her defeat that fast. I thought she'd sulk much longer.
Upon thinking of that, the petite elder narrowed her eyes as though warning me.
Crap! I almost forgot she could read minds.
"A-ah, well..." I stuttered, thinking for a brief moment.
Anyway, what kind of literature do I really need right now?
A magic tome? A how-to guidebook?
Or perhap...
"Does the academia have any learning materials for Beast God language?"
Manovidya raised an eyebrow at my answer.
"Why would you need that?" she asked skeptically. "You can already speak our tongue."
"Oh no, it's not for me," I clarified carefully, pointing at Elinalise. "It's for her."
The petite elder stared at the timid elf at my side, narrowed her eyes, and returned to me.
"Fine... but I must say, your friend has something going on within her mind."
With that cryptic statement, Manovidya continued walking away, leaving me perplexed as to what she meant about Elinalise.
----------------------------------------------------
[Third POV]
After leaving Alice and the others behind, Manovidya approached the enormous ancient tree of Academia with calculated strides. However, her mind wavered a little, still reflecting on the earlier encounter.
For hundreds of years, I'd never confronted anyone beneath me who could manage, let alone exploit, my ability to read minds—until now. Alice... That blonde newcomer. She had given me more trouble than those sages within my inner circle.
As the petite elder was about to enter the front entrance of the Academia, she noticed a few sages blocking the way while discussing among themselves.
On second thought, they are just as annoying as her.
"What do you bunch of knuckleheads think this place is, a lounging area?"
Upon hearing the elder's cold, harsh voice, most of the sages backed away in fear.
However, one particular sage dared to remain standing in their place—a white-haired elf man wearing a deep blue robe with decorated patterns and a brimless cap on his head.
Manovidya, recognizing the person, approached him and raised her head.
"Azar... you're in my way."
Hearing her voice, the sage looked down at her and spoke in a haughty tone.
"Greatest Lord Manovidya... It's a surprise to see you looking tired. Did something happen?"
The petite elder narrowed her eyes in irritation.
"It's none of your business. Now move it."
Surprised by her sudden hostility, Azar flinched a little.
"Goodness, why are you so riled up, Your Grace? Don't tell me you got yourself in a pickle?"
Fed up with the sage's arrogant tone, Manovidya intended to use her mind-reading ability.
Dear Sister, You shouldn't use your ability to bully people.
Just then, she recalled Ruhkkadevata's scolding words from earlier, causing her to hesitate.
Azar tilted his head slightly, unaware of the brief conflict passing through her mind.
"Anyway, have you seen Master Caelreth anywhere? He hasn't come ba—hey!"
Before the sage could finish his sentence, Manovidya had stepped forward, slipping past him with effortless precision.
"Hold on, I'm not done talking—"
She stopped just long enough to glance over her shoulder, eyes cold as sharpened glass.
"If you don't want to end up unconscious like your insolent master, I suggest you shut up."
Azar froze mid-sentence, her words landing heavier than any weights.
Silence lingered for a breathless moment.
Manovidya turned away without another word and continued onward.
The sages who were still blocking the entrance immediately parted, as if the air had become heavier in her presence. None dared to speak nor follow her gaze.
Step by step, she traversed the threshold into the towering roots of the Academia, her petite figure vanishing into its vast interior—leaving the stunned sages behind in awkward silence.
[1] I'm small? You're half my size.
[2] I can speak other languages that you cannot understand.
[3] Are you crying? Cry louder!