At this moment, the distance between her and Karl had shrunk to less than half a step.
This distance in social situations already seems too close, especially for men and women meeting for the first time.
Triss noticed the intimate moment between them from the corner of her eye, her brows furrowing almost imperceptibly.
Her lips slightly pressed together, and a faint, barely audible "hmph" escaped her nose.
Then she quickly looked away, pretending not to notice, and unconsciously twisted her skirt with her fingertips.
Margarita was completely unaware of the consequences of her actions, her face still shining with a charming smile, her eyes fixed directly on Karl.
Her tone was relaxed, but it carried a light curiosity and... He asked lightly: "Oh?"
The last note of Margarita's voice slightly lifted, like a feather gently touching the tip of her heart.
"Mr. Karl, it seems he knows our strengths thoroughly."
"In fact, to so 'accurately' assess how long we can hold out before the evil god."
She slightly emphasized the word "accurately."
This subtle change revealed deep inside her a hint of disdain.
It wasn't about the threat Karl himself described, but about his sense of superiority over everyone else.
Judging with absolute authority, I felt an instinctive discomfort and doubt.
As the dean of Aretuza, Margarita possesses exceptional talent and is the strongest sorceress among the younger generation, and she has her own pride.
She respects high-level sorcerers like Hen and Tissaia, and understands that Karl has his own unusual qualities.
But that doesn't mean she will easily accept a young man she just met...
And the ability of other colleagues to make such "arbitrary" judgments.
Margarita's thoughts raced; the smile on her face remained unchanged, but a sly glint flickered in her eyes.
Moreover... Let me personally "feel" how capable you really are.
She casually leaned forward, her blue eyes seemingly able to speak, looking even more intently into Karl's eyes.
At the same time, an extremely subtle spiritual force quietly spread from her, silently reaching out to Karl.
Trying to touch and feel his mental boundaries, even to glimpse Karl's true thoughts at that moment.
This trick had often given Margarita an advantage in social situations or negotiations, gaining information the other party was unwilling or reluctant to share.
However, this time... When her spiritual force approached about half a foot from Karl,
it was like an invisible wall that kept all her tests at bay.
"Hmm?" Margarita's smile froze for a moment, and a flicker of surprise quickly passed through her eyes.
Her telepathy... Actually doesn't work at all? It's not about being refuted, and it's not about being politely blocked after being noticed.
Or from the beginning, they couldn't touch each other's spirit? Couldn't even make the other person "feel" the touch?
She had never encountered such a situation before, even when facing sorcerers like Hen or Tissaia, whose mental strength was incredibly strong.
Her investigation, at least, allowed her to feel the "presence" and "intensity" of the opponent's spirit. Even if she couldn't go deeper, she could meet Karl...
Margarita's lazy and relaxed demeanor almost immediately faded somewhat.
Her eyes narrowed slightly as she began to carefully examine this young man before her, who was both overly handsome and overly mysterious.
This time, her gaze was more cautious than superficial curiosity and charm.
Karl seemed completely unaware of Margarita's covert investigation just now.
More precisely, he noticed, but he didn't care.
Meeting Margarita's questioning questions and scrutinizing gaze, he simply showed a calm and sincere smile.
"Why should I?" "Why do I think I can face the evil god alone..." He repeated her question, his tone remaining soft.
"You will see the answer to this question with your own eyes when the time comes."
He didn't explain much, but instead changed the subject, steering the conversation in a different direction.
"As for the importance of mental protection and how to effectively resist this mental influence..."
"Geralt, whom I personally blessed with 'Mind Closure,' may have the most authority to speak."
As he spoke, Karl's gaze slid to Geralt standing nearby.
Geralt, who was suddenly called upon, was slightly startled, then nodded slightly to Margarita, confirming Karl's words.
"Mind Closure?" Margarita's attention was indeed drawn.
The look of surprise on her face deepened, and she couldn't help but ask: "The Occlumency technique used to strengthen mental protection, isolate prying eyes and influences... Did you create it?"
This spell is not low-level, but a high-level protective spell requiring extremely high skill and mental strength.
She was also skilled in mental magic and understood that to infuse magic into the brain without harming it, mastering the magic is extremely difficult.
Karl simply smiled, saying nothing, neither acknowledging nor denying; he didn't want to dwell on this question further.
The next moment, he raised his right hand and casually drew a few circles in the air.
HUMM! As his fingertips moved, golden sparks burst from nowhere, outlining a circular contour in the air.
Then the "space" inside the circular contour expanded, revealing another scene – a treasury filled with boxes.
"This is... what spell?" Margarita's exclamation escaped.
She had never seen such a stable, clear, and vision-teleporting spell, like a window opening.
Usually, portals are blindingly bright and swirling like a spiral, but this one before them looked like a hole in the wall.
But her surprise lasted less than a second; her attention was completely captured by the scene inside the treasury through the portal.
Inside the treasury, wooden and metal boxes of various sizes were controlled by invisible forces.
They neatly and orderly flew out from where they were stacked, smoothly landing on the open ground near the door, then the lids opened on their own.
In an instant, dazzling magical light radiated from dozens of boxes.
Various colors of magical radiance intertwined and rose, forming a dazzling sea of light.
Even from a distance, the magical fluctuations were clearly transmitted, surprising everyone sensitive to magic.
"Oh my god... those are all magical artifacts?!" Keira muttered to herself, her eyes wide open.
She recognized these chests. She had seen knights carrying them in the manor. So those were the things inside?
Yennefer and Triss were also surprised; they could feel...
Every item in the box emitted stronger magical energy than the talismans they made.
This immeasurable wealth, a treasure coveted by countless sorcerers.