According to Rebecca's teaching, Anna should have left quickly, but she was too curious about mages.

She approached slowly and asked softly, "Sir, is there anything I can do for you?"

The man standing alone didn't seem to be surprised by Anna's voice. He slowly turned around.

"I need you to leave," he said calmly.

Without waiting for her response, he turned back around.

Anna wasn't too surprised by his attitude. In this world, the difference between nobles and commoners was very clear. Only someone like "Lord Parish," possessed by a demon, would completely ignore such difference.

She had hoped to learn something about the Mage Association and mages, but it seemed she was expecting too much.

Having been dismissed, Anna didn't insist. She walked away quietly and quickly.

At the door, Vodo was waiting for Anna and helped her carry the food tray upstairs.

Anna had thought she would see the demon in the bedroom, but instead, he was sitting casually in the sunroom, wearing loose sleepwear.

Rothgar was in a very bad mood.

The human body was so fragile. It had been a long time since he felt pain. If it weren't for the bet with Balan, he would have abandoned this body already. "Possession" could only be used once on the same body, and he had not yet used Parish's body to win over that human woman, so he couldn't leave.

Enduring the washing of light magic from the priest was another annoyance. Of course, that weak priest couldn't use light magic strong enough to harm him, but he inherently hated it.

And just now, he seemed to see that human woman talking to that so-called genius mage.

Rothgar knew that this human woman, Anna, had great ambition. She wanted an Earl's son to be devoted to her. Oh, he would certainly "fulfill" her desires in the way she wanted.

But now it seemed she had a new target.

In Parish's memory, this mage named Ulysses Russell, the second son of Duke Russell. Although he had no right to inherit the duke's title, he was the most talented fire element affinity mage, becoming a four-star mage at a young age. He was currently staying at the earl's mansion to recuperate from injuries sustained while capturing a magical beast.

Humans, like demons, worshiped the strong. On one side was an ordinary earl's son with no natural element affinity, and on the other side was a rare young four-star mage and a duke's son. A cunning and ambitious woman like Anna probably already had her answer.

"Lord Parish."

Hearing the voice from behind, Rothgar turned his head.

Anna kept her head down, avoiding direct eye contact with the demon, and took out the exquisite, steaming food from the tray.

Rothgar looked at Anna, using Parish's memory, and saw her expression of disappointment. "Dear Anna, you still won't marry me. Is it because you've fallen in love with someone else?"

Anna was slightly startled. Had her maid friends told this demon what she had said?

She quickly glanced at the demon, mainly to observe his real expression. He looked terrifying, with his already pale and gloomy face now showing even more oppressive tension, as if he might flip the table at any moment!

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Anna firmly denied. "I don't know where you heard this from, but it's completely wrong. I haven't fallen in love with anyone."

"No one told me, I saw it myself," Rothgar pointed towards the window. "I saw you with Ulysses Russell."

Ulysses Russell?

So that's the name of the young, handsome four-star mage? He wasn't referring to the story she casually told those three girls.

Anna noted the mage's name and looked puzzled. "Are you referring to... the mage from earlier?"

Rothgar didn't know if Anna was playing dumb or genuinely unaware, so he continued, "A twenty three years old one-star mage was already impressive, not to mention a four-star mage. I understand why you'd admire such a genius."

So, mages start at one star and go up from there? Anna wondered if there was a maximum level.

Anna extracted the more important information from the demon's words and quickly denied to prevent the demon from flipping the table. "Master Parish, you really misunderstood. I just saw that mage alone and thought he might need something, so I asked. I'm just a maid and only want to finish my job."

"Is that so?" Rothgar responded with doubt. Even though he couldn't find any flaws in Anna's words, he didn't fully believe her.

This human woman was smarter than other humans and very adept at disguising her intentions. Just listening to her words wouldn't reveal her true motives.

He needed to observe her more.

Besides, even if she changed her target, it wouldn't matter much to him. If she aimed for the mage, she'd have to act quickly. The mage was only here to recover and would soon leave. If he "possessed" the mage, he could easily achieve his goal.

Anna hurriedly said, "By the goddess, I'm telling the truth."

Rothgar sneered and, before Anna could react, deliberately said, "Ulysses Russell is only staying here temporarily to recover. He'll be leaving soon. Next time you see him, don't bother him."

Most people would interpret his words as jealousy towards a rival, and that's exactly how Vodo saw it.

But Rothgar's intention was to make Anna realize that if she didn't act fast, she'd miss her chance.

Whether Anna planned to continue leading him on or seduce the mage, it didn't make a difference to him.

Anna, who just wanted to earn money without seducing anyone, heard the demon's words and, although she thought a lot in that moment, ultimately decided to take his words as a simple command from a master to a maid.

"Yes, Master Parish," she obediently replied, but in her mind, she thought, "Next time, I'll still approach him."

She was very curious about mages and wanted to learn magic herself!

Rothgar quietly finished his lunch. Since he was still feeling unwell, he didn’t eat much. Once Anna had cleared the table and left, he stood by the glass window, watching her until she disappeared from his sight.

Now, he was quite looking forward to seeing Anna make a move on that mage. If she did, it would give him the perfect opportunity to switch bodies. His current body had no natural elemental affinity and was disgustingly weak. The mage's body, on the other hand, was at least passable.

Anna walked away cautiously. However, after this “illness” episode, her fear of the demon had lessened somewhat.

It turned out that demons possessing humans could actually get sick! And it seemed he couldn’t do anything about it. Clearly, the demon was strictly bound by some rules. As long as she didn’t fulfill certain conditions, he couldn’t harm her.

Of course, a demon who could possess a person was inherently more powerful than her. She couldn’t underestimate him, or she might end up dead without knowing why.

There had been times when his killing intent was so intense that she believed he might have ways to circumvent the rules. Perhaps the cost was too high, and as long as he thought there was hope to harvest her soul within the rules, he wouldn’t easily break them.

So, she needed to strike a balance—firmly reject his marriage proposals while giving him a hope to prevent him from flipping the table.

Thinking this way, Anna felt like she was stringing him along as a backup plan.

But since he wasn’t human, it didn’t matter.

In the afternoon, during her break, Abigail and the other two came over, eager to learn more about Parish’s condition.

Anna assured them that Parish was fine and casually mentioned her encounter with the mage.

“That gentleman looked very imposing. I wonder if we might have the chance to become mages ourselves,” Anna remarked deliberately.

Though the three girls wanted to please Anna, they couldn’t help but laugh at her naive question.

Fiona, laughing, said, “We’re just commoners. How could we ever become esteemed mages?”

“Anna, you don’t think you can become a noble, do you? Becoming a mage and thus a noble is harder than marrying one…” Abigail’s tone carried a hint of sharp sarcasm, but she quickly added, “Of course, you have your lover and wouldn’t want to marry a noble.”

She didn’t want Anna aiming to marry a noble, as Master Parish would surely be her first choice.

“Yes, I am devoted to my lover,” Anna responded offhandedly, keeping the conversation going. “But haven’t you ever dreamed of becoming a noble? I want to become a noble with my lover, so I need to know if it’s possible.”

The idea that becoming a mage could grant nobility intrigued Anna deeply. She wanted power and status!