The Countess' first instinct was that Gareth was lying. That was the only logical conclusion she could come to. His claims were simply too absurd—how could she believe them so easily?
She herself was an Ardent, so she knew exactly how difficult it was to feel mana as a beginner. It had taken her more than a month before she was able to do so.
However… what if he actually did it?
That question lingered in her mind. If Gareth truly could feel the flow of mana, then it meant he would soon be able to become an Ardent himself.
To confirm whether he was telling the truth, she decided to test him.
She stood up, and with a smile that wasn't quite a smile, she spoke.
"You claim you can feel mana, right? Then I suppose you wouldn't mind a little test."
As she spoke, her hand shone with a pale blue light. With a simple wave, an invisible force flowed through the room—something neither of them could see, yet both could feel.
"Alright, tell me. Which part of this room has the highest concentration of mana now?" she asked.
She had deliberately flooded the room with mana, leaving one area more concentrated than the rest. If Gareth truly could sense mana, he would be able to find it. If not, it would prove he was lying—something she would not be pleased about.
Hearing her order, Gareth nodded and began to concentrate. He walked slowly around the room, stopping from time to time as he tried to feel the mana in the air.
The room was quite large, making the task far from easy. He wandered throughout the space, even reaching all four corners.
When she saw him pass by the area she had flooded with mana, Countess Virelle felt disappointment settle in her chest. She was certain now—he was lying.
However, she didn't say anything.
Looking at his face, she decided to give him one last chance to come clean and ask for forgiveness. The perks of being handsome, she supposed.
Gareth, still fully focused, didn't notice her gaze and continued wandering. After another minute, his expression shifted as if he had figured something out. With confident steps, he walked to a stop.
"What are you doing there?" the Countess asked, her tone filled with confusion.
"Didn't my Lady ask me to find the area with the highest concentration of mana?" he replied, sounding confused by her question.
"Yes, I did," she said. "So why are you standing right behind me?"
"Because this is the area with the highest concentration of mana in the room," Gareth answered.
"Hah!" The Countess let out a chuckle, laughing at the absurdity of his words. For a moment, she almost forgot her disappointment at his supposed lie.
Almost.
Just as she was about to reprimand him, she realized something.
Gareth was actually right.
Because she had flooded the room with her mana, she herself was surrounded by the highest concentration. In simple terms, it was like a sea branching out into rivers and streams—none of them could ever surpass the sea itself.
This was basic knowledge that anyone training to become an Ardent would learn early on. However, Gareth was a slave. There was no way he should have encountered this concept before.
Unless…
Perhaps he had come to this realization on his own while reading the cultivation technique.
If that were the case, then he wasn't just talented—he was a genius.
Coming to this realization, the Countess didn't know whether to feel angry or amused. Gareth was technically correct, but it still wasn't the answer she was looking for. She still hadn't confirmed whether he could truly feel mana.
"My Lady?"
Gareth's voice sounded from behind her, close to her ear.
Her body froze for a brief moment as a shiver ran down her spine. There was something about hearing his voice from so close behind that stirred something within her. Just his deep tone, just the feeling of his breath near her ear, was enough to affect her.
Still, she wasn't a naïve girl.
She quickly composed herself and spoke without turning around.
"While you are technically correct, that wasn't the answer I was looking for."
"Was the answer you were looking for that corner?" Gareth asked, pointing toward the side of the room.
Following his finger, her gaze landed on the corner.
Countess Virelle froze.
This time, she couldn't hide the shock on her face.
The spot Gareth pointed to was the exact location where she had directed most of the mana she released.
What did that mean?
It meant Gareth hadn't been lying. He truly could feel the mana in the air. It meant his talent surpassed even those she would call monstrous geniuses.
The realization was both exciting and unsettling.
Just how gifted was he? How powerful could he become?
For a brief moment, she found herself daydreaming about the heights she could reach by using Gareth. However, she quickly forced herself to calm down. After all, he hadn't even become an Ardent yet. Thinking so far ahead was premature.
Still, she would be paying close attention to the young man behind her from now on.
Now that she had confirmed Gareth's ability to sense mana, her opinion of him skyrocketed. Whether he was a true genius or merely fortunate, she intended to find out.
Turning around, she rose onto her toes, wrapped her arms around his neck, and asked in a sultry voice,
"Hmm… it seems you weren't joking. However, that doesn't change the fact that you made me wait. What punishment should I give you?"