The Incomplete Truth - III

Once Ansel had left the alchemy workshop, Ravenna deliberately kept a significant distance from Marlina. In the workshop, which seemed bustling yet was actually desolate, the absence of that one person… seemed to drain most of the vibrant life from the space.

Marlina, standing quietly in the distance, gazed at Ravenna's profile, certain of one thing... With or without Ansel, Miss Ziegler was in a completely different state.

It wasn't a matter of ability or performance, one being superior and the other inferior, but rather a profound, almost illusory aura that she emitted.

Within this aura, Miss Ziegler rejected anyone's approach, any form of communication, any... interference.

Yet, Mr. Ansel alone seemed to naturally exist within this aura and even appeared to be able to shift it in the direction he desired.