"I'll come visit you in the Abyss," Ruger said.
"Boring."
The Succubus scholar traced circles on the table with a finger, as though Ruger had spoiled all the good cheer she had gained from successfully extorting those potions.
Ruger, meanwhile, mentally estimated how much longer he would need, based on his current progress with the Fireball Spell.
As for that apprentice's notes on deriving the Fireball Spell, they had helped him, but he had also noticed something interesting. He was only consulting the notes to compare and cross-check them, speeding up his progress, while the book containing the basic version remained his actual study material. Yet those little things that built spells and generated spell models seemed almost alive. Once he learned of them and observed them, they latched on to him, subtly influencing his basic Fireball Spell without his noticing. Fortunately, the changes were beneficial.
"You could get used to life in the Abyss and enjoy its wider world. Maybe you could even meet more Succubi," Ruger said. "Of course, they might not be as learned as you."
"Boring."
The Succubus scholar seemed far less eager to return to this homeland she had never seen than she had previously claimed.
Seeing Ruger sitting there in a daze, lost in thought and no longer paying her any attention,
she actually rose, walked some distance away, and began talking about the Abyssal language. She launched into a lecture for her sole student, who was not listening, all on her own. It was the first real lesson she had taught in her several hundred years at the Ancient Castle. Being able to understand and write the language did not mean one truly understood Abyssal. She began explaining its grammar and various taboos, along with the culture unique to the nobles of that