The so-called ’wait a little longer’ naturally refers to waiting for the upcoming "test".
However, before they could react, the Black Earl broke the silence first: "No need to wait... It’s already here."
Everyone instinctively turned around, only to see that in the corner on one side of the corridor, there had somehow appeared a girl with an innocent and adorable look.
Her attire matched her image well, clad in a rabbit outfit, with rabbit ear hair clips on her head, and a carrot-shaped satchel slung over her shoulder, exuding childishness and innocence.
Regarding the appearance of this rabbit girl, no one paid too much attention, as they believed that she, like the previous Bard and Astrologer, was merely a "test machine". But what type of test she would present was unknown.
The Bard’s question revolved around an inexplicable poem, while the Astrologer’s question concerned the interpretation of an astrological sign.
Lining up their attire seemed to reveal the direction of their questions.
Following this idea, could the rabbit girl’s test be related to small animals?
While everyone was pondering, the rabbit girl did not take any further action but crouched in the corner like a radish squat, resting her chin on both hands and tilting her head as she gazed at... Angel.
No one was surprised that the rabbit girl watched Angel.
Prior to this, the Bard paid attention only to Dox, the Astrologer only to the Black Earl, so it’s normal for someone to specifically notice Angel.
What everyone was more concerned about was, this rabbit girl seemed to be without a "mask"? Normally, wasn’t there supposed to be a third broken mask?
Moreover, why was she silent? Previously, both the Bard and Astrologer were proactive in speaking up, though their words were hardly pleasant—merely aimed at "posing a test"—yet they took the initiative to speak. This little girl, however, hadn’t uttered a single word, and no one knew when she appeared; if it weren’t for the Black Earl’s reminder, they might have overlooked her existence.
"Is she mute? Or is she waiting for you to greet her?" Dox said to Angel in the Mind Ribbon: "It’s normal for kids to be shy, so it’s your turn to take the initiative!"
Dox’s tone was filled with instigation, not because he discovered any trick but simply wanted to witness Angel’s reaction. In his view, although this child’s attire seemed cute, appearing here was abnormal. Presumably, she was either a mischievous child or an unruly one.
No matter which, dealing with them is invariably difficult. Therefore, encouraging Angel to communicate was merely for entertainment.
However, the upcoming events disappointed Dox somewhat because after scrutinizing Angel for a while in silence, the child suddenly turned around and disappeared.
And before she vanished, she threw out a broken mask from her carrot satchel.
This clears up the previous puzzlement. She wasn’t without a mask; she merely carried it in her satchel instead of wearing it on her face.
Yet while this question dissolved, new confusion arose: what about the test?
Why was there no test? She just silently stared at Angel for a moment and left the mask behind. What’s going on here?
"Why is that?" Dox repeated in the Mind Ribbon: "Why can you get a mask without doing anything while we and the Black Earl had to painstakingly solve problems?"
Just as Dox finished speaking, Vay murmured beside him: "It was Kaier who solved the problems, actually."
Dox: "Nonetheless, I did exert effort, at least I wrote something! Yet he did absolutely nothing, didn’t even speak. It’s not fair!"
Though Dox was theatrically accusing, his words indeed sparked curiosity among the group.
This little girl’s behavior differed significantly from the previous two!
"Could it be, valuing appearances starts so young?" Vay muttered.
Dox retorted: "What are you thinking? If it’s truly about appearances, I’m much more handsome than him!"
Regarding Dox’s confident remark, Vay’s agreement was another matter, but one thing was certain, appearance-wise, Dox was indeed slightly better than Angel, who used shapeshifting technique.
At least, Dox was neatly dressed whereas Angel currently sported a somewhat forlorn and lazy look.
As for comparing Angel’s true form with Dox, that was harder to judge.
Because, presently, they didn’t know what Angel’s true appearance was like.
Previously, everyone believed Angel’s true appearance was the blonde hair and blue eyes depicted in magazines. But earlier when the Wise Sovereign used the True Words Tome to project Angel’s real visage, though the specific contour wasn’t clear, it definitely wasn’t the magazine picture.
Thus, this topic lacked comparability.
Seeing Vay and Dox debating over "who looks better", the always silent Black Earl finally couldn’t help but speak: "There’s no need to discuss this topic. Whether to present questions or not, tests or no tests, is beyond our control."
The Black Earl’s words set a tone. With this established, everyone stopped arguing.
Only then did Angel speak: "I understand your doubts, but the Black Earl is right, the girl’s unusual behavior is not up to me to decide."
"There are only two things I can tell you: First, the girl’s satchel contains not only a mask but also the derivative of a Wood Spirit. Meaning, the creature we sensed earlier must be her. Second, the masks are complete now."
The first fact is not particularly crucial. They knew from before that she certainly possessed a derivative of the Wood Spirit. The main concern is, if the Wood Spirit derivative is with the rabbit girl, then who were the prior Bard and Astrologer? What’s their relation with her?
These mysteries remain unsolvable for now, only shelved temporarily.
The second fact, on the other hand, demands immediate attention. Evidently, the mask holds a special significance.
Now, with the final piece of the broken mask found, this special significance might soon be revealed.
"Could this mask be the surprise the Wise Sovereign mentioned?" Dox wondered.
Vay: "Probably."
Watching Angel piece together the last fragment of the broken mask, Dox hesitated slightly: "If it’s truly a surprise, a single mask seems too little... There aren’t enough for the three of us."
Vay, somewhat speechless, replied: "You don’t even know what this mask is, yet you’re already thinking about distribution?"
Dox, unfazed by Vay’s sarcasm, patted Vay’s shoulder: "You must understand, this is the reality in the Wizards’ Realm. Regarding issues of interest, if you don’t speak up, you risk being deliberately ignored."
Dox had just spoken when he received a glance from Angel, and the Black Earl looked at him through his nostrils.
Dox hurriedly coughed: "I’m not talking about you guys, I’m just passing on some...experience... to little Vay."
Angel didn’t say anything, just gave Dox a deep look. The Black Earl straightforwardly cast a Silencing Charm on Dox, sealing his mouth with a big red X.