"Let's go. Show me the beast that's inside you. Hehe!"
Jules said in a playful tone and got up from her seat. Eren smiled and retracted his sound-isolation artefact before getting up as well. He gestured with his hand for his companion to proceed.
Eren found out after some time that Jules had led him outside the city of Lionhearts. Their rental colts had carried them miles away from the city in a few hours.
"Where are we going exactly, Jules?"
Eren finally asked after he chatted with Jules on random things during their journey. The latter smiled in response before speaking up:
"There's this natural pond nearby from where we are. Despite what you might expect, the water feels lukewarm to touch even during the night. Perfect for us to get immersed in. I thought we should spice things up from last time. Hope you don't mind. Hehe!"
"Hm. Alright. Why would I mind? I'm just glad I don't have to come up with killer pick-up lines this time. It's gratifying when you get to spend quality time without having to work hard for it every once in a while, you know."
Eren said and chuckled a bit. He made Jules remember the way they had met and interacted the last time. She shook her head and mirthlessly smiled before replying to him as they continued their journey on their colts:
"I'm sure you know this, Ronny. But I'll say this to highlight it again. Pick-up lines don't work the way you think they do. The good ones can only fetch attention. It's the one you are trying to woo that decides if they should work or not."
Ronny didn't take long to comment as he sped up his colt to match up with Julie's speed:
"They serve as effective ice breakers, yes. And with such a fine lady by my side, I'll try to break or shave away the ice with all my might if I have to."
Jules felt Ronny's words working on her again the way they did last time. She smiled and pointed at the front before saying:
"Hehe. You don't need to break that ice when it has already been melted away, Ronny. Look, our destination is right up ahead. I'll see what else your tongue can do apart from praising me so much."
Ronny and Jules eventually reached their destination. The pond was located at the edge of a small cliff and wasn't that deep. It was connected to a creek that was streaming down from the mountains in the distance.
The running water would fill the pond before travelling downwards. But its temperature would rise while it was inside the pond. That was because there was a lava vein at the bottom of the pond. It had turned the pond into a natural spa.
Eren had to admit that the place was pretty amazing. The location was covered by dense vegetation around it. Plus, it was only two nights away from the full moon. So the moonlight and stars had added to the already pleasing ambience.
The light breeze carried a faint and fresh scent of the wild. Eren smelled it and found it pleasing. But he felt something was odd.
He felt that the setting was too picturesque. Or rather, it felt too picturesque for him.
So he asked Reen to confirm:
'What do you think?'
Eren could hear Reen chuckle in his head before she replied:
'Hehe! You sure took your time to notice it. Thankfully, you are using your head to think this time and not some other part.
That's right. It's an E-Rank illusion spell that Jules is casting on you. She is what you humans call an illusionist.'
Reen confirmed Eren's doubts. By now he and Jules had both gotten off their colts. They were holding each other's hands as they walked towards the spa pond.
The butcher could now see that the surface of the water was not serene as he thought it'd be. There were light bubbles that would pop up every so often. 'The reason behind the water staying lukewarm even during the night,' he guessed.
'But why keep casting the spell on me now? And it sure isn't working the way it should if I can feel it is affecting my senses. So why is she still casting it?'
Reen pondered for a while before replying to her master's questions:
'I guess she doesn't know that it is not working. Hmm. Your status as a non-human might have rendered the illusion spell on your senses practically useless.
The spell itself isn't harmless. So maybe she wanted to lower your guard before drawing the truth from you that you wouldn't normally share. Hehe. This lady still underestimates you.'
Eren agreed with Reen's guess. His body's stats had been augmented to that of an E-Ranker using E-Rank strengthening he had achieved with the help of Reen. But it kept his intelligence unchanged.
An E-Ranker's illusion spell should have still worked on F-Rank Eren even when he was pretending to be an ace ranker. But his status as a non-human must have offset that logic.
Julie's spell was meant to be cast on humans after all. As a result, Eren felt his pleasure senses getting worked on. But his rationale stayed unaffected by that change.
'Now that I recollect the first time I saw this food… err… Julie. She had tried to cast the illusion spell on who she thought was Dom too when you had sent me to talk with her.
Her spell didn't work on me. But we can consider her to be a skilled illusionist if her spell can still affect you this much despite being a non-human.'
Eren nodded internally at Reen before stopping at the edge of the pond:
"You look beautiful under the moonlight, Jules."
Eren committed as he embraced his companion The latter returned the hug she received before saying softly:
"Ronny, I told you. You don't need to break the ice. Sometimes silence is golden."
"I know I don't need to. But I want to. This everyday night has turned into a surreal moment for me now that you are with me. I feel like I'm living inside a dream."
'The spell is working. Just as they had told me, the illusion spells work fine on Anthrops.'
Jules felt relieved after she had assumed this point. Her vetting of Ronny would be much smoother and reliable if her spell was in effect while she carried her Q&A round with her partner.
Or so she thought.