The entire square fell silent. The roar of the forge seemed to be the only sound in the world, the crackling of the spiritual flames echoing against the stone walls.
Sun Luguo looked at the book. Then at Kyrian. His eyes moved back and forth between the two several times, processing what he had just witnessed.
"You've... finished reading it?" His voice was measured, but there was a barely concealed note of disbelief.
"Yes."
"You've already memorized it?"
"Yes."
The enormous blacksmith stared at him for several long seconds. The weight of his gaze was almost physical, as though he were trying to pierce through the young man's facade and find even the slightest trace of deception.
His instincts told him that the young man was not lying. There was a sincerity in those violet eyes, a certainty that came from within and needed no words to prove itself.
Even so... it seemed absurd.
"Are you sure?"
Kyrian simply nodded.
"I don't make a habit of lying."
