Is This Really Green Tea?

The two sat together, and Elena began asking Caroso about Demon Blood.

"Brother Caroso, why can Demon Blood be used in a priest's deck? Aren't demons supposed to be evil?" Elena pointed at the contents of the book.

There was a lot to unpack in that question. People of different levels would understand it differently, and there was no absolute right answer.

Even if Caroso had been a poor student, he could have talked his way through it.

Within minutes, Elena had found the best topic for breaking through the barrier between them.

"There is no absolute good or evil in this world," Caroso explained. "Demon Blood is aligned with darkness, while priest decks lean toward light. That creates an absolute opposition between the two, like water and fire."

"Cards these days don't have attributes like earth, water, fire, wind, lightning, light, and darkness anymore, do they?" Elena blinked.

"That's true. Newer cards are more versatile, but they can't accommodate too much text. It simply isn't displayed anymore—it doesn't mean it no longer exists." Caroso nodded. "After the War of the Gods ended, priest decks leaned toward light because the victor was the Goddess of Dawn, and the Goddess of Dawn Church spread across the entire continent as a result. The systems of priests and paladins were established around that time as well."

"Priests and paladins wield the power of holy light, which carries an extra trace of divinity compared to ordinary light attributes. In my view, that trace of divinity is a shackle. They can quickly gain the power of light, but their upper limit is restricted. They cannot break free from the Goddess of Dawn's constraints. Aside from God's Chosen, even reaching the eighth tier is difficult, let alone pursuing the more distant Primal Light."

"Primal Light?" Elena was genuinely fascinated now.

No one had ever told her about what Caroso was saying before.

Anyone familiar with medieval history would understand the Church's status within the kingdom.

What Caroso was saying was outright disrespect toward the Goddess of Dawn.

In the hearts of countless people, the Goddess of Dawn was great, and receiving her power was an honor.

A shackle? That was blasphemy!

Of course, Caroso dared say it now because the gods had vanished three hundred years ago. The Church's rule was no longer as absolute as before, and the rise of various smaller churches had shaken the Goddess of Dawn Church's position.

Still, if Elena reported Caroso, he would face some minor trouble.

The trouble would be easy enough to resolve. He only needed to deny it. The Church would not use a True Word Spell over such a trivial matter against someone of Caroso's status.

Simply put, people could discuss the gods now, but they had to do it quietly and leave them some dignity...

If the consequences became too severe, then they would have to wait for the Church's judgment.

"Yes, Primal Light. It is the light of the beginning, the light emitted by the Creation God," Caroso said. "It's too early for you to explore that now. Let's talk about Demon Blood first."

"After the Goddess of Dawn's status was established, creatures aligned with darkness were branded as demons. Put simply, it was just the strong preying on the weak. We were the victors, so they were evil. If they had been the victors, then we would be evil."

"Where there is light, there is darkness. Where there is light, there are shadows. When making priest cards, adding Demon Blood serves two purposes."

"One is to slightly suppress the power of light and prevent the card from exploding. The other is to activate the instinctive conflict between light and darkness, allowing the power of light to perform more strongly..."

Caroso paused.

He glanced over from the corner of his eye and saw Elena lean slightly toward him, her finger pointing at a spot in the book. "But that's not what the book says..."

Caroso felt an unusual sensation against his elbow, and his heart began pounding.

When people were focused, it was difficult for them to notice some of their unconscious actions.

Elena looked completely serious, not like some lovestruck admirer. It was as though she was truly seeking knowledge from Caroso, and that stirred his desire to teach.

"I think there's a problem with what the book says here. Someone from the Church must have had a hand in this textbook..."

Caroso took a deep breath and began explaining seriously.

Two hours passed in the blink of an eye. By the time the dinner bell rang, Elena was still not quite satisfied.

"Brother Caroso, shall we go eat?" Elena pointed outside. "I've been here before. I'll take you to the best cafeteria, okay?"

"Next time." Caroso's face was slightly red. "I'm not feeling well today."

Elena leaned forward and instinctively touched Caroso's forehead with the back of her hand.

"Mm, your forehead is a little hot. Are you sick? I'll take you to the school infirmary."

"No need. I'll be fine once I calm down," Caroso refused.

"Alright, then. I'll go eat first and come see you afterward." Elena muttered, "My older brother probably met quite a few new friends today. He wants to introduce me to them, but I hate playing with them. The way they look at me is especially... well..."

"They're just normal social obligations. We can't avoid them," Caroso said.

"Mm, true. Bye!"

Elena waved and vanished from Caroso's room like a gust of wind.

Caroso stared blankly at her departing figure, somewhat dazed.

Even with the warnings from the Netizens, Caroso's heart was beginning to stir.

The old Caroso had barely interacted with girls. The one he had spent the most time with was Nimel.

Nimel's timidity and obedience were no different from the servants at home, so Caroso had never felt much toward her.

Elena was different. Her status was equal to Caroso's—strictly speaking, it was even a rank higher than his.

She was not a mere pretty face. She also had the aptitude to become a card maker.

While teaching her just now, Caroso could tell that her foundation was not poor. It even far surpassed that of others her age.

[Holy shit, is this really green tea?]

[No, I need to go over the plot again. Could Elena have been possessed?]

[Damn it, why is Elena so cute? Forget Boss Caro—I'm getting feelings too.]

[Isn't she exactly my ideal female classmate?]

[Waaaah, this reminds me of my innocent school days.]

[Do you people seriously not know how to tell? Forget everything else, that forehead-touching move just now was such a green tea move! Remember, Caroso just mentioned having a "fiancée" today. A normal girl definitely wouldn't like that! Well, Baby Caro being handsome does earn him points...]

[One thing should snap you all awake. When Elena said she was going to meet his new friends at the end, she was actually forcing Baby Caro to make a move. Without a certain level of skill, she absolutely couldn't pull off something like that.]

[You men really can't tell when it comes to high-level green tea girls!]

[It's over. Baby Caro isn't going to get carried away, is he?]