Gryphon City 5

"As you said, even the bat king of a nest of vampire bats was only at the second tier. Could anything really happen to Goliath with a greatswordsman protecting her? Dear, could you tell me what level you are now?" Elufiel turned to the little girl before her.

Goliath looked up at her, then at Odovish. Seeing that he did not object, she answered, "I'm already at the late first tier. I'll break through to the second tier soon."

"See? Her strength is actually enough already, isn't it? Children need to grow through real combat. You think so too, so why not tell her?" Elufiel directly exposed the mask the mage had been holding up. "I saw the healing potion you prepared."

Odovish: "..."

Goliath looked at Odovish in delight. The housekeeper and the swordsman exchanged a glance and smiled knowingly.

All morning, no matter how Goliath pleaded, Odovish refused to bring out the healing potion he had made. He merely watched Sharon bandage the wounds the vampire bats had inflicted on Goliath.

Elufiel noticed that Goliath's arms had suffered the most wounds, perhaps because she had used them to defend herself. Sharon used quite a few herbs, and when the last bit of crushed medicinal paste was nearly gone, the housekeeper sighed. "It seems I'll have to visit the herbal shop again tomorrow. Miss Goliath, could you perhaps spend some time learning the things a lady ought to learn?"

Goliath's shoulders slumped as she said pitifully, "But I really don't like tea ceremonies or flower arranging."

"Then how about the lyre?" Sharon smoothly followed up with a smile.

"..." Goliath did not know how to make the housekeeper forget the subject. After freezing for a moment, she secretly turned to look at Elufiel.

Perhaps because she had seen that this guest was not afraid of her uncle, Goliath's eyes shone with hope as she looked at Elufiel.

This time, Elufiel merely smiled without speaking. Of course she understood music. Her favorite toy had been Sylvanas's music box, and she could play and sing the entire tune—but that was the only one.

Odovish looked at Goliath. "There's no need to look at her anymore. I believe Miss Elufiel's etiquette is absolutely beyond question, isn't it?"

Elufiel continued smiling. As an "elder" of considerable seniority, who would dare find fault with her etiquette?

In the end, Goliath was forced to add a music class and an etiquette class, because Odovish believed his niece should not grow up into a barbarian who only knew how to wield swords.

After the dejected Goliath was taken away by Sharon to bathe and change clothes, Odovish introduced Elufiel to the seventh-tier greatswordsman Gabriel. The fierce-looking man had once served under the husband of Odovish's cousin, and later became Goliath's swordsmanship instructor.

When only Elufiel and Odovish remained in the living room, the elf moved closer to the mage and asked, "Why did your niece choose the path of a swordsman? Her Arcane affinity seems quite good."

"Do you think being a mage is especially desirable these days?" Odovish countered.

Elufiel nodded thoughtfully. "But if she were willing, you would have more than enough ability to protect her, wouldn't you?"

Odovish said nothing, tacitly acknowledging the elf's words. After a while, the mage said, "Mages in Kanado are divided into two types. One type consists of innate spellcasters, who can directly draw energy from the Ley Lines and instantly cast certain minor spells. The other consists of acquired spellcasters, who connect themselves to the Ley Lines through long periods of study. Every spell they cast requires them to construct a model within the Ley Lines. I belong to the former, while Goliath belongs to the latter."

"It is enough for me alone to bear that past and that hatred," Odovish said calmly. "As for Goliath, if she wants to become a great swordsman like her parents, then she can. I want her to grow up happily, rather than sink into the enormous mire of the Arcane-Divine Conflict."

"Goliath has a good uncle." Elufiel saw the mage in a different light. He was a wise and aloof spellcaster, yet he always carried a measure of humility, wrapping himself in indifference. Beneath his restrained, tranquil exterior, as still as the bottom of a frozen lake, lay a warm heart. At that moment, Elufiel felt that the mage was not as cold as he appeared, though his face often remained expressionless, as if frozen by the god of ice and snow.

Odovish stayed in the little house with Goliath for two days. During that time, Elufiel watched the wounds on Goliath's hands heal slowly and finally could not bear it any longer, using a healing spell. Gabriel nearly drew his sword on her. Had Odovish not stopped him quickly, the two might have fought right there in the house.

Unlike the wary Sharon and Gabriel, Goliath was very curious about Elufiel. During her free time, she often pulled the elf aside to ask strange questions, such as, "Have you met the Light God?" "Does the Holy See really forbid divine spellcasters from marrying?" and "What is the principle behind healing spells?"

Elufiel said she truly knew nothing. She had never met the Light God, only Sargeras. Priests in Azeroth could fall in love freely. As for the principle behind healing spells... perhaps faith in the Holy Light granted eternal life?

The elf sought help from the mage, but Odovish simply drank tea and read his book leisurely, ignoring her pleading gaze. Thus, Elufiel could only rack her brains and invent answers that sounded reasonable enough to satisfy Goliath's curiosity.

Of course, Odovish's tacit approval of Goliath playing(?) with Elufiel eased Sharon and Gabriel's vigilance. They believed everything was under Mr. Snow's control.

This was their third day here. Early in the morning, Elufiel knocked on Odovish's door. "Mr. Mage, would you have time to accompany me for a stroll through the streets and admire some of Gryphon City's other notable buildings?"

"Didn't you say you didn't appreciate dwarven style?" Odovish asked from where he leaned against the doorframe.

Elufiel smiled. "Sometimes, it is still nice to see a different kind of beauty. A rugged kind of beauty."