Page 29

Odovish glanced at the elf. Her unconscious pose was alluring, like a succubus in white robes—a forbidden beauty steeped in decadence.

"We'll have guests soon." Odovish changed the subject somewhat stiffly, then added after a few seconds, "Surely you don't intend to receive them like this?"

"If they're only here to hear a story, I don't think I mind." Elufiel did not feel particularly strongly about it. "I can sit up from the sofa before he comes in. That'll only take a few seconds."

Odovish seemed to disagree with the elf. Sitting upright, he said to Elufiel, "Don't you think your dress is too thin? Even with the fireplace burning indoors, you still need a thicker robe, like Goliath's."

Elufiel blinked. "But my dress has enchantments to maintain its temperature." She saw the mage's lips tighten, and her urge to tease him once again gained the upper hand. "Od. Do you actually mean my dress is too revealing? But this is perfectly normal where I come from. I have dresses with even less fabric than this. Do you want to see them? My favorite Guardian Saint robe has golden tassels across the chest and openwork cutouts on both sides of the hem. When I lift my leg—"

"Elufiel!" The mage stood up, paced back and forth twice, then slapped the book in his hand onto the small round table beside the sofa. There was an almost imperceptible embarrassment and irritation in his voice.

Elufiel burst into laughter. "All right, all right. I was only joking. Goliath's clothes are very cute. I think I can give them a try." Her occasional soft laughter accompanied her upstairs.

Odovish watched her retreating figure, yet his mind involuntarily pictured Elufiel dressed like that...

"Jingle, jingle—" The wind chimes by the door rang. Odovish's attention returned, and when he opened the door, Eugene was standing there alone.

The two sat down. Before Eugene could speak, Elufiel lightly bounded down the stairs like a doe in the woods.

"Did I arrive just in time for the story?"

"Yes." Odovish looked at her thoroughly covered dress with satisfaction.

Eugene smiled at her. "Things were too rushed this morning. Allow me to thank you again for saving me."

"You're welcome?" Elufiel tilted her head slightly. "How is my Common now?"

Odovish nodded. "Very good. Now, it is Mage Eugene's turn."

Eugene clasped his hands tightly, somewhat nervous. "Before that, may I ask for both of your consent to set out together for Everlook Canyon?"

"Oh? A prerequisite. Bringing conditions to negotiate with me is not a wise move." Odovish said, "However, since my divine caster is bored, I agree to your condition."

Eugene gave Odovish and Elufiel a deep look. "Your decision is exceedingly wise, Your Highness." He addressed Odovish as "Your Highness." Snow and Weston—either of those surnames represented Arcane's former glory. The man before him, who had inherited both names, was the former Itarigis Empire's last imperial heir, now one of the six members of the Lista Council's Inner Ring, and a Spell Saint even younger than Eugene's father.

"I have something with me. My teacher told me it contains extremely important information." Eugene took a small cloth pouch from an inner pocket. It was clearly covered in small protective magic arrays. He murmured an incantation, removed the protections, and poured a ring from within.

It was a beautiful rose-shaped ring. The rose-shaped ruby set in its golden band gleamed brilliantly beneath the lamplight.

Elufiel covered her mouth in surprise. Was this the token of love belonging to Spell Saint Darren from the Emerald Fall Incident that Odovish had told her about?

Odovish's gaze sharpened. "Your teacher was Spell Saint Darren? That cannot be right. First of all, the ages do not match. Unless you mean you studied under an Undead, but an Undead transformed from a Spell Saint would not have been unable to protect his own disciple."

"Your analysis is correct," Eugene said. "My teacher was Lord Darren's youngest disciple. When Emerald City fell, he was merely that lord's registered disciple rather than a formal apprentice, so he was not intercepted and killed by the Holy See afterward. In truth, Lord Darren did not become Undead... he transformed into a Lich."

A Lich.

Odovish and Elufiel exchanged a glance. Whether in Azeroth or Kanado, Liches were dangerous existences.

"At the time, the Holy See destroyed Lord Darren's * and part of his soul. But as long as a Lich's Phylactery remains, it will never truly die. My teacher returned to the ruins of Emerald City the moment the Holy See withdrew. There, amid the ruins, he found this ring."

"This was that Spell Saint's Phylactery?" Elufiel asked, looking at the ring.

Eugene shook his head. "It was not. Lord Darren's transformation was completed under extremely rushed circumstances—or rather, it was entirely orchestrated by the Holy See. The instant he became a Lich, the Holy See moved to destroy him, leaving him no time to create a Phylactery. However, a trace of his spiritual power attached itself to this ring. At that time, Lord Darren was still lucid. Under his guidance, my teacher gathered some materials and made a simple Phylactery. Lord Darren lived on in the form of a Lich for some time."

"He told my teacher that the Holy See had used a strange 'Black Crystal.' When he had just reclaimed his sanity from the vicious spirits, this 'Black Crystal' threw him into madness again. During that period, he had no control whatsoever over what he did. Because of the damage to his soul, Lord Darren's Lich body soon died even with a Phylactery. Aside from some lingering thoughts left within this ring, all of his spiritual power dispersed. My teacher preserved every clue he had gathered within this ring. For three hundred years, he had been fleeing the Holy See's pursuit..."