Everlook Canyon

Elufiel still did not quite understand. "Sorry, how were they different from the Paladins we encountered before? Were they even weaker?"

Odovish shifted his position, leaning against the carriage wall as he took out a drawing board and a quill from his spatial ring. As he sketched a pattern, he said to the elf, "Did you notice the patterns on their armor? What divine spell did you use to knock them down?"

"Holy Nova."

"Mm, Holy Nova. A very nice name. The armor of the Paladins knocked down by your Holy Nova mostly bore patterns like this." The mage drew several simple cross patterns, linked together into a long chain. "They sit along the edges of the armor's shoulders and serve as minor decoration. Paladins wearing this kind of armor are between the third and sixth tiers. Paladins above the third tier can cast Light Holy Word independently. For Arcane spellcasters, the Holy Word Spell is the best skill for suppressing their casting. In most fights between those of the same tier, an Arcanist has no means of resisting Light Holy Word."

"Mm, then what about the remaining few?" Elufiel caught the key point. She still remembered the mage mentioning "some special little tricks."

"That starts with the talents of Arcanists: innate spellcasters and acquired spellcasters." Odovish tapped the drawing board with his quill. "Eluer, could you not interrupt? Otherwise, we will not finish discussing everything you want to know before we arrive."

"Okay, my dear teacher." The elf straightened her back, adjusted her posture, and assumed an attentive pose.

"The patterns on the armor of Paladins from the third to sixth tiers differ only slightly. The higher the tier, the more intricate the patterns. However, Paladins below the high tiers are not qualified to wear enchanted armor. The one who followed Terrence yesterday was an eighth-tier knight. You could see the gleaming enchanted armor he wore, with the large emblem of the Holy Light Church engraved across its back." As Odovish spoke, he had already outlined an emblem.

"Training a high-tier Paladin is extremely expensive, so the Holy See equips them with enchanted gear. In this age, enchanted items, especially weapons and armor, are already very scarce, and their prices have been driven to astronomical levels on the black market. Moreover, high-tier Paladins require great talent. Not just anyone can rise from the sixth tier to the seventh. The difference is like the gap between your Healing Spell and Eugene's little lover's Healing Spell."

Eugene, who had been named, silently turned his face aside as he listened to Odovish's example. There was simply no comparison at all.

"Eluer, first, you need to understand one thing." Odovish stared intently into Elufiel's eyes. His azure gaze looked somewhat dark in the dim carriage. "I am a Saint-tier mage. In Kanado, the Saint tier is almost the pinnacle. Beyond it, the Demigod tier has appeared only in epics. Terrence is at the peak of the ninth tier, but he specializes in healing divine spells. As for you, from what I have learned so far, you are capable of fighting me. That means you are at least Saint tier, by Kanado's standards. So you think those third- and fourth-tier Paladins fall at a touch, and that even ninth-tier Terrence is nothing special. But it will not always be so easy."

Odovish's tone became grave. "The instability of the Ley Lines affects all spellcasters, but warrior-type professions are exempt. We must remain vigilant at all times, even if your strength already stands at Kanado's peak. We do not know whether there are existences above the Saint tier that we know nothing about. And what lies within those untouched ruins—those sealed independent spaces? Not a single record has ever given us a clear answer. Eluer, be wary of this world. It is not as safe as it appears."

The hostility between the Holy See and Arcanists was only one part of the world. Deeper down, dangers unknown to anyone lay hidden.

What Odovish had inherited from his parents was not merely talent and bloodline, but also those buried secrets—the things guarded during the Pandor Era and the laws followed by Italigis.

Elufiel blinked. The mage was right. In this new world, she had never encountered real danger. None of the people or things she had met had been capable of threatening her. She had begun to grow carried away, and the restless factor hidden within her nature was stirring.

At first, she had made a contract to travel with the mage because she wanted to learn about the world. Now, she regarded him more as a companion on her journey. Other than the destinations being beyond her control, the mage had fulfilled nearly all her wishes for amusement. This was also one reason the elf had become so complacent and begun doing things according to her own preferences.

Her caution had been discarded beneath Odovish's subtle, gentle offensive. That was not a good sign. Elufiel reflected that if the mage had not laid it out so clearly today, she might not even have noticed it herself.

"You are right," Elufiel said. "I have lost my vigilance. I need to find it again."

The elf reached up and fiddled with the ornaments on her long ears. Besides the ruby stud the mage had given her, she wore a pair of golden phoenix earrings. Red gemstones were set in the phoenixes' eyes and wings, giving them a strong Blood Elf style.

Odovish's gaze slowly followed the movement of her fingertips to her face, where her smile had faded. When serious, the elf was even prouder than usual. Her exquisite face was like a wild rose blooming in Cedar Forest. Odovish had seen one when he was very young: vast stretches of white flowers unfolding their beautiful forms amid ice and snow. The cold wind carried away their fallen petals, softer than snowflakes, and they drifted to the ground, pure and sorrowful.

Suddenly, he wanted to tell the elf, "It is all right. I am here." On the eve of danger, I will sound the alarm for you, keep you from panic, and shield you from harm.

Chapter 28: Everlook Canyon

The carriage traveled onward, stopping only when it occasionally encountered large magical beasts. The driver would jump down, kill the beast, and tie its corpse to the carriage shafts. To Elufiel's surprise, this unremarkable driver was a sixth-tier greatswordsman. His greatsword rested beneath his seat, scarcely any shorter than Elufiel herself.