It was no secret within the Forest of Gardenia that Vitalia doted upon her daughter Civala. In fact, many believed that Civala would be crowned the next Elven Queen in the future.
Though Civala possessed elder and younger sisters, Civala's blessing among all of them was the purest—a close second to her mother's, who received a delayed enhancement during her coronation.
On the other hand, boys couldn't ascend the throne, so at most, they would have to settle for their position as an Emplenan.
While it may seem unfair on the surface, there was a concrete reason as to why there could only be a Queen and no rightful King since it was merely a superficial position—including Vitalia's husband.
Due to the nature of Gaea's power, it could only be accepted by an existence capable of breathing life into the world—in other words, a female. Men could not germinate life, meaning they could not be a contractor of Gaea's purest essence.
However, this didn't mean that males couldn't be just as strong as females.
If that were true, Ayduin wouldn't have been the Emplenan Sage for countless millennia. All it meant was male elves could not be considered for the role that Vitalia held.
Once she noticed Ayduin's presence, Civala's cheeks reddened, prompting her to vehemently beg Vitalia to stop pampering her. Admittedly, her reaction was intense because of this unknown presence beside the Great Sage.
Rather than honor her request, Vitalia revealed a playful smile. "Could it be that my bashful daughter still becomes shy in the presence of others despite your identity? How adorable."
"Mother… stop teasing me! Also, who is that human? I didn't expect you to allow one to enter our hallowed manor," Civala whispered.
Despite her words that plainly indicated her disbelief, Civala continued to glance in Kieran's direction. What attracted her gaze was not his appearance, but instead the aura that he exuded.
For reasons currently unknown to her, the presence this human gave out rivaled a Highborn.
Taken aback by this situation, Civala could only look at Vitalia dubiously. "Mother, what's going on? Why does this human feel like one of us? Wait… could you have mated with a human?!"
Thanks to Civala's outburst, both Ayduin and Vitalia spasmed and choked.
After all, they didn't expect Civala to come to these wild assumptions.
On the other hand, Kieran similarly looked around with a somewhat embarrassed expression. 'I didn't expect that this seemingly demure girl would end up being so… unreserved? Perhaps it's because she's in the presence of her mother.'
It wasn't unusual for people to have more than one face. In fact, it was more than common.
When it came to one's personality, it was normal to have multiple facets that could be employed in different settings and situations.
From what Kieran gathered, this version of Civala should be the version that was at ease without having to raise any pretenses. Before her mother, Civala was a simple girl, not the highly respected and most praised Ninth Princess.
"Young Civala, don't doubt your mother. This child beside me is not an offspring of our race. He has simply been blessed by our Ancient Protector," Ayduin revealed.
However, this revelation only served to deepen Civala's shock, leading her to gasp loud enough that it echoed throughout the parlor.
Though, aside from this gasp, Civala suddenly vanished from within her mother's lap. Despite having detected her movement, neither Vitalia nor Ayduin moved to stop her.
On the contrary, Ayduin created some space instantly.
In the meantime, Kieran sensed danger and brandished Crimson Ashrune out of instinct.
Bang!
Soon, a slender rapier that resembled a metallic emerald impacted his greatsword, leading Kieran to take a few steps back. 'That lithe figure of hers is hiding some ridiculous power.'
When Kieran lowered his gaze, he was suddenly forced to tilt his head to the side, just narrowly avoiding an incredibly sharp and accurate thrust from Civala's second rapier.
Though he avoided the strike to the best of his abilities, a thin cut appeared on his cheek, releasing a trickle of blood.
However, a second later, the wound began closing up at a visible rate, highlighting the effects of his earlier blessing. His current physique, but more so his Resilience, greatly increased his ability to last in battle.
As the name sounded, Resilience was directly related to his regeneration rates and consumption rates. Additionally, it was related to Constitution. In fact, saying that they were two sides of the same coin wouldn't be wrong.
Together, these two Hidden Attributes led to what's known as a resilient constitution. Another word for that was… resistance, which just so happened to be one of the attributes that the Character Panel didn't record.
Nevertheless, its absence didn't detract from its importance, which was why the Inferior Immunity Potion obtained inside the Mad Alchemist's Hidden Laboratory was so valuable.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Kieran continued to dodge while attempting to respond in kind. But to his dismay, Civala could stop his slashes before they were even complete.
"Mother… this guy is pretty weak," Civala voiced, staring at Kieran strangely. As she spoke, she allowed the point of her rapiers to fall naturally toward the ground.
In response to Civala's comment, Vitalia chuckled softly. "I would expect him to be weaker than you. After all, he's an Intermediate Being whereas you have already Awakened. Do you think that's a fair match-up?"
"Huh?" Civala blinked, incredulously gazing at Kieran. "Are you sure that's right? I thought he'd at least be a strong Advanced Being thanks to the presence he gives off."
"Well… I'm not sure how strong he is when he isn't holding back, but I don't think he intends to fight you seriously. That young man undoubtedly hides many secrets to be able to catch Gaea's eye," Vitalia responded.
"I see," Civala muttered. "Though he isn't that strong, his monstrous regeneration rate deserves praise. May I… continue to test him?"
"You're asking the wrong person," Vitalia replied, her gaze shifting towards Kieran.
In return, Civala turned forward. While she didn't ask the question directly, her expression spoke for her.
"We may continue, but give me a moment," Kieran said.
Upon requesting this moment, Kieran closed his eyes and exhaled, soon completing the activation of Blood Mania. Once the Vampiric Blood Encrustation finished forming, Kieran voiced his readiness.
"What a beautiful color," Civala said to herself before suddenly lunging toward Kieran.
In an instant, danger filled Kieran's mind, but he ignored most of it due to what he experienced earlier.
Though he trusted his senses, Civala's forte seemed to be speed, given her two light weapons. And because speed was her forte, she could alter her attack faster than Kieran could react accordingly.
But with Blood Mania active, Kieran felt more empowered than usual. Apparently, the effects of his improved physique would only bear fruit in battle.
Luckily, Kieran didn't hate this stipulation because he felt that battle was the best form of tempering.
Following her mother's revelation of Kieran's State of Being, Civala's approach wasn't as forceful. Instead, she began at a level that Kieran found manageable.
As Kieran kept up with Civala's movement, he also gauged the level of ability she displayed. 'If I'm not mistaken, this should be on par with the Advanced Pressure that Thrax revealed.'
Whenever Kieran displayed the ability to keep up with her movements, Civala would increase the force and speed of her actions until she felt he struggled to cope with the new difficulty.
Due to this frequent increase, Kieran pushed himself to better influence his blood until finally, he felt confident enough to unleash a skill.
"Seethe Burst!"
The majestic sword of blood that accompanied this skill sped toward Civala, but in return, she swept out her main hand and ended it with a precise stab capable of influencing the nearby Mana.
"First Elven Swordplay: Nature's Curtain!"
When the two attacks met, Kieran wasn't surprised that his attack was overwhelmed and destroyed. As the name of the attack implied, the strike caused the accessible nature-based Mana to form several vines that grouped together before blanketing any incoming attack within its vicinity.
Even the explosive aftermath of Kieran's attack was contained by this curtain.
Eventually, Civala decided that she had seen enough and returned the two rapiers to their sheaths fastened to her waist.
"I retract my statement. He isn't that weak. He's exceptional for his State of Being whether it may be his speed or power. Though… if there's something that should be criticized, it's his control," Civala said.
"Well, all of that is to be expected." Ayduin's voice drifted into Civala's ears as he appeared beside her. "He has just accepted the quintessence. You must naturally give him time to acclimate before judging him."
All of a sudden, a clapping sound resounded within the parlor, surprisingly coming from Vitalia. "I believe we have deviated far enough. Our young friend…"
As she spoke, Vitalia paused and realized something. "It has just dawned upon me that I have never asked the name of our young friend."
"Aatrox," Kieran responded.
However, the mention of his name made Vitalia freeze. "Aatrox, you said? I didn't expect it to be you. Hmm… I suppose this goes to show that I'm still lacking despite being the queen."
"Is my name important to you?"
"Partially. After all, the Queen Mother of the Fairy Race informed me of a strange human with a set of unusual circumstances. I don't think it's a coincidence that their name was also Aatrox," Vitalia answered.
At the same time, she extended her hand, revealing five fruits. They were shaped like plums but were of an unblemished green color. "It's to my understanding that you require Heart of Natures, a fruit indigenous to the House of Viviscosa's garden."
"I do. Should you give them to me, I'll be in the debt of the elves."
"Correct, you will be indebted. Though, not to the Elven Race, but to me. But like other people in power, I understand that delayed gratification yields the best long-term effects. Thus, I'll hold off on making any requests for now. Here."
As the fruits landed in his possession, Kieran received an alert.
〈System: You have completed the objectives of: «Isadora's Repayment». Please meet with her to turn in the quest.〉
