68

Tristan, who went down to the basement warehouse, brought three bottles of wine and a wooden box. Tristan said, giving Selena the wooden box.

“Selena, it’s been a long while since I saw an elf, so I want to give you a present. I’m not fond of the elves living in the forests for nearly a thousand years, disconnected from the other world. I support the courageous elven life who travels around the extensive world like you. Living in solitude in the woods would be fine after getting far older. This is an egg of the wyvern I ride around. When I had to rush to a faraway place, I felt uncomfortable riding Callisto, so I tamed a wyvern fifty years ago and have been riding it until now. Callisto magically arranged the condition in the box, so it’ll hatch in a month. If you tame the cub by feeding it from birth, you can ride it in a year. You’ll have to raise it for a few more years to let another person on board with you. In about five years, a few more people will be able to ride your wyvern. Icarus’ Imperial Army also uses Wyvern and Griffin Riders as scouts. If you raise the wyvern well, it’ll be useful in the desert.”

Selena took the wooden box cautiously.

“Thank you so much, Uncle Tristan. Well, where are you from? You’re definitely not from the Forest of Elf in the Scandia Kingdom.”

Tristan replied to Selena, looking at her warmly.

“I’m from the Forest of Elf over the Plantio Mountains close to the west coast of the continent. It is dozens of times more extensive than the Forest of Elf in Scandia, where you were born. Along the west coast of the continent, endless forests stretch long. The genera of trees that grow north and south of the forests are entirely different. It’s not peaceful there because the orcs and monsters living in the Plantio Mountains constantly invade our forests. Many elven Warriors fight to protect the Forest of Elf against them, so there are many excellent sworders and archers. There are also many Spirituals who summon salamanders and gnomes to deal with orcs and monsters.”

As elves did not get married, it was rare for female elves to talk this closely to male elves. Elves had a disproportionate gender ratio, with about ten times more females than males. So, when a female elf of childbearing age visited a male elf and asked him to sleep together, the male elf almost accepted it as mandatory. After becoming pregnant, the female elf left the male and gave birth to and brought up her child alone. In the elven society, where males were not involved in parenting at all, a system of marriage could not be established. Therefore, intimate relationships between male and female elves were rarely formed. However, as both Tristan and Selena were unusual elves traveling around outside the elven society, and Tristan was almost five times older than Selena, they did not feel awkward having an intimate conversation with each other.

Starting with Lara, one by one went upstairs to the bedrooms on the second floor, and finally, when Sasha went up, Tristan and Id were the only ones left to talk about swordsmanship drinking wine. Tristan knew almost all elven and human swordsmanship, as he has been confronted with countless elven sworders and human swordsmen over the past three hundred years. Tristan’s comments on various swordsmanship were valuable references to Id, and they became motives of further development in Id’s swordsmanship later.

The following day, Tristan and Id stood facing each other in an open space about twenty meters from Tristan’s house. Tristan spoke to Id.

“Today, I’m going to be more serious than yesterday. Be careful.”

Not responding to Tristan’s warning, Id slowly unsheathed his sword. Id stepped up to Tristan as a blue Aura Beam stretched out from the end of his sword toward the low right. Tristan met Id approaching him with a green Aura Beam stretching upward out of his sword. Id’s blue and Tristan’s green Aura Beams combined to create a spectacular scene under the blazing morning sun. Id’s friends stood in front of Tristan’s house and watched the showdown between the two Sword Masters in the State of Harmony. They were even unaware of the absence of Callisto. The two Aura Beams, bumping into each other with thundering sounds for about half an hour, suddenly disappeared. When Id’s friends realized the swordfight was over, the two swords had already been sheathed. Tristan told Id.

“It seems that you didn’t do your best yesterday, either. Your swordsmanship will soon overtake mine.”

Id answered.

“Thank you for teaching me many things. I’ll do my best to show you a better performance next time.”

After the confrontation between the two Sword Masters, Id and his friends said goodbye to Tristan and went south along the valley. They could not say goodbye to Callisto as Tristan said she would not come back until late in the evening.

When Tristan watched Id and his friends’ backs leaving, Callisto talked to James Cronos on a mountain path overlooking her house. James Cronos, watching the swordfight with Aura Beams hiding in the rocky mountain with his tracking squad, wondered when a young woman appeared alone in the deserted valley.

“What are you, a young lady, doing alone in this remote place? Isn’t it dangerous?”

Grinning, Callisto responded to James.

“Why are you hiding in a place like this and peeking at someone else’s house? Here is the vicious blue dragon Callisto’s lair. Wouldn’t it be dangerous?”

When Callisto glared at Antares and Fomalhaut, it seemed as if blue beams stretched out of her eyes. It was a blue dragon’s Dragon Fear. The mages shuddered with dread at the moment, and Fomalhaut even collapsed. James Cronos and Ranger Commander Harry unsheathed their swords simultaneously. Callisto burst into laughter as she watched James’ grip shake finely.

“Did you participate in dragon hunt with those sword skills? What reckless jerks you are!”

Harry said in a trembling voice, taking a step back.

“We have never participated in the dragon hunt. We just joined the pursuit of those who took the Dragon Heart.”

“What are you going to do by pursuing them? Are you going to take the Dragon Heart from the young people with your battle power? An orc passing by would laugh at you.”

Antares tried to say something, but he could not speak out in fear. Callisto said, looking at James Cronos.

“Didn’t you join the dragon hunt, either?”

James Cronos said, grabbing the hilt of his sword firmly.

“The gold dragon killed most of the sorcerers and Knights who participated in the dragon hunt.”

Callisto said, softening her facial expression.

“You don’t have to be so nervous. Dragons don’t avenge the death of other dragons since it will undermine the dignity of the dead dragon. Of course, If you are about to hunt me, it’s a different story.”

As Callisto’s eyes turned blue again, James Cronos could not say anything and just shook his head.

“Even if you catch up with Id’s party, it will only shorten your lifespan with your abilities. So I recommend you to go back.”

James plucked up his courage and asked Callisto.

“Is the name of the young man who uses Aura Beam Id? He took our Dragon Heart.”

Callisto replied to James, grinning.

“Your Dragon Heart? Hmm, you didn’t even know his name. Do you want the Dragon Heart so badly enough to risk your life? But it’s too late. Id has already dismantled the gold dragon’s Dragon Heart and returned it to Mother Nature. That’s a natural ending.”

“Is that true?”

The gleaming blue Dragon Fear rose again from Callisto’s eye as James Cronos shouted.

“Dragons don’t lie. This is my lair. Get out of here right now. If you hang around here another ten minutes, I’ll grab you all and chew you up.”

James led his tracking squad in the direction that Id’s party disappeared, but Callisto did not stop them since it was so clear that they would not be a match for Id’s party.”

About an hour later, James’ tracking squad stopped running. They were already out of the valley, and the mages, who had been running fast casting the spell, Haste, could no longer run. Ranger Commander Harry told James as the trackers took a break.

“The Dragon Heart has already been dismantled. Are you going to keep pursuing them? Let’s give up now.”

James told Harry with an angry face.

“How can you believe what the blue dragon said? Dragon Heart is not something you can give up so easily. We have to catch them and check it out for ourselves. Don’t forget that our reinforcements are coming. You seem frightened by the young man’s Aura Beam, but our reinforcements include an Aura Beam Owner, too. We’ll fight them after our reinforcements arrive, so just do your best not to miss their tracks.”