Chapter 270
Engraving and Gryphons
As Haina walked home, the sun over Eagle Cape Village had not yet reached its zenith.
It had been a full four years since she last returned home. In that time, the restaurant closest to the academy entrance had changed hands three times, coming and going. She had transformed from an ignorant and perpetually uneasy country girl who first arrived on Glass Island to a direct disciple of the Grand Arbitrator, a friend to the founding families and to Her Majesty the Queen herself… or at least, a familiar face.
But her hometown had not changed. The air around her, the height of the trees in the mountains, the depth of the dirt paths worn by footsteps… nothing here had changed at all. It was as if time itself had stagnated. The hourglass had stopped, the sun and moon stood still. The kitchen smoke in the distance rose just as it had in her childhood.
In that moment, Haina felt a pang of illusion. She felt as though she were living within a fake painting, and now she had become a figure within it once more.
Suddenly, Haina stopped. She noticed a small, protruding tree by the roadside. It stood alone, far from the other trees, and because of this, Haina recognized it almost immediately. She moved closer, finding the scar on its bark. Haina held her hand out level, measured it briefly, and then placed the heel of her palm against her chest. She smiled helplessly and reached out to gently touch and caress the scar on the tree. She remembered it. This was a mark she had left when she used to run to Windpipe Town for school.
Her family had been both delighted and worried when they heard she would go to town alone to study. She had been only thirteen or fourteen then, a small, ignorant child. How could her family rest easy? Thus, they had given Haina a dagger for self-defense. Though it was called a dagger, to the thirteen or fourteen-year-old Haina, it was a short sword. It was a fine blade. Even by today’s standards, it was a good weapon. Its blade was a beautiful blue-green, like the surface of a lake. When held against the sun, one could see the gradient from deep blue to dim yellow from the side… much like the night sky during twilight. Haina vaguely recalled that the blade was also inscribed with flowing Elven Language. At the time, Haina didn’t understand Elven Language and saw it merely as decoration; later, when she learned Elven Language, she could no longer recall what the inscription said.
Compared to the blade, the scabbard was much plainer. Just holding it, Haina felt a surge of courage. Whenever she felt uneasy before an exam, grasping it would gradually calm her. Later, she couldn’t remember where the dagger had gone. Haina had the impression that she hadn’t lost it, but she couldn’t recall when she stopped bringing the dagger to school. Her family had not blamed her for losing it either. Perhaps she had left it at home, or perhaps she hadn’t told her family… who knew? This mark was left when the beautiful dagger was still with her, a careless scratch made out of impulse as she passed by. She had originally just wanted to record her height when she went out to study, and to see how much she had grown by the time she graduated. But after that, she had forgotten about the tree. Perhaps because she saw it every week on her trips back and forth, it gradually became a part of the roadside scenery, and she stopped noticing the small tree. It wasn’t until today, four years later, that Haina had returned and seen it again.
The tree was exactly the same as it had been in the past. Its size had not changed at all, and even the shape of its crown was identical. The scar she had left on the bark remained at the same height as it had been in the past… aside from forming a scar-like layer, everything else seemed as if it were just yesterday. Haina gently touched the scar on the tree. She closed her eyes, a wave of nostalgia washing over her. In a daze, she thought she heard the creaking sound of the tree growing. She imagined everything changing with time; the seasons turning, the young tree gradually growing larger. When she opened her eyes again, it was as if it were merely a past illusion that had stayed in her mind.
“It’s time to go home,” Haina murmured softly, her voice calm, a happy smile on her face. When she opened her eyes, her pupils had completely turned dim yellow.
At this time, Eivass was feeding a young gryphon with fresh meat. The gryphon, not yet able to speak, wolfed down the food. Angelica, David’s mother Nadia’s gryphon partner, stood beside Eivass.
“…If you don’t plan to leash her or play with her, you shouldn’t let this chick eat too much,” the large white gryphon said in a gentle voice. “Once she’s no longer hungry, you should take the meat away. If she tries to attack you or snatch the meat, you should scold her loudly.”
“It’s also simple to tell if she’s eaten enough. For chicks like this, when their eating speed clearly slows down, it means they are no longer hungry.”
“Do I just call her name, Aunt Ange?” Eivass asked. “Is that enough?”
Angelica nodded. “Yes. Scolding someone loudly by their name is a simple command of the Path of Authority. Just like pointing at someone is a simple curse, and singing is a simple spell.”
“The Path Power contained in these actions is extremely faint, humans can barely feel it. But for life forms corresponding to the Path, it becomes very clear.”
“It’s like pointing at a demon will enrage it, and singing to fey will make them happy… if you scold a gryphon loudly, they will immediately know they have done something wrong.”
“What about simple actions of the Path of Love?” Lily, standing behind Eivass, suddenly raised her head and asked.
Angelica’s hawk-like head blinked mischievously, and she replied with a smile, “That would naturally be kissing and making love. The Lake Fairy uses this method to charm people’s hearts.”
“What about the Twilight Path?” Eivass inquired.
“It’s engraving,” Angelica replied. “Portraits and statues are half Path of Beauty, half Twilight Path. That’s why artists can easily sense the power of the Twilight Path. Compared to painters, photographers are pure Twilight Path professions. Capturing and preserving images of the real world is the most typical behavior of the Twilight Path. It is precisely because of this that those formless undead, who also share the Twilight Path, can easily leave traces in photographs. They sense the aura of the Twilight Path. Many horror stories are actually based on this principle.”
“I see…” Lily nodded thoughtfully.
At this moment, the gryphon in front of Eivass suddenly seemed to choke. It shook its head, rested for a moment, and then leaned in again, trying to snatch the large piece of meat from Eivass’s hand.
“That’s enough, Eivass,” Angelica reminded him.
Eivass immediately withdrew the meat and shouted, “Stop, Liz! No more eating!”
The young gryphon named Liz shook her head aggrievedly. Liz had clearly understood. But she didn’t attack Eivass, she just looked at him with her wet eyes and rubbed against him, letting out a soft, delicate chirp. Eivass’s heart softened for a moment. But he strengthened his will and said firmly, “You’re not hungry anymore, Liz. No more eating—I don’t have time to play with you.”
Liz chirped again at this. It wasn’t as clear and resonant as an adult hawk’s cry, but rather crisp like a young bird’s. Eivass handed the fresh meat to Lily, asking her to wrap it up. Then he patted Liz’s head and neck as comfort. Unlike David’s Emily, Liz was a bit larger. Perhaps because she was older, she was also more obedient than Emily. Her fur was already half black and half white, entering the molting period. She could now carry a person. Even Haina in light armor could be carried by her, let alone Eivass. However, there were three of them. Even without luggage, there was Eivass, Lily, and Sherlock. Liz could certainly not carry them all.
Originally, Philip could have helped carry everyone, including Liz. As the companion gryphon of the Grand Guardian, he was much more powerful than others of his kind. But Philip had left Glass Island with George. In this situation, Angelica could only call upon her good friend.
“Ange!” A clear female voice called from outside, and a white gryphon, significantly larger than Angelica, flew directly into David’s yard.
“Camilla!” Angelica happily nuzzled her. “We’ll talk more when we get back. We’re preparing to set off. We should arrive before evening—I’ll take Eivass and Lily, you carry Sherlock, and bring Liz and the luggage.”
“Okay, no problem. Where’s Sherlock?”
“On his way, he should be here soon,” Eivass explained.
Hearing Eivass’s voice, Camilla leaned in to scrutinize him. “Is this the Moriarty of this generation? He looks handsomer than his father.” Eivass was somewhat surprised. Could gryphons distinguish human appearances? He, on the other hand, could barely distinguish the appearances of these gryphons… he could only tell who was who by their size, voice, and personality. Let alone which gryphons were good-looking and which were not. As if sensing Eivass’s thoughts, Angelica explained gently, “It’s not about appearance; we can’t distinguish human looks either.”
“Gryphons’ aesthetic standards for humans are related to their adaptability in the Path of Authority. Simply put, it’s calmness, steadiness, loyalty, dignity, and reliability. People with adaptability in the Path of Authority, to us… are like cute cats are to you.”
…Oh, that explains it. Eivass immediately understood the mindset of the gryphons who were always squatting by the palace entrance. To them, it was probably like humans constantly watching a group of pretty cats walking around and meowing. So, they were squatting there to “absorb” people… Eivass then understood the aesthetic of demons. If gryphons, as creatures of Authority, had such aesthetics, then demons’ aesthetics should be related to the desire for transcendence… Eivass glanced back at Lily’s shadow. Then he probably understood how he managed to tame the Shadow Demon.
