Chapter 678
The Child of Fafnir and Helchin
As Eivass’s gaze fell upon Cardinal Fafnir, he instantly fell silent and did not respond to Siegfried. Siegfried also realized something and similarly cut off the topic.
Cardinal Fafnir’s deep, slightly hoarse voice rang out at the same time, “There’s no need to deliberately say things behind my back… I don’t mind it.” As she spoke, she glanced at Siegfried. Cardinal Fafnir’s black hair obscured one eye, making the scarlet in her other eye even more striking. “Because Helchin’s death was not a disgrace. I am proud of him.”
She said this, looking at Eivass with a somewhat complex gaze, “You should… know, Eivass.”
“Ah… of course.” Eivass nodded slightly. He indeed had a very deep impression of Helchin.
At this moment, Eivass suddenly noticed another child behind Fafnir. He looked about eleven or twelve years old, even younger than David… and Helchin had died at least four hundred years ago. Yet, with just one glance, Eivass could recognize him—this was Helchin’s child.
Because the child had the same magnificent bright golden short hair as Helchin, and one of his eyes was that iconic turquoise luster. His hair was quite soft and fine, inheriting the extraordinary exquisiteness of Helchin and Fafnir’s appearance, ranking among the very top of everyone Eivass knew. If he weren’t wearing a priest’s attire for males instead of a nun’s habit, Eivass might have mistaken him for a cute little girl.
And there were obvious traces of dragon blood on him—his other eye was a dark gold dragon eye; and from his neck to behind his ears, there were fine, smooth black scales. The child seemed unwilling to let others see this, so he had deliberately wrapped them all up with a soft, cloud-like white scarf—however, Eivass had good eyesight and could still see them while sitting down…
But after all, the child was the offspring of an elf and a dragon. Although he was young and tender, his height was not short. Standing there, he was about as tall as Eivass sitting down, and his body was strong and not thin. If he wore armor, he would immediately become a good warrior.
But it was magical that despite being a half-elf, the child’s ear length had not shortened. His ears were still the longest Eivass had seen proportionately, just like the Pure White Saintess and Helchin. He was hiding behind his mother, looking at Eivass cautiously. His eyes widened instantly upon seeing Eivass and Lily, two rare humans. His eyes showed a very clear, very strong sense of intimacy, but on the other hand, he hid behind Cardinal Fafnir, saying nothing.
Eivass smiled gently at the child, his voice becoming gentle. “He was indeed quite an admirable man… Your father, he was a hero.”
“A hero…” The child finally spoke, murmuring in a low voice. It was a clear and tender voice, yet to change, its gender indistinguishable. Just hearing the voice made him sound very shy, even with a slight tremor. Although his father and mother were among the most powerful people in this World, and the dual immortal bloodlines of elf and dragon meant that time was on his side, the child still appeared very timid and hesitant.
“Rhine.” Fafnir’s voice was hoarse and cold. She gently patted the little boy’s head, almost making him stumble to the ground. “Greet Cardinal Eivass. It was he who retrieved the warrior’s inheritance for your father—allowing you to have the chance to become a warrior in the future.”
“…Cardinal Eivass, may the Candlemaster protect you…” The voice of the little boy named Rhine sounded even more shaky. Isabel beside them frowned slightly. She felt something was off—why was this child so timid? She gave Eivass a look, and Eivass understood Isabel’s meaning.
“Come, Rhine.” Eivass smiled, clapping his hands at the little boy, signaling him to come over. He had noticed Rhine staring at him curiously all along. Rhine subconsciously looked back at Cardinal Fafnir. Seeing Cardinal Fafnir nod slightly, Rhine cautiously walked over slowly. His steps were as if Eivass would suddenly jump up and bite him.
Eivass petted his head, then casually asked Cardinal Fafnir, “Cardinal Fafnir, shouldn’t you be on the left?” Cardinal Fafnir’s contract was with the Candlemaster, which should be the third statue from the left.
“We dragons are all children of Scales and Feathers,” Fafnir said quietly and calmly. “For such an important matter, I must bring Rhine to greet the Lord of Scales and Feathers.” It was precisely because dragons inherited the bloodline of the “God of Stealing Scales and Feathers,” the Lord of Scales and Feathers, that they could transform into any race at will. “Rhine, you must also pray.”
After saying that, she walked before the Lord of Scales and Feathers, closed her eyes slightly, and prayed in a low voice. “Yes, Mother…” Rhine, who had been standing with his eyes squinted and Eivass stroking his head, was startled and immediately stood straight. Eivass clearly felt the little boy under his hand subconsciously tremble and raised an eyebrow, asking Cardinal Fafnir, “This child seems… a little scared of you.”
“His courage is not yet sufficient.” After Fafnir finished praying, she nodded and turned back sternly, saying, “He still needs training.”
“…May I ask?” Siegfried, standing nearby, couldn’t help but ask, “How do you usually train little Rhine?”
“Naturally, I train him to the standard of a warrior. Swordsmanship, horsemanship, combat, spells, divine arts, alchemy, rituals, curses, including breathing, flying, and fighting as a dragon—all are taught by me personally. Every weekend, I take him to explore ruins. The Path of Power has disintegrated, and the inheritance of Dragon Knights is gone. So, he must at least learn how to fight as a dragon. There will always be some overconfident ‘dragon slayers’ who want to gain fame overnight. Even if he does nothing wrong, he must always be prepared to be murdered.” Cardinal Fafnir said this, her tone softening slightly. “However, fortunately, the Path of the ‘Warrior’ has returned… The training in magic and alchemy can be slightly relaxed. After all, for a warrior, mana is too precious and singular. It doesn’t support complex spellcasting.”
“…That sounds exhausting,” Isabel whispered. She felt a sense of resonance—she often lived such a life when she was trained as a “genius.”
But Eivass noticed something. “Cardinal Fafnir, do you usually… only teach him combat?”
“Of course not.” Fafnir shook her head slightly. “For immortals, climbing the Path is always very slow, unlike short-lived beings with intense and simple emotions. Extraordinary power cannot be rushed… So, I can only lay the foundation for him first. Aside from matters concerning Extraordinary Power, he must also study nearly three thousand years of history and literature. There is also winemaking, chess, and various smelting techniques, all of which are part of the dragon’s inheritance. Not to mention those secret knowledge. There is simply too much to learn—there isn’t much time.”
“…When did you start teaching him?” Eivass pressed.
“Naturally, three hundred years ago.” Fafnir glanced at Rhine, who trembled again under Eivass’s hand, and replied, “I followed the elven customs and let him have a childhood of a hundred years. It’s just… perhaps because he has dragon blood, his mindset is too young. For an elf his age, he’s already considered an adult. He’s not much younger than Grey, but look at him—I think this is rather improper. When I was four hundred years old, I was already fighting the great phantom demons in the deep sea with Helchin. At that time, I was only Fourth Tier, and he was just a novice of Third Tier. Rhine can’t even endure pain—how can he become a warrior?”
“I will…” Rhine said hurriedly and flusteredly, “No, I, I won’t feel pain anymore…”
“…In my opinion,” Siegfried stroked his chin. “Aren’t you too harsh on him? I never hit my children.”
“We dragons are different from you elves.” Fafnir shook her head slightly, her expression cold. The side of her face that was not covered by hair looked icy and grim. But she didn’t seem to be in a bad mood… it was just that she had a naturally intimidating face. Because she calmly explained, “Dragons are children of adaptation; we are born with the power of adaptation flowing in our bodies. Because of this, we can transform into various forms—Rhine’s transformations have flaws, which means his adaptation power is not yet sufficient.”
While they were talking, Eivass reached out and yanked Rhine, who was fearfully moving away from him, back. He felt only a moment’s resistance—Rhine’s strength seemed to be immense, so much so that Eivass couldn’t pull him back at first. But when Rhine realized Eivass was grabbing him, as if worried he might hurt Eivass, he immediately relaxed his body and was easily pulled back by Eivass. This child… his personality is quite gentle.
So Eivass casually asked, “Then how can one increase their adaptation power?”
“Getting beaten,” Fafnir said sternly.
“Huh?” Isabel was stunned.
(End of this chapter)
