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"Today is really unusual, just after sending Demeter away, Nine Hell also comes to visit." Holding the tea set he was about to take to the kitchen for cleaning, Aston stared bewilderedly at Riveria standing at the stairway. He appeared somewhat confused.
Not just Aston, but Riveria on the other side was also astonished.
"It's really just like Tione and the others said, something incredible has happened to Aston."
"This aura, it's purely that of nature." Looking at the dazed Aston, Riveria's mouth hung slightly open, her face full of shock, her heart filled with immense surprise.
Riveria, who resided in the Elven Royal City deep within the forest, was surrounded by nature. That place was one of the richest in natural aura.
But what did she see today?
A half-elf emitting an indescribably rich natural aura, so much so that it transformed the entire underground church into a sacred place of nature.
Even Riveria, who had experienced many battles and lived in the Elven Royal City before she was 70 years old and had a strong resistance to the aura of nature, couldn't help but feel her heart flutter in the presence of this aura.
Aston was surprised to see another visitor, Riveria, right after Demeter left, hence his astonishment. Riveria, on the other hand, was stunned by the natural aura emanating from Aston and stood still.
For a moment, the two of them awkwardly stared at each other.
Eventually, Aston was the first to react. He politely nodded to Riveria, invited her to sit, and took the tea set to the kitchen. He then brought out a new set of tea utensils.
Although the underground church was small, it had all the essentials. When Hephaestus gave this place to Hestia, she had considered every aspect and did not treat Hestia unfairly.
"I really didn't expect you to come over, Riveria. I apologize," Aston said gently, sitting on the sofa and preparing tea again.
"Indeed, you're different from other elves, very special," Riveria remarked with a smile, noticing Aston's ease and lack of restraint.
This was the first time she encountered an elf who didn't regard her status highly. Indeed, even half-elves are part of the elven race in this world. Elves consider half-elves as their own, whereas humans don't treat half-elves as part of their race, as half-elves have elven characteristics which make it hard for humans to see them as the same.
In contrast, half-elves are only born among humans and elves; there's no record of elves mating with other subhumans. Aston is unaware of the reason for this.
Riveria is very satisfied with Aston's attitude. Previously, she encountered members of her race who were overly respectful and constrained, even the black and white elves of Freya's Familia who nearly drove her to desperation behaved respectfully towards her.
Only Aston was completely different. When Riveria first encountered him in the dungeon, Aston didn't approach her like others but instead turned and left.
She found him quite unique then. Other elves, whether friend or foe, would greet her respectfully, but Aston was an exception.
Now, seeing Aston again, Riveria confirmed her guess. He was indeed unlike any other elf. She enjoyed this way of interaction with him, as she had always been weary of the respectful and constrained attitudes of other elves towards her.
"Isn't this good?" Aston replied with a smile, understanding why Riveria made such a comment. He knew she disliked the restrained attitudes of other elves due to her royal status.
Although Aston had traveled to this world and became a half-elf, he did not, unlike other elves, excessively revere the Elven Royal Family and hold them on a high pedestal as sacred and inviolable.
Therefore, it was completely impossible for him to treat Riveria with the same reverence and restraint as other elves.
If Aston had not unraveled the mystery of his origin, perhaps he would have behaved like the other elves.
"No, it's very good," Riveria responded to Aston's rhetorical question, not angry but rather very pleased.
She felt fulfilled today, having met an ideal member of her race in her mind.
"I wonder, Riveria, what brings you here this time?" Aston smiled slightly, not continuing the topic, but instead asking Riveria about the reason for her visit.
"Tione told me about the changes in you, and I was curious, so I came to see for myself."
"I didn't expect such a huge change to have occurred in you."
"Last time I met you, you didn't have this kind of aura," Riveria said seriously, slightly furrowing her brow as she addressed the main issue.
While shocked by the aura emanating from Aston, Riveria also wanted to know what exactly happened to him to cause such a significant change.
"I'm sorry, I don't know about that. It just happened suddenly while I was adventuring in the dungeon," Aston responded to Riveria's curious question. Naturally, he couldn't explain about the system.
"That's right, I'm sorry, I was presumptuous," Riveria realized she might have been overstepping and promptly apologized to Aston.
"It's okay," Aston smiled slightly, indicating it was alright.
Riveria also smiled lightly, and the two tacitly moved past the topic.
Then, Riveria made a request to Aston.
"Do you want to test what Tione said about elves being able to recover their strength in your presence?"
"That's completely fine."
"But how do you want to test it?" Aston did not refuse Riveria's request to test the effect of his aura on her.
Riveria smiled slightly and then closed her eyes to begin chanting a spell.
Aston was momentarily startled by this change. However, after hearing Riveria's incantation, he relaxed.
Riveria was casting a defensive spell, not an offensive one, but the highest level of defensive barrier magic – Via Shilheim.
This spell would only form a barrier and would not cause destruction.
Soon, a barrier magic spread out from Riveria, enveloping both of them.
Aston tapped on the defensive barrier and found its defensive power to be quite strong, surmising it could at least defend against a level 6 attack. In his current state, without using Excalibur, he felt it would be difficult to break through.
Suddenly, Riveria's voice sounded beside him.
"Indeed, I can recover my strength quickly near you."
This sudden voice startled Aston.
"Why did you come over all of a sudden!"
"Hm? What's wrong, can't I?" Riveria looked at Aston with a hint of confusion.
"Uh... sure."
"Okay, then that's good."
"I've realized you really are enchanting for the elven race."
"Ahaha, thanks for the compliment."
"I wasn't complimenting you!"
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