After sending Anton away, Ryan also bid farewell to Sulia. The female knight was returning to Helen Hilde to celebrate the Winter Festival. Taking advantage of the weather before the heavy snowfall, Sulia needed to leave quickly.
Ryan knew that if he earnestly asked, Sulia would surely agree to stay in the count's domain and celebrate the festival with him, but there was no need for that. There was plenty of time ahead, and it was not appropriate for them to spend too much time together before marriage, as it could tarnish Sulia's reputation.
The female knight had sacrificed a lot for Ryan, and naturally, he considered her feelings.
After Sulia's departure, Angleron led the army back.
Triumphant songs played, the count along with the remaining knights and soldiers welcomed the returning army, faces glowing with broad smiles. Wagon after wagon of spoils of war filled more than a dozen carts, heaped with gold and silver that made the town's residents widen their eyes in envy.
The spoils from this expedition were exceptionally abundant. Even the serf soldiers had captured treasures worth dozens of silver coins each. The count's expeditionary force had annihilated eight beastman warbands and a Dark Night Goblin troop in the Shalonne Forest, and had taken a green-skinned fortress. A rough estimate of the captured spoils was worth thousands of gold crowns, accumulated over centuries by the beastman warbands and green-skinned fortress.
The expeditionary force had also suffered losses. Of the fifteen hundred who set out, only over thirteen hundred returned.
"Tonight, the town's taverns will be overflowing with people. The soldiers will be savoring barley beer, recounting the glorious deeds they achieved alongside Lord Angleron and Lord Armand," Angleron and Ryan walked along the town's high walls, which now stood seven to eight meters tall. "Oh, and fighting alongside dwarves and elves will also be counted among the glorious deeds. From one victory to the next, we need continuous victories to strengthen the residents' confidence."
"Did we get any vibrating gold?" Ryan was more interested in this aspect than in Angleron's leadership, as victory was almost certain with him.
"We did, but not enough for me to make an axe," Angleron shook his head with a hint of regret. "Maybe another piece that size would suffice."
"Don't rush, brother. Take your time," Ryan let the cold wind brush his face, comforting Angleron. "The dwarves might have some. If not, we can attack those dwarf fortresses occupied by the green-skins."
"This war went smoothly, but we won't always have such luck," Angleron nodded. "Your people cannot sustain a prolonged war. We've already developed several settlements in the forest, and what you need to do now is arrange for the remaining workforce to move into newly cleared areas in the forest for farming."
"I understand, Carsonburg is already arranging this," Ryan said with a hint of sigh. "The residents have grown accustomed to living under various threats. The peaceful life we have now is hard-won, and everyone knows to cherish it. In this situation, I need to encourage my people to eagerly enlist."
"That's good. I have something to discuss with my dwarf brothers, so I'll leave you here," Angleron patted Ryan's shoulder firmly before turning to leave. "Lucian?"
"Yes, Lord Angleron!" A young ranger knight immediately stood at attention.
"Didn't you want to experience a dwarf tavern? Follow me," Angleron chuckled heartily.
"Sure!" The ranger knight named Lucian followed Angleron, and Ryan shrugged helplessly as he headed to the third floor of his castle.
"My lord! Good morning!"
"My count! Good morning!"
"Good morning!" Dressed in his count's attire, Ryan politely greeted everyone who greeted him, including serfs, freemen, squire knights yet to earn their spurs (who could officially be promoted to honorary ranger knights upon receiving them), and his knightly subordinates.
"Master~" A dark elf appeared in front of Ryan, dressed in a black and white maid's long dress, her long black hair tied with white ribbons and a headscarf, her cool face showing some joy at seeing Ryan. In the dead of winter, Olica's maid outfit was naturally not the knee-length summer skirt, but had been replaced with a long black skirt that reached the ankles, and her usual shallow heels had been swapped for tall boots. If Ryan wasn't mistaken, Olica probably also switched her suspenders for tights.
"Olica, where's Theresa?" Ryan took the dark elf's hand.
"Miss Theresa is currently learning Gothic language and mastering magic from Lady Morgiana," Olica took the initiative to wrap her arm around Ryan's. "Lady Morgiana asked me to check if you were back yet. She said if you keep staying away like this, she won't teach Miss Theresa anymore."
"Alright, I'll head over now," Ryan was somewhat embarrassed. He knew Morgiana had agreed to teach the female sorceress solely based on his behalf, and while he had spent a few days teaching Theresa initially, he eventually left it all to Morgiana.
This of course caused dissatisfaction from the Lake Goddess Witch. Morgiana didn't care how much Theresa learned or what happened to the female sorceress; she only hoped Ryan would spend more time with her, which was why she agreed. Ryan was well aware that no law in the country could bind a Lake Goddess Witch.
"Olica, could you teach Theresa magic?" Ryan suddenly said.
He could now faintly sense that Olica possessed magical power.
This indicated that after being nurtured by him for over two years, the dark elf's soul had somewhat recovered.
The dark elf was a bit puzzled by Ryan's question. Her amber eyes stared at Ryan for several seconds, making him want to laugh. "What's wrong, looking at me like that? Didn't you get enough of that last night?"
"Master~" Knowing Ryan was joking, the dark elf still blushed slightly. She walked with Ryan towards the third floor, not quite understanding why he had said that. After thinking for a moment, she said, "Master, human magic is too simple for me. Lady Morgiana simultaneously masters sky and life magics, and is also a high priestess of the Lake Goddess divine magic, perfectly capable of teaching Miss Theresa the perception of magic."
"It sounds like you don't think highly of Morgiana's magical knowledge?" Ryan detected a different tone in Olica's words.
"Not exactly, Lady Morgiana has her unique insights into life magic and the exclusive Lake Goddess divine magic," Olica calmly shook her head. "But I mean to say, while Lady Morgiana can teach Miss Theresa the Gothic language and the perception of magic, she can't help her advance further in her magical skills."
Ryan frowned.
Olica might be right. Theresa was an ice sorceress, Veronica a light and fire witch, and Morgiana a sky and life witch and chosen witch of the Lake Goddess divine magic. The magics these three witches mastered did not intersect.
Moreover, Theresa's ice magic was particularly special. Ice magic isn't ranked among the eight magical winds, but it does exist, as magic cannot be simply summarized by the eight magical winds, just like there's more than chaos in the
subspace. The first ice domain high witch, Soika, established ice magic, and in the Empire's north, Nord, and Kislev kingdoms, many witches are of the ice variety.
"Humans aren't a race suited for magic, which is why after the Great Holy War, the high elf Targris spent a lot of effort teaching humans magic, only to eventually let these wizards bind themselves to one type of magic, practicing only that for life," Olica smiled meaningfully. "Because humans can at most master two types of magic simultaneously, it's better to specialize in one, as it's impressive enough if a human can master one type of magic in their short life."
The two reached the third floor's prayer room, but Ryan pulled Olica aside, indicating they should not enter yet. The count led his personal maid to his bedroom.
"Master?" Olica saw Ryan draw all the curtains, her light wheat-colored cheeks immediately turning red. "Master, are you thinking about it? It's okay."
"...Let's wait until after we're done." Ryan sat down holding Olica's hand, speaking seriously. "Tell me in detail, what is elven magic like?"
Olica looked at Ryan and then at the closed curtains, a spark of light in her eyes. "Master, which aspect do you want to know about?"
"Besides the methods of the eight magical winds, how else do elves cast spells?" Ryan was now intrigued.
"Besides the eight magical winds, elves have two other casting methods. The first is called Dar." Olica whispered, "Dar means black magic, as everyone knows, elves created the Great Vortex to prevent chaos from invading, draining the chaos winds needed for chaos to descend, then filtering out the eight magical winds."
Ryan nodded. Everyone knew that after the Great Vortex's filtering, the corruption of chaos in the eight magical winds was greatly reduced, allowing human wizards to be less easily corrupted by chaos.
"But among us dark elves, there is a unique technique to directly use the power of chaos winds for casting. This casting technique comes from Hecate— the goddess of underworld elven black magic. Chaos wizards also cast spells this way. Black magic, because it directly channels the power of chaos winds, is especially powerful, but the user is very susceptible to chaos corruption and the damage of berserk magic. As the use of black magic intensifies, the user's soul will gradually be cursed and consumed by seduction," Olica's smooth hand tightly clutched Ryan's rough one, the dark elf sneakily leaning on Ryan's shoulder. "If it weren't for master saving me, my soul would probably be completely devoured by seduction in no more than five years."
"Is there no way to stop it?"
"There is, through slaughter and pleasure, as well as a deep understanding of black magic," Olica nodded lightly. "Slaughter allows seduction to consume the souls of enemies, thereby slowing and replenishing one's own soul loss, extending life, while pleasure and indulgence provide mental satisfaction to seduction, similarly slowing the rate at which the soul is consumed... However, since master has cut me off from seduction's gaze, I have been freed from the curse."
"Hmm... What about the other method?" Ryan continued to inquire, genuinely interested.
"The other method of casting is called Quesh, also known as high magic," Olica continued. "High magic, unlike black magic, involves controlling multiple magical winds simultaneously, blending different magics into more refined energy and spells. The most typical are the elven archmages of the White Tower of Hos, who start from mastering one type of magic to complete proficiency, then practice high magic after adeptly controlling multiple magical winds. The High Council of Hos magicians' supreme archmage Targris mastered all known spells of the eight magical winds and also possessed many unique high magics, including many grand spells."
"Grand spells?" Ryan inquired further. "What's that?"
"Magic of the ninth ring and above is known as grand spells. Normally, the magic net is controlled by the gods, and spells of the ninth ring and above are sealed. To cast grand spells, the caster must have demigod strength or receive the approval and assistance of a deity," Olica looked towards the door. "For example, Lady Morgiana's strongest spell 'Elixir Holy Grail Comet' is a gift from the Lady of the Lake."
"I see, I understand now," Ryan nodded repeatedly, indicating he fully understood.
"Besides high elves, the Slann Mage-Priests also have access to the backdoor of the magic net opened by the Ancients, and they too can easily use grand spells. For example, the famous Slann Mage-Priest Lord Mazda-Moody used a grand spell to raise a mountain range thousands of meters high from the plains, stopping the Duruzi army from moving south," Olica's cheeks reddened slightly. "Master... I can also cast grand spells now. The rune you carved on my abdomen also has the permission to open the magic net. Master, are you the descendant or reincarnation of some supreme being?"
"Have you fully recovered?" Ryan didn't directly answer the dark elf's question, but asked in return.
The Champion of the Chosen could faintly feel that Olica's identity was not so simple. Many magical secrets might be known more by elves, but she shouldn't know so clearly, and more importantly, Olica was very young, this dark elf was not even three hundred years old.
"Not yet, my soul is severely damaged, and I cannot condense magic on my own. My magic relies entirely on master's supply," Olica shook her head. "If master wants me to teach Miss Theresa how to control the magical winds, then master must often replenish... my magic."
"Really?" Ryan expressed his skepticism.
"Of... of course it's true." The dark elf awkwardly shifted her gaze away. "Without magic, I can't teach Miss Theresa."
"...Let's go to the prayer room for now," Ryan pulled up Olica, the count and his personal maid heading to the prayer room.
"Henry~" Opening the door to the prayer room, Morgiana was instructing Theresa in Gothic language. The female sorceress held a textbook, struggling to pronounce according to Gothic phonetics.
"No, no, you shouldn't pronounce the 'h' here. In Gothic language, the 'h' in this word is silent; this word should be pronounced as 'Henry.'" Morgiana's face showed some impatience, the Lake Goddess Witch trying to maintain her patience. "There are some letters in Gothic that are silent, Miss Trovick. You need to change these habits, otherwise you'll be laughed at at court banquets."
"Yes..." The female sorceress painfully continued her Gothic studies, knowing this was a necessary skill to master, even if not considering staying by Ryan's side, having the opportunity to learn Gothic was still very valuable.
"Ryan, you're here?" Morgiana saw Ryan appear, a spark of light flashing in her blue eyes. "Miss Trovick, let's end today's lesson here. Go back and review well, and the day after tomorrow you must write an introduction of no less than fifty words, then recite it to me."
"Yes!" The female sorceress nodded, greeted Ryan, and then left the prayer room with her textbook.
Morgiana raised her head
, looking directly at Ryan. "You finally came? Ryan, when will you fulfill what you promised me?"
"Now."
Updated! Asking for votes! It's the last day of the National Holiday, you know what to do.
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