"Yes, you guessed it right." Riveria nodded, her expression turning serious. "I want to know, why are you able to use the magic of 'Silence' Alfia?"
"Silence?!" Beside them, Lefiya's eyes shot wide open. As an honor student mage who graduated from the School District, even though she hadn't seen that legendary existence with her own eyes, she had heard of her from books and mentors—the woman universally acknowledged as the true, undisputed strongest mage before Riveria.
"Alfia, huh..." Aiden gently stirred his coffee with a small spoon, a trace of reminiscence and indifference in his tone. "Aside from you veterans who lived through that era, I'm afraid no one among the new generation of adventurers even recognizes her name anymore."
"You really do know her." Riveria revealed an expected expression, but her gaze deepened.
"Yeah, not only do I know her," Aiden raised his head, his tone becoming somewhat inexplicable. "I even told her once that when I grew up, I was going to marry her and make her my wife. It's a shame she wasn't willing to wait for me to grow up."
Pfft—Cough, cough, cough!
Hearing this, Riveria choked on her coffee and coughed violently, completely losing the usual elegance and composure of the High Elf princess.
"Lady Riveria!" Lefiya jumped in fright. She hurriedly stood up and gently patted Riveria's back, her face full of anxiety.
"You... you're actually still alive?" Riveria waved her hand to signal Lefiya that she was fine, then looked at Aiden with a gaze that mixed shock, disbelief, and even a hint of awe.
She simply couldn't believe that after saying something like that to that woman, the man before her was still sitting here drinking coffee in one piece.
"Well, I almost died." Aiden's mouth twitched involuntarily. Recalling the miserable beating he took back then, his body almost started aching phantomly.
"To have the guts to say something like that and still survive... I think I'm starting to understand where your caliber comes from." Riveria's tone turned exceedingly strange. How could she not know Alfia's temper? That woman was never the gentle and kind type; calling her a walking disaster wouldn't be an exaggeration.
"So, are you from the Hera Familia?" Riveria deduced naturally.
"No, I'm not from the Hera Familia. I have nothing to do with them," Aiden smiled and shook his head. "I'm just an orphan Alfia picked up and brought home."
"She actually... adopted an orphan?" Riveria once again revealed an expression of disbelief. "That's even more absurd than hearing Finn deciding to give up on reviving the Prum race."
"Of course, she wasn't a good person in the traditional sense, otherwise she wouldn't have done what she did six years ago." Aiden shook his head, his tone complex. "'Necessary Evil'... what a stubbornly hopeless woman."
Saying that, he reached up to touch his short white hair, adding with a self-deprecating chuckle, "Though, I suppose it's mostly because I got lucky and happened to have this head of white hair."
"You still haven't told me why you can use her magic," Riveria forcefully dragged the completely derailed topic back on track.
"That's nothing I can't share." Aiden's expression grew candid. "I awakened a memory magic. It allows me to use the magic of the person who left the deepest impression in my memories."
"Your obsession with her... was actually profound enough to manifest as a magic?"
This time, even Riveria couldn't maintain her composure. She and Lefiya stared at Aiden in sheer shock.
As Elves, their understanding of magic far exceeded that of other races. They knew perfectly well that an adventurer's acquired magic awakening was inextricably linked to their personal experiences and obsessions. For Aiden to awaken a special magic capable of reproducing someone else's spell meant only one thing—the existence known as Alfia had etched a terrifyingly deep brand of obsession into his heart, twisting common sense to birth this miracle.
"I can't help it. She was my unattainable first love, after all," Aiden shrugged, a cynical, playful smile touching his lips. "The unattainable is always the most beautiful, isn't it?"
"I understand. Have you ever thought about getting revenge for her, then? I was one of the parties involved back then, you know." Riveria's flat words instantly caused the atmosphere in the corner of the cafe to turn heavy and murderous.
Lefiya was startled by the sudden shift, completely confused as to why the mood had suddenly become so deadly serious.
"Heh." Aiden just chuckled lightly and shook his head. "She was already dying, and she actively sought out her own death back then. There's no such thing as getting revenge for her. On the contrary, Miss Riveria, would you take your anger out on me because her actions back then killed your companions?"
Revenge? He wasn't that shallow.
Alfia had sought her own death; who could he possibly seek revenge against?
"Just like you, I'm not so shallow as to do something as degrading as taking my anger out on an innocent person." A faint smile hooked the corner of Riveria's lips, and the heavy atmosphere immediately dissipated. "Besides, I now understand her choices and actions. Although I will never agree with them, I won't disparage them either."
"As expected of the Elf Princess, your magnanimity is truly awe-inspiring," Aiden praised with exaggerated theatricality. "Even though I'm not an Elf, I'm captivated by your charisma. Honestly, Miss Riveria, I think I'm falling for you a little."
"Hey, Aiden, that's too disrespectful! How can you speak to Lady Riveria like that!?" Lefiya shot up instantly like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, her cheeks flushed red as she glared fiercely at Aiden.
"I'll take that as a joke." Riveria, however, remained as calm and composed as ever. She elegantly picked up her coffee cup and took a light sip. "Unless, of course, you're willing to join our Loki Familia."
"Hahaha, I think I'll pass," Aiden laughed and waved his hand. "After all, I prefer the girls in my own Familia."
"Is that so? I suppose I've been rejected, then. This is certainly a first-time experience." A hint of teasing amusement flashed through Riveria's eyes.
"Please don't, Miss Riveria, you can't just say things like that casually," Aiden hurriedly waved his hands, feigning a horrified expression. "If word gets out, I'm afraid I'd instantly become the public enemy of all Elves in the world. I don't want to get jumped and stuffed in a sack while walking down the street at night."
He knew very well how much prestige Riveria held among the Elves. If word really spread, he might even have the Level 6 Black and White Duo knocking down his door.
Seeing Aiden's exaggerated antics, both Lefiya and Riveria couldn't help but laugh.
"Let's end the jokes here. I've been rude," Aiden stood up and adjusted his clothes. "If there's nothing else, please excuse me for now."
"Mhm. Thank you for accepting the invitation and satisfying my curiosity," Riveria nodded.
"Well then, Lefiya. I'll come find you to hang out next time. See ya." Aiden waved at Lefiya, gave another nod to Riveria, and turned to leave the cafe.
"Lady Riveria, are... are you serious? To actually make a joke like that..." Lefiya watched Aiden's silhouette disappear around the street corner before turning back, looking at Riveria in sheer bewilderment.
"Lefiya, didn't you notice?" Riveria didn't answer, but instead asked a question in return.
"Notice what?" Lefiya was completely lost.
"He leveled up." Riveria's tone was heavier than ever before.
"Leveled up? Wait, you mean Aiden leveled up? How is that possible? He just reached Level 2 not long ago..." Lefiya's voice trailed off, growing weaker and weaker.
Following Riveria's gaze, she was stunned to discover a distinctly exaggerated fingerprint left behind on the white ceramic coffee cup Aiden had just used. Not only that, but the chair Aiden had sat on also bore the marks of excessive force.
---
Support this fanfict by leaving Positive Review, Comments, and Power Stones.
For Advance Chapters, Visit:
> Patreon.com/NegativeTranslations