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The next morning, someone knocked on the heavy church door.
Bell ran to open it.
When he pulled the door back, his face instantly turned bright red.
Aiz Wallenstein stood outside.
She did not come alone.
A tall high elf with long green hair stood beside her.
Her name was Riveria.
A younger elf girl named Lefiya hid nervously behind them.
"Miss Aiz!"
Bell stuttered, waving his hands.
"W-What are you doing here?"
Aiz looked past Bell.
Her golden eyes found Elias sitting at the wooden table.
"I came to see him,"
Aiz said quietly.
She walked inside and stopped in front of Elias.
"Will you spar with me?"
Aiz asked.
"I want to test my magic as well."
Elias looked at the famous Sword Princess.
"We are waiting for Welf to finish our armor,"
Elias replied.
"We cannot go to the dungeon today. I have free time. I will spar with you."
Aiz nodded.
A small, eager light shined in her eyes.
They walked to a large, empty field behind the city walls.
Elias held a long wooden pole.
Aiz held a wooden practice sword.
Riveria, Lefiya, and Bell stood safely on the side to watch.
"Whenever you are ready,"
Elias told her.
Aiz didn't wait. She dashed forward.
She was incredibly fast. She swung her wooden sword right at his shoulder.
**Clack!**
Elias blocked it easily. He did not step back.
Aiz spun around and attacked his legs.
Elias shifted his weight and blocked again.
Aiz moved faster and faster. Her sword looked like a blur.
She attacked from every angle. But every time her sword got close, Elias's pole was already there.
He was reading her mind. He was adapting to her rhythm.
Aiz stepped back.
She took a deep breath. The air around her started to spin.
"Awaken, Tempest,"
Aiz whispered.
A powerful green wind wrapped around her body.
Her wind magic made her stronger and much faster.
She shot forward like a bullet.
**Smash!**
The impact blew the dirt away from their feet.
But Elias still stood in the exact same spot.
He changed his grip on the pole. He moved his feet a few inches.
He adapted to her magic instantly.
He deflected her heavy strikes as easily as he deflected her normal ones.
Lefiya watched with her mouth wide open.
"This is impossible,"
Lefiya gasped.
"Miss Aiz is using her wind! No one can block that without using their own magic!"
Riveria didn't say a word.
Her green eyes watched Elias very closely.
She felt a deep shock growing in her chest.
"He isn't using magic,"
Riveria said softly.
"He isn't using any special skills, either."
"Then how is he doing it?"
Bell asked.
Riveria shook her head slowly. She had never seen anything like this.
"Normal adventurers have a set limit,"
Riveria explained to Bell and Lefiya.
"They have a specific set of skills. When you figure out their skills, you can beat them. But this man... he has no limit."
Riveria watched Elias perfectly match Aiz's terrifying speed.
"He doesn't rely on the Gods' blessings,"
Riveria continued, her voice filled with awe.
"His pure technique is completely bottomless. Every time Aiz tries a new trick, he just evolves. He adapts. She cannot beat him, because he has no end."
In the middle of the field, Aiz finally stopped.
She was breathing heavily. Her wind magic faded away.
Elias lowered his wooden pole. He was not even sweating.
"You have a very sharp sword,"
Elias praised her calmly.
"But you rely too much on your wind. You need to trust your own hands more."
Aiz looked at her wooden sword, then up at Elias.
She gave him a small, respectful bow.
"Thank you for the lesson,"
Aiz said.
After the spar, they went to the Hostess of Fertility for lunch.
They sat at a large table.
Aiz sat very close to Elias.
She asked him question after question.
"How did you block my wind magic?"
Aiz asked.
"I didn't block the wind,"
Elias answered simply.
"I stepped inside the quiet space near your body. Your magic is strongest on the outside."
Aiz nodded slowly.
She learned a lot just from his simple words.
"We are going on a deep expedition soon,"
Aiz told him.
"Will you come with us?"
Riveria sighed and shook her head.
"Aiz, stop,"
Riveria warned her.
"You cannot just invite him. You need Finn's permission first. He is the captain."
"Finn will say yes,"
Aiz argued calmly.
"Elias is very strong. He is stronger than me. Finn wants strong people."
Elias looked at Aiz and smiled.
She acted just like a little child who met her favorite person.
She wanted to take him everywhere she went.
"I cannot go,"
Elias said gently.
Aiz looked down.
"Why not?"
"An expedition takes weeks,"
Elias explained.
"I cannot leave my party behind. Bell and Lili are not strong enough to survive the deep floors yet."
Aiz understood.
She didn't ask again, but she looked glad that he cared so much about his friends.
Across the room, Ryu stood near the wooden bar.
Her eyes were locked on Elias's table.
Syr walked up and bumped her shoulder against Ryu.
"You are staring at him again,"
Syr teased.
Ryu sighed heavily. She put her clothes down.
She didn't want to deal with Syr's jokes today.
"I have empty tables to clean,"
Ryu said flatly.
She turned around and walked away quickly.
Because she walked away, Ryu did not notice Syr staying behind.
Syr stopped smiling.
She looked across the room at Elias.
She didn't look at him the way Ryu did.
She looked at him the exact same way Aiz did.
She looked like a girl who carried a heavy burden, hoping someone could help her.
Syr watched the table from the shadows of the bar.
Her sweet smile slowly melted away.
She was not just a waitress. She was the Goddess Freya.
Freya remembered the cold wind in her high tower.
She remembered when the whole world stopped moving.
Dee had appeared right behind her chair like a ghost.
*"Stop what you are planning,"*
Dee had warned her in that frozen room.
*"Why should I?"*
Freya had asked.
*"Because you cannot win,"*
Dee had told her softly.
*"If you try to take Bell away from his family, you will fail. You will lose everything. You will only hurt yourself."*
Freya gripped the edge of the wooden bar.
She was a Goddess.
She always got exactly what she wanted.
Men and monsters always bowed to her.
But she knew Dee was not lying.
The pale girl held a power that Freya could not understand.
*"You will only hurt yourself,"*
The warning echoed in her mind.
Freya took a deep breath.
She pushed her fear down and put her cheerful mask back on.
"Syr!"
Mama Mia yelled from the kitchen.
"Stop daydreaming and bring this food out!"
"Coming, Mama!"
Syr called back happily.
She picked up a heavy tray of hot plates.
She walked toward Elias's table.
She decided to be very careful.
She would not make a move against them.
She would just smile, watch, and wait.