In the yard that had been converted into a training ground, Luo En watched Astraea practicing lockpicking magic.
His gaze was clear, without a trace of desire.
Joking aside, he was a promising knight. He had to uphold knightly virtues, he had to…
Well, no matter how many times he looked, the two rather substantial parts of Astraea’s body made it hard for Luo En to believe she was still just a toddler elf.
“Um, Teacher Astraea, are you really still a child?”
At the sound of his voice, Astraea’s hand twitched, and the lockpicking magic she was casting with a new technique abruptly stopped. She turned back helplessly and explained, “You’ve asked that three times today, little Luo En, who’s even younger than me.”
“That’s different! I’m a human, but Teacher Astraea, you…”
“What’s different? Do you want me to play house like those elf babies?” Astraea glared at Luo En angrily, then switched to a sweet, cloying tone. “Brother Luo En, won’t you be my groom?”
Luo En got goosebumps all over. Watching the little elf deliberately acting cute by tilting her head, he had to admit she was right.
Astraea really was different from ordinary elves. She was too precocious, at least in others’ eyes.
Only Astraea herself knew that she had hardly grown over the years. The traces left by elven education on her mind were completely insufficient to overwrite her previous life’s personality.
“So, just treat me with a normal… uh, ordinary attitude.”
Considering Luo En’s usual attitude toward her, Astraea changed her words to a more appropriate term.
Then, she turned back and continued practicing lockpicking magic on a large lock.
Although the feat of her, a single elf, sneaking out of the Elven City-State and crossing the ocean to the Human Kingdom made Aiouwen see stars, after discovering the little elf’s extraordinary mental fortitude talent, Aiouwen still taught her some more advanced casting techniques.
Such as this lockpicking magic.
Due to her proficiency, Astraea still needed to use her hand to assist in constructing the magic circuit. The little elf’s magic pulled at the elements. After constructing node after node, she connected the entire circuit, and the output unit began to output magic power, attempting to open the large lock placed before her.
However, this time was different from her usual casting. Astraea didn’t focus on pulling more elements; she split her attention and began to carefully guide the magic power being output by the output unit.
Through the feedback of this magic, she ‘saw’ the internal structure of the large lock. Then, relying on the experience of previous failures, the little elf cautiously separated a thread of magic and touched the lock cylinder.
With a click, the large lock sprang open. Astraea had finally undone a complex large lock using the lockpicking magic she had figured out on her own.
But there was no joy on her face; instead, she looked utterly defeated.
This large lock was just a bigger version of the locks she used to brute-force open. A lock of the level of Aiouwen’s shackles would probably take her days of study to unlock even at her current skill.
Now she finally understood why Aiouwen said her casting methods were immature.
However, she wasn’t without gains from this practice. Even if it was just a lockpicking magic, after receiving Aiouwen’s instruction, the little elf understood exactly what deficiencies existed in her casting.
Previously, she had only constructed magic circuits, and she had been constantly studying how to make the circuits more complex to achieve more powerful magic.
In other words, her previous magic had been about stacking components, and achieving the desired effect was purely brute force.
For example, the Treant magic she had used in front of Luo En earlier.
With abundant magic power, Astraea had layered fifteen different magic circuits to form a super-large circuit. If she hadn’t practiced it several times before leaving the Elven City-State, she wouldn’t have been able to cast such magic then.
And now…
Astraea pouted. According to the technique Aiouwen taught, if she had been able to micro-manage the magic output unit back then, that Treant magic could have been simplified by at least half.
Then the saved half of magic power could be used to construct more magic circuits and revive an even larger War Treant.
Then simplify again, add more, simplify again…
Astraea had an epiphany. So this was the essence of magic. Now she understood everything.
Enlightenment!
Beside her, Luo En scratched his head and looked at the little elf who had suddenly stood up in confusion.
He wasn’t really interested in magic. Yesterday, although he was present when Aiouwen talked at length, he didn’t actually understand much.
So Luo En didn’t really understand what Astraea was thinking about.
“Luo En,” Astraea called out, “let’s go to the Royal Capital Sewers again.”
“Huh?”
…
Luo En put on that suit of armor again. This time, he didn’t bring his straight sword; instead, he brought his original longsword.
He didn’t understand why the little elf, who clearly couldn’t stand the smell of the sewers, still wanted to enter them.
After all, they weren’t needed there anymore.
“Hmph~ A mediocre knight with no magic talent can only serve as a mount for a noble caster.”
Astraea wrapped her hands around Luo En’s head, straddling his neck.
For the little elf’s riding comfort, Luo En didn’t even wear his helmet.
“Yes, yes, Teacher Astraea. But shouldn’t you tell me the purpose of coming here now?”
Luo En was a bit helpless. He was worried the little elf might vomit on him later.
As if reading the big man beneath her thoughts, Astraea proudly raised her hand and cast a spell: “Purification.”
An invisible magic field expanded with the little elf at its center. Luo En felt as if a gentle breeze had passed, and the air around him seemed much fresher.
Like in a forest at dawn.
“What’s this?”
“A miniature version of an external purification field. It’s essentially the same as Archbishop Aidan’s purification spell, but I modified the magic circuit to expand its range to three meters around me.”
Astraea proudly introduced her latest research achievement.
Thanks to Aiouwen’s inspiration, she was able to simplify the originally complex super-large magic circuit that could purify the entire Royal Capital Sewers into this miniature version. With this magic, she could come and go freely in the human sewers!
Wait? Why did she need to come and go freely in the human sewers?
Such a question flashed through Astraea’s mind, but she quickly dismissed it.
Whatever. The little elf only knew that now she could go clear the Royal Capital Sewers dungeon!
Luo En, holding his longsword, stepped back into the sewers. Unlike the imagined stench, this time he felt no discomfort.
It seemed Astraea’s magic had really worked. This greatly reduced Luo En’s stress.
This time was much easier than the last. Since the little elf was in the mood for magic research, he no longer had to cast Illumination Magic while fighting. He just needed to swing his sword and slash away.
He didn’t even need to worry about the little elf sitting on his neck, because she would tighten her legs around him when he moved vigorously.
Now he could enjoy Astraea’s little leg-tightening service while fighting. In the end, this was actually a reward…
“Ahem.”
Feeling his thoughts straying, Luo En pulled himself together and continued forward.
He thought he should learn expression management from Maximus when he had time, otherwise what if he encountered something he couldn’t keep a straight face about?
Entering the sewers from where they left last time, it wasn’t far before they saw the Royal Capital Guard’s temporary camp.
Maximus had indeed quickly arranged personnel to deal with the goblins that dared to nest beneath the Royal Capital, but it seemed the duke’s preparations weren’t enough.
“Gaga… gugu gaga!”
A goblin leaning on a bone staff shouted in a language completely incomprehensible to humans. It stood on a wooden platform carried by four very strong goblins.
It seemed to be an elite among goblins. But if it was only that, it wouldn’t have troubled the Royal Capital Guard.
What was troubling was the army of goblins that followed the elite goblin, stretching endlessly and almost filling the entire sewer.
“Eww, disgusting.” Astraea did not hold back her disdain for these biological cousins. “I think humanity is done for. To let such a low-level creature like goblins breed so many beneath the Royal Capital.”
Luo En wanted to refute, but after seeing the ordinary soldiers of the Royal Capital Guard, whose faces showed determination but hands trembled slightly, he swallowed his retort.
Jabbering whatever, anyway, the entire elf Astraea was his. Now saving people was important.
Taking advantage of the goblin still gabbling incomprehensibly, Luo En strode to the back of the Royal Capital Guard’s position.
One look, and Luo En realized things had gone bad.
The Royal Capital Sewers weren’t as wide as the streets above ground, but relying on these few dozen ordinary soldiers to defend against a charge of at least a hundred goblins… that was still too unrealistic.
Luo En stood among the soldiers, his two-meter tall figure like a crane among chickens, and the little elf sitting on his neck was the most unique ornament.
“Sir Knight.”
Seeing Luo En’s blue armor, and after automatically categorizing the little elf as the knight’s peculiar hobby, a soldier stepped forward and saluted Luo En.
Luo En wasn’t flustered. In theory, he did have the authority to take command here.
“Report the situation here, soldier.”
He put on a stern face and gave the order, imitating his father’s manner from memory.
This calm demeanor was indeed effective. Although the soldiers were still a bit fearful at heart, seeing that the only knight present wasn’t nervous, they also seemed to gain some confidence.
Knights had always been the backbone of human armies.