Chapter 170: 169 ‘Elbein’ (Please subscribe! Seeking Monthly ticket!)
For a long period of time, only the sound of water remained in the grand bathhouse, with no other noise present.
Shane and Thielle sat opposite each other in the bath, one intently staring at the other, constantly reinforcing their own mental memory, while the other’s expression was indifferent, as if the person in front of them was not of the opposite sex at all, displaying a completely different demeanor.
Silence spread between the two of them.
After a while, Shane started to feel dizzy and his head began to swell.
Such a scene, such a condition, made Shane extremely uncomfortable.
If it continued , Shane felt that he was about to awaken.
Fortunately, just as Shane was about to awaken, Thielle finally broke the silence.
“Are you following me because you heard something from someone?”
Thielle actually asked such a question.
“Huh?” Shane had a moment where he did not react, and it was only after he did that he stuttered, “Well, sort of.”
Logically speaking, Shane should have denied it.
Under any other circumstances, Shane would have brushed it off.
But in the current situation, Shane’s own will was vigorously shaken, his consciousness continued to drift to places it shouldn’t, making his attention and reactions much slower than usual, and his thinking also seemed a bit dull.
Thus, Shane discovered that before he could consider the pros and cons, he had already subconsciously given an answer that came from his heart.
(Could this really be Thielle’s purpose?)
Shane suddenly realized.
This girl must have known it would turn out , hence she played such a trick to draw out his words, right?
Shane seriously doubted this.
However, Thielle did not give him time to doubt.
“Who told you?” Thielle was still calm and asked, “Vivian or that Princess?”
“You’re that sure it was one of those two?” Shane regained some of his composure and said, “Maybe someone else told me?”
Thielle dismissed Shane’s words.
“While there are many who know about me, and it can even be said that nearly all the nobles in the Royal Capital know, since you’ve only been here for one day, the only ones who could have talked to you about this are probably just Vivian and the Princess,” Thielle calmly stated. “What exactly did they tell you?”
Now, Shane was certain.
Thielle was simply interrogating him.
“Do you really care?”
Shane was silent for a while before saying this.
“I guess so,” Thielle seemed to lower her eyelids and said, “It’s my own business, and I don’t wish for others to interfere.”
Thielle’s words were unequivocal.
Clearly, Thielle bore some resentment toward the involvement of Shane and others.
No, it wasn’t resentment; it was more like determination.
“In the past, I received too much help from Vivian, Riley, and the Princess.” Thielle whispered, “I don’t like the feeling of only being able to depend on others, needing others for protection.”
That’s why Thielle resolutely chose to leave the Royal Capital and embarked on the path of becoming an adventurer.
“I want to become strong, strong enough to resist anyone’s harm without needing anyone’s help,” Thielle said. “If it weren’t for that reason, I wouldn’t have chosen to go to Lamijion.”
When Vivian and Riley were still in the Royal Capital, Thielle had been well taken care of by them, so naturally, she hoped that when Vivian and Riley left for Lamijion, she could stand on her own without troubling them anymore.
Given such circumstances, the only reason Thielle accepted the invitation from Vivian and Riley to go to Lamijion was to become stronger.
Of course, Thielle’s choice to leave the Royal Capital was also to escape the malice and goodwill here.
Malice goes without saying, from people like that noble young master who harbored hatred toward Thielle.
Goodwill need not be mentioned either, as after the departure of Vivian and Riley from the Royal Capital, the only one who would still help Thielle was that Princess.
But Thielle no longer wanted to be indebted to others, especially not to that Princess.
The reason was merely because that Princess had taken a mentor.
“…It seems to be called Aridia, right?”
Shane called out this name amidst the silence.
Tielle did not respond.
Seeing this, Shane continued on his own.
“When I arrived in the Royal Capital, Vivian mentioned that the current Captain of the Royal Guard is from the Kingdom’s most famous Knight family. It seems to be called the Elbein family, isn’t it?”
Shane mentioned the prestigious surname known throughout the Royal Capital and indeed the whole Kingdom.
“That guy called Aridia is the Family Head of the Elbein family, right?”
There was a certainty in Shane’s question.
It was rather obvious.
Vivian had also said that as the modern Hero, the exceptionally talented Luoqi had become a disciple of a Legendary Knight.
That Knight had reached Level ninety-eight, standing as the strongest person in the Mitra Kingdom and among the Human Race, with strength only surpassed by the Three Great Goddesses and the Six Great Demons, incredibly powerful.
And Luoqi called Aridia ‘teacher’.
Wasn’t the answer clear then?
“Aridia Elbein, that’s the full name of that Knight, isn’t it?”
Shane confirmed to himself.
Tielle still did not respond.
However, Shane couldn’t help but feel, whether it was his own misconception or not, that Tielle’s emotions had changed a bit after he brought up Aridia.
After what felt like a long time, it was Tielle who finally spoke.
“The Elbein family and the Lazahad family are very similar in nature.”
Tielle broached the topic, although it was unrelated to the question at hand.
Shane was momentarily taken aback.
Tielle spoke in a calm tone.
“The Family Head of the Lazahad family has been the guild leader of the adventurer’s guild for generations, leading all the adventurer’s guilds and establishing a foothold in the Human Realm.”
“The Elbein family is similar, where the Family Head has always been the Captain of the Royal Guard, and their strength has consistently been formidable.”
Tielle looked at Shane.
“Because, the ancestors of the Elbein family were the strongest companions by the brave hero’s side a thousand years ago.”
In other words, the Elbein family was actually the descendants of members from the Hero’s team.
“I’ve heard that the reason why our ancestors were so strong, strong enough to be valued by Hero Mithra and become the strongest companions by Hero Mithra’s side, is because the ancestors were also descendants of a hero.”
Tielle revealed such a secret.
“The ancestor Elbein inherited the bloodline of a Hero that appeared before Hero Mithra, which is why the direct descendants of the Elbein family could also display immense talent generation after generation, and there had even been someone who reached the limit of life—Level 100.”
With this in mind, it was impossible for the people of the Elbein family not to be strong.
Only such individuals could consistently become the Captain of the Royal Guard from generation to generation, possessing bounding strength.
Shane looked at Tielle with a complex expression.
Finally, an emotion appeared on Tielle’s face.
That emotion, it was self-mockery.
“Thielle Elbein, that’s my full name.”
This girl before him was one of the heirs to the bloodline of the Elbein family.
She, like Luoqi, was a descendant of the Hero.