Alavin returned to the warehouse the next day to find Eyla absent, with only Godfred idly dozing under a tree.
"Lord Alavin!" Godfred sprang to his feet, rubbed his face, and energetically strode over, having been bored to tears these past days. He contemplated practicing his magic, but the arcane energies near the warehouse were scarce, and he marveled at how Alavin managed to endure.
"Ah, she is..." Upon seeing Celesse emerge beside Alavin, Godfred's eyes lit up, captivated by her beauty as if his heart had been suddenly seized.
"Godfred," Celesse greeted with a smile and a nod. She had spent some of her childhood with the Mallister family, where Godfred had already been in service. But despite the years, Godfred remained youthful, unchanged.
"Are you Miss Celesse?" Godfred suddenly remembered. Such a dazzling beauty, recognized even in Cobalt Strike - if not Celesse, then who?
"It's been a while."
Godfred was both astonished and admiring. Even as a child, she had the makings of a beauty, and now, grown up, she was even more breathtaking. No wonder she was hailed as the foremost beauty of the new generation in Cobalt Strike.
"Where have they gone? No trouble, I hope?" Alavin asked, not seeing Eyla and Grima.
"The day you didn't come back, we went to inquire, and the Sanctum of Mystical Scrolls said you were secluded within. Miss Eyla, out of boredom, set up a challenge in the Arena, accepting duels and group battles from all the Protégés of Advanced Mage Stage II within Cobalt Strike," Godfred explained casually.
"And then?" Alavin knew she wouldn't stay quiet.
"Her sharp tongue and attitude, as you can imagine, provoked many an Advanced Mage in Cobalt Strike, queuing up to teach her a lesson. Eyla set a condition: only three matches a day, and whoever stepped up had to sign a blood oath. If defeated, they'd leave behind a little finger." Godfred gestured with his mouth toward a bottle on the stone table. "Thirteen fingers already!"
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