Yuri seemed as calm as usual, but he easily noticed that the girl was frustrated.
"You're getting better. Honestly, I'm even jealous of how fast you're improving."
Yuri comforted her with a gentle tone.
"Now that we've finished warming up, let's begin the real training. Today, I'll teach you a technique called *Lightning Flash*—the First Form of Thunder Breathing."
"Thunder Breathing is the fastest of the techniques I'll teach you. It allows the user to reach incredible speeds, fast enough to tear through the air like lightning itself. The technique focuses on channeling power through the limbs to achieve this. Every sword strike carries electrical properties, leaving trails of blue lightning with golden highlights—mimicking thunderbolts."
Yuri went on to explain the technique in detail, occasionally demonstrating it.
From time to time, he adjusted Ais's posture by gently repositioning her body.
Whenever she performed the technique incorrectly, Yuri would give her a light tap on the head to signal the mistake.
To anyone watching, they looked just like a couple.
---
**Inside the mansion**, Loki, Riveria, Finn, and Gareth were all watching the scene unfold below.
"Riveria, I admit Ais's swordsmanship has improved rapidly under that boy's guidance," Loki said with narrowed eyes. "But her heart could be stolen at this rate."
"We can't let our beautiful Ais be kidnapped like this, *Mama* Riveria!"
"Shut up! By human standards, I'm still *very* young."
Riveria scowled, clearly irritated by the nickname.
Of course, she knew what kind of woman an innocent girl like Ais could become if she kept training alone with Yuri.
The fact that Ais accepted such close physical guidance already hinted at something deeper.
Maybe the two were truly starting to fall in love.
The thought alone made Riveria anxious.
She had raised Ais since she was brought into the Loki Familia and treated her like her own child.
While she knew Ais was intelligent, she feared the girl might be tricked by Yuri and fall for him.
And judging by Yuri's behavior, Riveria could tell he wasn't the type of man to be satisfied with just one woman.
The way he easily handled the Amazon sisters, Lefiya, and even the waitresses from the Hostess of Fertility—it was clear Yuri was a charmer.
As Ais's so-called "mother," Riveria couldn't just sit by and do nothing.
She was barely able to contain herself from going down there to confront Yuri directly.
To show him that she, *Riveria Ljos Alf*, wasn't called "Nine Hells" for nothing.
Even without magic, she could teach a cocky brat a lesson for trying to fool her Ais.
While thinking this, she unconsciously gripped her staff—**Magna Alfs**.
Made of mithril and holydite, Magna Alfs was a silver-white staff tough enough to be used as a weapon. Commissioned by Loki herself, it was one of the finest magical artifacts in the world, embedded with nine enchanted stones at the head.
Finn, who had been silent all this time, rubbed his temples helplessly when he saw Riveria gripping her staff so tightly. He genuinely felt bad for Yuri.
He couldn't let Riveria storm off.
"*Ahem!*"
Finn bit his thumb and said, "If you're this worried, why not just talk to him directly?"
"It's odd—someone this powerful shouldn't be unknown. But no one's ever heard of him, not here or anywhere else. He just walked into Orario completely unnoticed."
As Loki Familia's captain and one of the leaders in the war against Evilus, Finn had always been cautious of unknown variables.
"He's strange. He's way too powerful to be a novice. And that sword technique—I've never seen anything so refined, not even among veteran adventurers."
"It's only natural to be cautious with someone like that."
Finn sighed and looked at Riveria.
"Wouldn't it be better to just touch him and find out?"
Elves are a proud race. It's not arrogance—it's instinct.
They're incredibly beautiful, and they see other races as inherently lesser.
If an elf doesn't allow it, not even a god can touch them.
Their bodies simply *won't* permit contact from someone with an impure heart.
So, to a degree, the easiest way to test whether Yuri was trustworthy... was to see if Riveria *could* touch him.
If she *could*, then her doubts might ease.
If not—the Loki Familia would keep watching him closely.
Riveria furrowed her brow, catching on to Finn's meaning. But she nodded. For now, that really *was* the best way.
---
**That same night**
While Yuri was clearing the tables, he suddenly felt a slap on his backside.
"What now, Chloe?"
Instead of answering, Chloe pointed to the jade-haired elf standing at the door.
Seeing this, the corners of Yuri's mouth twitched.
Mother and daughter really did approach people the exact same way.
"Please finish this for me, Chloe."
Yuri handed off the rest of the work and went to meet Riveria.
The streets were nearly deserted at this hour.
Only the glow of magic lamps lit the way, and beneath one of them stood the elegant elf, waiting for him.
"Miss Riveria, did you need something?" Yuri asked curiously.
"I have something I need to confirm."
Riveria looked at him, and an odd sense of familiarity washed over her.
"Yuri Winters, you may not be Ais's biological brother, but I've raised her since she was young. To me, she's like a daughter."
"So, as a mother… let me ask you something."
"What exactly are your intentions toward her?"
"I know you're not emotionally dense. You know what you're doing. Don't you *dare* hurt her heart."
Riveria's tone was firm—protective.
"How about you confirm it for yourself?"
Instead of responding with words, Yuri stepped closer, closing the distance between them.
"Elves have a way to sense good or bad intent, right?"
"So, why don't *you* find out for yourself?"
"Wait, you're too close—"
Before she could finish, Yuri grabbed her wrist and pinned her to the wall behind her—*Kabedon* style.
Their eyes locked. This was the first time Riveria had ever been so close to a man. She could feel the heat radiating from him.
Riveria stared at him in disbelief.
As one of Orario's top adventurers and a royal elf, she had never been treated so brazenly.
"You! Do you know what you're doing?!"
"I know exactly what I'm doing, Riveria."
That was how you handled a proud woman.
Instead of backing off, Yuri grabbed her other wrist and pinned it above her head.
Riveria was now completely cornered.
The position was humiliating, but as she stared into his intense gaze, her body weakened.
"Feel it with your heart."
Yuri held both her wrists with one hand and gently lifted her chin with the other.
"Riveria… are you resisting me?"
"I… I…"
Her thoughts were jumbled. The strength of his presence, the sudden excitement—everything overwhelmed her.
Despite the roughness, she wasn't repulsed. Instead, her heart pounded louder and louder.
Yuri smirked.
"I think that answers your question."
He tilted her chin and kissed her.
Riveria struggled at first, but as the kiss deepened—filled with dominance, heat, and urgency—her resistance melted away.
"I like you, Riveria… not Ais."
Riveria's face turned crimson.
(So *he* likes *me*... not my daughter?)
Before she could speak, Yuri kissed her again.
---
**The next day**
Loki Familia members gathered in the cafeteria after their morning routines.
Groups formed at various tables: Ais, Tione and Tiona; Finn, Gareth, and Riveria; Bete and his tagalong Bell Cranel.
The busy hall was filled with voices.
Finn leaned toward Riveria.
"So? How did it go? What do you think of Yuri Winters? Should we keep him around?"
"Hmm?" The distracted elf clearly hadn't been listening. "Did you say something?"
"I asked what you thought about Yuri Winters," Finn repeated wearily. This was the first time he'd seen Riveria act like this.
She wasn't just distracted—she kept touching her lips and smiling to herself.
If she weren't Orario's strongest mage, Finn would've suspected she'd been cursed or enchanted.
"I…"
Riveria absentmindedly touched her lips again.
"I think… we can let him stay. Besides, the Hestia Familia could become a solid ally in the future."
**(End of Chapter)**
Give me some power stones there you go~😉