The explorer was still dressed like a libertine, with feathers all over his body and an eye patch embroidered with rose petals on his right eye. It was hard to associate him with Thunder just by looking at his makeup, but somehow, Roland felt that he was a little different from how he looked at the banquet.
"When pretending to be someone, you need to put your heart and soul into it. You even have to think that you are that person in order to deceive others. This was the first thing she taught me when I was learning how to disguise myself." Thunder took a puff of his pipe. The faint red light of the pipe looked like a looming firefly in the dark corridor. "Your Majesty, I'm afraid I can't concentrate on pretending to be Sande Asuka now... She'll see through me."
"So this is where the strange feeling came from," Roland thought. Because of the certain danger of adulthood, he could no longer pretend to be an unrelated outsider and indifferent to his daughter.
If he cared, he would not be Sande Asuka.
"Do you want to keep hiding it like this?" Roland raised his eyebrows. "You should have heard what Lightning said just now. She's destined to walk the path of an explorer. "
This question made Thunder silent for a long time.
It was so long that Roland thought he would not answer. Then he said, "Your Majesty, do you believe in fate?"
For a moment, Roland had some doubts about Thunder's identity as an explorer.
Wasn't this the classic opening gesture of preaching?
Of course, similar questions were common in love letters from high school students.
However, it was clear that the other party was not here to seek answers. "Someone once told me that the Excellent would often die at what they were best at, and to make up for it, the heavens would always bestow such people with unparalleled talent — this is fate, a path that seems to have been predestined. Because of their extraordinary talent, they would be lured away and eventually fall. On the other hand, ordinary people with ordinary abilities would usually live longer."
"Who said that?" Roland could not help but ask.
"Sande, the person who introduced me to the path of an explorer." Thunder took a puff of his pipe.
"Wait, is there really such an explorer in the Fjords? Aren't you afraid that Lightning might have heard of his name? "
"He's been dead for many years. He was unknown when he was alive, and he's still the same after his death … According to the standards of the Fjords, he can't even be regarded as a real explorer." Surrounded by the smoke, Thunder's figure almost merged with the shadows on the wall. "Until the time of his death, he couldn't find a new island or a route that hadn't been marked on the nautical chart. Sande doesn't care about his fame. He says that exploration is a kind of pleasure in itself. There's nothing wrong with lacking talent. At least you don't have to worry about whether you'll die young. "
Roland seemed to realize something. "Then how did he die?"
"You died to save me." Thunder said slowly, "The ship was attacked by sea ghosts. When Sande dragged me back to the cabin, I was clawed. The wound wasn't big, but the herbs didn't work. His flesh quickly decayed, and three days later, he stopped breathing. At that time, he told me that he still died doing what he was good at. He didn't have any other good points in his life. The only thing he was good at was his kindness. "
"…" Roland suddenly found that he didn't know what to say.
"After Lightning was born, she showed an outstanding talent for exploration. Whether it was identifying the route or drawing the nautical chart, her learning speed was much faster than the average person." When Thunder said these words, the expression on his face became extremely complicated. "When I learned that she had awakened as a witch, my worry rose to the peak. You should know what this ability means to an explorer."
Indeed, if courage, curiosity, and the desire for knowledge were still hidden human nature, and anyone could stimulate them, then having magic power could only be said to be a gift from God.
"That's why I made this decision." Thunder raised his head, and the light in his eyes seemed to reflect the red light in the pipe. "If fate is difficult to avoid, maybe I can cut it off in another way — if I can hurry up and unveil those unknown places before Lightning officially embarks on the path of an explorer, the chances of her encountering danger will be greatly reduced. Apart from the territories occupied by the demons, the only places that have yet to be set foot on by humans are the Eastern Sealine and the Precipice Continent seen in the Shadow Waters ruins. When you defeat the demons, I should be able to draw a map of these two places. But before that, it's better for me to act alone. "
If there was no place to explore, naturally there would be no risk. This answer made Roland couldn't help but be moved.
Although the world might be far larger than he imagined, to be able to have such an idea in this era was not something that could be summed up by the word "courage" alone.
Gravity firmly fixed everyone on the ground, but it couldn't restrict the thoughts of some crazy people.
And Thunder was obviously one of the best.
— Flying was not only the exclusive right of witches.
"I understand what you mean." Roland raised the corner of his mouth. "Don't worry, I promise that after the Battle of Divine Will, you'll get a safe and sound Lightning."
"I'll leave everything to you, Your Majesty." Thunder put his hand on his chest.
At this moment, a sudden exclamation came from the room.
Roland nodded to the other party and turned back to the bedroom.
One side of the wall had been pushed open, but he didn't hear the sound of the Sigil of God's Will being activated.
"Your Majesty," Vendy said excitedly, "Lightning, she … her magic power has been condensed!"
Another witch who would be promoted on the day of adulthood. He could see the obvious excitement in the eyes of Agatha and Wendy, which meant that their research was indeed feasible.
"Really?" Roland walked to the bedside and looked at the eager girl. "Do you feel any discomfort?"
"Not at all." Lightning patted her chest and said, "I feel full of strength! It's a pity that I can't release my Divine Will. Lighting up the fourth magic stone is my limit. "
"That's good." Roland let out a long sigh. "Then have a good rest today and tomorrow —"
"Your Majesty, I want to try now. Can I?" Lightning jumped off the bed. "I seem to hear it calling me, and I can't help but want to fly immediately!"
"Is it referring to magic power?" Roland could not help but laugh. She was indeed the most energetic one in the Witch Union. Since she had said so much, there was no reason for him not to agree. "Take Maggie with you. Don't fly too far."
"Yes!"
"Coo!"
One side of the wall was still half-open. Maggie turned into a pigeon and landed on top of Lightning's head. She then pressed the pigeon with both hands and flew out of the room, disappearing into the cold night sky.
"I don't know how her ability will perform after she condenses it …" Vendy murmured as she looked at the night sky. "Tomorrow will be busy again."
"Please let me use the Five-Colored Stone to observe her during the test," Phyllis added.
"Anyway, let's call it a day and wait until tomorrow —"
Just as Roland was halfway through his words, a thunderous explosion suddenly came from the sky!
The sound was so strong that it seemed to be real! The snow on the eaves was shaken into a white mist, and ice chunks fell like raindrops. The glass windows of the castle also cracked as if they had been brushed by an invisible giant hand.
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