Chapter 90: Can hear Mana
Ellory giggled again, placing her hand over her mouth as if trying not to laugh too loudly. "Did you enjoy it, Brother Axel?" she asked, tilting her head slightly and still hugging her fox close.
Axelius leaned back and rested his chin on his hand, giving a small thoughtful smirk. "It’s okay, but you should’ve taken your time. Where’s the fun in finishing a battle in just one hit?" he said lazily, glancing up at the sky.
Ellory blinked, then tilted her head more. "Enjoy? Should I enjoy the battle?" she asked, clearly unsure whether that was a good or bad thing.
Before Axelius could say anything else, Owen bounced back onto his shoulder and hit him on the head with his jiggly body. "Don’t teach her to become a battle maniac!" he shouted, shaking slightly like a jelly pudding. "You know, not all fights are for fun. Sometimes, it’s about safety and control!"
Then Owen turned to Ellory and spoke more gently this time, his voice soft and brotherly. "Don’t listen to Axel too much. What matters most is that you don’t get hurt. It doesn’t matter if the fight ends in one hit or takes a while, as long as you’re safe, that’s what matters most, okay?"
Ellory smiled brightly and nodded many times, her face full of understanding. "Okay! I’ll remember that, Brother Owen! I’ll be strong but careful too!"
Then, excitedly, she held up her spirit fox right in front of Axelius’s face. The little fox blinked with glowing purple eyes, its white fluffy fur puffing up as it was lifted. "Isn’t she cute?! Her name is Elaris! I couldn’t think of a name, but when I heard what she was called, I thought it was already pretty! Hehe!"
Axelius looked at the fox calmly, raising one brow. But the moment his eyes met Elaris’s, the small fox’s ears twitched nervously, and it suddenly squirmed in Ellory’s hands and buried its face into her chest, trying to hide.
"Huh?!" Ellory blinked in surprise. "What did you do, Brother?! That’s amazing! Elaris is always cold and serious, she never backs down! She even growled at Cedric once!"
Axelius grinned, satisfied with the reaction, and said, "Guess she knows who’s scarier."
Ellory pouted slightly. "Elaris! Don’t be rude to Brother Axel!"