Chapter 34: I Like You So Much (Not Really)
Truly, my dear Grand Master!
It might be a bit presumptuous to say 'my dear', but after taking care of her for so long, it felt only natural, right? Of course, he only dared to say such things in his own head.
Just then, Rhodes noticed that Serie's face was a little pale, a clear sign of mana exhaustion.
"You've overexerted your mana?"
"Yes," Serie nodded. "I killed that demon and all the beasts it controlled."
No wonder she looked so pale. The Serie of this era was not yet as terrifyingly powerful as she would become. To deal with so many magical beasts and a demon, she naturally had to pay a price. Knowing this, he thought, should I not have split up? I was nearly killed.
But seeing Serie in her weakened state, his heart softened. In the end, it had all turned out for the best. If he and Serie had tried to fight the demon head-on, the outcome might have been very different. But he had never expected that Serie would be able to deal with the demon and all those beasts on her own. A weight was lifted from his shoulders.
Kraft walked over and clapped Rhodes on the shoulder. "Looks like we worried for nothing. If we had known, we would have just come here to find you yesterday."
"I'm sorry to have worried you," Rhodes replied. He was about to say more, but he was interrupted.
"Mr. Kraft!"
Norne and Eirik had arrived.
Kraft turned towards the sound of their voices. At first, he looked at them with a hint of confusion, as if he didn't recognize them.
"It's me, Norne, Mr. Kraft," Norne said quickly. When Kraft had last visited their village, he and Eirik had been just teenagers. Now, ten years later, they had grown into capable young men. It was only natural that he wouldn't recognize them.
Hearing Norne's name, Kraft's eyes lit up. "Norne! It really is you!" He strode forward. "What a surprise." Kraft truly hadn't recognized them at first. Humans grew so quickly. In just ten years, the children he had known had become mature adults.
Eirik pushed his way to the front. "And me! Mr. Kraft, I'm the strongest warrior in the village now!"
"Eirik? Indeed. I can see that you've become a fine warrior," Kraft said with a warm smile. To see the young men he had personally mentored grow into capable warriors, even if they were not of his own race, brought a sense of joy to his heart.
Somme laughed from the sidelines. "Well, this is a happy occasion." Not only had they found Rhodes, and found him safe and sound, but Kraft had also been reunited with the young men he had trained. In his village, this would have been enough to call for a feast. Though, he himself was usually left out of such celebrations.
"By the way, what took you so long?" Rhodes asked. They had been close to Glimmerwood before they were attacked. It should have only taken half a day to reach it, especially with Kraft as their guide.
"Oh! Well, Miss Serie asked us to search along the river first," Somme explained.
I see. Just as I thought.
Just then, Rhodes noticed that Serie's gaze was fixed on Norne and Eirik, as if she were assessing them.
"What is it?" he asked in a low voice. Serie shouldn't know them. Had something about them caught her attention?
Serie looked away. "For some reason, I can faintly sense an aura of mana from those two."
"Hmm? That can't be right." Rhodes looked at them in surprise. Neither of them should have ever learned magic. How could they have mana? Was it a natural talent?
Serie shook her head. "It's just a feeling. A feeling I've only ever had from the most gifted elves in my clan."
"When you first met me, did you sense any mana from me?" Rhodes asked, curious.
Serie gave him a look as if he had just asked the most foolish question. "Your mana has practically solidified. I didn't need to observe you to sense it."
"Er, I suppose that's true," Rhodes said with an awkward laugh. He had used magic right in front of her. He was certainly different from Norne and Eirik, who had never used magic before. "It would be nice to have a spell that lets you see the mana in others," he mused.
Serie had said it nonchalantly. Her vague feeling was a natural ability, but what she really wanted was a spell that could clearly show her the amount of mana in others. It was said that some demons had a similar talent, but only a select few.
Hearing her words, Rhodes was reminded that such a spell did exist in the future. In fact, the ancestor of human mages had even created a method to conceal one's own mana, which he had then taught to Frieren. A certain great violinist would never have imagined that there could be such a despicable elf who would constantly conceal her true mana level. Perhaps he could try to create such a spell himself in the future.
"But those two are quite good," Serie said, surprising him. "You were right, Rhodes. Humans do have a talent for learning magic."
Rhodes's heart skipped a beat. It seemed there was something special about Norne and Eirik after all, to be able to change the mind of the usually human-skeptic Serie.
"By the way," Serie said, as if suddenly remembering something. She took a cloth bag from Somme and tossed it to him. "Your things."
Rhodes opened it. Inside were all the belongings he had been forced to abandon when they were attacked by the demon. They had been a good distance away. He hadn't expected her to go back for them.
"Serie, I like you so much!" Rhodes said with genuine sincerity. All his precious spices were in that bag, and his seeds too. If he had lost them, he wouldn't have been able to replace them.
"Don't get the wrong idea," Serie said, turning her head away. "I just happened to pick it up on the way."
Rhodes couldn't help but smile. He hadn't known his little Grand Master had a tsundere side to her. She had gone out of her way to retrieve his things, yet she had to pretend she didn't care.
But she had shown no reaction to his (mostly joking) heartfelt confession. As expected, elves were rather slow when it came to matters of the heart. "Thank you, anyway," he said.
Serie just huffed, but her beautiful eyes narrowed slightly, a clear sign that she appreciated his gratitude, though she wouldn't show it.
But what did he mean by 'like'? Serie didn't understand why he had said it. Is that another human way of expressing gratitude? To say you 'like' someone? Though she didn't quite understand, she thought she might try it herself next time.
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yo guys trying something new for Every 150 Power Stones = 1 extra chapter