Chapter 63: Not the Only One Who Doesn't Understand Feelings
"Not a bad spell," Rhodes said, floating in the air, having just mastered levitation. "By the way, how did you come up with this one?"
"It wasn't a creation, more of an... improvement," Serie said with a shake of her head. It was a far cry from the level of creation Rhodes had achieved, like his ability to conjure ice from nothing. "Do you remember that race we met on the mountain?"
"Vaguely." They had been on the road for some time now and had encountered many different races. Last month, they had met a race that lived high on a mountaintop. They had a special kind of magic that could slow their descent, and a unique physiology that allowed them to survive on very little oxygen. It was how they lived on the high peaks, safe from their enemies. And when they needed to come down, they didn't have to climb; they just used their magic to slowly float down.
Rhodes had happened to meet them at the foot of the mountain and had traded some of his magical items for their spell. Though the magic of each race was usually a closely guarded secret, there were always exceptions. Otherwise, there would have never been a trade of grimoires for dwarven smithing.
"I'm surprised you were studying that spell. I was planning to look into it myself later." Rhodes had been interested in the spell but hadn't had the time to study it in depth. He had been too busy increasing his mana, studying various other spells, and working on the grimoire with Norne.
"Is that so? Looks like I beat you to it this time," Serie said with a small smile.
Just then, a good idea came to him. He took her by the wrist. "Help me with an experiment." He wanted to see if the spell could carry another person. And, of course, he had his own, less noble motives.
"Wait, you—"
Before she could react, he had activated the spell, and the two of them were floating in the air.
The elven miss instinctively grabbed his arm, her golden hair whipping in the wind.
"Relax," he said with a laugh. "You know how to levitate. You don't have to worry about falling."
Serie looked down at the rapidly receding ground, then glared at him. "You reckless human! At least give me a warning!" Even though she did know the spell and could have easily caught herself if he had let go, the suddenness of it had still startled her. This fleeting human was getting more and more audacious.
"I'm telling you now, aren't I?"
"Nonsense! Who tells someone after they've already done it? And why did you do it anyway?"
"Well... I wanted to see if I could carry someone with this spell?"
The truth was, a view this good had to be shared. He was not a solitary admirer of scenery; he preferred to share it with others.
"Isn't it obvious..." she grumbled, but her complaint was cut short by the view.
As they rose higher, the distant landscape began to unfold before them. The clouds were tinged with gold by the setting sun, and the mountains in the distance looked like a sleeping dragon. And in the even greater distance, he could just make out the signs of a structure. That was their first destination: the ruins of the first Dwarven Kingdom, their ancestral home. They were almost there.
"It's beautiful," Serie breathed, almost unconsciously.
It was a sight she had never seen in all her hundreds of years. Just a change in perspective, and everything looked different. "I never knew the world could be so beautiful."
Hearing her words, Rhodes frowned. That was not a line you wanted to hear in these stories. But he didn't want to ruin the mood, so he just quietly adjusted his position, bringing them a little closer. "It really is. The thought of those Sky-Winged folk getting to see this every day makes me burn with envy."
"Pfft—" Serie let out a small laugh. "Even the most beautiful scenery gets old if you see it every day. To them, it's probably just... there."
The breeze rustled her hair, and a few strands brushed against his cheek, tickling him. He felt a tickle in his heart as well, and to distract himself, he changed the subject. "But the mana consumption is incredible. Just carrying you, and it's several times more draining."
"What a strange thing to say." She wanted to retort, what do you mean 'just' carrying me? but she held her tongue. "It's normal. That's just how the spell works."
"Then we'll have to improve it."
"Oh?" She turned her head and found herself looking straight into his eyes, which were inches from her own. He had been looking at her the whole time. They were so close they could feel each other's breath.
Rhodes was taken aback by her sudden movement. Her pale, fair face and beautiful golden eyes filled his vision. He didn't even know why all he could see was her.
"For example," his voice dropped to a whisper, "we could modify it for free flight."
"A fine idea. I look forward to that day."
"And..."
For some reason, a strange, unfamiliar feeling welled up inside him, and he leaned in, his lips brushing against her ear. "How about a protective barrier? To keep out the wind."
His breath on her ear made it twitch involuntarily. Why is this human so close to me? She couldn't understand the reason for his actions. But she didn't move away. She just gave a soft, "Mm."
Time seemed to slow down.
And just then...
"Hey! You two!" Eirik's loud voice came from below. "How did you get so high?"
The atmosphere was instantly shattered.
As if suddenly waking from a dream, Rhodes quickly put some distance between them and cleared his throat. "Ahem, we should go down."
He didn't know what had just come over him. It seemed that from the moment he had taken her into the sky, he had been acting on impulse. Could it be that he... liked her? He didn't know.
As it turned out, he wasn't the only one who didn't understand feelings.
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