Chapter 226: Her Master is Flamme
"Serie and Rhodes..." she repeated the names. "The elven Saint, Serie?"
"Yes," he said, before Serie could object. She was about to deny it, but at his words, she closed her mouth again. To appear before the world... it always brought a wave of a fawning adulation. And though the elves were a little more reserved in their praise, they were no exception. To be stared at in a silent and unblinking reverence... she found it even more uncomfortable. But to her surprise, the girl before her showed no such reaction. She just... nodded. This... this she could get used to.
She even began to think, if he were to suggest it, she might just take her on as an apprentice herself. But that, of course, was not a part of his plan.
"And you," she said, her own gaze now on him, "you must be the god-slayer, Rhodes."
"Oh?" he was a little surprised. This was the first time someone had heard his name and had assumed he was him, not just a namesake. "Why do you think that? That Rhodes was a human. He would be long dead by now."
"Because," she said, her own gaze a calm and level thing, "you have the same... immense magical aura as her."
"You can... see it?" Serie asked, her own eyebrows now raised.
"No," she shook her head. "It's just a feeling."
"A kind of an innate magic, I suppose," Serie mused. She was probably unaware of her own, special talent, to be able to see the magical aura of others, just like a demon. "Interesting. A fine talent." The more she looked at the girl, the more she liked her. "She will be my apprentice," she declared, not even waiting for him to suggest it.
"No, you misunderstand," he said quickly. If he were to let Serie take her as an apprentice, the girl would probably drive her mad. With his influence, she had come to appreciate the peace of the world, and was no longer the war-loving creature she had once been. But the girl... and her other, fated, apprentice... their views on magic would be a stark contrast to her own. That was a future he could not change.
"And who, then!?" she said, a sharp and competitive edge to her voice.
"Flamme, of course. Who else?"
"Flamme? Are you serious? That child is a long way from being a teacher."
His own appearance in the timeline had accelerated things a bit, and the Flamme of today was not the seasoned and powerful mage she would one day become. But... he would not separate them. They were better together.
"She will learn. And it is a thing that she will have to face eventually, isn't it."
"Hmph." She gave him a long, hard look, and seeing that he was not joking, she just huffed and turned away.
The girl had, of course, heard all of this. And to be told that the human girl was to be her master... it was a strange and unfamiliar feeling. She was a self-taught mage, having learned all she knew from passing travelers and old books. She had never had a formal teacher. To suddenly become a student... it felt a little... wrong.
But before she could object, he was asking her another question. "By the way, Frieren, do you remember what happened, before you came here?"
"They... they were trying to save me..." she said, and her own mind was now a swirl of a hazy and indistinct memories. She had been unconscious, but had still been aware, on some level, of what had been happening. "I remember... a very complex magic circle... and they were surrounded by many people... and then... nothing."
He and Serie exchanged a look. They had been surrounded? And the mana for the teleportation spell... had they stolen it?
He had once created a spell to siphon the power of faith, a spell that she, in turn, had taught to Ela in a simplified form. "The teleportation spell... it was them who sent you to us," she explained. "No wonder the magical residue felt so... forced. They were in a desperate situation."
"Are they in danger?" she asked, a look of a new and dawning concern on her face. "Is it... because of me?"
"We're not sure yet. But don't worry," he said, his own voice now a gentle and reassuring sound. "For now, just tell us everything you know. And we will help them." He then added, "They are strong. And they are resourceful. I am sure they have a way to escape." He was not so sure, of course. But he had faith in his student, and in hers. With their combined power, they could surely escape. As long as they did not surrender.
"My village was attacked," she began, and told them everything, of the demon general, Bazalt, of her own defeat, of their own, miraculous, arrival. And then... a strange city, a healing spell that had not been enough... and a dark and damp place, with a powerful, swirling magical energy... and then... nothing. She closed her eyes, the memories of it all a new and exhausting thing.
So it was the demon general. And the corrosive power that still lingered in the girl... it was the work of the Demon King himself.
~~~
Get early access to 20+ advanced chapters on Patreon!
https://www.pat-reon.co-m/c/Hollowborn
~~~
Every 150 Power Stones = 1 extra chapter