Chapter 87: Greedy Elf
Now, it was too late for anything.
Olivia could only carry the apologies and regrets of her kin to atone to the living. An entire civilisation's sins weighed on her shoulders.
Only by doing so could they move forward.
At Olivia's sincere apology, Serie abruptly stood up, merely glancing at her with complex eyes.
"Even if you want to apologise, don't come to me. The one you most wanted to kill was Kurtz, and it was Kurtz who defeated you. I was just an innocent bystander who got caught up in it."
Serie finished speaking, picked up the original text and turned to walk deeper into the forest.
Kurtz subconsciously wanted to follow her, but Olivia gently tugged on his sleeve.
"Master Kurtz, I'm very sorry," Olivia said softly. "I can feel that Elf Miss Serie's mood is very complicated right now. Did my joining cause her to misunderstand something?"
Olivia keenly noticed a hint of something amiss in Serie's emotions at that moment. Her divine senses, attuned to reading faith and devotion, picked up the turbulent feelings.
Logically speaking, the elves were not beings of such rich emotion.
Even though they had fought to the death not long ago, now that she knew the truth, the other party should welcome her joining the team to swing their swords at the hypocritical gods.
Serie appeared very resistant.
This was not how elves should behave.
Kurtz frowned, "To be honest, I don't know why either. I'll go try to persuade her. I hope she doesn't run too far or hide."
"Please rest assured, you can use the connection between the original texts to sense Elf Miss Serie's location."
Kurtz was stunned for a moment, then closed his eyes, and sure enough, he could clearly sense the direction of the original text, which was in the woods to the east of the village. The magical resonance hummed faintly in his mind.
"I'll go find her."
...
In the woods, Serie leaned against a thick tree trunk, the original text in her hand resting tightly on her lap.
She didn't understand why she was so angry; this emotion came so suddenly and so intensely that she couldn't control it.
Her usual calm mind felt clouded by feelings she couldn't understand.
"Annoying Bird, stupid bird..." she muttered softly, yet even she didn't know why she hated them.
Footsteps came from a distance, and Serie immediately raised her head vigilantly.
When she saw it was Kurtz, she subconsciously wanted to flee again, but then gave up on the idea. Running would only confirm what she didn't want to admit.
"I found you," Kurtz stopped in front of her.
"What are you doing here?" Serie turned her face away, avoiding his gaze. "Aren't you going to be with your new 'companion'?"
Kurtz didn't answer immediately, but slowly sat down beside her, their shoulder touching.
It was the same intimate distance as always, and this time Serie made no move to retreat. The familiar warmth of his presence both comforted and unsettled her.
"I remember," Kurtz looked up at the sunlight filtering through the intertwined leaves and branches, "when I first learned tracking magic, you were just as awkward."
"I wasn't awkward," Serie immediately retorted, but her voice unconsciously dropped.
"Do you remember? You used to tell me that my magic talent was barely passable."
Serie's mouth twitched slightly, "You have a bad memory, I never said that."
Miss Elf chose to be stubborn, and Kurtz didn't expose her.
"Then I improved tracking magic, and you insisted it wasn't right, even ignoring me for several days."
"Because... because that was too heretical!"
Who marks a target first and then tracks it!
True tracking magic should be able to change the direction of attack even when cast.
Serie rarely uses this move now. The memory of those early disagreements felt both distant and immediate.
Nothing was more practical than large-scale Arrow Rain magic.
With a large range and strong attack power, there was no need for tracking magic anymore. Yes, this was the proper way.
Kurtz chuckled, "But in the end, you still asked me to teach you that move, didn't you?"
Serie's ear tips instantly turned red.
It was an incredibly intense shame that even she, with her indifferent emotions, was overwhelmed. Her composure cracked in an instant.
"Serie," Kurtz suddenly said seriously, "Do you know what you mean to me?"
Seire's body paused, and her flushed ear tips involuntarily perked up.
"You are my teacher, my best friend, my most important, and my first..." Kurtz paused, "travelling companion."
"No one can replace your place in my heart."
Serie turned her head, her golden eyes meeting his black ones, both filled with the other's reflection. The intensity of his gaze made her breath catch.
"The first and most important companion?"
"Yes."
"Is that so? So that's how it is..." Serie murmured, "That's not bad either."
Then she hugged her knees, resting her small head on them, her eyes a little sly: "But for you, is it really just that?"
'Miss Serie doesn't understand emotions, but she could be very greedy.'
Since this man had brought her out of the forest and had taken her through so many things, even facing gods.
She wouldn't be satisfied with merely being the first companion.
Because for Kurtz, Somo, Norn, Eric, and even Olivia would all become companions.
And she wanted to be something more than that: someone unique, someone irreplaceable in a way that transcended mere friendship.
"What a greedy Elf you are, Miss Serie," Kurtz saw through Serie's thoughts; it was clear that just being the first companion would not comfort her.
Miss Elf didn't understand love. But Kurtz did.
Even so, he didn't dare to hope for that feeling either; he was afraid that it was not what he thought, it might ruin the relationship he had with her.
He really, really didn't want to lose it.
After a brief silence.
"That original text," Kurtz suddenly said, "I have decided to entrust them to you for safekeeping."
Serie looked at him, "Why? Only you can understand the writing on it."
"I didn't say I wouldn't learn," Kurtz looked at her seriously, "Besides, I'm looking forward to the day you can decipher it, after all, you are..."
He deliberately drew out his words: "You are the greatest genius mage, Elf Miss Serie right"
This long-unheard title made Serie's heart skip a beat.
It was a common address Kurtz used when he first met her, but later, as their relationship grew closer, he rarely called her that. The formal distance in the title felt both nostalgic and strangely intimate now.
"Besides," Kurtz continued, "I can't take this thing to my grave, so it will eventually be entrusted to you anyway. Might as well give it to you earlier."
"Short... idiot!" she mumbled softly, "Don't say such inauspicious things!"
She originally wanted to say 'short-lived human', but the words caught in her throat and she wasn't able to say them.
She suddenly felt a little afraid of that day arriving. The thought of outliving him, of carrying on alone, sent a chill through her chest.
Kurtz pretended not to hear and continued to speak to himself: "When we get to the Elf Forest, I'm counting on you to show me the Holy Authority Sword. I heard only a true saint can pull it out? Is that true or false?"
"Of course!" Serie replied without thinking, "I tried before, but unfortunately..."
She suddenly realised she had let her black history slip and quickly stopped speaking.
But unfortunately for her, Kurtz had already heard loud and clear.
Kurtz gently leaned forward "Oh? So our genius Archmage isn't a true saint after all!"
"Shut up, you annoying!"
Serie wanted to kick him, but her raised calf gently lowered halfway. The playful gesture turned tender mid-motion.
Their gazes met in the air, and they both smiled simultaneously. The tension that had built up over the past days dissolved, leaving only the comfortable familiarity they'd always shared.
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