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Chapter 151: Serie, I'm Dying
Several decades had passed in what felt like no time at all.
Kurtz and Serie had long stopped their adventures, choosing instead to live quietly together in seclusion.
Mainly because Kurtz's body could no longer handle it.
As time went on, this body's vitality kept fading; perhaps it was time for him to reincarnate once more.
In contrast, Serie remained unchanged by the years, though her dependence on a certain reckless human had only grown deeper.
Her words were still sharp as ever, but the unspoken feelings and companionship had long become as natural as breathing.
Kurtz sat in a rocking chair by the window, looking youthful despite his life force growing faint and flickering, his face pale with sickness.
This body's weakening wasn't gradual but sudden, catching even him off guard.
He coughed a few times, his voice slightly hoarse.
Serie was reading and looked up at the sound, her brows furrowing in their usual way: "Hey! Did you secretly stay up all night again studying those dangerous magic books?"
Her tone was dismissive as always, but her gaze drifted toward him without thinking, carrying worry she tried to hide. The pages of her book stayed unturned longer than usual.
Kurtz slowly lifted his eyes, as if he'd made some important decision.
He stretched out his hand, beckoning weakly.
Serie's heart skipped a beat; she put down her book and walked over, her bare feet silent on the wooden floor.
"Serie, I'm dying."
After he spoke, there was a long silence. The words hung in the air like frost, freezing everything around them.
The elf's eyes widened suddenly, clearly seeing Kurtz's current weak state.
Yesterday, he was perfectly fine, so why did he now seem to be dying, his presence so faint?
Could it be that his human lifespan had reached its end?
Serie found herself protesting, her voice trembling despite herself: "You, you're talking nonsense! What trick are you trying to pull now? How could you possibly die—?"
Her words cut off abruptly because Kurtz's presence really was frighteningly weak.
This wasn't an act; the flame of his life was about to go out, and that feeling was so real it made her stomach drop.
Kurtz shook his head slightly: "Serie, human lifespan does have its limits, and mine has reached its end."
"Impossible!"
Serie nearly screamed, taking a sudden step forward, her fingers instinctively gripping Kurtz's clothes tightly.
Her body trembled slightly; her earlier pride vanished completely, leaving only disbelief and something far more desperate.
"You're lying to me! You must have a way! Right? You must have created magic that can extend life! I know you have it!"
Her voice carried panic she'd never shown before, even abandoning her usual arrogance, and her eyes were already filling with tears ready to spill.
"No, even the most powerful magic cannot defy the laws of life. For this body, there is no solution left."
Indeed, this body's vitality was exhausted, but Kurtz could create a new body for himself!
However, he didn't tell the elf this just yet.
He wanted to watch her anxious expression a while longer.
Even if he might get hit by several Light Arrows once she learned the truth, it would be worth it.
"…"
Serie fell silent.
She stared intently into Kurtz's eyes, trying to find any trace of a lie, but Kurtz's act was too convincing; the calmness in his eyes crushed all her hopes.
Crushing despair and helplessness gripped her, making it almost impossible to breathe. The room suddenly felt too small, as if the walls were pressing in on her.
Her hand, clutching his clothes, began to shake from how tightly she was gripping, yet she still refused to let go even slightly.
Yes! This was the ending she had thought about countless times, and she should have been ready by now.
But why?
Why was she so unwilling to let go?
Seeing the elf's distress, Kurtz himself felt a pang of sadness. Perhaps this joke was going too far.
"Serie, do you know? In my homeland, there is a very large creature called an 'elephant'."
Serie looked at him blankly, not understanding why he suddenly brought this up at such a moment. Her grip on his shirt didn't loosen.
"Legend says that when an elephant senses its life is ending, it will quietly leave the herd, walking alone to find a very secluded place. Then, there, it waits for the end of its life."
He paused, his gaze falling on Serie's hand, which was tightly clutching his clothes, and he said meaningfully: "Perhaps, I should also learn from those elephants."
Serie's body shook violently.
She understood.
He was telling her that he, too, was going to leave.
Like an elephant, to face death alone, not letting her see his final moments.
Serie couldn't bear to let this guy leave just like that.
She wanted to use magic to force him to stay, to see him off one last time, but looking at his calm eyes, this fierce thought quietly faded away.
She understood his choice.
She should respect his choice.
Even if it killed her.
"I…"
Serie opened her mouth, wanting to plead but not knowing what to say. What words could hold back death itself?
In the end, all her pleas and reluctance turned into a quiet sob.
She slowly, bit by bit, released her fingers. Each uncurling digit felt like tearing away pieces of herself.
She didn't say another word, just stared blankly at Kurtz.
Kurtz watched her letting go, watched her silent expression, and slowly stood up. The chair creaked softly as he left it.
"Take care… my elf." As if using all his strength, he left his last words.
Then, he turned around and, step by step, walked toward the door of the small house.
Serie stood frozen in place, watching the man's back disappear from her sight, feeling all the warmth drain from her body in an instant, leaving only endless cold.
She could no longer hold herself up, slowly sliding to the floor, burying her face deeply in her hands, and the sobs she'd been holding back finally broke free. The sound echoed in the empty room like a lament.
However, just then.
The door was pushed open again.
The figure who should have left was standing before her.
"Ahem," Kurtz cleared his throat, "Um, Lady Serie, I seem to have forgotten to tell you, I actually found a way to extend life."
He continued with a smile: "And it's the permanent kind. It looks like I can stay with you forever. Shall we discuss it in detail?"
The air was dead silent.
Serie's sobbing stopped abruptly.
She suddenly lifted her head, her eyes moving from confusion, to shock, then to disbelief, and finally, explosive rage mixed with crushing embarrassment erupted!
"Kurtz——!!!!!!!!!"
A furious roar, filled with powerful magical energy, accompanied by a Light Spear as thick as her thigh, was hurled fiercely toward the grinning scoundrel at the door!
"You bastard! you...you Shameless! Good-for-nothing who deserves to be cut into a thousand pieces!!!"
"Oye oye oye, you want to kill me or what?" Kurtz panicked, seeing a series of hair flying in the air.
"Arghh, come here, you idiot.."
The elf completely lost control.
[End of Chapter]