Chapter 236: Serie's Intrusion
As noon approached, the sunlight became quite intense.
Kurtz's gaze casually swept over a restaurant, and he was wondering whether he should end the trip when, suddenly, he paused.
Just now, he had sensed a familiar magical power. Someone was casting a wide-range detection spell, and that presence had deliberately lingered on him for a moment.
The ability to cast detection magic over such a vast area clearly belonged to Serie.
She had woken up and was looking for them.
A slight smile appeared on Kurtz's lips, but he made no sound or gesture, as if he hadn't noticed anything.
'We can just wait for the elf lady to come find us.'
Just then, Flamme stopped and pointed to the restaurant that Kurtz had just noticed: "Teacher, it's almost noon. Shall we have lunch here?"
'Having lunch together is another great opportunity to extend our time alone!' Flamme thought internally.
Kurtz snapped out of his thoughts and nodded: "Alright, it's a good opportunity to try the food here."
The two entered the restaurant, which wasn't too crowded yet.
Almost instinctively, Flamme took the seat on the inside by the window and naturally left the outside seat for Kurtz.
He had initially wanted to sit opposite her, but seeing Flamme's expectant expression, he thought for a moment and decided to sit next to her instead.
After ordering, while waiting for the food to be served, Flamme rested her chin on her hands, looked out the window at the crowd, and wore a satisfied smile on her face.
Being able to go shopping and share a meal with her teacher like an ordinary person was something she had always dreamed of.
However, as she was smiling, she suddenly frowned slightly.
A vague feeling of having forgotten something important began to surface in her mind.
'What was it again?'
'It's like I forgot someone.'
She tried to recall, and just then the dishes were served; she realized what had happened.
'It's Frieren!'
'I promised to bring her breakfast before I left this morning, but I forgot to tell the maid!'
A hint of guilt had just surfaced when it was immediately washed away by the immense joy of being alone with Kurtz and the anticipation of lunch.
'It's okay, it's okay.'
She comforted herself. Frieren is an elf, so it's fine for her to go hungry for a meal. Besides, she'll find something to eat if she gets hungry. I can just bring her some delicious desserts when I get back to make up for it!
With that thought, she immediately put the little incident out of her mind and focused all her attention back on Kurtz beside her.
"Teacher, please have a taste!" Flamme greeted him warmly, even taking the initiative to place the largest piece of meat on his plate.
She sipped her soup, but her gaze never left his face.
Just then, a figure appeared silently beside their table.
The newcomer unceremoniously pulled out the chair opposite Kurtz and sat down. Her long golden hair was simply tied up, her emerald eyes were incredibly cold, and her beautiful face showed no emotion whatsoever.
It was Serie.
An invisible pressure began to permeate the air.
Flamme's hand, which was about to serve Kurtz more food, froze in mid-air, and the smile on her face completely solidified.
Her heart felt like it was going to jump out of her chest.
'Lady Serie!!!'
'When did she wake up? And how did she find her way here?!'
'Oh no!'
Kurtz remained calm, seemingly unsurprised by Serie's appearance, and gave her a usual smile: "You're pretty quick. Want to grab something to eat?" He gestured to the dishes on the table.
Serie didn't answer immediately. Her gaze swept back and forth between Kurtz and Flamme, finally settling on Flamme's somewhat nervous face. Her voice carried an invisible pressure: "Why are you here?"
Her voice was calm, but Flamme sensed a storm brewing.
Kurtz smiled and replied in a relaxed tone: "It's nothing. I just saw that the weather was nice when I woke up this morning, and since Flamme was free, I went out for a walk with her."
He was telling the truth, but omitted certain details and Flamme's unusually enthusiastic behavior.
When Flamme heard him speak, she snapped back to reality and quickly forced a smile, though her voice trembled slightly.
She quickly chimed in: "Yes! Lady Serie! I just wanted to see the city and then have a meal with Teacher to share our adventures over the years."
'It's normal for a master and apprentice to eat together, right?'
She comforted herself with this reasoning, but her heart was pounding, afraid that Serie would see through her little scheme.
Serie listened quietly, her face expressionless, making it impossible to tell how much she believed.
Her gaze shifted back and forth between the two.
She could certainly see Flamme's nervousness and Kurtz's seemingly evasive answer.
Although she didn't fully understand human emotions, she wasn't stupid, and she could naturally tell that something was off between Flamme and Kurtz, completely different from when they were teaching each other magic in the forest.
'Going shopping? That's an excuse that might fool a three-year-old.'
'Kurtz has lived for so long, what city hasn't he been to? How could he possibly be particularly interested in a city like this? And why did he bring Flamme instead of inviting me?'
Serie was very curious.
But she didn't ask immediately. Instead, she narrowed her eyes slightly, leaned back in her chair, and placed her hands on the table, adopting a posture that said "I won't speak first."
Her scrutinizing gaze made Flamme feel extremely uncomfortable, and she almost wanted to flee the scene immediately.
After a long while, Serie nodded slightly, seemingly accepting the explanation.
She didn't look at Flamme again, but turned to Kurtz and said in a flat tone: "I'm hungry."
Then, quite naturally, she turned her gaze to the plate of steak that Flamme had placed before him.
"I'll have a bite."
"It's fine, I don't mind."
After saying that, Serie took the plate of steak from Kurtz without any hesitation, almost snatching it away.
He couldn't help but chuckle. "It's not like I'm not going to give it to you. Slow down."
Serie picked up her knife and fork and began eating, as if her intrusion was perfectly natural.
Flamme watched this scene unfold, seeing how naturally Kurtz pushed the food she had placed on his plate over to Serie, and how Serie enjoyed it as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
She could barely maintain her composure; a sense of powerlessness instantly replaced the joy she had felt from having lunch together.
She silently lowered her head and stirred the soup in her bowl, which had already cooled down, with her spoon, but could no longer taste anything.
The atmosphere at the dining table became eerily quiet.
Kurtz glanced at Flamme, who was silently drinking soup beside him, then at Serie, who was busy with her steak. A thought suddenly occurred to him.
'Could it be that I've been dragged into a love triangle?'
[End of Chapter]
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