Chapter 275: The Elf's Coquettishness
Rhodes hadn't told Serie about his plan to go south yet.
When he pushed open the door, the familiar scent of the room hit him, mixed with Serie's faint fragrance. It made his taut nerves relax slightly.
This time, Serie wasn't sitting on her wide chair. Instead, she was lying on her stomach on a small sofa in the corner, swinging her little feet back and forth as she flipped through a grimoire in front of her.
Hearing the door open, she asked without turning her head, "Finished talking with Fidel? What trouble has he run into now?"
Although Rhodes had rarely spent the night out since that last incident, he had been running to the palace to discuss matters with Fidel frequently.
This made Serie curious.
Rhodes walked over, sat on the sofa beside her, rubbed his forehead, and briefly recounted Fidel's concerns about the abnormal resource movements in the Southern Unified Empire.
"...So, Fidel suspects that the Southern Emperor, Legate, might be forging some terrifying weapon. Perhaps even something akin to a Holy Sword."
Rhodes finished speaking and looked at Serie.
Serie finally turned around. A look of dismissal appeared on her beautiful face. "A Holy Sword? Heh. Humans always like to pin their hopes on legendary weapons."
"The existence of The Light of Ersten itself is already a miracle. Although dwarven masters are strong, replicating that miracle is no easy task."
"It requires not only materials and technique but also a certain opportunity. Or rather, a power involving laws."
She shook her head, clearly not believing the speculation.
"But such a large-scale transfer of resources is indeed abnormal," Rhodes admitted. "The ambition of the Southern Emperor cannot be underestimated."
"So what?" Serie sat up, walked to the table, and picked up a report on new mage candidates. Her tone was indifferent. "All empires in the world are the same. They rise and fall; it is merely a question of time."
"Whatever that southern empire wants to do is their business. It has nothing to do with us."
She glanced at Rhodes with that uniquely elven detachment. "Besides, a new batch of mages just arrived at the Association. There is an elf among them whose talent is quite good. I plan to mentor her personally."
"I really do not have the spare energy to care about what new tricks a human emperor wants to play."
Rhodes wasn't surprised by her reaction.
Serie's focus had always been solely on magic itself and the talents she deemed worthy. She lacked interest in worldly power games and couldn't be bothered to intervene.
Moreover, in Serie's view, she and Rhodes had already saved the world once a thousand years ago. Now, it was time for them to retire.
If not for the sudden appearance of the new Demon King and her connection to the Godfall Land, Serie wouldn't even be willing to let Rhodes get involved in that matter.
A world where she and Rhodes had to solve every crisis might as well just be destroyed sooner rather than later.
However, Serie's tone suddenly shifted, as if she remembered something. "Speaking of which, something interesting is happening in the North."
"Flamme and Ela mentioned to me a few days ago that the demons seem to have started large-scale activities again. Their offensive is fierce; they have already destroyed several border cities."
Rhodes's heart sank slightly. Fidel had told him about this too.
Sure enough, it was beginning to overlap with the scenes from his precognitive dream.
"Ela seems to have some intention of going to the front lines to fight." Serie's tone carried a hint of amusement. "With her strength, self-preservation shouldn't be a problem. Even encountering those so-called Seven Sages shouldn't be an issue. As for Flamme..."
She paused, slightly puzzled. "She has absolutely no interest in it. In fact, she has been coming to me frequently to discuss the field of Fusion Magic."
"I have to say, although this field is dangerous and uncontrollable, it is indeed very attractive."
She picked up a draft from the table. It was a record Flamme had left behind regarding the various energy riots that occurred when forcing mana of different attributes to merge.
"Even I have to admit, this is a brand new train of thought that jumps out of traditional magical thinking."
"However..." She huffed softly. "The magic I master already stands at the pinnacle of the current world. I do not need to use such risky methods to pursue power."
"Divine Strike, right?" Rhodes clearly knew what Serie was referring to. "Indeed. I fear no matter how future mages research, no offensive magic stronger than Divine Strike will ever appear."
Serie nodded in agreement.
Regarding Divine Strike magic, the two of them were the only existences in the world today who fully understood its mysteries.
There were three versions of Divine Strike. What Serie referred to was the third version: the personal, miniature Divine Strike.
The first version was the original Divine Strike of the Sky-Winged race—the strongest offensive magic in history, never surpassed. Unfortunately, it was effectively lost. Only two people knew the original version: Rhodes and Olivia, who lived in the Heavenly Kingdom above. But neither could meet the casting requirements alone, nor could they achieve the seamless coordination required.
The second version was the False Divine Strike Rhodes had cast with the allied forces back then, gathering the power of all mages and channeling it through Holy Swords like The Light of Ersten.
The final version was the single-target Divine Strike mastered by Rhodes and Serie—a type Rhodes had improved and created from the original. Although its power was far inferior to the first two versions, it could still be called a Forbidden Spell.
Mastering such powerful magic, Serie naturally had no need to delve deeply into the dangerous field of Fusion Magic.
"What does Frieren say? Does she want to go to the northern battlefield too?"
Their topic circled back to the beginning.
"She is too weak. I told her if she dares to go, she is forbidden from stepping into the Magic Association for a thousand years."
The corner of Rhodes's mouth twitched slightly.
Isn't the timing of that line a bit off?
Also, Serie could have just said she was worried about Frieren's safety. Why adopt such a tsundere approach?
Demon invasion in the North, anomalies in the Southern Empire... everything happening at once made Rhodes sigh.
He indeed didn't want Ela and Frieren to risk their lives in the North, especially Frieren, who was far from strong enough.
Although Fidel stated the situation was temporarily under control and messages had been sent to all nations for support, the Southern Unified Empire—the strongest human nation—had yet to respond.
The Empire's actions were like a thorn, preventing Rhodes from feeling at ease.
"It seems I still have to make a trip to the Southern Empire personally." He made his decision. "Fidel's worries are not groundless. I must confirm what they are plotting."
"If it is just a normal military equipment upgrade, fine. But if..."
He didn't finish his sentence, but Serie understood.
If the Southern Unified Empire really was forging some terrifying weapon capable of overturning the balance, they couldn't sit idly by.
In Rhodes's view, it was like the atomic bomb from his previous life. Rather than having every country possess such a weapon of mass destruction in a fragile balance, he preferred no country having one.
Or, if one existed, it had to be in his hands or have usage restrictions. Like The Light of Ersten.
"You are going?" Serie raised an eyebrow. "As who? The God-slayer Rhodes? Or my apprentice? People won't pay attention to you with an ordinary identity."
When Serie said "my apprentice," the corners of her mouth uncontrollably curled up.
Rhodes looked at her helplessly.
He seriously suspected Serie clung to this identity purely to take advantage of him. But he had no proof.
"I am considering it," Rhodes answered honestly. "Appearing under my original name isn't impossible, but I'd probably have to fight first and beat down all the mages who doubt me."
If he truly appeared before humanity as the God-slayer Rhodes, it would likely trigger a worldwide tremor instantly.
"If I go as your apprentice..." He mused. "It is doable, but might lack weight. It might not be enough to attract Legate's attention or achieve a deterrent effect."
"Of course you should use the identity of my apprentice!"
Serie answered almost instantly, puffing out her chest. Her golden eyes shone with undisguised triumph.
The thought 'One day you'll have to call me Master Serie too' was practically written on her face.
Looking at her somewhat childish demeanor, Rhodes momentarily didn't know how to react.
Forget it. As long as she is happy.
It was just a title. He had long since stopped caring about such vanity.
"As you wish." Rhodes finally compromised.
However, just as his voice fell, Serie dropped a bombshell. "Since you are going, I am going too."
"No!" Rhodes refused flatly without thinking, his tone firmer than ever before.
That prophecy of her death haunted him like a nightmare. How could he let her leave the relative safety of the Magic Association and actively step into the heartland of the Southern Unified Empire, which might be hiding unknown dangers?
"Why not?" Serie seemed to have expected his reaction. She wasn't annoyed; instead, she patted Athos at her waist. "I have this. I can deploy the strongest defensive barrier at any time."
"Almost no magic in the world can harm me. Moreover..." She lifted her chin slightly. "Who do you think I am? I am Serie! Do I need you to protect me like a child?"
"It is not a question of strength!" Rhodes frowned deeply. "Serie, the situation there is unclear. We know nothing about Legate's secret plan. If there is a targeted trap..."
"That is all the more reason to go together," Serie interrupted him. "To look out for each other."
Rhodes still shook his head, his attitude resolute. "No. It is too risky. I absolutely cannot let you..."
His words cut off abruptly.
Because Serie suddenly leaned in without warning. Standing on her tiptoes, her soft, slightly cool lips pressed quickly against his.
Time seemed to freeze in this moment.
Rhodes was stunned, completely unprepared for the elf's sneak attack.
Her cool fragrance filled his nose. He felt the softness on his lips. Even though they had kissed many times, Serie initiating a kiss like this... had only happened this time and during the night raid.
It was just a touch, separating immediately.
Serie took a half-step back. A blush flashed across her pale cheeks, but her eyes were shockingly bright, staring straight at him.
Then, she did something that nearly made Rhodes's heart stop.
She tilted her head slightly, took Rhodes's hand, and spoke in a tone he had never heard from her before. Her voice was much softer, even laced with an unbelievable hint of coquettishness.
"Rhodes... I want to go."
Boom!
Rhodes felt his reason and all his resolve utterly crumble before this soft plea and the sudden kiss.
He even felt he might have been hallucinating, but the warm touch on his hand told him everything happening was real.
My elf actually knows how to act coquettishly!?
Although he didn't know where Serie had learned this—possibly from the plot of that romance novel—Rhodes felt inexplicably moved to tears.
It really hasn't been easy!
Serie watched Rhodes's reaction, the smile at the corner of her mouth deepening.
She knew she had won. This man would definitely agree to her request. Ela hadn't lied to her.
She wondered where Ela learned these things. Next time, she should ask her to learn more so she could teach them to her.
"Why?" It took a long time for Rhodes to speak, his tone no longer possessing its previous firmness. "Why must you go?" He tried to regain his stance.
Seeing him ask this, Serie knew he had wavered. She immediately struck while the iron was hot, switching back to her usual tone. "I heard the Royal Library of the Southern Unified Empire has collected and integrated many magical books from various countries recently. There are many treasures that even Ersten doesn't have."
She paused, her tone instantly becoming self-righteous. "As a mage driven by interest, isn't it perfectly normal to go borrow them for a read and enrich the Association's collection?"
Rhodes knew perfectly well that the "borrowing" the elf spoke of likely meant "never returning."
But he couldn't refute this reason. It would indeed further enrich the Magic Association's library.
Moreover, with him by her side, he could protect her.
Rhodes's mental defenses crumbled further.
Perhaps... this is actually an opportunity?
An opportunity to observe Serie closely and see if that future of death is related to the Southern Empire?
But the risk remained.
He had to be fully prepared.
"...Alright." Rhodes finally spat out the word with difficulty.
He took a deep breath, his gaze becoming serious again. "But you must promise me. You cannot leave my line of sight at any time. And before we depart, I need to make some preparations."
"No problem." Serie agreed immediately.
She hadn't planned on separating from Rhodes in the Southern Empire anyway. This small request was effortless for her.
"How long will it take? I need to see if I should hand that elven mage over to Ela and the others to teach first."
In Serie's plan, if Rhodes's preparation took a long time, she would personally teach the talented elven mage. If it was short, she would hand her over to Ela and Flamme first and teach her personally upon their return.
"A week. Mainly because I plan to bring both The Light of Ersten and Org with us."
" truly cautious."
Serie nodded and said nothing more.
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