Chapter 274: Kurtz's Favorite
At the Magic Association Tower, Kurtz stood at the window of his room, or rather, the room he shared with Serie, looking down at the silhouette of the capital city of El.
His trip south was already planned, but he needed to make some arrangements before leaving. He thought of his disciples, at least to handle things correctly at the Magic Association.
However, if we're really talking about it, the only one who can be considered his formal disciple is actually Flamme. Ayla only occasionally advises out of respect for Serie, so she's only half a mentor.
As for Frieren, she was a disciple of Flamme, but a generation removed, and he did not teach her directly. Moreover, the other party has a very good foundation. Even if I don't interfere, the other party will definitely become a legendary mage in the future.
Kurtz sensed that Flamme's presence was in her own research lab.
What bothered him was that he had heard she frequently visited the library, seemingly frantically searching for something, but she had disappeared entirely recently.
Have you found what you're looking for, or have you hit a bottleneck?
Kurtz moved and soon appeared outside Flamme's room. He knocked gently on the door with measured courtesy.
Although given his relationship with Flamme, there was absolutely no need for such actions, Kurtz at least wanted to take concrete steps to maintain this distant relationship.
"Please come in," came Flamme's clear voice from inside.
Kurtz pushed open the door and entered. Flamme's laboratory was simple, though it contained many magic books and experimental notes.
She was sitting at the table, a notebook open in front of her. When she saw that it was Kurtz, a barely perceptible tremor flashed in her eyes before she stood up smoothly. "Teacher Kurtz."
"Hmm, did I disturb you?" Kurtz walked over and glanced at her notes, which were about optimizing magic efficiency, a perfectly normal magical study.
"No. Teacher, is there something you need?" Flamme asked, her tone respectful and her distance proper.
This is what Kurtz wanted to see, and clearly Flamme did a good job in this regard.
"Serie and I will be leaving the association for a while to handle some matters in the Southern Unified Empire," Kurtz stated his purpose directly. "During our absence, the association's daily affairs will be handled jointly by you and Ayla."
Flamme raised an eyebrow slightly. "I can handle routine matters, but some decisions, such as the mage level assessments, have always been personally overseen by Teacher Serie. Should we postpone them?"
"The assessments for Level 2 mages and below will be decided jointly by you and Ayla," Kurtz authorized. "You've witnessed this quite a few times; you should know what's going on. As for the assessment of first-level mages, it will be postponed for now."
"Okay, I understand." Flamme nodded in agreement.
After the critical matters were settled, the atmosphere eased. Kurtz pointed out a few minor problems that Flamme had encountered in her magical research recently. Flamme listened attentively and grasped the concepts immediately.
Looking at his disciple making steady progress, Kurtz felt both gratified and complex emotions. He remembered what Serie had mentioned: Flamme had recently been going to her to discuss fusion magic.
"How's the fusion magic research going lately?" Kurtz asked, his tone carrying caution.
"It's alright. Most of the problem with the magic rage has been solved, but it's still difficult to control it freely," Flamme replied. "However, Teacher Serie has given me a lot of inspiration."
"This area is dangerous, so please be careful," Kurtz cautioned. He knew that Flamme was a calm and steady person, not a rash one.
After a brief silence, Kurtz looked at Flamme and softened his tone. "I've been busy with other things lately and have neglected your teachings somewhat. Is there any magic you desire? Even Divine Strike magic would be appreciated."
Flamme gently shook her head. "Thank you, teacher, but I don't have the magic I want for now. I've found a direction I want to study in depth. Perhaps it's different from the path you've taken, but I want to try to walk it on my own."
These words made Kurtz slightly apprehensive. He could clearly sense that something about Flamme was different.
However, Flamme suddenly seemed to remember something. "Teacher, if I had to say something, I've recently become very interested in some ancient life magic runes. I recall that some of your early research manuscripts contained research notes on this topic?"
Kurtz was somewhat surprised but didn't think it through. A faint light flickered at his fingertips, and a series of complex magical rune formulas floated in the air before Flamme.
"These are indeed my initial ideas, much more complex than those in the current magic book. If you are interested, you can study them on your own, but remember, do not be reckless, as many of the structures are not stable."
Flamme stared intently at the flowing runes, her entire focus narrowing. "Thank you, teacher!" She suppressed her excitement and bowed respectfully.
After Flamme quickly jotted down the magical runes in her notebook, Kurtz dismissed her. He checked the time. "That's settled then. The association is temporarily in your hands."
He turned to leave. The moment his hand touched the doorknob, he suddenly stopped and turned around slowly.
Kurtz looked at the red-haired girl standing in the same spot, sunlight casting a soft glow over her. He was silent for a long moment, then spoke softly: "Flamme."
"Teacher?" Flamme looked up.
"I really like you the way you are now. You're focused on the path of magic and have found your own way. That's good," Kurtz said, his tone sincere and warm.
A sharp, aching pain suddenly appeared. Flamme subconsciously bit her lower lip, so hard she could almost taste blood. Her hands, hanging by her sides, clenched tightly. All the turmoil in her heart was forcibly suppressed back into the depths of her eyes.
Flamme lowered her head slightly, avoiding Kurtz's gaze, and answered in as calm a voice as possible. "It is an honor for a disciple to receive the teacher's approval."
Kurtz seemed oblivious to her momentary unease, or perhaps he deliberately chose not to notice. He nodded and finally turned to leave.
The door closed gently. Only Flamme remained in the study room, standing alone.
She remained with her head slightly bowed, motionless for a long time. The clenched fist slowly loosened, revealing a clear crescent-shaped imprint on the palm.
She raised her head, her eyes now calm and composed. Deep down, a deep obsession remained, but it was different now.
Meanwhile, Kurtz found Ayla. The blonde elven girl looked travel-worn; she had recently returned from a trip to the Elven Kingdom using teleportation magic to research information about the holy sword Esterian for Kurtz.
Upon entering, Ayla was sitting at the table, diligently organizing the documents in her hands. Her eyes were unusually focused.
"Kurtz! Kurtz!" Ayla immediately stood up upon seeing Kurtz appear. "I was actually looking for you."
"Let me check on how things are going on your end." Kurtz's gaze fell on the documents. "I also want to let you know that Serie and I will be leaving the Association soon to handle some business in the south."
"Heading south? To that unified empire?" Ayla had obviously heard some rumors. "Is it because of their recent unusual movements?"
"I suppose so." Kurtz asked, "What about your side? Have you found anything?"
Mentioning this, Ayla immediately perked up. She picked up the documents and said excitedly, "Kurtz! You would never believe it, but I actually found records about Esterian in the library of the Elven Kingdom!"
Kurtz's heart skipped a beat, and he immediately took the documents from her hand. The text was in an extremely ancient Elvish language. Fortunately, Ayla had thoughtfully provided a translation below, making it easy for him to read.
"These records are very vague, more like a collection of storytelling fragments," Ayla explained. "They mention that the Sword of the Warrior, Esterian, appeared in the much more ancient primordial era. Moreover, it mentions a general direction, somewhere in the south where the land has sunk."
Kurtz carefully examined the information and the blurry map. This was undoubtedly a huge breakthrough.
"Well done, Ayla!" Kurtz praised sincerely. "You've worked hard these past few days!"
Having received Kurtz's affirmation, Ayla nodded emphatically, a faint smile appearing on her lips.
"However, teacher, if you and Lady Serie are going to the Southern Empire, please be careful," Ayla said with concern.
"Yes, I know. During this period, everything in the association will be handled by you and Flamme, including those magician assessments. If it's not a Level 1 assessment, you can make the decisions."
"I understand."
"By the way, I heard from Serie last time that you wanted to go to the northern battlefield?"
"Hmm, it's been a long time since I've used my magic skills, and I feel like I've become quite rusty."
Kurtz smiled as he looked at Ayla's belligerent appearance. She truly was a disciple trained by Serie. However, his expression sobered. "Let's be patient for now. We'll discuss the Northern Demon matter when Serie and I get back."
"Okay!" Ayla nodded vigorously.
Kurtz knew that he needed to quickly uncover the Southern Empire's schemes and find the Hero's Sword before he could travel north with peace of mind. But this time, Serie will be the one in danger.
The road ahead is unknown, and he must protect her and never let her step into that prophesied future.
[End of Chapter]
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