Chapter 34: I Like You So Much
As expected of my cute Master!
'Although it sounds a bit off, I've taken care of her for so long, so it's reasonable to say 'my cute Master', right?'
Of course, he only dared to say such things in his heart.
Just then, Kurtz suddenly noticed that Serie's face looked pale, seemingly a side effect of mana exhaustion. The usual vibrant glow in her cheeks had dimmed to an almost translucent pallor.
"You've exhausted your mana?"
"Yes." Serie nodded lightly, "I killed that demon and all the monsters it controlled."
No wonder her face looked so pale.
Serie's strength now was not as terrifying as it would be in the future, so dealing with such a large number of monsters and demons naturally cost her considerable mana.
The weight of that battle showed in the slight tremor of her hands, barely noticeable unless you knew what to look for.
But if he had known this, should he not have split up and taken such a risk?
It almost got him killed.
However, seeing Serie's weakened state still made Kurtz soften. The guilt that had been eating at him shifted into something closer to protectiveness.
At least the outcome was good.
If he and Serie had directly confronted that demon at the time, the outcome might have been different. Two exhausted fighters against a demon and its horde—the math didn't work out favorably.
But he hadn't expected Serie to handle that demon and all those monsters on her own; this made him feel much more at ease about her capabilities, even if it worried him about her current condition.
Kraft stepped forward and patted Kurtz's shoulder: "It seems we worried for nothing. If we had known this, we should have come directly here to find you yesterday."
"I made you worry a lot, didn't I?"
Kurtz replied, and before he could elaborate, others interrupted him.
"Mr. Kraft!!"
It was Norn and Eric, who had joined them from behind him. Their voices carried the eager excitement of students seeing their beloved teacher after long years of absence.
Kraft looked over in the direction of the sound, and when he first saw the two, he looked confused, as he didn't recognize them. His brow furrowed slightly as he tried to place the familiar yet changed faces.
"I'm Norn, Mr. Kraft." Norn quickly introduced himself.
The last time Kraft visited their village, he and Eric were still young teenagers. Now, ten years later, they had become reliable adults, so it was normal for Mr. Kraft not to recognize them after such a change.
Time had a way of transforming boyish features into something entirely new.
Upon hearing Norn's introduction, Kraft's eyes lit up: "Norn? It really is you!" He strode forward, genuine warmth spreading across his weathered features.
"This is truly surprising."
Kraft hadn't recognized him at first.
Now, he couldn't help but sigh at how quickly the human race grew. Their brief lifespans compressed so much change into such short periods.
In just ten years, the children from back then had become mature adults.
Eric also squeezed forward: "And me too! Mr. Kraft, I'm now the strongest warrior in the village!"
"Eric? Indeed, I can see that you are already a qualified warrior." Kraft smiled gently.
Seeing the kids he had personally guided grow into qualified warriors brought him joy that he couldn't fully describe.
Something was soothing and profoundly satisfying about watching seeds he'd planted bloom into strength.
Somo chuckled from the side: "This is truly a joyous occasion."
Not only had they successfully found Kurtz and confirmed he was safe, but Kraft had also reunited with juniors he hadn't seen in a long time. If this were in their village, it would be enough to hold a feast.
Though every feast excluded him, the thought carried its usual sting.
"By the way, why are you only coming now?"
Kurtz asked him, after all, they were already very close to Gemir Forest before the attack, and it would only take half a day to reach it, not to mention having Kraft as a guide.
"Oh! That's because Ms. Serie wanted to make sure we don't miss you by any chance, so we also didn't take any risk and searched along the river."
"I see."
It was just as he had thought, Serie's methodical nature showing through even in her worry.
Just then, Kurtz noticed that Serie's gaze lingered on Norn and Eric, as if she were evaluating something. Her golden eyes held that particular intensity she got when something caught her magical attention.
He asked in a low voice: "What's wrong?"
Serie shouldn't know these two. Could it be that something about them caught Serie's attention?
Serie withdrew her gaze: "For some reason, I vaguely sense a magical aura from these two humans."
"Hmm? Impossible, right?"
Kurtz looked at Norn and Eric in surprise. These two shouldn't have studied magic, so how could there be mana in their bodies? They'd shown no signs of magical ability during their sparring sessions.
'Could it be their innate talent, similar to Fern in the future?'
Serie shook her head: "It's just a feeling. I've only felt this similar feeling from the exceptionally talented elves within my clan."
The comparison sent a small thrill through Kurtz. If Serie was right, these two might be exactly what he'd been hoping to find.
"Then, when you first saw me, did I have a magical aura?" Kurtz asked curiously.
Serie glanced at him, as if he had asked a very foolish question: "Your mana has almost solidified into substance; you can feel it without even observing."
"Uh, that makes sense." Kurtz gave an awkward laugh.
He had directly used magic in front of Serie at that time, which was indeed different from Norn and Eric who had never used magic. The comparison was like asking if a bonfire was visible next to a candle's flame.
"If only there was a spell that could observe the magical aura on others."
Serie casually lamented, though her tone held genuine frustration.
Her vague feeling was completely innate. In fact, she wanted a spell that could clearly see how much mana others carried.
She had heard back home that demons had similar talents, but it only existed in a few individual demons.
Hearing Serie say this, Kurtz remembered that such magic did exist in later generations, and even the progenitor of human mages had created a method to hide one's mana, which she also taught to Frieren.
One could only say that a certain great demon who had lived for centuries never imagined that there would be such a cunning elf who constantly disguised her actual mana level.
Perhaps he could try to create it himself in the future. His cheat ability might be able to bridge that gap between wanting and having.
"But these two are indeed good, Kurtz. You were right, humans do have the talent to learn magic."
Kurtz's heart stirred. It seemed Norn and Eric indeed had something special, enough to make Serie, who usually held prejudices against humans, change her mind.
Coming from her, that was practically a ringing endorsement.
"By the way," Serie suddenly remembered something, took a cloth bag from Somo, and threw it to Kurtz, "Here are your things."
Kurtz opened it and saw his luggage, which he hadn't had time to pack when the demon attacked them the day before yesterday.
They had run for a good distance by then, yet he didn't expect Serie to still retrieve it. The bag looked exactly as he'd left it, carefully preserved.
"Serie, I really like you so much!" Kurtz said sincerely.
All his precious seasonings were in there, and even the seeds. If he lost them, he wouldn't know where to replace them. His entire culinary future had been hanging in the balance.
"Don't misunderstand," Serie turned her face away, "I just picked it up along the way."
Kurtz couldn't help but smile.
His little Master, he hadn't expected her to have such a tsundere side.
She clearly went back specifically to find his things, yet she still pretended not to care. The faint flush creeping up her neck and tip of her pointed ears gave away her true feelings.
However, facing his sincere confession, she showed no reaction at all. As expected, elves were very slow when it came to emotions.
"Still, thank you."
Serie gave a soft 'hmph'.
But her beautiful eyes narrowed slightly, clearly pleased with Kurtz's gratitude, though she tried to hide it.
'But what did this guy mean by 'like'?'
Serie somewhat didn't understand why Kurtz would say that. The word felt heavier than simple gratitude, but she couldn't quite grasp why.
Could this also be a human way of expressing gratitude?
Saying 'I like you the most' when thanking someone?
Although she still didn't quite understand, she could try it next time. After all, understanding human customs was part of her ongoing research into the peculiarities of their species.
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