Chapter 38: The Prototype of the Team
Seven days had passed since Kraft left, and Serie and Kurtz had stayed in this village for two weeks now.
"It seems like more and more people are coming," Serie said, sitting with Kurtz in front of the campfire at night.
The flames cast dancing shadows across her pale features, her ancient eyes reflecting the flickering light.
Kurtz wondered if it was just his imagination, but ever since his brief disappearance, Serie had seemed to grow a bit closer to him.
The change was subtle but unmistakable; where once she had maintained a careful distance, now she sat directly beside him without hesitation.
They were close enough that a gentle breeze ruffled her golden hair, the silken strands tickling his arm as they brushed against him. The warmth of her presence felt comforting after the day's training.
"What do you mean?" Kurtz asked, genuinely puzzled by Serie's sudden observation.
"It seems our adventuring party has grown," she replied, gesturing toward where Somo sat sharpening his axe, and where Norn and Eric practiced their magical forms in the distance.
She had initially thought her two-person adventure with Kurtz would last a long time, but it had unexpectedly developed into a complete five-person team in just over a month.
For an Elf like her, accustomed to thinking in centuries, it felt like the blink of an eye.
"Indeed, it would be perfect if we just had a monk or someone from the Holy Order," Kurtz mused, watching the flames dance between them.
In Kurtz's opinion, a team without a healer always felt dangerously incomplete. Too many adventures ended in tragedy simply because no one could mend wounds or cure poison when it mattered most.
However, their current setup was already quite promising. Once Norn and Eric mastered elemental magic, their group would officially begin their true adventure.
Their first stop would be the Dwarf Ruins, a place that promised both treasure and peril in equal measure.
However, with their current combat strength, they would likely have to explore slowly from the outskirts, refining their skills and teamwork as they progressed deeper.
"The Holy Orders of the Skywing Clan monopolize all holy scriptures; only they possess healing and blessing magic."
The Goddess herself created the Skywing Clan; their very existence was tied to her divine will. If the Goddess were to disappear from this world one day, the entire race would vanish with her, along with their sacred knowledge.
"Do you want to learn the healing magic from the holy scripture, Serie?"
Kurtz had attempted to create similar healing magic, drawing on his knowledge from anime, as well as memories of countless fantasy stories and games.
But he had failed completely every time. Every attempt resulted in nothing but wasted mana and frustration.
This type of magic seemed somehow fundamentally restricted, and even his cheat-like advantages as a transmigrator couldn't break through this divine limitation.
"I do," Serie replied without hesitation, her directness catching him slightly off-guard. "Can you create it?"
Kurtz shook his head ruefully, unable to hide his disappointment.
Serie didn't seem surprised by this admission; she explained with the patience of someone who had witnessed millennia.
"Healing magic originates from the holy scripture, and the power of the holy scripture comes from the Goddess herself. It's normal that you can't create it."
"Hmm... can other races interpret this holy scripture?" The question came suddenly, born from a spark of curiosity that refused to be extinguished.
Serie paused for a long moment, her expression growing thoughtful. She had never actually considered that possibility before, despite her vast experience and knowledge.
The holy scripture had never appeared outside of the Skywing Race; even the Elves, who nominally worshipped the Goddess, had never received the sacred texts directly from her divine hand.
"I can't answer that, because no one has ever tried." Her admission carried a note of intrigue that matched his growing excitement.
"Then there's a possibility, isn't there? It looks like we can add this to our adventure list."
Their goals were expanding beyond what they had initially imagined. Exploring the Dwarf Ruins and obtaining holy relics, and delving into the GodFall Land to find a way to kill gods.
Now, they had added acquiring and deciphering the holy scripture to their ambitious agenda.
These were now his and Serie's shared adventure goals, each more dangerous than most adventurers would attempt in a lifetime.
However, each of these objectives was more difficult than the last, almost equivalent to clearing multiple Demon Lord strongholds single-handedly.
"The Goddess is not an easy entity to deal with." Serie's voice carried centuries of wariness.
Serie didn't believe in the Goddess's benevolence, and even Kraft, who had recently left them, didn't truly have faith, though he hadn't shown it as openly as she did.
Someone like Kurtz, who would brazenly march up and demand the holy scripture, would most likely face divine wrath and incineration before finishing his request.
"That's why we need magic that can kill gods!" Kurtz said with a confident grin that didn't quite reach his eyes.
Not having a sword and having a sword but choosing not to use it were two entirely different positions of power. Even the most arrogant deity, when faced with magic that could genuinely threaten their existence, would have no choice but to negotiate rather than simply smite the petitioner.
"Yes! That's true," Serie smiled too, and for a moment her ancient features seemed almost youthful in the firelight.
Finally, this human's ultimate goal aligned perfectly with hers. She was genuinely happy about this unexpected convergence of purpose.
However, her smile quickly faded, and she resumed her usual composed demeanor, as if showing too much emotion might somehow diminish her authority.
Only Kurtz had learned to discern Serie's subtle mood changes from the most minor details, the slight tightening around her eyes, the way her fingers moved against his hand.
"By the way, did you not drink your herbal medicine today?" Kurtz suddenly asked, switching topics with practiced ease.
He had been giving Serie mana recovery potions every day during their stay, and he even planned to take a substantial supply with them before leaving the village.
If Serie ever experienced dangerous mana exhaustion again, he would make her drink a bottle immediately.
Of course, he was already planning to increase the concentration; although it would taste even more bitter, these were necessary sacrifices for her well-being.
Hearing Kurtz ask about this particular subject, Serie's delicate features visibly showed displeasure, her nose wrinkling slightly. "No need! My mana has recovered significantly."
"Come on, be reasonable! It wouldn't be good if there were any lingering side effects." Kurtz's tone became coaxing, almost gentle, as if he were speaking to a stubborn child rather than an ancient and powerful mage.
Perhaps, from a certain perspective, a sulking Serie truly was someone who needed careful handling and patience.
Finally, after Kurtz's repeated gentle persuasion and increasingly creative arguments, Serie reluctantly drank the bitter mana recovery potion, her expression suggesting she was accepting poison rather than medicine.
Kurtz, seizing the perfect opportunity, cheerfully declared that he would take a generous supply with them on the road, to be prepared for any unforeseen magical emergencies.
When she heard him announce this plan so casually, Serie's face suddenly stiffened, her golden eyes showing what could only be described as seven parts panic, two parts helplessness, and one part futile resistance. The rest showed her imagining a future where she would have to drink that abominable-tasting potion constantly.
The combination was so endearing that Kurtz couldn't help but laugh, the sound warm and genuine in the cool night air.
Feeling embarrassed by his obvious amusement, Serie kicked him lightly with her small foot, though not hard enough to cause pain, more of a protest than genuine retaliation.
For a moment, time seemed to stand still, peaceful and perfect.
Kurtz suddenly found himself wishing he could preserve this exact moment forever, capturing the warmth and companionship that had grown between them.
...
"Congratulations, you've become magicians."
By the third week, Norn and Eric could cast Light Arrow, though the power output was only about one-third of Kurtz's version. Still, it was genuine magic, and that achievement deserved recognition.
Looking at the innocent small tree that their combined efforts had cleanly snapped in half, Kurtz clapped his hands and congratulated both men with genuine pride.
"It took us this long to learn the most basic magic; if we were to learn that devastating spell of yours, Kurtz, who knows how many years it would take?" Eric said with a rueful shake of his head.
He had been fascinated by the potent magic Kurtz had unleashed during their first encounter, especially after Serie had learned it and personally demonstrated the technique herself.
The memory still sent chills down his spine.
The spell Serie had cast was even more terrifying than Kurtz's original version; the space where they stood had plunged into absolute darkness for a full, breathless second.
From an external perspective, all light in that area had vanished, as if a black hole had materialised from nothing.
Serie's magic had created a far greater destructive range than Kurtz's initial attempt; thankfully, they had travelled outside the forest to experiment safely, otherwise the entire woodland might have been permanently scarred.
Although the Fairies had long since departed this world, this remained their ancestral homeland, and the village had flourished here for hundreds of years.
It deserved their respect and protection.
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