Chapter 49: The Power of Imagination
Kurtz's words whispered like a demon skilled at bewitching hearts, making Serie's face, and even her heart, itch with anticipation.
She had to admit, his proposal hit just the right spot for her.
He'd laid out the possibilities carefully, his tone carrying a subtle challenge. She had no reason to refuse at all.
"What do you think?"
Kurtz looked at her with a smile, that knowing expression suggesting he already anticipated her answer.
Serie turned her face away, her voice barely perceptible: "Hmm."
Her long ear tips trembled slightly, a tell she hoped he wouldn't notice.
Norn watched this exchange and felt curiosity gnaw at him about what Kurtz had proposed. Since even Serie agreed, he suddenly thought that this crazy plan might have a chance of success.
The elf's approval carried weight that couldn't be ignored.
He took a deep breath, steadying himself.
"If... if we're really going to do it, we need a more detailed plan."
"It seems our future Majesty, the King, has already begun preparing for his ascension."
"Please don't make fun of me, Mr. Kurtz." Norn's wry smile didn't quite hide his nervousness.
"I just feel that rather than running around like headless chickens, it's better to formulate a more meticulous plan."
"Then you're going to be a very busy person."
Kurtz's meaning was clear: Norn would handle both creating the magic books and devising the specific arrangements for this crazy plan.
Leadership settled on shoulders that had never asked for it.
Kurtz would only provide general direction, and Serie, apart from combat and magic, would not interfere. Norn would handle all of this alone.
This was his duty as King. And this duty would make him very, very tired.
"I know. That's why I'm suddenly glad I gave up on learning advanced magic knowledge." Bitter irony colored Norn's laugh.
"Yes, this way you'll have more time to complete this task."
"It might even take a lifetime." The words hung heavy in the air between them.
Norn prepared for a long battle, his jaw set with quiet determination.
Kurtz observed from across their makeshift circle and could guess his thoughts with growing accuracy.
Spreading magical knowledge to the human race on this continent would take time, and conveying this message to other humans after establishing the nation would also take time.
This would be a very, very long time. So long that it made him yearn for immortality with an intensity that surprised him.
Don't look at how open-minded he appeared, but thinking about seeing everything he had worked for become reality in the future, watching the human race finally gain the right to stand on the world stage... he didn't want to die anymore.
But how could he achieve immortality?
Could magic accomplish this?
Kurtz didn't know, but that wouldn't stop him from trying, and doing so in secret from everyone, even those closest to him.
The three sat together, sunlight spilling over each of them like a blessing on their quiet conspiracy.
Future history books would record: The King and the Great Sage, and the Elf sat together.
The Great Sage spoke at length, the King supplemented, and the Elf remained silent, only watching the Great Sage with her ancient eyes.
As the seed of hope grows strong, the wind will carry this ideal to every corner of the world.
"Wait." Norn's voice cut through the contemplative silence. "What's the name of the country?"
"The Ideal Nation of Ayr," Kurtz answered without hesitation. "It can also be called the Everlasting Utopia of Ayr."
"The Everlasting Utopia?" Serie repeated softly, shaking her head with ancient weariness.
"Nothing in the world is eternal, and nations are no different."
"Believe in miracles, Serie. Belief doesn't need a reason." The familiar words rolled off his tongue.
Serie fell silent, memories stirring.
She'd heard those exact words from him before, in a different context but with the same unwavering conviction. This time, she didn't seem inclined to continue refuting him.
Seeing this rare moment of Serie's acceptance, Norn spoke up: "Indeed, it's good. The Ideal Nation of Ayr? That's a good name."
The establishment of the Ideal Nation was still a long way off; Kurtz and his party's current goal remained focused on becoming stronger.
"You mean ice-attribute magic?"
After hearing Serie's request, Kurtz tilted his head, genuinely puzzled why she would suddenly want him to create this type of magic.
"I thought if it was just about cooling down dragon hide, ice-attribute magic should work the same way."
Serie's uncertainty was unusual for her, a crack in her typically confident demeanor.
"What do you think? Can you create it?"
She also knew that Kurtz's magic creation had limitations. At least it wasn't the terrifying, god-like ability that could manifest anything on a whim.
It still required prerequisites, understanding, and inspiration.
But Serie still wanted to see what kind of surprise this man would bring her. His track record had been impressive.
"Ice-attribute? I haven't tried that."
Before meeting Serie, Kurtz had created magic primarily for survival—practical, desperate measures.
Even after she joined him, he'd constantly improved her existing magic, refining it, making it more powerful and efficient.
He hadn't branched out to other elemental magic during this focused time.
"You should try it. Knowing only one type of magic isn't enough."
Her tone carried the authority of centuries of experience.
"I just don't feel like I have any ideas." The admission felt strange on his tongue.
At Serie's insistence, Kurtz attempted to create ice magic.
Day one brought frustration.
With Somo's help, he discovered a mineral similar to saltpeter and successfully produced ice through a chemical reaction, but Serie kept emphasizing that this wasn't the kind of ice magic she wanted when she witnessed the demonstration.
Day four saw another failed approach. Kurtz attempted to create ice magic by cooling water to its freezing point, utilizing basic thermodynamic principles.
But when Serie observed the process, she asked pointedly why he needed to cast water-attribute magic first to create ice-attribute magic, leaving him speechless.
The question highlighted a fundamental flaw in his scientific approach to magic.
After abandoning attempts to create magic using pure scientific knowledge, Kurtz chose the power of imagination—that intangible force that had somehow allowed him to make fire magic in his early days.
Day ten arrived with crisp morning air. Kurtz came to the stream alone, already sensing a premonition in his heart that if this experiment succeeded, his path in magic might advance significantly further.
The magic array in his hand unfolded with practiced precision, and the surrounding temperature began dropping continuously.
Tiny ice crystals appeared around him like dancing sprites, catching the early sunlight.
"Not enough." His breath formed visible puffs in the rapidly cooling air.
If this was for just cooling, then he would have essentially created a large air conditioner—functional but hardly magical. Kurtz wanted more than mere temperature manipulation.
He placed his hand into the flowing water, fingertips glowing with faint, cold light.
The stream water froze into solid ice at a visible speed, and he could even see small fish trapped beneath the crystalline surface, suspended in their watery prison.
He completed the preliminary experiment. Now came the real test.
Kurtz began attempting to generate ice spears directly in the air, thereby bypassing the need for water entirely.
Tiny ice crystals gradually condensed together with agonizing slowness, then formed a slender ice spear, though in terms of size, it was much smaller than the light spears Serie could manifest effortlessly.
He manipulated the ice spear with careful mental pressure, launching it across the stream toward a small tree on the opposite bank. The projectile struck the trunk with a sharp crack, bursting on impact.
The splashing ice crystals spread like frozen shrapnel, and within seconds, the entire small tree transformed into a delicate ice sculpture.
"Did it succeed?"
Serie's voice came from behind him, closer than he'd expected.
Kurtz turned around, small ice crystals appearing and dissolving in his palm like ephemeral flowers. The control felt natural now, responsive to his will.
"It seems so."
Looking at the tree frozen into an ice sculpture, beautiful and deadly, Serie raised an eyebrow with grudging approval.
"The power is good, but the speed is too slow."
It had taken Kurtz several seconds to cast this magic. In actual combat, that duration would be enough for him to die several times over.
However, Kurtz noticed that Serie had delivered this criticism with a subtle smile playing at the corners of her mouth. Clearly, despite the technical flaws, she was really delighted with this particular surprise.
__________________
Check out more than 30+ chapters right now! 🔥
👉 patreon.com/Mr UmU
https://www.patreon.com/Mr_UmU
__________________