Chapter 363: War? I'm Just Not Familiar with It
The afternoon sun was as intense as ever, but after being filtered through multiple layers of magical barriers, it only left a faint feeling of comfort on the skin.
The Magic Association's garden was actually not very large. Factors such as lighting needed to be considered, so it was only located in a small area on the top floor. Moreover, initially, this garden was used to study plant magic, and the variety of flowers was very limited. However, over time, Ayla and Flamme transformed it into a real garden.
With the help of space-folding technology, the originally small garden gave people the feeling of a large area, with carefully trimmed and beautiful flower beds, as well as corners that mimicked the free growth of grass and trees in the forest.
In the far corner, a small area was specially set aside to simulate the cold environment of the North, in order to cultivate the special flowers that Ayla brought back.
Kurtz and Serie strolled hand in hand through the garden.
The surroundings were very quiet. After all, this place was located on the highest floor of the association, and ordinary people were not allowed to enter, so it was particularly secluded.
"Is this it?" Serie stopped in front of an area that exuded a faint chill.
The temperature here was noticeably lower than in the surrounding area, and a small magic circle nearby was constantly operating.
The ground was covered with a thick layer of blue moss. Upon closer inspection, the moss was not actually blue, but rather its color was due to the shimmering, jewel-like blue light on its surface.
In the very center of the moss, two small white flowers stood tall, refracting the sunlight with a crystal-like hue.
"Hmm, the Northern Snow Demon Flower only grows near specific magical nodes on the edge of the far northern permafrost." Kurtz crouched down, his fingertips hovering above the flower, a wisp of extremely subtle magic emanating from it, sensing its life fluctuations.
"A very special magical flower. It's an excellent magical material. Ayla has found a good sample."
Serie nodded in satisfaction and squatted down beside him, mimicking his posture, sensing the special magic and life force emanating from the two flowers.
"I wonder how it would taste when brewed as tea?" she added at the end.
"That would be such a waste!" Kurtz quickly stopped her. "This thing is extremely rare. There are probably no more than ten of them in the whole world. It would be too wasteful to just use them to make tea."
"Then what do you think is the best way to use it? We can't just treat it like an ordinary flower and just look at it, can we?"
"Let's wait until it's successfully cultivated before we talk about it," Kurtz said, ruffling Serie's hair. "After all, Ayla put in a lot of effort to transplant it. We can't just pull it out like that, can we?"
"Okay, I'll do as you say."
Serie didn't dwell on the matter, since she had only mentioned it casually.
She reached out and carefully touched the crystal-like flower. A glimmer of blue light briefly appeared on her fingertip before fading away.
"It's quite beautiful!" she exclaimed, her golden eyes reflecting the specks of blue light. "Ayla, that girl, though sometimes stubborn, always has a good eye for these beautiful and unique things."
"She's nothing like you in that respect." Kurtz stood up, pulled Serie up with him, and casually brushed the dust off her skirt. "Instead, she likes to collect things that are too beautiful."
The fairy lady valued the practicality of items more than their appearance. As long as something worked, she was happy with it.
Of course, it couldn't be too ugly either, otherwise she'd rather not use it at all. But to Kurtz's surprise, Serie unexpectedly refuted his statement.
"What do you mean?" Serie glared at him, but he still held her hand. "Beauty itself is a kind of power. It can make people feel happy and add some color to a boring research life. I actually think Ayla did a good job!"
"Alright, I was wrong, I'll correct myself." Kurtz nodded immediately, without any intention of arguing with Serie about this. "So I need the elf miss to guide me from time to time, so that my eyes, which have been blinded by magical research, can also see beautiful things."
Serie was amused by his agreement and lightly punched his arm. "Disgusting."
The two continued their stroll.
At this moment, Serie took a deep breath, smelling the fragrance of flowers in the air, and a nostalgic look appeared on her face. "It smells a bit like when I was exploring the edge of the Elf Forest before, but the trees there are taller, and the magic is more ancient and profound."
Many of the flowers here possessed special magical properties, making them excellent materials for magic.
Furthermore, numerous magic arrays were set up in the garden to cultivate these flowers, making the concentration of magic in the surrounding air several times higher than that outside.
"How do you remember such a distant memory?" Kurtz asked gently.
"Is it a long time? It seems to be only a little over a thousand years." Serie continued. "Besides, the Elf Forest is no longer there. The true ancestral land of the elves should now be the Elf Kingdom."
For her, although many things had happened over the past thousand years, it was still a relatively short period of time.
"But compared to the Elf Forest, I still prefer the forest where we live in seclusion."
"Should we go back?" Kurtz suggested. "Now that the association is on the right track, with Flamme and Ayla managing it, we shouldn't have any problems leaving for a few years."
Serie shook her head and squeezed his hand. "A few years is too short. Let's forget about it."
"Shall we go to the Elf Kingdom?" Kurtz continued to suggest.
"Hmmm~ Never mind. This is home to me."
"The land of the elves is another home, but you are not there." She said it so naturally, yet it stirred Kurtz's heart.
The elf miss always managed to say things that touched his heart.
"Besides, if we go to the Elf Kingdom now, those old fogies will definitely nag us endlessly. It's so annoying. It's much more comfortable here."
Kurtz didn't say anything, but simply squeezed her hand tighter.
They came to the gazebo in the garden, where a small stone table and chairs were placed.
"I'm tired. Let's sit down for a while." Serie pulled Kurtz down onto the stone bench.
The surface of the stone table was warm and smooth, which obviously maintained a suitable temperature.
The two sat side by side, looking at everything around them or quietly looking at each other. Neither of them spoke, yet they didn't feel awkward or silent at all. It was as if, as long as they were together, even silence was a comfortable form of communication.
After a while, Serie suddenly remembered something, turned her head, and looked at Kurtz with bright eyes. "By the way, you said yesterday that you would only make me breakfast depending on your mood, so are you in a mood today?"
Kurtz feigned deep thought, stroking his chin. "Hmm~ the sun is shining brightly today, the garden scenery is quite nice, and I'm sitting next to the most beautiful elf on the entire continent, who even took the initiative to inquire about my feelings..."
"So?" Serie asked expectantly.
"So," Kurtz drawled, looking at her slightly pouting lips, and finally couldn't help but laugh, "I'm in a good mood. What would you like to eat tomorrow morning? You can order now."
Serie's face immediately lit up with a smile, and she started counting on her fingers. "Besides the bread you baked, I want the jam made from magical blueberries, and the bacon made from rock beef, with some fresh vegetables. Oh, and the fried egg has to be a sun-dried bird egg, the runny kind!"
"Quite a few requirements," Kurtz noted it down and nodded. "There probably aren't any blueberry bushes available. I'll have Flamme go buy some today. The other association kitchens should have some."
"Then it's settled!" Serie said contentedly, leaning against his shoulder. "Sometimes I feel that living like this isn't so bad."
"No enemies to fight to the death, no imminent crisis, just dealing with trivial matters every day, researching magic, and spending time with you. Is this what humans call ordinary happiness?"
"I remember someone once said that she loved war the most."
"That was so long ago! And there's no war now!" Serie pouted. "Although there are still conflicts between human nations, you certainly wouldn't let me get involved!"
"Humanity has its own way out. My only task now is to ensure they are not wiped out in the face of a foreign invasion. As for internal conflicts, they are none of our concern."
"Really? Then the Southern Empire will have something to say." Serie squinted her eyes and teased.
"He asked for his own death by trying to attack you! Moreover, during the war against the demons, he not only didn't contribute but also considered attacking other countries. I definitely had to intervene."
"That sounds quite plausible."
Serie buried her head in his chest and didn't continue speaking.
Just as she said, this ordinary happiness had quietly eroded her at some point, and she had even forgotten her original aspirations.
War? I'm not familiar with that!
For them, who had experienced the end of the Age of Gods, the chaos of war on the continent, and the establishment of the association, this peaceful and stable life was enough.
Kurtz turned his head, his cheek pressed against the top of her soft hair, and said, "Serie, have you ever thought about this, if one day magic really spreads to every corner, and the Association no longer needs to guide the direction of magical civilization in such a highly centralized way, should we find a quieter place?"
Serie paused slightly, lifted her head from his shoulder, and looked at him with a puzzled expression. "A quieter place? Go back to that forest and continue living in seclusion?"
"It's not all about seclusion." Kurtz carefully chose his words. "We'll build a small house where we can see the night sky and stars, where we can continue to study the magic that interests us, but without having to worry too much about the outside world. Ayla and the others can come to see us anytime they want. Or, we can occasionally go out for a walk and see how the world has changed."
The scenes he depicted were simple, yet inexplicably touching.
As Serie listened, the corners of her mouth curved up, and she leaned back on his shoulder, saying softly, "That might be a long time from now. I'm not comfortable handing the association over to Frieren and the others like this right now."
"Yes, I know. If possible, Flamme would actually be more suitable."
"But she..." Serie hesitated, then fell silent.
After a moment of silence, perhaps wanting to break it, Serie suddenly blinked and said, "If that really comes to that, what will happen to all those precious gadgets in your lab, and all those things in the basement? Will you move them there too?"
"We can simplify things and only bring the most essential parts." Kurtz seemed to have genuinely considered this issue. "Or, it's not too late to leave once everything is completely sorted out."
"Then let's wait until Frieren is more mature and Ayla can stand on her own," Serie said, her tone filled with plans for the future. "We also need to choose a good place, not too close to the Elf Kingdom, so they don't come knocking on our door and bother us. We can't live too far from the association either, in case we want to come back."
She began to seriously consider the details: where the forest's magical energy flow was most stable, whether to use solidification magic on the houses, and especially her precious spellbooks, which she definitely needed to bring along.
Kurtz listened with a smile, occasionally adding a word or two.
After an unknown amount of time, a series of rhythmic footsteps approached from afar, breaking the surrounding atmosphere.
When Flamme appeared at the other end of the garden, she paused for a moment when she saw the two people sitting side by side in the pavilion. A strange look flashed in her eyes, but she quickly returned to normal.
"Teacher Kurtz, Master Series." She stepped forward and gave a slight bow. "Excuse me. The Southern delegation has submitted a formal written request, hoping to conduct joint research with the Association on a new type of defensive magic. This is their preliminary research request." She handed over a magic scroll.
Serie sat up straight, lifted herself off Kurtz's shoulder, and the gentle look on her face quickly vanished, replaced by her cold expression. She took the scroll and began to scan it rapidly.
Kurtz regained his usual calm demeanor and asked, "What was their attitude?"
"Their words were respectful, and their request was relatively reasonable. At least on the surface, it appeared to be a legitimate magical exchange," Flamme replied. "I have already arranged for someone to review the magical knowledge they presented, and it is indeed worthy of discussion."
After reading it, Serie handed the scroll to Kurtz. "They're smart enough. Joint research on magic? Sure, let's set it for three days from now. You'll be in charge, and we'll send a few First-Class Mages to participate as well."
"Okay." Flamme noted it down and then reported a few other matters, all of which required Serie's final decision.
Kurtz handed the scroll back to Flamme without commenting, clearly trusting Serie's decision completely.
After finishing her official business, Flamme did not linger. She bowed again and turned to leave, her steps light and quick, clearly indicating that she had many matters to attend to.
After she walked away, the garden returned to tranquility.
Serie sighed and curled her hair in frustration. "My lazy time is over."
Kurtz chuckled and reached out to tuck a stray strand of hair behind her ear. "I'll make it up to you tonight."
"How will you compensate me?" Serie's eyes lit up.
"Of course I'll make you some grilled skewers!"
"Mm..." Serie was clearly tempted, but how could she, as the president of an association, be swayed by some skewers?
"How about adding some delicious mushroom soup?"
"Hmph! I don't want to."
Despite saying that, Serie obediently stood up and went to work.
[End of Chapter]
Sorry for the late update. More chapters coming soon. Couldn't do much work in the hospital in peace.