Chapter 364: Chasing Eternity
Night fell, and everything returned to tranquility.
Inside the room on the top floor of the Magic Association, only a few magic lamp stands were lit, emitting a warm yellow glow.
With the help of ore mined from the Dwarf Kingdom and specially crafted magic items, lamp stands like these, which absorbed sunlight during the day and re-emitted it at night, had become a common sight throughout the Imperial Capital.
The air inside the room was filled with faint incense, mixed with the fresh scent lingering around Serie after her bath.
When Kurtz finished handling the matters at hand for the moment, he looked up, his gaze naturally drifting toward the other side of the room.
Serie was curled up on a large, soft daybed, with several fluffy pillows propped behind her.
She was not looking through Magic Association documents, nor was she studying magic. Instead, she was holding a thick book with a plain binding, reading it with rapt attention.
Judging by its appearance, it was clearly not a book related to magic.
For our Elf Miss, reading such books was rare. At least, the last time Kurtz had seen her reading something unrelated to magic was when she had been absorbed in that melodramatic romance novel rumored to be the most popular in the Imperial Capital.
She had changed into a silk nightgown, her long golden hair was still slightly damp, draped loosely over her shoulders. In the lamplight, her profile looked exceptionally soft.
Kurtz watched her quietly for a moment before standing and walking over. Making little sound, he sat down on the edge of the daybed beside her.
The slight sinking of the mattress caused Serie to look up from her book and gaze at him.
"Is the research over?" She said softly.
"Yes," Kurtz replied.
He naturally reached out and tucked a strand of her damp hair behind her ear, his fingertips brushing against her cool earlobe.
"Your hair isn't completely dry yet. Be careful not to catch a cold."
Magic surged from his fingertips as he activated a spell to quickly dry the damp strands.
"It's fine. It's warm in the room." Although Serie said this, she took the opportunity to lean closer to him, resting her head on his lap and finding a comfortable position. She had no intention of putting the book down, simply holding it up above herself.
"As it happens, I found an interesting passage. Shall I read it to you?" She said.
Kurtz adjusted his posture to make her more comfortable, wrapping an arm loosely around her. "What book is it? If it's one of those pointless romance novels, I don't want to hear it."
"It's not. It's a travelogue written by a human, and it's quite interesting."
"Oh? Let me hear it." Hearing Serie say this, Kurtz found himself genuinely interested.
Serie cleared her throat and began to read in her clear, pleasant voice.
"...And so, the immortal child of the forest said to the human chasing the undying sun: The light you pursue and crave cannot be reached; it can only be viewed from afar. Stop, human. Eternity is not a boon for all living things; you should focus more on everything beneath your feet."
After finishing, she paused for a moment as though savoring the words. Then she turned her head to look up at Kurtz.
"What do you think? The author of this travelogue was a human who lived in the Elf Kingdom for decades, and the writing is quite good. I think this passage is very interesting."
Kurtz's fingers twined idly through the ends of her hair, and he raised an eyebrow at her words.
"Hearing 'eternity is not a good thing' from the mouth of an immortal Elf feels strange to me. Could it be that the other party was just trying to pull the wool over this human's eyes?"
"What do you mean by pulling the wool over his eyes?!" Serie bumped the back of her head lightly against his stomach in dissatisfaction.
"This is wisdom! It is the understanding we Elves have regarding eternal life! You humans just live too briefly and too impatiently, which is why you are always trying to pursue such things!"
"Yes, yes. The wisdom of the Elves," Kurtz replied readily. "Then, my wise Elf, did you glean any special meaning from this piece?"
Serie closed the book and set it aside. Turning onto her side, she faced Kurtz's abdomen.
"I was thinking... doesn't this human author resemble those people now desperately trying to obtain and study the Rune of Eternal Life? They only stare at that eternal sun in the sky while ignoring everything they already possess beside them."
She paused, then gently poked Kurtz's chest with her fingertip.
"Though this doesn't seem to apply to you. You, my human, seem to have already attained eternity." The last sentence carried a hint of teasing.
Kurtz grasped her mischievous finger and wrapped it in his palm.
Serie's small hand was slightly cold, so he naturally cupped it with both hands to pass on his warmth.
"Me?" He pondered for a moment.
"I am probably... a rather greedy human. I want to see whether the undying sun truly exists, yet I also don't want to miss everything beneath my feet. Such as...a certain Elf who is right by my side at this moment."
At his words, the tips of Serie's ears involuntarily flushed with a rosy hue.
Even after a thousand years, the Elf Miss's resistance to such straightforward words of affection remained nonexistent. Her eyes fluttered slightly, as if she wanted to glare at him. In the end, though, she only muttered softly,
"—You're getting better at sweet-talking. I wonder who you learned that from."
She remembered that the Kurtz from a thousand years ago would never have said so many cheesy things.
"Self-taught," Kurtz replied with a soft chuckle.
"Hmm...nnh~" Serie buried her head against him and rubbed against his chest repeatedly. After a good while, she lifted her face again, her expression having mostly returned to normal.
She looked at him and suddenly asked, "How is your research going? The one about rewriting the life structure formula."
Kurtz's hand, which had been patting her back, paused for a moment before naturally resuming. "It's the same as before. Progress is slow. This path is... coming to be more complicated than I expected, and also more... dangerous."
He did not hide the difficulties and risks involved. Serie's heart tightened slightly. She knew Kurtz's capabilities. For him to use the word "dangerous," it certainly was not something ordinary.
She gripped his hand tightly in return. "If it's too dangerous—"
She would rather Kurtz continue as he had before, reincarnating every hundred years, than have him risk himself to achieve true eternal life.
"Rest assured, I have a sense of proportion," Kurtz interrupted gently.
"Every step is within a controllable range. Moreover, it is precisely because of my greed—because I want to spend more time by your side—that I must be even more cautious."
Lowering his head, he pressed his forehead gently against hers.
"I will not risk myself, and even less will I risk our future. Trust me, Serie."
At such close distance, they could see even the subtlest emotions in each other's eyes. Serie saw the unreserved honesty directed toward her in the depths of his gaze. The worry in her heart still existed, but her trust in him gradually gained the upper hand.
"Yes," she responded softly, closing her eyes and feeling the warmth of his forehead against hers.
"I believe you. But... you must remember what you said. I don't want to be... a widow."
"Pfff~ Hahaha." The sudden remark made Kurtz laugh instinctively. He had no idea where the cute Elf had picked up such strange expressions.
"I won't. I promise." Kurtz hugged her tightly as he made the vow.
The two remained quietly entwined for a while.
As Serie's emotions gradually settled, she opened her eyes again and suddenly remembered something. "By the way, Frieren came to find me again this afternoon."
"Oh? What did she come to bother you about this time?" Kurtz loosened his embrace slightly, though he still allowed her to lean comfortably against his chest.
He had not forgotten the days when Frieren would visit his research laboratory every single day without fail.
"It wasn't bothering me. It was official business," Serie said lazily.
"She seems to have developed an interest in that Teleportation Magic used by the demons of the Mythological Era, the one they used back then to deal with the Skywing Clan."
The reason the demons had been able to ambush the Skywing Clan's retreat route in advance was that they had used Teleportation Magic.
"She dug out some incomplete records from the library and came to ask me questions about coordinate anchoring and magic interference. Some of the questions were quite tricky. I'm afraid even Flamme wouldn't have been able to answer them."
When mentioning Frieren, Serie's tone carried a trace of helplessness, but even more pride.
In her eyes, Frieren's talent was nearly perfect. The only flaw was her poor close-combat ability, which gave Serie quite a headache.
"Demonic Teleportation Magic?" Kurtz looked slightly surprised.
"Why is she suddenly interested in this? That is not a simple spell. The techniques involved are extremely complex."
"And the magic of Mythological Era demons was built on unstable magical foundations. No one can say for certain what kind of accidents might occur when using it."
"Who knows what that child thinks about all day long." Serie shrugged lightly.
"She said she read a description in an ancient book and thought it seemed efficient, so she wanted to study whether it could be improved for large-scale troop teleportation or material transport."
Current Teleportation Magic not only required an exorbitant amount of mana but also had severe limitations on the number of people it could transport. It was simply insufficient to support the movement of an entire army.
Of course, Kurtz could theoretically create a spell capable of transporting an army on that scale, but he felt it was unnecessary.
Even if such magic were created, the number of people in the world capable of learning it probably would not exceed the fingers on one hand, including himself and Serie. More importantly, he did not want to see the day when a human nation used such magic to launch a surprise attack against another country.
"That is an interesting idea. Letting her explore it is fine, but you'd better keep a close eye on her. Many of these Mythological Era spells carry a certain degree of danger. Don't let her mess around."
"Don't worry. I've already set the terms. All experiments must be reported in advance and may only be conducted under my supervision." Serie lifted her chin slightly, looking entirely confident.
"That's good." Kurtz nodded before asking, "What about Flamme? Did the Southern Delegation cause any trouble today?"
"Nee~. They were very well-behaved. Like little Puppies." Serie sounded rather pleased.
"Flamme said those people are being extremely polite now. They're practically sharing all their research results voluntarily. Hmpf, you scared them out of their wits. Honestly, that's for the best... It saves everyone trouble."
The two continued chatting like this, discussing trivial matters concerning the Association, the recent situations of their disciples, and occasionally reminiscing or teasing each other about the long years they had shared.
As the night deepened, the lights throughout the Imperial Capital gradually became sparse.
While speaking, Serie's voice slowly grew quieter, heavy with sleepiness, and she even let out a small yawn.
"Sleepy?" Kurtz asked softly.
"Mmm..."
Serie responded vaguely as she snuggled deeper into his embrace, searching for the most comfortable position. "I read so many reports today mhaa~ ..."
"Then sleep." Kurtz carefully adjusted his posture before scooping her into his arms.
Serie immediately wrapped her arms around his neck and buried her face in the crook of his neck. Before long, her breathing became steady and deep.
Kurtz carried her toward the adjoining bedroom, gently laid her onto the large, soft bed, and covered her with a thin quilt.
Leaning down, he pressed a gentle goodnight kiss against her forehead before lying down beside her and pulling both her and the quilt into his arms. Serie nuzzled against him, found the position that felt safest, and completely drifted into dreamland.
Kurtz, however, did not fall asleep immediately.
By the moonlight filtering through the window, he gazed quietly at the sleeping face of the person in his arms.
What was eternity?
Perhaps, for a greedy human like him—someone who had chased the undying sun and obtained everything he desired—eternity was right beneath his feet.
He tightened his embrace around her slightly and slowly closed his eyes as well.
[End of Chapter]
I am back!!
For Real this time. No Cap on God Bro~