Chapter 369: Full of Majesty
The party continued on its way.
Solis continued observing everything around her while eating the sweet pie in small bites.
The market remained as lively as ever, and the curious gazes directed toward them showed no signs of decreasing, though they still remained within an acceptable range.
In a crowded street square, a wandering poet was singing tales of legendary heroes to the surrounding crowd, earning tips from the audience as he performed.
Among humans, the most famous hero was undoubtedly Kurtz the Godslayer. Therefore, the story being told was naturally one of Kurtz and his companions slaying an evil dragon long ago.
The story itself had originally been passed down by Holy King Norn. In fact, most of the legends surrounding Godslayer Kurtz had first spread through him before gradually circulating across the continent.
Of course, after a thousand years, no one knew how many personal embellishments and alterations had been added to those stories.
Even though Flamme already knew the tale by heart, she still could not help stopping to listen attentively to the poet's exaggerated storytelling. Frieren and Olivia, beside her, did the same.
However, Solis's attention was drawn elsewhere.
In an inconspicuous corner of the square, a little girl was squatting quietly by herself. Her clothes looked somewhat worn but clean, and she watched the performers through the gaps in the crowd. Most of her attention remained fixed on the stage, but occasionally her gaze would dart toward the nearby food stalls, her throat bobbing slightly.
Solis immediately realized that the little girl was hungry. And she happened to have food with her.
At that moment, the performance came to an end. Holding out his hat, the wandering poet walked around collecting tips from the audience. The crowd gradually began to disperse. Some people generously tossed coins into the hat, while others simply turned and left.
The little girl shifted awkwardly in place, embarrassment clearly visible on her face. She obviously did not have any money to give. What she failed to realize, however, was that a wandering poet would never ask a small child for payment.
Just then, Solis suddenly moved.
She walked directly over to the little girl and, to the girl's obvious surprise, held out the half-eaten honey pie still in her hand.
Her actions were swift and decisive, without saying a single word.
The little girl froze.
She looked first at the pie, then at Solis's expressionless yet seemingly harmless face, hesitating to accept it.
Flamme, Olivia, and Frieren also noticed the situation and turned to look. Seeing that the girl still would not take it, Solis pushed the pie slightly closer while calmly staring at her with those emotionless eyes.
Perhaps because her gaze was so pure and empty of malice, the sense of danger gradually weakened. Finally, the little girl timidly reached out, accepted the pie, and whispered softly, "Th-thank you..."
Solis nodded once before turning around and walking back toward Flamme and the others.
Then, as though suddenly remembering something, she looked toward Flamme and said calmly,
"It seems I violated your instructions by making contact with a human without permission. I am willing to accept punishment."
"Why did you give it to her?" Frieren asked first.
She deeply disliked Solis, but she genuinely could not understand her actions.
"Based on my observations, the other party was hungry but lacked sufficient money to buy food. I happened to possess enough food to satisfy her hunger." Solis paused briefly before continuing.
"In addition, I wanted to understand what kind of emotions humans experience when receiving gifts from strangers."
Her explanation remained as direct and emotionless as ever. However, Flamme noticed a faint glimmer hidden deep within Solis's eyes, something that perhaps even Solis herself had not realized was there.
"I see." Flamme smiled slightly and chose not to pursue the matter further. "There's no need for punishment. Let's head back now. It's getting late."
Following behind the group, Solis walked quietly.
Even she herself did not understand why she had suddenly acted that way. She should not have disobeyed Flamme's instructions and taken the initiative to approach a human on her own.
So what exactly had influenced her actions? Solis did not know.
The path toward understanding emotions seemed far more complex and difficult than she had originally anticipated.
But today, she truly had stepped beyond the Association's high walls and encountered far more emotions than before.
And perhaps that was exactly what Kurtz and Flamme had hoped for.
Meanwhile, on the top floor of the Magic Association, inside a room overlooking the entire Imperial Capital through crystal windows, Kurtz and Serie sat together in the same chair, quietly watching the direction where Flamme's group had gone.
Serie sat on Kurtz's lap while Kurtz embraced her from behind, his arms loosely wrapped around her waist and his chin resting lightly against her shoulder.
Her small body was almost entirely enclosed within his embrace.
The posture resembled someone treating another person like a giant pillow, an intimate gesture that bordered on childishness.
At first, when Kurtz had started holding her this way, Serie had clearly hated it. Her golden eyes widened immediately as she struggled to free herself from the posture that seriously damaged her dignity.
"What are you doing?! I'm not a child like Frieren!"
That had been her protest at the time, even going so far as to elbow him repeatedly in resistance.
Unfortunately, Kurtz had clearly prepared for this. Not only did he refuse to let go, he even tightened his arms further while whispering coaxing words into her ear.
Things like:
"It's comfortable holding you like this."
"You're warm."
"I've been too exhausted from research lately. I need to recharge my Miss Elf's energy."
Serie naturally refused to believe any of it, which only made her struggle even harder. She could accept ordinary hugs from Kurtz, or even more intimate contact. But being held like a human child was simply too embarrassing.
She was a dignified Great Elf! The oldest Magician! (Self-proclaimed.)
How could she possibly allow herself to be cradled like this? Even if it was Kurtz!
Unfortunately, Kurtz had offered far too many tempting conditions.
This included, but was not limited to: personally making breakfast for her for an entire week, accompanying her on an adventure to the ancient forest near the Elf Kingdom where the Spirit of Moonlight was rumored to appear, and a certain indescribably intimate lesson that Serie had only agreed to after blushing furiously and whispering into his ear.
And so, Serie reluctantly surrendered.
Although she still muttered complaints under her breath afterward, her body honestly relaxed into his embrace. She even adjusted her posture slightly to make herself more comfortable.
At this moment, a transparent magical screen floated before the two of them.
The market scene below was clearly displayed on it. The viewpoint appeared suspended in midair, following Flamme's group through the streets while even transmitting their voices through magic.
The image was currently synchronized with Solis's perspective, allowing Kurtz and Serie to watch everything happening during the outing.
Initially, Serie had watched with little interest, finding Solis's reactions rather dull and limited almost entirely to silent observation.
Only after Solis handed the remaining pie to the hungry little girl did Serie finally show slight interest.
[End of Chapter]