Chapter 87: The Greedy Elf
But now, it was too late for regrets. All she could do was carry the apologies and regrets of her kinsmen and atone for their sins to the living. Only then could she move forward.
At her sincere apology, Serie abruptly stood up and, after a long, complicated look, said, "Don't apologize to me. Rhodes was the one you wanted to kill, and he was the one who defeated you. I was just an innocent bystander."
And with that, she took the original scripture and turned, walking deeper into the forest.
Rhodes instinctively started to follow her, but Olivia gently tugged at his sleeve. "Rhodes, I am so sorry," she said softly. "I can feel that Miss Serie is very conflicted. Did my joining your party cause some kind of misunderstanding?"
She had keenly sensed that something was off with Serie. Elves were not known for their emotional outbursts. Even though they had been mortal enemies just a short while ago, now that she knew the truth, Serie should have welcomed her into the party to raise their swords against the false god together. But she had been so resistant. It was not at all like an elf.
"To be honest, I don't know either," Rhodes said with a frown. "I'll go talk to her. I just hope she hasn't run too far, or gone into hiding."
"Don't worry. You can use the connection between the original texts to sense her location."
He paused, then closed his eyes, and sure enough, he could clearly feel the direction of the scripture, in a grove of trees to the east of the village. "I'm going after her."
In the grove, Serie was leaning against a thick tree trunk, the original scripture held tightly in her lap. She didn't understand why she was so angry. The emotion had come so suddenly, and it was so intense.
"Detestable Sky-Winged," she muttered, though she herself didn't even know why she hated them.
The sound of footsteps made her look up, alert. When she saw it was Rhodes, her first instinct was to run, but she then abandoned the idea.
"There you are," he said, stopping in front of her.
"What do you want?" she asked, turning her face away from him. "Aren't you going to go comfort your new companion?"
He didn't answer right away. He just sat down beside her, as close as always. But this time, she didn't move away.
"I remember," he said, looking up at the sunlight filtering through the canopy of leaves, "that when I first learned the tracking spell, you were just as difficult."
"I was not difficult," she immediately retorted, though her voice was noticeably softer.
"Remember? You once told me that my magical talent was just barely passing."
Her mouth twitched. "You must be misremembering. I never said such a thing."
The elven miss was being stubborn, but he didn't call her out on it. "And then I improved upon the tracking spell, and you insisted it wasn't the real thing, and you didn't talk to me for days."
"Because... because it was heresy!" Who tracks by setting a marker first!? A real tracking spell should be able to change direction after it's been cast. Though, she herself rarely used it anymore. An arrow rain was much more practical, with its wide range and high power.
He let out a small laugh. "But in the end, you still asked me to teach it to you, didn't you?"
The tips of her ears turned red. It was a wave of shame so intense that even her emotionally reserved elven nature couldn't contain it.
"Serie," he said, his voice suddenly serious, "do you know what you mean to me?"
Her body tensed, and her red ears twitched.
"You're my teacher, my dearest friend, and the most important, the very first..." he paused, "...person to walk by my side."
"No one can ever take your place in my heart."
She turned to him, and their eyes met, her golden ones reflecting his dark ones, and in them, they saw only each other.
"The first and most important partner?"
"Yes."
"I see... so that's what it is..." she murmured. "That's not so bad." She then hugged her knees and rested her head on them, a cunning look in her eyes. "But is that really all it is?"
The elven miss didn't understand feelings, but she was very greedy. He had taken her from the forest, and had shown her so much, had even faced a god with her. To be just his "first partner" was not enough. Somme, Norne, Eirik, and now Olivia... they were all his partners. But she... she had to be more than that.
"What a greedy elven miss," he said, seeing right through her. To be just his 'first partner' was not enough to comfort her. But she didn't understand love. And he didn't dare to ask for it.
After a brief silence, he suddenly said, "That original scripture... I'm going to leave it in your keeping."
"Why? You're the only one who can read it."
"I never said I wasn't going to learn from it," he said, looking at her earnestly. "And besides, I'm looking forward to the day you can decipher it yourself. After all, you are..." he drew out the words, "...the genius mage, Miss Serie."
The long-forgotten title made her heart skip a beat. It was what he had called her when they had first met. As they had grown closer, he had used it less and less.
"And anyway," he continued, "it's not like I can take it to my grave with me. I'll have to give it to you eventually. I might as well do it now."
"Stupid... fleeting human," she mumbled. "Don't say such unlucky things." She had been about to say 'fleeting human', but the words had caught in her throat. For some reason, she was now a little afraid of that day.
He pretended he hadn't heard her. "When we get to the Great Elven Forest, I'm counting on you to show me the Holy Right Sword. I hear only a true saint can draw it. Is that true?"
"Of course it is!" she answered without thinking. "I tried it once, but unfortunately..." She trailed off, realizing she had said too much. But it was too late. He had already caught it.
"Oh? So our genius grand mage isn't the 'true saint' after all!"
"Shut up!" She raised her leg as if to kick him, but then gently lowered it.
Their eyes met, and they both started to laugh.
❃❃❃
⤑ Show your support with Power Stones!
⤑ Unlock a Bonus Chapter every time we hit 200 Power Stones!
❃❃❃
♕ Get early access to 20+ advanced chapters on Patreon!
🔗 https://www.pat-reon.co-m/c/Hollowborn
(Just remove the hyphen (-) to open the link!)
💬 Enjoying the story? Drop a review!
Your support really helps the series grow—thank you