Chapter 250: A Thick Barrier Between Us
Rhodes stood still for a moment, the warmth of the kiss still lingering on his lips.
The thin veil between him and Serie had finally been torn apart, exposing the surging emotions accumulated over a thousand years.
But this did not make everything simple. Instead, it brought about a situation that required careful handling.
Especially regarding Flamme.
He took a deep breath of the scorched air and turned his gaze toward the direction Flamme had left.
Although Serie's words had provoked him into an impulsive act of desire, Flamme's quiet departure had not escaped his notice.
The sight of the girl's retreating back was heartbreaking.
But he knew there were things that had to be made clear immediately, even if it hurt her.
"Flamme won't do anything irrational, will she?"
Now that Rhodes had confirmed his feelings, the petty grudge in Serie's heart toward Flamme had dissipated, replaced by her original concern.
"Now you know to care about her?" Rhodes glared at her.
"Mmph..." Knowing she was in the wrong, Serie didn't argue. After a moment of silence, she said, "Actually, I did hold back. Probably..."
Serie felt she had indeed exercised restraint.
Otherwise, she would have done what she did a thousand years ago: absorbed every light source within a hundred meters, condensed it, and released it all at once.
That would have been a true world-destroying Forbidden Spell.
"I failed to see any restraint. Never mind. Flamme shouldn't be that fragile. Remember to apologize to her."
"Apologize!?" Serie shook her head vigorously. "Since when does a master apologize to an apprentice? Where would I put my dignity?"
"Forget it then." Rhodes thought about it and abandoned the idea of making Serie apologize.
He was mainly worried it might provoke Flamme further.
Following their aura, the two soon found Flamme resting under Ela's care not far away.
Frieren was leaning nearby, idly playing with a blade of grass. Seeing Rhodes and Serie approach, she blinked her large eyes.
When Ela saw Rhodes—and especially Master Serie behind him—she immediately stood up nervously. Subconsciously, she tried to shield Flamme, opening her mouth to say something.
Rhodes shook his head slightly, signaling her to be silent.
His gaze fell on Flamme, who was resting with her eyes closed. Her face was still pale, but her breathing was much steadier.
Flamme's talent wasn't limited to learning and understanding magic; her mana recovery speed was also exceptionally fast.
"Has she taken a mana recovery potion?" Rhodes asked.
Ela always carried mana recovery potions. Seeing Flamme's exhausted state, she would have administered one immediately.
"Yes, Lord Rhodes," Ela nodded.
Rhodes walked up to Flamme and stopped. He deliberately hardened his expression, making it stern and distant.
He needed to test her. He needed to confirm whether, beneath that moment of calm after his lecture, Flamme was hiding a more dangerous obsession.
He knew his apprentice well.
She was stubborn. She would not give up easily.
"Flamme." He spoke, his voice deliberately cold, stripped of any softness.
Flamme's eyelashes trembled, and she slowly opened her eyes.
Those red eyes looked at him. The scorching passion from before seemed to have faded, leaving them somewhat empty—too empty.
She looked at Rhodes and opened her mouth. It seemed she wanted to call out his name with that familiar intimacy, perhaps even a touch of coquettishness, just like before.
However, the words stuck in her throat the moment she met his icy gaze.
She remembered the scene of Rhodes kissing Master Serie. She saw the deliberate distance he was maintaining now.
In an instant, her spirits plummeted.
Her lips moved slightly. In the end, she swallowed back the intimate address.
Lowering her eyelids, she spoke clearly in a tone that was calm, respectful, and laced with deliberate alienation:
"Master Rhodes."
Master Rhodes.
Not the bold "Rhodes" from before. She had added the formal title back, as if returning to the very beginning.
Rhodes felt a chill run down his spine.
He knew that a thick, tragic barrier now stood between him and Flamme.
Flamme's behavior was exactly what he had wanted to see. Regardless of whether she was hiding her obsession deep inside, seeing her wear this expression made Rhodes feel as though something had ruthlessly stabbed his heart.
This calm—a resignation bordering on the death of the heart—made him ache.
But he couldn't show it.
If he revealed even a trace of emotional fluctuation toward Flamme now, his previous rejection would have been in vain.
Rhodes struggled to maintain his stern facade. After a few seconds of silence, he managed to continue in a steady voice, "It seems you realize your mistake. I am satisfied."
Flamme certainly knew she was wrong, though Rhodes couldn't say for sure what she thought she was wrong about.
"I hope never to see what happened today a second time. Otherwise, I will have no choice but to consider severing our master-apprentice relationship."
Rhodes spoke harsh words. He simply did not want to see Flamme and Serie fighting again.
He could not accept that his presence would cause this legendary pair—historically the closest of allies—to turn into enemies.
"I hope you will truly learn your lesson and focus your mind back on the proper path of magic. Do not stray again."
His words were a standard lecture from an elder—dry, and perhaps a bit sanctimonious.
Flamme kept her head bowed and answered respectfully, "Yes. The student understands her mistake. In the future, I will focus solely on magic and will not let Master Rhodes... be disappointed again."
Every word was clear. Every word was submissive. And every word exuded the alienation Rhodes had hoped to see.
But for some reason, looking at her bowed head, all the probing questions he had prepared got stuck in his throat. He couldn't say a single word.
He suddenly felt that his stern interrogation was somewhat ridiculous in this moment.
In the end, Rhodes only managed a dry sentence: "...Rest well."
Then, almost hastily, he turned and walked away.
Serie stared at Flamme for a long time. Throughout, Flamme never once lifted her head.
"Rest well."
In the end, Serie could only leave behind the same words before hurrying to catch up with Rhodes.
With Serie's awkward personality, while she could express her concern for Flamme to Rhodes, in front of the girl herself... she withdrew it all.
All she could do was dryly repeat Rhodes's words.
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