Chapter 198: Flamme's Adventure and Farewell
Annaliese quietly watched Kurtz's retreating figure. She understood that this time, the man would not return.
As long as the man hadn't found a suitable way to deal with her, he wouldn't kill her just like that.
After all, she was the one who represented an alternative outcome, didn't she?
"Your Majesty, are you alright?" Seven Sages of Destruction hurried over to ask.
However, Annaliese ignored their questions.
A ripple of almost nostalgic sentiment flashed deep within her eyes.
"Truly dazzling." Her gaze shifted to the place where Schlacht had died, now empty. "I hope you like this gift I've given you."
Just then.
A vibration, silent yet powerful enough to shake the soul, came without warning from a highly distant direction.
This vibration was not a physical earthquake but acted directly on the spiritual plane.
Annaliese suddenly turned her head, her gaze fixed on the direction from which the vibration came.
That was a sacred place far from the Demon Race territory, and even far from the Human Kingdom.
At the same time, somewhere tens of thousands of miles away from the Demon King's City.
This was not the territory of any kingdom, but a forbidden area protected by powerful magic.
Inside the mountain, a deep cave was hidden, and its interior, contrary to expectations of darkness and dampness, was filled with a soft glow.
The cave walls were smooth as a mirror, covered with ancient magical runes long forgotten, and in its deepest part, a stone platform stood quietly.
On the stone platform, a sword was inserted.
Beneath its seemingly ordinary appearance, it subtly exuded a warm, jade-like texture, its blade long and sleek, as perfect as a divine masterpiece.
This was the legendary third Holy Sword, the Savior's Sword Esteri1on, renowned alongside Orger, Sword of Divine Authority, and the Saint authority sword Athos.
It was not forged by Dwarves or any other creature, but a materialized product condensed by the world's will in a certain timeline, representing the balance and order of the world itself.
It had no specific master and would only awaken in response to a crisis that truly threatened the world's foundation.
In other words, it was the true Hero's Sword.
At this moment, this Holy Sword, which had been dormant for countless years, suddenly awakened!
Buzz!!!!
The sword began to tremble violently.
The soft light flickered, and the entire stone platform vibrated with it. The ancient magical runes on the cave walls lit up one by one with dazzling light, as if activated.
Esterion had sensed it.
The power capable of destroying the world had appeared.
The source of this power was the wisp of aura that had leaked out during Annaliese's battle with Kurtz in the Demon King's City just now.
Annaliese stood on the ruins, and despite the tens of thousands of miles separating them, her powerful perception, fused with the goddess's power, still clearly captured Esterion's trembling.
She slowly closed her eyes, feeling the hostile warning directed at her, originating from the world's fundamental will.
"Do you feel it, Esterion?" She seemed to be talking to herself, her voice audible only to her. "But you can't do anything, can you?"
She slowly opened her eyes, her purple irises now held only indifference, and even the corners of her mouth curled into a mocking smile.
Annaliese sensed the futile trembling of the Savior's Sword Esterian; the world's will's warning was ultimately futile.
"A sword that no one can draw, no matter how sharp, is just a decoration," she murmured, as if seeing certain scenes in her purple eyes. "So that's how it is? Interesting."
She no longer paid attention to the distant Hero's Sword, turning her gaze to the kneeling figures.
Rivale, Böse, Macht, Finn—these renowned powerhouses of the Demon Race—could not even conjure a thought of resistance before her at this moment.
"Rise," Annaliese's voice broke the silence. "Rebuild this place. As for Schlacht's vacancy, Macht will temporarily fill it."
"Yes, Your Majesty!" Macht's heart tightened, and he immediately accepted the order.
The other three also quickly responded, their hearts filled with surprise and uncertainty.
Her Majesty the Demon King seemed to have no anger or regret over Schlacht's death. This calmness was too eerie.
"Rivale, you are responsible for investigating every move of Kurtz and Serie. No need for any contact, just observe from afar. Especially Kurtz—he is of utmost importance." Annaliese's gaze turned to the strongest warrior.
"As you command, Your Majesty!"
Rivale responded, a hint of belligerence flashing in his eyes before quickly disappearing.
He understood that observing meant being forbidden to act. Although for a battle-hungry person like him, dying at the hands of that God Slayer would be an honor, he dared not defy the Demon King's command.
"Böse, Finn, you will assist Macht." Annaliese gave her final instruction, and her figure silently vanished from the spot.
The four Great Demon Race members looked at each other, seeing a hint of apprehension and bewilderment in each other's eyes.
Clearly, the mind of this New Demon King was truly unfathomable, and no one could guess what she was thinking.
...
Another year passed.
In the forest where Kurtz and Serie lived in seclusion, this place was enveloped by Serie's powerful barrier magic, "Myriad Manifestations of the Forest," with its core magical power provided by the saint authority sword Athos. This barrier cut off all external prying.
Incidentally, this name was given by Kurtz.
At first, Serie thought it sounded too long and unpleasant and didn't want to call it that, but in the end, she couldn't win against Kurtz and had to compromise. She was clearly the creator of this magic, yet this guy gets to choose the name.
What a bold human!
Serie made another note about Kurtz in her mental notebook.
The reason she didn't use actual paper was that if she were to record everything that had happened over the past thousand years, one book would be far from enough.
In the small house in the center of the forest, Kurtz sat cross-legged in the center of a magic circle inscribed with complex runes.
Schlacht's head floated before him.
Although Kurtz had created the magic to probe magical memories, he had no subjects to experiment on.
As for experimenting on real people, he couldn't bring himself to do that. Of course, if it were a Demon Race member, that would be another story.
At this moment, Schlacht's head was his best experimental subject. His magic, like the most precise probe, carefully explored the residual magical imprints within the head, trying to find what he needed.
Orger, Sword of Divine Authority, was placed quietly to the side. A small portion of that strange power from the previous demon warrior still remained on the Orger blade, and Kurtz had spent considerable effort to remove it.
Serie sat by the window. Outside was a scenery she had long grown tired of. No matter how beautiful the scenery, after a thousand years, it would eventually become boring, but Serie would still idly stare at it in a daze.
She held a cup of fruit tea in her hand, but her gaze wasn't on the beautiful scenery.
Instead, she was staring distractedly at a spot not far away, where her two students, Flamme and Aila, were preparing for their departure.
Ayla had returned during the time she and Kurtz went to the Demon King's City and happened to meet Flamme, who was left guarding the forest.
If it weren't for the magic personally taught by Serie as proof, it was possible Ayla would have mistaken Flamme for an intruder.
But now, their relationship has already grown to a close level, if not too close.
Not long ago, she and Kurtz officially decided to let Ayla take Flamme to experience the world.
Although in human terms, the Flamme before her seemed to have just come of age, in Serie's eyes, she was already a suitable, even powerful, magic user.
The reason Ayla was asked to go along was also out of concern that Flamme might encounter unsolvable problems alone, which Ayla, as the big sister, could resolve for her.
Currently, Flamme was carefully checking her backpack. She had changed into a dark brown travel robe suitable for travel, covered by a short mage robe, and held the magic staff Kurtz had forged for her.
Ever since personally participating in the actual war at White Fortress, Flamme's desire to become stronger had never been so intense.
She yearned for power, yearned to stand beside Kurtz instead of being just a protected child. Therefore, she immediately accepted the adventure task arranged by her two teachers.
Beside her, Ayla appeared much calmer. She simply carried a small backpack containing only a few essentials. The only item she carried that was the same as Flamme's was the magic staff in her hand.
As an Elf, her long life gave her a perception of time vastly different from humans. This outing felt more like a daily stroll to her. And she had experienced many such strolls.
However, she noticed Flamme's slightly nervous expression, so she secretly decided to protect her, especially since Teacher Serie had secretly told her to.
Finally, Flamme finished her preparations, took a deep breath, turned, and walked towards the treehouse. Ayla quickly followed.
Inside the treehouse, Kurtz temporarily ceased his investigation of Schlacht's head, and Serie also turned to watch her two students enter.
"Master Kurtz, Master Serie, I've come to bid you farewell."
Ayla also nodded slightly: "Master Serie, Mr. Kurtz, we are ready and can depart at any time."
"Oh, I know, I understand. Do you want to betray me now?" Kurtz instinctively interjected. "We are born of the blood of old gods..."
His words were cut short by a sharp rap on the head from Serie.
"What nonsense are you spouting!"
After subduing the troublesome person, Serie walked over to Flamme, her tone unusually gentle: "Remember what I taught you, Flamme. Magic is not just mindless brute force. When facing an enemy, calmness is more powerful than anger."
"Yes, Master, I remember!" Flamme nodded vigorously.
Serie's gaze turned to Ayla, her tone becoming very serious: "Everything is up to you."
Ayla also nodded heavily. Although Serie didn't explicitly say it, she already understood the meaning.
It was truly unexpected that Flamme would be so much cared for by Master Serie, even specifically asking her to protect Flamme.
Ayla felt very unfamiliar with Teacher Serie, who valued her disciple so much.
On the other side, Kurtz walked up to Flamme, observing her from head to toe, and frowned slightly.
"How about I get you some armor? I remember there are a few sets of top-grade armor forged by the Dwarves in the warehouse."
"What kind of magic user wears armor? I disagree with that suggestion." Serie directly rejected Kurtz's idea.
The most important thing for a magic user is mobility. Wearing inconvenient armor would be a complete negative effect.
"Hmm, that makes sense too." Kurtz pondered for a moment, his gaze involuntarily turning towards the depths of the forest, as if looking at the saint authority sword Athos that supported the entire forest barrier.
He hesitated for a moment, then still proposed: "How about you bring along Athos? After all, this thing has the strongest defensive magic in the world. Although it is currently the core of the forest barrier, I can temporarily replace it with other methods for a period of time."
As soon as Kurtz finished speaking, the temperature inside the treehouse seemed to drop by several degrees instantly.
A wave of magic power, filled with strong displeasure, flowed out from Serie.
Her usually calm eyes instantly sharpened, shooting a fierce glare at Kurtz's back. Even the wall of the teacup in her hand quietly developed several faint cracks.
Flamme, standing in front of Kurtz, clearly saw Serie's gaze.
She quickly waved her hands: "No need, Master Kurtz, I can protect myself."
She had to become stronger so she could stand on the same starting line as Teacher Serie.
Kurtz seemed to realize something as well, turning his head just in time to meet Serie's displeased gaze.
He opened his mouth, seemingly wanting to say something, but under Serie's oppressive stare, he ultimately swallowed his words.
"Cough, cough, alright." Kurtz cleared his throat, wisely no longer mentioning Athos.
But he was clearly still worried, his gaze turning to Ayla, and he instructed: "Ayla, Flamme has little practical experience. You need to pay more attention. Remember—safety comes first."
Ayla was a little surprised, instinctively glancing at Flamme, curious about her junior sister's special nature.
Not only did she receive joint instruction from Teacher Kurtz and Teacher Serie, but they also specifically told her to protect Flamme.
However, she still nodded and said, "Mr. Kurtz, I understand."
Kurtz seemed to want to give a few more instructions, but Serie finally couldn't bear it anymore.
"Alright, they're not children. They can protect themselves!"
Kurtz looked at Serie's "try to nag again" gaze, and finally closed his mouth.
The atmosphere became somewhat stagnant.
Kurtz took a deep breath, seemingly trying to ease the tension, or perhaps remembering something more important.
He looked at Flamme, his expression very solemn: "Flamme, when you go out this time, if possible, visit more of those Elf villages."
Flamme was startled, a little confused: "Elf villages? Why? Does Mr. Kurtz want me to learn the Elf's natural magic? Don't worry, Sister Ayla will teach me."
She thought Teacher Kurtz wanted her to go to the Elves to learn their magic, but that was completely unnecessary.
Kurtz shook his head: "Not entirely. Just simply go and see. Perhaps you will encounter some unexpected people or things."
He couldn't explain it clearly, but the true protagonist destined to become Flamme's disciple might currently be living as a child in some peaceful Elf village.
[End of Chapter]
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