Chapter 381: Serie's Breakfast
"What are you thinking about? You're so lost in thought."
A voice tinged with the laziness of someone just woken up came from behind him.
Kurtz turned around and saw Serie rubbing her eyes, walking barefoot out of the bedroom.
She wore only a silken nightgown. Her golden hair was slightly disheveled from sleep, with a few stray strands sticking up, their fuzzy edges glowing gold in the morning light.
"I was thinking the Association feels too quiet with so many familiar faces gone," Lord said, reaching out naturally to pull her into his embrace. He rested his chin on the top of her head, breathing in her familiar scent.
Serie, unusually, did not resist. Instead, she sighed upon hearing this. "Yes... Flamme is gone, Frieren is who-knows-where, and Ayla ran off and hasn't come back yet... It was always busy before, but it felt lively."
She paused, tilting her face up to look at Lord. "But it's okay. Olivia comes by occasionally, and she brought so many magic books! And besides, I have you here with me."
"Is that so? I feel the same way."
"But don't forget what you promised me," Serie murmured, tilting her head back to press a gentle kiss against his neck. Her cheeks warmed, but her eyes remained bright with quiet anticipation.
Kurtz tightened his embrace, rubbing his cheek gently against the side of her head before placing a soft kiss behind her ear.
He knew what Serie was referring to. In fact, it was something he himself had brought up centuries ago.
Back then, he hadn't yet succeeded in creating magic that could overcome the reproductive barriers between different races, so he hadn't mentioned it again. Now, with significant progress in his research, it could finally be brought up openly once more.
For Serie, as an elf, the desire for offspring might not be as intense or urgent as it was for humans.
But the idea of having a child with Kurtz had taken root and grown clearer in her heart as his research advanced.
Kurtz lowered his head and kissed her forehead. "Of course. We can start anytime. But before that, I'd like to eat something you've made."
Over the years, Serie had occasionally cooked. The taste was just average, but the thought counted.
"Don't even think about it!" Serie glared at him, yet slipped out of his embrace and skipped lightly toward the kitchen. "Just you wait!"
Watching her busy figure, the subtle unease that had suddenly surfaced in Lord's heart was instantly replaced by a warm fullness.
Yes, many familiar old faces were gone from the Association.
But this was still his home. His beloved was by his side. There was unfinished research and promises to keep, anticipation for the future, and a flicker of curiosity about new things.
Time flowed on, taking some things away, allowing others to settle, and bringing forth new possibilities.
He walked to the kitchen doorway, leaning against the frame to watch Serie handle the ingredients.
Compared to the early days, when she tried to use magic to process ingredients quickly and ended up blowing up the entire kitchen, the current Serie was much more skilled.
She still looked a bit clumsy, but at least she was taking it step by step.
Outside the window, the imperial capital gradually awoke, and the Magic Association's tower stood tall as ever.
As time passed, a sweet aroma soon wafted from the kitchen.
Serie seemed to be making something like pancakes.
The flour was a specially cultivated magical variety with a natural, subtle sweetness—a precious ingredient even magicians in the Association rarely got to eat.
The syrup to accompany it was made from berries grown in the small garden on the Association's top floor. For an ordinary person, consuming just a little could potentially awaken a talent for learning magic, yet now Serie was using it as a common breakfast ingredient.
By the time Serie brought the golden, buttery pancakes and two cups of herbal tea to the small round table, Lord had already organized his documents and was waiting at the table.
"Try it!" Serie sat down opposite him, asking with some anticipation.
Although she often said cooking was a pointless endeavor, she always cared about his opinion whenever Lord seriously tasted her food.
Kurtz picked up his knife and fork, cut a piece of pancake, and put it in his mouth, savoring it carefully.
"How is it?" Serie inquired.
"Better than last time," Kurtz said after swallowing, giving his evaluation. "Just a bit too sweet. This flour is naturally sweet, so adding too much syrup makes it cloying."
"You're picky." Serie pouted but still looked satisfied as she cut a piece for herself to eat.
She actually agreed with Lord's opinion but was unwilling to admit it.
The two of them quietly enjoyed their breakfast, occasionally exchanging a few words in low tones.
The topic naturally shifted from the heat control for the pancakes to the Skywing Clan magic books Olivia had brought.
"The runes for those Holy Magic spells are indeed exquisite," Serie said, taking a small sip of her tea, her brow slightly furrowed. "But they're too absolute, purely purifying and repulsive, treating all non-holy light energies as enemies. While this effect might be surprisingly effective against beings like demons, applying it to broader fields makes it somewhat too uncontrollable."
Kurtz nodded in agreement. "The Skywing Clan is closely connected to the Goddess, and their magic system is deeply influenced by that. So it's not surprising... However, their unique insights into light-attribute magic are quite inspiring. Perhaps we can try to delve deeper into them and integrate them with our existing defensive or offensive spells."
"Hmm, I think so too." Serie's eyes brightened. "Last night, I was trying to incorporate their magic runes into our current magic shields. The effect is indeed more stable than using traditional runes, and the mana consumption is slightly lower. I'll experiment more this afternoon."
Watching Serie's renewed enthusiasm for research, Kurtz did not disturb her.
No matter how many years passed, her pure curiosity and desire to explore magic never changed.
This was also one of the important reasons they could accompany each other for millennia and still have endless topics to discuss.
As breakfast was nearing its end, Serie seemed to suddenly remember something. She put down her teacup and looked at Lord. "About Flamme... that backdoor you left, and your plan... are you really confident?"
She still cared about her disciple.
Or rather, Serie cared about all her disciples. Even after all these years, she could remember the names of every human disciple from her first batch.
Therefore, Flamme's departure remained a knot in her heart.
Hearing her question, Kurtz's expression became more serious. "Don't worry. Everything is proceeding as planned, and we've reached a critical stage.
"I can already temporarily modify the life runes of some lower lifeforms to extend their active lifespan. But to do the same for higher intelligent beings, especially someone like Flamme, whose state is specially solidified... that will take more time."
"About... how much longer?" Serie asked softly.
Kurtz pondered for a moment. "If everything goes smoothly, without encountering unforeseen obstacles... perhaps another century or two.
Kurtz placed his hand over Serie's. "Time is on our side, Serie. Flamme will neither age nor change at all. With Olivia watching over her, she won't be disturbed by the outside world. We have plenty of time to take each step steadily."
Hearing this, the worry in Serie's heart eased slightly. She nodded, giving his hand a gentle squeeze. "Yes, I believe you. It's just... sometimes I still miss her. I miss her tea, the serious way she handled documents, the way she taught Frieren."
Her voice grew distant, filled with nostalgia. "When she returns, you can have her make tea for you every day and dump all the Association's most troublesome paperwork on her."
Kurtz made a rare joke, trying to dispel the slightly heavy atmosphere. "As for Frieren, who knows how she's doing now..."
The moment Frieren was mentioned, Serie's expression turned cold. "That brat has no sense of time at all! You've told her countless times, and yet she's been gone for five hundred years without sending a single word back!"
"At least Ayla sends a message every now and then. But Frieren…" Serie clicked her tongue. "She just disappears as if she never existed."
"We both know Frieren's personality. If she feels there's nothing to report, she won't make contact." Kurtz was quite calm. "With her current strength, as long as she doesn't actively provoke dangerous beings, she can protect herself. Besides, I can sense that none of the magic artifacts I gave her have been triggered."
Just then, there was a gentle knock at the room's door.
Kurtz and Serie exchanged a glance. Who could it be at this hour? If it were routine Association business, they usually wouldn't be disturbed.
"Come in," Kurtz said.
The door slid open, revealing Solis's figure in the doorway.
.....
T/N Note: The demon girl's name is Solis, which is what everyone now calls her, while Solitär is the name she originally had.
The two names are meant to represent different parts of her identity. Solitär evokes solitude, isolation, and the idea of someone who exists on their own, reflecting who she originally was. The name also carries associations with solitaire—the card game played alone — and with a solitaire gemstone, traditionally a single prominent diamond.
Solis, on the other hand, comes from sol, meaning "sun," and represents light, warmth, life, and the connections she has formed with others.
In that sense, Solitär represents the girl she was, or might have become, without Kurtz and Serie, while Solis represents the person she has become and will continue to become.
I picked these names instead of using the translated versions simply because they sounded good and rolled off the tongue better. Then I found out what they meant and realized how well they fit the character.
Talk about shooting an arrow into the dark and somehow hitting the bullseye. LoL!