Chapter 324: The Unsettled Capital
The highest level of the Magic Association.
Kurtz was standing in front of the largest magic circle in the center of the laboratory. The magic circle held countless tiny points of light, representing two completely different life-coding structures.
Although it's a bit strange to talk about science in the magical world, when it comes to magical creation at the level of life, even Kurtz has to proceed step by step according to this world's specific laws.
After all, this thing can't be created directly by "thinking" alone.
Fortunately, thanks to his own creative talent, he still found a glimmer of possibility.
Within the magic circle, countless points of light were manipulated by Kurtz, attempting to merge, but his genes rejected them, causing him to fail again and again.
"Did it fail this time, too? Let's make a note of it." Kurtz frowned and recorded the experimental data on a sheet of paper beside him.
This was his 156th failed simulation, but he showed no sign of giving up. For others, the opportunity to conduct this experiment might not even exist, but for him, it might take tens of thousands of experiments to find the right path.
As Kurtz began his experiment once again, the only sound in the room was the faint hum of magic flowing through it.
After an unknown amount of time, the door to the room was suddenly pushed open with a loud bang by an unreasonable force. Serie walked in, her face showing obvious annoyance.
"Is the matter resolved?" Kurtz asked without looking up.
Just now, while taking a bath, Miss Elf suddenly sensed magical fluctuations in the guild, so she quickly changed her clothes and rushed over.
It seems the matter has been resolved, but for some reason, Serie isn't in a good mood.
"Yeah, Evan fought with that Legolas." She briefly explained the conflict between them and the root of her unhappiness: Evan wanted Kurtz's magic of immortality.
"To be thinking about immortality at such a young age is a bit too ambitious," Kurtz chuckled.
"That's not the point!" the elf complained irritably, picking up a thick spellbook from beside her and tossing it onto the table with a dull thud. "The main point is that he wants the magic of immortality!"
Serie was very unhappy. This would mean that her own disciple also coveted Kurtz's magic of immortality, which was not a good thing.
"Do you think I should kick him out?" Serie whispered.
"There's no need for that," Kurtz quickly reassured her. "It's a bit unreasonable to kick someone out over something like this."
"Mainly... in case he becomes hostile towards you in the future…" Serie's voice trailed off.
She didn't want to see herself making an enemy of Kurtz.
"That is indeed a problem. Hmmm~," Kurtz considered it seriously. "If we don't give them any, it might cause them to become dissatisfied."
"They dare!?" Serie raised her voice, her tone even carrying a hint of murderous intent.
If that were to happen, she wouldn't mind cleaning house.
"Tsk! Speaking of which, quite a few little rats have recently infiltrated the capital." As Serie spoke, she naturally walked to the large chair with soft cushions that Kurtz often sat in, sat down without any hesitation, and even curled up her legs, sinking into the soft fur as if she wanted to shed all her complicated thoughts.
"How do you know?" Kurtz asked.
He temporarily stopped deducing the life formula, and the light of the magic circle dimmed accordingly.
He walked to a cabinet on the side, next to which was a small ice-attribute magic circle that was constantly running. He took out a crystal pitcher containing chilled juice and poured her a glass.
Serie took the cup; its cool temperature eased the irritation on her face slightly.
She tilted her head back and took a big gulp before continuing, "Haven't you noticed that the number of mages pouring into the capital recently is abnormal? Although the northern battlefield is almost over, it's hard to imagine what so many mages are planning to do by gathering in the capital."
"Of course, I found out. In fact, just yesterday, a minister from the Kingdom of El came to tell me about it."
The number of mages from various races gathered in the capital now numbers in the thousands, and the minister is very worried that these mages might cause trouble.
It is clearly abnormal for such a large number of mages to gather in the capital of the Kingdom of El.
"Tsk! So many? How long has it been since Leggett died?"
"Who knows?" Kurtz shook his head and replied, "Even if he comes back, there's nothing he can do. After all, these mages all have legitimate reasons for wanting to see the god-slayer and wanting to join the Magic Association to learn magic."
"Heh! I think they want your magic of immortality, don't they?" Serie sneered. "I thought killing a bunch of them in the Southern Empire would be enough to extinguish their hopes, but I didn't expect these people to be so reckless..."
As Kurtz listened to her murderous complaints, he walked over to her, leaned against the edge of her chair, and looked at her with gentle eyes, but the words he uttered were icy cold.
"It doesn't matter, it's just a matter of killing another batch."
He paused, letting the weight of his words settle, before continuing with a softer tone: "Let's not worry about them anymore; let's worry more about your disciples. Your teaching methods are a bit too strict. Although the mages who can withstand your training will surely become legendary powerhouses in the future."
He paused and added, "However, they also need some appropriate encouragement from time to time."
"Encourage?" Serie raised an eyebrow and put down her cup. "They're not Flamme, so naturally I have to treat them with the strictest measures. To be merciful to them is to be cruel to their future. Besides, magic is used to kill."
Her tone was firm, clearly indicating that she had no intention of relaxing her teaching methods for these mages.
Kurtz smiled and did not argue with her.
He reached out and naturally brushed away a few unruly strands of golden hair from her cheek, his fingertips tracing her face with deliberate gentleness.
"Thank you for your hard work," he said.
This subtle, intimate gesture made Serie pause instantly, as if she were about to say something. She lowered her head slightly, not shaking off the man's hand, letting him stroke her cheek, but she refused to back down: "...Good to know."
A brief silence fell over the laboratory, broken only by the soft hum of the magic circle.
Serie's attention then shifted to the dim magic circle in the center, and she looked at the points of light and asked, "How's your magic progressing?"
"Progress is very slow." Kurtz followed her gaze. "The rejection from the source of life is more severe than expected. There are thousands of ways to try to merge, and I need to try them one by one."
"That sounds complicated," Serie commented.
"It is indeed troublesome," Kurtz admitted, "but considering the potential rewards in the end, it's all worth the trouble."
Serie naturally understood what he meant by reward, and the heat that had just subsided in her body seemed to be rising again. She shifted uncomfortably, looked away from the magic circle, picked up the drink again, and sipped it slowly, trying to cool her body with the cold liquid.
"Whatever, you have plenty of time to do whatever you want," she said, feigning indifference even as her ears betrayed her with a faint blush.
Kurtz's smile deepened as he looked at her insincere expression.
He didn't continue the topic, but instead said, "What do you want to eat tonight? I can have them prepare it, or...how about we go for a walk? I heard there's a new dessert shop that opened in the east of the city, and their honey cake has good reviews."
Serie's eyes lit up slightly, but she quickly straightened her face again: "Desserts? I don't like that kind of thing at all..." She paused, as if she had gone through a fierce internal struggle, before adding in an almost muttered voice, "...but, it should be fine to have it once in a while."
Kurtz reached out and this time took her hand directly from her knees, pulling her up from the soft chair with steady certainty.
"Let's go then, before it gets dark."
Serie struggled symbolically for a moment, the gesture more for show than resistance, then let him lead her toward the door. As they walked, she made no move to pull her hand away.
[End of Chapter]
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