"My little Kirito? I'm in my fifties, you know?" he said, displaying an exhausted expression, completely unaware of the true reason for Serie's presence in this place.
"Only fifty? And you think you're old? Haha… Let's talk about this again in a thousand years," Serie replied while adjusting her posture.
Even though Kirito looked like a teenage boy, Serie appeared young enough that, to human eyes, she could easily pass for his little sister.
But reality was quite different.
Serie was old… terribly old, by elven standards.
'The memory of this body is terribly blurry since the previous owner was still just a "child" back then. Still, I've retained this good elven common sense,' he thought to himself.
Kirito wasn't bothered by Serie's age, but to an ordinary elf, she would never be seen as a loli.
Only as an old woman.
A situation famously explained by a certain perverted elf in the manga Interspecies Reviewers.
(Image)
"Have you made any progress in your research?" she suddenly asked, casting a glance toward Ilulu.
"Ah~ Of course, Mother. Haven't you noticed that Ilulu is a pure-blooded dragon and not just some half-dragon? And that appearance is completely biological. So in essence, she's a true dragon, but gifted with an actual human form, benefiting from a large portion of the advantages of both races," Kirito explained while settling more comfortably.
However, he slightly furrowed his brow as he thought back on his research into artificial Devil Fruits.
'It sounds impressive when you put it that way, but I still can't "yet" grant elven longevity to a human with a Zoan-type artificial Devil Fruit, Elf Model,' he thought, pursing his lips slightly in frustration.
Artificial Devil Fruits could grant traits and powers, but Kirito still wasn't able to modify a race's lifespan.
Otherwise Kaido and Sengoku wouldn't have aged so much — one being a dragon, the other a Buddha.
The young elf needed more test subjects.
'I might have to turn to human experimentation if I can't manage it with animals alone,' he thought while taking a sip of coffee.
Why not elves or demons?
The former were extremely rare to encounter, as they showed very little interest in reproduction.
As for the latter, they presented a situation comparable to the Chimera Ants from the Hunter × Hunter universe.
Not all demons were biologically identical, but they belonged to the same essential race.
An experiment that worked on individual "A" might not succeed 100% on individual "B" — although exceptions did exist.
High-ranking demons.
They were terribly powerful beings, and Kirito had noticed one common point among the majority of them (except for a few minor exceptions):
They all possessed a humanoid appearance, physically very close to humans.
'Some weaker demons also look human, but I've observed that they possess far greater potential than the more bestial demons,' he thought.
These demons weren't necessarily the most powerful physically, nor did they guaranteedly possess the largest magical reserves.
However, the young elf had noticed a clearly superior intelligence in demons with human appearance.
Moreover, they tended to reach the highest ranks of their race — provided they didn't die prematurely.
All these observations led Kirito to formulate a bold hypothesis.
What if, in their attempt to imitate or attract humans by developing a physiology close to their favorite prey, these demons had acquired something unexpected?
Something a mere beast wasn't supposed to possess.
The idea wasn't absurd from the point of view of an Earthling like Kirito, since he knew the theory of evolution.
The case of Macht had also pushed him to consider this possibility.
A demon capable of considering options beyond the common sense — or rather the instinct — proper to his race.
Unfortunately, Kirito couldn't casually experiment on this type of demon.
Not only were they hard to find, but the ones listed by informants were extremely ferocious and powerful.
He decided he would intervene when Frieren would come across Aura's future subordinate and the little demon girl from the village, in order to take them in.
That way, he could properly observe their evolution and obtain high-ranking demon samples if his hypothesis proved correct.
Kirito paused for a few seconds, cup in hand, then observed Serie's familiar sitting posture.
Looking at that well-known silhouette, cheek resting on the palm of her hand, he allowed himself a rare, genuine smile.
'It's been a long time since I last discussed my progress with Serie… since our argument,' he thought bitterly.
"Ah… so it really worked? I really did misjudge you back then. The idea of magic without magical energy is actually possible… and its potential is staggering," she said, displaying her usual tired smile.
Yet Kirito could clearly perceive undeniable sincerity in her eyes.
Serie was openly showing a certain excitement at the thought of Kirito's future accomplishments.
"However, I still think you would have been much more powerful without wasting time on this," the warlike elf still added, a hint of irritation showing through.
Serie was a mage.
As such, she had an insatiable hunger for knowledge and was extremely pragmatic regarding all the various topics Kirito brought up.
Science had revealed its potential through Ilulu, but this living specimen alone did not match, in her eyes, the infinite destructive potential she perceived in magic.
Serie had no interest in inventions like electricity, nor in a biological or industrial revolution.
She wanted to witness infinite war potential!
If science ever managed to demonstrate infinite potential in her eyes, then the legendary elf would fully accept being wrong.
"That subject again… *sigh* I already explained to you that…"
Kirito was about to continue, but Serie cut him off by finishing his sentence.
"That magic distorts the established order to achieve a specific goal, while science plays within the rules of that order. Yes, I know," she replied in a weary tone.
Kirito felt slightly irritated by the contempt Serie showed toward his science-based work — both from the One Piece universe and from Earth.
Still, he decided to avoid another argument.
Unlike Frieren in the future, Kirito didn't want to lose sight of Serie, nor maintain a conflictual relationship with her over a mere ideological disagreement.
"Whatever your opinion is, Mother. There is one thing that we — the scientist and the mage — have in common," he declared with an assured voice.
Serie slightly raised an eyebrow.
Her eyes betrayed a keen interest in this term her student — and son — had just used.
Scientist.
Beings without innate power, yet capable of overturning an entire era through a single idea… and sufficient will to make it reality.
An arrogant definition, certainly, but one that Serie could not refute because of the very existence of the only scientist in her world.
Namely: Kirito.
"What would that be?" she finally asked after a brief silence.
"We mages, and scientists, are not guided by our personal feelings when pursuing an objective in our respective fields… We only believe in irrefutable facts. That's why I will one day show you the truth that I have perceived through science," he declared, unintentionally letting his inner Vegapunk side take over.
An aspect of himself that Kirito didn't particularly like, but which sometimes triggered a kind of epiphany in him.
"Indeed, we only believe in facts. That's precisely why I stand firm on my position, my little Kirito~"
Serie readjusted her posture after answering.
Her bare feet briefly caught Kirito's dark gaze, which he immediately averted.
Did he have a foot fetish?
The answer was no.
This subtle attraction to that part of the anatomy only concerned Serie — and Kirito preferred not to look at her from that angle.
At least… not yet.
He wasn't the type to get hung up on a sugar mommy in another world.
"Apart from my scientific progress, I've hit a little roadblock regarding my Archive magic. So I would like to exchange some information with you."
Kirito's mouth tightened slightly as he admitted this deficiency in his own magic.
But he immediately firmed his resolve.
The Archive magic he used was a replica inspired by the one seen in the Fairy Tail anime.
It allowed various applications related to the mind and programming, but Kirito urgently needed to evolve it.
'I had already thought about it… but I have no real defense for my soul,' he thought, remembering the System.
The System had granted him advantages — but after that?
In the future, Kirito would face dangerous entities capable of affecting his soul, just as the System had done.
The latter had literally sent him a message unilaterally, through a spiritual link.
What would happen if he couldn't control his mind, nor manage his personal information on a mental level?
That was why he aimed to reach a level where he could program a soul using Archive magic.
That way, he would no longer need to "raise" a creature like Ilulu from childhood.
And above all, he could guarantee absolute loyalty while being able to counter soul-altering attacks — similar to the Gray Knights chapter that will exist in the future of the Loken universe.
The young elf aimed to create a psychic firewall capable of protecting not only the mind, as his current magic did, but also the soul… as well as the souls of his subordinates.
Kirito walked resignedly toward the sofa where Serie was sitting, then obediently began massaging his elven mother's shoulders.
"Hmm~ In that case, I'll stay with you for a few hundred years for now. Perfect timing. While you perfect your magical potions and other toys, I can also keep you from making mistakes… and prevent you from turning into a monster because of your pseudo-magical fruits."
She paused, enjoying the massage.
"Hmm… not bad. Your hand technique is getting better and better~"