Chapter 354: I Don't Want You to Die
The night of the capital seemed to have finally quieted down, but not completely. After all, the fervor for immortality magic hadn't passed, and discussions in the taverns were still dominated by related topics.
Inside a well-regarded restaurant near the Magic Association, at a table by the window in the corner, Flamme slumped in her chair with no regard for image, letting out a long breath.
A cup of steaming fruit tea sat before her, its sweet aroma seemingly soothing her overworked mind.
Opposite her sat Frieren, with a large plate of roasted steak. As a non-traditional elf, Frieren loved meat, especially roast meat.
A transparent barrier formed by subtle mana fluctuations covered their corner, isolating the outside noise. It was a soundproof barrier Flamme had cast casually.
"Phew... finally I can catch my breath." Flamme rubbed her temples. "I really saw a lot of mages today, especially those old foxes, trying every trick to get extra information about the immortality magic out of me..."
Frieren put down her knife and fork, looking at Flamme in confusion. "Why do humans have such a strong obsession with living?"
As an immortal elf, she couldn't understand the short-lived species' obsession with longevity. After all, time was worthless to them.
Flamme picked up the fruit tea, the warmth transferring to her palm through the porcelain cup. "Because humans are too fragile, and too brief. Just when they appreciate the beauty of knowledge and want to explore more mysteries, their lives might be half over or even nearing the end."
"This brevity is one of the most primal fears engraved deep in the human soul. Thus, the desire for immortality is naturally born, even if this desire leads to worse outcomes."
Flamme paused, her gaze drifting, seemingly recalling her own obsession.
"When I was young... no, I should say, when I was still obsessed with that goal, I was one of them too."
"But later I understood. I might have just been afraid. Afraid that I couldn't spend more time with that person, afraid that one day I would be forgotten by him."
"Later," Flamme's voice lowered, "I even... caused irreversible consequences because of it. Only after that did I truly wake up."
Frieren listened quietly, her emerald eyes watching Flamme, as if trying hard to understand this monologue full of complex human emotions.
"So, you are not pursuing it anymore?" Frieren asked.
"Mn. Not anymore." Flamme smiled with relief. "Immortality might exist, just like Master Rhodes possesses."
"But that is a path unique to him. I have found another path now—my own compromise, or perhaps peace."
She gently rotated the teacup, her tone relaxing. "I have thought it through. When I am about to die, I will use Stasis Magic to freeze my existence at that moment."
"Not death, nor living, but... a kind of slumber. Find a place and sleep on, and on, forever."
"Perhaps one day in the future, a new miracle will occur. Or perhaps never. But at least, this way, I won't disappear so thoroughly, right?"
She looked at Frieren with a smile, as if discussing an interesting plan completely unrelated to herself.
Frieren remained silent.
The slumber Flamme described didn't seem much different from death to her, just a different form.
And she couldn't accept this future.
Frieren spoke suddenly, her voice much stronger and more serious than usual. "Master Flamme, go learn Lord Rhodes's immortality magic."
"?" Flamme was stunned. She looked at Frieren in surprise, thinking she had misheard. "Frieren, you just said... for me to learn immortality magic?"
"Mn." Frieren nodded. "Go research those runes and learn the immortality magic."
Flamme put down her teacup, leaning forward slightly, looking earnestly at her elven disciple. "Why say this so suddenly? Didn't I just make it very clear—"
"I don't want you to die."
Frieren interrupted Flamme.
She said this sentence very calmly, without intense emotional ups and downs, but every word was incomparably clear.
Flamme froze. A warm, sour feeling surged into her eyes unexpectedly.
She looked at Frieren—the elven girl whose expression was always cool, as if she would never have emotional fluctuations about anything—now using the most direct language to express the purest emotion.
After all, elves were famous for their thin emotions.
Possessing nearly infinite time, their emotions were stretched thin, becoming almost nonexistent. Flamme, having followed Rhodes for years, knew this all too well.
It took Master Rhodes a thousand years of companionship, plus shared experiences, to allow Master Serie to gradually possess her current relatively vivid emotional expression.
Flamme never dared to hope that in her limited life, she could hear such a direct emotional outpouring from Frieren.
"Frieren..." Flamme reached across the table and stroked Frieren's smooth hair. "Thank you. Really... I am very happy."
Frieren felt the warmth on her head and didn't dodge, simply continuing. "Lord Rhodes is also human, and he has lived for a thousand years and will continue to live."
"He can do it; why can't Master Flamme? You are his student; you are very strong. So, go learn this magic. Consider it..."
She paused, seeming to search for the right words, finally finding the thought most sincere to her right now. "Consider it for me!"
"I don't want... to be alone in the future, traveling and learning magic by myself."
"I want to be with you. Together with Master forever."
Flamme's nose soured even more.
She withdrew her hand, sat up straight, took a deep breath, and exhaled slowly.
Touched as she was, she couldn't let Frieren harbor unrealistic hope.
"Frieren, look at me." Flamme made her voice sound steady. "Listen to me. Regarding Master Rhodes's immortality magic, there are things you may not know."
Frieren blinked, saying nothing, waiting for Flamme's further explanation.
"Those runes can indeed construct immortality magic; that is true. But!" Flamme emphasized her tone. "Only Master Rhodes alone can construct this magic."
"Others, including me, even if we memorize the rune structures perfectly and use the strongest spiritual power to perceive them, can never truly use them."
Seeing the confusion in Frieren's eyes, Flamme continued to explain, "You can imagine it as a holy scripture written in special magical characters that only Master Rhodes can understand."
"Because he possesses the authority gifted to him by the Goddess of Life in the past. Without this authority, the characters in the scripture are an undecipherable heavenly book to others."
"Master published the runes this time essentially hoping to draw people's attention from the shadows to open research, and hoping that among the vast number of mages, some geniuses might emerge."
"But learning immortality magic directly? That is impossible. This is a chasm that neither effort nor talent can bridge."
Frieren listened quietly, and the light in her eyes dimmed.
She lowered her head slightly, looking at the steak in front of her. The incredibly delicious food no longer seemed so appetizing.
She understood Flamme's meaning.
Rhodes had given a reward that could never truly be touched.
A slight suspicion quietly coiled around Frieren's heart.
Is he... using this method to eliminate the possibility of others learning immortality magic?
Frieren wanted Flamme to live, so she wanted to know if Rhodes had ever considered Flamme's future.
But Frieren didn't voice these thoughts.
She knew Flamme's feelings for Rhodes. Questioning Rhodes directly in front of her might not be appropriate.
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