The Stollenwercks in the courtyard of the dragon castle grew more numerous by the day.
These tiny birds possessed the ability to fly at extraordinary speeds, capable of accelerating from a complete standstill to supersonic speeds in an instant.
With such speed, they were more than ideal for serving as messengers.
It was fortunate to have these little creatures’ help, as they enabled him to obtain quite a bit of foundational magic knowledge from Serie.
As it turned out, ever since Serie witnessed Link chanting the spell Fire Punch, she realized he didn’t understand magic in the slightest and decided to give him free supplementary lessons.
When he first received Serie’s handwritten letter, Link had originally dismissed it with disdain.
He flipped through it casually, only to read a line stating: “Meditation can rapidly restore mana.”
“Ha! Isn’t restoring mana just accomplished by pure sleeping? Are you sure meditation isn’t holding a sword vertically with both hands and chanting spells to recover status?”
Link’s worldview suffered a heavy blow.
He flipped through several more pages, all filled with concepts he had never heard of before.
He stroked his chin, lost in thought.
Slapping his thigh, Link experienced a sudden epiphany: “So not only is my practical application terrible, but my theoretical knowledge is completely wrong too?!”
Thus, Link began raising even more Stollenwercks as messengers, bringing his contact with Serie closer and closer.
Though, he rarely remembered to feed these messengers; they ate very little, but tasted quite delicious.
All of this was usually taken care of by Chris.
However, most of her time was also spent studying the Magic to Extend Lifespan that Link had passed on to her.
“You must practice it even more diligently than the cleaning magic.”
This was the instruction he repeatedly impressed upon Chris.
When Chris asked about the spell’s effects, Link merely replied, “In short, it’s a very fine spell—it ranks among the top tier of all the magic I possess.”
And so, master and servant—Chris and Link—began studying magic together.
Perhaps due to the synergy bonus of the long-lived species, time always flew by at relentless speed.
Before long, enough time had passed for Chris’s hair to turn completely white, and for her to need two stops to rest just walking from one end of the castle to the other.
Enough time had passed that she no longer cleaned the entire castle every day, sweeping only the few places Link frequented.
Yet she still held a passionate heart toward magic, exactly as she always had.
Regrettably, she no longer had the strength to cast Cleaning Magic.
Until one day, Link noticed that Chris hadn’t appeared.
He came to Chris’s room.
His maid was lying in bed.
Hearing Link enter, she tried hard to sit up, but Link merely pressed his tail gently against her shoulder.
“It’s another rainy day today; looks like we won’t get any sunshine.”
Link stared out the window, speaking offhandedly.
“Chris, get some rest. Leaving the cleaning to me is no problem; I still know how to use Cleaning Magic.”
“Lord Link,” Chris’s voice was very soft.
“I’m afraid… I won’t be able to serve you anymore.”
“What on earth are you talking about?”
Link asked in confusion.
“Weren’t you doing just fine a hundred years ago?”
Chris did not answer.
She simply looked at him—gazing at him with an exceptionally gentle, peaceful expression.
Suddenly, she tilted her head slightly, looking at this Link who was merely a few hundred years old with a gaze an adult might hold toward a child.
Adopting Link’s usual tone, she said to him, “My Lord Link… do you know how long a human’s lifespan is?”
Link froze for a moment.
Subconsciously, he answered, “About seventy or eighty years?”
Question and answer between master and servant—it felt as though they had returned to years past. Visit g.com for the full chapter.
Link still remembered that he would usually follow up with: “Human passion is always a fleeting thing.”
Yet back then, Chris hadn’t argued; instead, she used her entire life to demonstrate that her passion was not so fleeting after all.
“An inadvertent act by a long-lived species can influence a short-lived species’ entire life,” Chris said softly.
“Thank you… thank you for sharing the magic you mastered with me.”
Her voice grew lighter and lighter, like smoke about to disperse in the wind.
“I haven’t taught you more yet,” Link’s tone began to carry a hint of desolation.
“Actually, I knew all along,” the corners of Chris’s lips curled slightly, even carrying a trace of playful slyness uncommon for her.
“The magic you master isn’t many more spells than what I know.”
“So you knew all along, Chris… To think I was fooled by you.”
“We, master and servant, are the same—we both like telling little lies.”
“No, we are friends.”
Chris did not argue.
“When the village sent me to you, they probably never imagined…”
She spoke slowly.
“…that even a useless orphan who did nothing but eat the village’s food could learn magic too.”
“And very powerful magic at that.”
She paused for a moment, gathering a bit of strength.
“It’s just a pity… I haven’t properly repaid you yet.”
“Chris, you have already repaid everything I provided with unshakeable loyalty.”
“I will find a way,” Link’s voice turned extremely low.
“There are other spells in this world to extend lifespan. I’ve already mastered them; you just need to give me a little bit more time.”
Link lied once again—he instinctively wanted to use lies to trick the Grim Reaper.
“Just a little bit of time is enough,” his tone turned almost pleading.
“Lord Link,” Chris interrupted him—for the first time in all her years of serving him, she interrupted his speech.
“I am already prepared to greet the next step of my life, but I have one request.”
“After I die,” Chris said slowly, “please protect the village I once belonged to.”
“What is there to miss about a village like that?”
Chris smiled quietly.
“They were the ones who allowed me to meet you, Lord Link.”
Link did not answer, offering only a single nod as a solemn vow.
Seeing Link agree, Chris squeezed out a final smile with all the strength left in her.
“Lord Link… I’m truly sorry that I won’t be able to open and close the door for you ever again.”
“I really wanted to practice magic with you again…”
Her voice grew softer and softer, the trailing sounds almost merging together.
Then, leaning against the pillow, she closed her eyes—as though she had completed a deeply important task and could finally rest.
[Ping!]
[Bound Target: Chris Has Died]
[Kindling Task: Failed]
[Task Settlement: Elf Class Change]
[The flame has gradually died out; please pass the torch anew.]
A talisman fell out of thin air right into the palm of Link’s claw.
He had no time to pay attention to the details of the task; he only knew that the object in his hand could turn someone into an elf.
Link grabbed the talisman and pressed it toward Chris.
“Survive, Chris!”
His voice squeezed out from his throat. This chapter is updated first at g.com.
“Become an elf! After becoming an elf… you’ll definitely be able to live much longer!”
Yet his hopes were dashed after all; no matter how he tried, he could not use the talisman.
Such a miraculous item was now no different from a piece of gravel by the roadside.
Link said nothing more, his naturally nearsighted eyes growing even blurrier than before.
Even though it was blurry, he didn’t bother to wipe them; after all, from beginning to end, he had rarely seen the humans around him clearly anyway.
He had thought his lies could deceive all things, and thus naturally deceive time as well.
It appeared time was not on his side.
At nightfall, Link placed Chris at the top floor where she loved to stay most.
That was the spot in the castle with the best view—one could see the entire courtyard, the village at the foot of the mountain, and places far, far away.
A day later, the weather at the dragon castle was bright and clear.
Serie paid another visit.
Having researched an even more powerful spell, she couldn’t wait to share it with her friend.
Before that, however, she had other matters to attend to.
“Chris! Chris! Hurry and call that fellow Link out for me.”
She still remembered the rules here, and remembered the servant’s name.
Yet there was no answer.
Link, who was still on the top floor, plunged down before Serie at lightning speed like a falling meteor.
Like a drowning man spotting the shore, he thought: Serie, appearing right now, you must be here to solve a problem, right?
Link was filled with desperate hope.
“Serie, we’re friends. Give me magic—I want Magic to Resurrect the Dead.”
“I possess no such magic.”
The burning light in Link’s eyes extinguished.
“Oh… So the Great Mage of the Mythical Era is nothing special after all,” Link slumped onto the ground in deep disappointment.
Serie stood in place watching him, her amber eyes devoid of anger—holding only a softness she herself couldn’t quite explain.
Mana was a reflection of the user’s emotions.
Serie could naturally perceive Link’s mood, and she understood the reason behind it.
“Human lives are always so brief and fragile.”
Serie approached Link, who was slumped on the ground, and stood on tiptoe to gently pat his head.
Link was merely a child a few hundred years old; he had only experienced a few partings, and the road ahead of him was still long.
“However… Magic to Resurrect the Dead is something you might be able to research yourself.”
Link’s body on the ground didn’t move, but a spark lit up in his eyes.
“At least it isn’t as illusory and unattainable as Magic for Eternal Life.”
Serie crossed her arms, continuing her statement, “With your talent…”
She pondered for a brief moment.
“…there is still a chance.”
Like a sufferer receiving guidance from the divine, Link abruptly sat up.
He stared at Serie, something reigniting within those massive, golden vertical pupils.
“Magic to resurrect the dead—I, Link, am going to claim it for sure,” Link said, word by word.
Serie looked into his eyes.
She had seen many kinds of ambition—greedy, arrogant, or those seeking to rule or conquer.
Yet she had never seen such a wildly blazing ambition in Link’s eyes before.
She remained silent for a moment, then averted her gaze.
“Mm. I will be waiting to see it.”