I'm Very Interested in You

"Your courage is commendable, but daring to lay a hand on me, do you have a death wish?"

Serie's icy words, uttered with undisguised killing intent, instantly enveloped Lancelot.

He felt as if he were stuck in a quagmire, unable to move or make a sound. It was as if a large hand was gripping his throat, and he was frozen in place, unable to even move his fingers.

Work one click!

The barrier formed by the [Defensive Magic] made a crisp sound like fragile glass in the next moment, and then dissipated into the air. Lancelot seemed to have been robbed of his consciousness by some unknown magic, and with a "boom!" he knelt on the ground. His heavy armor stirred up the last layer of snow on the ground.

Lancelot!

Seeing him like this, Galan's heart jumped into his throat, and his mind went blank.

Who knew Serie was the type to kill without blinking an eye?

No... Come to think of it, she really is a war maniac. No wonder Frieren doesn't like her as her grandmaster. But the current situation seems to have reached a point where it can't be salvaged.

"He's fine. I just knocked him out. It was you and her who turned around."

With a hint of amusement in her tone, she lightly lifted his chin with her finger.

The wide sleeves and hem of the skirt moved without wind, as if lifted by an invisible Mana field.

Like Lia, her long, golden hair hung loosely to her waist.

Those deep, timeless eyes were staring at him like a bottomless well, making Galan feel that his thoughts had nowhere to hide.

"What exactly are you? You shouldn't exist in this world, should you?"

To others, Serie's words seemed cryptic and nonsensical, but Galan's eyes widened in shock. His heart, which had eased slightly upon hearing that Lancelot was alright, began to pound wildly again.

He knew, of course, that he didn't belong to this time and space, but what he didn't know was how Serie knew about it.

"Hehe, I'm curious how I knew?"

With a sly smile, she easily saw through Galan's thoughts.

Like the top student in the class, who could spot the answer to the question at a glance.

This feeling of being completely controlled made Galan extremely uncomfortable.

It was as if I was completely transparent to the other person.

"My [Perception Magic] is somewhat different; besides detecting Mana and biological reactions, it also allows me to see through the essence of the other party."

So I noticed you the moment I noticed you?

She suddenly pressed her palm against Galan's chest, instantly sending chills down his spine. At this moment, with just a slight exertion of force and a mere release of Mana, he would be easily crushed like an ant on the roadside.

Compared to Serie, he felt like a weak infant, utterly powerless to fight back.

Fortunately, she wasn't the kind of katana-wielder who took pleasure in killing.

1

You don't give me that solid, soulful feeling, or rather, you seem like an elusive presence right now... Interesting. Now I'm even more certain that you must have returned from the not-too-distant future, right? Tell me, what kind of magic did you use to do this? Has such interesting magic already appeared in the future?"

Looking at Serie, who was becoming more and more excited as she spoke, her eyes sparkling with fanaticism.

Galan's mood was like a rollercoaster, rising and falling.

But in the end, we found out that at least the other party didn't come with malicious intent.

It was simply that she became interested in her own situation.

What a magic fanatic...

"I have no idea."

"Um?"

Serie's expression visibly turned colder.

The air temperature around Galan also dropped sharply, causing him to shiver involuntarily.

"I only let this man go because of you, but he attacked me without warning! That's incredibly disrespectful." But I really don't know...

Galan swallowed hard, a little nervously saying, "Back then, Frieren and I encountered a [Goddess's Stone Monument] in the forest outside Singer Town. Out of curiosity, we touched it, and when we came to our senses, we were already in this era. I'm not lying to you, it's all true."

Serie's gaze was fixed on him the whole time, making him very uncomfortable Galan even deliberately mentioned Frieren in his conversation, wanting to see if she would react to it, perhaps it would make things develop in a better direction.

Although the other person was looking up at him from below due to the height difference, Galan felt, both psychologically and emotionally, that he was looking up at this Elf elven Mage who had lived since the Mythical Era.

The imposing aura of a superior, even without anger, made him feel somewhat breathless.

I simply cannot imagine... a future where I could defeat my opponent...

"The [Lie Detection Magic] reaction was indeed the truth... Is that so? It's Goddess Magic again..."

Her tone was somewhat ambiguous, as if this wasn't the first time she'd heard such an answer.

But Galan could vaguely sense that she was no longer as assertive as before, albeit a very slight change. "You're still traveling with Frieren? Is that so? It seems she's achieved her goal... So, how far in the future are you in this era? A hundred years? Or five hundred years?"

... almost forty-nine years.

"Is that all the time? Well, it makes sense. After all, the magical power left on the stone tablet has diminished over time."

As expected, this was the same answer. For Elves, fifty years is almost half a person's life, but in their eyes, it is nothing more than a fleeting moment.

She withdrew her hands, crossed them in front of her chest, as if she were thinking about something.

"Fine, whatever the case, this is one of the most interesting things I've encountered in recent decades. Kid, I'm very interested in you. Want to know how you're going to get back?"

After the initial excitement faded, Serie made him this offer that was almost impossible to refuse.

Clearly, the other party recognized her research value. Even for Serie, the Goddess's magic was a profound field. To this day, if there was anything else in the world of magic that could still perplex her, it would only be this field.

Of course, Galan wanted to go back, but once he agreed, he felt like he had signed a contract of servitude, which made him feel uneasy.

But if I rely on myself, who knows when I'll be able to return to the future.

And Serie, standing before him, was the most likely person to help him return to the future.

"Can you grant me one more request?"

"Hmm? You've got some nerve, haven't you? Tell me about it."