Too Much (Fake)

She really was my family's great ancestor!

Though saying that was kind of cringey, I'd taken care of her for so long that calling her mine was reasonable, right?

Of course, he only dared to think such things to himself.

Just then, Rhode noticed that Serie's face was somewhat pale, as if she were suffering from the aftermath of magical exhaustion.

"Did you overdraw your mana?"

"Mm." Serie nodded lightly. "I killed that demon and all the monsters it controlled."

No wonder her face was so pale.

The current Serie was nowhere near as terrifyingly powerful as she would be in later years. Naturally, dealing with so many monsters and a demon had come at a cost.

If he had known it would turn out like this, perhaps he should not have split up and taken that risk?

He had nearly gotten himself killed because of it.

But after seeing Serie in such a weakened state, Rhode softened.

At least the outcome was good.

If he and Serie had confronted that demon head-on back then, things might have ended very differently.

Still, he had never expected Serie to take care of that demon and all those monsters by herself. That put his mind at ease.

Kraft walked over and patted Rhode on the shoulder. "Looks like we worried for nothing. If we'd known, we should have come straight here to find you yesterday."

"Sorry for making you worry."

Rhode had barely replied before someone interrupted him.

"Mr. Kraft!!"

It was clearly Norn and Erik, who had suddenly barged in from behind him.

Kraft turned toward the voices. When he first saw the two of them, he looked confused, as though he did not recognize them.

"I'm Norn, Mr. Kraft," Norn hurriedly introduced himself.

The last time Kraft had visited their village, he and Erik had still been children in their teens. Ten years had passed since then, and they had become dependable adults. It was perfectly normal that Mr. Kraft could not recognize them after such a change.

After hearing Norn introduce himself, Kraft's eyes lit up. "Norn? It really is you!" He strode forward. "What a surprise."

Kraft truly had not recognized him at first.

He could not help but marvel at how quickly humans grew.

In just ten years, the children of that time had become mature adults.

Erik squeezed forward as well. "And me! Mr. Kraft, I'm the strongest warrior in the village now!"

"Erik? Yes, I can see that. You've become a qualified warrior." Kraft smiled warmly.

Seeing juniors he had personally guided grow into qualified warriors was enough to brighten anyone's mood, even if they were not of the same race.

Som smiled from the side. "This is truly a happy occasion for everyone."

Not only had they successfully found Rhode, but he was safe and sound, and Kraft had reunited with juniors he had not seen in a long time. Back in their village, that would have been enough reason to hold a feast.

Though every feast had little to do with him anyway.

"By the way, why did you only get here now?"

Rhode asked them. They had already been very close to Gremir Forest before the attack. It should have taken only half a day to get there, especially with Kraft as their guide.

"Oh! We followed Miss Serie's instructions and searched along the river first."

"I see."

Just as he had thought.

At that moment, Rhode noticed that Serie's gaze had remained fixed on Norn and Erik, as if she were assessing something.

He asked quietly, "What is it?"

Serie should not have known these two. Could something about them have caught her attention?

Serie withdrew her gaze. "For some reason, I can faintly sense an aura of mana from these two humans."

"Hm? That can't be possible, can it?"

Rhode looked at Norn and Erik in surprise. Neither of them should have learned magic, so how could they possibly possess mana within them?

Could it be an innate talent?

Serie shook her head. "It is only a feeling. I have only sensed something similar from exceptionally gifted elves among my people."

"When you first met me, did I have a mana aura too?" Rhode asked curiously.

Serie glanced at him as though he had asked something incredibly stupid. "Your mana has almost condensed into something tangible. Anyone could sense it without even looking."

"Uh, I suppose that's true." Rhode laughed awkwardly.

He had used magic right in front of Serie back then. He was indeed different from Norn and Erik, who had never used magic before.

"If only there were a spell that could observe the mana aura around other people."

Serie said it casually.

That vague sensation was something she had been born with. What she truly wanted was a spell that would let her clearly see how much mana others had inside them.

It was said that certain demons possessed a similar talent, though only a few among the Demon Race had it.

Hearing Serie say that, Rhode recalled that such magic did exist in the future. The ancestor of human mages had even created a method for concealing one's mana and taught it to Frieren.

All he could say was that a certain great violinist could never have imagined there would be such a sneaky elf, constantly disguising her true mana level.

Perhaps he could try to create it himself someday.

"But these two really are impressive. Rhode, you were right. Humans truly do have the talent to learn magic."

Rhode's heart stirred. Norn and Erik really did seem to possess something special, enough to make Serie, who had always been prejudiced against humans, change her mind.

"Oh, right." Serie suddenly remembered something. She took a cloth bundle from Som and tossed it to Rhode. "Your things."

Rhode opened it and found the luggage he had been unable to pack away when the demon attacked two days ago.

They had already fled quite a distance at the time. He had not expected Serie to find it and bring it back.

"Serie, I really like you!" Rhode said sincerely.

All his precious seasonings were in there, along with the seeds. If he had lost them, he would have had nowhere to replace them.

"Don't misunderstand." Serie turned her face away. "I just happened to pick them up along the way."

Rhode could not help but laugh.

He had never expected his Little Ancestor to have such a tsundere side. She had clearly gone back specifically to retrieve his things, yet she still pretended not to care.

But faced with his (supposedly) sincere confession, she showed no reaction at all. Elves really were terribly slow when it came to feelings.

"Still, thank you."

Serie gave a soft huff, but her beautiful eyes narrowed slightly. Clearly, Rhode's gratitude pleased her, even if she did not show it much.

But what did this "like" of his mean?

Serie did not understand why Rhode had said such a thing.

Could this also be a human way of expressing thanks?

When thanking someone, did humans say they liked that person the most?

She still did not fully understand it, but perhaps she could try it next time.