With his Invisibility Technique active, Rudeus flew through the sky at tremendous speed.
In the blink of an eye, he arrived above a large tree. Beside it, a little green-haired girl sat on the ground, quietly gazing into the distant sky.
Rudeus's lips curved into a smile, and he slowly descended beside her...
The girl's eyes shimmered, as though they reflected all the beauty in the world. Just looking at her was enough to lift anyone's spirits.
Sylphie was simply too cute!!
He felt like he could watch her all day and never get bored!
Rudeus crept a little closer and gently poked her shoulder. Her shoulders were slender, as light and soft as a newborn butterfly's wings.
The girl turned around in confusion, but saw nothing.
Uneasy, she stood up and looked warily around.
Rudeus positioned himself behind her again and gave her back a light pat. Her back was slender, like an early spring willow branch, delicate yet resilient.
"Ahh-" The girl screamed, ran a few steps forward, then turned to look behind her. There was still nothing there.
Fear began to spread across her face, and tears welled up in her eyes.
Seeing her like that, his heart clenched. He hurriedly dispelled the Invisibility Technique around him, and his figure suddenly appeared before her.
The clear tears were welling in her eyes, the tip of her nose was red, and her formerly clear eyes were clouded with tears as she timidly hunched her shoulders.
Rudeus was instantly filled with regret. He quickly softened his tone and coaxed her gently, "Don't be scared, don't be scared. It's me~ I was only playing a joke on you."
Rudeus took half a step forward, moving slowly for fear of frightening her again, and gently wiped away the tears on the verge of falling from the corners of her eyes.
She clutched the hem of her clothes, relaxing slightly, her emerald hair hanging beside her cheeks.
Her pointed elf ears were still tinged with pink as she murmured:
"Meanie, Rudeus..." With that, she buried her head in Rudeus's chest.
Her voice was as soft as cotton candy, trembling slightly from her fright, making her especially endearing.
Rudeus gently wrapped his arms around her, his voice full of apology:
"I'm sorry, Sylphie. I shouldn't have scared you."
As he spoke, he reached up and gently rubbed her soft green hair, his fingertips brushing her delicate cheek.
He watched a faint smile slowly appear on her face, her eyes once again filling with flecks of light.
Only then did his heart finally settle. All he could see and think about was the soft, adorable, gentle little elf before him.
After he had held her like that for a while, Sylphie looked up at Rudeus and spoke:
"Rudeus, that magic you just used... could you teach me?"
Rudeus looked away from her, somewhat taken aback as he asked:
"Huh? Which one?"
"The magic that made you invisible."
"That one... no."
Rudeus shook his head and refused outright.
Hearing that, Sylphie puffed out her cheeks, her eyes still faintly red.
Her hurt had yet to fade, and with a touch of petulance, she curled her small, pale hands into soft little fists.
She pounded them against my chest, neither hard nor lightly, each blow soft and weak.
Rather than anger, it seemed more like she was acting cute:
"Didn't you say you'd teach me magic? And you just played a trick on me... big meanie... big meanie..."
Her cherry-pink lips pouted slightly as she grumbled under her breath, her voice soft and sweet, with a trace of hurt.
"Oh, come on~ Let me explain... It's because it would be dangerous if other people found out about this magic."
"Why?"
"Because... I'm the only one who knows this magic. If you learned it and bad people found out, they'd kidnap you, and you'd never see your mommy and daddy again."
Sylphie didn't look very frightened. Beneath her trembling eyelashes, her amber eyes were bright and resolute.
Rudeus added:
"They'd kidnap me too, you know~"
Her face instantly turned as white as paper, all color draining from her previously rosy cheeks.
Her red eyes, usually shimmering with gentle moisture, widened suddenly, round as a startled fawn's.
Her pupils trembled slightly, the tears in her eyes instantly freezing, leaving only overflowing terror and bewilderment...
"Ah... I can't say no to you~ Actually, I can teach you, but once you learn it, you mustn't let anyone else find out!"
Sylphie pressed her lips together gently. She was clearly still sulking, yet she nestled softly against Rudeus.
The way she was both angry and clingy was so adorable that he couldn't bear to tease her any further.
He sighed helplessly and pinched her puffed-out cheeks. They felt as soft as freshly steamed glutinous rice dumplings, making him want to pinch them a few more times.
"All right, all right, I'll teach you. I really can't say no to you."
"But promise me, once you've learned it, you absolutely, absolutely mustn't use it in front of anyone else. Not even your mommy and daddy, understand?"
Sylphie's eyes lit up instantly, like stars being kindled.
Her hurt and petulance vanished at once, and she nodded vigorously, her little head bobbing like a pellet drum, her pointed elf ears swaying back and forth. She was impossibly cute.
"Yeah! I promise! I won't tell anyone, ever! You're the best, Rudeus!"
She happily hugged my arm, hanging onto Rudeus with her whole body and rubbing her cheek against his sleeve, her voice as sweet as honey.
Rudeus's heart melted as she nuzzled him. He led her down to sit on the soft clover, had her lean against the rough trunk of the old oak, and steadied his breathing.
"The Invisibility Technique doesn't actually make your body disappear. It uses magic to form an extremely thin field outside your skin that bends light.
"It makes all the light that hits you go around you, so other people's eyes can't see you."
As he spoke, he held out a finger and formed a thread of magic so faint it was almost invisible before Sylphie.
"See? Like this. The magic has to cover your whole body evenly, like water, without missing the slightest spot."
"Even if you miss one strand of hair, people will see a green hair floating in midair, and you'll be exposed at once."
Sylphie stared unblinkingly at the faint light on Rudeus's fingertip with her large reddish-brown eyes.
She listened intently, even unconsciously softening her breathing for fear of disturbing the fragile thread of magic.
Rudeus continued his explanation:
"The path the magic takes is important too. It has to start from..."
He explained it to Sylphie in the simplest terms he could, then began demonstrating it for her again.
A faint blue light shimmered around Rudeus, and his figure slowly turned transparent before disappearing completely into the air, leaving only a shallow impression in the grass.
"Can you tell where I am now?" His voice came from her left.
Sylphie stretched out her little hand and felt around in front of her for a while.
Then she reached forward, as if searching-
"Huh? I think I've got hold of something... It's soft~"
"Yeah, Sylphie, you're pretty good~"
Rudeus dispelled the invisibility.
Sylphie's eyes went wide, and her entire face turned as red as a piece of heated iron.
She was touching Rudeus's cheek...
She hurriedly let go and lowered her head, flustered and unable to look him in the eye.
Rudeus gave an awkward laugh and ruffled her soft hair.
"Good. Your perception is even better than I expected."
"Now you try. Don't rush. Start by gathering magic to cover one hand, and take it slowly."
Sylphie nodded solemnly, closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and began drawing on the magic inside her.
Her magic was pure and abundant, like a clear mountain spring. This had to be the talent bestowed by the Laplace Factor.
A faint green glow gradually appeared on the back of her fair hand, which slowly turned transparent until even the blood vessels beneath her skin disappeared.
"Great! That's it, hold it there. Add a little more magic around your wrist; it's a bit thin."
Rudeus guided her softly from the side, keeping a close eye on her movements for fear she might lose control of her magic and hurt herself.
Sylphie bit her lower lip, concentrating on adjusting her output of magic.
Soon, her entire arm had become completely invisible, leaving only an empty sleeve hanging at her side.
She opened her eyes and looked at her "vanished" arm. Her eyes widened in delight, and she happily waved it around.
"Look, Rudeus! I really did it!"
"Amazing. You managed this much on your first try. That's much better than I did back then."
Rudeus praised her without reservation, secretly marveling to himself-Sylphie's talent for magic really was first-rate.
For the next hour and more, Sylphie practiced over and over again.
At first, she could only maintain it for a few seconds, but before long she could remain steadily invisible for more than ten seconds. Her progress was astonishingly fast.
Finally, on her sixteenth attempt, a soft, faint green light shimmered around her.
Then her entire body disappeared into the air, without even a trace of magic leaking out.
Only the blades of grass moving in the wind gave a faint indication that a small figure stood there.
"You did it! Sylphie, you're amazing!" Rudeus shouted happily, clapping his hands.
No sooner had he spoken than Sylphie reappeared.
She squealed with excitement and threw herself into Rudeus's arms, hugging my waist tightly and burying her face in his chest, rubbing it back and forth.
"I did it! Rudeus, I really learned how to turn invisible!"
"Yeah, you did it. Sylphie is the best magician."
(...)