Chapter 16: Serie (2)
"Took you long enough..."
The voice was drawling, almost tired.
However, it revealed a hint of interest.
Before Sanguinius stood a woman sitting with her back to him on a chair, a book placed on the table.
Their current location was the grand library of the city of Äußerst.
According to rumors Sanguinius had heard from women in the city, there existed a small woman with golden hair living behind the walls of this place since its creation.
At first, he had dismissed the idea as a simple urban legend.
Yet, the idea that a small woman with golden hair could live for centuries in a library eventually made sense... if this woman was Serie herself.
So, he had come to verify, and he had been right.
'A living grimoire, managing a library... what a strange situation.'
"Are you going to stand there for long?"
The voice became slightly annoyed.
"Sorry, I was a bit fascinated."
He hadn't lied: Serie's magical energy was comparable to Kokabiel's!
'And that's not even her full magical power.'
This realization frightened him slightly, but not too much.
The woman before him wasn't a psychopath like a demon, but rather a person tired of her long existence without real stimulation.
"Fascinated?"
The tone of her voice betrayed her confusion.
Serie finally rose from her chair after closing her book, turning to face Sanguinius.
She had golden eyes, similar to his own.
Although she was older than Frieren, she appeared younger from a human perspective, both in appearance and aesthetics.
(Image)
Their gazes met and remained fixed on each other for a long moment.
For a non-practitioner of magic, this could have resembled a scene from a romance manga.
But the reality was much colder.
The two mages were sizing each other up.
The amount of magical energy a person has doesn't necessarily mean they are the strongest.
No, far from it.
Combat between mages depends on many factors: experience, compatibility between schools of magic, environment... and above all, talent.
This last element isn't something easily acquired, but it carries considerable weight during a confrontation.
This is also why Frieren has already lost eleven times against mages possessing less mana than her during her very long existence.
Important note: there were humans among them, as well as demons like Qual.
According to the books Sanguinius possessed, his magical talent was good... but not extraordinary.
The proof: he hadn't perceived the anomaly in Serie's magical energy, whereas Fern had noticed it at a glance.
'Do I have excellent talent like Flamme or Lernen, but not exceptional?'
Such was Sanguinius's conclusion during this "visual" exchange with Serie.
"Hehe."
After Sanguinius's realization, the elf before him suddenly began to laugh while observing his facial expression.
It took a moment before her laughter ceased.
"You really thought you had a chance?"
She had understood that Sanguinius was seriously evaluating his chances of winning in a direct battle, without preparation.
Sanguinius simply nodded, before sketching a self-deprecating smile.
"Yes, but it's impossible... at least for now."
Sanguinius's words erased the smile from Serie's face, who then looked at him seriously.
She hadn't taken offense at the arrogant words of the stranger before her.
After all, magic depends enormously on a mage's visualization ability, and this man dared to imagine having a chance to defeat her in the future.
Serie likes ambitious mages.
Thus, Sanguinius's sincere and ambitious remarks strengthened Serie's interest in him.
"Who are you?"
"No... I expressed myself poorly. What are you?"
During her words, she approached the "stranger" before her.
With a casual gesture, she extended her hand toward Sanguinius's chest and broke his transformation magic.
Serie was slightly surprised by Sanguinius's abnormal appearance, but regained her composure in an instant.
'A new kind of demon? Yet, I detect no hostility or anomaly in his behavior... and his wings... They resemble those of the goddess, but blackened.'
Several thoughts succeeded one another in Serie's mind, but she found no real definitive answer.
This strange situation neither displeased nor frightened her, unlike what any normal creature would have felt facing the unknown.
"I am a former angel."
Sanguinius's words confused Serie, as the existence of angels doesn't exist in this universe, but this only fueled her curiosity.
Especially since she associated Sanguinius's existence with the goddess in her mind.
"Never heard of that."
She turned her back to Sanguinius to settle again on her chair.
"That's normal, it doesn't exist in this 'world.'"
The elf's ears moved slightly after catching the words uttered by Sanguinius.
A surprisingly cute gesture, but that wasn't the subject at the moment.
The elf, who usually showed little emotion besides mockery, as when she had mocked Sanguinius's intention to surpass her in the near future, this time expressed another feeling.
It wasn't interest or curiosity, but hope.
"Can you prove it?"
'Perhaps... perhaps the goddess experienced a situation similar to mine and decided to leave.'
She didn't question her interlocutor's statements, as they aligned with her assumptions regarding the goddess's departure.
However, Serie's rationality pushed her to demand proof.
Sanguinius simply smiled, then approached the elf.
He bent slightly to reach the height of her eyes.
Their breaths overlapped, but unlike Sanguinius or any normal creature, Serie had no "perverse" thoughts at that moment.
Sanguinius's handsome appearance wasn't enough to move a person of the elven race, known for their lack of interest in the act of reproduction.
She just wanted to hear the next words of the man before her.
"I can prove it and even show you in the near future. But... what do I get out of it?"
Nothing is free in the world of mages.
Unlike Frieren, who helps people out of pure goodwill, normal mages never do anything for free.
Of course, there are special or exceptional cases.
After all, there are always anomalies everywhere, like Fern and Frieren.
"Do you want magic in exchange for this proof?"
Sanguinius smiled, but refused the offer.
Faced with Serie's confusion, Sanguinius's next words fell like a bomb in the empty library.
"I don't want simple magic, I want you!"
Shock.
There was no other word to summarize the legendary mage's emotions.
She would never have believed she would encounter such arrogance in her long life.
Yet, she didn't explode with rage at this audacity, nor did she mock as before.
'Me? Is he serious? Does he have particular tastes?'
Several questions paraded through Serie's mind.
"Explain yourself."
Despite her countless thoughts, she forced herself to move the conversation forward to understand this man's intentions.
"It's simple, I'm recruiting exceptional individuals..."
Sanguinius began to explain his plan with Aura, but with a slightly different approach.
Officially, he wanted control of magic across the entire continent!
For this purpose, he needed her as the future head of the "Continental Magic Association".
Thus, he told Serie about the details concerning the "Continental Magic Association" and explained her role in his future demonic kingdom.
Of course, he vouched for the control of demons and also promised to regularly provide her with unknown magic.
"I accept. But I demand proof of this other world, now!"
He didn't refute Serie's request.
Sanguinius didn't need to make a magical contract with her, as it would have been useless.
This woman possessed so many magical spells in her head that he was certain no magical restriction could contain her for long.
Sanguinius could only trust in her pride.
"...I've never seen such a thing"