Chapter 163: Two Different Ideologies
Life, once again, was different, with Rhodes's awakening and Flamme's arrival.
The girl's talent was truly astonishing. Her understanding and control of magic were far beyond that of most apprentices, and the hatred that drove her gave her an incredible speed of progress.
One day, Flamme was in the clearing outside the hut, practicing a new spell Serie had taught her. Rhodes was standing by the window, watching her. Serie came and stood beside him, her gaze also fixed on the small figure.
"Why?" she asked, her voice a soft sound that broke the silence. She did not look at him, but at the girl. "Why the sudden interest in teaching her with me? It's not your usual style."
In the thousand years of their travels, they had encountered many people. And to pass the long, long time, she would sometimes find a creature with a talent for magic and teach them. Ela had been her best student. But he had never done such a thing. It was as if the god-slayer who had once spread the knowledge of magic throughout the world and the Rhodes of today were two different people. His answer had always been, "Civilizations find their own way. So does magic." He had given the humans of this world a start. It was up to them to develop it on their own.
But this time, he did not answer right away. To be able to teach the legendary human mage herself, he thought, to watch her grow, step by step, into 'Flamme'... it is an incredible, once-in-a-lifetime experience. But of course, he could not say that.
"Just to pass the time," he said, his voice casual. "It's interesting, to watch her grow stronger. And..." he paused, his gaze falling on her focused profile, "her talent... it's worth nurturing."
She turned and looked at him, as if trying to see something deeper behind his calm expression. His interest in the girl... it was more than just 'passing the time'. But she didn't know what it was. In the end, she just gave a soft "Mm," and didn't press the matter.
"She's improving quickly," she said, her gaze returning to Flamme, a hint of satisfaction in her voice. "That hatred... it's a powerful fuel."
He frowned. That was exactly what he was worried about.
And in the days that followed, he saw it more and more clearly, the unusual nature of her teaching methods.
Her core philosophy was simple: how to kill an enemy more efficiently. Demon or otherwise, it was all the same. The spells she taught Flamme were mostly destructive, spells that targeted an opponent's weaknesses. And with every lesson, she would stress the practical application, would simulate a battle and demand that Flamme's every spell be imbued with a clear 'killing intent'.
It reminded him of his first meeting with her, when she had taught him the light arrow, and had insisted on the same thing. She was constantly reinforcing that one and only goal in the girl's mind: revenge. And Flamme, under her guidance, was growing colder, more and more driven by that same hatred.
He watched, and a deep sense of unease grew within him. He understood where Serie was coming from. And he understood the girl's hatred. But to be completely consumed by it... it was a dangerous path.
The greatness of the historical Flamme had not just been her strength, but her rationality, and her quest for knowledge that had been built on that foundation. He could not let the future 'most ancient of human mages' fall to such a fate.
And so, his own plan began.
He did not directly challenge Serie's methods, nor did he question the goal of revenge in front of the girl. He chose a more indirect, more subtle approach.
He taught her the magic of the holy scripture. Sometimes, a healing spell is the best medicine for a wounded heart.
Though she didn't understand why he was teaching her a spell that couldn't kill, Flamme still learned it diligently.
One day, a wounded deer stumbled into their clearing. Her first instinct was to kill it with the light arrow spell she had just learned, but he stopped her. "Wait," he said, and crouched down, releasing a wave of calming magic so that the deer would not run. "Try the healing spell I just taught you. Not too much power, just a little."
She hesitated, a look of confusion on her face. Healing? This seemed to go against everything her other teacher had taught her. But under his insistent gaze, she held out her hand.
And as the light of life flowed from her fingertips and the deer's wound began to close, as its wild eyes grew calm and gentle, for the first time, she felt a strange and new satisfaction.
Serie was watching from a distance.
She watched him gently teach the girl, watched the momentary confusion in her eyes. And she did not intervene. Her golden eyes were calm, unreadable. She was just... observing. Observing as he cast a few pebbles of reason and gentleness into the lake of hatred in the girl's heart, trying to create a different kind of ripple.
She knew what he was doing. He was afraid that the hatred would destroy the child.
But she, too, had her own convictions. It was that hatred, that deep and burning hatred, that had given the girl such incredible perseverance, that had allowed her to make such rapid progress in such a short time. And it was that same hatred that would take her to new heights. For that, any sacrifice was worth it.
And the two of them, their two different ideologies, were now clashing in the small body and soul of the young girl.
And she was caught in the middle.
When she practiced her destructive magic, her heart was filled with a burning hatred for the demons. But when he taught her to heal, when he had her help a small and helpless creature, she felt a strange, but unsettling, joy. She didn't understand why he was teaching her these useless things. To get her revenge... all she needed to do was to kill them, wasn't it?
But she trusted her teachers, especially the one who shared a name with the god-slayer she so admired. And so, though she was confused, she continued to learn.
Serie saw it all. She saw the girl's confusion, and she saw what he was doing. And she did not interfere. She just watched, as if waiting for time to give them the final answer.
(End of chapter)
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