Chapter 359: Leisure
After another day of research, Rhodes returned to the small room he shared with Serie.
He had to admit, after getting used to Frieren's harassment, he felt a bit unaccustomed to its sudden absence.
Opening the door, he saw a figure sitting in the wide, soft chair.
It was Serie.
She seemed to have just finished bathing, wearing a plain white nightgown, her small feet bare, toes curled unconsciously.
Her smooth golden hair was wet, draped over her shoulders, water droplets still clinging to the ends, refracting tiny points of light under the magical lamp.
Currently, she was tilting her head slightly, gathering a bundle of hair at the back with one hand while trying to comb through the tangled wet strands with a wooden comb in the other.
Her brow furrowed lightly, and she made a small "tsk" sound, clearly encountering a minor problem.
This lazy and troubled appearance was incredibly cute—a scene only he could see.
Rhodes didn't disturb her with words. He walked over quietly and naturally took the wooden comb from her hand.
Serie seemed to have sensed his return long ago. Unsurprised, she obediently let go, leaned back slightly, and entrusted the task of combing her hair entirely to the person behind her.
She even adjusted her sitting posture cooperatively to make it easier for Rhodes.
Rhodes's fingers passed through her cool hair. He didn't know how many times he had combed her hair over the past thousand years; this little task was second nature to him.
The teeth of the comb carefully avoided knots, sliding slowly from root to tip.
Simultaneously, a layer of mana light appeared at his fingertips, sprinkling onto every strand of hair as he combed.
The moisture was quietly evaporated by this mana without damaging the hair quality in the slightest, instead bringing a warm comfort.
Serie narrowed her beautiful golden eyes like a cat being petted, even emitting a soft hum from her throat.
She leaned back slightly, resting more of her head's weight against Rhodes, her whole body relaxing, clearly enjoying this attentive service.
For a moment, the only sounds in the room were the faint rustle of the comb passing through hair and their steady breathing.
"Anything special happen today?" Rhodes asked casually while continuing his work.
Serie kept her eyes narrowed, answering lazily, "What could be special? Same old. The Association threshold is nearly trampled flat, all guys coming for the immortality magic."
"Consequently, the number of applicants for the First-Class exam skyrocketed. I had to promote quite a few mages to handle basic affairs."
She curled her lip, her tone thick with annoyance. "The number of mages gathered in the Association now is probably greater than the peak of the Saint Katiya Magic Academy plus several other famous mage organizations on the continent combined."
"Even mages from other races have rushed over upon hearing the news. Just today, I met several elves."
"Oh?" Rhodes didn't stop combing, his tone carrying a hint of interest. "Are they interested in immortality too? But they don't need it."
"Not that." Serie snorted. "The leader was that old fool... uh, Elder Af. You should have met her."
Rhodes recalled carefully, then nodded. "I seem to have an impression."
When the Great Elven Forest was destroyed, a few elders happened to be away and survived by luck. She was one of them.
Later, when Rhodes created the False Divine Strike magic with the allied forces, he met her a few times, but never saw her again afterward.
"I didn't expect even she would be alarmed by this," Rhodes sighed with emotion.
In a sense, her seniority was even older than Serie's. Unfortunately, her talent wasn't as strong as Serie's, nor did she have Rhodes's help. Thus, over the millennium, the titles of Oldest and Strongest Mage naturally fell onto Serie.
"She said she was interested in the mysteries contained within the magic itself. After all, it is a high-level magical domain involving the essence of life, worthy of exploration."
Serie added, "She is very strong and has enough seniority. According to the rules, I couldn't refuse, so I gave it to her. However, I saw her researching the runes for half a day looking utterly confused. Probably futile."
Rhodes gave a noncommittal "Mn."
An Elder-level elf's strength was naturally not to be underestimated, but as he expected, without the key, even the highest attainment could only wander outside the door.
"So far, how many mages have passed your First-Class exam?" Rhodes changed the subject.
"Thirteen," Serie reported the number. "But not everyone chose the immortality magic runes as a reward. Two chose other types of magic. For example, a guy interested in Spatial Magic asked for Blink."
Speaking of this, Serie's tone improved slightly. She seemed quite approving of these two mages' choices.
In the current Serie's eyes, any mage not coming for immortality magic was a good mage.
Rhodes nodded, saying nothing.
He understood Serie well. Under the current background where most people had impure motives, the difficulty of the exams she presided over had likely been raised to a near-impossible level.
For over a dozen to pass, they must be the crème de la crème of human magical elites in this era, perhaps including a few strong individuals from other races like Elder Af.
"I am a bit worried," Serie sighed softly. "If too many people pass the First-Class Mage exam, will this title become less prestigious?"
Serie didn't want to see a future where First-Class Mages were a dime a dozen.
Rhodes gently smoothed the last strand of hair, and the mana light in his hand faded.
Serie's golden hair was completely dry, restoring its usual luster, draped loosely.
He didn't answer immediately. Instead, he picked up the hair ribbon prepared nearby, his fingers moving again.
"No need to worry." He comforted her while sectioning her hair for braiding.
Although under Rhodes's intervention, the overall level of magic in this era might be much higher than at the same point in the original timeline—perhaps even an era ahead—it was far from reaching universal popularity.
Magic, for the vast majority, remained an untouchable domain, an existence only a very few with talent or of noble class were qualified to learn.
Rhodes tied a section of hair with the ribbon and skillfully began working on the other side. "Talented mages are a minority after all. I estimate the final number of title holders will be at most fifty or sixty. This already accounts for mages in the next few decades."
"If you are really worried about the numbers inflating too fast, we can raise the threshold anytime. After all, we set the rules." He paused, joking half-seriously, "If worse comes to worst, you can list 'surviving ten minutes against me' as a mandatory exam item."
Serie imagined that scene and couldn't help curving her lips, but then frowned again. "Fifty or sixty... still too many. I think twenty or thirty is the limit, enough to represent the standard of an era."
Rhodes didn't argue with her over the number. He simply tied the other hair bundle steadily.
He took a half-step back, picked up a small mirror from the side, and handed it to Serie.
The mirror reflected the elf lady's appearance.
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