Chapter 263

Serie studied Haruto for a moment before speaking.

"As long as you’re willing to share information about other worlds, you may choose any ten spells you want."

"Whether you can actually learn them, however, will depend on you."

Her instincts told her that Haruto had considerable talent for magic.

Still, for reasons of her own, Serie had no intention of personally teaching him.

"Works for me."

Haruto nodded.

He had certainly considered learning magic directly from Serie, but she clearly had no interest in taking him on as a student.

Haruto did not particularly care.

As long as he could get his hands on the spells he needed, learning them afterward would not be a problem.

He could simply ask Frieren for help.

He already needed to learn sealing magic from her anyway.

The only limitation was that he could choose just ten spells, but that should still be enough.

There probably were not that many spells in Serie’s collection that Haruto truly needed.

With the two of them reaching an agreement, the tension in the hall finally eased.

Lernen and Genau relaxed slightly and lowered their staffs, though the curiosity in their eyes remained as strong as ever.

Haruto glanced at them, brought out a chair, and sat down.

Then he began telling Serie about the worlds he had visited.

He was not worried about the magic she had promised him. Serie was hardly the sort of person who would go back on an agreement over something so trivial.

"I’ve actually traveled through quite a few completely different worlds. Each one has its own unique qualities."

"One of them could practically be called a world of gourmet food."

"There are trees that grow roasted meat, living roast piglets, Jewel Meat that shines like gemstones, and Puffer Whales that appear only once every ten years..."

"There’s another world where countless creatures known as Pokémon live across vast continents and oceans."

"They possess all kinds of extraordinary abilities. Some control fire, water, or lightning. Some can move through space. Others can even command storms and reshape the weather."

"Humans grow up alongside Pokémon, travel with them, battle beside them, and pursue their dreams together..."

"And there’s another world where roughly ninety percent of the planet is covered by ocean."

"Pirates run rampant across the seas, while the government ruling over the world is riddled with darkness and corruption."

"That world has Devil Fruits capable of granting humans extraordinary powers, as well as top-tier fighters strong enough to split mountains and raise tsunamis."

"And beneath the sea are Sea Kings as enormous as mountains..."

Serie listened in silence, gradually leaning farther forward.

With every new world and every new adventure Haruto described, the excitement and longing in her eyes intensified.

Her fingers unconsciously rubbed against the armrest of her chair.

Even the mana surrounding her fluctuated faintly with her emotions.

Lernen, Genau, Sense, and Falsch were far too absorbed in Haruto’s descriptions of other worlds to notice anything unusual.

Before long, Serie’s mana settled again.

Her emotions did not.

She had lived for an impossibly long time, from the Mythical Era all the way to the present day.

Almost everything on this continent had long since lost its mystery to her.

She had already reached the very limits of magic.

There were few things left in this world capable of genuinely holding her interest.

But the other worlds Haruto described had opened a door into an endless unknown.

Different laws.

Completely unfamiliar systems of power.

Strong individuals and landscapes she had never seen.

A limitless supply of novelty, danger, and excitement.

Other worlds were far more fascinating than Serie had ever imagined.

An intense desire began growing within her.

She wanted to see them.

She wanted to walk through worlds governed by entirely different rules and personally experience powers that did not belong to this continent.

The moment that desire appeared, however, Serie immediately recognized the problem.

No matter how far she had advanced in magic, she still had no means of crossing between worlds.

Unlike Haruto, she could not freely travel from one reality to another.

But that did not mean there was no solution.

Serie’s gaze settled on Haruto.

She might not know how to reach another world.

He did.

Serie could be awkward and contrary about many things, but when it came to something she genuinely wanted, she was remarkably straightforward.

"You have a way to travel freely between worlds, don’t you?"

"If I wanted access to that method, what would it cost me?"

The hall instantly went silent.

Lernen and the other three visibly stiffened and looked toward Serie as though they wanted to object.

None of them had expected her to seriously consider leaving this world.

Haruto did not answer immediately.

He rested his chin on one hand and thought carefully.

With the Gourmet Restaurant, he could indeed smuggle another person across worlds.

He had never taken another human with him before, but he had transported living creatures.

Still, bringing Serie was something he had to consider very carefully.

Serie stood at the pinnacle of magic in this world.

She had lived for an unknown number of years and was practically a living embodiment of magical knowledge.

She admired ambition.

She had little aversion to war.

Sending someone that unpredictable into another world could have consequences Haruto could not begin to calculate.

There was no telling what kind of chaos she might cause.

Then again, that did not necessarily mean it was impossible.

He could always take Serie to the One Piece world.

That world was already drowning in chaos.

The Great Pirate Era had turned the seas into a battlefield. The World Government, Marines, pirates, Revolutionary Army, and Yonko all competed in an enormous web of conflict, with fighting and upheaval breaking out somewhere almost every day.

Even if Serie went there and decided to cause trouble, Haruto had a hard time imagining the world becoming noticeably worse than it already was.

More importantly, the One Piece world had plenty of powerful people.

Serie would not be able to run around without consequence.

Having reached a decision, Haruto looked at her.

"My method can’t be taught to anyone else."

"But I can take you with me."

"There is one condition, though."

"You can only enter a world I choose."

Serie raised an eyebrow.

She clearly had not expected that restriction, but she did not object immediately.

Instead, she asked with interest,

"Oh?"

"And which world would you choose?"

"The One Piece world."

Haruto answered without hesitation.

"The one I mentioned earlier—the world almost completely covered by ocean."

Serie considered it for a moment, recalling what Haruto had already told her about that world.

It was not the world she found most appealing.

Still, it was chaotic enough, dangerous enough, and filled with enough unfamiliar powers and laws to hold her interest.

That was hardly boring.

Serie nodded.

"Fine."

"That world sounds interesting enough."

"Lady Serie, absolutely not!"

Lernen finally could not remain silent any longer.

He hurried forward and looked at her earnestly.

"The Continental Magic Association still needs your leadership."

"The borders between humanity and demon territory, the magical order maintained among the various kingdoms—all of it depends on your presence."

"If you leave, the Association could fall into serious disorder."

Serie frowned slightly.

For once, genuine hesitation appeared on her face.

She had founded the Continental Magic Association herself.

Simply abandoning it without warning could indeed cause unpredictable turmoil.

And there was something else.

Serie looked toward Lernen.

A faint trace of complicated emotion passed through her eyes.

Her student was extremely powerful.

But he was still human.

Perhaps only another decade or so remained before his life reached its natural end.

As for Genau and the younger generation of First-Class Mages, they were certainly talented, but they lacked the experience and standing required to hold the entire Continental Magic Association together.

And with the demons still watching humanity from beyond the frontier, none of them were truly ready to shoulder that burden yet.