Fulilian: The Little Master Who Doesn't Understand Love

Chapter 323 That Humble Love
The war did not end immediately after the Demon King was sealed away.

After all, the Seven Demon Sages and generals were the main force on the battlefield. Anna Lizard never made a move from the start of the war to her sealing away; she simply waited for Lord to appear.

Only in this way can this war truly come to an end.

However, with the Demon King's disappearance and the entire Demon King's castle reduced to ruins, it is believed that before long, the demon army, having lost its supreme commander, will disintegrate, and the war will end.

Therefore, Lord and Celia did not rush on their journey, but strolled leisurely across the land, enjoying the tranquil time before dawn.

That will surely be a very, very long dawn.

However, this tranquility was soon broken by a familiar presence.

In the ruins of a village that had just been ravaged by war, a figure stood alone, seemingly having been waiting for a long time.

It was Vlamé.

She looked at Lord and Seria, who were walking side by side, her face a complex mix of emotions. News of the two teachers wasn't hard to find; in fact, the news had reached the front lines the very day Seria appeared behind the allied lines, and was then relayed to Vlame by the Dwarf King.

That's why Vlamé was waiting here in advance for the two teachers to arrive.

Putting aside her hesitation, she took a deep breath and finally mustered her courage to go forward.

“Professor Lord…Professor Celia.” Vlame’s voice was slightly hoarse.

Lord stopped and looked at her calmly. He was not surprised by her appearance. After all, although the main culprit had been brought to justice, he had never let his guard down. His detection magic was running non-stop, and he had sensed Vlame's presence several kilometers away.

Celia frowned slightly, a clear hint of displeasure flashing in her golden eyes.

His apprentice had been hiding something from him, as had the man beside him.

Lord clearly had a guess about what Vlamé might be doing, but he deliberately didn't tell me, which made him think I was an idiot!
How could she not have noticed?!
More importantly, Celia hadn't forgotten that Volame had once harbored feelings for Lord that went beyond mentorship, and even tried to compete with her.
Although she had toned it down considerably after being reprimanded, seeing her hesitant expression, clearly directed at Lord, Celia's long-standing jealousy resurfaced.

"Come back with me to be punished!" Celia said coldly, trying to take control of the conversation, while subtly taking a half step forward to protect herself in front of Lord.

Vlamé naturally sensed Ms. Celie's ill intent, especially the phrase "Come back with me to be punished," which implied that his actions had been exposed.

So she looked past Celia and directly at Lord, pleading, "Teacher Lord... I... I have something I want to say to you alone. Is that alright?" Her tone was filled with humble supplication.

Celia frowned even more, about to refuse, but seeing the almost overflowing pain in Vlamena's eyes, she finally softened.

After all, Vlamé was someone I personally watched and taught grow up. Even if he was once so arrogant as to challenge me and try to steal my man, it wasn't something unforgivable.

After all, she didn't manage to take it from me.

She swallowed the words that were on the tip of her tongue, snorted coldly, and glared at Lord with a fierce look that was full of warning.

Solve it yourself!
In the end, Celia, still radiating a low mood, turned and walked to a rock some distance away, crossed her arms, and turned her back to them, thus granting Vlame's request with her actions. However, her constantly trembling little ears clearly indicated that she was still paying attention to this side.

Therefore, this space was temporarily reserved for Lord and Vlamé.

Vlame stood before Lord, head bowed, her hands nervously clasped together. The brief silence was her final act of mental preparation.

Finally, she raised her head, deciding to no longer hide anything and lay bare everything she had been doing recently.

“Professor Lord…I made a mistake, a huge mistake.” She began to recount, her voice trembling.

From her desire to research immortality magic, which led to her secret collaboration with Carlo, to her later giving Carlo the original runes of holy magic in order to speed up his research.

She also described in detail how Solitaire's appearance disrupted her original plans, and how Carlo disappeared in that underground labyrinth, his fate still unknown.

“I have a vague feeling that Carlo’s obsession with immortality is far stronger than I imagined… I’m afraid, afraid that I have created a terrible monster with my own hands…” Vlame’s eyes reddened slightly. “Teacher, I’m sorry! I’ve caused you trouble.”

Lord listened quietly, his face showing no surprise. Only when Vlame finished speaking and looked at him with uneasy eyes did he slowly speak: "What you said, I have basically guessed. Your experimental process was not cleaned up properly. I had already guessed that you were researching immortality magic when I returned to the Magic Association."

He paused, looking at Vlame's instantly pale face, and continued, "If nothing unexpected happens, there's a high probability that Carlo will eventually become a candidate for the next Demon King."

"The Demon... Demon King?!" Vlame exclaimed in shock, his body swaying as he almost lost his balance.

This possibility is even more terrifying than her worst-case scenario!
"No! Absolutely not! Teacher, Carlo has fallen into that maze! It's an emergency! We have to find him now and kill him!"

The thought that his selfishness might lead to the emergence of a new Demon King in the future made Vlame feel flustered.

Seeing Vlame's panicked expression, Lord smiled gently and shook his head: "No need to worry, and no need to rush."

He decided to reveal some of his thoughts to Vlame: "Vlame, this world needs balance. When humans lose the pressure of powerful external enemies, they are more likely to fall into endless internal strife. The existence of the demon race, from a certain perspective, can appropriately reduce the possibility of internal strife among humans. Although it cannot be completely avoided, at least it will not develop into a continental war."

He looked into Vlame's confused eyes and explained further: "Therefore, I have never intended to completely eradicate the demon race, and I even have other ideas, but not now."

And even if Carlo does indeed embark on that path and become the new Demon King, that will be a thousand years from now. At that time, a hero of that era will naturally confront him. Like…Friline. Therefore, you have absolutely no need to worry, and trust your disciple, trust Friline.”

Vlame opened her mouth, wanting to argue further, but seeing Lord's resolute gaze, she swallowed her words.

It turns out that Professor Lord had planned everything all along.

As expected of Professor Lord.

She secretly vowed to do everything in her power to train Frilian into the most outstanding mage, capable of facing any challenge in the future.

However, the guilt and unease in my heart did not completely disappear as a result.

She kept her head down, her fingers unconsciously rubbing together, like a child who had done something wrong, worried that Lord was just comforting her with words of forgiveness, after all, the potential harm she had caused was too great.

Lord naturally noticed her hidden hesitation. He reached out and gently patted her head, just as he had done years ago when he taught her. This familiar gesture made Vlamé tremble; it had been a long time since her teacher, Lord, had done that.

Tears welled up involuntarily, silently accumulating in my eyes.

"Don't overthink it, Vlame. As your teacher, it's my responsibility to clean up your mess and take responsibility for the consequences. I'm here for you, don't worry."

“Professor Lord…” Vlame choked up, tears finally streaming down her face.

Under Lord's comforting words, the heavy sense of guilt in her heart seemed to lessen somewhat, but another long-suppressed emotion surged forth as if it had been unsealed.

Looking at Lord's face so close to hers, the face that held the most important place in her life, the face she looked up to, relied on, and couldn't help but admire, she finally couldn't suppress the feelings in her heart.

She lowered her head and murmured softly, "I...I still...love you."

The air suddenly became quiet.

The gentleness on Lord's face vanished quickly, his brows furrowed, and a clear hint of displeasure flashed across his face.

He had long ago clearly rejected Vlame's feelings that went beyond the boundaries of teacher and student, and hoped that she could let go and focus on her own path.

Now it seems that she has not truly let go of the past.

Sensing the change in Lord's aura, Volame felt a pang of pain in her heart, but she immediately raised her head and added urgently, "I know! I know this is wrong! I also know about you and Teacher Celie... I have no expectations, really! I no longer need your response, and I will no longer disturb your life and Teacher Celie's life in any way, nor will I let this relationship become a burden for you..."

She took a deep breath, as if using all her strength, and pleaded humbly, "Please... please allow me to love you silently and from afar, is that alright? Until... until the day my life ends... please..."

Vlame lowered his head, not daring to look at Lord, fearing that even this humble request would not be granted.

Faced with his disciple's humble request, Lord remained silent. Words of refusal lingered on his lips, but he ultimately failed to utter them.

He remained silent for a long time, and in the end, he said nothing. He simply turned around and walked towards Celia, who had been glancing at him from a distance.

Sometimes, not answering is an answer in itself.

As Vlamé watched Lord's departing figure, her tears flowed even more fiercely. She knew that she had found a small, unacknowledged corner where she could place her hopeless love.

This, perhaps, is the best outcome for her.

In the future, all she needs to do is stay in the heavenly kingdom and accompany them forever.

As soon as Lord walked back to Celia's side, the impatient elf lady immediately stepped forward, her eyes burning with obvious anger.

She never let her guard down around her audacious disciple.

"What did she say to you? Is she trying to steal you from me again? Looks like I need to teach her a lesson again."

“It’s nothing, just a small matter,” Lord interrupted her.

He didn't want to repeat Volamere's humble confession, as it would only hurt Volamere and fuel Celia's anger.

But Lord knew Celia's personality well; if he couldn't effectively distract her, this matter would probably never end.

Then, under Celia's suspicious gaze, he suddenly changed the subject and said, "Celia, let's... have a child! Preferably a lovely daughter like you!"

"...Huh?!" Celia's jealousy and accusations caught in her throat. She was completely stunned, her eyes widening as she stared at Lord in disbelief. "What...what nonsense are you spouting all of a sudden?!"

Last time, at the inn in the town, Lord did mention this matter half-jokingly and half-seriously.

At the time, Celia thought it was just a joke he made on a whim. Although she eventually agreed, she thought it was something that would happen in the distant future.

Unexpectedly, not long after, at this critical juncture, he brought it up again, and in such a formal way!

For a moment, Vlame's little affair was no longer worth caring about.

Subconsciously, as an ancient elf, Celia didn't have much of an instinctive need or desire to reproduce; in fact, she even felt a slight aversion to it, as it meant a huge responsibility and the disruption of her world with Lord.

But on the other hand, a child carrying her and Lord's blood? A descendant embodying the talents of both of them?
She suddenly became a little excited.

With her and Lord's talent and strength, their child might be a child with legendary talent and an incredibly cute appearance.
Once this thought arises, it can never be eliminated.

But... the real problems are right in front of us.

“Didn’t we say last time that it’s impossible for different races to have offspring, unless” she thought of Lord’s innate talent, “you created magic that can break this barrier?”

"not yet."

"What's there to say? This kind of magic involves the level of life, and it can't be created overnight." The elf girl pouted.

“But this time I’m very serious!” Lord replied earnestly. “Unlike last time, this time I’m prepared and will immediately begin researching and creating feasible magic that would allow different races to successfully conceive offspring.”

Seeing how serious Lord was about it, Celia had nothing more to say.

After all, she had already promised this man last time, and although this time it was earlier, she had no reason to refuse.

Moreover, she also developed a slight curiosity about the unknown parent-child relationship.

"Okay! I'm happy to help if you need anything."

Miss Elf made her promise.

(End of this chapter)