Two days later, in the Schmal Snowfields of the northern plateau—
Riding a reindeer sleigh with Flam on the way to the Holy Snow Crystal vein,
Also the sa site where he first discovered the Eternal Youth Magic—
Agusheed finally couldn't hold back his question.
Speaking to Flam, who was nestled in his arms for warmth:
"It's just a trivial spell. Why are you so interested in it?"
"Who wouldn't be interested—"
Flam drew out the last syllable playfully, her face leaning closer to Agusheed.
"To humans, 'eternal youth' is extrely tempting."
"Is that so?"
Agusheed reached out and brushed a snowflake from the corner of her eye.
"Still, dragging over hundreds of kiloters in just two days is a bit much…"
He looked at her frostbitten red earlobes and comnted.
Flam rubbed her nose against the fur collar of his coat,
Burrowing further into his embrace, her chilled fingers warming themselves near his chest.
"It's your fault. Who told you to have such a spell and never ntion it to …"
She grumbled, pressing herself even closer to Agusheed.
He could only sigh helplessly.
Untying the deerskin rope that secured the blanket, his fingers glowing faintly with magic,
He paused slightly at the knot, then wrapped them both in a thick cal wool blanket.
At the sa ti, her icy toes found their way against his shin.
As she adjusted to a more comfortable position in his arms,
Agusheed tried to explain:
"I've lived since the end of the Mythical Era, and the number of spells I know is countless."
"With spells like Eternal Youth Magic, I've even forgotten the correct incantations. Of course, I can't accurately list them all."
He sighed again, tightening his hold on her a little more.
"And you've forgotten, haven't you? I once said I'd teach you the magic from the Mythical Era, but you refused."
"'I'm the disciple of the great mage Serie,' — that's what you said back then."
Listening to Agusheed, Flam pressed her forehead against his neck and retorted:
"Even so, you should've told about this spell…"
"Why?"
Agusheed patiently awaited her reasoning.
And Flam gave him an answer that he couldn't easily understand:
"Because I'm human. And humans… age."
"Age?"
Hearing his puzzled response,
Flam caught his hand and pressed it to her cheek.
"Look."
She guided his fingertip slowly to the corner of her eye.
"I'm much older than I was ten years ago. There are wrinkles here."
Agusheed lowered his head, seriously examining her face up close.
His thumb brushed across her still-smooth cheek.
"Are there?"
Flam tilted her head slightly, burying half her face in his palm.
In that small shadow, she blinked softly.
Though Agusheed's words delighted her, she still corrected honestly:
"Yes, there are."
"Hmm… you look exactly the sa as ten years ago."
Hearing that sincere statent from Agusheed,
Flam chuckled bitterly and lowered her eyes.
"That's a sly thing to say…"
She unconsciously continued in a low voice—
"Anyway, I just don't want you to see grow old."
Agusheed's chin brushed against the frosted tips of her hair,
And the vibration of his Adam's apple traveled through their close skin.
He said:
"I wouldn't mind."
"I know."
Flam's voice turned into a sigh.
Her fingers clenched at his collar, knuckles pale.
"But I still don't want you to see it."
What wife doesn't wish her husband could always see her at her most beautiful?
They embraced in silence for a long ti before Agusheed finally broke it.
"Still, there's no need to go to such great lengths for it, right?"
"I could give you those incantations. You'd find Eternal Youth Magic within five years."
Flam, eyes still closed, tapped his chest softly in ti with his heartbeat.
"Five years is too long."
"Is it?"
Agusheed caught her hand and enclosed her cold fingers in his warm palm.
In the distance, the cry of a snow owl startled the reindeer, shaking its antlers.
The sleigh jostled slightly, prompting Agusheed to instinctively support her lower back.
Flam let out a muffled grunt inside the blanket.
"For humans, it's a long ti—especially considering how long it might take to learn the spell itself."
"If it's sothing like Curse Reversal Magic that takes over a hundred years of training, it's hopeless."
"Even so, it's fine…"
Agusheed lifted her hand to his lips, breathing warm air on it.
"After all, I already know it—it's just that I forgot the corresponding incantation."
He placed her hand back under the blanket and continued:
"If it really does take over a hundred years to relearn it—
Then I'll just use Transfer Magic to pass it from to you."
Hearing sothing she'd expected,
Flam's lashes trembled slightly, like branches bending under snow.
Her voice was almost inaudible:
"That may be, but I don't like taking credit for your hard work…"
"I don't mind. Worst case, I just spend another hundred years relearning it."
"That amount of ti is just a blink for ."
Flam looked up at Agusheed's jaw, wanting to say sothing more—
But the reindeer's bell rang joyfully, drowning out her unfinished words.
Together, they looked ahead.
The Holy Snow Crystal vein shimred amid the swirling snow, like a natural crystal maze.
"The Mythical Era ruin is here?"
Flam asked softly.
"Yeah, to be precise, it's inside the Holy Snow Crystal vein."
The sleigh gradually stopped at the entrance to the crystalline cavern.
Agusheed stepped down first, crunching into the knee-deep snow.
He turned and reached out his hand to Flam.
She rose slowly, guided by his hand.
"Did you fully explore this ruin last ti?"
Staring at the glowing crystals, Flam asked.
"Not quite—"
Agusheed scratched his chin, trying to recall.
"I just cleared the path to the center."
"After I found the stone tablet inscribed with the incantation for Eternal Youth Magic, I left imdiately."
Upon hearing this, a smile spread across Flam's face.
"Since our travels ended, we haven't explored a ruin together again."
"So, Agusheed—"
Flam, holding his hand with interest, asked with a twinkle in her eye:
"Care for an old-fashioned ruin adventure?"
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