"Mm, I get that feeling too... Frieren, are you hiding something from us? Can't you tell us... we're teammates, aren't we?"
Kanne walked out of her depressed state at this moment. Like Lawine, she stared at Frieren with a very curious look.
"..."
Frieren felt uncomfortable being stared at by these two pairs of hope-filled eyes. After hesitating for a short while, she finally confessed helplessly.
"Alright... actually, I've been analyzing this barrier the whole time."
As Frieren spoke, she looked up again at the massive transparent dome above their heads. In Frieren's eyes, the pitter-patter of rain was blocked by the barrier, unable to fall into the forest beneath it.
"...?"
After Frieren's words came out, Kanne and Lawine were both startled. After exchanging a glance, they asked in unison.
"...Frieren, are you joking?"
"No? I'm very serious."
Frieren pouted, her expression somewhat unhappy.
"B-But the scale of this barrier is so huge... I heard it was set up by that God of Magic. How could it possibly be analyzed?"
"Mm... actually, it's not that hard. I was already halfway through analyzing it."
Frieren said, sighing again. Then, ignoring the shock in the eyes of the two little ones before her, she continued to add.
"But when I got halfway, a very annoying fellow suddenly started interfering with me... forcing me to double my concentration..."
Frieren's tone was very displeased.
"Uh... Frieren, are you saying... not only can you analyze this great barrier, but among us examinees there is actually someone like you who can do this kind of thing... a strong... no, a monster?"
Lawine, who originally wanted to say 'strong person', suddenly corrected herself. In her subconscious, she could no longer classify someone who could do such a thing as human.
"Mm, just about. That fellow is indeed the most talented human I have ever seen."
Frieren nodded, confirming the conjecture in Lawine's heart.
"Seen...? Frieren, you know that guy?"
Lawine immediately pressed.
"Mm, speaking of which, that fellow and I are sort of... sort of..."
When she got to this point, Frieren's tone suddenly paused, as if reacting for two seconds before continuing to speak.
"Sort of... friends, I guess."
Frieren's expression seemed to be lamenting, but this gave rise to even stronger doubts in Lawine's heart.
"Wait... since you are acquaintances, then... why would that person stop you?"
"That, I don't know. I've never been able to keep up with that fellow's train of thought."
Frieren said very honestly.
"Uh... alright... then the second question."
Lawine took a deep breath before continuing to ask.
"Frieren... why do you want to analyze this barrier?"
"Mm, because I want to destroy it."
Frieren continued to speak in a tone as calm as an ancient well, not caring in the slightest how much shock her words would bring to others.
"Urgh... then why do you want to destroy it..."
Lawine felt her lips trembling slightly, but her curiosity as a mage drove her to continue questioning Frieren.
"Because..."
Frieren's tone paused. She first looked at the dazed Kanne with affectionate eyes, then said.
"Because I think Kanne is pitiful. She is a mage skilled in Water Magic, but because of this barrier, the rain can't get in at all... As a Water Mage, unable to freely display her own abilities, it's really too pitiful. So I wanted to help her... After all, magic is meant to be used freely."
Frieren's words made Kanne, who was already in a state of shock, freeze directly in place.
It took her a good while to come back to her senses.
She never expected that Frieren's abnormal behavior was actually all for her sake.
"Sorry... Frieren, it's because I'm too weak, and can't create water... I caused you trouble."
Kanne approached Frieren, extremely moved. If she were to express her excited mood at this moment, she would definitely pounce on Frieren without hesitation and give her a hug.
But Kanne thought again; she and Frieren were teammates who had known each other for less than a day. Not knowing if Frieren would resist intimate contact, she blushed and gave up, not making the move to pounce forward.
"Heh... told you to train seriously usually. As a Water Mage, you only know how to control water, not create water... it's really shameful enough... brave of you to come take the First-Class Mage exam with this level."
Confirming Kanne had recovered from her previous slump, Lawine also returned to her daily ridicule of Kanne.
"What do you know! Creating water is a very difficult, very profound magic, not something easily learned... besides, I'm still young, I have plenty of time in the future..."
Kanne initially refuted forcefully and loudly, but her words lacked confidence towards the end.
"Tch, look, you don't even have confidence yourself. Really..."
Lawine was obviously very helpless regarding Kanne's appearance.
"Mm... Kanne is right, you know. Generating water out of thin air is indeed very profound magic, much harder than creating fire out of thin air. However... Kanne, you do have strong points."
Frieren spoke up at this moment.
"Eh? Really?! What strong points do I have!"
Hearing Frieren's words, Kanne seemed to come alive instantly, her eyes wide and shining.
"Mm... your proficiency in Water Manipulation Magic (Reerarie) is very high."
Frieren gave this evaluation after thinking for a bit.
Regarding this, Kanne was obviously somewhat disappointed.
"Eh? What kind of compliment is that... That's the only thing I'm good at, so of course my proficiency wouldn't be bad... I thought Frieren would praise me for something else."
"Hmph... Idiot. Can't you see that Frieren is a powerful mage who has surpassed us by who knows how many realms? With Frieren's vision, being able to praise you with 'proficiency is very high' is already something very worth being proud of."
Lawine, standing to the side, hurriedly added.
"Eh? Is that so?"
Kanne's expression was somewhat doubtful.
"Of course."
Frieren also affirmed this.
So Kanne finally stopped hesitating and pounced directly onto Frieren.
...After another short while, Lawine continued to ask Frieren.
"Hey, Frieren, is your confrontation with that guy still going on?"
"Sigh."
Hearing this, Frieren shook her head somewhat dejectedly.
"It can't be helped. Although I don't know what that fellow is thinking, if she doesn't plan to give up, I really can't continue analyzing the barrier under her interference... So, I can only give up for now."
Frieren said, unhappily controlling her upper body to fall straight backward.
"I'm going to rest."
___
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