Inside the most conspicuous, iconic building of the Continental Magic Association, an elven mage with a languid expression sat cross-legged and barefoot upon her stone throne.
"Frieren, you treasonous wretch. To think you would dare lay a hand on my barrier."
Serie's long orange hair had been braided into slender plaits that hung loosely behind her back. It was evident that she was quite interested in the covert struggle taking place in the distance.
"And this fellow Fíliya, too... Do these two take my test seriously at all...?"
Serie muttered to herself in the empty surroundings before suddenly standing up and walking out of the enclosed room.
She slowly arrived at the atrium and crouched down in front of a patch of small, pale blue flowers.
"One spends the whole day analyzing the barrier, while the other interferes the entire time, even finding the spare energy to reinforce it... You two are treating my domain like a chessboard for your rivalry, aren't you?"
Serie continued her complaints while stroking the flower petals with her hand.
Finally, she slowly sat on the edge of the flowerbed and raised her head to look at the sky... It seemed that this God of Magic, who had lived for an unknown number of years, was also in the mood for stargazing tonight.
After observing for a long time, Serie finally stood up again.
"Flamme... it is truly just as you said... This Continental Magic Association you had me create... although it is especially troublesome, it is... indeed quite interesting."
After uttering this final sentiment tinged with nostalgia, a smile played at the corners of Serie's mouth as she walked back to her room with slightly lighter steps.
...Meanwhile, within the exam site.
Once Ehre and Wirbel had both fallen asleep beside the fire, Miss Fíliya suddenly erupted with a shout of joy.
"Hah! I won. Honestly, Frieren, that guy... is she really that stubborn? She insisted on tossing about for so long before finally choosing to give up."
Fíliya's expression was one of immense pride. She could no longer sense any activity from Frieren's side, which meant Frieren had finally abandoned her analysis of the barrier. Consequently, a triumphant, beaming smile immediately surfaced on her face.
As for why she did this... the reason was simple.
Fíliya herself had to catch over two hundred Meteoric Iron Birds (Stille). Although she didn't know why Frieren had suddenly started analyzing the barrier, she knew that if Frieren succeeded and shattered it, the Stille would fly off and disappear completely. Therefore, Fíliya had immediately stepped in to interfere with Frieren.
Only if this barrier was maintained did Fíliya have a chance of completing her mission to catch all the Stille.
"Hey, Ehre, look, I succeeded!"
After basking in self-satisfaction for a moment, Fíliya immediately turned to look at Ehre. However, it was obvious that in her obsession with countering Frieren, she had not noticed the passage of time.
Miss Ehre had long since left her side and was currently sleeping soundly by the fire.
"Mm... is it already sleeping time? ... Heh, damn Frieren, you caused me to come up empty-handed today... But since you fought me all day, you definitely couldn't have caught any Stille either. I'd like to see what tricks you pull tomorrow."
Fíliya curled her lip, stood up to stretch her body, and then walked over to Miss Ehre's side.
Beside Ehre, a spot had clearly been left open for her to lie down.
"Boo hoo hoo... I'm so moved. You even saved a spot for me. Ehre, you really are a good girl."
As she spoke, Fíliya rubbed her eyes and let out a very affected fake cry.
At this moment, it was clear no one was paying attention to her, so one had to wonder who exactly this clumsy performance was for.
In any case, Miss Fíliya soon entered a state of sleep as well.
...Early the next morning, Fíliya and Miss Ehre were woken up by Wirbel.
"Fíliya... you... never mind Ehre having no vigilance, but why didn't you open your eyes either?"
Wirbel looked at Fíliya with an unhappy expression.
"Hah? What for? I sensed it. There's a squad approaching us... but they look like total amateurs at a glance. They have no strength."
Fíliya rubbed her sleepy eyes, her tone very impatient.
"Tsk, even so, you must take it seriously... In the world of magic, the weak defeating the strong happens from time to time. Victory and defeat are never determined solely by mana capacity... Anyway, you two get up quickly. Since we don't know their intentions, we need to be on guard."
Wirbel continued to urge them.
"Ay... yeah, yeah, yeah. You really think of yourself as the captain, don't you?"
Fíliya went along with it helplessly, then stood up together with Ehre.
After a brief preparation, the three of them hid in the bushes together.
A short while later, a completely unguarded voice reached their ears.
"Hey, are you sure the Stille flew this way? I mean, that little thing's speed is just too exaggerated... How are we supposed to catch it? It's basically an impossible mission..."
What first piqued Fíliya's curiosity was this voice.
Because, while the voice clearly belonged to a young girl in the prime of her youth, the tone felt somewhat old-fashioned.
Moreover... Fíliya couldn't shake the feeling that she had heard this voice somewhere before.
"They really are amateurs. If there were Stille nearby, we would have caught them ages ago. How did they even find their way here...?"
Fíliya lowered her voice as much as possible. Although the three had agreed to hide first, her personality was such that she couldn't resist making a snide remark.
"Also, they seem completely unaware that there are other mages nearby... Is their detection really that weak? Isn't it a bit too much of a stretch to take the First-Class exam at this level?"
Fíliya continued speaking, and at the same time, Wirbel lowered his guard.
"Indeed, there's no threat. Shall we make contact? Or just leave?"
Wirbel asked, looking at Fíliya.
"Of course we're making contact. I just feel this voice sounds familiar. Come on, follow me to take a look."
Saying this, Fíliya jumped straight out of the bushes. Seeing this, Wirbel and Ehre naturally followed behind her.
While that amateur squad was still searching for traces of the Stille, Fíliya's group had long since slowly closed in on them... By the time they reacted, Wirbel and Ehre's staffs were already pressed against the neck of the girl who appeared to be the leader, from different angles.
"Don't move."
Wirbel said coldly.
Unlike the seriousness of Wirbel and Ehre, Fíliya's demeanor at this moment was very casual.
"Mm... rings a bell... but not much. Say, where exactly have I seen you before?"
She held the chin of the girl before her with her hand, examining the other's face repeatedly.
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