Special Magic
The village beside the mountain road is small, with dozens of stone houses scattered around, smoke rising from chimneys, and the sounds of chickens and dogs, exuding a peaceful and tranquil atmosphere.
However, as Lowell and his group passed the village entrance, they keenly sensed an unusual commotion.
Several villagers, their faces etched with worry, were huddled together, whispering amongst themselves. But when they saw these outsiders, especially the distinguished travelers, their eyes lit up with hope.
It turns out that a small pack of wolf-like monsters had recently appeared in the woods near the village.
This monster is not large and not particularly strong in combat, but it is cunning by nature and has sharp fangs. It loves to attack lone livestock at night, and once it almost injured a child who got up to get up at night, causing panic among the villagers.
The village hunters organized several raids, but the animals were extremely wary and always managed to escape through the dense forest, making them difficult to eradicate.
For Lowell and his companions, this was hardly a troublesome problem.
Even without everyone joining the fight, Lupa and Linié went to investigate, and within a quarter of an hour, several short howls echoed from the forest before silence returned.
When the two returned, Lupa's spear tip was covered in a little dust, while Linié remained as quiet as if she had just gone for a walk.
The fact that it was resolved so easily made the kind-hearted villagers feel bad.
The old Village Chief rubbed his hands, his face full of gratitude and embarrassment. "My benefactors, thank you so much! You've solved a huge problem for us! But our little village really doesn't have anything decent to offer as a token of our gratitude... We only have some grains we've grown ourselves and some cured meat. If you don't mind..."
Lowell waved his hand, his tone amiable. "It was nothing, no need to be so polite." His gaze swept across the village, revealing that life here was not affluent.
Just then, the Village Chief seemed to remember something, turned around and whispered a few instructions to a young man beside him. The young man quickly ran off and returned a moment later carrying an old-looking wooden box. The Village Chief opened the box; inside were no gold or silver, only two simple magic books.
"We found this by chance in the village, and it's said to have been left behind by the Village Chief two generations ago," the Village Chief explained somewhat embarrassedly. "We're all illiterate, let alone know magic, so leaving it here is a waste. If our benefactors don't mind, perhaps... it might be of some use?"
Frieren's gaze was immediately drawn to the two books. She leaned closer, her emerald eyes gleaming, and picked up the thinner one first, reading the title aloud. "The Guide to Guaranteed Bird Capture Within Fifty Centimeters (General)?"
She tilted her head, a thoughtful look on her face, and looked at Lowell: "This spell... feels repetitive, doesn't it? Lowell, I remember we already have a spell that Definitely Able to Catch Birds Within Five Meters '?"
Lowell took the book, quickly flipped through a few pages, and nodded. "Hmm, the principle is similar, but the application scope is different. The previous 'five-meter magic' was limited to living beings with conventional bird-like biological characteristics. But this 'fifty-centimeter magic'..."
He pointed to a passage in the book, "Although the effective range is much shorter, the definition is broader. As long as its essence or common name can be classified into the category of 'bird,' even magical creatures that resemble birds seem to work. It's closer to the whimsical and illogical pragmatism of folk magic."
Legendary magic tricks like wiping bronze statues and washing clothes are common folk beliefs about magic and gods, and are just routine practices.
Frieren said "Oh," her blue eyes brightening as she carefully picked up the book. "That's quite useful." For her, who loved collecting all sorts of strange and unusual magic, this seemingly "degraded" but actually expanded-boundary minor magic was just what she wanted.
Her gaze then fell on another, thicker book in the box. The cover featured a simple drawing of a pig, the lines childlike, like a child's scribbles, and next to it was the title. "Efficient Pig Slaughtering and Meat Preservation Magic (with: Technique for Temporarily Weakening Pigs)".
Frieren picked up the book and flipped through it. Sure enough, it contained techniques on how to use magic to instantly incapacitate pigs, precisely bleed them, and maintain the freshness of their meat. Although the descriptions were crude and straightforward, they were highly practical.
Lowell leaned over for a look, couldn't help but click his tongue, and a teasing expression appeared on his face:
"Pig-slaughtering magic? Tsk, that guy Qual has poured his heart and soul into developing Killing Magic, while these folk mages are buried in researching pig-slaughtering magic... From the perspective of people's well-being, it's hard to say which is superior. The Demons have Qual, Human race have folk magic; it's enough to balance things out, enough to balance things out..."
Frieren didn't comment on the assessment, but she was clearly quite satisfied with the "Pig Slaughtering Magic" book. After all, the technique of "temporarily weakening pigs" mentioned in it could perhaps be improved and used in other ways. She quietly packed both books into her small suitcase, her movements light and quick, as if she had acquired two treasures.
While they were examining the magic book, Solitär had already been surrounded by several of the village's bolder children. The children were filled with curiosity about this big sister with her unusual hair color, sweet smile, and cute little horns on her head. Solitär, without any airs of Great Demons, squatted down and, in her ethereal and melodious voice, asked the children a series of questions with a smile:
"Little sister, what's your favorite game? When you play hide-and-seek, what does it feel like to hide? Are you scared?"
"Little brother, if I gave you a candy that you could never finish, but your best friend would forget you, would you be willing?"
Why do you think the sky is blue? What would clouds taste like?
Her questions were naive and quirky, but the children loved them more; after all, their minds might be even more unconventional than Solitär's. They answered all at once, creating an exceptionally harmonious atmosphere.
Solitär's pale green eyes gleamed with satisfaction, as if she were collecting the freshest firsthand data on "human infantile thought patterns," and incidentally playing the role of a leader among children, though she herself did not feel that way.
After bidding farewell to the villagers who were extremely grateful, the group continued on their journey. As evening fell, they set up camp by a clear stream.
Lupa and Linié skillfully started a campfire, while Lowell took out a fine steak from his bag and prepared a meal.
Frieren sat on a smooth boulder nearby, taking out her newly acquired "Efficient Pig-Slaughtering Magic" and another magic notebook she had previously obtained that described precise temperature control. She studied them side by side, her emerald eyes sparkling with focused concentration.
She seems to want to try combining the concepts of "preservation" and "heat preservation" to develop a convenient magic that can keep food at its best for a long time.
After a while, she seemed to have gained some insight. She looked up and said to Lowell, who was grilling meat, "Lowell, let me try out my new 'temperature-controlled preservation' magic on that steak."
Upon hearing this, Lowell handed her the wooden skewer with the steak on it, adding a word of caution, "Be careful."
"Don't worry, I'm very skilled at it." Frieren confidently took the steak, holding the notebook in one hand and extending her index finger with the other, a faint magical glow gathering at the fingertip. She carefully touched the sizzling, fragrant steak. She also muttered the fragments of the spell she had just understood.
However, the moment the magical light touched the steak—
"Call--!"
An unusual heat wave suddenly rose from the steak, followed by a roar that sent flames shooting high into the air! The steak instantly turned charred black, its edges curling, emitting a pungent, burnt smell! The leaping flames almost licked the pink hair of Linié, who was sitting quietly beside him, taking small bites of an apple!
"Whoa!" Lupa reacted with lightning speed, exclaiming in surprise. Almost instinctively, she lunged forward, scooping up the still bewildered Linié, who was munching on an apple, and quickly retreating a few steps. Her heterochromatic eyes were filled with lingering shock. "Frieren! What kind of magic is that?! 'Efficient Charcoal-Grilling' magic? The power is a bit too much! Use it next time to roast a monster the size of a whole Lion Boar!"
Frillie herself was startled. Looking at the steak in her hand that had instantly turned into charcoal, her emerald eyes widened, her face filled with bewilderment, as if asking, "How could this happen?" She hurriedly and clumsily dispelled her magic, then blinked awkwardly at Lowell, who looked disapproving, and Ruparine, who was still in shock.
"Uh... the temperature wasn't controlled well!" She tried to salvage the situation, clearing her throat and raising her hand again, her fingertips glowing with an icy blue light. "Oops! The temperature was set too high! I still have cooling magic! This time it'll work!"
A blast of cold air struck the charred steak with pinpoint accuracy.
"Click..."
A faint crackling sound rang out. The flames went out instantly, but the steak was quickly covered with a thick, glistening white frost, and even the wooden skewer that held it was frozen stiff, emitting wisps of cold air. From a piece of charcoal, it had become a standard "frozen steak popsicle."
The scene was completely silent, save for the Burning of the campfire.
A gentle evening breeze swept by, carrying a hint of burnt smoke and chill.
Frieren stared at her latest "masterpiece," paused for two seconds, then cautiously poked the hard, cold "steak" with her finger, making a crisp "click." She looked up at her companions, whose expressions varied, and forced an innocent yet slightly ingratiating smile to ease the awkwardness, whispering:
"Uh... at least it won't break? Maybe... it'll be crunchy?"
Lowell, watching Frieren's pretense of composure despite having clearly messed up, and even her attempt to promote the "crunchy" steak, finally couldn't help but chuckle softly, rubbing his forehead. "Looks like I'll have to make do with dinner tonight. Frieren, you should probably start practicing your new magic by keeping bread warm."
Lupa looked at Linié, who remained expressionless and silently ate the last bite of her apple, and shook her head helplessly. "Linié, were you scared?"
Linié shook her head, her deep blue eyes glancing at Frieren, then at Lowell, before silently pulling another apple from her pocket and offering it to Lupa, as if asking, "Want some? This is safe."
Solitär, looking intrigued, pulled out a small notebook from somewhere and began recording "An Elf Mage's Cooking Accident: A Huge Discrepancy Between Theoretical Conception and Actual Operation, and an Analysis of the Team's Stress Response"...
As night deepened, a strange atmosphere filled the campfire, a mixture of the smell of burning meat, helplessness, and a touch of warmth. Lowell re-set up the barbecue, and the aroma gradually dispelled the previous chaos.