Everyday Life at the Academy

The Northern Frontier snowstorm raged on, blanketing the Continental United Academy in a thick layer of silver. Distant mountains were like dark eyebrows, and icicles hung from the eaves, creating a pristine and serene landscape. Only the vibrant energy emanating from within the academy dispelled the chill of winter.

"The northern landscape is a scene of ice and snow stretching for miles."

No problem, the Northern Countries are the northern countries.

Lowell stood alone atop the highest tower of the academy, his black hair fluttering slightly in the north wind. He looked down at the snow-covered courtyards and buildings below, his gaze calm, as if appreciating this tranquil scene he had helped create, made even more serene by the snow.

"Lowell..."

A slightly nasal, aggrieved voice came from below him.

Lowell looked down and saw Frieren hovering in mid-air at his feet, a few snowflakes still clinging to her silver hair, her emerald eyes glistening like a ferret whose pine cone had been stolen. She gently landed on the tile beside him and tugged at his sleeve.

"They bullied me..." she muttered softly, instinctively moving closer to Lowell.

"Huh!?" Lowell frowned, his voice laced with undisguised protectiveness. "Who dares to bully my Frieren!"

"Hmph~ It's us!"

His answer was a perfectly sized snowball flying right in his face!

"Smack!"

The snowball hit Lowell squarely on the forehead, the shattered snow splashing all over his face with a chill.

The one who threw the snowball was Ruby, who was hovering in the air not far away.

Her fiery red curly hair stood out against the snowy landscape, and she wore a bright, mischievous smile, while holding another "ammunition" in her hand.

Below her, on the main building's spacious open-air platform, Himmel, Heiter, and Eisen were prominently displayed, and even Linié stood quietly to the side, her deep blue eyes reflecting the snow's light.

Lowell raised his hand to brush away the snowflakes from his hair. He first naturally reached out and pulled Frieren behind him, then skillfully brushed the snowflakes from Frieren's hair and shoulders with gentle movements, which contrasted with his suddenly cold and feigned anger.

"Hmph! Good grief, you want to have a snowball fight, huh?"

His gaze finally landed on Linié, with a hint of disbelief.

"Putting everyone else aside, how did you end up with them, Linié?"

Linié is clearly a demon on their side.

Linié took a small bite of the apple that appeared out of nowhere, chewed it expressionlessly, and then answered in her calm, even voice, "Linié won't tell you."

Good heavens, this little traitor has been bribed.

"Hmph~" Ruby raised her chin smugly, "With so much snow today, this is perfect for playing! Surrender! There are too many of us!"

Lowell, with Frieren in his arms, slowly floated down from the top of the tower, stepping onto the thick snow in the courtyard.

Frieren remained huddled behind him, only half her face showing, looking like she was saying, "I've been bullied and I feel wronged, but I have someone to back me up."

Lowell, seeing the overwhelming number of people before him, laughed in exasperation:

"Hmph! You dare bully my Frieren? You outnumber us? Trying to turn us against you, huh!" He patted Frieren's back lightly, his tone resolute, "Frieren, don't be afraid, there are more of us! Come on out, children!"

As soon as he finished speaking, a large group of children dressed in matching winter school uniforms surged out from the nearby corridors and behind the buildings. Led by Lilisa, who looked like she had been waiting for this moment, their eyes were bright and their faces were full of excited smiles. They instantly formed a small "army" behind Lowell and Frieren.

"Hmph..." Lowell's face revealed a confident smile, "Let's start the war! Let's see who has more people!"

Ruby looked at the sea of little heads and deliberately shrank her neck exaggeratedly. "Huh? So many people? You're cheating!"

"Hmph! Who gave you permission to bully my Frieren first!" Lowell declared righteously, waving her arm. "Adults are always filthy! I feel no shame whatsoever for ganging up on the weak! Attack!"

The children bent down and made snowballs.

Countless snowballs, like a dense cluster of meteors, streaked across graceful parabolas, and then—

It all splattered and crashed onto him and Frieren, and around them!

"Huh!?" Lowell was completely stunned, caught off guard by this unexpected attack.

Standing at the very front of the children, Lilisa stood with her hands on her hips, her face beaming with the exaggerated smile of a classic villain:

"Heh heh ha ha! You didn't expect that, did you, my lord! We have long since abandoned darkness and embraced the light, joining the ranks of the Hero! We've come to vanquish the evil Demon King! Hmm... and his elven allies!"

Himmel stepped forward at the opportune moment, a gentle yet resolute smile on his face. His blue hair stood out even more against the snowstorm. He struck a classic "victory" pose, like a hero raising his sword to slay Demon King, though he wasn't actually holding a sword, but rather a large snowball.

"That's right! The righteous hero, leading his brave squad and a group of reliable little warriors, has come to defeat the evil Demon King!"

Ruby immediately flew to Himmel's side, mimicking the motion of casting magic, perfectly mirroring Himmel's movement, and loudly echoed, "That's right! Surrender! If Lady Frieren would just say 'Lady Ruby is the best,' Ruby abandon darkness and embrace light today, sparing your life!"

Heiter laughed heartily, rubbing his hands together. "Haha! Didn't expect that, did you! We came prepared!"

Eisen smiled, his eyes narrowing, but instead of making a snowball, he held an axe. Clearly, as a warrior, he was prepared to block all the snowball attacks.

Linié was still eating an apple.

Suddenly, snowballs rained down on Lowell and Frieren from both directions. Under Lilisa's command, the children's attack was quite organized, Ruby and Himmel were responsible for focusing on key targets.

Lowell and Frieren were immediately caught in a hail of bullets, forced to dodge and weave in disarray. Frieren was especially targeted, getting hit repeatedly by snowballs, eliciting a series of short screams from her. "Whoa! Ah! Ahh! Ah... Wait!... Ahh~... Ouch!"

"Tsk... these little traitors..." Lowell protected Frieren, nimbly dodging most of the attacks, but still couldn't avoid being hit.

"Master! Lady Frieren! I've arrived!"

Just then, a peach-colored figure rushed into the battlefield like a whirlwind! It was Lupa! She held a long spear, her peach-colored twin ponytails flying as she ran, and her heterochromatic eyes Burning with a firm fighting spirit.

With a flick of her spear, a flash of silver light appeared, and with a few swift movements, she accurately deflected and shattered the snowballs flying towards Lowell and Frieren. Then, her spear moved in a dense, impenetrable formation, creating a protective circle that temporarily blocked most of the attacks.

"Quickly, find a way to regroup!" Lupa shouted without turning her head, her voice clear and bright. "Lupa will never betray my master and Frieren!"

Seeing Lupa stand firmly by his side in this time of "betrayal and abandonment," Lowell felt a surge of warmth in his heart, his eyes even welling up with tears. He exclaimed with deep emotion, "Good apprentice! In times of crisis, we still have to rely on you!"

He took a deep breath, steadied himself, and quickly formed several complex, seemingly powerful and profound hand seals in front of him.

Although he neither knows nor needs to form hand seals, it's purely for the sake of imposing presence.

"Behold my Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu... cough, Multiple Clone Magic!"

In an instant, the snow thudded as hundreds of clones identical to Lowell appeared, forming a dense, dark mass.

Before the other party could react, Lowell shouted again, "Continue... the Undercover Magic!"

A large cloud of smoke, designed to confuse the senses, appeared out of nowhere and quickly spread outwards. When the smoke cleared, countless "Lilisa," "Ruby," "Himmel," "Nayite," and other clones appeared on the field... all of them were his alter egos!

"Alright! Soldiers, follow me and attack!!" Lowell waved his hand, his momentum unstoppable, and Frieren followed behind him, taking advantage of his power.

The real allied forces were thrown into chaos, unable to distinguish the real from the fake. Snowball began to accidentally injure his own men, with screams and laughter echoing throughout. The battlefield situation reversed in an instant!

Amidst the chaos, Linié finished the last bite of her apple, glanced at her own allies fighting around her, then at the menacing "copy army" opposite her, and then decisively raised her free hand, clearly stating in her characteristically calm and even voice:

"Linié, I surrender! I can't Imitation! Lupa, save me! Please accept my surrender!"

As evening fell, the college's warm dining hall was brightly lit, and the aroma of food dispelled the winter chill. After a thoroughly enjoyable and chaotic snowball fight, everyone had a hearty appetite.

Frieren sipped her hot soup, her emerald eyes gazing at the still-falling snowflakes outside the window, and suddenly whispered, "Today... I'm very happy."

Lowell, who was peeling the crayfish for her, smiled when he heard this and said, "Hmm, it's nice to have some fun like this once in a while."

Frieren turned her head and looked at the lively scene in the restaurant.

Himmel and Heiter are having a contest to see who can eat more roasted meat, although neither of them can actually outeat Frieren.

Ruby excitedly recounting her "heroic deeds" of "defending the Demon King" during the day to the children sitting around her, but subconsciously omitted the fact that she had suffered a crushing defeat at the end.

Lupa and Linié quietly shared a plate of fruit.

Eisen calmly sipped his ale... no, he was drinking a beverage.

Why? That's hard to guess, Lilisa.

Lilisa, like a little adult, maintained order...

Her gaze finally settled on the crayfish that Lowell had carefully peeled.

Lowell held it to her lips and watched her bite down.

"Aww, aww..." Frieren licked her lips contentedly.

Outside the window, snow falls silently. Inside, the lamplight is warm and inviting.