Mental Magic

Outside the window, the sky was overcast, with leaden clouds hanging low, carrying the bleakness of winter. A cold wind swept through the town, swirling up a few withered leaves that tumbled against the hotel room's glass window, making a soft, rustling sound.

The fireplace in the room was burning brightly, the firewood crackling and dispelling the chill. A faint aroma of tea filled the warm air.

Fern placed a cup of hot tea on the small table, held the warm cup in both hands, gazed out the window, and said softly, "Winter is almost here."

Frieren was curled up in the softest armchair by the fireplace, wrapped in a thick blanket, with only her silver head and hands holding a teacup showing. Her emerald eyes were half-closed, like a cat shivering in the cold, and she mumbled, "Yes... it's so cold... why don't we stay here for a few months and continue our journey when spring comes..."

"No." Fern turned his head, his tone calm but undeniable. "We can't waste time like this. Besides, our travel budget doesn't allow us to stay too long."

"Tsk." Frieren pursed her lips and buried half her face in the blanket.

"My dear Frieren..."

Lowell, who was sitting by the window reading a book, looked up, a hint of interest flashing in her eyes beneath her dark hair. She closed the book and said, "Oh, by the way, Fern, help me experiment with a new spell."

Fern looked at him. "What is it, Lord Lowell?"

"Hmm," Lowell stroked his chin, "It was that Phantom Demon from the other day that inspired me. You know, I hate trouble, and I especially dislike pointless battles. So, I was thinking, if I could instantly incapacitate the opponent, that would be the easiest thing to do." He paused, his gaze shifting to Fern, a strange light seeming to subtly flow within his eyes, outlining a complex and magnificent pattern—"So take a look at this... Tsukuyomi."

Fern paused slightly, instinctively focusing his attention, but felt... as if nothing was amiss?

She blinked her pale purple eyes, a hint of confusion on her face. "So? What is this?"

The strange pattern in Lowell's eyes slowly faded, and he looked at Fern with interest. "Hmm, don't you sense anything unusual?"

Fern carefully sensed it, then shook his head. "Hmm... nothing's wrong. My body and magic flow are normal."

Lowell laughed, a hint of smugness in his eyes. "Goodness, as expected of me. Ever since I was tricked by that guy Grausam back then, I've learned my lesson and diligently practiced Mental Magic (referring to automatically gaining experience while sleeping)... Now it seems, it's really paid off, the Concealment and activation speed..."

Fern was even more puzzled. "So, what exactly is the magical effect? Did you successfully activate it?"

Lowell pointed to the window. "Look outside the hotel."

Fern turned to look out the window as instructed—the streets were deserted. Not only were there no pedestrians, but even the carriages that usually sat by the roadside and the occasional stray cat had vanished. The entire town was deathly silent, filled with an indescribable eeriness.

"This..." Fern frowned slightly.

Lowell then said, "And what about Frieren?"

Fern immediately turned to look at the armchair by the fireplace—the chair was empty; Frieren, who had been wrapped in a blanket, was nowhere to be seen, leaving only the dent in the chair and a half-finished, still-warm cup of tea.

"Lady Frieren?" Fern was startled. "What... what exactly is going on?"

Lowell sat calmly, his tone relaxed. "Don't be nervous, this is already my illusion. For example..." He snapped his fingers.

The surrounding scenery instantly blurred and distorted.

The next second, Fern found herself no longer in the warm hotel room, but standing in the wilderness outside the town, the biting cold wind really whipping against her cheeks, and she subconsciously wrapped her coat tighter.

Before she could adjust, the scene shifted again, transforming into the familiar library corridor of the Continental United Academy, filled with the scent of books. Then, with another snap of her fingers, the surrounding scenery vanished like a faded oil painting—

Fern blinked and found himself still standing in the middle of the inn room, with the faint sounds of the city outside the window, and the fireplace still burning brightly. Frieren was still curled up in the armchair, sipping her tea as if she had never left.

Was that incredibly realistic scene transition just an illusion?

"Fern?" Frieren noticed her gaze, raised her emerald eyes, and asked with a hint of inquiry, "What's wrong?"

Fern walked quickly to her side, looked at her carefully, and then looked at Lowell.

"Lady Frieren... were you alright just now?"

Frieren put down her teacup, blinked, and said calmly, "No, I have very strong resistance to Mental Magic."

Fern pouted and puffed out his cheeks. "You've never taught me anything about Mental Magic."

Frieren's eyes darted around, her fingers unconsciously twirling a strand of silver hair that fell to her chest. Her voice lowered, tinged with obvious guilt. "Uh... well... mages naturally have high resistance, and resistance to the more special Mental Magic requires a long period of accumulation and training; it can't be mastered overnight... and the process is quite tedious and difficult to learn... and there aren't many people who know this level of Mental Magic... for example, Grausam is already dead..."

Fern watched quietly as she twisted her fingers, then sighed softly, "It's alright, Lady Frieren. I understand." She was already used to her master's tendency to make excuses and delay when teaching complex skills or those requiring patient refinement.

Frieren seemed even more embarrassed by Fern's "thoughtfulness." She lowered her hand from her hair, touched her nose, and whispered, "Alright... when we get to the next town, if there's time... I'll teach you some basic defensive techniques."

"Yes, thank you very much, Lady Frieren. Well then, I'll make you Mercury Pudding tonight." Fern nodded, a faint smile on his face.

"Hmph~"