The Eve of the Exam

"Yes, Fern, just like that, completely conceal the magic..."

Along the forest path, Frieren walked and gave directions. Sunlight filtered through the leaves, dancing on her silver hair.

"Maintaining this continuously is a bit tiring, Lady Frieren." Fern frowned slightly, feeling the deliberately suppressed magical energy flowing within her body.

"Just bear with it," Frieren replied lazily, brushing aside the branches drooping in front of her eyes. "I don't like it either; it feels like I'm wrapped in something."

Why hide so much magic?

"Because we don't want Serie to realize we're here." Frieren's gaze drifted to the wildflowers by the roadside.

"So, you don't want to see Lady Serie?" Fern turned to look at her.

"Hmm..." Frieren blinked, her gaze shifting for a moment before finally giving a vague response, unable to articulate her thoughts clearly.

"Let me speak," Lowell continued. "Serie has two flaws. First, she always has this condescending, all-knowing arrogance that Frieren doesn't like. Second, her core belief is that 'magic is just a tool for fighting, and should be the exclusive domain of a few geniuses.' This is fundamentally contrary to Frieren's aversion to conflict and Flamme's desire to 'integrate magic into life and benefit all beings.'"

"Yes!" Frieren nodded immediately, agreeing with Lowell's explanation.

"I see, different philosophies, alright." Fern nodded knowingly, continuing to conceal his magic. "Speaking of which, why do you two usually hide a portion of your magic?"

"To avoid unnecessary trouble," Frieren, looking at the sky as if stating an objective fact, "But constantly trying to hide like this is exhausting. So let's only hide a part of it."

She paused, as if remembering something, and added, "Flamme once wanted me to spend my entire life practicing concealing my magic to mislead my opponents. But Lowell said, 'You'd be better off training something else; once you're strong enough, you won't need this method anymore,' and besides..."

"And what else?" Fern pressed.

"He said, 'I don't want you to work so hard, I'm here anyway,'" Frieren repeated calmly. "So I didn't hide most of my magic for long. Although that tactic had its value, it really didn't matter with him around, and I really didn't want to be so tired."

"You really rely on Lord Lowell."

"Don't say 'dependence'," Frieren retorted immediately, her earlobe twitching almost imperceptibly. "I saved him too."

"Alright, then, is Lord Lowell's magic the same?"

"Yeah, same goes, to avoid trouble," Lowell chimed in casually. "Ruby had three hundred years of magical power when Ruby ten, while Heiter had about five hundred years of magical power. If we control it, it'll just be considered normal 'gifted talent,' and won't attract too much attention."

"Understood."

The group boarded the carriage.

"Hmm... Hiding my magic is so tiring... I need to rest!" Frieren prepared to lie down on Fern's lap and look at the sky.

"... Never mind." She hadn't been lying down for long before she sat up again.

"What's wrong, Lady Frieren?"

"I can only see half of the sky."

After passing through the last stretch of forest path, the view suddenly opened up before us.

The vast lake, like a sapphire embedded in the valley, shimmered with light. Deep within its heart, the white silhouette of the magical city of Oysast was clearly visible.

"It's even more prosperous than described in the records," Fern murmured, gazing at the city in the middle of the lake.

They prepared to enter the city.

"An adventurer?" the city gate guard asked routinely.

"Yes, we are adventurers, and also travelers, Trailblazer, pioneers, commanders, administrators, rope craftsmen, kings, Naruto, chosen ones, headmasters, saviors of the world, captains, warriors of light, doctors, guardians, pioneers, those who pull electrical wires, masters, professors, Onmyoji, Saniwa, shopkeepers, young heroes, lords, summoners, those who invade the Great Wu territory, faceless men and women, blond-haired cameramen, mute people, those who sleep anywhere..."

The guard glanced at them a few times, then waved his hand. "What nonsense! Sleeping anywhere in Oysast is forbidden. Go inside."

The streets are paved with smooth stone slabs, and the buildings on both sides are elegant. The commercial area is bustling with people, and the shop windows display all kinds of magical tools, medicines and spellbooks.

"Lady Frieren," Fern said, looking around curiously, "If either you or Lady Lowell were to obtain the qualification of First-Class Mage, we could pass through the checkpoints and head to the Northern Plateau, right?"

"It doesn't matter who gets the qualification," Frieren replied listlessly, her gaze drawn to the window of a dessert shop. "It doesn't necessarily have to be the two of us. Fern, you can take the exam too. If I go, I'll have to see Serie again, which is troublesome."

"Lady Frieren, are you really unaware?" Fern's tone carried a hint of helplessness. "Among all mages, the title of First-Class Mage is the highest rank, and it's said that there are currently no more than a hundred officially certified ones across the entire continent. With my current strength, there's absolutely no way I could pass it."

Frieren casually replied with an "Oh," "Is that so?"

"It seems you really aren't interested in this," Fern said, turning to Lowell. "Lowell, what about you? How about taking the First-Class Mage exam?"

Lowell was examining a fountain sculpture in the center of the square when he heard this, and pointed to himself with his finger. "Me? Going to take the First-Class Mage exam?"

He stroked his chin, a mischievous, thoughtful expression on his face.

"Hmm... no problem, after all, as the old saying goes, 'Since we're already here...'"

A thought flashed through his mind, and he said, "This kind of high-level mage exam can't possibly be a written test, right? If it's a practical or team-based assessment... what do you think would happen if I managed to get all the mages taking the exam to pass? Would Serie's expression be quite interesting? Would she be furious? Would the number of First-Class Mages double or something...?"

"Perhaps. It's wonderful that you're willing to participate; that way, we can head north as soon as possible."

Just then, a female voice with no emotional fluctuation suddenly rang out beside Lowell:

"Are you such a wicked person?"

Lowell was startled and quickly turned his head.

A girl with extremely long, light brown hair that almost reached the ground stood silently to the side. Her face was delicate but expressionless; she was Sense, First-Class Mage of the Continental Magic Association.

Her hair fell naturally, almost reaching her ankles, with natural, slight curls at the ends. She wore a long white dress with a wide, flowing skirt.

She wore a dark blue cape with gray details and delicate tassels at the collar and cuffs, the surface of which had a fine decorative texture. She wore black ankle boots, which complemented the overall elegance of the outfit.

"Impossible," Lowell, somewhat taken aback, instinctively checking his own magic Concealment status—perfectly accurate. "How did you discover us? We hid our magic perfectly..."

Sense remained expressionless, using his "Hair Manipulation Magic" to manipulate a strand of his hair, and gently pointed to his indifferent eyes:

"I saw it with my own eyes."

Lowell: "..."

He was speechless. Well, they were so focused on concealing their magical fluctuations that they forgot the most fundamental point—they hadn't cast any visual Concealment spells. So, on this busy street, it was incredibly easy for someone they knew to recognize them by sight.

Lowell coughed lightly to cover his embarrassment. "Well, anyway... my suggestion just now shouldn't violate the exam rules, right? After all, I'm not First-Class Mage, so it's perfectly reasonable for me to participate in the exam."

Sense looked at him calmly, his tone still steady. "Yes, it doesn't violate the rules. I remember, Lady Serie also directly became the president of the Continental Magic Association, and she didn't obtain her qualification through the First-Class Mage exam."

"She would be delighted to know you're participating. After all, I remember she's been eagerly anticipating another match against you, and she'd probably personally assess the candidates' abilities..."

"Wait! Stop!" Lowell waved his hand quickly after hearing the second half of the sentence. "I suddenly feel like this exam is meaningless... Can't I just not take it?"

Sense looked at him quietly for two seconds, then, without continuing the topic, said businesslike, "The exam registration office is on the first floor of the Central Tower. The deadline is before sunset today." After saying that, she nodded and turned to disappear quietly into the crowd.

Lowell was left standing there, looking somewhat helpless.

Frieren stared in the direction where Sense had disappeared, muttering to herself, "See? I told you it would be troublesome."

Fern looked at Lowell with a questioning look in his eyes.

"Lord Lowell, you seem... to be very afraid of Serie?"

Lowell vehemently denied it. "Who's afraid? I just... don't want to cause trouble!"

Fern looked at him quietly, her eyes asking, "Really?"

"Okay, about my relationship with that guy... I don't like fighting because it's troublesome, and if we really fought, the destructive power of the two of us would be too great. There was that time before... do you remember when we passed by that flower field in the forest on our way here?"

"I remember there was a flower field several hundred meters in size; that's quite rare."

"That was because I controlled my strength. I didn't think the attack would break through the other dimension, and I almost sent Frieren to her death. In the end, because it damaged the flowers and plants, I was the one who filled the hole. Then Flamme used Flower Field Magic on the bare ground, creating a flower field in that forest."

"..."

"And," Lowell glanced at Frieren, who was peering out of the magic book display window, "Some people are worried. Though she doesn't say it."