The Battle Begins

Shortly after, a Stille flapped its wings and landed on Frieren's shoulder.

It tilted its head and gently pecked at Frieren's silvery-white hair with its beak, as if it mistook her for a moving tree it had never seen before.

A barely perceptible smug smile played at the corners of Frieren's lips.

She raised her hand, her fingertips moving with magic, and the Bird-Catching Magic she had prepared beforehand was instantly activated, transforming into a soft halo that gently enveloped the Stille on her shoulder.

Before the bird could even struggle, she picked it up and put it in the cage at her feet.

The cage door closed.

From the bushes, Rabiñe peeked out, letting out a sigh of relief, "We succeeded. It wasn't for nothing that we risked so much to provoke the other teams."

Kanne also emerged, his face beaming with joy after the initial tension. "Looks like I've passed the first round of testing."

Frieren didn't look at them, but turned in another direction, her tone calm. "... No."

Far away.

Duncan slowly lowered his hand, which had been maintaining the reconnaissance spell, and nodded to the two beside him. "Found it. As expected, even the most skilled mage must use magic the moment they capture the Stille. That instantaneous fluctuation of magical power is absolutely impossible to fool."

Before he could finish speaking, Laufen's body had already turned into a blurry afterimage and vanished from the spot in an instant.

"Wait... sigh, young people are so impatient. Never mind, let's go too."

Duncan and Lichta immediately got up and rushed towards the source of the magical fluctuations.

On Frieren's side.

She picked up the Birdcage, speaking a little faster, "We've been detected. We need to get out of here quickly—"

He hadn't finished speaking.

A figure tore through the air at an astonishing speed, accompanied by a faint magical boom, and slid almost along the ground to the front of Frieren and the other two.

The newcomer was none other than Laufen. She half-squatted, holding her staff horizontally behind her like a spear, striking a pose with impeccable poise, exuding a well-trained and dashing air.

Frieren blinked. "Ah... it seems too late."

Without uttering a single word, Laufen's figure blurred again, his target clear— the Birdcage in Frieren's hand.

However, just as her fingertips were about to touch the cage, a fair hand arrived first, precisely grabbing her collar by the back of her neck, like lifting a kitten trying to steal a fish.

Laufen: "Huh?"

Before she could even see how the other person moved, a strong, magical rope appeared out of thin air and bound her securely to a thick tree trunk nearby.

The whole process was so fast that it was almost non-existent.

Laufen: "..."

Duncan and Lichta then rushed to the scene.

Laufen, tied to a tree, reported expressionlessly, "Old man, I failed."

Frieren shook the Birdcage in her hand, her tone flat, as if discussing the weather. "Folk magic passed down among the mountain peoples of the Southern Lands, High-Speed Movement, right? It works very well; I learned it a long time ago."

Duncan's gaze swept over the tightly bound Laufen, then fell back on Frieren, and he said in a deep voice, "... Is that so? Indeed, Laufen's High-Speed Movement is not yet refined enough, so it's not surprising that you caught him."

Laufen said blankly, "Old man, isn't that a bit too blunt?"

Duncan ignored her complaints and kept his eyes fixed on Frieren: "After all, your opponent is this Frieren."

Frieren tilted her head slightly. "You know me too."

"How could someone my age not have heard of you?" Duncan said slowly, his eyes calm. "Although this is the first time I've seen you in person, the almost overflowing magical power emanating from you... there's no mistake. You are Frillian, the Ruby Elven Mage Frieren's master from the group of heroes. Currently, you are recognized as one of the only three remaining 'Great Mages' in the world."

Frieren looked at him. "So, knowing it was me, you still wanted to challenge me head-on? You were the one using stealth magic to monitor our movements, weren't you? Your magic perception was quite well concealed; I thought you'd choose a more despicable sneak attack."

Lichta, standing nearby, calmly interjected, "No, this is despicable enough. The plan is for Duncan to hold you off, while I will kill one of those two brats."

As he spoke, his gaze swept indifferently over Rabiñe and Kanne, who were standing ready for battle.

Frieren instantly understood. "I see. The exam rule is that you can't pass if the team isn't complete. If one of them dies, I can't continue the exam. That's the plan."

Rabiñe immediately stepped in front of Kanne, shielding him with his staff, and pointed it at Lichta, sneering, "How funny, old man. Why don't you try?"

Kanne gripped his staff nervously and whispered, "Rabiñe, this guy... is very strong."

Rabiñe stared into Lichta's listless eyes, sensing the magic emanating from him. "... I know."

Lichta said no more, placed one hand on the ground, and earth-yellow magic began to flow between his palm and the ground, clearly preparing some kind of spell.

"Stop, Lichta," Duncan suddenly spoke, his voice low but carrying an undeniable authority. "Frieren, I'll defeat her. You just need to hold off those two girls."

Lichta raised her eyelids, glanced at Duncan, slowly stopped casting her spell, stood up, and said with a hint of incomprehensible mockery in her tone, "Duncan, I thought you were the kind of person who was even less compassionate and more cold-blooded. You are Court Mage, after all; you've eliminated political enemies for His Majesty more than once or twice, haven't you?"

Their eyes met briefly in mid-air.

Duncan paused for a moment before saying, "I just feel that the title of 'First-Class Mage' isn't worth killing for."

Frieren nodded, unusually agreeing, "Yes, at least I agree with that. First-Class Mage just a title. It has no value whatsoever."

Duncan didn't reply, but instead began unbuttoning his heavy black mage robe.

Lichta sighed dramatically, as if she'd heard a joke, "Unbelievable... Really, you don't even know what 'privilege' is, and you've come to take the exam?"

"Privileges?" Frieren repeated, seemingly somewhat interested.

"Several hundred years ago, she appeared on the historical stage, reigning supreme among human mages. The founder of the Continental Magic Association, the Great Mage Serie— " Lichta began calmly, "She still strives to become a mage forged in the crucible of time, comparable to the era of the Demon King's Army's constant warfare. Therefore, once you become First-Class Mage, you can freely peruse almost all known spellbooks in the Association's collection. If you subsequently make recognized contributions to the Association—which isn't actually too difficult—she herself can even 'transfer' a spell to you."

He paused, looking at Frieren's still calm face, and emphasized his tone.

"Serie herself is a living Spellbook, encompassing almost all the magic in human history. She is the mage on this land closest to an omniscient and omnipotent Goddess. Obtaining one of her spells means you could gain tens of thousands of riches, cure any serious illness, or obtain unparalleled power... This kind of 'privilege' is something true mages dream of. That's why almost all First-Class Mage pass the exam are extraordinary 'monsters.' That's the value inherent in this title."

After listening, Frieren simply replied, "Is that so?"

Duncan had already taken off his outer robe, revealing a darker outfit underneath that was more suitable for movement, and said coldly, "How foolish."

Lichta shrugged, refocusing his attention on the battlefield. "Say what you will, Duncan. People like you who disregard privilege are the minority. Humans have desires." He crouched down again, looking at Rabiñe and Kanne, adopting an offensive stance. "Hold Frieren off for a minute. A minute is enough for me to take one of them out."

Duncan casually tossed his black robe onto a nearby bush and took a step forward.

"I said," his voice wasn't loud, but it carried an undeniable pressure as his gaze locked onto Frieren, "Don't kill anyone. Just think of it as putting a child to sleep. You can do something as simple as that, right? Three hours of quiet is enough."

Lichta stared with dead fish eyes. "What are you talking about... Don't joke around, do you know who you're going to fight?"

Duncan ignored him.

At this moment, all he could see was the silver-haired elf in front of him.

Beneath the black robe, the muscles in his arms tensed slightly, and pure magic began to flow and gather silently around him.

"I already said..." Duncan slowly raised his hand, and the magic in the air became restless.

His tone was resolute.

"Frieren, I will defeat her."