After the battle

Following the remaining traces of magic, Wirbel quickly found the clearing in the woods where Ehre had fallen.

Ehre lay on the ground, her hair covered with bits of grass, her eyes closed, her breathing steady, but her face was pale, clearly indicating that she had exhausted her magic power.

"Tch, what do you mean she threw it out?" Wirbel clicked his tongue, squatted down next to Ehre, and started waking her up. "That stinky woman, Fern, could lie so calmly. I thought she was the kind of obedient, well-behaved girl who was all proper and honest. I was fooled by her. Hey, wake up, Ehre."

"Ugh..." Ehre opened her eyes groggily, and when her vision focused, she saw Wirbel's face. She struggled to sit up, but she was too weak and fell back down.

"Tsk, have you run out of magic?" Wirbel looked at her, his tone slightly teasing. "How embarrassing."

Ehre explained weakly, "I was overwhelmed by... a massive amount of Ordinary Attack Magic... I couldn't defend against it at all..." As she spoke, she glanced at Wirbel's expressionless face, and when she didn't hear a response, she added softly, "You don't believe me?"

Wirbel didn't reply, but simply stood up and looked around.

The scene in this open space was indeed somewhat exaggerated. The ground was covered with charred craters of all sizes, the branches of the surrounding trees were broken, and the grass was torn up, as if it had been baptized by the breath of some large monster.

While the damage wasn't catastrophic, it was still quite significant considering that a mere "Ordinary Attack Magic" could produce such an effect...

"Fine, how could I not believe you?" Wirbel withdrew her gaze. "Who told you to fight head-on like an idiot? I told you all those useful spells, the best thing to do is use them right away, instead you had to test the waters first... You must have been muttering your grandfather's outdated fighting style while habitually using his tactic of testing the waters before trying to finish the fight, right? I've told you so many times, your magic is clearly more suitable for a full-on attack from the start... It's hard for any mage who encounters you for the first time to defend against your offensive."

Although he said this, he was thinking about something else: If what she said was true, and that Ordinary Attack Magic had caused this level of suppression and destruction... Fern's strength was probably quite extraordinary, no wonder she was number one. Moreover, she was able to sneak up behind me without me noticing... tsk.

"Mind your own business..." Ehre her face away, her voice muffled as she muttered softly.

"Let's go," Wirbel stood up and turned around, "To meet up with Scharf. The exam isn't over yet."

Ehre was still sitting on the ground, trying to move, but her limbs were still weak and sore. "Hey, wait a minute... I'm out of stamina and magic, I can't walk for now."

Wirbel stopped, turned around, and gave her a disdainful look, his face clearly saying, "What a nuisance."

But he didn't say anything, he just pointed at Ehre with his short staff.

Ehre's body was immediately lifted up by an invisible force, floating half a meter off the ground, swaying and drifting behind him like a piece of luggage driven by magic.

"Hey! Hey!" Ehre struggled in mid-air, but with nowhere to grab onto, she could only maintain this awkward position, a blush creeping onto her face. "Does it have to be this way of carrying luggage?! Carry me on your back! Ah!"

Wirbel turned around, once again revealing an undisguised expression of extreme disgust.

He stared at Ehre for two seconds, then finally let out a long sigh, as if giving up on something.

"... This is really troublesome."

He walked back, reluctantly turned around, squatted down slightly, and then manipulated Ehre to float down and climb onto his back. With her on his back, Wirbel continued walking towards the direction from which Scharf had last emitted magical energy.

"Is Scharf's senses very close?" Ehre asked, perched on his back.

"It's in that open space up ahead," Wirbel said, his tone flat.

We hadn't walked far when we passed through a patch of bushes.

"Hey, Scharf, come help me move Ai--" Wirbel stopped mid-sentence.

They saw the scene in the open space.

Scharf was lying on his side on the ground in a rather "peaceful" position, his eyes half-closed, his body occasionally twitching slightly, and there were a few butterflies on his body.

Wirbel silently watched his teammate lying motionless on the ground.

Hearing the sound, Scharf silently opened his eyes.

"Wirbel, carry me on your back, my body is paralyzed, I can't move..."

Wirbel: "..."

Ehre, perched on his back, also saw Scharf's miserable state and looked disgusted. "Useless."

Wirbel was silent for a few seconds, and finally, as if accepting some kind of fate, he looked utterly despondent.

Thus, the scene became like this: Wirbel carried Ehre on his back, with Scharf floating in mid-air in comical poses, manipulated by magic behind him, walking through the rain-soaked forest with two burdens in tow.

"There are less than two hours left until the exam ends," Wirbel said as he walked, rain soaking his hair and shoulders. "With two incapacitated soldiers, it's impossible for us to go find the Stille anymore. Tsk, it seems failing is a foregone conclusion."

Ehre nestled on his back and whispered, "Even so, you still came to save us. Wirbel, you're actually super kind."

Wirbel snorted, "I can leave you all behind."

Floating behind, still completely paralyzed, Scharf interjected with a tearful voice, "Don't leave me behind, Wirbel..."

Ehre glanced back at the floating Scharf, her disdain growing even stronger. "What are you crying for? You're a man, aren't you?"

She turned her head, resting her chin gently on Wirbel's shoulder, her gaze fixed on the distant mountains blurred by the rain. Her voice lowered slightly. "This gentleness... is that the reason you've always fought against the Demons? When I was little, my village was also attacked by Demons, and back then, you were the one who stood in front of us like this..."

Fragmented images flashed through her mind: a huge, hideous Demons shadow, the villagers' terrified cries, and that confident figure wearing the same coat Kiba Inuzuka, standing in front of everyone.

Wirbel walked on in silence for a while.

"Are you stupid?" he finally spoke, his voice muffled by the rain. "How could anyone fight to the death based solely on 'gentleness'? Humans, in the end, all fight for their own desires. Me too."

He paused, then continued, "I also have things I want, people I like. So... becoming stronger, becoming even stronger, that's my goal. I fight the Demons simply to hone my combat skills, nothing more. Wherever there's a battle, there I will be. All this talk of gentleness is childish nonsense."

"Honestly... The situation at the front is tense, which is why I rushed here to take the exam. Who knew I'd have to go back immediately... But if I'm not First-Class Mage, going north will mean taking the troublesome sea route. My ship is..." He muttered a few complaints, the last part of which was muffled by the sound of the rain.

Ehre listened quietly without arguing.

After a while, as if suddenly remembering something, she said, "How about... I introduce you to my grandfather? He's First-Class Mage; if you need to travel by land, perhaps..."

Her words came to an abrupt end.

"Wait! Wirbel, look over there!" She suddenly pointed to the branches of a large tree to her side.

Wirbel looked in the direction she was pointing.

On a wet branch, a bird with dark gray metallic feathers was folding its wings and huddling under the relatively dense leaves to avoid the rain. It seemed unaware of the three people below, who were slowly preening their rain-soaked feathers with their beaks.

It was indeed the Stille.

Wirbel: "..."

He stopped in his tracks, staring at the exam target that seemed so close, almost within his grasp, and for a moment, he was speechless.

Several seconds passed before he seemed to find his voice again, and he gently tapped his short staff in that direction, casting the "Gaze Restraint" spell.

The Stille on the branch stiffened and fell straight down, landing on the ground covered with fallen leaves, unable to move and giving up struggling.

Wirbel walked over, bent down and picked up the little thing that had caused countless test takers to rack their brains, his expression complicated.

"What a joke..." he whispered, seemingly addressing no one in particular, "What have we been doing these past two days...?"

After enduring so much hardship and fierce battles, they easily achieved their goal in this way, just when they were about to give up.

"Good luck came way too late." He weighed the light bird in his hand, then looked up at the increasingly heavy rain. "Tsk, I wonder which bastard destroyed the barrier... Really, I need to find somewhere to take shelter first."

He stuffed the Stille into his Birdcage, then continued carrying Ehre on his back, with Scharf floating beside him, and headed towards a rocky outcrop he remembered that offered shelter from the rain.

On the other side, inside a naturally formed cave at the edge of the basin.

Fern used magic to start a small fire. The orange-red flames dispelled the cold and dampness of the cave and cast flickering shadows on the rock walls. The three of them, dressed in wet clothes, warmed themselves by the fire.

Ubel sat by the fire, hugging her knees, her green ponytail still damp. She looked at Fern, who was squatting quietly, with a mischievous smile on her face.

"Honestly, Fern," she drawled, "When you were fighting Ehre, you seemed to only use Ordinary Attack Magic? How boring! Didn't you want to use some more interesting spells?"

Fern poked the fire with a thin twig to make it burn more evenly, and replied without looking up, "Go and say those things to Frieren."

"Oh, it was Frieren's rule..." Ubel seemed to remember something, "She's the one who broke the barrier, isn't she? She made me all 'wet.' Fern, you'll have to give her a good talking to when you get back."

Fern nodded, his tone calm yet earnest. "That's exactly what I was thinking."

She paused, then added, "However, Lady Frieren only stipulated that basic magic can be used in battle. Using other magic outside of battle is not prohibited."

Ubel thought for a moment, "Oh right, you also used Bird-Catching Magic and fire-making magic... So what other interesting magic do you know? Tell me about it?"

Fern stopped poking at the fire, tapped his chin lightly with his finger, and looked thoughtful.

"Hmm... like... magic that See Through Clothes and see what's underneath..." she said casually, as if listing "fire magic" or "cleaning magic."

Ubel sprang away from the fire in an instant, crouching in a corner further inside the cave, crossing his arms in front of him, looking wary like a kitten.

Fern blinked her pale purple eyes, her tone remaining calm. "... I don't know how to use it."

Lanto, who had been sitting quietly on the other side of the fire, pushed up his glasses. The lenses reflected the flickering firelight, making it impossible to see his eyes.

"I said," he began calmly, his voice exceptionally clear in the cave, "I don't want to interrupt you... but theoretically, we're very likely to be opponents in the second round of the exam. Isn't it unwise to reveal our hand now?"

Ubel maintained his defensive stance, glancing at him sideways. "Theoretically, that's how it is~ But my relationship with Fern is just too good, right? Cutie~"

Fern ignored her, and simply picked up a half-dried piece of firewood and carefully added it to the fire.

Lanto looked at Ubel, remained silent for two seconds, and then pushed up his glasses again.

"... Furthermore," he said slowly, his tone carrying a scholarly rigor, "From observing the battle just now, Ubel, your fighting style relies more on close-range ambushes and that special 'cutting' ability; precise control of magic and defense are not your forte. Fern, on the other hand, excels at mid-to-long-range suppression and precise strikes. If the next round is a team battle, there's a possibility that we can complement each other. But if it's an individual battle..."

He didn't finish his sentence, but his meaning was clear.

Ubel finally moved back from the corner, sat down by the fire again, rested his chin on his hand, and looked at Lanto with a bright smile, "So, Glasses Guy, are you worried about me, or are you analyzing me? But you're right, I'm really not good at those roundabout ways. So--"

She suddenly leaned closer to Fern and squeezed Fern's shoulders.

"Fern little darling, if we're opponents in the next round, go easy on me, okay? At least don't use that X-ray vision magic..."

Fern silently moved to the side, creating a little distance.

"... I already told you I don't know how to use it, and also, don't call me that."

Ubel didn't seem to care, then looked at Lanto and winked. "And also, Glasses Guy, I think it would be better if you were a little more approachable, right? Always being so Bingbing won't attract any girls."

Lanto glanced at her expressionlessly, then silently turned back to stare at the fire.

"Okay, okay, they're all like this, I'm so pathetic..."