Transformation Magic

As dawn broke, the morning light filtered through the gaps in the curtains, casting pale golden streaks of light into the room.

Fern opened her eyes on time as usual; she never slept in.

Her pale purple eyes blinked in the light. She sat up gently, her purple hair falling loose over her shoulders. She rubbed her eyes and looked at the bed on the other side of the room.

Then, she let out a soft "ah".

Previously, only Frieren had a bad sleeping posture—her silver hair was messy, the blanket was kicked to one side, and she often hung on the edge of the bed in some incredible position.

Lowell usually sleeps relatively soundly and in a normal posture.

But today is different.

Frieren still maintained her "signature" pose—half her body dangling off the bed, her head hanging to the floor, her silver hair cascading down like a waterfall, swaying slightly with her breath. One hand was still clutching the corner of the pillow.

And Lowell...

He lay on his side, one leg dangling off the edge of the bed, the other curled up. The blanket was rolled up and clutched to his chest, his head tilted to one side, and there seemed to be a trace of drool at the corner of his mouth. His black hair was messily plastered to his forehead, and he looked to be fast asleep.

The two people's postures have a subtle sense of symmetry.

Fern looked at them for a few seconds, then sighed softly.

"Really..."

She spoke softly, her voice low, not wanting to wake them.

But after thinking about it, nothing particularly urgent seems to be happening today. The second round of exams is in three days, so there's still plenty of time.

She tiptoed out of bed, walked to the window, and pulled the curtains tighter.

Then he turned around and looked at the two people sleeping soundly on the bed.

"Let the two of you sleep in today."

As she thought this, the corners of her mouth unconsciously turned up slightly.

She quickly washed up, changed her clothes, picked up the money bag from the table, and quietly pushed open the door and went out.

The door clicked shut softly.

The room was silent for a few seconds.

Then, Lowell slowly opened his left eye.

His dark eyes looked clear and alert in the morning light, without a trace of the drowsiness of someone who had just woken up.

He remained motionless in that comical sleeping posture, his gaze sweeping across the doorway and then over Frieren was still fast asleep beside him.

"... They've really let their guard down."

He muttered to himself, his voice so soft it was almost inaudible.

"They didn't even arrange for a lookout last night... I almost made a move."

He sighed, gently raised one hand, and a barely perceptible magical aura emanated from his fingertips.

Frieren's body, which had been hanging off the bed, was lifted up by an invisible force and slowly floated back onto the bed, settling into a relatively normal supine position. Her upside-down silver hair also fell back onto the pillow.

Lowell then used Levitation Magic to pull the blanket over her and gently covered her with it.

After doing all this, he withdrew his hand, lay down, and turned to face Frieren.

He reached out and gently placed his hand over hers, which was resting at her side.

Then, he closed his eyes again.

A considerable amount of time passed.

The door was gently pushed open again.

Fern came in carrying a small basket, from which wafted the aroma of food. She closed the door, walked to the table, put down the basket, and began taking things out one by one.

Fried eggs, toast, mushroom soup, fresh fruit slices, and a small pot of steaming milk.

She set the food on the table, then turned to look at the bed.

The two people were still asleep.

Frieren remained in the position Lowell had positioned for her, her breathing even. Lowell lay on her side, holding her hand, and appeared to be fast asleep.

Fern walked to the bedside and spoke softly:

"Lady Frieren, Lady Lowell, it's time to get up."

Frieren wrinkled her nose, mumbled an "um," and buried her head in the pillow without opening her eyes.

"Hey me..."

Her voice was heavy with sleepiness and indistinct.

Lowell stirred, rubbed his eyes, and then opened them. His dark eyes held a hint of sleepiness, but he quickly focused, looked at Fern, and gave him a gentle smile.

"Good morning, Fern." His voice was still a little hoarse. "This breakfast looks great."

Fern stood with his hands on his hips, his chin slightly raised, a hint of smugness on his face.

"Hmph~ Of course. I put in a lot of effort today."

She paused, looked at Frieren was still lying in bed, and her tone carried a hint of seduction:

"Also, Lady Frieren, if you get up to eat now... we'll go to the magic book shop later."

Frieren's pointed ears twitched noticeably.

But she didn't open her eyes, and just asked in a muffled voice:

"Real?"

"Of course it's true," Fern said confidently, "And it's paid for with my own savings!"

Frieren's eyes snapped open.

Her emerald green eyes sparkled, all sleepiness vanishing. She turned her head, looked at Fern, and blinked.

"Fern has a secret stash of money too."

"Hmph~" Fern shook his head slightly, the purple hair behind his head swaying. "Father and Mother gave me pocket money, of course."

Frieren sat up immediately, her silver hair cascading down with her movement. She glanced at the breakfast on the table, then looked at Fern.

"I'll get up now."

Breakfast ended in a quiet and satisfying atmosphere.

Frieren ate quickly, but not roughly; she was simply focused. Lowell ate slowly, occasionally sharing half of his fried egg with Frieren. Fern ate in small bites, watching them with his pale purple eyes and a faint smile on his lips.

After dinner, the three of them tidied up quickly and then went out.

The streets of Oysast gradually came alive in the morning light. Vendors opened their shops one after another, and occasionally mages hurried by.

The magic book shop is located on a relatively quiet side street in the commercial district. The shop is small, with an image of an open book and a wand carved on its wooden sign. Pushing open the door, a distinctive smell of old paper, parchment, and magical ink wafts out.

The shop was dimly lit, with tall bookshelves stretching from floor to ceiling, crammed with all sorts of books and scrolls. Some looked new, while others were clearly quite old.

The shop owner, an elderly man wearing a single-lensed glasses, was sitting behind the counter, carefully examining an old magic book. Hearing the doorbell ring, he looked up, adjusted his glasses, nodded to the three of them, and then looked down again.

The three of them avoided the attacking magic and unanimously strolled to the "Folk Magic" bookshelf.

Frieren tiptoed along the upper shelves, her fingertips brushing against the spines of the books, occasionally uttering soft "hmm..." or "oh..." sounds.

After a while, she pulled out a not-too-thick hardcover book with the title "A Detailed Explanation of Transformation Magic" on the cover.

"Found it, that's it."

She took the book to the reading area next to the counter, sat down at a small round table, and began to read.

Lowell and Fern joined in.

The book details a spell called "Transformation Magic," which allows the caster to temporarily alter their own or an ally's body size, appearance, or even specific features. The duration of the effect depends on the amount of magic power used and the caster's skill level, ranging from a few minutes to several hours.

Fern watched for a while, then gently tapped his chin with his finger, his pale purple eyes filled with contemplation.

"This magic..." she said softly, "I remember someone at the academy mentioning it, Lady Lowell, didn't you use Transformation Magic when you had a snowball fight before? That seemed much more convenient and stable than this 'Transformation Magic,' right? Wouldn't it be better for Frieren to just learn that?"

She remembered it clearly: that time, Lowell supposedly transformed into various people, using something called "Undercover Magic," which was actually just Transformation Magic. That kind of transformation seemed to be more arbitrary and lasted longer.

Frieren looked up from the book, her emerald eyes meeting Fern's, and shook her head.

"No, that won't work." Her tone was flat, as if stating an objective fact. "That spell can only be used by him. Fern, the magical systems of humans and Demons are completely different. Of all his spells, I only know one or two tenths of them. I've tried to learn that spell, but I can't."

She paused, then added:

"Just as Demons are mostly born with a talent for combat and killing magic, while humans are more gifted in creation and life magic, some boundaries are difficult to cross."

Fern nodded thoughtfully. "I see."

"So," Frieren closed the book, a hint of anticipation on her face, "I'll buy this. The effects might not be perfect, but it should be quite interesting."

She took the book to the counter. The old shopkeeper took the book, glanced at the cover, and quoted a price. Fern counted out the corresponding amount of money from her small purse and placed it on the counter.

"Thank you for your patronage." The old shopkeeper nodded and handed the book to Frieren.

Back in the hotel room.

Frieren eagerly opened the book and began to study. She sat cross-legged on the bed, her silver hair hanging down her sides, her emerald eyes intently scanning the lines of text and diagrams, her fingers occasionally tracing lines unconsciously in the air.

Lowell leaned back in the chair by the window, watching the street scene outside. Fern sat at the table, organizing his notes.

The room was quiet, with only the sound of turning pages.

About half an hour later.

Frieren frowned and muttered to herself, "Hmm... something's not right with how this magic node is constructed..."

Lowell turned to look at her.

Where is it stuck?

Frieren pointed to a complex pattern in the book. "Here. According to the description, the magic should flow through the third node first, and then flow back to the first... But if it's constructed this way, won't the overall stability decrease?"

Lowell got up and walked to the bedside, leaning over to look at the pattern.

He glanced at it for a few seconds, then reached for the book and looked at the instructions at the beginning and end.

"Hmm... that's true. The standard process in the book prioritizes speed of change. But what if we swap the order of the first and third nodes..."

As he spoke, he gestured with his finger in the air, and pale blue magical light briefly outlined two different magical circuits.

"Look, like this."

Frieren stared at the two circuits, her emerald green eyes gleaming slightly.

"Oh... I see. I understand now."

She took the book back and carefully examined it for several minutes, comparing it with the improved circuit Lowell had just shown.

Then, she put down the book, closed her eyes, and clasped her hands together in front of her.

A faint aura of magic began to gather in her palm, slowly rotating and gradually forming a tiny yet complex three-dimensional magic circle. The light from the magic circle shone on her focused face.

A few minutes later, the magic circle stabilized and slowly dissipated.

Frieren opened her eyes, looked at Lowell, and blinked.

"It seems... it worked?"

Lowell smiled. "Give it a try?"

Frieren nodded, closed her eyes again, and began chanting a short incantation. The magical energy around her became more active.

A few seconds later, a flash of light appeared.

Frieren opened her eyes and looked down at herself.

It seems... nothing has changed?

She looked at Lowell with a puzzled expression.

Lowell suppressed a laugh and pointed to the top of her head.

Frieren reached out and touched it--

Her silver hair had two small, fluffy, triangular hairpins on either side of her head...

Dog ears?

"Pfft." Lowell finally burst out laughing.

Fern also turned her head and saw the pair of silver dog ears on Frieren's head that trembled slightly with her puzzled expression. Her pale purple eyes widened slightly, and then the corners of her mouth curved up.

Frieren touched the ears; they felt very real. She then ran to the full-length mirror in the corner of the room, looked at herself with dog ears on her head, and blinked her emerald green eyes.

"It seems... the control wasn't quite precise enough," she objectively commented. "What I wanted to change to were cat ears."

She tried a few more times.

Sometimes it's the tail, sometimes it's the paw pads, and sometimes it's the pupils turning into vertical pupils.

However, the overall changes have remained somewhat unstable.

"Looks like I still need to practice," Frieren concluded, not discouraged at all, but rather finding it quite amusing. Wearing a pair of wolf ears, she walked around the room, occasionally touching her new ears.

Lowell smiled as he looked at her with curiosity.

"I'll give it a try."

He took the book from Frieren, quickly flipped through the principles and a few key points, then closed the book and shut his eyes.

There was almost no chanting or obvious magical gathering process.

The next second, Lowell's figure blurred.

Then, he transformed into Frieren's appearance.

Silver hair, blue eyes, identical height and appearance, even the expressionless yet subtly curious look was perfectly Imitation.

However, she was still wearing Lowell's original clothes, which seemed a bit out of place.

Frieren (the real one) stared at the "self" in front of her who looked exactly like her, her emerald green eyes widening slightly.

"So fast," she commented, "And it's perfect."

Lowell (Frieren's version) smiled, a smile very similar to Frieren's usual faint, slightly smug smile.

"This magic is essentially a temporary reconstruction and mimicry of one's own body. Demons are naturally more adept at manipulating and transforming their bodies, so using Transformation Magic would actually be more convenient for me. However, this Transformation Magic can transform into other people, which is quite good."

The light flashed again, and Lowell returned to normal.

Frieren immediately moved closer to him, her bright green eyes sparkling with undisguised excitement.

"Let me grow a little taller first," she said. "Just two centimeters."

Lowell smiled at her expectant look, then extended his finger and lightly tapped the air.

A pale golden aura of magic entered her body.

Frieren felt a slight warmth spread through her body, and her vision lifted a little higher. She ran to the mirror and looked at herself carefully.

"It's really taller now." She nodded in satisfaction, then ran back, "Give me another one... um, give me eight ponytails and see how you do it?"

Lowell's expression froze for a moment.

"... Your taste..."

He shook his head helplessly, but still held up his finger again.

A flash of light.

Frieren's long silver hair flew up automatically, quickly braiding into eight evenly thick ponytails, which were neatly arranged in a row at the back of her head, swaying gently with her movements.

She ran to the mirror, looked at herself from left to right, and even tugged at her ponytail, her bright green eyes full of curiosity.

"My head feels... so heavy," she commented objectively, but her expression was cheerful.

"Quickly," she turned to Lowell again, her voice urgent, "Quickly, quickly, make me bigger."

Lowell sighed, rubbing his forehead.

"You should be more careful," he lowered his voice, gesturing to the person beside him with his eyes, "Fern is still here."

As expected, Fern had already turned her head, her pale purple eyes calmly looking at them. Her face was expressionless, but her eyes clearly said, "I saw it," along with a hint of disdain.

"..." Frieren blinked and whispered, "Just for a little while."

Lowell looked at her like that, and finally sighed, extending his finger and gently tapping the air.

A faint light flickered.

Frieren looked down.

The front of the mage's robe was indeed... fuller than before.

She lifted it with her hand to feel its weight, then nodded.

"Yeah, it's gotten bigger. But I don't feel anything particularly special, except the clothes are a bit tight."

Finally, Fern couldn't help but sigh softly and rub her forehead.

"Lady Frieren, you really are..."

She paused, as if remembering something, her pale purple eyes turning to Lowell, then to Frieren, and calmly suggested:

"However, if you want to become more attractive, you don't actually need to go through all that trouble."

Frieren looked at her. "Hmm?"

Fern pointed at Lowell.

"Why don't you just tell Lord Lowell, 'Let me become the way you like me'?"

Frieren paused for a moment.

She blinked, a hint of realization flashing in her emerald eyes.

"Oh right, there's another way."

She turned to Lowell, her expression serious.

Lowell, let me become the way you like me.

Lowell looked at Frieren, who had adorable eight-tailed pigtails, a bulging chest, and was looking at him earnestly with clear, emerald-green eyes, and couldn't help but laugh.

Her smile was very gentle.

He reached out and gently touched her brow with his index finger.

This time, there was no dazzling light, nor any complex magical fluctuations.

It was just a very light and gentle touch.

Frieren felt a slight warmth spread through her body.

Then, the eight heavy ponytails disappeared, and the silver hair returned to its original smooth twin ponytails, hanging down her shoulders. The swelling in her chest also disappeared, and the mage's robes fit her perfectly again. Her field of vision dropped two centimeters, returning to its original height.

Silver-white twin ponytails, emerald green eyes, slender figure—exactly the same as usual, without the slightest difference.

Frieren looked at herself in the mirror and blinked.

"Huh? Why did it turn back?"

She turned to look at Lowell, her face filled with confusion.

Lowell smiled and reached out to ruffle her hair.

What do you think?

Frieren looked at him, then at herself in the mirror.

She thought for a few seconds.

Then, as if she understood something, a smile curved the corners of Frieren's mouth.

"I see."