Possibility

A small stone chamber.

Several treasure chests were piled up in one corner of the stone chamber. Some odds and ends were scattered on the ground in the center.

Frieren was squatting next to the pile of objects.

She held a crystal ball that looked quite old in her hands, with a few fine scratches on its surface and a faint, long-dormant magical residue inside. She raised the crystal ball to her eyes, her emerald eyes observing it intently, then happily pressed her face against it, gently rubbing the cool surface of the ball.

"This is really nice stuff," she sighed contentedly, a smile playing on her lips.

Fern stood a few steps behind her, his pale purple eyes calmly watching his master's actions, a slight downward smirk playing on his lips.

"... It looks like a pile of junk to me," she said softly, her tone tinged with a habitual helplessness, "And they're even rubbing it on their faces..."

Sense had also arrived nearby at some point. Her eyes drooped, and her deep blue gaze swept over the pile of magical tools that had been unearthed from a treasure chest next to Frieren, tools that were of unknown age.

She pointed to the pile of "treasures" with a calm and indifferent tone.

"Fern, does she really like those junk items?"

Fern nodded, his expression unchanged.

"Yes, Lady Frieren gets very excited every time she opens a treasure chest," she stated. "She says, 'Treasure chests hold endless possibilities.'"

Sense's gaze fell back on the pile of items that could hardly be called valuable, and he remained silent for two seconds.

"Really?" she said. "But it's just a pile of worthless stuff."

"And... I really don't understand."

Fern looked at her and blinked.

"Yes," she agreed softly, "I don't understand."

Sense shook his head, his light brown hair swaying slightly with the movement.

"I'm saying I don't understand you, Fern."

"Aside from that sir, you are the only mage I've heard of in the last hundred years who has reached this level at such a young age. You've accumulated a wealth of practical combat and magical knowledge and experience. However..."

She looked at Fern's calm and expressionless face, which showed neither the restlessness common among young people nor the fervent thirst for power or knowledge.

"But I can't sense your obsession and passion for magic. What an incredible child."

She paused for a moment, then asked directly.

"Fern, how did you do that?"

Upon hearing this, Fern tilted her head slightly, a thoughtful look appearing in her pale purple eyes. She didn't answer immediately, but thought about it seriously for a few seconds.

"Hmm..." she began slowly, her tone steady, "I just wanted to respond to the expectations that my parents, Lady Frieren, Lady Lowell, and Lady Heiter had for me."

"Besides, magic is quite interesting; I actually like it."

Sense looked at her quietly.

"Is that so?" she said. "However, you've already reached this level, which should be considered meeting their expectations. After all, no parent would demand that their child 'must become the world's greatest mage,' right?"

Her gaze seemed to penetrate appearances.

"Why are you still searching for magic now?"

Fern paused for a moment.

Then, the corners of her mouth curved upwards very slightly, forming an almost imperceptible yet genuine smile. She turned her head to look at Frieren was still happily fiddling with her "junk" not far away.

Her emerald green eyes seemed to glow in the dim light, her silvery-white hair swayed gently with her movements, and her face showed undisguised, innocent joy.

"Lady Frieren seems very happy," Fern said softly, her gaze gentle. "She was just as happy when I first explored the labyrinth..."

She looked away and glanced at Sense, the faint smile still lingering on her lips.

"I think I must have enjoyed seeing Lady Frieren like that to continue my pursuit of magic."

Sense stared at her for several seconds.

"Really?" she said, her voice seemingly a little gentler than usual. "It's really quite nice following you all."

She raised her head, her gaze sweeping across the ancient, silent stone chamber, which might harbor unknown dangers, before finally settling on the master and apprentice.

"If it were you, you would surely find enjoyment even in this cruel labyrinth."

Just then, soft footsteps came from the passage at the other end of the stone chamber.

Kanne and Rabiñe returned one after the other. The light from Kanne's staff had not yet completely faded, while Rabiñe warily scanned their surroundings.

"Frieren," Kanne approached and reported, "We've checked several side streets and small rooms nearby. There don't seem to be any other hidden doors or secret passages."

She pointed in the direction they had come from.

"Now, only Wirbel and his group, who were scouting ahead, remain."

Frieren finally looked up from her "treasure," her emerald eyes blinking.

"Okay, I understand."

She responded, but her gaze had already eagerly turned to the last unopened treasure chest in the corner of the stone chamber.

Frieren's eyes lit up again.

She put down the crystal ball, stood up, walked a few steps to the treasure chest, squatted down, and reached out to carefully brush away the surface dust.

"Hmm..." she uttered a long, meaningful nasal sound, her expression becoming serious and focused, as if examining a priceless treasure.

"Don't rush," she said without turning her head, her voice carrying a strange certainty. "I judge that there... is an extremely rare magic book inside."

Fern walked to her side, her pale purple eyes calmly fixed on the treasure chest. She didn't speak, but silently cast a simple detection spell.

A faint magical aura flashed across the surface of the treasure chest.

"Lady Frieren," Fern began, her tone completely flat, "The result of the 'Treasure Chest Detection' spell is clearly Mimic."

Frieren remained crouched, tilting her head slightly to glance at Fern. Her emerald eyes gleamed with undeniable confidence, even a hint of smugness.

"Fern, that spell only has a 99% accuracy rate."

Fern: "So?"

Frieren turned back to face the treasure chest, a smug, expectant smile spreading across her face.

"It is precisely because of the existence of Great Mage can see through the remaining 1% of possibilities that so many historic discoveries have been made."

She reached out and gently brushed her fingertips across the cold, rough surface of the treasure chest, her movements as tender as if she were petting a pet.

"Just as I thought..." she murmured to herself, her tone filled with certainty. "Yes, that's what my experience as a mage tells me."

Kanne leaned closer curiously, his eyes lighting up. "Oh! Really?"

Rabiñe stood a little distance away, arms crossed, her face showing doubt. But seeing Frieren's unwavering certainty, she hesitated for a moment, then muttered to herself:

"... I don't feel it's true. But if it's Frieren..."

Sense and Fern stood aside, watching silently.

Sense's eyes drooped, his expression unchanged. Fern, on the other hand, remained calm, as if he had already anticipated what was about to happen.

Frieren took a deep breath, her smile widening with a mixture of anticipation, excitement, and certainty. She stretched out her hands and firmly grasped the edge of the treasure chest lid.

Then, forcefully lift it upwards--

Click.

The lid opened easily, just a crack.

Immediately afterwards--

"Buzz--!"

From inside the treasure chest, a blinding but short-lived golden light burst forth without warning! The light instantly filled the opening of the chest, bathing Frieren's crouching figure in a golden glow!

However, the golden light lasted only a brief moment, like an illusion.

The next second.

"Ah--!"

The lid of the box suddenly sprang open with astonishing speed! A gigantic maw, filled with sharp teeth and as black as an abyss inside, burst out from the box and swallowed Frieren's entire upper body, along with her wide-open, astonished emerald eyes, in one swift motion!

"Bang!"

After swallowing its prey, the box lid slammed shut with a dull thud. Only the area below Frieren's waist remained exposed, her silver twin tails and white skirt hanging limply.

The Mimic kept its mouth tightly shut and began to sway rhythmically and contentedly from side to side, as if savoring a delicious treat. Frieren's exposed legs also swayed gently in sync.

A brief silence.

Then, a muffled, terrified cry for help came from inside the treasure chest, though it was somewhat indistinct due to the thick chest walls:

"It's so dark! It's so scary! Help! It's so dark, so scary, so dark, so scary... Waaah..."

Kanne and Rabiñe stood there, watching the constantly shaking treasure chest and hearing the cries for help coming from inside, and fell into silence.

"..." Kanne.

"..." Rabiñe.

Sense slightly opened his mouth. For the first time, a noticeable change appeared on his usually droopy, expressionless, delicate face—his deep blue eyes widened slightly, and his small mouth opened slightly, forming a somewhat dazed expression with disbelief.

She looked at the constantly shaking treasure chest, then at Fern beside her who remained calm and seemingly used to it all, and a certain understanding in her mind seemed to be slowly collapsing.

Fern sighed softly and stepped forward.

She went behind the treasure chest, looking at Frieren's exposed lower body without any change in expression. She reached out and firmly grasped the sides of Frieren's mage robe.

Then, they started pulling outwards with force.

Drag.

Drag it around.

Swagger--

But the Mimic's grip was incredibly strong. Fern used considerable force, even leaning back slightly, but Frieren's body remained completely still. Only the mimic shook more violently, and the whimpering sounds inside turned into intermittent "uh... uh...".

Sense's eyes were wider than usual as he watched Fern drag Frieren along with a blank expression, while Frieren let out muffled moans from inside the box.

She silently looked away, then turned back, and finally, a clear idea surfaced in her usually calm mind:

Did I follow the wrong person?

Fern tried to pull it out for a long time, but still couldn't. She stopped and took a slight breath.

Frieren, inside the treasure chest, seemed to sense the efforts outside. Her muffled voice came out again, carrying urgency and instruction:

"Stop pulling, Fern... you're about to break me... you should push it further in, that way it'll feel uncomfortable and vomit, and throw me up..."

Fern: "..."

She silently lowered her hand, stood still, looked at the swaying treasure chest in front of her, and then at her palms, which were slightly red from exerting force.

"Ugh--Pfft!"

With a sound like gagging, the Mimic suddenly opened its mouth wide, and Frieren's wet, slimy upper body was vomited out, falling to the ground and rolling twice before stopping.

"Cough cough..." Frieren lay on the ground, coughing a few times. Her silver-white hair, face, and body were all covered in shiny, stringy, transparent slime, making her look extremely disheveled.

Kanne immediately stepped forward, tapping his staff lightly to manipulate the thin water element in the air, creating a clear stream that washed away the disgusting slime on Frieren's body.

Fern walked up to Frieren, who was slumped on the ground wiping the sticky substance off her face, and looked down at her calmly with her pale purple eyes.

"Really..." Her voice was tinged with helplessness, "What are you supposed to do when you're all alone?"

Frieren looked up, her emerald eyes peering through her wet, tangled strands of silver hair at Fern. Her face showed no lingering fear; instead, she appeared somewhat refreshed as the slime had been washed away. She blinked, her tone matter-of-fact:

No.

Fern asked in confusion, "What's missing?"

Frieren wiped the remaining sticky substance from her chin with the back of her hand. "For the past thousand years, I've almost never been alone."

Fern looked at Frieren's face, which was wet with water droplets and looked somewhat innocent, and remained silent for a few seconds.

Then, she made a soft "hmm" sound, turned her face away, and muttered to herself:

"... I see."

"As expected, Lord Lowell is very attached to you."

"Hmph~"