Interview

At the entrance to the hall, Falsh's voice carried clearly to every corner.

"The third round of testing consists of," he adjusted his round-framed glasses, "An interview with the Great Mage Serie. If she deems you capable of passing the test, then you will be First-Class Mage."

Frieren stood in the crowd, blinked her emerald eyes, and spoke calmly.

"As expected, I guessed it. I had a feeling Serie wouldn't let me through."

Fern stood beside her, tilting his head slightly upon hearing this, his pale purple eyes looking at her.

Do you know each other?

"Hmm," Frieren replied, "A long time ago. She probably wanted to choose the qualified candidates based on her intuition. But Serie's intuition is always very accurate."

Fern for a moment.

"Is that so, Lady Serie? What kind of person is she?"

Frieren paused for a few seconds, seemingly lost in thought.

"Hmm... Before, she seemed like a very condescending person. But recently, I've also discovered that she's someone who cares a lot about relationships. Unlike me, she doesn't have Lowell by her side. She's probably quite lonely. But Serie is very strong, she probably doesn't care about these things."

Fern nodded slightly. "I see."

Just then, the heavy door to the hall slid open silently.

A slightly cool scent, a mixture of earthy and exotic floral fragrances, wafted out from inside the door. Falsh stepped aside.

"Please proceed in order. Candidates whose names are called will be interviewed individually."

The candidates exchanged glances, but no one spoke; only the soft sounds of breathing and the rustling of clothing filled the air.

The first name called was Kanne.

She took a deep breath and stepped inside.

The door slowly closed behind her.

In the center of the hall, Serie was squatting on the ground.

She was looking at a field of flowers, her fingers gently brushing against the petals.

Kanne stood at the door, somewhat nervous.

"That..."

Serie didn't even look up.

"Unqualified. Get out."

Sweat beaded on Kanne's forehead.

"Um... could you tell me why?"

Serie continued to look at the flowers.

"You are now terrified of my magic because you know your own limitations."

Her voice was flat.

"You can't yet imagine yourself as First-Class Mage. You've only come here with the mindset of giving it a try, hoping it might work."

She finally lifted her eyelids, her golden eyes sweeping over Kanne.

"In the world of magic, the unimaginable cannot be achieved. This is the most fundamental principle."

She looked away.

"Go out."

Kanne's face paled, he lowered his head, and silently retreated.

It was Rabiñe's turn.

She walked into the hall and stood still.

Serie glanced at her.

"His mentality is okay, but his skills are lacking. He's not qualified."

Rabiñe pursed his lips, said nothing, and turned to leave.

Dunster went in quickly and came out quickly.

"Unacceptable."

Laufen, Länge, Scharf entered in turn, with the same result.

"Unacceptable."

"Unacceptable."

"Unacceptable."

It was Ehre's turn. She tidied herself up and went inside.

The silence inside the door lasted a little longer this time.

Then came Serie's voice, tinged with a barely perceptible scrutiny. "Quite a few tricks you know."

Ehre seemed to respond in a low voice, but it was hard to hear clearly.

Serie continued, her tone still calm. "Your strength is actually not bad, but your mentality is far too lacking, too immature. Come back in three years. You won't qualify."

Finally, it was Frieren's turn.

She walked into the hall, her long, silvery-white hair shimmering slightly in the beams of light streaming through the high windows.

The scene inside was completely different from the solemn hall outside. It was a spacious room with no superfluous decorations.

In the middle, several patches of ground are covered with flowers of various colors, forming several vibrant flower fields, and the air is filled with a rich fragrance of flowers.

Serie squatted barefoot in the middle of the flower field, her back to the doorway. She stretched out her finger and gently touched the petals of a small blue flower, as if she had become one with the flower field.

She didn't turn around.

Frieren stopped and looked at her.

A few seconds of silence followed. Serie spoke first, her voice drifting across the flower field, devoid of emotion. "... Frieren, you didn't imagine yourself becoming First-Class Mage either. But you're different from the other examinees. You just feel that I won't let you pass."

Frieren met her gaze. "That's true, isn't it?"

Serie remained noncommittal. "Tell me your favorite magic."

"Flower Field Magic," Frieren answered without the slightest hesitation.

Serie's gaze swept over the swaying flowers around her. "The magic Flamme taught you, huh? How boring."

"Even if it's boring, you still like it, don't you? Ruby, you've come to your place, Serie. Your apprentices all love flowers."

Serie gave a soft "humph".

"Her? So what? I still don't believe that someone like her could defeat the Demon King."

"It wasn't her," Frieren corrected, her tone calm. "It was she, Himmel, Heiter, Eisen who defeated the Demon King. The Demon King was very strong. Even losing one of them wouldn't have been enough."

Serie pouted.

"Hmph... relying on your companions? That's just good luck."

"Luck? But I think the four of them complemented each other. Just like Lowell and I. We needed each other. They needed each other too."

Serie was silent for a while; the only sound in the flower field was the soft rustling of petals in the breeze.

She stared at Frieren for a long time. Then, she looked away, squatted down again, and started fiddling with the soil with her fingers, her profile unreadable.

"... You've passed."

Frieren paused slightly. This result did indeed seem somewhat unexpected. A faint hint of surprise flashed in her emerald eyes, but she quickly regained her composure.

She said nothing more and turned to walk towards the door. Her steps faltered as her hand touched the cold door, but she didn't turn back; her voice came clearly:

"And also, Serie. The age of humanity has arrived. Fern is exceptional. I originally thought that even if you didn't allow me to pass, you would definitely make her pass."

After saying that, she pushed open the door and walked out.

The door slowly closed, shutting out the silent flower field and the lone figure crouching within it.

Outside the door, all eyes were on her. Frieren's face remained expressionless as she walked towards Fern.

Fern looked at her with questioning eyes.

Frieren smiled. "I actually passed."