Morning Lessons and Fish Bait

The morning dew still clung to the tips of the grass blades, and rhythmic breathing could already be heard in the forest clearing.

Lupa gritted her teeth, her pink twin ponytails soaked with sweat, clinging to her forehead and cheeks. Each swing of her spear was heavy and slowed by the invisible weight pressing down on her, but her eyes were unusually focused, her heterochromatic pupils Burning with an Indomitable flame.

The weakened gravity field applied by Lowell turned every basic movement into a rigorous training exercise.

Linié stood quietly to the side, her deep blue eyes intently recording Lupa's movements and footwork. She held no weapon, but occasionally, in response to Lupa's movements, she would subconsciously sway her shoulders or adjust her center of gravity, as if simulating the movements in her mind.

She has an exceptional learning ability. She can Imitation the basic training of soldiers almost perfectly after watching it a few times. Of course, she also needs to do basic training herself, but observation and Imitation are equally important for improving skills.

On the other hand, the atmosphere was completely different.

Lowell leaned against a tree, watching this scene, and chuckled softly. He whispered to Frieren beside him, "Looks like I'm pretty good at teaching students. It's a bit tough, but that's how warriors train. At this rate, she'll be able to try taking on some large monsters on her own soon."

Frieren was sitting on a flat rock, taking small bites of the thickly frosted donuts Lowell had bought that morning. Her emerald eyes were narrowed with satisfaction. Hearing this, she didn't even look up and mumbled, "Hmm... anyway, it's much easier Ruby teaching Ruby."

She licked her sugar-covered fingers, her tone carrying a hint of self-righteous disdain, "That child has too many questions, so clingy."

Just then, Ruby, having finished a set of magical meditations Ruby, skipped over and overheard the second half of Frieren's sentence. Her little mouth immediately pouted. "Lady Frieren! You're talking bad about me again! What do I have to ask? I'm just very curious!"

Frieren glanced at her, then slowly took another bite of her donut. "Who was it that kept asking me yesterday why my Fireball turned into a heart shape?"

Ruby slightly and stubbornly protested, "Well, that's because a heart shape is more visually striking! Even battles need artistic expression!"

"And then you practiced recklessly and almost set Himmel's cloak on fire?" Frieren ruthlessly exposed her lie.

"Ugh... that was an accident!" Ruby stomped her foot angrily, deciding not to argue with this "old-fashioned" elf. She turned to Lowell, her big blue eyes blinking, and smiled, "Lowell! Don't you think it's perfect to have grilled fish for lunch Tenten? I know there's a really clear little river not far ahead!"

Lowell could easily see through her little scheme, and looked at her with a half-smile, "You're the one who wants to eat it, aren't you? And judging from your expression, you're trying to be lazy and use magic to fry the fish?"

"It's not laziness! And it's not frying fish..." Ruby matter-of-factly, "It's efficiency! Catching fish with magic is so much faster! And I recently mastered a wonderful water manipulation technique that perfectly locks in the tender juices of the fish! It's not frying fish! Lady Frieren, you agree, right?" She tried to rally an ally.

When Frieren heard "grilled fish," her ears twitched almost imperceptibly, but her expression remained calm. "Hmm. The fish is good."

Lowell looked at the two mages, one big and one small, who had inexplicably reached a consensus on "eating," and shook his head helplessly. "Alright, but try not to disturb too many fish. Also, instead of learning Water Magic, you should learn water-conjuring magic. That way, I can praise you, 'Wow, you can actually use this level of Water Release in places without water!' In a crucial moment, you can even... well, like clean up that guy who always gets swallowed by Mimics and covered in slime."

Upon hearing this, Frieren glared at Lowell expressionlessly, but subtly quickened her chewing of the donuts, as if tacitly making room for the upcoming grilled fish feast.

"Yay! Grilled fish!" Ruby cheered, immediately rubbing her hands together, a faint glow emanating from the tip of her staff, as if she were already mentally rehearsing the fishing process. "But creating Water Magic... the spells in the magic book Master Serie gave me are incredibly complicated, over fifty pages long! Controlling water is much simpler and more intuitive..."

Just then, Himmel and Heiter also came from the other side of the camp. Himmel had just finished his morning exercise, his blue hair slightly damp, and a refreshing smile on his handsome face, "I could hear Ruby's cheerful voice from afar. Is there something exciting planned?"

Heiter took a swig of wine and laughed, "What good could it be? That little girl must have come up with another wicked idea!"

Ruby excitedly announced, "Himmel! Heiter! We're having grilled fish for lunch! And this Mage Ruby will personally provide the freshest ingredients for everyone!"

Himmel smiled gently, "That's something to look forward to."

Heiter patted his belly. "Fresh fish with wine, absolutely wonderful!"

With the plan set, the group continued on their way. Sure enough, before long, a crystal-clear, gently flowing stream appeared beside the forest path. The stream was not wide, and several plump fish could be seen swimming among the pebbles.

Ruby couldn't wait to run to the riverbank, rolled up the sleeves of her mage's robe to reveal her fair wrists, and her little face was full of eager anticipation. "Watch this! Water Binding - Fishing Net Barrier!"

With a wave of her staff, the river's current, guided by her magic, subtly formed an invisible whirlpool, precisely trapping several large fish within it. The fish darted about in panic, but could not break free of the resilient water's cage.

"Haha! Success!" Ruby proudly raised her little face, manipulating the water flow to gently push the fish towards the shore. Her movements were indeed much more elegant and refined than when she used Fireballs to blast the fish.

Frieren had somehow joined the riverbank, her emerald eyes fixed on the figures swimming in the water, and she secretly swallowed. Watching Ruby's successful maneuver, she seemed itching to try it herself, hesitated for a moment, and then raised her hand as well.

However, instead of manipulating the water with the same precision Ruby, she extended her index finger, a barely perceptible magical ripple emanating from its tip, and gently touched the surface of the water.

The next moment, a fish that had just swum past her fingertips suddenly froze, and then... without warning, it flipped over, revealing its snow-white belly, and floated to the surface of the water.

"Hmm?" Ruby paused, looking at the fish that had "drifted" towards her, then at the calm-faced Frieren, her emerald eyes filled with confusion. "Lady Frieren, what kind of magic did you use? I didn't sense any magical fluctuations."

Frieren grinned mischievously. "Just a little magic spell to make fish feel that life is meaningless. Lowell gave it to me, isn't it very effective?"

Everyone: "..."

Lowell sighed, "How come I remember giving you a mental interference spell to lower the opponent's fighting spirit and make them less vigilant... and you've modified it like this?"

Frieren tilted her head, looking completely innocent. "Is that so? As long as the effect is about right, it'll be fine, right?"

Soon, Ruby and Frieren worked together and harvested enough fish. Himmel and Heiter skillfully started a campfire, while Eisen silently took out a dagger and began to clean the fish scales and entrails, his movements clean and efficient. Lupa and Linié helped gather more firewood.

The aroma of grilled fish gradually filled the air, and the oil dripped onto the fire, sizzling and making mouths water.

Just as Ruby was eagerly watching the grilled fish and preparing to announce that they were ready to eat, Frieren quietly tugged at her sleeve.

"Ruby," Frieren's voice was low.

"Hmm? What's wrong, Frieren?" Ruby confusion.

Frieren's emerald eyes flickered, and she leaned close to Ruby's ear, whispering, "Weren't you so eager to learn that spell that can shape flames into a heart shape and launch them? I can teach you after we camp tonight."

Ruby's eyes lit up instantly. "Really? That's wonderful! Frieren!" But she immediately became wary, clutching her small purse, "This time... how many desserts do you want this time?"

Frieren shook her head, a "you underestimate me" look on her face. "No dessert this time."

"Then what do you want?" Ruby, even more confused.

Frieren gave a slightly sly smile, "I've recently been researching a minor spell that can induce brief nightmares. Apparently, the effects are quite realistic. I'd like to find someone with strong enough willpower to help test it out... but that guy Lowell just won't cooperate..."

Ruby: "... Eh?! No!"