Fern's new clothes

"Not bad. That's Magic That Takes on Ten Thousand Alone."

Frieren calmly gave it a favorable assessment.

"A-amazing~"

Fern drew a sharp breath, envious of Dugu Qing's vast mana. He had launched so many attacks in one go, yet his mana showed no sign of running dry.

Dugu Qing was terrifying indeed!

"Next is Thousand-Mile Ice Seal."

Dugu Qing descended from the sky and placed his hand on the earth. His vast mana surged into the ground in an endless stream.

The temperature at ground level plummeted.

It ate away at the heat in the sky, and the air turned icy cold.

Dugu Qing continued to increase his output.

The white clouds overhead condensed into snowflakes, which drifted down in a flurry and buried the forest.

Particles of soil clung together as frost formed and grew layer upon layer, creating a thick, endless expanse of ice.

The river in the distance gradually grew sluggish, then stopped flowing, forming an unbreakable sheet of ice.

The little birds in the trees grew stiff-winged, their blood congealing and cooling as they fell from the branches.

Dugu Qing watched his beloved little birds fall from the sky one by one. He suddenly came to his senses and promptly stopped casting.

"Thousand-Mile Ice Seal is too deadly. Next, I'll show you something harmless to people and animals!"

"Dugu Qing, you're so kind."

Fern watched the little birds come back to life, a delighted smile appearing on her face.

"Please begin your performance."

Frieren was also curious about Dugu Qing's skills.

"Hyah! Ah!"

Dugu Qing shouted a strange chant, bending his left leg forward and straightening his right. He leaned back, pressed his right fist to his waist, raised his left hand high and pointed forward, then shouted at the top of his lungs.

"Transformation Magic!"

Dun, dun, dun! Dugu Qing supplied his own sound effects.

Mana surged around Dugu Qing, and he transformed into a majestic eagle. He circled in the sky, looking down on all below with a piercing gaze.

"Amazing! He really transformed!"

Wonder and admiration sparkled in Fern's purple eyes.

Could this be another spell he created himself? How astonishing! With his talent, perhaps he really could surpass Serie in the future and become the strongest mage in history.

Frieren clapped softly, offering her applause.

If Fern was a human genius, then Dugu Qing was a super genius of the elven race. The gulf between them was far greater than ten million.

Fern clapped enthusiastically too, putting strength into her hands.

"Frieren, Fern, what do you think? Want to learn? I can teach you if you do."

"Yes, very much!"

"Then let's start with DNA..."

Dugu Qing spoke at length. His words dealt Fern quite a blow, making her fully aware of her own ignorance.

Her expression grew downcast, and the smile gradually faded from her lips.

"Although I can't understand it, it sounds impressive."

Frieren walked over to Dugu Qing and patted him on the shoulder.

"You're very strong in combat, and your Transformation Magic is impressive too. But when you transform, there's no change in the intensity of the mana you emit. A perceptive mage would only need to observe you briefly to see through your magic."

Dugu Qing was a little surprised.

"Is that so?"

Frieren nodded gently. "So I have a suggestion. Restrict your mana to a tenth of its full strength. That way, you can deceive demons, and it could be very useful at a critical moment."

"I'll learn it."

"Don't be in such a hurry. Restricting your mana takes a great deal of time. If you want to restrict it to a tenth without anyone noticing, you'll have to keep it that way all the time. Do you still want to do it?"

Frieren explained the drawback of restricting mana.

It was too much of a waste of time. That time could easily be spent cultivating more mana.

Frieren had practiced the magic because she had so much time that it didn't matter.

But Dugu Qing was only in his teens...

Dugu Qing hesitated. After thinking it over again and again, he decided to give up.

"In that case, never mind. As long as my mana is strong enough to reach the heavens, the strongest demons will be scared out of their wits when they see me from afar. So I'd better focus on cultivating my mana!"

"I see! I respect your choice."

Frieren nodded gently.

Then Frieren taught Dugu Qing a spell that could completely conceal his mana.

This magic didn't require a great deal of practice time.

Yet it could conceal all his mana at a critical moment, perhaps producing some surprising effects.

Fern practiced Meditation, but her mental state was poor and she couldn't get into it. The expression on her face grew increasingly anxious.

"Fern, what's wrong?"

Frieren noticed something was amiss and looked at Fern with concern.

Fern glanced at Dugu Qing and hesitated before voicing a small part of what troubled her. "Dugu Qing is only a year older than me, but he already has such powerful mana, while I..."

Hearing this, Frieren gave a rare smile.

"Fern, you're not weak. Compared with ordinary people, you're already outstanding. But Dugu Qing isn't ordinary. He's a genius who appears once in a thousand years. Don't compare yourself to him."

Fern nodded, only half understanding, a helpless reluctance hidden in her eyes.

In the evening, the sun sank in the west.

Dugu Qing finished his cultivation for the day and returned to Dugu Castle.

The next morning.

Fern got up early, went to the bathhouse and washed herself thoroughly. Then she put on a purple dress and got herself ready.

She sat by the entrance, waiting for someone to appear.

"Fern, I'm hungry. Could you make something to eat?"

Heiter's aged voice came from upstairs.

Only then did Fern realize that, in her eagerness to show Dugu Qing her prettiest self the moment he arrived, she had neither made nor eaten breakfast. It was so embarrassing.

Fortunately, no one knew about it.

Otherwise...

"Coming."

Fern walked toward the kitchen. Seeing the soot inside, she carefully shielded her bright new dress.

"It would be awful if I got my new clothes dirty."

Afraid of getting her clothes dirty, Fern hurried into the Ice Room, took five eggs from the ice and went into the kitchen.

She fetched water, lit the fire and covered the pot.

The hot water bubbled and rolled.

The eggs were ready. Fern placed the cooked eggs on a tray and went upstairs.

"Lord Heiter, today's breakfast is eggs."

Heiter looked at the eggs in puzzlement. He didn't understand what was wrong with his adopted daughter, or why she had only boiled a few eggs.

"Wonderful! Eggs are the most nutritious food in the world. Let's eat together!"

Though thoroughly puzzled, Heiter didn't ask.

After all, he already felt terribly guilty about troubling an innocent, lovely young girl like Fern to take care of him every day.

If he questioned Fern as well and put pressure on her,

then no matter how strong his heart was, he would have no face to accept her care.

Besides, he hadn't adopted Fern so she could look after him in his old age and see him to his grave!

"All right."

Fern ate quickly, then carried the tray downstairs.

"Whoosh~"

A sharp sound of something cutting through the air came from outside.

A hint of delight flashed across Fern's face. She poured herself a cup of tea and sat gracefully on the sofa, breathing evenly.

The door swung inward.

A breeze blew in, gently lifting Fern's purple hair. Like a magic wand, it left a dreamlike trail in the air.

Dugu Qing entered the room, dressed in a red robe.

Fern gazed at Dugu Qing's handsome face, and at last, the loneliness of the entire previous night vanished.

The corners of her lips lifted slightly, a captivating sight.