Frieren and Fern's Invitation (Part One) (゜-゜)
That evening, everyone ate and drank to their hearts' content, bringing the first round of the exam to a perfect close.
Then, on the afternoon after the First-Class Mage qualification exam ended, the sun shone brightly as a gentle breeze swept across the lake in the magical city of Äußerst, rippling its surface.
Beside the embankment by the lake, the luxurious carriage that had already attracted plenty of attention over the past two days finally welcomed a few special guests.
That's right!
Having met Frieren, Annie, and Fern during the exam, and then attended last night's banquet, they had invited five other mages who had taken the exam and whose whereabouts they knew: Übel, Lawine, Kanne, Laufen, and Ehre. With Annie's approval, they asked them to visit that afternoon.
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However, when the five arrived together and saw that their destination really was just a carriage—and confirmed they hadn't gone to the wrong place—their expressions, especially those of the four besides Übel, became rather complicated and strange.
"Um..."
Kanne looked up at the carriage. Its exterior was indeed gorgeous and imposing, but it was clearly only a standard-sized carriage. She blinked, looking a little dumbfounded, then asked uncertainly,
"Um..."
"Was the invitation from Fern and Frieren really for us to visit here?"
"On this carriage?"
She tried to imagine the nine of them crammed into the small carriage cabin, and couldn't help feeling a little suffocated.
"Sure looks that way."
Lawine frowned slightly, folded her arms, and circled the carriage to inspect it before muttering,
"Sure, the outside of this carriage looks luxurious, but if all of us go inside..."
"How are we supposed to have afternoon tea, enjoy a feast, and admire the lake?"
"This is just too..."