I Will Personally Set My Disciple's Distorted Ideal Back on the Right Path

Just as Guter's mood improved, a familiar magical presence suddenly approached him at high speed.

That's... the mage my detection spell swept over.

Guter looked toward the source of the magical presence. It had really come looking for him.

Still, this mage had picked quite a good time. If they had arrived a little earlier and run into Guter right after Serie had given him the "cold shoulder"...

Then his charged punch would not even have needed charging. One uppercut would have sent them flying on the spot.

Now that Guter was in a somewhat better mood, he was willing to hear them out. If they spoke politely, he would not send them flying.

Guter reached out and tugged on his teacher, intending to wait where they were and deal with this mage before continuing their shopping.

Serie, who had been brought to a stop, was initially puzzled. But after sensing the source of magic rapidly rushing toward Guter, she roughly understood why and simply stood beside her disciple to wait.

Someone was coming to cause trouble for her disciple. As his teacher, she ought to show herself at least a little.

Though judging by the feedback from that magical presence, it should pose no threat to her disciple whatsoever.

Master and disciple stood in place, prepared to receive their visitor. Guter even rolled up one sleeve and flexed his fist.

Yet when that magical presence truly pushed through the crowd and appeared before them, both master and disciple froze somewhat.

Serie could not help but laugh, while Guter silently rolled his sleeve back down.

Because the one standing before them was a little girl of only eight or nine, not even as tall as an ordinary mage's staff.

After finding them, the little girl closed her eyes and quietly sensed the surroundings again. At last, she successfully locked onto the magical presence from earlier—the big brother standing nearby.

Guter watched with a complicated expression as the little girl stepped forward, gently tugged at the hem of his clothes, and said to him.

"Big brother, our teacher said that mages can't casually release magic detection in public places like this."

"Otherwise, other mages might see it as a provocation."

"Do you understand, big brother?"

Looking at the little girl who had crossed more than half the marketplace just to kindly remind him of this, Guter wore a helpless expression. He obediently stood still and accepted this "tiny teacher's" lesson. Then he spent money at a nearby stall to buy the little girl a string of candy.

"Tch. This wasn't how this was supposed to go."

Having been "scolded" and "bled money," Guter had expected the faint magical presence to belong to someone young, but he had never imagined they would be this young.

Looking at the little girl still eating her candy, the more Guter thought about it, the more cheated he felt.

So Guter stepped forward and gave her a light elbow!

He swung his hand onto the little girl's head and gently rubbed it a few times.

"Mm! Mm!"

The little girl nodded happily. Not only did she not resist Guter's caress, her crescent-shaped eyes made her look even cuter. Guter was so charmed that he almost wanted to tuck her into his pocket and take her home.

"Little sister, did you come to the market alone? It's dangerous to go out without an adult. What if you run into bad people?"

"I didn't come out alone."

The little girl shook her head with candy still in her mouth. "I came with my grandma. She should be here soon."

"I see."

From the side, Serie spoke as she looked toward a certain direction in the crowd. "That magical presence belongs to your grandmother."

"Huh?"

Guter was stunned. He had covered more than half the marketplace with his magical detection earlier, yet there had still been a magical presence he missed?

As though she had sensed her disciple's confusion, Serie spoke.

"It's normal that you didn't detect her. She concealed her magic, and she did it rather well."

"Isn't that right, Granny?"

Serie looked toward an elderly woman walking toward their group through the crowd.

Guter was startled. He had not noticed her at all, even when she had come this close.

And when Guter saw the old woman's face, the shock in his heart surged to its peak.

"Kind young man, we meet again."

The old woman took the initiative to speak to Guter, while his expression turned somewhat ugly.

He remembered this old woman. She was the beggar woman he had encountered on the street not long after arriving in Oysaster.

Last time, he had only sensed the magic on her at extremely close range, and he had guessed that she was likely from the Empire's Magic Special Operations Unit or a Warrior in the Shadows.

Now, after he and his teacher had left Oysaster, they had met again in this remote border town.

Guter found it hard to believe there was nothing behind this.

"Don't be nervous. This is merely a chance encounter." Seeing the change in Guter's expression, the old woman explained in a hoarse voice.

"Please rest assured. Under normal circumstances, I would not bring my family along while carrying out a mission."

After saying this, the old woman knew her presence was unwelcome. She patted her granddaughter, who was still sucking on her candy, had her bid farewell to Guter and Serie, then left with her.

Watching the pair disappear into the vast sea of people, Guter looked at Serie beside him and asked.

"Teacher, do you think their appearance was really a coincidence, or was it planned?"

"It doesn't matter. There's no need to think about it."

Serie waved her hand. "The human Empire and we are not enemies. When I decided to show myself before the world, I had already prepared myself for the possibility of being followed."

"Teacher..."

Guter's mood was somewhat low. After hesitating for a long time, he finally said to Serie.

"What if one day, those human mages of the Empire stood against you and declared war on you? What would you do?"

"Oh?"

Serie looked back at Guter with interest. "Not a bad thought. An interesting hypothesis."

"If that day truly came, I think I would be quite happy to face it."

"To examine an assignment that my disciple from a thousand years ago spent millennia writing across this world... such an opportunity would be exceedingly rare, wouldn't it?"

Guter nodded without denying it.

"I think my senior disciple, who hoped everyone could use magic, probably did not include being besieged by human mages who inherited her wisdom in her ideal—especially not her own teacher."

"Frieren?"

Guter's words made Serie fall silent for a moment. The expression on her face was no longer as indifferent as usual, instead gaining a trace of seriousness.

"Having witnessed history firsthand, there are some things that do not surprise me."

"Because of the needs of rulers, because of the passage of time, some things can be distorted without limit."

"First achievements, then conduct, and finally ideals."

"But Frieren has departed, while I, her teacher, am still alive."

"If, as you say, such a day truly comes."

"I will personally set my disciple's distorted ideal back on the right path."