Chapter 265

After leaving the Continental Magic Association, Haruto set out to find Frieren.

Aside from learning sealing magic from her, he also wanted to trade for some of the folk magic she had collected over the centuries.

Serie might be known as the Living Grimoire and possess an enormous number of spells, but even she did not know that many of the strange little spells created by ordinary mages and passed around among common people.

Folk magic came in every imaginable form. Some of it was so absurdly specific that a spell might only be known within one particular region—or even a single village.

Serie obviously had never bothered going out of her way to collect that sort of thing.

Frieren, on the other hand, had accumulated plenty.

Spells for removing stubborn grease stains.

Spells for making shaved ice.

Spells that conjured hot tea.

A spell that made flipping pancakes go smoothly.

A spell that turned sweet grapes sour.

A spell that turned red apples green.

A spell that prevented eggshell fragments from falling into the bowl when cracking an egg.

And many more equally peculiar examples.

Haruto was genuinely interested in them.

To most people, magic with no offensive value and no possible use in battle might seem like nothing more than pointless curiosities Frieren had gathered to amuse herself over the course of her long life.

Haruto saw them very differently.

Take the spell that turned red apples green, for instance.

Did it merely change the color of the skin?

Or did it somehow revert the apple to an earlier stage of ripeness?

He wanted to know.

Fortunately, trading for Frieren’s collection should not be difficult.

Haruto possessed magic that he was certain would interest her in return.

Walking-on-water magic.

Teleportation magic.

Healing magic.

Of those, healing and teleportation were by far the most valuable.

In this world, healing magic belonged primarily to the Goddess’s system of magic and was usually practiced by priests who served her.

Even exceptionally talented mages could only perform basic healing spells through the use of a Holy Scripture.

Haruto’s healing magic, however, had nothing to do with the Goddess and far exceeded ordinary healing spells in effectiveness.

Its value was obvious.

Teleportation magic was even more extraordinary.

This world possessed magic capable of crossing time itself, yet true teleportation magic did not exist.

A spell that could ignore mountains, rivers, and every other physical obstacle to instantly cross vast distances would be invaluable for travel, escape, rescue, or surprise attacks.

With spells like these available for trade, Haruto was confident Frieren would be willing to part with plenty of her folk magic.

Meanwhile, after Haruto left, the atmosphere inside Serie’s hall became heavy again.

Serie leaned back in her chair and looked toward Sense.

"Sense. Don’t you have anything to say about the results of the second stage?"

Sense met her gaze.

Her lips moved slightly, but in the end, she chose silence.

The results of this examination had indeed gone far beyond anything considered normal.

"Silence."

Serie did not seem surprised in the slightest.

"That’s right. Whenever you find yourself in a situation that reflects poorly on you, you simply stop talking."

"Twelve examinees passed the second stage."

"That number is unprecedented in the history of the First-Class Mage Exam."

"It’s far too many."

Serie paused before continuing more seriously.

"There was nothing inherently wrong with designing an examination that encouraged everyone to cooperate. First-Class Mages are, admittedly, rather poor at working together."

"The problem is that one of the candidates was far too powerful."

Lernen, who had been standing quietly nearby, spoke.

"You mean Frieren."

Serie did not deny it.

Frieren had already shattered the barrier Serie had established during the first stage.

Her abilities were far beyond the standard expected of a First-Class Mage.

"Because of her, several people who ordinarily wouldn’t have been strong enough managed to pass."

"If we conducted the third stage in the usual way, those people would die."

Serie’s gaze returned to Sense, her expression becoming more serious.

"That’s far from the result you wanted."

"And I don’t want that many meaningless deaths either."

"Lady Serie..."

Sense started to apologize.

After all, the second stage had clearly produced complications.

"You don’t need to apologize."

Serie cut her off.

"It’s all Frieren’s fault."

If Frieren had not participated, there would never have been this many problems in the first place.

"Unusual circumstances call for an unusual solution."

"I’ll be the examiner for the third stage."

"I’ll test them myself, using the most peaceful method possible."

A meaningful smile appeared on Serie’s face as she turned toward Lernen.

"You normally handle the third stage. Any objections, Lernen?"

"None at all, Lady Serie."

Lernen bowed slightly, his expression perfectly calm.

He seemed to have expected this outcome already.

"Your whims are hardly a new occurrence."

"Besides, with my ability, I’m not qualified to test Frieren in the first place."

While Serie finalized the arrangements for the third stage, Haruto arrived at the most famous dessert shop in Äußerst.

Frieren was seated by the window.

The table before her was completely covered in desserts—strawberry shortcake, caramel pudding, and several other sweets.

She was slowly scooping through the caramel layer of a pudding with a small spoon, looking thoroughly content.

Fern sat across from her with a bowl of ice cream.

Stark, meanwhile, was happily devouring a slice of apple pie.

Haruto pulled out the empty chair beside Frieren and sat down without ceremony.

Stark immediately tensed.

There was something overwhelmingly dangerous about Haruto.

He was not releasing any hostility at all, yet Stark’s instincts reacted as though the blood in his body were about to freeze.

Then he glanced at Frieren.

Since she showed no reaction whatsoever, Stark relaxed slightly.

Apparently, this was someone she knew.

"Hey, Serie didn’t give you any trouble, did she?"

Frieren glanced sideways at Haruto with the spoon still in her mouth, making her words slightly muffled.

"Not really."

Haruto leaned back casually.

"We just talked about a few interesting things. Nothing happened."

"Really?"

Frieren blinked.

She clearly did not entirely believe him.

She knew Serie well enough.

If Frieren herself had noticed how unusual Haruto was, Serie certainly had too.

Still, Haruto did not look as though anything unpleasant had happened.

Frieren tilted her head, decided not to ask further, and returned her attention to the caramel pudding.

Before long, the three finished everything on the table.

Fern paid the bill, and the four of them left the dessert shop together.

Fern and Stark went on ahead while Haruto and Frieren headed toward a quiet plaza.

The two first completed the trade they had already agreed upon.

Haruto exchanged the heating magic circle for Frieren’s modified sealing magic.

Once that was done, Haruto brought up another proposal.

"Frieren, I’d like to trade for some of the folk magic you’ve collected."

"Especially the spells related to cooking."

"As for what I can offer in return..."

Haruto explained the various spells he was willing to trade.

Frieren barely needed to think about it.

"Sure."

Most of the folk magic Haruto wanted had been collected from ordinary people in villages and towns over the course of Frieren’s thousand-year journey.

She did not consider any of it especially valuable.

If Haruto wanted it, trading it away was hardly a problem.

And the magic he was offering in return interested her enormously.

Healing magic and teleportation magic in particular made her want to start studying them immediately.

"There’s one more thing."

Haruto looked at Frieren.

"I’d like to travel with you for a while and systematically learn the fundamentals of this world’s magic."

He already knew a few spells, but his understanding was completely unsystematic.

Frieren, a Great Mage who had lived for more than a thousand years, was unquestionably one of the best possible teachers he could find.

Of course, making that request also meant he would be traveling with Frieren’s party for quite some time.

Frieren tilted her head and thought about it for all of two seconds.

Then she nodded again.

"Sure."

For one thing, she would need time to learn the spells Haruto was trading her anyway.

For another, having someone as inexplicably powerful as Haruto traveling with them would only make their journey safer.

No matter how she looked at it, she had nothing to lose.

Haruto smiled.

Frieren’s next journey would take her north, toward the Northern Plateau, where demons still roamed and monsters remained abundant.

To most people, that region was a death trap.

To Haruto, it sounded like a natural treasure trove of ingredients.

Countless monsters he had never encountered before were waiting there.

Even if he had not planned to study magic under Frieren, he would have wanted to visit the Northern Plateau anyway.

Before that, however, he still needed to wait for Frieren and Fern to finish the remaining stage of the First-Class Mage Exam.

Fortunately, thanks to Serie’s intervention, the original third-stage examination had become remarkably simple.

Serie canceled the planned test altogether and replaced it with personal interviews conducted by herself.

Frieren and Fern soon received notice that the third and final stage would take place the following day.

At the same time, Haruto received the grimoires Serie had promised him.

He was delighted with the spells inside, but he did not begin studying them immediately.

They would not be staying in Äußerst much longer.

Haruto wanted to use the remaining time to gather several things he would need for the journey ahead.

After parting ways with Frieren, he first visited the most famous magical bookstore in Äußerst.

He spent the entire morning wandering among shelves crammed with old texts and left with a large collection of grimoires.

Afterward, he headed to the city’s ingredient market.

The treasure he had brought out of the Ruins of the King’s Tomb turned out to be far more valuable than Haruto had expected.

Ancient gold coins untouched for centuries, perfectly cut gemstones, and precious-metal ornaments engraved with archaic magical patterns possessed tremendous purchasing power in Äußerst, one of the continent’s wealthiest centers of magic.

Even after buying a mountain of magical texts and large quantities of ingredients, Haruto still had plenty of money left.

Then, while browsing the market, he suddenly remembered something else he needed.

A staff.

A suitable staff would not only make casting significantly easier and allow mana to flow more smoothly, but would also improve precision and stability when controlling magical output.

And since he intended to study this world’s magic properly under Frieren, a reliable staff was practically essential.

Haruto wasted no time.

After asking a few passing mages for recommendations, he quickly learned which magic-item shop in Äußerst had the best reputation.

Following their directions, he soon arrived.

The walls inside were covered with staffs of every imaginable design, each one finely crafted enough to show how much care had gone into its construction.

The atmosphere in the shop, however, was less than pleasant.

Behind the counter sat the owner, Richter, frowning impatiently at Denken and Laufen.

Haruto naturally recognized all three from the First-Class Mage Exam.

Denken and Laufen had both passed the second stage.

Richter, unfortunately, had encountered Sense’s replica and been defeated, eliminating him from the examination.

"Hey, how long are you two planning to hang around my shop?"

Richter gripped his quill and glared at them irritably.

"I’ve already been eliminated. I’ve got nothing to do with you anymore."

"Stop getting in the way of my business and leave."

Denken showed no reaction to being thrown out.

He simply picked up a book from one of the shelves and calmly replied,

"I’m a customer now."

"Then pick something already! Buy it and get out!"

Richter had no answer to that and could only snort irritably before turning away.

That was when he noticed Haruto entering the shop.

His gaze paused on him briefly.

"What can I get for you?"

"I need a staff."

Haruto walked up to the counter and explained his requirements directly.

"I only have one condition."

"It needs to be sturdy. Something that won’t break easily."

"I see."

Richter thought for a moment.

Naturally, he would not turn away someone who genuinely wanted to buy a staff.

The problem was Haruto’s requirement.

Ordinary wooden staffs, even those made from exceptionally hard timber, simply were not built to withstand extreme punishment.

After several seconds, an idea occurred to Richter.

He nodded.

"As it happens, I have one staff that might suit you."

With that, Richter turned, lifted the curtain behind the counter, and disappeared into the workshop.

The staff he had in mind was unusual enough that he had never displayed it in the shop.

Its weight and dimensions were far beyond what an ordinary mage could comfortably use, and he had never found anyone particularly suited to it.

The shop fell quiet.

Denken set down the item he had been looking at and turned toward Haruto.

"So you’re planning to study this world’s magic properly?"

"That’s right."

Haruto leaned casually against the counter.

"Magic can be pretty convenient."

"Whether it’s traveling or processing ingredients, it saves a lot of trouble."

Denken stared at him for a moment.

He clearly had not expected such an ordinary, practical reason for wanting to learn magic and seemed unsure how to respond.

Laufen, on the other hand, could not help laughing softly.

It was the first time she had ever heard someone talk about learning magic and processing ingredients in the same breath.

They had barely exchanged a few more words when a fluctuation of mana came from the workshop.

The curtain lifted again.

Richter stepped out, using levitation magic to carry a staff in front of him.

It was entirely silver-black.

And unlike every other staff displayed in the shop, it had no elaborate ornamentation or intricate magical engravings.

It was simply a perfectly cylindrical metal rod.

The shaft was nearly as thick as an adult man’s forearm and roughly one-point-three meters long, forged in a single piece from extremely dense metal.